If Jesus’s words are more permanent than the ground below or the sky above (“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away,” Mark 13:31), and if Jesus has a proven track record on a massive prediction in world history—the destruction of the temple (“This generation,” that of his apostles, “will not pass away until all these things take place,” Mark 13:30)—then we can trust that what he says about his return, and the events surrounding it, will likewise occur.

What Is Known

“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And 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.” (Mark 13:24–27)

“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.” (Mark 13:32–33)

What is known about “that day” can be summarized under five headings.

First, Jesus’s second coming will be obvious. When Christ returns, all “the powers in the heavens will be shaken” (Mark 13:25): the sun (“The sun will be darkened”) and the moon (“The moon will not give its light”) will turn off, followed by the stars’ “falling from heaven” (Mark 13:25). These are all obvious indications that something important is afoot.

So too is the new and spectacular light show that will fill the universal dark void: “And then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds” (Mark 13:26). The darkness is set in contrast to the heavenly “sign” of the Son of Man (Matt. 24:30).¹ We are told that Jesus will descend from heaven (“coming in clouds”) and that this coming will be “with great power and glory” (Mark 13:26). Mark states, “And then they will see” (Mark 13:26); Matthew tells us that the “they” are “all the tribes of the earth” (Matt. 24:30), everyone from every nation who is alive on that day.²

But how will everyone alive then, from different parts of the globe, see Jesus at the same time? Perhaps our Lord is speaking metaphorically.³ If so, the point still stands. His return will be obvious. No one will miss it. But if he is speaking literally, then the scene is more remarkable. Think about it. How will everyone see him in the dark—without the light of the sun, moon, or stars? The answer is that the “light of the world” (John 8:12) needs no lesser lights to line his way (cf. Rev. 22:5).

Second, Jesus’s second coming will be awesome. Notice that Jesus uses his favorite title for himself in relation to his second coming. It is the “Son of Man” (Mark 13:26) who will be riding upon the clouds. This title is linked to Daniel 7:13–14 and relates to Jesus’s divinely bestowed authority. In that chapter the Ancient of Days grants the Son of Man a glorious and everlasting kingdom. That is awesome. Jesus will return as the Son of Man, the one who has been granted all authority over all creation (Mark 2:10, 28; cf. Matt. 28:18).

Other details also highlight the awesomeness of Christ’s return. In fact, nearly every phrase of Mark 13:24–27 is brimming with this theme. When Jesus says, in verse 24, “But in those days . . . the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,” he is not talking about a double eclipse; when he mentions in verse 25 “the stars . . . falling from heaven,” he is not talking about a divine firework show that starts with a few shooting stars. Rather he is talking about all the great lights created on day four of creation turning off for good. They will turn off because, as I said, a new and spectacular light show fills the universal dark void: “The Son of Man coming in the clouds” (Mark 13:26). Whatever that awesome cosmic upheaval will look like, it will make Haley’s Comet look like two Boy Scouts rubbing sticks together to make a spark.

The second coming will be awesome.

Third, Jesus’s second coming will bring relief to the righteous; it will be a day of vindication for God’s people. The image of God’s messengers’ (“the angels”) gathering God’s people (“his elect”) from the whole earth (“from the ends of the earth”) and throughout the highest heavens (“to the ends of heaven,” Mark 13:27) is an image not only of God’s power but of his grace. For those who have persevered through persecution (see Mark 13:9–13) final vindication will come with the coming Son.

My first sermon as a pastor was on September 16, 2001, five days after 9/11. My preselected passage was Revelation 19:11–21. I preached a sermon on Jesus’s coming as savior and judge, and I began the sermon like this:

Vengeance has its place in the Christian faith. And it holds not an insignificant, unnecessary, or minor role in our salvation. It is as foundational and as crucial as the biblical concepts of grace, mercy, love, and forgiveness because at its center stands our Lord Jesus Christ.

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