Mark 13:24-31 “But in those days, following that distress, ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 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. 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 happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away."
We see similar words to these: the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken in the Old Testament about the disciplining and destruction of Babylon, Egypt, and Israel. The prophet Isaiah warned: Listen, a noise on the mountains, like that of a great multitude! Listen, an uproar among the kingdoms, like nations massing together! The LORD Almighty is mustering an army for war. They come from faraway lands, from the ends of the heavens — the LORD and the weapons of his wrath — to destroy the whole country. And he went on to say, See, the day of the LORD is coming — a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger — to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless. (Isaiah 13:4-5 & 9-11) The natural disasters are a precursor to God's judgment. As with the nations of old, He will judge all people. Their works will be tried by holy fire. If they are good, righteous works, God will reward the people; but if their lives have been lived for the self, with selfish motivations behind all their activities, God will judge them harshly. Today's passage confirms that God is all powerful. No nation, people or individual can escape the judgment of God, for He controls all things as illustrated by his authority to shake everything in existence. His judgment will come upon those who are not safe in the grace of the Lord. Jesus is telling his disciplines to live upright lives for God, to watch for his coming, to be ready, and not asleep.
These scriptures also represent a marvelous passage for all believers as it reminds us of our blessed hope in Christ Jesus our Lord. We must all watch and judge the times and the seasons. In Jude, we see the words of Jesus repeated, In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires. Jude warns the people: But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. (Jude 18 & 20-21) There are scoffers and unbelievers in every generation. There are temptations and the cares of life that lead us away from the truths of God's word. We must remember to look at the fig tree, learn its lesson, and know when summer is near. We should be aware of what God wants to do in our lives and be aware of the needs in the lives of those around us. We who are alive IN CHRIST by faith will one day see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. Some of us will see his coming as we take our last earthly breath and pass from this life to the next at the time of our physical demise. Others will actually see him coming in the clouds of glory. He, who is known as the eternal bright morning star of heaven, will be seen by all of us as He is known in heaven. As we wrote in the last breakfast, we are to comfort each other with the thought of his coming--that amazing time when we who are alive will be caught up to meet him in the air. (See I Thessalonians 4:15-18)
We know Jesus is life: all life originates IN HIM. Jesus is light. As He said: I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (John 8:12) He is the light that brightens all of heaven. No sun or stars need to shine in the heavenly realm. Because He is our peace and all we need on the day of his coming, perfect peace will rest upon every believer. As Paul wrote, For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility. (Ephesians 2:14) Isaiah said, He will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. (Isaiah 25:8) No more questions, doubts, or restlessness will linger within us, for the answers to life will find a home in our thoughts. His revelation of truth will comfort and satisfy our hearts when we see him face to face. Outside of Jesus there is no truth or answers to life. Only eternal darkness and decay rest outside of the Creator, Jesus Christ. In that day of his final coming, the full body of Christ will be evident. The roar of the redeemed, shouting his glory and praising his name will be heard in every part of heaven. He is alive and we are alive in him will be our victory shout: Worthy is the Lamb! The redeemed will know in a twinkling of an eye the truth of existence since they are no longer bound by the strictures of frailty and death. They will understand the Holy Spirit's work in them and realize their ability to interact with God constantly. As children of God in his image, they will inherit what God planned for them from the beginning of time. As the stars of heaven, they will shine brightly for God's glory. Their brightness will manifest the plan of God: changed from death to life, from darkness to light. AS JESUS SHINES, SO WILL THEY. All of this life, this glory, was purchased by the blood of Jesus on the cross. Rejoice, dear children!
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