Introduction
We are halfway through our adventure into the end times tour known as eschatology, the study of last things. We have looked at all kinds of millennial names – post, a, pre, post trib, pretrib, and midtrib. Hopefully I have convinced you that whatever position you desire to take, if you do, that you will agree that Bible believing Christians have valid reasons for holding different positions.
I know this series is stretching you and more than a few of you may be wondering why is it necessary to go into all these theological terms. My reason is that, whether you know it or not, you are being bombarded by theological teachings about the end times from a perspective that runs counter to what our heritage of Reformed teaching understands about Bible prophecy. I want to make you aware of the teaching you are receiving so that whether you choose to believe it or not, you know that it is not the only position that Bible believing Christians take. The Left Behind series of books, the books written by Hal Lindsey, indeed, probably any of the books you may have read on end times prophecy, the movies you may have seen and the radio programs you may have heard – all of these present a theology labeled dispensationalism and a view of the end times labeled pretribulation premillennialism. Right or wrong, this has not been the view of traditional Reformed Christians. If understanding the subject of the end times is something you must know, then you need to make further effort to read and study writings that present the other views I have presented.
Let’s go to our text. Recall how I have presented the chapter. Verses 1-4 introduce the subject. Jesus prophesies that the Temple will be utterly destroyed. The disciples ask when “these things” will take place and what will be the signs they are about to happen. We know from Matthew that they equated the destruction of the Temple with his coming. In verses 5-13 Jesus warns them not to confuse troubles as being signs of the end times. Indeed, these disciples can expect to see many troubles and be persecuted. In verses 14-23, he warns of the great tribulation that will come which result in the devastation of the Temple of which he was speaking. Even then, do not be deceived thinking that he has come. Now, in verses 24-27, he does speak of his coming.
The Text
24 “But in those days, following that distress…
In those days is a critical phrase in understanding the end times. Does it mean “in those days just after the destruction of Jerusalem”? The dispensationalist says, “Of course. That is why the nation of Israel must be re-established (which it has) and the Temple rebuilt before Christ can return.”
Others say “not so fast.” One can trace through OT prophecy that same phrase used to introduce the days being prophesied. We have all talked about the future in such a way. We might say something like, “Some day I am going to have a house by the beach and take life easy. In those days I’ll be able to…” If someone asked, “What days?” We reply, “Those days.” It becomes a phrase speaking of a time undetermined.
Jesus has just answered the question about the destruction of the Temple and the troubles the disciples will face. He concludes in verse 23 by saying: So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. In other words, he is saying, “But, having said all that, let me talk about “those days” of my coming. He then borrows the language of apocalyptic writings. (There’s another big word! It refers to writings that speak of a cataclysmic event such as the end time.) Listen.
”‘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.’
As I said, such language is borrowed from writings that speak of momentous events to come. Isaiah, for example, uses it in 13:9-10 to speak of the downfall of Babylon. It can be simply a figure of speech to mean that ominous events will happen to make everyone pause and fearful. They will make everyone believe that something big is about to take place. Or the words can be taken literally. Indeed, I would think they should be if Jesus is speaking of what will take place at his coming. These events do not portend Jesus’ coming, i.e. serve as signs to prepare us for Jesus’ coming; rather, they are what take place as part of his coming.
26 “At that time (at the onset of these things) 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.”
What will happen? We will see the Son of Man, i.e. Jesus Christ, coming in the sky. He will send out his angels (Matthew says with a trumpet sound) to gather the elect from everywhere – those living throughout the earth and those who have died and now dwell in the heavens. This is the true Rapture, the gathering up of the elect at the end time, and not a secret invisible rapture as advertised on bumper stickers: Caution, driver may be raptured at anytime. Again, you detect my amillennial interpretation.
Preterism
I am going to give you yet one more view of the end times. I promise this will be the last! I give it only because it has made some inroads among Christians who read extensively in Reformed literature. This is not a popular view in the evangelical world and books that advocate it will never make the top ten list for any bookseller, except perhaps those that specialize only in Reformed literature. But some of you will encounter it and perhaps be enticed by it. This view is called preterism.
The obvious advantage of preterism is that it is much easier to pronounce and spell! No millennial addition at all. The preterist believes that everything Jesus speaks of in Mark 13 has taken place. He and the dispensational premillennialist would have agreed against me that Jesus was connecting the destruction of the Temple with the return of Christ. The dispensationalist would have then explained why we must understand Jesus’ prophecy as still waiting to happen. The preterist would have broken in, “No, no. These things are not waiting to happen; they have already happened.” At this point the dispensationalist and I would reply, “How can you say that? Jesus hasn’t come back yet.” The preterist, shaking his head, would respond, “Don’t you realize that he did return?” As I and my dispensationalist friend would look at each other in confusion, our preterist brother would explain.
“Look, didn’t Jesus use language that would make anyone present believe that his return would occur during their lifetime?” Yes. “Did Jesus explicitly tell the disciples that they were wrong to connect the destruction of the Temple with his return?” No. “Wouldn’t Mark’s readers naturally assume that the two were connected and to expect both to happen in their lifetime?” Yes. “And is it not evident that the early believers expected the return of Christ during their lifetime, because of the teachings in the NT that speak of his return as imminent?” Yes. “Then take seriously these teachings about time.”
But what about the end time? What about the final judgment, the day of the Lord? The preterist would reply that Scripture speaks of a final age, not the end of time. The Jewish dispensation (age) was coming to an end and the church dispensation (or Kingdom) inaugurated. The former ended with the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. Israel received its judgment. Indeed, we are now in the age of the resurrection and the consummation of the Kingdom of God. Revelation speaks of our age. All Bible prophecy is fulfilled. But what about Jesus coming in power and glory, and what about our seeing him? We see him with the eyes of faith. This is figurative language.
Basically the preterist argument is that because we must be rigid with the time language, we have to rethink creatively all of the descriptions of Christ’s return and the substance of what that return means. I don’t know about you, but Peggy Lee’s song always pops in my mind when I think of preterism: “Is That All There Is, My Friend?”
The Main Event
Let’s put aside all our millennial terminology and new ideas, and take time to dwell on the main event – Christ’s return. What does the return of Christ mean for his people and the world?
First of all, the veiling is over! Men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. The glory of the Son of God has for the most part been veiled to mankind. In the Old Testament, he is the mysterious figure of an anointed to come, a new Son of David, a prophet greater than Moses, a Servant of God. Divine language is used of him and yet, who really could imagine a second person of the Godhead.
Then the Word of God took on flesh and became a man. God the Son walked upon this earth as the Light of the world. And yet, who recognized him as such? He was, after all, but a man, born as a helpless infant to a peasant woman. And who believed his message? He was rejected by the religious leaders, the scholars of the Scriptures, the guardians of God’s people. It was true that he did perform signs and wonders, but he could not rally about him an army. In the end, he was led as a lamb to slaughter. What glory is in that?
And now? Hundreds of millions worship him and serve him, but serve whom? One they profess to believe is the Son of God. One whom they believe in by faith. Where is our King? He is invisible. We can sing about walking and talking with him, but however good and sincere feelings we might have, we speak of one whom we cannot see and cannot prove even exists.
But here is our hope. He who visibly ascended into heaven on clouds, while return visibly on the clouds. The day will come when the people of Christ will no longer be described as the people of faith, for faith itself will be cast away for sight. We shall behold our King, and not as a mere man, but as the God-man in all of his glory and splendor. What we have read about – John’s vision of the glorified Christ, and his experience with Peter and James of seeing Jesus transfigured – we will behold and experience for ourselves.
His coming will not be a secret. It will not be an event for us to believe by faith. We will not have to convince anyone that he has come, for every knee shall bow before him – every knee, both friend and enemy.
Second, the gathering is completed. There will be no fields white unto harvest for every field will have been fully harvested. All of the elect whom God has chosen before the foundations of the world were laid will be gathered in – both great and small, both famous and unknown. No one whom God has chosen will be lost, no one forgotten. Both the living and the dead will be raised to glory.
You who have been scattered, know that you will be brought back. Listen!
5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth—
7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made” (Isaiah 43:5-7).
These are not words just for the nation of Israel. This is the promise of our Redeemer to all of his people, to all who have been separated from their homes and their families, from their countries and their peoples. This is the promise to all who die in unknown places, who themselves were unknown.
We will all be gathered. The angels of God will not search in vain; they will not fail to bring us all home to our Father and to our Redeemer.
10 In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious. 11 In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, from Cush, from Elam, from Babylonia, from Hamath and from the islands of the sea.
12 He will raise a banner for the nations
and gather the exiles of Israel;
he will assemble the scattered people of Judah
from the four quarters of the earth (Isaiah 11:10-12).
Third, the judgment occurs. Mark does not speak specifically of this, but it is evident in the tone of the discourse. We are to be alert; the final day will come suddenly; we must be ready. For what? To stand before our Judge. Everyone…everyone will be judged. Those who are alive when he returns and those who have died; those who rejected Christ and those clothed by Christ in his righteousness. We shall all stand before our Judge.
We will explore this more next Sunday, but understand that then shall true justice be meted out. For the Lord will not judge by what he sees and hears, but by pure justice. Then there will be no place to hide, no tricks to play, no loopholes to resort to.
Fourth, the new creation is established. Listen to what the new creation in which we live will be like.
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away…”
9 One of the seven angels… showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal…18 22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it…22 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
Then the party begins! Those glorious scenes of the saints and the angels and the elders and the living creatures singing praise to God and to the Lamb – those scenes will include us. We sing those songs now by faith trusting that we are joining with the choirs of heaven. But we will someday (with glorious voices), with undiluted joy, with pure motive and unwearied devotion sing and worship our Lord who stands before us in full glory.
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!” (Revelation 5:12-13)
“Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
7 Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory! (Revelation 19:6-7)
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus (Revelation 22:21).
