Behold! He Comes!
Mark 13:24-31
Introduction: One
little girl heard her Sunday School teacher talk about the return of Christ.
When she saw her mom later she asked her, “Mommy do you believe Jesus is coming
back? And that it could be soon?” The mom replied, “Yes dear, I do.” The girl paused, looked heavenward, and then asked, “Would you please comb my hair?” She wanted to be ready! I
think that is one of the practical implications of this doctrine: be ready!
That theme is very clear and it carries through this chapter.
As we have gone through this chapter I’ve pointed out that of all the
chapters in Mark, this is the most challenging and most disputed, even among
conservatives, as to nailing down the meaning of Jesus’ words (and as those who
come out on Wednesday nights know, I am still far from having all of this
figured out!). The question of Jesus’ meaning in verse 30, “this generation,” is the crux of the
entire discourse and will impact our reading of the whole chapter. Is Jesus
in fact saying that everything He is describing in this chapter will have happened
during the current generation then living, as He spoke, including the end of the age and His coming in glory? Some take
that view to the extreme, actually seeing no connection between what Jesus is
saying here and the events preceding and leading to His second coming and the
establishment of His kingdom. At the other end of the spectrum are those who
push the whole thing into the distant future, seeing no prediction of the
events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, taking a completely
“futurist” view, all of this is exclusively a prophecy of the great tribulation
at the end of the age. I’ve been trying to make the case that Jesus is in a
sense doing both. The disciples asked about “when” Jesus’ prediction about
the Temple would be fulfilled, but they also asked Him about His coming and the
end of the Age. He weaves His answers together, giving them a relatively
near-term prophecy concerning the coming destruction of the Temple, while also
pointing to a future tribulation and His glorious appearing at the end of the
Age.
Context: We’ve
seen in the Olivet discourse the call to stay faithful, because life will get
hard but Jesus is coming. We’ve been encouraged that the assurance of God’s
presence and the certainty of victory will enable us to endure both the trials
of life and the attacks of the enemy, and that we can be assured that God is in
control and that His Word will guide us through difficult and deceptive times. This week we’ll see…
The BIG Idea: Jesus is coming soon to gather His
people to Himself! Are you ready?
I. Jesus is coming! He will come again to gather His people (24-27). Jesus has been describing days of Tribulation, as well as
a soon to come period of intense Tribulation, the siege of Jerusalem and the
destruction of the Temple. Those events, it seems to me, point ahead to a
“Great Tribulation” at the end of the age which will occur before His coming.
That day will be marked by cosmic events…
"But in those days, following
that distress, "'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its
light; 25 the stars will fall
from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'
First, we see that a prophecy
of cosmic signs will be powerfully fulfilled (24-25). We probably should
have expected that! All of creation was impacted by the Fall, and it makes
sense that of all creation will be shaken as God’s redemptive plan continues to
unfold in the return of Christ. Paul says in Romans 8:19-22 that
…creation waits in eager expectation
for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was
subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who
subjected it, in hope 21 that
the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought
into the glorious freedom of the children of God. 22 We know that the whole creation
has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.
We’ve seen that language of “birth
pains” in this passage as well. The tribulations we experience in life,
including the natural or cosmic reminders that we live in a fallen world,
should cause us to look heavenward, waiting for the unfolding drama of
redemption to take its next step. The prophets had anticipated the coming Day
of the Lord, when heavens would be
shaken at the arrival of the messianic Judge and Redeemer… Let’s read a couple
of predictions of what lay ahead... Isaiah pictures the heavens shaking as
God’s day of judgement arrives…
Isaiah 13:9-13, 9 See, the day of the LORD is
coming--a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger-- to make the land
desolate and destroy the sinners within it.
10 The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show
their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its
light. 11 I will punish the
world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the
arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless. 12 I will make man scarcer than
pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir.
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth
will shake from its place at the wrath of the LORD Almighty, in the day of his
burning anger.
Is that all
poetic imagery? We see similar language elsewhere, also expressing a coming day
of judgement…
Ezekiel 32:7-8, 7 When I snuff you out, I will
cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud,
and the moon will not give its light. 8
All the shining lights in the heavens I will darken over you; I will bring
darkness over your land, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Joel 2:10, 10 Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun
and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine.
Later in
Joel 2:28-32 the language continues, but with a shift toward hope and salvation
for those who call on the Lord…
28 "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my
Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men
shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. 29 Even on
the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit. 30
"And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire
and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and
the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. 32
And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall
be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape,
as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD
calls…
Another passage in Joel reflects both
judgement and hope, and also calls for a decision…
Joel 3:12-18, 12 'Let the nations be
roused; let them advance into the Valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit
to judge all the nations on every side. 13
Swing the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, trample the grapes, for the
winepress is full and the vats overflow-- so great is their wickedness!' 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the
valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of
decision. 15 The sun and
moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. 16 The LORD will roar from Zion
and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the sky will tremble. But the LORD
will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel. 17 'Then you will know that I, the
LORD your God, dwell in Zion, my holy hill. Jerusalem will be holy; never again
will foreigners invade her. 18
'In that day the mountains will drip new wine, and the hills will flow with
milk; all the ravines of Judah will run with water. A fountain will flow out of
the LORD's house and will water the valley of acacias.
We see in those verses, nations being
judged, multitudes in the “valley of decision,” the earth and the sky
trembling, God’s presence, kingdom blessings being poured out on his people.
Back in our context in Mark Jesus goes from the shaking of the cosmos to…
A Promise fulfilled: His
coming in Glory for His people (26-27). Back in Mark 13, Jesus alludes to
another prophet, Daniel, to describe the day of his coming in glory…
"At that time men will see the
Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and
gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of
the heavens.” (Mark 13:26-27).
I do not believe we should push the
details of this chapter into a precise timetable. The point is that, as Jesus
said in the upper room, “In the world you
will have tribulation.” As we experience it in our lives, as we see it in
the world, it should remind us that Jesus is coming again, and He will save
those who are His, those He calls here “the
elect.” All of that tribulation should tell us that His return is imminent,
that is it could happen at any time. The cosmic upheaval that is described here
will happen at His coming in glory, essentially announcing His arrival.
This points to The BIG Idea, for us
and for readers in every age: Jesus is coming soon to gather His people to
Himself! Are you ready?
II. Be ready, He is coming soon! Jesus will come again and the time is near (28-31). Jesus
now uses an illustration to reinforce the point…
28 "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get
tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these
things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door.
A prediction of His imminent return (28-29). Sandwiched
around the Temple cleansing, the episode of Jesus cursing the fig tree pointed
to God’s impending judgement of Israel. Is that connection to be made here?
Maybe. Certainly we can say that Jesus is turning to an example from nature, an
illustration, to illumine the point He is making. The lesson of the fig tree here
is that the things Jesus has just described, the tribulation in the world, the
example of intense tribulation that would occur at the Fall of Jerusalem and
the destruction of the Temple, all of that should remind us that just as the
tender shoots and sprouting leaves would reliably tell that people that summer
is near, so the kind of tribulation He has described should tell us that God’s
plan is moving toward a climax, and that the promise of His coming is at hand.
Remember the little girl’s reaction when she heard Jesus was coming soon, she
asked her mom to comb her hair, she wanted to be ready! Around this time Jesus
told a parable that we have in Matthew 25. Let’s read a few verses…
"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their
lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2
Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.
3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil
with them, 4 but the wise
took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5
As the bridegroom was delayed, they all became drowsy and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry,
'Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him…
The foolish virgins were not ready! They were locked out. “Watch therefore, for you know neither the
day nor the hour… (Matt 25:13).
Over the last couple of years, the news headlines, the stories of
suffering in people’s lives, the evil we see showing itself as recently as the news reports last night, all of these things remind us why Jesus came, that is,
because of our sin problem. He came, to reconcile sinners to God and ultimately
to restore creation, to overcome the curse and to make it possible for
believers, the elect, to experience Life, the way life should be! This should also
be a reminder, to look up, expectantly, with hope. Paul wrote to a young
disciple in Titus 2:11-14,
…the grace of God that brings
salvation has appeared to all men, 12
teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live
soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope
and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that
He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own
special people, zealous for good works.
Notice what Paul is saying, the hope of
His appearing in glory is a motivation to us to live differently,
seeking to make choices that honor the King.
A promise that His Word is sure (30-31). This brings us to the
verse that I called the crux of the passage. The key question is: to what is
Jesus referring with the phrase “this
generation?” And also, to what does He refer when He speaks of “all things”?
30 I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until
all these things have happened. 31
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
First, let’s consider the phrase “all these things.” What things? Remember
the discourse began with Jesus responding to some question(s) the disciples
asked, “Tell us when will these things
be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be
accomplished?” (Mark 13:4). Matthew
gives us a little more detail, telling us the disciples also asked, “And what will be the sign of Your coming,
and of the end of the age?" (Matt 24:3). I have argued that Jesus
weaves together in his response His answers to both of these questions, which
the disciples probably view as contemporaneous events. This is similar to what
we often see in the Old Testament prophets, who wove together references to the
first coming of Christ and his return in glory (cf. Zech 9:9,10, etc.). But
doesn’t Jesus also imply that this
generation will see these prophecies fulfilled? That brings us to the crux
of this passage, and the expression…
“…this generation…” To
what is Jesus referring? The natural reading of the English translations would
seem to be the generation in which Jesus was living and speaking. Jesus spoke of the “signs” of the Temple’s
destruction, but also that His coming was near, leading the cosmic disturbances
that come, it seems, with His Parousia.
This generation, the people alive as Jesus spoke this word to His disciples,
would see the signs He describes in this passage, including wars and rumors of
wars, earthquakes and pestilences, the birth pangs that remind us every day
that we live in a fallen world. Further, they would see a specific horrific
example of human depravity and rebellion in the siege and the fall of Jerusalem
and the destruction of the Temple. It seems to me He is saying that these birth
pangs will continue and will intensify until Jesus returns. What we see
happening in the world should tell us that all is not right in the world, but
that is why Jesus came, and the is why He is coming again, to make all things
new.
What is God saying to me in this passage? Jesus is coming soon to gather His
people to Himself! Are you ready?
What would God have me to do in response to this passage?
1) Theology is always practical, and that includes eschatology, the study of
last things. Don't let the world force you into its mold. Many people live as though this
world is all there is. If there is a god, it doesn’t change much. Sometimes
that worldview can creep into our thinking. When we consider the thrust of this passage, the promise of
His coming, remember the questions Mark has been answering: 1) Who is Jesus? 2) Why did He come? And 3) What
does it mean to follow Him? He is the Son, sent by the Father to be our
substitute, to do for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves, to pay a price we
could not pay. He died and rose again, and this same Jesus is coming again! How
then should we live? Be ready. Stay faithful!
2) The passage we read earlier in Joel reflects both judgement and hope, and also calls for a decision… Joel 3:12 says, “Let the nations be roused…” That mission has been entrusted to us until He comes. So, we should be diligent, alert, and engaged. Why? Verse 14 tells us, “For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.” Time is short, Jesus is coming, unbelief will be judged. Jesus said, “I am come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly!” He came to save a people, to offer reconciliation with God. God’s promise is that “whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” God has entrusted His mission to us. He will work through us, as we hold forth the Word of Life. Faith comes by hearing! How will they hear? Go and Tell. AMEN.
Comments
Post a Comment