On The Return Of Jesus: An Exposition Of Mark 13:24-37

So when I look at this prophecy, is see it as type and antitype. There are details given which correspond to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The greater fulfillment will be along the lines of the first, but not all the details need correspond. We know that the Temple and the Holy Place was desecrated just before the final overthrow. This is the abomination of desolation spoken of here. The greater fulfillment does not necessitate the rebuilding of the Jerusalem Temple. It could also refer to a world wide desecration of the holy name of God and of His Son Jesus. This is a desolation of the heart and not of a building. This is not to say, of course, that the Temple will not be rebuilt. All I am saying is that it does not necessarily require it.

Up to verse 24, there seems to be some ambiguity about the details, whether they belong to the destruction of Jerusalem, the destruction at the end of the age, or both. But is seems that starting at verse 24, the details seem to refer to the Second Coming of Christ at the end of the age. This verse talks about the falling of the stars and the darkening of the sun and moon. The powers in heaven will be shaken, and then the Son of Man will come in great power and glory. This is highly metaphorical language which some like Bass still think refers to a judgment coming in Jerusalem in 70 AD and not a literal one. But with all due respect to this view, the coming of the Son of Man seems highly literal even though it is hard to find words to describe the scene. It certainly sounds to me that these verses refer to the return of Christ at the end of the age. In it, He is going to gather the elect from the entire earth and heaven.

We have to determine who the “elect” are. Are they elect “Jews” or “Christians” of every nationality? Some see the state of Israel’s restoration in 1948 referred to here, but why such a distance in time between His coming in judgment in Jerusalem in 70 AD and 1948? This is another reason to see the elect as “Christians” and the event being the Second Coming of Christ.

So what Jesus is saying here using the parable of the fig tree is that Christians need to be prepared for the coming of Christ. We should look at the leafing of the fig tree in spring as a sign of the LORD’s return. Does this mean we need to look at the prophesied events taking place to tell us that the end of the age is upon us just as the troubling events before the Jewish War pointed to the destruction of Jerusalem? We do indeed live in troubling times. The world economy is breaking down. We are in the middle of a pandemic. Hate and misery are rampant. Genuine Christianity is under great attack everywhere. This may indeed be so. But equally troubling times existed, for example, during the reign of Justinian as well as the time of the Reformation. We have had two terrible world wars. Even though these were times of great tribulation, the end was not yet.

If then we cannot be sure that we are at the very end of the age, how are we to prepare? We do know that Jesus told us that only the Father knows the time. So if we are having trouble with the tea leaves, perhaps there is a better way to prepare. Jesus calls us not to figure the time or seasons which are in the Father’s authority but to be His witnesses, first in Jerusalem. Then Judaea and Samaria, and then to the uttermost parts of the world. So I think the best way to prepare for the return of Christ is to be busy with what the Lord has commanded us, to be His witnesses. We need to be proclaiming the Gospel while it is still day. We have the promise that He will be with us in this endeavor until the end of the age. Jesus tells us to occupy until he comes. The servant whom he finds when He comes suddenly who is busy at His assigned tasks will be commended. Those who are not will be condemned.