24 

The Return of Christ
(Mark 13:24–37) 

“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven. Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. Therefore, be on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’” (13:24–37)

The return of the Lord Jesus Christ represents the apogee of human history. It is the blessed hope (Titus 2:12–13), sincere longing (2 Tim. 4:8), and eager expectation (1 Cor. 1:7; 1 Thess. 1:10) of every believer. Though death immediately ushers the redeemed into the presence of their Savior (2 Cor. 5:8); the glorious resurrection of the body awaits the future day when the Lord Jesus will come to take His bride to heaven (1 Cor. 15:51–54; cf. 1 Thess. 4:13–18; 1 John 3:2). Then, the seven-year tribulation will follow on earth. After that time of epic judgments and salvation, the Lord will return to this earth with His raptured and glorified saints, along with the angels, to destroy His enemies and establish His promised kingdom.

Just as Jesus’ first coming was a historical event, His second coming will take place at a divinely appointed time in real history. Unlike His first advent, however, the Lord will not arrive as a human baby in a stall. Rather, He will appear suddenly in blazing divine glory in the sky for all the world to see. Jesus explained these prophecies to His disciples in the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24:4–25:46; Mark 13:5–37; Luke 21:8–36), in which He delineated the signs (or birth pangs) that would precede His future coming and the end of the age, as discussed in the previous chapters of this volume.

It was Wednesday evening of Passion Week. For most of the day, Jesus had been teaching in the temple (Mark 11:27–12:44). As He left the expansive temple grounds and traversed the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives, Jesus explained to His disciples that the magnificent buildings they so admired would be destroyed as an act of God’s judgment on apostate Israel (cf. 13:2). Hearing Him say that, four of the disciples—namely, Peter, James, John, and Andrew—asked Him privately, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are going to be fulfilled?” (v. 4). Their question extended beyond the destruction of the temple to encompass the Lord’s second coming and the end of the age (cf. Matt. 24:3). Because they knew He was the Messiah (cf. Mark 8:29), they naturally wondered when His messianic kingdom would be established. Our Lord answered their question by explaining that an intervening period of time would elapse before the earthly kingdom began (cf. Luke 19:11–27). As Jesus explained, using the analogy of increasing labor pains, devastating events will intensify throughout earth’s history, reaching their apex during the final tribulation period, just prior to the second coming (cf. 13:14–23; cf. Dan. 9:27).

In this passage (13:24–37), having surveyed the events leading up to it, the Lord focused directly on His return in glory. In so doing, He first told His disciples about His spectacular appearance. Second, He gave them a simple analogy to illustrate His point. Third, He underscored the sovereign authority of His Word in predicting the future. Finally, He issued a somber admonition to those who will be alive on the earth at the time of His return.

CHRIST’S SPECTACULAR APPEARANCE

But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven. (13:24–27)

As the Lord described His second advent, He paid particular attention to four aspects of His return: the sequence, the staging, the sign, and the saints.

The Sequence. After warning His disciples about the abomination of desolation in the temple (v. 14), and the terrible holocaust that will follow it (vv. 15–23), Jesus explained that in those days, after the tribulation period ends, He will return. In light of the context, those days can only refer to the three and a half years of great tribulation that will follow the Antichrist’s desecration of the temple in Jerusalem (13:14–19; cf. Matt. 24:21; Rev. 6–19). Earth’s final days will be characterized by unrestrained immorality, unparalleled devastation, and unrelenting violence (toward all believers and also toward the Jewish people) under the satanically inspired influence of the Antichrist and his forces. Only as the tribulation ends and its judgments are exhausted will the Lord return to conquer His enemies and establish His earthly reign and rule.

The Staging. The cosmic backdrop for history’s most climactic moment will be total darkness, after God extinguishes the sun, moon, and stars (cf. Zech. 14:6–7), which will later be relit during the millennial kingdom (cf. Isa. 30:26). As Jesus explained, at the end of the tribulation period the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven. When the One who “upholds all things by the word of His power” (Heb. 1:3) withdraws that sustaining energy, the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken, indicating that the orbits of stars and planets will careen off course, and cosmic bodies will begin to rip apart. Yet, God will not allow the universe to disintegrate entirely; He will preserve it for the establishment of Christ’s domination.

In predicting these traumatic events, Jesus echoed the words of Old Testament prophecy. The book of Isaiah exclaimed:

About a hundred years before Isaiah, the prophet Joel similarly declared:

Other prophets similarly predicted the devastating events that will occur during the great tribulation (cf. Ezek. 38:19–23; Hag. 2:6–7; Zeph. 1:14–18; Zech. 14:6). Jesus’ words corresponded exactly to what the Old Testament promised would take place during the eschatological day of the Lord when He will establish His glory before the watching world.

In response to these cosmic events, unbelievers who are alive on the earth will react in terror and confusion. As Luke’s parallel account explains, the Lord added that there will be “on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Luke 21:25–26). The world’s inhabitants will go into severe shock, some undoubtedly traumatized to death from the unbearable dread over what is happening to them.

The Sign. Against the pitch darkness of that time, suddenly and vibrantly “the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire” (2 Thess. 1:7). His presence will be unmistakable, and all the world will witness His appearing (Rev. 1:7). The disciples had asked Jesus, “What will be the sign of Your coming?” (Matt. 24:3). As Jesus explained to them, God’s wrath will be released so that the world will be replete with natural disasters and man-made crises, all of which preview the future, global devastation of the final tribulation period that immediately precedes the second coming. But the ultimate sign will be Jesus Himself, when He appears in glorious and undiminished brilliance (cf. Mark 9:3). Just as He ascended two millennia ago, He will one day descend to this earth (cf. Acts 1:9–11). Then all the world will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. In describing that future event, Jesus borrowed the language of Daniel 7:13–14, where the prophet Daniel declared:

Coming in the clouds as if they were a divine chariot (cf. Ps. 104:3; Isa. 19:1), the Son of Man will appear with great power and glory, returning to establish His kingdom and to destroy the ungodly. On that day, heaven will open to reveal the conquering King. Rather than riding the humble foal of a donkey, as He did at His earthly entrance to Jerusalem (Mark 11:7–10), He will be seated as the eternal Sovereign atop a royal white steed.

The apostle John described the majesty and power of Jesus’ return with these words:

With perfect righteousness and absolute authority, the Lord Jesus will enact judgment on His enemies (2 Thess. 1:7–10; cf. Isa. 11:4; 63:1–4; Rev. 1:16), including the Antichrist whom He will cast into the lake of fire (Rev. 19:20). Satan will be bound for a period of a thousand years (20:1–3), and Christ’s millennial reign will begin (20:4–6). Seated at last upon His earthly throne, the Lord Jesus will unilaterally and perfectly rule the nations as their sole Sovereign and King (cf. Ps. 2:8–9; Rev. 12:5).

The Saints. At the Lord’s return, He will be joined by “many thousands of His holy ones” (Jude 14), a heavenly army that will include both angels (Matt. 24:31; 25:31; Mark 8:38; 2 Thess. 1:7) and glorified saints (Col. 3:4; 1 Thess. 3:13; Rev. 19:14). The church, having been raptured before the seven-year tribulation began (cf. John 14:1–3; 1 Cor. 15:51–52; 1 Thess. 4:15–18; Rev. 3:10), will compose the entourage that accompanies Christ in His triumph. (For a discussion on the timing of the rapture of the church in light of the Olivet Discourse, see John MacArthur, Luke 18–24, The MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody, 2014], chap. 22.)

After the enemies of Christ are vanquished, then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven. With the blast of “a great trumpet” (Matt. 24:31), those believers who are alive on the earth, having come to saving faith during the tribulation and survived, will be gathered from all across the world and assembled together. Their number will include the 144,000 Jews who were supernaturally protected during the tribulation (Rev. 7:4–8; 14:1–5), along with myriads of other converts, both Jew (Zech. 12:10–11; cf. Isa. 59:20; Rom. 11:25–26) and Gentile (cf. Rev. 7:9). Having never bowed the knee to the Antichrist but remained faithful to the one true Lord, they will be rewarded by their King and welcomed into His glorious kingdom (cf. Luke 21:28). Joined by all the redeemed of all the ages, all the elect will be assembled together with Christ. Gathered from both the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven, they will enter the perpetual joy of the kingdom where they will reign with Christ for a thousand years (Rev. 20:3–6; cf. Matt. 8:11; Luke 13:29; 1 Cor. 6:2–3), after which they will continue to experience the glories of eternal life on the new earth forever (cf. Rev. 21:1–22:5).

CHRIST’S SIMPLE ANALOGY

Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. (13:28–30)

Jesus continued by using a simple illustration to emphasize the appropriate response to His words of warning. He told His disciples, Now learn the parable from the fig tree. The imperative learn translates a form of the Greek verb manthanō, conveying the idea of accepting something as true and applying it to one’s life. Fig trees, plentiful in Israel, were commonly used as illustrations (cf. Judg. 9:7–15; Jer. 24:1–10; Hos. 9:10; Joel 1:4–7; Matt. 7:16; Luke 13:6–9). Just the day before, the Lord had similarly used a fig tree to elucidate an important spiritual truth for the disciples (Mark 11:12–14). That particular fig tree had leaves but no fruit, making it an apt illustration of the apostate nation of Israel, which was adorned in religious trappings (like leaves) yet remained spiritually barren and fruitless. To illustrate the divine judgment that would fall on unbelieving Israel, the Lord pronounced a curse on that fig tree and it died instantly.

On this occasion Jesus again referenced a fig tree to make a different point. The parallel account in Luke 21:29 notes that Jesus added “and all the trees,” indicating that His illustration did not apply exclusively to fig trees but to any deciduous tree. As the Lord explained, When its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. Since it was springtime, when deciduous trees were sprouting new leaves, the evidence of that truth would have been all around the disciples.

The familiar analogy was explained to illustrate features of the Lord’s return: Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door. In the same way that one can predict the coming of summer based on the arrival of tree leaves in spring, so believers at the end of the age will be able to anticipate Christ’s return when they witness these things—namely, the catastrophic events Jesus had just predicted would mark the future tribulation.

The pronoun you does not refer to the disciples directly. Like the Old Testament prophets, who commonly spoke in the second person when foretelling distant events (cf. Isa. 33:17–24; 66:10–14; Zech. 9:9), the Lord spoke as if He were directly addressing those who will be alive during the future period of tribulation (cf. Mark 13:14–23). It is specifically to them that the Lord declared, Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Though that phrase has been the subject of much speculation and debate, its meaning is actually quite straightforward in light of the context. This generation refers to the generation entering the tribulation period, which will be the same generation alive at the return of Christ. To state that truth another way, since the tribulation covers seven years, climaxing with the second coming, obviously a single generation will experience it all.

As explained in the previous chapters, the generation to which Jesus was referring cannot be the Twelve or the generation of Jewish people that lived during the first century. Although that generation of Jews did witness the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70, they cannot be those described in verse 30, because they neither experienced the unparalleled catastrophes of the great tribulation (vv. 19, 24–25) nor did they witness the visible return of Jesus Christ (v. 26). Those events, and the generation that will be alive when they occur, are still in the future.

CHRIST’S SOVEREIGN AUTHORITY

Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away. (13:31)

The Lord underscored the absolute certainty of His prophetic promise by telling His disciples that even though heaven and earth will pass away, His words on this matter will not pass away. Jesus’ statement highlighted two fundamental theological realities—namely, that this world is temporary and that His Word is infallible.

The Bible is clear that this earth is not a permanent planet. As the apostle Peter reminded his readers:

The apostle John similarly described the destruction of this present universe with these words: “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled away, and no place was found for them” (Rev. 20:11; cf. 21:1; Isa. 65:17; 66:22). The current heavens and earth will be replaced with “a new heaven and a new earth” (Rev. 21:1), which will be the eternal home of the redeemed.

In contrast to the temporal nature of this world, the words of Christ will never pass away. The Lord Jesus used this same expression in the Sermon on the Mount, when He told His listeners, “For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished” (Matt. 5:18). In Luke 16:17 He similarly told the Pharisees, “But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one stroke of a letter of the Law to fail.” Heaven and earth will one day pass away, but not before everything stated in Scripture is perfectly accomplished.

As Jesus reminded His disciples, His Word is permanent and cannot fail (cf. Isa. 40:8; Col. 3:16). It cannot be broken (John 10:35) but endures forever (Ps. 19:9) because it is completely true (John 17:17). As the one who declares “the end from the beginning” (Isa. 46:10), God’s Word will always accomplish what He desires (Isa. 55:11). His Word is as immutable and unassailable as its divine Author. Nothing can be added to or subtracted from it (cf. Deut. 4:2; Matt. 5:18; Luke 16:17; Rev. 22:18–19). Thus, what the Lord has said about His return and the end of the age is unalterable truth. It will happen exactly as He said it would, because His words cannot falter or fail.

CHRIST’S SOLEMN ADMONITION

But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. Therefore, be on the alert—for you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—in case he should come suddenly and find you asleep. What I say to you I say to all, ‘Be on the alert!’” (13:32–37)

For believers in the present, the revelation in Scripture of the end times is hopeful truth; but for the people alive when these future events occur, this prophecy takes on extreme urgency. As He declared four times in the final verses of Mark 13, people in that generation should stay on the alert (vv. 33, 34, 35, 37). When they see the signs that Jesus described, they should recognize that His return is nearly upon them.

Though it will be preceded by visible signs, the exact moment of the second coming will not be revealed to anyone. As Jesus explained, But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Although its timing is fixed in the Father’s plan (Acts 1:7), the Lord’s categorical statement excluded the possibility that anyone could accurately predict His return. The definitive and exhaustive nature of Jesus’ statement indicates that all who would presumptuously set a date for the second coming are either being delusional or intentionally deceptive—especially if the events of the tribulation have not begun.

By including Himself in that statement, as one who did not know the exact timing of His return, the Lord Jesus was not denying His deity (cf. John 1:1, 14). Rather, He was acknowledging the self-imposed restraints on His divine nature. In His humiliation, God the Son voluntarily restricted the exercise of His divine attributes and prerogatives (cf. Phil. 2:6), submitting their use to His Father’s will (John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38) and the Spirit’s direction (cf. John 1:45–49). Though He demonstrated supernatural knowledge and understanding on many occasions throughout His ministry (cf. John 2:25; 13:3), the Lord limited His omniscience to what the Father revealed to Him (John 15:15; cf. Luke 2:52). After His resurrection, Jesus resumed the full knowledge He possessed from eternity past as the second member of the Trinity (cf. Matt. 28:18; John 21:17; Acts 1:7, 24; 1 Cor. 4:5; Rev. 22:7, 12, 20).

Still addressing the future generation that will witness the signs at the end of the age, the Lord issued this admonition: Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come (cf. Luke 12:40). Because no one other than the triune God will know the exact moment of Christ’s coming, believers who are alive during the tribulation will need to be on constant watch (cf. Luke 12:39; 2 Peter 3:10; Rev. 16:15). In a similar way, all believers of every generation are instructed to eagerly await the imminent rapture of the church (cf. 1 Thess. 1:10), which will occur before the beginning of the tribulation.

Jesus illustrated the unexpectedness of the second coming by explaining, It is like a man away on a journey, who upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, assigning to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert. Jesus’ analogy featured the owner of an estate who left his house to travel abroad for an unspecified period of time. Before leaving, he entrusted each of his household servants with specific duties that he instructed them to perform while he was away. They were expected to do so with an attitude of diligence and alertness, knowing that their master’s return home could be at any moment.

The implication for believers in the future tribulation is that those who belong to Christ must therefore, be on the alert—for they do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—in case he should come suddenly and find them asleep. Like dutiful doorkeepers, they must keep constant watch, so that they are prepared in readiness to welcome their Master upon His arrival. The Roman twelve-hour watch from 6:00 P.M. to 6:00 A.M., consisted of four three-hour periods. Those intervals were generally identified by when they ended: the evening at 9:00 P.M., midnight at 12:00 A.M., the time when the rooster crows at 3:00 A.M., and morning at 6:00 A.M. Jesus’ point was that His return could occur at any time, even in the middle of the night. Consequently, the believers who are alive in those final days must guard against any temptation toward spiritual complacency, distraction, or slumber (cf. Rom. 13:11–13); being characterized by vigilance.

Repeating that charge with urgency, the Lord again warned, What I say to you I say to all, “Be on the alert!” In the parallel passage from Luke 21:34–36, Jesus further explained,

Those words include an invitation to salvation, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, to that future generation alive during the great tribulation. Only those who resist the temptations of the world (including dissipation, drunkenness, and the cares of this world), and place their faith in the Savior, will be spared eternal destruction from the judgment of God and welcomed into the glorious presence of Christ forever.

So in response to the disciples’ question about the end of the age, the Lord Jesus explained that He would return after a long period of world history, which will culminate in a final, catastrophic period of global tribulation. Jesus carefully forewarned the future generation that will witness those final events, including the rise of the Antichrist and his desecration of the temple, that the end is near.

Though the events predicted in the Olivet Discourse are still future, its truth serves to instruct every generation of believers throughout church history. On the one hand, it serves as a vivid reminder that the things of this world are temporary (cf. 2 Peter 3:11–13; 1 John 2:15–17; 3:2–3), and that the redeemed are citizens of an eternal kingdom that is yet to be revealed on earth when the Lord comes in glory (Phil. 3:20–21; Heb. 11:16). On the other hand, it provides a compelling motivation for believers to proclaim the glorious gospel of Christ to those who are perishing, so that they might be saved from the impending judgment of God (cf. 2 Cor. 5:20–21; 2 Peter 3:14–15).