Turn with me in your scriptures to the gospel according to Mark. We are in verses 24 through 31. And if you are able, I invite you to stand. I'll read this portion in your hearing. Mark 13 at verse 24, let us hear and heed God's word. But in those days after the tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. The stars of heaven will fall and the powers in the heavens will be shaken Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send his angels and gather together his elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven. Now learn this parable from the fig tree. When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near, at the doors. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and Earth will pass away. but my words will by no means pass away. That ends the reading of God's word. Let us ask his blessing on the preaching of it. Let's pray. Most Holy Father, we ask that we may have ears to hear, that we may have eyes to see the truth revealed. Give us that understanding which the Spirit works. As we lay hold of your word, may it lay hold of us. We pray this for the honor of our Savior, whose word this is, in his name. Amen. You may be seated. The day of a long-awaited ruler finally taking up his authority and beginning his rule in the face of illegitimate opposition is the stuff of legends. Most of us are familiar with Tolkien's work. He used that kind of theme in his Lord of the Rings trilogy, and particularly in that book that was third in that trilogy titled The Return of the King. The nobility of this idea easily stirs the soul. And even in our own history here in these United States, whenever our political dynamics become extremely polarized, these kinds of themes get used to move people, to make the leaders seem more heroic. They're portrayed not just as someone offering their own ideas and vision for a certain kind of government. No, they're actually rescuing the country from the evil opposition set on destroying things. Now, there are times when that seems a lot more accurate than just a political slogan, I'll admit. Some of us may feel that way. But that idea of the noble leader setting things right, removing oppression, bringing integrity, that's a theme that we can recognize not only stirring our own soul in stories, in history, but it's a theme that we find even in inspired history. Remember the pride and arrogance of Adonijah in the sacred history at the beginning of 1 Kings. He's the son of David who thought, my dad is pretty old, pretty decrepit. I think I'd make a good king. And I don't see anybody stopping me. So he usurps. the throne, even though he knew Solomon was the one that was appointed to be king. When things are set right, there is something especially noble about Solomon's rule, as he keeps his father's charge and exercises authority with patience, integrity, and wisdom, such the opposite of Adonijah. Another dramatic example is from 2 Kings 11, when Athaliah tries to kill all the heirs to the throne so that she can rule like a pagan queen in Jerusalem. But one son of the king, Joash, was saved and hidden away, and she had no idea. Finally, the time comes when that young lad can take the throne, and then, All the wickedness of Athaliah is overthrown and justice is served. And it stirs the soul to see wickedness undone by a righteous rule. But there's really a deeper reason why this theme of the unexpected ruler coming to power, overthrowing oppressors, and ruling in righteousness is so moving. It's because it's really the story of redemption in Christ Jesus. As we've been working through this portion of Mark's Gospel, Christ is unfolding in prophetic language a dramatic portion of this cosmic drama of redemption. Last week, we considered our first point, the astronomical apocalypse, as Christ used the same kind of prophetic language of a divine judgment as we find in the Old Testament prophets describing judgments brought by God in those same terms of the sun, the moon, the stars, and so on, when he destroyed Babylon, when he destroyed Edom, when he destroyed Egypt, And most significantly, we saw the prophet Joel using that apocalyptic language to describe this very judgment upon Jerusalem in Joel 2. Peter cites this prophecy in Acts 2, declaring that these things were taking place in Jerusalem. As we continued in the passage, we saw, secondly, the coming in the clouds. Again, by comparing scripture with scripture, we found that Christ is drawing upon familiar prophetic language to describe the bringing of divine judgment. The coming in clouds is language used in the scriptures to describe divine judgment being brought. But most importantly, And here's where we left off, we'll take up now. We find that Christ is drawing explicitly from Daniel's prophecy in chapter seven, verses 13 and 14. He does this as we find it in our verse 26. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. He is drawing from Daniel's prophecy. Let me read that portion of Daniel's prophecy. And you're hearing it's Daniel 7 at verse 13. I was watching in the night visions, and behold, one, like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven, He came to the ancients of days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom, the one which shall not be destroyed. Now again, the specific language of seeing the Son of Man, that language has persuaded many to see this as not having been fulfilled in the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple But when we compare Scripture with Scripture, we'll see this more clearly and see how indeed it was fulfilled at that time. First, what is happening in this passage that Christ references from Daniel's prophecy? Well, this passage in Daniel, cited by Christ, is referencing his ascension to his throne, receiving all dominion and power and glory Indeed, a kingdom. Note the direction of the Son of Man in Daniel 7. The Son of Man in the clouds is not coming to earth. No, he's going before the Ancient of Days. And there receives dominion, power, glory, and the kingdom is given to the Son of Man. And is this not what Christ declared to his apostles? In the Great Commission, Matthew 28, verse 18, what does he say as the preface to that commission? Jesus came and spoke to them saying, all authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. This happened. He ascended and went before the Ancient of Days and received all power and glory and dominion. Here in Mark's account, Christ declares that the revelation of that power was given in his judgment upon Jerusalem and the temple. This is given additional clarity as we compare the parallel passage in Matthew's account. There in Matthew 24, Verse 30, we are told that what is seen is the sign of the Son of Man that would appear. The sign of Christ's heavenly enthroned power coming in judgment was displayed in the crushing blow he brought against Jerusalem. Indeed, this is how Christ's enthronement is first revealed to the people of that generation. So, note how this becomes all the more surprising in the hearing of the disciples. It was shocking enough to have heard that the temple would be destroyed. They then gather around him on the Mount of Olives and ask him, What's going on here? When is this going to happen? This is a shocking revelation. As he proceeds to answer their question, he keeps expanding. It's not just the temple, it's Jerusalem. And indeed, it's going to be through an abominable desolation. He keeps widening the circle of shock to the disciples. And now he says that it's the Son of Man who will bring this judgment. And Christ mentions this very thing again when he answers the high priest before the Sanhedrin in the next chapter, chapter 14 of Mark's gospel, verse 61b through verse 62. Again, the high priest asks him, saying to him, are you the Christ, the son of the blessed, Jesus said, I am, and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the power and coming with the clouds of heaven. What did the high priest and the Sanhedrin eventually see? They saw Christ's powerful judgment upon Jerusalem and the temple. So what have we found in comparing Scripture with Scripture here? Earlier, last week, we looked at that coming in clouds language and the Lord's prophetic use of that language as the language of divine judgment. And our Lord ties together that language with His fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel 7, receiving all glory, power, and dominion. And here he exercises that power through the bringing of the prophesied destruction mentioned in Joel 2. As John Gill helpfully summarizes here, And then shall they see the Son of Man, he explains, not in person, but in the power of his wrath and vengeance, of which the Jews then had a convincing evidence and a full proof. And even of his being come in the flesh, as if they had seen him in person. This shows that the sign of the Son of Man is the same with the Son of Man Himself coming in the clouds with great power and glory, having taken vengeance on the Jewish nation to set up His kingdom and glory in the Gentile world. But again, in the very next verses, another question arises as we consider the language Christ uses. And this turns us to our next point. completing the consideration of the coming in the clouds, we now turn to gospel gathering. Gospel gathering, verse 27. And then he will send his angels and gather together his elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven. Now we have to ask in the flow of these events, in that generation, what is happening with these angels. What is this talking about? Well, here it's helpful to remember that the word for angel in the original Greek is simply the word for messenger. Keith Matheson gives helpful comments on this. He writes, the word translated angels in this verse is the same word that means human messengers elsewhere. For example, in Matthew 11, verse 10, Mark 1 verse 2, Luke 7 verse 24, and so on. And there is no reason to assume that it cannot mean human messengers here. This prophecy was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost when Christ sent his messengers to Jews and to Gentiles in all parts of the world with the goal of gathering his elect. So we have to consider the context to determine how that word should be translated. How is it being used? Is that word messenger referring to that spiritual heavenly being or is it referring to a human messenger? Here, we would argue that the context would move us to understand that it's referring to human messengers in that generation. We have the same situation with other words in the original Greek. For example, the word deacon needs its context to know what's actually being said. The word deacon simply means servant. And so when we find that word in the original, it doesn't always mean the office of a deacon. Sometimes it just means a human servant. We need the context to figure out which way to translate it. So there are many words that function that way. Messenger is one such word. We need the context to help us figure out, is it talking about human messengers or angelic beings? Here, the word for messenger in this context is best understood as human messengers, the ministers of Christ going out to spread the gospel and gather the elect. And this gathering will now reach every tribe, tongue, and nation. Christ is describing the definitive end of the old covenant era in that judgment on Jerusalem and the temple with that old covenant focus upon ethnic Israel. And now the reach of the gospel in the new covenant era. Here Christ uses figurative language to describe the reach of that gospel ministry, gathering the elect from the four winds and from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven, meaning from every creature across the world, not limited any longer as it was in the old covenant, primarily to ethnic Israel. Now we should pause to consider Again, how shocking all this is in ever-increasing ways to the disciples. Although Christ has been providing them with indications and instructions up to this point, all this still will have remained entirely shocking to them. Remember, for the Jews, Jerusalem and the temple was understood to be the center of God's world, the home base of his worldwide mission, with a focus upon what Jerusalem and the temple meant. The Jewish dominion, that's how they understood it. But Jesus is just dismantling that in their hearing. If they were hoping for clarity, they would ease their minds. They're getting a clarity that's tearing them up. And here we need to make an application. Do you see what Jesus is revealing? While this will become clear to the apostles later, here it must have seemed completely impossible and yet the Lord is saying it. What do we do with this? He's describing the destruction of everything of the highest importance. Things that seem unshakable, he's saying, will be removed, and that he's in fact the active agent. How can this be? Well, we understand what Jesus is describing is a destruction that brings an increase of grace. a removal that brings an abundance. And we need to remember that principle. It holds true because of who God is as Redeemer and what He's accomplished and promised in Jesus Christ. When God destroys, we can know for certain that He is working to expand the glory and dominion of our gracious Savior. We are going to be gobsmacked, hit in the mouth, as it were, by things that happen in life, and we're gonna say, God, how can this be? This can't be from you. This has destroyed everything so central to my life. We need what's taught here to secure us When every foundation seems to have been shaken, we need that foundation which cannot be shaken. This truth, yes, God will do works of destruction, but His people have a sure foundation in the promise of God that what He removes is making way for the great glory of Messiah. And so then we can remain unshaken. At this point, we're quite sure the disciples are not feeling comforted quite yet. But we, with this gracious truth by the Spirit, we need the comfort that this teaches. And this moves us to our next point, the parable of preparation. verses 28 and 29. Now learn this parable from the fig tree. When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near at the doors. Now, the word parable here doesn't mean an allegory, it just means a lesson using an object for that lesson, in this case, the fig tree. And the fig tree was one of those few trees in Palestine that was deciduous. It would drop its leaves seasonally. They had lots of evergreens. Remember, the region is known for the cedars of Lebanon. And there were plenty of evergreen trees, but the notable trees that would shed their leaves also mark seasons. And he's saying, just like you know what's happening next, when you see that bare fig tree starting to get tender in the spring, its leaves beginning to bud, you know what's coming next. You know that summer's on the way, just as certainly you know that all the things I've described to you lead up to the climax I described. And so, be warned and prepare. Christ provided a sequence of events to prepare the disciples for what was coming. And remember, it is clearly a sequence of events as he's answering them in light of the question they asked. What's the context of him saying, I've warned you, it's just like this, when you see this, you know what's coming next. He's telling this to them in answer to what? Looking back where we started in the Olivet Discourse. Verse four, the question they ask their Savior, tell us, when will these things be? Speaking of the destruction of the temple that he had mentioned when they were leaving the temple. And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled? That's the question they asked. That's the question Christ is answering. And he's laid it out for them, clearly and in succession. And now tells them, I've warned you. Just like you see signs and know what comes next, you have signs. And you'll know what's coming next. So be prepared. Now it's not just a good word to the disciples to hear the prophecy of Messiah and be prepared, is this not what Jesus has done for us throughout his word? Not only with regard to his plan for his dominion, his gospel dominion, we know what it's gonna be like to live in this world while he works his dominion. It's not gonna be anything like what the disciples had originally thought. You remember in our journey through Mark, they were quite sure that they were going to be ruling as kings pretty soon now, because they were hooked to the ultimate king, and they're making their way towards Jerusalem, and Jesus keeps telling them it's not like that. I wanna tell you what my kingdom is like. It's like dying on a cross. Jesus has warned us. Are we prepared? Too often, we, again, are hit with the suffering in this life, and we think, that's not right. What did I do wrong? Why am I getting this? Yes, every suffering, as we've said before, is an occasion when we may look to see, are there sins that need to be reproved? But that's not what all suffering is about. Jesus warned us, following Him is taking up a cross. He will display the glory of His dominion through our weakness. And if we do not heed our Lord's warnings, we won't be prepared. Is our Lord not gracious in warning us in this way? Will we be prepared through His instruction? This is true as well with regard to His plan of dominion. And you know that we believe in a very gospel-centered post-millennialism, many of us, and what we refer to in that is not the world getting better and better and us just making everything fantastic until finally it's brilliant. Not at all. What we're saying is that Jesus will do that miraculous work to spread his gospel in ways that establish his dominion, not as the kingdoms of this world establish theirs. He will indeed manifest his gospel rule and reign in history, but not through us making the world better, not through us somehow grabbing the reins of power and establishing it. That's not how this works. That's not the nature of his kingdom. Do we believe him? Are we warned? Do we believe? Because that means it's not gonna look the way we expect it to look. Quite often, it'll look the opposite. But he's told us ahead of time. His scriptures reveal to us ahead of time what to expect so that we can be prepared, so that we won't be shaken. Are we prepared? Do we hear him? Do we heed? That's his word of instruction. And we need it too. He guides us through the details of our lives. Are we preparing in light of that instruction? How shall we now live, we ask. He tells us. Are we listening? And so that parable of preparedness, it's not just for them. We need Christ's instruction that we should be prepared for all that he sets before us in our lives. And that brings us to our next point, verses 30 and 31, timely and timeless truth. Verses 30 and 31. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away. The timely truth, first of all, and then we'll look at the timeless truth. The timely truth here, provides us with the timeframe for this prophecy. Remember what we mentioned earlier, Jesus says, this generation is when all this will happen. And knowing that the Lord's word is true and unfailing, as we consider this passage, you're met with a choice, and interpreters are met with a choice. We have these dramatic, apocalyptic, prophetic utterances, and we have this time indicator. And so the choice set before us is one of these two has to be figurative. If we consider that apocalyptic language that we worked through, the sun and the moon and the stars being shaken, changing, falling from the sky, the clouds, All of that prophetic language, if that's literal, if that's something that will be seen with the naked eye, well then it didn't happen in that generation, and so that would mean we need to take that generation as meaning something other than it would normally mean, a figurative meaning, and that's not impossible. Generation is a flexible word, and it can mean type of people. It can have a flexible meaning. That's not its normal usage. And I would argue that's not how Mark uses it elsewhere. But one of these two has to be figurative. The other choice is to look at that prophetic apocalyptic language in comparing scripture with scripture, seeing that in fact, that's figurative language that was used before by the prophets. to describe those kinds of apocalyptic events of the overthrow of empires, destruction of civilizations, the change of an era. Not as literal language, but figurative, prophetic language. And if we take that language as figurative here, I've argued that we see that those events did in fact take place as prophetic and apocalyptic events in A.D. 70, with the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple. In that generation, taking generation, in its ordinary meaning. And that ordinary meaning, biblically for a generation, is roughly 40 years. Jesus is probably speaking this in the early 30s. 40 years later, you have the destruction of Jerusalem. All the things that he predicted taking place. I would argue comparing scripture with scripture, that is the most persuasive interpretation. And so, the timely truth. Next, the timeless truth. Note how he secures them in the closing verse. He says, heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away. When he mentions heaven and earth, heaven and earth are described in God's creation as being held fast by God. They have an unshaken appearance to us. We describe the earth as terra firma. That's solid ground. The heavens seem to have a very clear pattern. But as fixed as these things seem to be, Christ says, they do have an end. But you know what doesn't have an end? the word I speak. The word of Christ, the word of God, is more enduring than heaven and earth, than all that you can imagine as the most enduring. Note what's packed into Christ saying that. Scripture speaks of something that is more enduring than heaven and earth. Something that's firmly established above all else. Is it not God's word that is described in that way? Psalm 119, verse 89, forever. Oh Lord, your word is settled in heaven. There's one thing that is really unshakable. Is it not God's very word? And is that not what Jesus is saying is his word? Again, what a beautiful demonstration of the divine son in the flesh. Jesus is declaring his divinity. My word, he says, is God's word. He is God. This, though everything else seems to have been turned upside down, shaken thoroughly, for the disciples, this last word must surely secure them, just as it must secure us. You see, Christ's words, we know, are not limited to what's recorded in this prophecy. It's not limited, as Seminar Day would say, to the red letters. The whole of the Scriptures are the Word of God. They are the mind of Christ revealed. There is nothing more certain than the Word of Almighty God. It is the Word of Christ, unshakable, enduring, forever. And we need that Word to secure us. Think about it, that is under assault. Even in evangelicalism, that word is plain, it's clear, it's direct, it's life transforming. Yet how many have we seen fall away from the faith because they stopped believing that word? It was just too much. Well, what word was more secure? What word was more enduring? Well, something whispered by the devil in the words of the world. Are we secured against such lies? Where is our greatest confidence? It must be in every word breathed out by Almighty God. Nothing compares to that. Do you believe that? We must believe that to be unshaken in our calling in this world. Rest assured of this, the world, our own sinful flesh and the devil are at war with this word. Our faith must be fixed upon this revelation of Jesus Christ that we will be unshaken by those enemies and unspotted by their wickedness. So where have we placed our confidence? This informs us in our walk with Christ. We've been taught in this passage not just what happened in the days of old. Certainly we're encouraged by the security of Christ's perfect prophetic word, but we've learned along the way critical things. Where God brings destruction, We know what He's up to. He's expanding the gracious glory of the dominion of Messiah, our Redeemer, where we've been instructed over and again by Christ's sure word of what our life will be like. We must walk according to His promises. There's a promise for our lives personally, that we must grasp, believe, and walk according to. But there's also, in the scope of history, a certainty that God is the one who writes this history. And he will keep the promises declared with regard to the gospel dominion of Messiah. What we see around us is not our sure word. What we experience day to day in the suffering of this life, that's not our sure word. The word of God is our sure word. So let us believe, so let us live. Let's pray. Heavenly Father, we are grateful that we have this sure word, this unshakable word when all other things in our lives seem to be shaken. when the suffering is great, when nothing seems right, may your word grip us. As you work faith in us, may that faith be unshakable. For indeed, heaven and earth will pass away, but the word of our God, even Jesus Christ, will by no means pass away. Give us rest in Him because of His sure word. Lay hold of us that we may walk in faith according to our calling for the glory of our Savior. We pray these things in His name. Amen.