Sermon Tone Analysis

The Coming of the Son of Man

Jesus predicts that after tribulations people will see a coming of the Son of Man, accompanied by heavenly signs, leading to further developments.

This will involve the personal presence of the Son of Man in glory, the sun darkening, the powers of the heavens shaken, and the gathering of the elect from all over the earth, plus, quite likely, given the prior context, the destruction of the temple in judgment.

This would seem to reference AD 70 and beyond.

However, at the crucifixion of Jesus, which is pre-AD 70, we can already observe the personal presence of the Son of Man in Jesus (8:31; 9:31; 10:33); the sun going dark at midday (15:33); the powers of the heavens being shaken in the rending of the veil of the temple (15:38), which veil comprised a tapestry of heavenly bodies (Josephus, Jewish War, 5.214); a gathering of people from everywhere at Pentecost shortly thereafter (Acts 2:9–11), concerning which recipients of the Gospel of Mark would surely be cognizant; plus an assurance of the destruction of the temple in the rending of the temple’s veil.

Furthermore, the presence of the Son of Man is, in fact, in glory on the cross, i.e., it involves, as does “glory” in a biblical context generally, a great act of redemption that “makes God [Jesus] impressive”

Glory = an extraordinary work of redemption that exemplifies God’s (Jesus) impressiveness.

THE TIME IS FULFILLED

How can He not know?