6. COMING OF THE SON OF MAN Mark 13:24-27 (Matthew 24:29-31; Luke 21:25-28) 24 But in those days, after that tribulation,--An uncertain period, still in the prophetic future, defined only this far, that the great tribulation treated in the preceding verses must first come. After that has transpired, "those days" begin. Their length can only be determined by the fulfillment of the prophecy now to be made. Whenever it shall be fulfilled in all its parts, we shall have the data for accurately defining the length of "those days," which begin after "that tribulation." They may cover days, or years, or decades, or millenniums. "One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." (2 Peter 3:8.) The event must decide the prophetic significance. The "tribulation" is that mentioned in verse 19, attending the destruction of Jerusalem. The disciples had asked two questions. (Verse 4.) The first question, when shall these things be? has now been answered. Here begins the answer to the second, concerning the coming of the Lord. For other passages on the second coming of Christ, see 1 Thessalonians 2:19; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; 2 Thessalonians 2:1; 2 Thessalonians 2:8-9; 1 Corinthians 15:23; James 5:7; 2 Pet. 1:16; 4:12, 1 John 2:28. "Immediately" after the destruction of Jerusalem (the tribulation) the series of events begins that leads to the coming of Christ. the sun shall be darkened,--I take what follows to be symbolical, as is usual in prophecy, rather than literal. Christ is "the Sun of Righteousness." After the destruction of Jerusalem, the causes began to work that led to the great apostasy of the church and produced "the dark ages" of the church. and the moon shall not give her light,--The moon shines by reflected light of the sun and if it is darkened so will be the moon. So, too, the church shines by the light of Christ. When Christ's light was darkened by taking the Bible from the people the church gave forth little light during the long night of the Middle Ages. 25 and the stars shall be falling from heaven,---Stars represent great teachers of the church, apostles and evangelists. (Revelation 1:20.) When the apostles were dethroned by the Romish apostasy, "the stars fell from heaven," figuratively. Other stars, great church lights who apostasized, fell from heaven in another sense. and the powers that are in the heavens shall be shaken--[The powers of heaven may be used figuratively, referring to the great nations of earth; or it may mean the forces of nature are excited to unusual activity. Times have often come in the history of the world when, after years of comparative peace and quietness, when the people have waxed gross in sin, and all the institutions and the order of men are steeped in sin and rebellion, that God stirs up a mighty commotion and war among the nations that spread from one to another that they may be punished for their sins, the hopelessly wicked destroyed, and the institutions of wickedness be wiped out that they may start anew. "Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them." (Jeremiah 25:31; Jeremiah 51:27.) Periods have since come up--as in the days of Bonaparte--when war as a contagion spreads from nation to nation.] This was true during the World War. Since it seems no one knows for certain what the passage means, could it mean that the powers of the Roman Catholic Church would be shaken by the reformers? 26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory.--He will be visible to all and his coming will be in splendor. [The destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish nation seems to have been a type of the second coming of the Son of God and the end of the world, and he passes from one to the other. Jesus will come in a cloud with power and great glory. "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven:and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." (Matthew 24:30-31.) 27 And then shall he send forth the angels,--The word "angel" simply means messenger. and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.--Christians will be in all countries, mingled with the population of earth. The work of the angels or messengers at that time will be to gather together God's people from the four quarters of the earth. [This seems to me to refer to the future coming of Christ at the end of all things.]