Mark: The Olivet Discourse: The Coming of the Son of Man [Mark 13:24-37]

Mark: The Olivet Discourse: The Coming of the Son of Man []

We will conclude the discourse today and hopefully with a better understanding of the events surrounding the end of the age and the return of Christ…or you may be more confused than before??? But at any rate, the events surrounding the end should not scare us, who are in Christ, but should serve as hope…hope of a time when God will set all things right.

At the point in the discourse we come to today the dual reference becomes undeniable-at least for readers since AD 70. Surely those who experienced the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 thought it was the end of the world, but that has not proved to be true nearly 2,000 years later. Any objective interpreter can conclude that Jesus is describing an event that has yet to happen.

In this next section we are about to read, virtually the entire section consists of allusions to various OT texts. If we are honest, most of us are not familiar with the OT enough to make that connection, but the reader/hearer in Jesus day and the first century would have noticed the close connection to the words of Jesus here and the OT prophecies concerning the Great Day of the Lord.

Mark describes here the consummation of the kingdom of God, whereas most of the gospel the kingdom has been veiled…here it is fully revealed. Once we get to chapter 14, the rest of Mark’s gospel is a passion narrative…so I love how Mark does this, he prepares his readers for the passion account by showing us the ultimate triumph of Jesus! Isn’t that genius? We might come to the passion account and say, “Oh, how terrible that is.” but we recall back to the words of Jesus Mark records…Jesus is victorious! And ultimately one day Jesus will return and God’s justice will be served. The great injustice will be dealt with... How desperately we need to fall at the feet of grace.

Stand for the reading of the word of God []

“Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.”

This is the saying that is on your vehicle’s rear-view mirror. It serves as a warning that the reflection in the mirror is not exactly accurate to how close something is behind you…that’s a good warning right? You ever backed into something and thought you had another foot or so??? It happens.

The same could be said of the events Jesus describes in His Olivet Discourse…only in reverse. “Events and signs may be farther apart than they appear.” As we read we are tempted to automatically assume that these events will happen in rapid fire succession…but that’s not necessarily the case. As we’ve already seen thus far, many of the signs of the times and the events to come Jesus has described have been spanning a long stretch of time, a time from Jesus ascension to present day to the time of His return.

Jesus started this discourse with generic signs of the times…deceivers, wars, rumors of wars, catastrophes, and persecution. In verse 14, his focus started to be specific of events to come, a time of unparalleled trouble and tribulation. Now in this third section of the discourse, he becomes even more specific. In those days…what days? The days after the tribulation that are specific to Jesus’ second coming.

Today we’re going to look at four things associated with Jesus second coming and then 4 practical truths about His second coming.

The awesome signs associated with Jesus second coming []

In the days after the tribulation leading to the return of Christ there will be awesome signs in the skies. [read verse 24-25] As I said earlier this section is filled with OT allusions. These signs as described by Jesus reflect what in the OT is referred to as “The Day of the Lord.” In ; ; , ; , ; all give the exact same signs in the skies referring to the day God gathers his people and judges the world.

Ultimate cosmic upheaval and universal cataclysmic judgment will signal that the end has come. These specific cosmic signs herald the Parousia [Greek, second coming]. The four statements represent closely related phenomena, three are parallel and the fourth a summary of them…Sun darkened, moon not give light, stars fall [parallel], power in heavens shaken [summary].

First Jesus says the sun and moon will not give normal light. This remains unexplained; any number of physical causes might be invoked. Regardless, the Lord Himself will be the cause of this phenomenon. This unnatural darkening might be connected to the next sign…the falling of the stars.

This too is not fully explained, whether it is the falling of the true stars that give light at night or it a much larger meteorite shower [which we call falling stars] that threaten the earth… we don’t know for sure…Jesus didn’t explain. What is clear is whatever this looks like the skies ‘the powers in the heavens’ will be shaken loose from their normal way of function…ultimate cosmic upheaval. That’s the picture…further description to this would probably be presumptuous, we do not know precisely what will happen. We don’t want to make guesses but what we do know is that this disruption in the sky will be obvious and fearful, with God’s intervention necessary.

The promise of His coming []

After this upheaval is the promise of His coming. Jesus made clear ‘They will see the Son of Man coming’ those alive in that day will see him! Jesus coming is a visible coming, There are some who suggest that Jesus coming is not visible and physical but spiritual…well then that would make Jesus a liar and we know better. No, Jesus second coming will be visible, it will be seen. This is one of the reasons Jesus told His disciples not to be deceived by imitators because you will see Jesus, it won’t be missed.

He’ll be coming in the clouds. This language recalls for us the book of , as Daniel links the everlasting kingdom to the Son of Man coming in the clouds. Paul wrote in , “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” Jesus is coming again, we will see it, and we’ll be gather to Him.

The visibility, power, and glory of His coming []

Three things significant about Jesus coming…the visibility of His coming, the power of His coming, and the glory of His coming.

First, as I already mentioned, Jesus coming will be visible. You don’t have to worry about missing His coming…we’ll see it. I believe part of the reason many believers today get so caught up and confused about end times events is the misunderstanding of the visibility of Christ return. You’re not going to miss Him, some people are so caught up in watching the signs because they don’t want to miss Christ return…you won’t, no one will.

Second, the power of His coming. Now we’ve already seen a tiny glimpse of Jesus power in His earthly ministry. Remember when He was with His disciples in the boat asleep and this massive storm moved in and about sunk the boat. The disciples were scarred and woke Jesus up asking don’t you care we’re about to die? What did Jesus do??? He stood and spoke be still and the wind and the waves obeyed and instantly everything was calm. At that time the disciples were even more afraid because of the power of Jesus. That was a veiled glimpse of His power.

At Jesus second coming we’ll behold the full power of God, not a veiled event, a cataclysmic shaking of the very foundation of heaven and earth…as Beasley-Murray said, “the heavens and the earth will be in terror and confusion before the overwhelming might of the Lord when He steps into the world to act in judgment and salvation.”

Third, is the glory of His coming. Everyone will see Jesus in all His glory. reaffirms this. “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.” i.e. when we behold the full glory of Jesus the only response will be falling on our knees before Him overwhelmed by His glory.

The gathering at His coming []

Another event linked to Jesus coming is the gathering of His elect [chosen]. This too is linked very closely to the OT as God gathers His scattered people. ; ; ; ; . Three things about this gathering as well...

The New King James Version. (1982). (). Nashville: Thomas Nelson.

First, ‘He will send His angels’ The Son of Man has angels at His disposal…who commands the angels to do His will??? God does…once again Mark’s gospel holds to its theme in that Jesus is God, and therefore at His return he will invoke the will of God by sending His angels to...

Second, ‘gather together His elect’ elect, chosen, those who are marked as child of God by the blood of the lamb, Jesus Christ. Those who are His. If we recall back to what Paul said in he tells us that the dead in Christ will rise and those alive during the time of His return will be caught up with Christ…i.e.

Third, “all will be gathered’. from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth and heaven…i.e. all from north, south, east, west, dead, or alive will be gathered together with Christ at His return. This will be quite a family reunion.

Now I should note as an aside that the Olivet Discourse doesn’t have anything that suggests the second coming of Jesus being in two phases or what some call pre-tribulation rapture…to deal with that you’d have to go somewhere else in scripture. Some believe the rapture and the revelation [second coming of Christ to judge the world] is two different events, some believe they are one and the same thing…we cannot make that distinction in the Olivet discourse. This is the rear-view mirror thing I mentioned earlier comes into play…events may be farther apart than they appear…then again they may not either.

While the events surrounding Jesus return are quite awesome, Jesus doesn’t end there…He actually gives us some practical truth we can cling to about His second coming. After all what good would this information be if it is not useful in the current context of our immediate lives…so here’s

four practical truths about Jesus second coming. []

One thing to keep in mind which is helpful in our understanding of this passage is realizing that Jesus completed the informational part of His lesson in verse 27 of the discourse, He then moves on to two parables to help with application of this information. Therefore there is no straight-line connection between these parables and the information in verses 5-27. This is helpful because many have stumbled over this part of the discourse.

For example, in verse 30 Jesus says, “this generation will not pass away till these things take place.” And many have stumbled over that saying of Jesus because the generation of Jesus obviously did not see all these things Jesus told of take place. Remember this is not a straight-line connection, this is a parable for applying this information. So what’s Jesus talking about?

The nearness of His coming. Look at verse 28-29. Learn the lesson of the fig tree. While most of the trees in Israel keep their leaves year round the fig tree is different it loses it’s leaves in winter and in the spring regains them, much like our trees here, when the leaves come back and we know summer is right around the corner. i.e. we know summer is near. Jesus says when you see ‘these things happening’ you now the time is near.

What are the ‘these things’ Jesus is talking about??? I think it’s obvious, the things preceeding His return, deceivers, wars, catastrophes, persecutions, etc. these things remind us of the nearness of Jesus return, but these things are not signs that He’s hear only that He’s near. Just like when the leaves come back on the trees it’s not summer yet it’s only near summer. The lesson invokes again the need for watchfulness. i.e. it’s always spring.

Two, The certainty of His coming. [v.30-31] This generation will not pass away till these things take place has tripped up many people to say look Jesus was wrong. Well that’s just misunderstanding what Jesus is saying and taking it out of context. Clearly the generation Jesus is speaking of, those in his day, saw what? The temple destroyed in AD 70, which is exactly what Jesus said would happen in this discourse. What Jesus said would happen and certainly did happen, and they witnessed it, but as we have said in previous lessons…this event was also a preview of a future tribulation yet to come at the end of time when Jesus returns.

Jesus didn’t say this generation will see my second coming, Jesus said they will witness what I said they would witness. Remember the rear-view mirror effect. It speaks to the certainty of His coming.

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. If you read and you’ll see what Jesus is talking about. What is certain and clear is that at some point in the future, time undisclosed, the heavens and the earth, as we now know it, will cease to be as they are. Though the heaven and earth will pass away God’s word will not…i.e. everything will happen just as God said. While the certainty of His coming is clear what’s also clear is..

The uncertain time of His coming [v.32-33; 35] Notice verse 32, 33, 35 what is clear??? You do not know when! No person knows, the angels don’t know, even the Son doesn’t know…so what do we do with that? Let’s keep this in mind, especially for those who claim to have all the answers. I believe the easiest explanation of this would be that Jesus was speaking from His humanity, after all God doesn’t tire, or sleep, or die…but Jesus did all these. God is always omnipresent, but the God-man was in one place at a time. While Jesus is 100% God, He’s also 100% man…consequently to understand the nature of Jesus’ conscious processes and knowledge throughout his earthly life is beyond our understanding. So the best thing to say about this would probably be that Jesus spoke from His humanity here. While he may not have been aware of specific times in His earthly life, He no doubt is aware now. full disclosure…somethings we just don’t understand…and that’s OK.

Regardless…the main point is clear

The need for constant watchfulness and readiness [v. 33-37] Take heed, watch, pray is the theme of this ending section. Since we do not know the time of Jesus return the only way to be ready is to always be ready.

The bottom line is Jesus coming will be suddenly, it is imminent, and it could happen any time…even today! You don’t want Him to find you asleep, unprepared, not doing the work He has given you to do. How tragic it would be if Jesus returns to find His church asleep at the wheel, neglecting her assignment to spread the gospel to the nations, squandering her resources, deceiving herself into thinking, “He won’t return today”

If we should learn anything from this discourse it’s that the idea that “I’ll serve tomorrow” is the wrong mindset of Christians…what if tomorrow never comes? Jesus words to His disciples should also serve as a warning to us…be ready. After all we are definitely closer to His return today than we were yesterday right…so be on guard!

If Jesus tells us something once we should listen…but the fact that Jesus says four times…be alert should really grab our attention. Friends, Jesus is coming again! So be alert, be ready, and get to serving Him today! Tomorrow may never arrive.

Holman New Testament Commentary: Mark IV. Life Application: Running for Our Lives

Cradling his rifle in the crook of his arm, a hunter was following an old logging road nearly overgrown by the forest in the wilds of Oregon. It was nearly evening, and he was just thinking about returning to camp when a noise exploded in the brush nearby. Before he had a chance to lift his rifle, a small blur of brown and white came shooting up the road straight for him.

The hunter said, “It all happened so fast, I hardly had time to think. I looked down and there was a little brown cottontail—utterly spent—crowded up against my legs between my boots. The little thing was trembling all over, but it just sat there and didn’t budge.” Wild rabbits are frightened of people, and it’s unusual to see one—let alone have one sit at your feet.

While the hunter was puzzling over this, another player entered the scene. Down the road—maybe twenty yards away—a weasel burst out of the brush. When it saw the man—and its intended prey sitting at his feet—it froze in its tracks, its mouth panting and eyes glowing red.

It dawned on the hunter that he had stepped into a little life-and-death drama of the forest. The cottontail, exhausted by the chase, was only moments from death. The man was its last hope of refuge. Forgetting its natural fear and caution, the little animal instinctively crowded up against him for protection from the sharp teeth of its relentless enemy.

The hunter did not disappoint the little cottontail. Raising his rifle, he shot into the ground just underneath the weasel. It leaped into the air and rocketed back into the forest. For a while the little rabbit did not stir. It just sat there, huddled at the man’s feet in the gathering twilight. “Where did it go, little one?” the hunter asked. “I do not think he will be bothering you for a while. Looks like you’re off the hook tonight.” Soon the rabbit hopped away from its protector into the forest.

That rabbit had an uncertain future. It was running for its life, and it just happened to “luck out” by finding refuge in one who was greater than its enemy. Sometimes we also feel like we are running for our lives. The predators of our past—trouble, worry, fear, and uncertainty of the future—can wear us down to the point where we feel like the weasel is going to win. But the Bible says, “Call upon me in the day of trouble and I will deliver you and you shall glorify me.” No matter how rocky and uncertain life may seem, we are promised a bright future. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you. Thoughts of peace and not of calamity, to give you a future and a hope.”

No matter how troublesome life may become and how uncertain our future may seem, run to your protector and huddle at his feet. He stands with his arms wide open. In Mark 13 Jesus warns us about the future but does not want us worrying about the future or even trying to figure it out. Jesus, in his humanity said, “I do not know when these things will occur.” His focus was not on figuring out the future but on remaining faithful to his mission. How can we do this? By staying close to the Father. We also must focus daily upon him