The Glory of What Accompanies and Characterizes Christ’s Coming
Mark 13:26 teaches that His coming is with great power and glory. The passage reads: “Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory.” This is the prediction. Notice several things about His coming in glory as predicted here.
This coming is literally physical. Notice the reference to the Son of Man coming in clouds. This points us to and reminds us of the assertions of Acts 1:9-11: And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
The reference, then, to the clouds of heaven points us to the physical return of Christ. He physically ascended in the clouds. He will physically return with the clouds. His ascension was literal. His return is literal.
It is brilliantly glorious. The emphasis is on the massive brightness and might of His coming. This coming in its universality, suddenness, and brilliance will be—as Christ has already said—like lightning. Matthew 24:27 reads, “For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
It is universally seen. Because of this brilliant character, our passage tells us that this coming of Christ will be seen by men everywhere. The verse begins, “Then they will see …” This is an important and relevant point today. Christ teaches explicitly and plainly that His coming in glory will not be secret, but will be glorious and public. Once more, Christ has emphasized this already in the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24:26-27): “So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. 27 “For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.” There really is no support in Scripture for a secret rapture and invisible coming of Christ. In fact, there is the exact opposite. The Scriptures everywhere teach that Christ’s coming will be universally seen and unavoidably evident to men everywhere. Revelation 1:7 says it clearly: “BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.”
Thus, in this way, too, Christ’s coming will be glorious. It will be literally physical, brilliantly glorious, and universally seen. But this wonderful revelation does not complete our passage’s teaching on the glory of Christ in His coming. It also speaks of …
The Glory of What Follows and Results from Christ’s Coming
What follows immediately upon the return of Christ to earth from heaven is according to the passage: “And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.” The wonderful result of Christ’s return is the gathering to Christ of all His elect. Notice several things about this.
Angels are sent to shepherd God’s people to safety as the wrath of God obliterates Christ’s enemies who have gathered to destroy His people. This is not the only activity of the angels of God on that day. The angels are not only charged to gather Christ’s people in that great day, but also to destroy His gathered enemies. Please turn to 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 which speaks of both angelic missions together. 6 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, 10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed– for our testimony to you was believed.
The elect—all the elect—are gathered to Christ. Earlier, Christ has said that the elect were in danger from all the disasters and deceptions that would overtake the world. Mark 13:20 “Unless the Lord had shortened those days, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom He chose, He shortened the days. (Mk. 13:20 NAU) Mark 13:22 for false Christs and false prophets will arise, and will show signs and wonders, in order to lead astray, if possible, the elect.
To deceive, if possible, even the elect? But is it possible? The implication of the verse is already that it really is not. But this implication is confirmed by our passage. “They will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.” All the elect are gathered—not one is lost. God’s sovereign protection does not fail even one of the elect of God. The eternal and irresistible purpose of God in predestining His people for salvation is accomplished. All on the last day are gathered to their Savior and Friend.
The emphasis of our passage is that this gathering of the elect is absolutely universal. It is “from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.” It includes both the living and the dead in Christ. This is supported by an added detail in Matthew’s parallel. Matthew 24:31 speaks of a great trumpet: “And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.” This “great trumpet” connects with the teaching of Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.” Thus, it is clear that not just the living saints, but also the dead saints are gathered to Christ in the day of His Second Coming.
This is the blessed hope of God’s people. Even in the rising tide of wickedness that will mark the very end of this age, the elect of God will be saved. They will rise from their graves or from their persecuted churches to meet him in the air. Transformed into glory, they will meet the Lord in the air and live with Him forever in a redeemed earth purged of all wickedness and all the wicked. What a day—glorious day—that will be!
Practical Observations
Christ is reigning even now before His return. No, His reign has not come to earth in the way it will come in the last day. He reigns over the earth from heaven. He guides even the chaos of our world to the fulfillment of His gospel purpose. This should be of great comfort to worried and frightened Christians. Disasters have come upon the world. There is the distress of the Jewish nation and the distress of the Gentile nations which surround us and, yes, affect us. These all are the results of Christ reigning in heaven and breaking the seals on the book which contains God’s final redemptive plan. In the chaos Christ reigns, in fact, the chaos is the product of His reigning in heaven and accomplishing God’s redemptive purpose. The chaos we see around us is God’s mysterious way of bringing redemption to His elect people. We must not despair but see His glory manifested in it and His purpose achieved through it.
Christ will not always be denied and forgotten by a wicked world. We ought to be frustrated and disappointed by the way in which the glory of Christ is denied and dismissed by this wicked world. It thinks more of the passing glory of Olympic athletes than the glory of Christ. Does this not frustrate and disappoint you as you try to make Him known to a wicked world? It should. It does. But it will not always be the case. Christ is coming; and every eye will see Him in His glory. As we have seen clearly, His coming will be literally physical, brilliantly glorious, and universally seen. What satisfaction and delight the doctrine of Christ’s return should give us! That is why then hymn says what it does. Not as of old a little child to bear and fight and die, but crowned with glory like the sun that lights the morning sky.
The glory of Christ’s return includes the perfect completion of God’s redemptive purpose. Not one of the elect will be lost. The elect will be gathered from their deepest graves, out of the most terrible temptations, and away from their most fierce persecution. All will be gathered home and safe to Christ. An old hymn says it clearly: Not one of all the chosen race but shall to heaven attain; partake on earth the purposed grace and then with Jesus reign. How this should encourage, support, and embolden us in our confidence in a sovereign God and His sovereign grace and in our labors for the world-wide spread of the gospel.
Dr. Sam Waldron is the Academic Dean of CBTS and professor of Systematic Theology. He is also one of the pastors of Grace Reformed Baptist Church in Owensboro, KY. Dr. Waldron received a B.A. from Cornerstone University, an M.Div. from Trinity Ministerial Academy, a Th.M. from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. From 1977 to 2001 he was a pastor of the Reformed Baptist Church of Grand Rapids, MI. Dr. Waldron is the author of numerous books including A Modern Exposition of the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, The End Times Made Simple, Baptist Roots in America, To Be Continued?, and MacArthur’s Millennial Manifesto: A Friendly Response.
