A Closer Look at The Day of Christ's Return | Mark 13:24-27 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

What a joy to be with you today. Well, if you were with us last week, you know that we took our time together to investigate and confirm the major signs and events that will proceed and prepare for the triumphant return of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we examine five of those signs. The fifth one being the most descriptive and unique among them all. And Jesus Christ himself in identifying that significant indicator called it the abomination of desolation in verse 14 of Mark chapter 13.

And I invite you to turn with me to Mark 13 as we prepare to continue in this glorious discourse of Christ concerning the things to come. We determined together by surveying the entirety of the scriptures, especially the book of Daniel, that the abomination of desolation, it didn't originate with Christ, but the prophet Daniel spoke of this. And in speaking of this, we have concluded that he was describing a powerful political figure who is to come, and one day he will invade the temple in Jerusalem and will perform a blasphemous and abhorrent act within that place. And Paul tells us exactly what that abomination that will cause the temple, the holy place to be desecrated or desolate. He says in second Thessalonians chapter two verse four that the man of lawlessness will take his seat in the temple of God, and he will proclaim himself to be God.

And that is a significant thing to do, and it is a sign that is directly connected to our understanding of when a generation should lift up its head and realize, at least for the believers, that their redemption is near. Now there are some who believe that the abomination of desolation was already fulfilled in one of two ways in history past. One common claim and belief is that there was a Greek king by the name of Antiochus Epiphanes. Epiphanes is a self ascribed title, which means God manifest. And Antiochus was a Greek king who ruled over Syria between January and January.

Now in his attempt to solidify his rule, he sought to oppress the Jewish people and not just Hellenize it, but to erase Jewish culture and faith altogether. And of course, the Jews of that time resisted such decrees, and this only stirred the king to do something that is really unthinkable. Unthinkable for the Jewish people and really unthinkable from an objective viewpoint. Antiochus invades Jerusalem. He surrounds the temple.

He enters into the holy place. He removes the artifacts and the treasures of the temple of God, and he sets up an altar dedicated to false gods and sacrifices the flesh of pigs upon it. Such an act triggered what is known in history as the Maccabean revolt, and you can find that in the apocryphal books, specifically first and second Maccabees. Josephus, the historian, writes about it as well. But the Maccabean revolt really was a group of Jewish people who in great faith and zeal wanting to defend the honor of their God, overturned Antiochus and even defeated the Syrian Greek oppression that they were enduring to the degree that they were able to reenter into the temple, cleanse it once again, and separate it onto the glory of God as it once was.

Jews today celebrate what took place then. It is the festival known as Hanukkah. And so many people believe that what Daniel predicted throughout his book, especially the latter part, was ultimately fulfilled and realized in that period of history. Now the other viewpoint is what you and I looked at and considered briefly last week. That although this group may acknowledge that what happened then was an abomination, it could not have fulfilled what Daniel predicted because of what Jesus said in his discourse in Mark 13, Matthew 24.

Jesus said that there would be this abomination of desolation, but it would occur in this generation. And this camp would say that this generation speaks of the generation that was living at the time of Christ. And so it's really the timing factor. It couldn't have happened in the past because Christ says it is to happen apparently in his time. And so they see what happened in seventy AD when the Romans surrounded the temple and general Titus invaded and destroyed it as the fulfillment of what Daniel said concerning the abomination of desolation.

What do you and I do with these monumental moments in history that are clearly connected to biblical prophecy? Here's where we concluded last week, and I wanna reaffirm this today, that although those things do, in fact, reflect upon biblical prophecy and prediction, they are but partial fulfillments. They are foreshadowings and previews of something greater to come. And the reason why we believe that is because what the Bible testifies specifically about the abomination of desolation and what it will cause has not yet been realized. And so you and I remember that when we landed our time last week, we explored how this man of lawlessness, who would be the reason why there would be an abomination of desolation to begin with, his profile according to second Thessalonians does not fit past descriptions of others who have desecrated the temple once upon a time.

He would be one who would what? He would perform false signs and wonders. That has not happened yet. Additionally, Jesus Christ himself according to the writings of Paul would personally defeat and destroy this man of lawlessness who would enter into the temple of God and proclaim himself to be God. That hasn't happened yet.

Additionally, the abomination of desolation that Jesus describes, yes, has been partially fulfilled in seventy AD, but the one that he is speaking about, which set into motion what you and I read here in Mark 13. Look with me, please. In verse 19. This is within the context of speaking about the abomination of desolation. Notice what the Lord says.

For in those days pause. What days? The days of the abomination of desolation. For in those days, there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now and never will be. Matthew is more specific in saying that what the abomination of desolation will do is trigger the great tribulation.

So some who object to this view that you and I hold to, at least what I am preaching, is that there can't be a future abomination of desolation because there is no standing temple today. And that is true, but where again you and I hopefully agreed is that in order for Jesus's prophecies and the even the prophecies of the prophets and Paul himself, in order for those things to be filled means that there has to be a temple to come. That a temple must erect, it must arrive at some point. And with the establishment of the nation of Israel 1948 and a growing desire among some of the Jews there who long to revive the rituals and the ceremonies of the Mosaic covenant, the realization of a physical Jewish temple is more possible now than ever than ever. And we can't downplay what happened in recent history concerning a people group that were virtually erased in some sense, and restored itself, and came to the point where it's at today, it's miraculous.

Nothing short of it. And if you and I are troubled to grasp this, then realize that the most apocalyptic book in the library of the Bible tells us about a temple. So turn with me briefly to Revelation 11. Look at the first two verses with me. Realize that Revelation speaks of things yet to happen, especially after chapter four.

And in Revelation 11, if you view the book of Revelation as a chronological record, then this this is something you have to deal with. Look at what John describes in Revelation eleven one and two. He sees this vision that I was given a measuring rod like a staff and I was told rise and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship there, but do not measure the court outside the temple. Leave that out for it is given over to the nations and they will trample the holy city for forty two months. And then John goes on to describe two witnesses who will prophesy and preach for a period of time from Jerusalem.

They will be slain. The world is gonna celebrate it. Interestingly, we're also told in this chapter that every eye in the world will behold their slain bodies in the streets. How was John able to describe how every inhabitant of the earth would see the same thing at the same time? It's in your pocket.

That's how. Then there will be this miraculous resurrection. I'm saying all this to say, that hasn't happened yet. We haven't seen at any point these two witnesses performing these signs and wonders, them being slain, the world celebrating it and giving gifts to one another because they were tortured by their preaching. When does that happen?

Unless again, you do brutal origami with the bible to say that all of that is spiritualized. And again, I present that to you to say that within the context of those two witnesses and all the things attached to them, you have a temple described in the beginning. Some people mentioned to me last week about the sermon, man, that there was a lot of scripture in that, and that was intentional. And there's gonna be a lot of scripture in this one too. You know why?

Because I don't want you to wrestle with any ideas that come from here. If you're gonna wrestle, wrestle with the text that has been prayerfully and hopefully you will recognize rightly divided. And so the the this is gonna be not a common sermon because my intention here, if you've been here week after week, you know that we love to go to different places in the bible and land there and meditate on certain truths. But last week and this week and perhaps in the next two weeks, I want to just present to you scripture after scripture after scripture for what purpose so that you can see that these truths are harmonized in the bible. That from beginning to end, they testify the same thing.

And that there's evidence for why we believe what we believe concerning the end times. And so prepare yourself to turn your bible to different places because again, I wanna bring your attention to these passages and for you and I to have a holistic grasp on these things. So with all of this being said, is there anything else to add concerning our understanding of the last days? And the obvious answer is absolutely. We can go back into Mark 13 and look at these signs in greater detail.

We can pause between verses fourteen and nineteen of of Mark 13 and look at Israel's role in the end times because Jesus himself directly addresses the Jewish people and how they should respond to the abomination of desolation and the tribulation period? Or we can take our time to discuss that, the tribulation. Matthew calls it the great tribulation. What what is that period of time? The world has known the world has known horrors before but is Jesus describing something that the world has not yet known?

If the Lord wills, we will look at these different subjects in greater detail on an individual basis. But what I wanna do today is honor the flow of thought that Christ offers in his teaching. So Jesus is gonna continue where we left off, and after giving us the signs that we must see and anticipate before his return, after describing the most descriptive sign being the abomination of desolation. Where does Jesus want us to go now? What does he want us to unpack?

And Christ now wants to turn our gaze upon the day, the actual day when he returns. He told us about the occasions and the signs leading up to that day, but in three verses now, he is going to he is going to paint for us a picture of what it's going to be when he physically returns to the earth. That's our main text today. So let's read together Mark 13 beginning in verse 24. 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 in the heavens will be shaken, And then they will see the son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory.

And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. If you are somebody who takes notes, then you'll be happy today. Because I want to gather the thoughts here in these verses under four headings that will hopefully organize what we wanna clarify concerning Jesus' teaching about his return. The first thing that we're gonna consider is the period of his return. The period of his return.

The second thing will be the platform of his return. The platform of his return. The third thing will be the power of his return. The power of his return. And lastly, we will consider the procuring of his return.

The procuring of his return. And if you are again, if you are one who has difficulty understanding this particular viewpoint of the end times or just trying to understand it because it's fresh to you, then be prepared to take notes of these references because they will greatly help you in having a familiarity of this very important truth concerning our faith. Lord, we ask that you help us now by your grace, by your spirit. Give us the minds and the hearts to be attentive. May the delivery of this word be assisted by the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

And may the person of Jesus Christ be exalted even in this teaching. We pray these things in his precious name. Amen. The period of his return. You and I very shortly are gonna realize that Jesus says no man, no man, nor angel, not even the son of man knows the day or the hour of his return.

If that text has troubled you, I suggest not missing the next two weeks of church because we will explore that in greater detail. How is it that Jesus, who is God did not know the day or the hour? But that doesn't mean that we do not know the general period of his return because he tells us when it will happen. Again, look here at verse 24. But in those days after that tribulation.

So again, he says after that tribulation, we all agree that in human history there have been many troubling times. But what Christ defines here is a specific and unique period of tribulation that will precede his return. So Christ now offers us a block, a chronological block that after that tribulation, my return is closer than ever. But what does he mean about that tribulation? Well, again, if we look at the bible holistically, if we look at the entirety of scripture, then there is a consensus that this tribulation period in terms of its duration is seven years.

Seven years. And where you want to go on your own time, because we don't have time to do it, is Daniel nine twenty four to 27 where that's spelled out so clearly. It's confirmed in the book of Revelation, but its basis is found in Daniel nine twenty four to 27. And although we can't unpack in detail about why we believe this period of tribulation is seven years, what we can determine at this point is that it has a purpose on the earth. There is a twofold purpose for why this tribulation period will unleash in human history.

The first one is very obvious. It's for the Lord to exercise judgment against the wicked with the aim of awakening them to repentance before he returns. So there will be catastrophes and devastations, again, like Jesus said, that the world has never seen before. And yes, it is to bring judgment against this world, but also to cause them to see their wickedness and call upon God to be saved. And what you find in Revelation that spells out that tribulation period in greater detail is many many people will refuse to repent.

Even after these catastrophes and all these horrors, some will even bite their tongues in disgust against God and curse him and curse him still, highlighting the depravity of humanity. But there's a second purpose. It's not just for the world to be shaken one more time, but it's for God to bring about and finalize his discipline against the people of Israel. It's for God to now focus specifically after the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled upon this covenant people and to bring them to a place in which they must acknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and they will after that severe chastisement during the tribulation period. The basis for these understandings of what that tribulation period is about, specifically about Israel, is is found throughout the word of God.

And I wanna show you a few places why this tribulation period must take place. Turn with me to Daniel. Look at Daniel chapter 12 beginning in verse one. I wanna show you just a few verses from the Hebrew scriptures that speak about this period of great difficulty for the people of Israel. Daniel chapter 12 verse one and two.

At that time shall arise Michael the great prince who has charge over your people, and there shall be a time of trouble. Highlight that. There shall be a time of trouble such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. Does that sound familiar? A time of trouble that the world has not seen specifically for this people group?

When Jesus spoke about the abomination of desolation and therein how it will trigger this great tribulation, the context is speaking about the Judean people, the people of Israel. And here you have hundreds of years before Jesus' teaching where Daniel is being told that there will be a time of great trouble like the nation has never seen before. But he continues. But at that time, your people shall be delivered. Everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.

Pause. When Daniel is being instructed and informed about this time, notice that the context is for your people. Who are his people? Daniel was a Jew. This is about his people, the Jewish people.

So let's collect our evidence so far. There's a gonna be a time for the Jewish people of great trouble like the world has never seen before, but that kind of trouble will not cause their extinction. They will not be completely annihilated because we're also promised that they shall be delivered from it. There's going to be salvation out of it. And to add to this, to add to this being something about the days to come in the latter days, look at verse two because there's a connection in the context that is important.

And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt. You want an old testament verse that proves the resurrection, that's one of them. But notice here that in this teaching about the people of Israel undergoing a time of trouble like they've never known, we have this discussion about the resurrection. And we know that the resurrection deals with when things are about to wrap up. So this is this is strategic.

This is beautiful. And Jeremiah the prophet echoes Daniel's ingredients of what is to come for this people. Turn with me to Jeremiah chapter 30. We're gonna have a workout in the Bible today. Okay?

Jeremiah 30 beginning in verse four. Jeremiah the prophet says by the spirit, These are the words that the Lord spoke concerning Israel and Judah. Thus says the Lord, verse five, we have heard a cry of panic, of terror, and no peace. Ask now and see, can a man bear a child? Why then do I see every man with his hands on his stomach like a woman in labor?

Alas, that day is so great, there is none like it. It is a time of distress for Jacob, yet he shall be saved out of it. Do you see the concert of the bible? Do you see the symphony of the scriptures? Doesn't that sound so familiar to Daniel's prediction?

That there will be a time so great this day, there is none like it. Verse seven, it is a time of distress for Jacob. That's why many people identified the tribulation period, that seven year period as the tribulation or the time of Jacob's trouble. The time of Jacob's trouble. And notice again the promise, yet he shall be saved out of it.

So again, you have Jeremiah and Daniel agreeing that there is gonna be this unparalleled period of discipline and restoration in this future moment. And what's so amazing about Jeremiah's prophecy is that he continues to speak about it, and it only confirms what you and I believe that will happen after the tribulation period. So if the seven year period deals with God judging the world, but also disciplining Israel, we know that's not where it ends. And it doesn't end here with Jeremiah's prediction. So look here at verse eight now.

And it shall come to pass in that day, declares the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off your neck and I will burst your bonds and foreigners shall no more make a servant of him, but they shall serve the Lord their God and David their king whom I will raise up for them. You want answers in the bible? Ask the bible questions. Here's my question. It seems to be speaking in sequence that after this time of great trouble, there will be liberation.

And part of that liberation is that foreigners shall no more make a servant of him. Him being who? Israel, Jacob. But following that, we also read that the nation of Israel will serve the Lord their God, and check this out, David their king. Why is it interesting that David is being mentioned here?

Because David was in the grave hundreds of years before this prophecy. So why are we talking about David being served in this future time after Jacob's trouble, time of distress, and after that distress, there's be liberation. They're gonna serve their God and David their king. This is not speaking about David specifically, but about a son of David. One who will occupy the throne of David.

One who has been promised by the same Old Testament prophets that will establish an everlasting kingdom. And so we read here that there will be this revival of worship and honor towards a promised king as well. And if there's any confusion about this prophecy being about Christ returning after the tribulation and establishing his rule on the earth, specifically his throne in a literal, real, physical Jerusalem. Keep reading on. Look at verse 10.

Then fear not, oh Jacob my servant, declares the Lord, nor be dismayed, oh Israel. For behold, I will save you from far away, and your offspring from the land of their captivity. Jacob shall return and have quiet and ease, and none shall make him afraid. Can I ask you a question? Has there been any time in Israel's history where they were quiet and at ease and none shall make them afraid?

No. No. There have been periods of grace, yes, especially in the old testament when they had their own monarchy. But following that, especially in recent history, this can't be true. But notice verse 11.

For I am with you to save you, declares the Lord. I will make a full end of all the nations among whom I scattered you. But of you, I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished. There's a time coming where the Lord is gonna deal with all the nations that harassed Israel.

All the nations that oppressed Israel. But the Lord assures them that doesn't mean that you're not gonna be disciplined. You will be punished. You will undergo chastisement. And that chastisement will climax during the seven year tribulation where they will know pain and distress unlike any time no matter what history has told us about this particular people group.

And so again, over and over we see here that the scripture speaks about this time that has not yet been realized. And once more, if we have difficulty believing that this speaks about the end times or maybe it was fulfilled in times past, look at the final verse of Jeremiah chapter thirty twenty four. The fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back until he has executed and accomplished the intentions of his mind. In the latter days, you will understand this. The latter days is a consistent phrase that speaks about the last days.

And here Jeremiah gives this prophecy and he signs off by saying, if you're not gonna get it now, you're gonna get it in the latter days. Is anybody gonna be able to thwart God's purposes for Israel? No. He says the fierce anger of the Lord will not turn back until he's executed and accomplished it. So all this to say that you and I wanna establish here that there is going to be as Jesus taught, as Daniel taught, as Revelation teaches, how the return of Christ will occur after the seven year tribulation period when the Lord will judge the world and discipline Israel.

And if you wanna know more about the revel, the revelation concerning the tribulation period, God has given us an extensive record, specifically Revelation chapter six to Revelation 19. Those chapters give us with a wonderful insight, series of insights about what will take place during those seven years. But we speak about here the period of his return, this tribulation period must take place. There's a lot of debate about when that tribulation will happen, what will trigger that tribulation period, but let's not overstuff ourselves. Let's speak about the platform of his return.

Coming back to Mark 13 verse 24, but in those days, after that tribulation, something's gonna happen. The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. What is Christ describing here? He is describing a literal and final stage that will set up the universe to introduce the commencement of the culmination of human history. The point of this terrifying, chaotic cosmic scene is to illustrate different points.

One of the main points is this, that regardless of the moral and literal darkness that will overcome the world, nothing will stop the glorious return of Christ. So during that tribulation period, it's you you thought I don't know if I can say this word without it being flagged. You thought the you know, that pandemic thing that happened? You thought that was bad? You you you thought the world being held hostage for two, three years was suffocating?

You have no idea what the tribulation period will be like. People are gonna wish to die and they won't be able to, at one particular point at least. It's gonna be severe. It's gonna be detrimental in so many ways. And not only because of the judgments, but because of the people's immorality and their unbelief and their hatred towards God and righteousness.

Paul told us that it's only gonna get worse in terms of people's pride and their lust and their love for money and their priority on pleasure rather than prioritizing God. There there are those out there within Christendom who believe that the world is only gonna get better and better and better before Jesus returns. I don't know how you can come to that conclusion with all the prophecies. It's gonna get worse. It's gonna get worse and some are hesitant to believe that because they think that it will only cause Christians to bunker and hide and just hope for the return of Christ.

But no, I I I believe if anything it stirs us. It should stir us at least to save as many people from the sinking ship. So Jesus here in saying that the sun will be darkened, all these heavenly bodies, they're they're gonna be affected, they're gonna be shaken, is meant to present to us the universe preparing, rolling out the red carpet, so to speak. The spotlight now is gonna come upon the center of this whole story, Jesus Christ himself. And he doesn't need a spotlight.

His glory will be enough light. But these celestial shakings also indicate to us that there's a realignment coming in the very universe itself that that things are ready now to shift. Things are ready now to change, so to speak. And what's amazing here is that this end time imagery is found throughout the Old Testament. Jesus is not introducing a new picture here.

He's only confirming what the prophet saw and wrote about. And when you see this thing again, it should only encourage your heart to realize the Bible is consistent. Hey listen, the book that you're holding your hand wasn't written by one or two people in the span of thirty years. Over fourteen hundred years, And 40 different authors. And different languages.

And yet the same theme, the same point, the same script. And you and I last week, we peaked into the book of Zechariah to realize the foundation of the Olivet Discourse was built upon that. So let's peek again and realize that even the details of Jesus' teaching here are found in the prophets. Look at Zechariah 14. Last time we read from verse one to verse four and we touched on verse nine, but look again at another verse that we didn't touch on that confirms and agrees with the Lord Jesus.

Zechariah 14 verse four. On that day, his feet shall stand on the Mount Of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the East, and the Mount Of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley so that one half of the mountain shall move northward and the other half southward. And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains. I love that. Whose mountains are they?

They're my mountains. There's a lot of debate about who deserves that land. It belongs to God. For the valley of the mountain shall reach to Azal and you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah, then the Lord my God will come and all the holy ones with him. Now look at this, verse six.

On that day On what day? Pause. Zechariah if you read Zechariah 14, he loves to say that. On that day, on that day, on he says it over and over again. Speaking about the day when the Lord returns and also the dispensation of when Christ does set up his earthly kingdom.

But look at this phrase here. Verse six, on that day, what's gonna happen? There shall be no light, cold or frost and there shall be a unique day which is known to the Lord neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light. Doesn't that sound familiar to what Jesus says in Mark thirteen twenty four and twenty five? The sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

Yes. Yes. Jesus is saying, you know, the prophets are confirming what I'm saying and I'm telling you that you could trust in what they say because yes me, I'm telling you the same thing is gonna occur. And that's not just Zechariah. If your arm hasn't gotten tired yet, there's another passage in Isaiah, plenty of passages.

Isaiah 24 verse 21. Mark it down. Mark it down. Mark it down. And be good brains.

Go home with your family, with your spouse, with your siblings, and see if these things are true. Isaiah 24 verse 21. On that day I guess Isaiah likes that phrase too. On that day, the Lord will punish the host of heaven in heaven. You know the host in heaven in heaven?

You know what he's speaking about there? What Paul spoke about in Ephesians six, principalities, cosmic powers, invisible beings who occupy the heavenlies. On that day, the Lord will punish the host of heaven in heaven and the kings of the earth on the earth. They will be gathered together as prisoners in a pit. They will be shut up in a prison, and after many days, they will be punished.

Look at verse 23. Then the moon will be confounded and the sun ashamed, for the Lord of hosts reigns on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and his glory will be before his elders. Verse nine. Verse nine of Isaiah, not 24, but look at verse nine of Isaiah 13. You're already there, so it shouldn't be too much work.

Isaiah 13 verse nine. Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel with wrath and fierce anger to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light. The sun will be dark at its rising and the moon will not shed its light. I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity.

I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless. Pause. Do you know why Isaiah 13 is very important? Because those who believe that what happened in seventy AD completed all of Jesus' prophecies concerning his return will use Isaiah 13 as a proof text to say that Jesus talking about the sun being darkened and the moon and the the stars, all of that is just symbolic apocalyptic language. It's not literal.

And why would they go to Isaiah 13? Because Isaiah 13 in its context is speaking about the fall of Babylon. The fall of Babylon. So they say, this didn't happen when Babylon fell. We we didn't see the sun being darkened and and the moon being affected.

This is just symbolic language of God's coming judgment. But again, like many other prophecies, there is a already not yet component to many of those predictions. And so, yes, this is speaking about Babylon in many ways, but then there are details woven in that cannot be known for a specific context. So again, if this is strictly speaking about Babylon, look again at verse 11. I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity.

Not just one nation, all nations. All nations. You wanna talk about how catastrophic this will be? Look at verse 12. I will make people more rare than fine gold, and mankind than the gold of Ophir.

Therefore, I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth shall be shaken out of its place at the wrath of the Lord of hosts in the day of his fierce anger. So what have you and I learned so far together? That there's gonna be this tribulation period for seven years, and at the end of that, Jesus Christ will come. Does anybody know the exact day or hour of his coming? No.

But when he does come, the heavenly bodies will be affected, they will tremble, they will introduce the commencement of the culmination of the age. But you know, I had a question. What's gonna happen to the sun and the moon and the stars? Because what we believe is when Christ comes, that's not the end of the story. He's gonna come and we're just getting started with the kingdom.

So what's gonna happen? If he's gonna come to physically rule and reign, that's an innocent question, is it not? The sun will be darkened, the moon will be affected, the stars are gonna fall. Sounds like we're starting a new heaven and a new earth. Not necessarily.

I'm persuaded that there's another text in Isaiah that gives us a glimpse of what's gonna happen to the very things that were affected at the coming of the Lord on that day and how they will be changed during that one thousand year period when Christ will rule from Jerusalem. You wanna see it with me? Okay. Isaiah 30. Turn with me to verse 26 of Isaiah 30.

Isaiah 30 verse 26. Moreover, the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold. As the light of seven days in the day when the Lord binds up the brokenness of his people and heals the wounds inflicted by his blow. Saying, when is that gonna happen? Well, if the day of the Lord when he comes, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light and the stars will be falling from heaven.

And when the eternal age remember, there's eternity still. Right? There's gonna be eternity. And and you know what? Tell we're told about eternity, there's gonna be no sun.

There there's gonna be no need for the light of the sun. Tell me why. Because the glory of the light of the son of God will illuminate our universe. So if the day of the Lord, there's gonna be no sunlight, and in the eternal age, there's gonna be no sun at all, then what is Isaiah speaking about? I I think he's speaking about what the sun and the moon will be like during that interval period.

When Christ for a thousand years is gonna thin the veil between our world as we know it and the eternal age And he's going to be reviving and restoring that edenic scene that we we were introduced to in Genesis one and two. And part of the brilliance of the millennial kingdom is that you're gonna see the moon shining as the sun. And what about the sun? It's gonna shine seven times stronger than what you and I have been used to. Just a little glimpse.

I love how the Lord gives us just little peaks into what's to what's to come for the redeemed. So we talked about the period of his return. We talked about the platform of his return. We still have two two more choose to explore. The third one is the power of his return.

So come back to Mark 13, please, if you're not already there. And this is a very common passage. In verse 26, and then they will see the son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. That's what the disciples wanna hear. Not this dying and being betrayed and being tortured.

No. No. No. That's what we wanna know. Yes.

The Son of Man coming, great power, awesome glory. And I think this is so significant for many reasons. One, because in the same way Jesus, in warning about the abomination of desolation, tells us in Matthew, go to the prophet Daniel. Let the reader understand. Christ continues to rely on Daniel even in this part.

Because Jesus in verse 26 borrows Daniel's language concerning the son of man. Pastor Mark opened up the service with it. In Daniel seven thirteen to 14 specifically, where one like a son of man will come on the clouds. And to come on the clouds is a prerogative that belongs to God alone. Clouds in many instances of the old testament speak of, a a chariot like kind of manifestation.

And so for the son of man to ride on the clouds, that's a claim to deity. And so we see here that Christ also now goes to Daniel indirectly by really quoting him and and copying his language, and these disciples will surely know what he is speaking about. But Jesus speaking about this would be so important also because in this discourse, he's been warning in so many places, hey, be careful of false prophets, and be careful of false messiahs because some of them will have the audacity to say, I am he. I'm the savior. I'm the one to rescue the world from this mess.

And Christ says, be careful and I'm telling you one of the ways you're gonna know whether or not somebody's true in realizing the description of my coming. I will come in clouds with great power and glory. I'm not gonna show up on TikTok and say I'm the Messiah. And who is gonna see him when he says, and they will see the son of man, And who is gonna see him when he says and they will see the Son of Man? John tells us who's gonna see him.

In Revelation one seven, you don't have to turn there just listen to this awesome declaration. Behold, he is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him. Every eye. Not just the people of Israel, every eye will see him. Even those who pierce them and all the tribes of the earth will wail on account of him even so.

Amen. Amen. And so Christ, you're mentioning this, was important in terms of the warnings of false messiahs because no messiah, no matter what kind of miracle he would be able to perform, would not be able to come close to this triumphant entrance into this universe. And again, this would only help the disciples more as they are preparing just in a few days, whether greatly they would not be expecting it. Their messiah who just told them he would come in great power and glory will be humiliated, nailed on a cross.

Christ wants to instill that future hope that that's not the end of the story. So when Christ does come, it will be accompanied by creation's dramatic response, And it will be globally visible. And it will be unmistakably him. And again, these disciples would need to be comforted by that truth. Now we come to the last thing, the procuring of his return.

The careful gathering and collecting of his return. You would think that this would end at verse 26, this crescendo, but it doesn't. Verse 27 of Mark 13, and then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. What is the center piece of the culmination of the age? Christ.

It's Jesus. One that we are waiting for even today. But essential as he is, do you realize that those who belong to him also play a part in this grand story? That in God's final program for the earth, you and I are in his mind. He is mindful of us.

In fact, that's part of his great mission when he comes back. He's not just coming back to bring judgment. He's not, even during that tribulation period, in preparing for his return, focusing solely on Israel. In his mind, at least, we read in verse 27 that when he comes, he's gonna dispatch angels, and he's gonna gather all of those who believe on his name. And the language here denotes like a great searching.

There's not gonna be one of us that's gonna go missing. There's not gonna be one of us that's gonna be left behind. There's not gonna be one of us that's gonna be overlooked. Christ is going to gather us unto himself. And if you want another text to prove the deity of Christ, I won't turn there, but I'll just throw it out there for you if you're interested in this.

The language here of he of of Christ gathering his elect is exclusive also to Yahweh when in many instances he speaks about the regathering of his people when they go out into exile. And one reference for that is actually found in Deuteronomy chapter 30 verse four, where this act of regathering from the four corners of the earth is something only God can perform and yet Christ here says he will do it because he is God. But more than that, here's what we have to ask ourselves. So far, here's what you and I have learned. There's gonna be birth pains and they're gonna only intensify as we come to the birthing of the kingdom.

And there's gonna be one specific period in human history that's really going to cause these contractions to go wild and that's the seven year tribulation. And even in that seven year tribulation at the three and a half year mark, it's gonna set off the great tribulation. And Jesus says after that tribulation, you're gonna see the sun darken, the moon not give its life, the stars falling, and I'm going to crash through the skies. And when I crash through the skies, not only am I going to cause the nations to wail, but I'm going to send my angels and they're gonna gather all those who belong to me. And we think, okay.

Great. And then we're gonna be in heaven forever. No. Not yet. You heard me tell tell you earlier that there is this important period of time where Jesus will set up the millennial kingdom.

And when he gathers the elect, it's not to just place us in some neutral space or to put on a garb on us and us just sing for all eternity. No. He's going to gather us and that's where we're gonna get busy. You thought you were just gonna serve the Lord here until you yeah. There is a unique way of serving the Lord with this life he's given us, but let me show you what's gonna happen when Christ returns and gathers his elect.

It's found in Revelation 20, specifically in verse four. May I remind you that Revelation 20 is preceded by Revelation 19. What a thought. Right? But in Revelation 19, you have the description of Jesus Christ returning with even greater detail than the Olivet Discourse.

And again, I think one of the most important keys in unlocking the truths of Revelation is to honor the fact that it's a chronology. Revelation 19, Jesus comes back. He destroys the enemies. He destroys those who hate him, who hate his cause, his message, his gospel. And then Revelation 20 follows, and here's what we read in verse four.

Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. Isn't it plain? Isn't it clear?

I I hope that this time frame is becoming more obvious to us. So he returns, Matthew tells us he's gonna gather his elect, but for what purpose? Well, the Lord in establishing his kingdom is gonna set up thrones. And depending upon the faithfulness of his people with the one life that they have lived will determine the degree of the responsibility and reward in that millennial kingdom. So some will rule.

Some will be designated for these awesome tasks. Some less. You yes, we're saved by grace. Your faith will bring you into the eternal age, but your faithfulness or lack thereof will determine your experience in that kingdom to come. And he speaks about the souls who have been beheaded.

During that tribulation period, you're gonna have people coming to Christ. Those who have not worshiped the beast or its image. Do you understand how difficult that will be to resist the beast? Do you understand how difficult that will be when this antichrist will say, you can't eat, you can't drink, you can't do business. We got a little sample of it for a couple of years, and it was light.

I want you to understand how difficult it would be for a mother or father to look at their starving children and all they have to do is go to the nearest whatever under a one world government, take that mark, and their kids can eat and survive. But some will choose to rather suffer and die instead of pledge their allegiance to this false messiah, and they will be honored in the millennial kingdom. They came to life and reign with Christ for a thousand years. Come, Lord Jesus. Come, Lord Jesus.

This world's a mess. Every government has failed. Every empire that has risen no matter how long they've risen for came tumbling down, but there is one whom Isaiah tells us where his government will never come to an end. Never come to an end. And listen, I I'm excited.

I'm excited for Christ's name to be vindicated. I I'm excited for righteousness to dominate our world. I'm excited for the prince of peace to prove to the generations that he is the true king and he is the one who only can solve sin's problem. I'm excited for all of that. I'm I'm excited for that conversation with the king of kings about what that millennial king then will look like for you and I on an individual basis.

I'm I'm excited for holiness to be the atmosphere of this universe. I I'm excited for the geographical and even the, the animal kingdom being altered by the rule and reign. I'm excited for all of that, but I'm primarily more excited about one thing in this whole teaching about the last days. Being free from sin, yes. Being free from temptation, yes.

Getting that resurrection body, please, yes. All of that is glorious to me, but Paul indicates one thing that believers will be preoccupied by, and I present to you what I am the most excited about, and I trust you share that same conviction. Here's our last verse. It's in second Thessalonians chapter one. Second Thessalonians chapter one.

And just look at one verse with me in verse 10. Paul says, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, this is the part, and to be marveled at among all who have believed because our testimony to you was believed. There's a time coming where we will no longer look through a glass dimly, where we won't have to rely on our imagination, where as much as there might have been gifted preachers in our lives who were able to paint pictures for us about what is to come. There is a time coming without filter. Christ will stand before us, and we can't help but marvel at him.

Have you ever marveled at somebody? Marveled like astonishment, spellbound, gripped. When Christ comes, he will be the object of your adoration for a thousand years and for an eternity following it. I know your mind can't wrap around it, but Paul assures us that believers will look at him and they won't be able to take their eyes off of him. And you will know a satisfaction and a joy when you experience the presence of Christ and the way it will come.

So that's why the spirit and the bride say, come, Lord Jesus. That's our prayer. Let's pray it together. We thank you, Lord, for giving us the grace and the energy to be able to put these truths together. Your word says, my people perish for lack of knowledge, but, Lord, you have fed us with your word today.

And we're thankful, Lord, that there is more clarity and assurance and confidence of what we believe. And, Lord, for the person who might be wrestling with this particular viewpoint of the last days or maybe for those who still can't seem to understand the ABCs of it, may your grace only continue to flow in our hearts. Bring us to where we need to be in our understanding of this truth. And, Lord, we pray that it would not just satiate our curiosity or cause us to be better at debate. God forbid.

We ask, Lord, more than anything, it would stir our hearts to worship you and to love you and to serve you with everything in us before you come back. Lord, we ask that you would receive glory. And we say what John writes about at the end of that glorious book, Revelation, come, lord Jesus. Lord, our purpose is not in our business. It's not in our money.

It's not in our bank account. It's not even in our relationships. It's not in our health. It's not in the experiences of this world. Lord, we long for you more than anything else, oh god.

You are the giver of every good gift, but, Lord, we want the giver himself. And so, Lord, if any of us in this place have gone stale in our relationship with you and our relishing of you from a personal basis, revive it through this teaching. Help us realize that it all roads will lead to you, Lord. All roads will lead to you. You coming and being the center of it all.

But, Lord, we won't wait until that time. We choose to make you the centerpiece of our existence here on earth. Lord, your word has gone forth, but we pray that your Holy Spirit would drive it, etch it, chain it around us so that we would not forget or lose out on the benefits, the life changing aspects of this teaching. We look to you, Lord, moving forward. In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen. Amen. I'm so happy that I know the future. Aren't you? We know the future.

We know what's coming. Nothing will catch us by surprise. But it's still possible for the believer to so fall asleep that he misses out on what God wants him to be prepared for. So I pray that your heart would be realigned in your walk with the Lord, that you would gird up your loins, that your legs would be strong, and that your heart would would beat again for this purpose of living for Jesus Christ. Let's stand and worship this king together.

Shall we?