24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 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. Mark 13:24-27

On the Mount of Olives outside Jerusalem's temple, a few days before his crucifixion, Jesus explained the end times to his disciples. First, he told them of the eventual destruction of their temple, an event that occurred with the Roman invasion of 70 AD. Second, he told them troubling times were coming. Wars, rumors of wars, diseases, famines, and natural disasters will increase in frequency and intensity, leading up to his return. Persecution will increase, but the church is not to be alarmed. The end is not yet. Third, he told them of a final great tribulation that would come upon the earth before his return. The earth has never endured a time of trial as severe. Noah's flood, Egypt's plagues, and Jerusalem's invasions will not compare to the great tribulation. In the middle of that time of trouble, a world leader will emerge and demand worship in the rebuilt temple (the abomination of desolation, 13:14), and the earth's citizens will give him that worship. After all this calamity -- Jesus said, "after that tribulation" -- he will return (24). He presents it as an ominous moment from Earth's perspective -- a darkened sun, the moon will not give its light, stars falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken (25). This is also how John presents Jesus' coming in the book of Revelation. Riding a white horse -- because he's the true white horse rider, not an imposter like the Antichrist -- Jesus returns and judges the earth (Revelation 19:11-21).

They Will See

But rather than recount the features of his coming in Revelation, let's consider the details Jesus points out here in Mark. First, he said, "they will see the Son of Man coming" (26). This means Jesus' return will be a visible event. And this is the repeated testimony of Scripture. Jesus said he would return for his followers, to take us to himself so that we may be where he is (John 14:3). He said he would return unexpectedly and suddenly (Matthew 24:26-28, 32-51, 25:1-13). He said he would return in the glory of his Father and with his angels (Matthew 16:27, 19:28, 25:31, Luke 19:11-27). And the angels at his ascension said Jesus would return in the same way he departed -- personally, bodily, visibly, and suddenly (Acts 1:10-11). And the apostles went on to declare this truth. Peter preached about the sudden return of Christ (2 Peter 3:1-10) and that Jesus is now in heaven until the "time for restoring all things" comes (Acts 3:21). Paul spoke of Christ's personal return, talking of trumpet blasts and the church's removal in the blink of an eye (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52). John wrote of Jesus' personal and sudden return and discipled the church to be ready to see him (1 John 2:28, 3:3). Hebrews, James, and Jude preached the same message along with these guys -- Jesus is coming personally, suddenly, and publicly.

Revelation 1:7 (ESV) — 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him...

Coming in the Clouds

And that's what Jesus said -- he won't just come for everyone to see, but he will come in the clouds. Everyone will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds (26). This is where I plan on being – with Jesus. John describes him coming with the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen (Revelation 19:14). I take this to mean his people -- the armies of heaven are his people. We are with him when he comes. How does this occur? How can his people be with him when he comes? Many will be with him because they've already died and are now with their Savior. But what about those alive at his coming? He will call them up to himself in the clouds at some point. As Paul said:

1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 (ESV) — 16 ...The Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Some believe we will be caught up in the clouds immediately before Jesus' second coming. Some believe this will happen in the middle of the tribulation when the Antichrist is revealed. Others believe he will call his church out of the world before the time of Great Tribulation. I am in this third camp. Before the time of trouble is poured out on the earth -- before the seven seals are opened, the seven trumpets are blasted, or the seven bowls are poured out -- Christ will take us home to himself. "God has not destined us for wrath" (1 Thessalonians 5:9). The blood of Jesus has already satisfied the wrath of God toward our sin. We are now justified in his presence.

With Great Power and Glory

But Jesus also points out in Mark that he will come with great power and glory (26). He will send out his angels to gather his chosen people from all over the earth (27). I do not think he's describing the rapture but the collection of those who came to believe in him during the period of tribulation during the last days. But what is meant by his gathering? What happens when Jesus comes? Other passages answer. Jesus' return will lead to a time of judgment. Revelation 19:17-21 depicts Jesus warring against the beast and the kings of the earth who are with him. The beast and his false prophet are captured and thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20). All the other kings and captains who fought against Jesus are killed in the battle. And this leads to Jesus' rule and reign right here on Earth. On this planet, Jesus will literally and visibly reign supreme. Because it will take place for 1,000 years, it is often called the millennial reign of Christ. Next week, we will study this incredible period of time.