Bible Materials

Mark 13:26-37 (2009)

by Paul Choi   07/03/2009   Mark 13:26~37

Message


THE GLORIOUS JESUS’ SECOND COMING

Mark 13:26-37

Key Verses: 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.”

  Last Thursday the world was shocked by the news that Michael Jackson, who was known as ‘the King of Pop’, was found dead in his home. It was more surprising that he died in the middle of preparation for 50 London concerts. Who expected his sudden death and who expected the early fall of the superstar? Similarly no one knows when we will die, how and where? So we must always be ready for God’s calling and be ready to stand before the judgment seat of Christ. The Bible says, “God will give to each person according to what he has done. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.” (Ro 2:6-8)

  Today’s passage continues to tell about Jesus’ second coming. In this passage Jesus teaches us 1) how he comes again, 2) what he is going to do, and 3) how we prepare for his second coming.

First, the Son of Man is coming in clouds with great power and glory (26) Let us all read verse 26 together. “At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.” In this verse the words “At that time” indicates the end of the age. At the end of the age, as Jesus foretold, many will come in his name and will deceive people.  There will be wars and rumors of wars. Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places and famines around the world. (6-8) At that time there will also be severe persecutions against the believers. (9,12) Indeed the end of the age is dreadful, horrible and painful.

  However, our Lord Jesus encouraged his people by saying that all these signs are the beginning of birth pains. (8) Jesus sees all these horrible signs as the prerequisite for the glorious future. Jesus sees all these signs of the end of the age as the prelude for his glorious second coming. Instead of being terrified and worrying, we must preach the gospel to all nations. (10) Jesus also encouraged us to be on our guard and to stand firm to the end (9,13,23)  Even though the sun loses its light and the heavenly bodies are shaken, we, his elect, must stand firm to the end on his promise and prepare for his second coming.

  So how will Jesus come again? Jesus promised that he would come again in the clouds with great power and glory. When Jesus came to this world first, he was born as a baby in a manger. Only a few knew of his birth. But, when he comes again, he will come in the clouds with great power and glory. All peoples of all nations will see his coming simultaneously.  The people in Times Square in New York will see his coming. The boys on the prairies of Kenya, Africa will see Jesus’ glorious coming in the clouds.  People in China will see him in the air. People in Mexico, in Australia, and in Japan will also see him at the same time. They will be no necessity for any satellite system to televise his second coming because God will open the eyes of all peoples of all nations to see his son’s coming.

  When Jesus first came to this world, he was the perfect man, the Son of Man. He was born as a helpless baby in a manger surrounded by animals. As he grew up, he was an obedient child to his parents and a hard working carpenter.  When he began his messianic work, he served all kinds of sinners and became their shepherd, father, healer and friend. He washed his disciples’ dirty feet one by one and encouraged them to love one another. Finally, he gave his life as a ransom for many. When the Apostle John saw Jesus, he was moved by the grace of the Incarnate God who appeared as a man. So he said in John 1:14, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”

  But, when Jesus comes again, he will be different. He will come again as the Almighty God. He will come as the Sovereign Ruler and the Divine Judge of the living and the dead. He will come again with great power and glory. The Prophet Daniel prophesied the Lord’s coming in this way, “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” (Da 7:13,14) The Apostle Paul also described Jesus’ second coming in his letter to the saints in the Thessalonica Church, saying, “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 so we will be with the Lord forever. Amen (1Th 4:16,17) Jesus’ second coming is not a man-made story or a fairy-tale. It is not a movie, either. It will be a universal, simultaneous and dramatic event that has never happened before in human history.

Second, what will Jesus do when he comes again? (27) He will send his angels to gather his elect. Look at verse 27. “And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.” When Jesus comes again, he will gather his people in order to bring them into his kingdom, as a farmer collects the sheaves in order to put them into his barn.  A farmer harvests the crops and separates the grain from the chaff. After collecting the grain, he joyfully puts them into his barn and then throws the chaff into the fire. In the parable of the weeds in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus explains the day of the harvest. “The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where they will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then, the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father…” (Mt 13:41,42)  The day of the harvest is the day of Jesus’ second coming. The day of Jesus’ second coming is the day of glory and the day of salvation to those who are the elect. On the contrary, the day of Jesus’ second coming is the day of shame and the day of judgment to those who are not the elect.

  Then, who are the elect and who are not? The elect are those whose names are written in the Book of Life. (Rev 3:5) They are those who call on the name of the Lord Jesus (Ro 10:13). They are those who belong to him (1 Co 15:23). More precisely speaking, the elect are the committed Christians who suffered for Jesus’ name sake. They are those who stand firm to the end on the gospel faith in the midst of persecutions and temptations. They are those who obey Jesus’ command and preach the gospel to all nations (13).  They are those who repent of their sins every day before Christ and grow in the image of Jesus Christ.

There are many nominal Christians on this earth. They say that they believe in Jesus, but their life is not much different from that of unbelievers. They follow money. They follow fun. They follow their own ideas and social consensus rather than the truth of God. We are not sure that they will belong to the elect. According to Jesus’ words, the elect are those who enter the narrow gate. Jesus said, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” (Mt 7:13,14)

  At the time of Jesus’ second coming, the angels will call the names of the elect one by one. Those who are called will be lifted up to heaven and will meet our Lord Jesus Christ face to face. Imagine the moment that you are changed like the angels and lifted up in the air to see our Lord Jesus Christ face to face. Then you will sing ‘How Great Thou Art” in a loud voice, “…When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation and take me home, what joys shall fill my heart! Then I shall bow in humble adoration and there proclaim: my God, how great Thou art!.. Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee. How great Thou art! How great Thou art! Then sings my soul, my Savior God, to Thee. How great Thou art! How great Thou art!

  What a glorious day and what a spectacular picture of Jesus’ second coming! So we wonder when Jesus will come again and when these things will happen. Jesus said in verse 32. Let us read verse 32. “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”  How nice it would be if we knew the day and the hour of Jesus’ coming! Some may think that they would repent of his sins right before his coming after enjoying all the pleasures of sin on this earth. Others may expect that they would be nice to other people just before Jesus judges their lives. Sorry to say, Jesus said that nobody knows it except God the Father alone. Jesus only said that we know the day of his coming as we observe the seasons of nature.  In verses 28,29 Jesus said, “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 happenings, you know that it is near, right at the door.” We don’t know the exact day or the hour of his coming, but at least we can figure out his coming through the signs at the end of the age as we studied last week. When many people are deceived by false messiahs and false prophets, we will know that Jesus’ second coming is near. When nations rise against nations and kingdoms against kingdoms, and when wars and the rumors of wars increase in various places, then we will realize that the end is near. When earthquakes, pestilences, and famines occur in numerous places around the world - more than we can bear, we must be ready for his second coming.

  Look at verses 30,31. “I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth pass away, but my words will never pass away.” In this verse Jesus clearly reaffirms that his promise is true and that surely he will come again. His coming is not a theory, or an assumption, or a story, but the truth of God which never passes away. Our God never lies. His promises never fail. Our God is very faithful to keep his promises. Someone has said that there are more than 37,000 promises in the Bible. Amazingly, God has kept all these promises and will keep the last of them. Jesus said in Revelation 22:7, “Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of prophecy in this book.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. (Rev 22:20)

Third, then what should we do in the course of waiting for his coming? How should we live on this earth? Look at verses 33-36. “Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. It is 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!’” Jesus said that we should be on our guard.  We must protect ourselves from all possible dangers and persecutions. Jesus also asked us to be alert. We must be fully awakened spiritually to welcome Jesus’ second coming. In these verses Jesus compared himself to the owner of the house and the people to the servants.  Because nobody knows when the owner of the house will come back, his servants should be alert always 24-7 to welcome their master.  What a blessed day it is if Jesus comes when you are studing the Bible and praying! How lucky you are if Jesus finds you in church on Sunday, not in a bar! How shameful it would be if you are sinning in the dark place at the hour of Jesus’ coming! Watch out and pray so that you may not miss the moment of Jesus’ coming!  Watch out and pray so that you can be fully awakened when the angels call your name!  Be on your guard and be alert when your friends tempt you saying, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.” (1 Co 15:32) I pray that we all here may be fully awakened when Jesus comes again. I pray that the angels of God may call all our names one by one not even missing one so that we all may meet our Lord Jesus Christ face to face. Amen. May God make America a kingdom of priests and a holy nation! Amen.


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