NYUBF | New York UBF

Mark Lesson 41 (2012)

THE GLORIOUS SECOND COMING OF JESUS

Mark 13:1-37
Key Verse: 13:26-27

“At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 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.”

Mark Chapter 13 is generally known as “Jesus’ dialogue on the Mount of Olives”, in which Jesus describes God’s plan for the end times in response to his disciple’s eschatological questions. It’s easy for us to be carried away by our own curiosity concerning the exact time and the signs of the end times. Let us be more focused on Jesus’ message about how we should live day to day while waiting for his return.

The dialogue that happened at the Mount of Olives started when Jesus and his disciples were leaving the temple, just a few days before his death on the cross. Look at verse 1. “As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!’” The Jerusalem Temple complex in Jesus’ time was a masterpiece, which had been renovated and largely extended by King Herod the Great. It took more than 40 years to complete. They used hundreds and thousands of stone bricks for this project. One stone brick was the size about half of this room! It’s no wonder that the disciples were amazed by the size of the stones of the temple. “Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!” The temple was the pride of Israel and the heart and soul of the spiritual and cultural heritage of the Jews.

But to their surprise, Jesus predicted the complete destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. Look at verse 2. “‘Do you see all these buildings?’ replied Jesus. ‘Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.’” Jesus’ prediction was specifically pointing to the destruction of the city of Jerusalem as well as the Temple complex by the Roman invasion in A.D. 70. It was God’s direct judgment on Israel due to her sin of rebellion against God, probably killing the Son of God. (Mk 12) Hearing what Jesus said about the destruction of the Temple, the disciples must have become scared, puzzled and quiet for a while as they walked along with Jesus to the Mount of Olives. Yet, they somehow related the destruction of Jerusalem Temple to the termination of the world’s history. So as they were sitting on the Mount of Olives along with Jesus, looking at the grandiose Jerusalem Temple buildings, Peter, John, James and Andrew, the first four disciples, asked him, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to be fulfilled?” (4) Their questions were about two eschatological matters: 1) the time and 2) the signs of the end of the world.

Regarding the time of the end of the world, Jesus made it very clear that no one knows except God alone. He said in verse 32, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” It’s hard to believe that Jesus, the Son of God, does not know the time of his second coming. Or even though he knows it, he might not want to tell us or want us to know exactly when he would come again. Yet, Jesus said plainly that he does not know about the date or the hour of his coming back (Mk 13:32; Acts 1:7). It seems that Jesus does not even want us to calculate the exact time of his coming either.

In fact, most of Jesus’ dialogue with his disciples in Mark Chapter 13 was his warnings about false prophets, false alarms and false signs that distract and make people unnecessarily or overly anxious and alarmed. According to Jesus, there are only a few signs that are to be considered as the real signs of the end times (23-25; 28-30). So let’s first think about the general signs that are not necessarily eschatological signs.

First: false prophets and false alarms (5-8; 21-23)

Look at verses 5-6. “Jesus said to them: ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and will deceive many.” Also look at verses 21-23. “At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ! Or “Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christ and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect – if that were possible. So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time.”  We need discernment to not be misled or deceived by false prophets and false religious leaders. A characteristic of false prophets and false Christ is that they know and tell what people want to hear (2 Timothy 4:3) and even perform great signs and miracles. Yet, we know that not all those who perform signs and miracles are false prophets. So how can we discern whether they are genuine or not?

We can find useful tips from Matthew 7:15-17 and 20, which read, “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn-bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit… Thus, by their fruit they will recognize them.” No one is perfect and free from mistakes and failures. But we would know whether the person is genuine, authentic or pretentious by the fruit of his or her life.

Look at verses 7 and 8. “When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and famines. These are the beginning of birth pains.” According to Jesus, wars and military confrontation between nations, natural disasters, such as flood, famine, earthquake, tsunami, volcanic explosion, and pestilences are general signs or the beginning of birth pains, as Jesus puts it in verse 8. Although it’s hard enough to go through these disastrous events and circumstances, we must know that they are not the signs of the end of the age.

Let me share a funny story that happened last week. Last Wednesday, about three hours into a flight from Miami to London, a British Airways crew member accidentally pushed the button that started to play an automated recording telling passengers to prepare for an emergency landing on the Atlantic Ocean. The pre-recorded message said, “This is an emergency, we will shortly be making an emergency landing on water.” All the passengers panicked and began fearing that they were about to die. Then immediately, a flight attendant came over the intercom to apologize to say that the message was a mistake. It was a false alarm that made all passengers on board scared to death. I heard that some angry passengers are going to sue the company for emotional damage.

Since the world we live in has so many natural disasters and constant wars, some people are easily and unnecessarily alarmed thinking the world is going to end very soon. They are often carried away. Other people just don’t care anymore. We need to be aware that these are the beginning of birth pains and the time is coming. Therefore, instead of being anxious about anything, we need to acknowledge God’s absolute sovereignty over all things through our prayer, petition and thanksgiving. (Phil 4:6)

Second, birth pains and suffering (9-20)

In verses 5-8, Jesus talks about the beginning of birth pains. In verses 9-20, Jesus talks more about the birth pain to his disciples. Look at verses 9-13. The disciples would be persecuted, and sometimes they would be arrested and put in prison on account of Jesus. In fact, Jesus said in verse 13, “All men will hate you because of me, …” Sometimes their loved ones would hate them. Their family members would even betray them because of Jesus. These are truly painful and terrible sufferings that we, as Christians, should go through. Sometimes, we might want to compromise with our situation because it’s too painful to bear. Yet, Jesus said that we should stand firm to the end because our faith will bring the ultimate victory for all (13). Here, we learn two things about why God allows us to go through these difficulties and pains.

(1) It’s one of the most effective ways to witness to the world. Look at verses 9 and 10. “You must on your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings as witnesses to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.” Jesus also said that we should totally depend on the Holy Spirit, who will speak on our behalf. (11)

(2) Christian hardships are part of the birth pain for Jesus’ glorious second coming. Look at verse 14. “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong – let the reader understand – then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” This part is a quotation from Daniel 9:27 that was partly fulfilled in 167 B.C. by Antiochus of Syria who erected the temple of Zeus in the Jerusalem Temple and sacrificed the swine’s blood on the altar of the temple, which was the abomination to the Lord our God. (Dan 11:31) The temple was again defiled when the Roman army captured and destroyed the city of Jerusalem in AD 70. People who heeded Jesus’ warnings and fled to the mountains could save their lives while people who remained in Jerusalem were killed. I wonder how the first century Christians in Jerusalem could go through such horrible events.

We often feel powerless over a lot of things that are happening in the world. Some Christians think that we should be doing something. So they are gathered together to form a political power in order to fight against evil in our society. I see that some of them have been very effective. Yet, it does not always work out our way. The instructions Jesus gave to his disciples in verses 14-20 seem to be a little passive. “Flee to the mountain, do not go down or do not enter the house, but pray.” We wonder why God allows certain things to happen in this world. We don’t understand many things. We know that many things are not under our control. However, it’s interesting to see how Jesus describes the pains of pregnant women and nursing mothers in verse 17, “How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!” Yet, the Lord will cut short the days of distress for the sake of his elect.  But even if we are not pregnant women or nursing mothers, as long as we live in this world we are to go through the birth pains of different kind.

In fact, we must acknowledge that as long as we live in this world, we are basically groaning in the pains of childbirth for the second coming of Jesus Christ. This reminds us of Romans 8:22-23, which reads, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.” The second coming of Jesus Christ is the culmination of God’s redemption through which our salvation will be completed and we will have the glorious resurrection body and live with God our Father and with His people forever and ever in His kingdom. The glorious resurrection of our body through the second coming of Jesus Christ is the ultimate hope of our life as Christians. Unbelievers would not be able to know why things are happening. But believers in Christ know it because we are not the children of darkness but the children of light. We also know that we have glorious hope in the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. For this hope, we can endure hardships in this world. Because of this hope, we can rejoice even in the midst of suffering and hardship.

Third, celestial catastrophe before the glorious second coming of Jesus (24-31)

The real sign of the end times is mentioned only in verses 24 and 25. Read verses 24 and 25. “But in those days, following that distress, ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and heavenly bodies will be shaken.” When Jesus said, “The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light”, it seems that he meant unusual changes or some kind of partial or total disturbances in celestial orders in the universe. An earthquake of 8 or 9 rector scale can destroy an entire city. What will happen, if heavenly bodies are being shaken? It’s truly scary and beyond our imagination. I would be dead in fear if I have to go through this kind of catastrophic event. We don’t know if this kind of eschatological sign will appear gradually or all of a sudden. It seems that it will last for a certain period of time.

Most Bible scholars believe that those who believe in Jesus Christ will not experience such catastrophic events on earth because they will be raptured. 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 reads, “According to Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.” I am not sure whether the rapture will happen before or after the celestial catastrophe. But I like the idea that we will be lifted to heaven before the catastrophic events.

Look at verse 26. “At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 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.”  Jesus’ second coming will be different his first coming. The first time, Jesus came in humility to suffer and die as the atonement for our sins. The second time, however, he will come in power and glory to reign as King of kings and Lord of lords. And the new heaven and new earth will come through the glorious second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will send his angels and gather his elect, calling their names one by one. Our Lord Jesus will wipe all the tears from our eyes and we will be greatly comforted by him.

Look at verses 28-31. “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth; this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” Jesus’ teaching here is a little confusing. When Jesus mentioned the fig tree, we are not quite sure if Jesus was referring to the nation Israel, since the fig tree often represents Israel. I used to think that way. But I began to wonder if the restoration of Israel in 1948 is the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy in these verses? According to Luke’s gospel, we see that Jesus wasn’t just talking about fig tree. He said in Luke 21:29, “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When the sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves, and know that summer is near.” Then he also said, “This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.” Sometimes, we tend to interpret the Bible prophecy based on our own understanding, not necessarily by the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The early Christians, including the apostles, believed that the second coming of Jesus would occur in their lifetime. But it didn’t happen as they expected or believed. In fact, almost 2,ooo years have passed, and Jesus still hasn’t returned. Christians are still waiting for his return. Therefore, we need to watch not just the signs of the end times but also our attitude as well.

Look at verses 33-37. “Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It’s like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back – whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’” As the conclusion of his dialogue on the Mount of Olives, Jesus asked his disciples to be on guard, be alert, watch, and keep watch and watch.

We know that waiting is not easy. These days, everything has to be fast. Speed is what matters. People want instant result and gratification. But it seems that God wants us to watch and wait until he comes back. In fact, Christians who had waited for his return in the last 2,000 years have died without seeing Jesus’ second coming. Yet, they died, not in sorrow or discouragement, but in peace and hope to see Jesus in heaven. Perhaps, most of us may or may not be able to see Jesus’ return in our lifetime. But it does not really matter to us because we know that we will surely see him in heaven. We don’t know when Jesus will come back. We don’t know what’s going to happen this year. Yet, we are not to be alarmed by anything. We don’t need to do anything drastic. We are given the task to preach the gospel and love one another until he returns or until we die. What really matters is how we wait for him and love him and love one another in obedience to his command.

Let me conclude my sermon with words of encouragement from 1 Peter 4:7-10, which read, “The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear-minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully ministering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”  Many of us have been faithful to the task God has given to us. In 2012, let us continue to offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. Let us not be anxious anything, but pray more and love more. May the Lord help us to maintain our close love relationships with him and be able to watch and wait day by day by holding on to His words and walking in the Holy Spirit until his glorious second coming.