SIGNS OF
THE END
24“But in those
days, after that tribulation,
the sun will be
darkened, and the moon will not give its light,
25and the stars
will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
26And then they
will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
27And 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.
28“From the fig
tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its
leaves, you know that summer is near. 29So also, when you see these things
taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates.
30Truly, I say
to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
31Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
32“But
concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven,
nor the Son, but only the Father.
MARK
13:24-32
COMMENTARY
This narrative
is mentioned also in the gospels of Matthew (Mt 24) and Luke (Lk 21), and
depending on the gospel, it focuses in the two aspects of the prophecy. One,
the Immediate, that speaks of the initial persecution of Christians in Judea
and the later destruction of Jerusalem by Titus (Lk 21); and the second aspect,
the signs of the Second Coming of Jesus (Mt 24, Mk 13); and it is totally omitted
in John’s.
This tool place when
Jesus and his apostles looked over Jerusalem for the last time during his last entry
to the city before his crucifixion. The story unfolds when the Apostles asked
the Lord of what will be the signs of the destruction of the Temple, which
Jesus had foretold them, and what will be the signs of his second coming.
In this gospel,
Lord Jesus warns all his disciples of the persecutions they will have to endure
not only by Jews, but also Gentiles for the Name of Jesus (v.9-10); which by
itself creates a bigger historical margin that surpasses the Roman destruction
of the city in the year 70 (The aspect that Luke concentrates on).
Jesus also warns
of the natural instability and the political problems that will come upon the
planet during this time, like natural disasters, hunger, and wars (v.8). This
is another sign that Jesus is speaking about a time beyond the year 70, and
talks about the signs of his return.
From verse 11,
the prophecy stars diverting into a historical immediate aspect, and a
scatological posterior aspect, about the return of Jesus, by warning all of his
followers (This is clear since the circumstances surpass the conditions of the
first century, like the gospel preached to the whole world, or Christians being
brought before ‘kings’) of a ferocious persecution of Christians, where even
relatives will give each other to death (v.11-13).
In verse 14, the
prophecy becomes mingled, totally indistinctive from immediate historicism to
scatological prophecy.
Jesus speaks of
the ‘Abomination’ that will desecrate the Temple prophesied by Daniel (Mark
13:14; Matthew 24:15; Luke 21:20). He warns that those present at that time,
should run away because a great tribulation has come to Judea (v.14-18). The mention
of Judea and not only Jerusalem, speaks of a general war, and that took place
in the year 70CE, when Roman General Titus and his lieutenant Tiberius, won the
first Jewish-Roman war against Jewish generals John, Eleazar and Simon; and desecrated
and then destroyed the Temple in the middle of a fight.
The problem here
is that Daniel does not speak about Titus’s time, but if we read the prophecy
of Daniel (Daniel 11:31), he is clearly referring to Antiochus Epiphanes and
the pagan sacrificed he offered to Zeus inside the Temple during the Maccabean
times. However, Daniel’s words also carry a further prophetic message, not accomplished
in the times of the Maccabean revolt (Daniel 11:36-37), but later engage again
with the historical Greeks. Therefore, the mention of ‘Daniel’s desolation’ by
Lord Jesus, not fulfilled in Titus, must have a different time period than the
year 70CE.
Now the words of
Jesus pass the time of the Roman-Jewish conflict, and starts dealing clearly
with the scatological signs of his return (v.19-27)
If the ‘Abomination
of Daniel’ was not fulfilled during Titus’s time, Jesus must be making a reference
to a third temple not been built yet. And the abomination fulfilment that Daniel
spoke about, must be referring to a desecration of that Temple by the
Antichrist (See Daniel 11:36-37), the man who exalts himself above God and
claims worship for himself (Dn11:37; 2Thes 2:4). And the Lord says that when
this happens, there will be such a tribulation, like there was never one like
that before, neither will be.
Jesus continues
on about the appearance of false messiahs and people who will falsely proclaim
Jesus’s return or will claim to be our Lord Himself. But He gives us the guarantee
that these days will be cut short so that the faithful believers will remain
strong in the middle of these adversities (v.20).
Finally, he
mentions the natural manifestations of destruction that will fall immediately before
his Parousia. Suddenly, LORD JESUS CHRIST will appear with his host of Angels,
and collect his chosen from the whole world, dead and alive; making clear that
there is not secret rapture or return in two chapters. At the time of the last
trumpet (1Cor 15:52) the dead in Christ will resurrect, and the ones alive will
be changed and taken up to the air to meet Jesus, and will return together with
his angels to Earth to start the Millennium. That is the correct time of the ‘rapture’,
not before, and certainly not before the Great Tribulation.
In verses 28 to
32 Lord Jesus prevents us to be watchful of the signs before his coming (The
desolation, the wars, hungers and natural disasters) and be ready for it. Then
closes his words by telling us that the time and exact day, nobody knows, not
even Himself, but only the FATHER in Heaven (v.32).
This is a clear
teaching of the monarchial nature of the Trinity, where the Son and the Holy
Spirit are eternally subjected to the Father, even when all of them are divine
in nature.
Omar Flores.
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