Volume One, Issue 12~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ September
1997
Mark 13:27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
This verse ought to settle once and for all the question of whether there is a second Second Coming, or a Secret Coming before the Day of the Lord's Coming to catch His Bride up to Himself. From the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven connotes the totality of existence, all inhabitable places in God's Creation. This means the quick and the dead, those who are still alive at His appearing, and those who have passed on and whose souls are waiting in a place called Paradise (Luke 23:43) for the culmination of the ages at Christ's return to earth. How many times can the elect be gathered from the uttermost parts of earth and heaven? Just once. If there was a gathering from the uttermost parts of heaven mentioned, and then another gathering from the uttermost parts of the earth mentioned elsewhere, it could be argued that there is a secret coming of the Lord to catch away his saints away before the tribulation saints are raptured. But, according to this verse there is only one gathering of all His saints at one time. The whole dubious theory of a double catching away, or double appearing begs the question when one considers the imagery of a Bridegroom coming to claim His Bride. How many times does a Bridegroom claim His Bride? Once. Is it possible for the groom to take part of his bride one day, and seven days later come back and take another part of her? Would the Lord use the imagery of bride and bridegroom if He did not intend for us to learn from the details of the symbol? What is missing, however, from this particular verse, is the exact sequence of events as to the timing of the catching away (rapture is not a word used in the Bible). Suffice it to say for the moment that this verse proves there is only one gathering, one catching up of the saints to be with the Lord. Immediately, all the spurious theories of two (or more) catchings away of the saints, which depend on dubious logic and doubtful hermaneutics, vanish into the thin air from which they were formulated.
Now, the task of discovering just when (sequentially) this catching away is to take place falls to us. It is at this juncture that many shy away from biblical prophecy, deferring to those with more education and insight. The sad fact is, the waters of eschatology have been so muddied by supposed 'learned' theologians that the average person coming to the Bible for daily inspiration and revelation is convinced that this area of study is best left to the experts. Interpretations of the End Times rendered by the 'experts' in their books, magazine articles, lectures, and charts are complicated, convoluted, and far removed from the plain, literal understanding of the passage. Upon seeing the twisted renderings of the 'experts', and viewing the passages those skewed renderings supposedly come from, the average reader despairs of solving the mysteries of prophecy themselves, giving up their own discernment in favor of scholarly opinions. This is a shame, for the scholars are often in error on a wide range of subjects when compared with the pure, simple understanding of the Word of God. We need not for any (learned expert) man to teach us, for the Anointing, which we have received of God, will reveal what we need to know, when we need to know it-- if we seek His wisdom ( I Jn. 2:27). On the other end of the spectrum we find those who assume the hyper-spiritual stance that it is beneath them to delve into understanding the future events that will climax the age, thinking that only the spiritually immature or obsessive curiosity-seekers are concerned with such things.
Both of these attitudes are in direct contradiction to the commands of our Lord Jesus. He said : " See to it that no one misleads (deceives) you..." and " ...but, take heed; behold, I have told you everything in advance..." (Mark 13: 5b; 23 NAS). Clearly the Lord wanted His disciples to know not only that He was going to return, but the sequence of events leading up to His return as well, as protection from falling prey to deception. The Lord knew that the times prior to His return would be extremely perilous to the souls of His followers, even apostles ( 2 Tim. 3:1). Now, if His disciples-- hand-picked men who journeyed, camped, sailed, ate and breathed with Him for three years-- needed to know what things to expect and guard against lest they be deceived, how much more so do we! Furthermore, we need to ask ourselves just how much of our thinking and understanding on the subject has been influenced in bits and pieces gathered from this speaker and that writer proof-texting their theories, rather than by what Jesus taught in one, complete session. So, to fully comprehend what Jesus wanted His disciples (and us by extension) to grasp, we need to return to the origin of the conversation, and the mysterious saying which whetted His disciple's appetites to hear and comprehend that Messiah was going to disappear instead of establishing an immediate kingdom.
Mark 13:1 AND as he went out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto him, Master, see what manner of stones and what buildings are here
2 And Jesus answering said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately,
4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?
To fully understand the question the four disciples asked, we need to appreciate their contemporary mindset. In the previous two chapters we see Jesus in contention with the spiritual leaders of the people. Why was there such a strong contention? The priesthood and Sanhedrin lorded over the people in the name of God, and at the same time gave obsequious service to Rome, lest their lucrative positions in politics and society be jeopardized. Jesus, by His teaching and miracles, exposed them for what they were-- legalistic hirelings (John 10:13). The tension in the religio-political climate of Jerusalem was keenly felt by all parties, from the lowest beggar of the gutter clear up to the halls of power. Jesus' coming to town threatened the man-established order. A showdown was imminent. Either he must declare Himself Messiah and oust the hirelings with their Roman masters, or the hirelings would destroy Him (Mark 12: 7-8).
In chapter 11 of Mark we see Jesus commit a seeming breach of character by cursing a fig tree (vss13-14). To the uninitiated this seems like a senseless, selfish tantrum thrown by our Savior, but, to the discerning of heart, Jesus is making a profound, prophetic statement about Judaism. "May no one ever eat fruit from you again" (Mark 11:14 NAS). Jesus knew the time for ripe figs was not yet come. It is peculiar with fig trees that they bear their fruit first off in the Spring, even before leaves come out. The unripe fruit then takes all summer to mature and become the succulent, legendary treat of the Middle East. The unripe fig, though somewhat bland and chewy (or so I've read) is edible, and was a staple of poor people, sustaining them with food from the end of winter until the plenteous harvest when food was more affordable. Jesus, being hungry, saw the fig tree in the distance, and bethought Himself to make a hasty breakfast of some unripe figs on the way to the Temple. Arriving at the tree, He found only leaves, no figs, not even unripe ones. The tree was a 'selfish' tree, surviving only for its own benefit, giving its increase to no one but itself, growing more leaves to feed itself yet more. A tree takes in the sunlight through its leaves and produces sugars that strengthren the tree so it will yield fruit, yet this tree was giving nothing back for all the sunlight and nourishment taken in. Jesus was struck by the similarity between this selfish fig tree, and the nation of Israel. Judaism had become selfish, dedicated to the increase and perpetuation of itself rather than producing righteousness in the hearts of men. As the nation of Israel was about to come under a curse for rejecting its own Messiah, and thereby remaining fruitless, so too, Jesus put a curse on the symbolic fig tree (Judaism and the Law are symbolized over and over in the OT as a fig tree) as an object lesson that Judaism was rejected from bearing fruit for heaven from that day on. Immediately after cursing the fig tree Jesus went into the Temple and cleansed it, rebuking the hirelings, refuting all their supposed wisdom, and posing them riddles after their own fashion which they could not answer. He succinctly demonstrated that they were incompetent to continue leading God's heritage. The crowd, meanwhile, assumed that He was stating that He was quite capable of taking over in their stead.
The disciples were beside themselves with anticipation at this turn of events (Mark 12:34) as they followed Jesus from the Temple precincts. Now it appeared as if the time was finally right for Him to publicly declare Himself as Israel's Messiah. Who could stand against Him? With just His voice He had calmed the raging sea. With just a soft command He had cast two-thousand demons out of a man. With a mere wave of His hand and a prayer He fed thousands from a few crusts of bread and a couple measly fish. He was, no doubt, waiting for the highest holy day of the festival, when throngs of worshippers would rush to follow Him as He finally declared Himself. In one surging rush, Messiah and his new-found followers would purge Jerusalem of its corrosive influences and foreign occupation. Jesus would be acclaimed king-- and they, they would be His cabinet! It was all about to come true before their very eyes! The climax of the ages was going to happen as Scripture foretold, and they were at the heart of it all. It is quite possible that the reason the disciples were pointing out the familiar buildings (they had seen them every time they had come to Jerusalem-- at least three times a year since being Bar-mitzvah) was because they were picking and choosing which of the grand edifices they would claim for their headquarters, as officials of the new King.
But this was not the time for beginning the Messianic reign. Instead, this was the time for the sacrifice which would cleanse mankind of its sin and allow the Holy Spirit to come and begin His work of sanctification unto perfection (Heb. 6:1) in Messiah's followers. Jesus would come as king only after a people had been redeemed and begun to be made holy, for He was a holy King and deserved a holy people. The throngs crowding Jerusalem were religious, but far from holy, being instead, self-seeking, ambitious and greedy. Were He to declare Himself king over that rabble He would have to judge and destroy them all, beginning with His own, self-promoting disciples. No one who had come to Jerusalem to keep the feast was fit to inhabit the glorious, holy kingdom His Father was preparing. No, the Holy Spirit needed time to effect God's purposes in the hearts of the redeemed so that the King would have a holy people when He returned in power, visiting deserved vengeance upon all the ungodly (Jude vss 14-15). Jesus flatly disabused His disciples of their grandiose dreams by simply saying that all those wondrous buildings they were gawking at would be rubble in a very short time. "Not one stone," He prophesied, "would be left on another." This was because the Temple and its worship was no longer going to be acceptable to God. The Temple offered up only types and shadows of the real sacrifice that He had come to offer. As a menu is discarded once the meal has come, so too Judaism had run its course, proving unfruitful, and was about to be replaced by the only True Sacrifice that could remove sin forever (Heb. 7:18-22). The Temple, the center of Judaism, like the selfish fig tree, henceforth would be cursed as an abomination to God. Its continual sacrifices would be a declaration that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ was not accepted, or not a sufficient offering for sin. From that moment on, there was no other name by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). To offer any other sacrifice would be sacrilege. Jesus declared to His disciples that God would soon remove the Temple. Within a generation the Temple was torn down completely, and the stones spread out by Roman soldiers seeking any hidden bits of molten gold.
The disciples understood none of this. It perplexed them that the man that they knew was Messiah beyond any shadow of a doubt, was saying that Israel was not at that time going to rule and reign over the whole world. This is why Peter, John and James, along with Andrew, finally worked up the courage to admit they had no clue as to what Jesus was talking about, and came to ask Him privately to explain. They approached as He rested in His favorite place, the Mount of Olives, to seek an explanation for His curious statement.
"Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?" They couldn't figure it out. How was Israel going to be overrun with enemies again, Jerusalem sacked, and the Temple destroyed when He, the Messiah was come in their day? What prophetic signs were going to be fulfilled more than they had seen with Him? Was there a sack of Israel prophesied after Messiah had come?
Jesus' answer no doubt puzzled them more than they already were. Mark 13:5 And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: 6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. Here was the Messiah sitting before them, they knew Him about as well as anybody, they were going to be His cabinet when He set up his administration, they had followed Him for three years and knew Him well. How could any imposter possibly deceive them? Perhaps others might be deceived, but not them! What could Jesus possibly mean?
7 And when ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars, be ye not troubled: for such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet.
8 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be earthquakes in divers places, and there shall be famines and troubles: these are the beginnings of sorrows. Now He gets even more confusing, for wasn't it prophesied of Messiah that he would bring peace and healing to all nations? Yet Jesus was now disclaiming everything they had been taught from childhood up about Messiah. Instead, Jesus warned them, deceivers would fulfill all Israel's expectations of Messiah, yet He Himself was going to do none of the things Messiah was predicted as doing! Can you imagine the perplexity of these four men? In effect, Jesus was saying: "Yes, I am the Messiah, but, no, I am not going to do any of the things prophesied of Messiah-- yet. False messiahs will arise appearing to do those things first... and oh yes, did I mention that you were going to be persecuted because you will not fall for the ploys of those deceivers? (vs 9)"
We, some two-thousand years later, understand the perspective from which Jesus was speaking. We comprehend that He was hinting at His being put to death, rising again, ascending to the Father to wait for the Father's set time for His return. It all makes prefect sense to us, with our excellent hindsight, knowing that He was not going to begin His reign there on the spot. The disciples, however, were focused upon His reigning then and there. What he was telling them was incomprehensible. Messiah die? Out of the question? How could God allow that? Yet that is precisely what He had been trying to tell them for some months. Jesus knew they could not possibly grasp the implications of what he was telling them, yet, they must be informed. The Holy Spirit would remind them of these sayings and give them the understanding later. We need to keep in mind the way His hearers were understanding Him as well as view it from our own perspective so we can properly understand the context of what is actually being said.
Jesus then began laying down the chronology of what they (and we) were
to expect in answer to their question: "what shall be the sign when
all these things shall be fulfilled?" They did not know that they
were asking for a chronology of events, or that He was about to give them
one. They were merely trying to understand how He could be Messiah, yet
Jerusalem was still going to be ravaged. But Jesus was answering the unspoken
question He knew would, in time, take form in their minds and hearts. That
is often what the Lord did when asked a question that did not go to the
heart of the issue. He would answer with a seemingly incongruous statement,
because He foresaw where the conversation needed to go rather than where
it was heading. A careful comparison of Mark 13, Matthew 24, Luke 21, and
the Revelation chapter 6 reveals a consistent pattern of chronological
events. Consider this by examining the Gospels with the Revelation's account:
Synoptic Gospels: signs of the end The Revelation 6: opening the seals
1. false messiahs 1. White horse & rider -symbolic of false religion
2. nations & kingdoms at war 2. Red horse & rider-- symbolic of wars
3. earthquakes & famines 3. black horse & rider-- symbolic of famines
4. plagues, terrors, (Luke 21:11) 4. pale horse & rider-- symbolizing death & hell
5. persecution of saints 5. souls of martyred under altar
* Abomination of Desolation & Jacob's Trouble (The Tribulation)
6. sun, moon, & stars affected 6. sun, moon & stars affected
7. Son of Man's sign in sky 7. sky split apart
This then, is the chronology given by our Lord Himself. We see how carefully everything lines up and confirms the timing of each event's given order by the witness of all four gospel writers. It is at this point that the writer of the Revelation (please do not refer to this book as Revelations, for that is a great disservice to its purpose) temporarily leaves off a chronological telling of the final events until later. The Revelation is not a book to be taken chronologically as a whole, but is chronological in parts, often shifting viewpoints and reviewing the same events, so, it is rather a vision which must be discerned in the Lord's time, and by the Holy Spirit. As a vision, it does not follow the rules of chronological narrative, or even teaching, but must be taken and understood in its own way. The Synoptic gospels however, are written in such a way that they must be taken in logical sequence, especially where chronological terms such as 'then' and 'after that' are employed. Jesus' teaching on the subject of His return must also be taken at face value, exactly as He taught it. It is enough to show that the Revelation and the Synoptic Gospels converge and match on the time Jesus referred to as 'the beginning of sorrows' and John might call 'the opening of the seals', bearing witness to the chronology Jesus established. The seals of the Revelation are opened in order, and correspond exactly to the details the Lord gives His disciples. Thus, we have a touchstone for perceiving the chronology leading up to the final events.
19 "For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created, until now, and never shall.
20 "And 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 (NAS). Jesus paints a pretty grim picture of the time just prior to His return. He is not given to overstatement, so we must soberly consider what He says about God shortening that time lest there be no flesh left, saved or unsaved! Little wonder many in the Church want to be off the earth so much that they alter what the Lord Himself has said about His return. But in doing this they allow themselves to be deceived, disobeying the command of the Lord to not be deceived. 21 And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not:
22 For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect. A popular teaching has sprouted up in our day which purports that Jesus is merely commenting on the volatility of the times; that the elect would even be deceived if such a thing were possible. That is not what Jesus is saying. Why would He say such a thing unless it were quite possible for the elect to be deceived? The fact is that He is warning the disciples to stay in the truth or else by wandering out of the truth, they make it possible to fall into the abounding forms of deception of the last days. Those who espouse the 'once saved-- never lost' teaching abhor the possibility that deception-- especially in the end times-- has a dire consequence. The power of satanic spirits to work seeming miracles will be increased greatly, which puts added emphasis on the need for believers to not follow signs and wonders, but rather adhere to the inspired Word of God ( 2Thes. 2: 9-10). We hear reports of marvelous works of the Spirit in various meetings, touching people, restoring marriages, giving physical and emotional healing, yet, when put under the microscopic scrutiny of conformity to the Word, there is reason to question the validity of at least some of the claims. Proponents protest such careful examination, exclaiming "I don't care if it lines up with the Word, I only care that I see good results." The elect-- that is, those who have heard and responded to the Gospel-- are being deceived, even while they think such a possibility is impossible. This is precisely what Jesus warned His followers against.
Returning to our premise of the Lord's chronological account of the End Times, we find that one of the things the Lord says will be accomplished is that the gospel will have been preached the world over (vs 10). Then His followers would be arrested, and sorely tested, even betrayed by loved family members. Then Judea would come under increasing trouble, culminating in the revealing of the Antichrist in the restored Temple (2 Thes. 2:3-4), or the Abomination of Desolation. Now note carefully the choice of words the Lord uses. 24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
27 And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. If words mean anything, then we have to take seriously the choice of words Jesus used: after that tribulation; and then ...Son of Man ...in the clouds; and then... send angels... gather his elect. Let me reconstruct:
1. false messiahs (first seal)
2.wars & rumors of wars (second seal)
3.earthquakes, famines, plagues (third seal) 4. death
5. gospel preached to whole world (Rev. 14:6)
6. persecution of saints & Jacob's Trouble (Tribulation)
7. sun darkened, moon turned to blood, stars fall to earth (fourth trump -- Rev. 8:12)
8. Jesus appears in clouds (Rev. 16:15)
9. angels sent to gather (those who are still faithful) elect
This then, is the sequence we can expect, according to the Lord's own words. We play around with different interpretations at our own peril. Jesus made it quite clear to His disciples what to expect. If we rearrange this sequence, we jeopardize our hold on truth, and allow ourselves to become vulnerable to deception. Does it really matter what we believe about the End Times? Jesus seemed to think so. He did not want us to be unprepared or caught off guard, but as children of the Day, we need to be aware of where we are in the Eschatological Time-clock. What are the possible consequences of not comprehending this sequence?
28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:
29 So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors.
30 Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.
31 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
Jesus resorts back to the symbol of Israel yet again, the fig tree. For nearly two-thousand years the Jews have been a people without a homeland, yet have miraculously maintained their ethnicity though dispersed among the Gentile nations of the world. He knew what the disciples could not comprehend, even as he gave them this sign, not for their benefit so much, as for the final generation which would see the sign. Israel would be regathered. The fig tree that was cursed would again sprout leaves. When Israel resumed as a nation in May, 1948 it was the fig tree putting forth its summer leaves. The generation Jesus mentions that would not disappear does not mean what so many assume. It has been conjectured that He meant some who were living would still be alive then, or that the length of a generation, 35 -- 40 years, would be all the time required to see the events from start to finish. Rather, the word translated as generation is from the Greek --Ethnos (ethnos) and also has as its meaning: a race of people. when Jesus vocalized this fact, it did not seem so unusual, But from the perspective of our day, when the Jews have been dispersed for over nineteen hundred years yet have maintained their individuality, this is quite a remarkable prophecy. Many nations have been conquered deported into other nations, but none have kept their genetic heritage, let alone the faith and rituals that set them apart from other nations. Strangers always try to blend in with their new surroundings so as not to stand out and draw suspicion. But the Jews, as Jesus prophesied, kept their unique position as God's chosen race despite all the odds. That is because God will climax the Age with Israel once again in His fold. The events have begun to unroll, and are unstoppable until they have run their course. It is imperative for us, His household servants, to recognize the time of day, lest we fall prey to the deceptions running rampant in our day, and begin to lose our edge and usefulness. The false security offered by the Pre-Trib Rapture theory is not only unsupported by Scripture, but dangerous as well. It lulls its adherents into a sense of not having to be concerned with identifying the signs of the end such as the Mark of the Beast and the escalation of persecution, and so will catch them unprepared (virgins without oil?) and many of them will fall away into the great apostasy. They are expecting things that will not come, and so, will be disappointed and discouraged, and wonder if the Faith is true at all.
32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
34 For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
Again, Jesus is not saying that we shouldn't know the chronology of events, but rather that we can't know the day and the hour when He will come. The lesson is for us to be prepared for His appearing at any time, by staying in the Spirit through Bible study and prayer. It is interesting that for the first Eighteen--hundred years of the Church there was only the expectation of His coming after the Tribulation. But in our day a seeming plethora of theories abound. There is the Pre-Trib (evening), Mid- Trib (midnight), Pre-Wrath (Cock-crow -- about 3:A.M.), and Post Trib (morning). Jesus seemed to know that just before He returned there would be four major opinions on His arrival. He has given us the clues of what to expect. We have no one to blame if we are deceived and lose out.
37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
© John MacLeod 1997