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 that are in the heavens will be shaken. 26 “Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory. 27 “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.
Mark 13:24-27
The Glory of What Precedes and Leads Up to Christ’s Coming
The passage specifies two things that precede Christ’s coming. We do not know the day nor the hour (nor the month or year) of Christ’s coming. And by the way, if someone does think that they can predict even the year of Christ’s return, they are false teachers whose ministries are diligently avoided. We do, however, know that some things are predicted to precede Christ’s coming.
It has been frequently asserted that no predicted event may be said to precede Christ’s return but rather that it may occur at any moment. This was not true when the New Testament was written, and it is not true today. The imminence of Christ’s return does not require the any-moment-ness of Christ’s return. This is clear from many things in the New Testament. But there are two predicted events mentioned in our passage that precede Christ’s return. Both anticipate and manifest His glory in that return.
What are those two things? They are The Great Tribulation and The Shaking Heavens. Both of these signs precede Christ’s coming and manifest His glory in their own way. Both, however, need a little exposition to be properly understood. Think with me, first, about …
The Great Tribulation
The identity of the Great Tribulation mentioned in Christ’s Olivet Discourse is one of the great questions that darken the interpretation of this discourse. Preterists think that both this tribulation and the coming of Christ which it precedes refer to events that took place in the past at the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in A. D. 70. Futurists believe that both the tribulation and the coming of Christ are yet future. Some try to resolve the confusion by attempting a double fulfillment view of the mentioned in which past and future tribulation is in view.
I admit the difficulties which accompany any interpretation of this passage. Yet I have been helped by the great theologian of the 20th century, John Murray. I am convinced now that none of the above interpretations are satisfactory. In volume 2 of His Collected Writings in a wonderful article entitled, “The Interadventual Period and the Advent: Matthew 24 and 25,” he argues that the Great Tribulation to which our passage refers is focused on the historical destruction of Jerusalem and the ongoing troubles of the Jewish nation and the world flowing out of it, but that the Coming of Christ which it mentions is His yet future coming in glory. I think his argument is irrefutable. I urge you, if you have questions about the Olivet Discourse, to get it and read it.
But let me here give you two reasons which support the view that Murray and I take. What is that view? Let me repeat what it is. It is that the Great Tribulation focuses on the destruction of Jerusalem and the ongoing troubles of the Jewish nation and the world flowing out of it. It is also that Christ distinguishes His Second Coming from that event and speaks of it as yet future.
How does this differ from the other views I mentioned? The Preterist view sees both the tribulation and coming as past. The Futurist view sees both the tribulation and coming as future. Murray’s view and the view I take. Sees the tribulation as mainly past but the coming as yet future.
What, then, are the arguments for my and Murray’s position?
Here is the first one. The description of the conditions at the time leading up to this Great Tribulation is a literal description of a first century situation in Palestine at the time of the Roman invasion after the Jewish rebellion. Listen to the graphic description of Matthew 24:15-20: “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 17 “Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. 18 “Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 19 “But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 “But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.” This is not a description of 21st-century Israel with its modern conveniences and secular character. It is a literal description of first-century Palestine and the conditions obtained before A. D. 70 when the Christians had to flee. History records the actual flight of Christians from Jerusalem at this time.
Here is my second argument. It is devastating for both the Preterist and Futurist interpretations. That argument is based on the parallel passage in Luke. 23 “Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; 24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 25 “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 “Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory. Luke 21:23-28.
This passage is plainly parallel to ours, but it expands and enlarges on the events associated with the Great Tribulation. The Jews fall by the edge of the sword and are defeated. They are led captive into all the nations. Jerusalem is trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. There are signs in the heavens and dismay among the nations. And only after all those things does the Son of Man come in power and great glory.
It is clear to me, and I hope it is clear to you, that two things must be true. First, the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple are their historical destruction in A. D. 70. Second, the coming of Christ is His future coming in glory and not some sort of spiritual coming or something else that took place at the destruction of the Temple. The Destruction of Jerusalem and the Second Coming of Christ in glory are clearly distinct events. One is long past. One is yet future.
For these reasons, we must understand that the New Testament predicted that the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple would long precede Christ’s coming in glory. This is why I reject the preterist, the futurist, and the double fulfillment view of the Olivet Discourse and hold to the view advocated by Murray.
But there is something that I want you to notice carefully. Most of the New Testament was written before A. D. 70 and thus before the events predicted to occur at that time. For this reason, the New Testament cannot teach that Christ’s return is imminent in the sense of possibly being at any moment. That view of imminence is simply inconsistent with the New Testament. Yes, we may say that Christ’s coming is imminent in the sense of being near. Yes, we may say that we should stay alert and awake for Christ’s coming. But the nearness of Christ’s coming differs from the any-moment-ness of Christ’s coming.
Notice also that this Great Tribulation leading up to the Second Coming of Christ manifests and leads up to the glory of Christ in His coming. Christ stands in glorious judgment over the apostate Jewish nation and their rejection of Him as their Messiah. They rejected and crucified him as their Messiah. Now His glory is manifested in that wrath which has come on them to the uttermost (1 Thessalonians 2:16).
But a second thing is predicted to occur leading up to the Coming of Christ in glory. It is …
The Shaking Heavens
I think that preachers have to be honest when they come to the parts of Scripture that are less clear. Our Confession itself says that, while the Scripture is clear, it is not alike clear in all its parts nor alike clear to all. It seems to me that the language of verses 24-25 of our passage is one of those less clear passages of Scripture. 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 that are in the heavens will be shaken.
What does this language of the shaking heavens mean? Is it to be taken literally? Is it intended figuratively, and if so, to what does it refer? Does it signify a sign that immediately precedes Christ’s coming in glory? Or does it speak of something characteristic of the entire age following the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem? How shall we answer such questions?
Once more, the Confession guides us. It tells us that: “The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself; and therefore when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must be searched by other places that speak more clearly.”
In the case of the present passage, other places speak more clearly. One is found in the parallel passage in Luke 21:25-26. 25 “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Luke significantly adds the language of “on the earth dismay among nations … men fainting from fear and the expectation and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world.” Notice particularly the word, nations. It may be translated Gentiles. Having spoken of the divine judgment which has fallen on the Jews, this second sign speaks of the impending judgment on the Gentile nations. The shaking of the heavens is associated with what is happening on the earth and in the world.
Another parallel passage is found in Revelation 6. “Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, “Come.” I find Revelation 5 and 6 as really quite clear in spite of the figurative language in which they are communicated. Revelation 6 immediately follows the picture of the Lamb ascending to the throne of God in Revelation 5 and taking the great book from His hand. This clearly and indisputably refers to His resurrection and ascension to the throne of God. Revelation 6, then, speaks of the immediate results of this enthronement. It is Christ’s ruling and reigning over the present gospel age as He breaks the seals on the Father’s great book. This book speaks of the conclusion of God’s redemptive plan. This passage speaks of historical characteristics that govern and mark the present, final era of this age before Christ’s return. There is the white horse which speaks of the spread of the gospel. There is the red horse which speaks of the reality of constant war that characterizes the gospel age. There is the black horse which symbolizes the fact of widespread famine. There is the Amarillo horse which speaks of the certainty of mass death. There is the vision of the souls under the altar which speaks of the reality of Christian martyrdom which characterizes this age.
Finally, under the sixth seal there is the fear of coming judgment. “13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. 14 The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. 15 Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; 16 and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; 17 for the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
This language is closely parallel to the language of the shaking heavens in our passage. But it speaks like the other seals of events taking place in the present gospel age. So what am I saying? I am saying that the language of this part of our passage speaks of the terror of the Gentile nations during this present age in their fear of the coming judgment. This, then, is the meaning of the shaking heavens in Mark 13. It speaks of the general political upheaval and the prevailing disasters of this age and the way in which this produces in the hearts of the Gentile nations of the fear of coming judgment.
What is my modest and, I hope, humble conclusion? There are two precursors to the coming of Christ in glory. Both of them are manifestations of the awesome reign of Christ over the world in judgment.
There is the great tribulation of the Jewish nation with the destruction of the temple in A. D. 70 and their distress as a nation throughout this age. They suffer God’s judgment for their rejection and murdering of their Messiah. This great tribulation is the judgment of the Christ upon them.
There is the present distress of the Gentile nations. The constant upheaval of the rise and fall of empires, world war, and disaster after disaster creates dismay among the Gentile nations. It causes them to live in fear of what is coming on the world and the rising terror of divine judgment. Once more all of this is the result of the risen and reigning Christ breaking the seals on God’s end time book.
Important Lessons
First, political turmoil, wars, and rumors of wars mark this entire age. Too often, Christians have surveyed such turmoil and announced that Christ’s return was immediately imminent. But such pronouncements actually contradict Christ’s own teaching. Such things mark the entire gospel age. Did not Jesus Himself say and say clearly in Matthew 24:6-8: “You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 “But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.” Christians need to stop saying such foolishness and listen to what Christ actually said! Wars and rumors of wars are no proof that Christ is coming tomorrow. They are proof, however, that Christ is reigning in heaven.
Second, we learn that we live in the midst of prophecy being fulfilled. Let me explain what I mean. When I was a young man, I was taught that the prophetic clock had stopped ticking during the church age. It was only when the secret rapture occurred and the church was taken out of the world that the prophetic clock would start ticking and the great events of prophecy would begin to unfold. Brothers and sisters, that is not what the passages we have been looking at say! Christ has ascended to the throne of God in fulfillment of prophecy. He reigns there over the world in the fulfillment of prophecy. He breaks the seals on the great book in fulfillment of prophecy. All around us great events and movements of this age are the results of the fulfillment of prophecy. So with Paul I say, we are those upon whom the ends of the ages have come! I do not know about you that this view of prophecy changes everything about how we look at the church and how we look at our lives and how we should live with urgency for the spread of the gospel of Christ!
Third, and consequently, Christ reigns over the world even before He returns in glory. He reigns in his judgment of the apostate Jewish nation; and He reigns in judgment and power in the distress, turmoil, and fear of impending judgment among the Gentile nations. In these realities which precede and lead up to His coming, Christ is highly exalted in his judgments on his enemies. But these things are but the first glimpses of the glory that is manifested in His coming. And we come now to study …
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.
