A Closer Look at The Day of Christ's Return | Mark 13:24-27 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh (Gospel of Mark Bible Study Series)

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 precede 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. And 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

Mark 13 · chapter mention

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

2 Thessalonians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2, 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 175 and 164 BC.

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.

And Teakiss 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 1st and 2nd

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 and take kiss

and even defeated the Syrian Greek oppression that they were

enduring to the degree that they were able to re enter into the

temple, cleanse it once again and separate it unto 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

70 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 want to 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 70 AD, but the one that He is

speaking about would 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 we're 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 1st 2 verses with me.

Realize that Revelation speaks of things yet to happen,

especially after chapter 4 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 11/1 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

42 months. And then John goes on to

describe two witnesses who will prophecy and preach for a period

of time from Jerusalem. They will be slain.

The world is going to 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 is 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, 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 going to 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 going to wrestle,

wrestle with the text that has been prayerfully and hopefully

you will recognize rightly divided and so the the this.

Is going to 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 testified 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 want to 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 in to Mark 13 and

look at these signs in greater detail.

We can pause between verses 14 and 19 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 it's

Jesus described me something that the world is not yet known.

If the Lord wills, we will look at these different subjects in

greater detail on an individual basis.

But what I want to do today is honor the flow of thought that

Christ offers in his teaching. So Jesus is going to 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 4 headings that will hopefully organize what we

want to clarify concerning Jesus's teaching about His

return. The first thing that we're going

to 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. And 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 going

to 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 as 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 7 years,

seven years. And where you want to go on your

own time, because we don't have time to do it, is Daniel 924 to

27, where that's spelled out so clearly.

It's confirmed in the Book of Revelation, but its basis is

found in Daniel 924 to 27. And although we can't unpack in

detail about why we believe this period of tribulation is 7

years, what we can determine at this point is that it has a

purpose on the earth. There is a two fold 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 want to 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.

Daniel 12 · chapter mention

I want to 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

Daniel 12 · chapter mention

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 of speaking about the Judean people, the people of

Israel. And here you have hundreds of

years before Jesus is teaching where Daniel's being told that

there will be a time of great trouble like the nation has

never seen before. But it 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 going to 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 is 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 Daniels.

Ingredients of what is to come for this people turn with me to

Jeremiah chapter 30. We're going to have a workout in

Jeremiah 30 · chapter mention

the Bible today. OK Jeremiah 30 beginning in

verse 4. 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 and 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? Does not 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 going to be this unparalleled

period of discipline and restoration in this future

moment. And what's so amazing about

Jeremiah's prophecies 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 8 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 this treasures would

be liberation. They're going to 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, O Jacob, my servant, declares the Lord, nor

be dismayed, O 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 if 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 going to 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 going to 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 3024. 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 going to get it now, you're going to get

it in the latter days. Is anybody going to 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 want to 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 want to know more

about the the revelation concerning the Tribulation

period, God has given us an extensive record, specifically

Revelation chapter 6 to Revelation 19.

Revelation 6 · chapter mention

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

Mark 13:24

24. But in those days after that

tribulation, something's going to 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's 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 world 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 2-3 years was suffocating.

You have no idea what the tribulation period will be like.

People are going to wish to die and they won't be able to at one

particular point at least. It's going to be severe.

It's going to 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

going to 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 are there are those out

there within Christendom who believe that the world is only

going to 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 going to get worse.

It's going to 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 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 going to be affected, they're going to be

shaken, is meant to present to us the universe preparing,

rolling out the red carpet, so to speak.

The spotlight now is going to 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's

you're holding your hand wasn't written by one or two people in

the span of 30 years, over 1400 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

peeked 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 9.

But look again at another verse that we didn't touch on that

confirms and agrees with the Lord Jesus.

Zechariah 14, verse 4. On that day his feet shall stand

Zechariah 14:4

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 very wide valley, so that 1/2 of the mount 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 6. 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 going to 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 1324 and

25? The sun will be darker 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.

Yes, yes, Jesus 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 going to occur. And it'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

Isaiah 24:21

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 6. Principalities, cosmic powers,

invisible beings who occupied 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'll be gathered together as prisoners in a pit.

They'll 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 9.

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 9.

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 70 AD completed

all of Jesus's 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 want to 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 offer.

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 going to 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 going to 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 going to come.

And we're just getting started with the Kingdom.

So what's going to happen if he's going to 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 going to 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

going to 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 1000 year period when Christ will rule from

Jerusalem. You want to see it with me?

OK, Isaiah 30. Turn with me to verse 26 of

Isaiah 30. Isaiah 30, verse 26.

Isaiah 30:26

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 going to 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 going to be eternity.

And you know what we're told about eternity?

There's going to be no sun. There's going to 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 going to be no sunlight and in the eternal age there's

going to 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 1000

years is going to 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 in

Genesis one and two. And part of the brilliance of

the millennial Kingdom is that you're going to see the moon

shining as the sun. And what about the sun?

It's going to 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 peeks 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 truths 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 into clouds with

great power and glory. That's what the disciples want

to hear. Not this dying and being

betrayed and being tortured. No, no, no, that's what we want

to 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 and 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 713 to

14 specifically where one like a Son of man will come on the

clouds and to come on the clouds as a prerogative that belongs to

God alone. Clouds in many instances of the

Old Testament speak of 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 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 false prophets

and be careful 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 going to know

whether or not somebody's true. And realizing the description of

my coming, I will come in clouds with great power and glory.

I'm not going to show up on TikTok and say I'm the Messiah.

And who's going to see Him when he says, and they will see the

Son of Man John tells us who's going to see Him in Revelation

17. 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 pierced

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 him 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 creations

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 and 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 centerpiece 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 and preparing

for His return, focusing solely on Israel in his mind at least.

We read in verse 27 that when he comes, he's going to dispatch

angels and he's going to gather all of those who believed on his

name. And the language here denotes

like a great searching. There's not going to be one of

us that's going to go missing. There's not going to be one of

us that's going to be left behind.

It's not going to be one of us. It's going to 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 have 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 4, where this

Deuteronomy 30:4

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 going to be birth pains

and they're going to only intensify as we come to the

birthing of the Kingdom. And there's going to 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 3 1/2 year mark, it's going to set off the

great tribulation. And Jesus says after that

tribulation, you're going to 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 going to gather all those who belong to me.

And we think, OK, great, and then we're going to 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 going to

get busy. You thought you were just going

to 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 going

to happen when Christ returns and gathers his elect.

It's found in Revelation 20, specifically in verse 4.

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 all of it discourse. And again, I think one of the

most important keys in unlocking the truth 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 worshipped 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 1000 years.

Isn't it plain? Isn't it clear?

I hope that this time frame is becoming more obvious to us.

So he returns. Matthew tells us he's going to

gather his elect. But for what purpose?

Well, the Lord, in establishing His Kingdom, is going to 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. 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 going to have people coming to Christ, those who have

not worshiped the beast or its image.

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. 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 A1 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 reigned

with Christ for 1000 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 them 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'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, 2nd 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 are 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

1000 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 of 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 a 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 ABC's 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 were 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?