Advent 1: The Great and Terrible Day

Psalm 80:1-7 / Mark 13:24-31

New Testament II: Mark (Revised) (The Coming of the Son)

THE COMING OF THE SON. TERTULLIAN:

...[Jesus} will bring both sorrow and joy. The Son of Man is coming in the midst of both calamities and promises, both the grief of nations and the longing of the saints. He is the common element in both. He who is common to both will end the one by inflicting judgment on the nations, and will commence the other by fulfilling the longings of the saints. AGAINST MARCION 4.39.

Let Jesus Speak Prophetically

Judgment on the Nations

Sun, Moon, and Stars

Isaiah 24:23 “Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders.”

Ezekiel 32:7 “When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens and make their stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light.”

Revelation 6:2 “And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer.”

Who Will See?

Creation

Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

Luke 19:40 “He answered, “I tell you, if [God’s People] were silent, the very stones would cry out.””

The Host of Angels

Joshua 5:14 “And he said, “No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord...

1 Peter 1:12 “It was revealed to [Old Testament Prophets] that they were serving not themselves but [future generations of believers], in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.”

Those ministering spirits who will have curiously witnessed all of redemptive history, from creation to the end of time from a lofty, but somewhat disconnected vantage point

The mighty Host of whom Christ Jesus is their Captain, who have faithfully delivered the Word of God, Protected the People of God, and Carried out the Justice of God on the Earth

They will also now at Jesus’ return be witness to the fulfillment of the Judgment of God; the elimination of sin and sinfulness, and the final condemnation of sinners to the torments of Hell, where ”... the smoke of their torment [will go] up forever and ever, and they [will] have no rest, day or night.

All of Mankind

Revelation 1:7 “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.”

Make no mistake; when Jesus returns, He will bring the full measure of God’s Righteous Wrath to cleanse creation from the stain of sin.

Those who are who have not been born again, will be subject to this final Justice, and will perish forever, receiving the just condemnation of their sin; namely their rejection of the Rightful Lord Jesus.

The Longings of the Saints

The Gathering

Revelation 14:14–16 “Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle, and reap, for the hour to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is fully ripe.” 16 So he who sat on the cloud swung his sickle across the earth, and the earth was reaped.”

Revelation 6:10 “They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?””

The Fig Tree

Not a cursing: Mark 11 - Jesus cursed a fig tree for not bearing fruit

General reference to recognizing the signs

Matthew 16:1–4 “And the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and to test him they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’ 3 And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. 4 An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So he left them and departed.”

Jesus was at a minimum telling His disciples to be alert; pay attention to the world around them,

Maybe a reference to production of fruit

Make No Mistake

Heaven and Earth

Paul in 1Cor 15: Just as a seed is buried before the plant sprouts, just as the sun sets before it rises, so too before the new age dawns there is a doing away with the old before it is made new. So too every temporary thing that we seem to prize so highly, which John tells us in 1 John 2 not to hold onto, will be, as Peter says melted in a fervent heat.

Make No Mistake: This world as we know it is going to pass away.

The Words of Christ

Amid all this upheaval; against the backdrop of ultimate judgment and destruction comes this sweet and comforting promise from the very lips of the Son of God.The passing away of Heaven and Earth will not undo this:

Make No Mistake: Every sweet promise and assurance to God’s People will be fulfilled. All who are in Christ are safe forever.

As the old song says: There's a great day coming, A great day coming, There's a great day coming by and by, When the saints and the sinners shall be parted right and left,

Are you ready for that day to come?

As we are begin counting down to the celebration of the Virgin Birth of Jesus, let us be reminded that the same Jesus is coming again, to the terror of sinners and the welcome shout of His own.