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[0:00] of Mark here. Let's turn to, if you've got your Bibles, open them up to the book of Mark. We're looking at the end times, Mark chapter 13. I think this is message number 5, so we might have one more.

[0:15] I imagine we'll have one more. I don't think I'll be able to get through everything today, so I think we might do a six-week series here on Mark chapter 13.

[0:26] But we've been talking about the end times, or what Jesus has been teaching about the end times, and how this fits into some of the Old Testament prophecies about the end, specifically in the book of Daniel, but also other places. And also there is Revelation, the book of Revelation. So there's a lot of detail throughout the entire scripture about what's going to happen in the end. And the end is not the end of the world per se, but the end of a certain era. And specifically, an end of the kind of era as we know it, in which there is human government, and there will be a new era in which God himself, Jesus, our Messiah, Jesus, the Savior of the world, the Messiah to the Jews, specifically, who will rule on the earth in a kingdom that he will establish for a thousand years.

[1:21] Today, we're going to finish up looking at that last half of the tribulation period, this intense suffering and persecution and war and famine and all kinds of horrible things that are part of God's judgment on the world. And by the way, we probably won't get to it today, but for our last message, we're going to talk about why would God allow or even push so much suffering on the world.

[1:50] And even as we're reading through here, Jesus is telling his own people that believe in him, that trust in him, you are going to suffer through this period. You're going to suffer intensely.

[2:01] Many of you will die. All of you will be persecuted. It's going to be really bad for you. Why would God allow that? Why would that be his plan? You know, a lot of us can imagine, okay, judgment for the world, the wicked, I understand that, but why would he allow his people that love him to also suffer through this judgment? So we'll look at that probably in the next week. But we're going to finish looking at this tribulation, and then we're going to look at what comes after it. And what comes after this seven-year tribulation is Jesus comes back.

[2:40] And he is going to come back to judge what's been happening in the seven-year tribulation, and then he's going to establish, he's going to conquer the existing kingdoms, and he's going to establish his own kingdom. So let's go ahead, we're going to try to figure out how we should do this.

[2:58] In the past, we've read through the whole thing. I don't want to necessarily take the time to do that. But let's maybe start with the second half of the tribulation in Mark chapter 13. So we'll look at, start with verse 14.

[3:12] So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, let the reader understand. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

[3:23] Let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant, and those who are nursing babies in those days.

[3:36] And pray that your flight may not be in winter. For in those days there will be tribulation such as not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.

[3:50] And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect's sake, whom he chose, he shortened the days. Then if anyone says to you, look, here is the Christ, or look, he is there, do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show signs, wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. But take heed, see, I have told you all these things beforehand. But in those days after that 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 and from the farthest parts of the earth and the farthest parts of heaven. Now learn this parable from the fig tree. When its branch has already become tender and put forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that it is near at the door or at the doors. Assuredly,

[4:51] 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. We'll finish there. I think that's probably as far as we'll get today. But we kind of stopped, I think, in verse 19. So that's where we'll pick up today in which Jesus says, for in those days there will be tribulation such as not been seen since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time nor ever shall be.

[5:21] This will be the most suffering. Now when it comes to individual suffering, there's been suffering from the very beginning of creation. Suffering that comes, why? Is it because that's what God's plan was in the very beginning? No, it wasn't. But because of sin. And sin entered the world and so people suffer. But this will be a time of great suffering, not for any individuals, but the amount of suffering across the globe will be so great. It's typically at any time, right, there's suffering anywhere in the world, both maybe in an individual home in the neighborhood or in a certain city. You know, we saw a few years ago cities on fire here in America. There are certain countries I think about, you know, Ukraine and stuff going on in the Middle East even, where there's suffering, bombs going off.

[6:11] But in a lot of places in the world, there's a fair bit of peace. And so during this time, there will be widespread suffering and almost no peace anywhere in the world.

[6:28] And so, and God is going, you know, one of the things we talked about last week is, is God the one causing all of this? And I think to some degree, yes, he's the one that is initiating this.

[6:41] Bringing this to pass. But he's not, it's not his hand per se. He is in a way, and we see this in the Old Testament too, releasing his restraints on the wicked people in the world. And that's all it takes, is just for him to release those restraints that he's had for this outpouring of suffering to go forth. But we'll move on to verse 20, and it says this, And unless the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh would be saved. But for the elect's sake, whom he chose, he shortened the days. And this has caused a lot of discussion. What does it mean that he will shorten the days or that he has shortened the days? Because it actually speaks about it kind of in the past tense. And unless the Lord had shortened the days, and it's talking about something future, right? So that's kind of a funny way to speak. Yet at the same time, I think there are examples of us maybe speaking that way. We talk about future events as if we're present in them, or maybe after the thing happens. So there's a few different ideas about what this means that he will, or had shortened the days. One that I thought was a little strange, but some people say, well, he's actually going to literally shorten the days, like make the individual days shorter. And so some people think that that's what he's talking about. I don't think,

[8:14] I don't see really any evidence to point to that. Some people say it's just going to shorten the days as far as the amount of daylight. It won't like, you're not going to have like a 20 hour day or something like that. They'll just be shorter in terms of daytime. And that might, you know, make things easier on people for some reason. But the other, I think the two most common is, one, that when it says that he had shortened the days, it's actually saying that God, from the very beginning of his plan for this tribulation, made the time period limited. He kept it to that seven year period.

[8:54] And so he's not going to allow this to run its course. Because if it does, and we'll see in the next verse, if he did allow it to run its course, no one would survive. And so God specifically said, hey, I'm going to allow this persecution, or these seven years of tribulation, specifically targeted at Israel, but also to all the nations will be part of it. But I'm just going to keep it short. And, you know, in the matter of human history, seven years is certainly a short period. But the other thought is, well, what he could be saying is that even though this is specified for seven years, that he's actually not going to allow it to run that full seven years. And you might think, well, how is that possible? Well, I want us to go back and look at another time of judgment that was related to David when David was king. David had done something that people kind of disagree on why God would bring judgment for this. But David ran a census of the people of Israel.

[10:11] He counted the people. And it's not too clear, but God was very angry when this happened. And he said, I'm going to judge you, David, because of this. And I'm going to read this passage because I think it brings some clarity here to how God works and about his mercy and his love and his compassion, even in the midst of judgment on people who really do deserve it. And again, a lot of times God's judgment comes on people who don't deserve it. And that actually comes up here. That will happen in the tribulation. People who don't deserve that judgment, that suffering, that persecution will suffer through it. But this is from 2 Samuel chapter 24, 2 Samuel chapter 24 and verse 11. You can go ahead and turn there because we'll spend a few minutes on it if you'd like. 2 Samuel 24 and verse 11. Now, when David arose in the morning, the word of the Lord came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, go and tell David, thus says the Lord, I offer you three things. Choose one of them for yourself that I may do it to you. So Gad came to David and told him and he said, shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? That's option one. Or shall you flee three months before your enemies while they pursue you? That's option two. Or shall there be three days plague in your hand? That's option three. Now consider and see what answer I shall take back to him who sent me. So God is sending his prophet to

[11:54] David to say, listen, God's going to judge you because of what you did. It's going to not just impact you, it's going to impact the whole nation. But he's giving you an option. Which of these judgments would you prefer? It's kind of unique. Usually God doesn't do this, give options for his judgments. But see what David said, and this is so interesting. And David said to Gad, I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercies are great. But do not let me fall into the hand of man. You see, he knew that one of his options was to be pursued by his enemies for three months. He knew that his enemies would be ruthless against him. But he knew that there was a chance, at least, that if he was under God's judgment more directly, that God would have mercy on him. It says this in verse 15, so the Lord sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba, 70,000 men of the people died. And when the angel stretched out his hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, it says this, the Lord relented, or many translations say repented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, it is enough. Now restrain your hand. And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Arunah, the Jebusite.

[13:34] And then David spoke to the Lord when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, surely I have sinned, and I have done wickedly. But these sheep, what have they done? Let your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father's house. And so God had brought a judgment against David, and David chose the one that was more directly from God. This was a supernatural plague that came on the people because of David's sin. And he was right. And we see here that God started this judgment when he was intending to destroy so many people that there would be this plague for three days. And in the middle of it, God said, stop. We're not going to finish this.

[14:19] We're not going to go through with it. And if you read, continuing on, David goes to the Lord, and God gives him some instructions for a sacrifice to offer. But the judgment ended. It was cut short.

[14:35] God repented. He turned from that thing which he said he would do. And we've talked about this before in Jeremiah specifically. I think also in Ezekiel. There is reference to God saying this.

[14:47] Listen, if I tell a people that I'm going to judge them, and then they repent and they turn, you know what? I'm not going to do the thing that I said I was going to do. I'm not going to do the thing that I thought I would do. I'm not going to do it because you repent.

[15:02] So, back to our passage here in Mark. It certainly is a possibility that that is what is being talked about here, that the days will be shortened, that the suffering will be so great that God will have mercy. And, you know, we do this right with our kids. We discipline them. Of course, it doesn't look like this. But your kids do something that, man, they really shouldn't have done.

[15:27] And you bring a punishment. Maybe it lasts two weeks. And halfway through, you're like, man, you know what? I'm just going to end it here. Because, man, I love my kids and I don't like to see them suffer, even though they do deserve it. But I just don't like to see them suffer. And God is the same way. You know, God doesn't enjoy judgment. He specifically says that in various places.

[16:00] So, just like there with David, he did with David, he shortened the judgment that he promised. And so, that's possibly what may happen during this tribulation period. But he talks about, you know, why it would be shortened. And it says this, because otherwise no flesh would be saved. But for the elect's sake, whom he chose, he shortened the days. It's because of his own people. The elect is kind of a nickname that God gives to his people. Usually, it refers to the Jewish people. His elect, his chosen ones, the ones that he chose through Abraham. But the Bible also talks about us being his elect.

[16:38] And so, and that gets back to this whole thing of there being two groups of people that we need to make sure we distinguish between in the Bible. God's people, Israel, they are an elect group. And that we are an elect group in this age of grace. God has elected Gentile people who trust in Jesus to be his people. And so, anyone who trusts in Jesus today, they are part of God's elect. Now, this is talking about God's elect. Anybody who trusts in him. And I think, you know, most certainly the Jewish people that trust in him. But maybe even Gentile people who believe, who turn and trust in him during this tribulation period. But for their sake, he will cut it short. Because otherwise, the judgments would be so severe that no one would survive. Revelation chapter 6 through 16. If you go to the book of Revelation, you'll see a lot of overlap with the things that we're reading here in this chapter. But Revelation 6 through 16 is all about all the judgments that come. And you see a lot of similarities with what we've read here from Jesus. The seven seals, the seven trumpets, the seven bowls, all those things are judgments. And one of the things mentioned is that a third of mankind will be wiped out. A whole third of the entire world will be wiped out. And so, if it was allowed to continue, you can imagine that eventually no one would be left. Verse 21, it says this, that if anyone says to you, look, here is the Christ, or look, there he is, do not believe it.

[18:17] For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. We see that reference to the elect again. But we saw this warning before in this passage and he's repeating it again. There's going to be false Christs. There's going to be false prophets. Now, we know from especially Revelation, but also in Daniel, Jesus doesn't mention it here about the Antichrist. But we talked about there's, I think, was it three names given to this Antichrist person. There will be one leader who comes up. He's the one that brings this abomination of desolation in the Jewish temple. He's called the Antichrist by John. He's called the beast in the book of Revelation. Paul calls him the man of sin. And I think Daniel calls him that great prince or something to that effect. But we know from what we're reading here that there's not just going to be one Antichrist. There's not just going to be one false prophet. There will be many people who claim to be the Christ, the Savior. And so there's this warning. If anyone says to you, look, here's the

[19:30] Christ, or look, he is there, do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and they'll show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. And so you can imagine someone is showing signs and wonders. You know, you got some homeless guy, you know, in Dayton who's walking around, you know, unkempt and he's saying, I'm the Messiah. Is anybody going to believe him? No. But you have people, maybe they have some wealth, maybe they have some prestige, and you know what they're doing? They're doing miracles. They're showing signs and wonders.

[20:10] That might make you go, hmm, wow. I mean, can anybody but God do signs and wonders? And typically, no. Unless you are working on God's behalf, right? And we've seen this with Moses and so many other people throughout the scriptures, that they are given certain powers to do miraculous signs and wonders. But typically, no. For somebody who is evil and wicked, they don't have that ability.

[20:37] But Paul speaks to this specifically in 2 Thessalonians 2.9 when he talks about this era of the tribulation. Paul says this, 2 Thessalonians 2.9, the coming of the lawless one, oh, that's another name, the lawless one for the Antichrist, is according to the working of Satan with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved. And so God is going to allow Satan some leeway. We actually saw this with Job, right? If you're familiar with the book of Job, Job didn't have any power, or excuse me, Satan did not have any power over Job to bring on him plagues and boils and calamity, all these things that ended up happening. But what does the Bible say? That God gave him, he basically allowed him, all right, Satan, I'm going to give you some leeway here to bring some suffering on Job. And I think the same thing will happen here, that God is going to allow Satan some leeway that he usually doesn't have to bring some physical calamity, well, to allow signs and wonders to be done at the hands of these false prophets and deceivers.

[22:01] And it's interesting here, it says this, it says, with, they're going to be, excuse me, let me go back to 2 Thessalonians, the coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

[22:25] You know, it's not hard to deceive someone when they want to believe a lie. Have you ever experienced this in your life? Somebody so much wants a lie to be true, that it's so easy to trick them. I actually see this in politics a lot, right?

[22:45] Politics, we got our guy and we got the other guy, or our team and the other team. And, you know, a lot of times, you know, we look at the other side, and there's lots of things to criticize, right? Rightfully so.

[23:02] But, we might get a post on Facebook or social media somewhere, and it says, oh, did you hear the latest about so-and-so? They did this or said this.

[23:15] And, instead of looking into, well, is that really true, or did somebody just make that up? And, do people make stuff like that up ever? Yeah. It happens a lot. On both sides, right?

[23:26] Or, across the full spectrum. People make stuff up all the time. But, because we know these people are corrupt, we're just going to believe it, right? Without looking into it.

[23:39] So, we ourselves, right, as Christian people who love the Lord, even we can be deceived by these things, right? And, we shouldn't be. But, there are lots of people who are willing to believe anything, if it will uphold their own world view, or justify, maybe, how they live their lives.

[24:03] And so, one of the things I think about today is, we have a deception. It's a lie called the Big Bang Theory. Has anybody ever heard that? Is that pretty popular, or is it kind of...

[24:14] It's pretty popular, isn't it? A lot of people believe the Big Bang Theory. And, there's actually not too much evidence. Really, basically, the evidence is, hey, the universe is expanding, so we just kind of think, well, if we rewind everything, it must have all started at a little dot, and there was a big explosion.

[24:30] And, that's basically the most of the evidence. But, the idea is, is that nothing exploded and created everything. That's the Big Bang.

[24:44] Nothing exploded and created everything, and all of its complexity, and beauty, and wonder. And, how many people believe that? Why? Well, because it's convenient.

[24:56] Because, if nothing exploded and created everything, then there isn't a God that I have to consider, that I have to submit my life to, in any kind of way. Another one is evolution, related in the same way.

[25:10] That random, mindless molecules, bouncing into each other, all over the universe, have led to the unfathomable, biological complexity, intelligence, and beauty, that we see all around us today.

[25:22] Just random bouncing of molecules, has led to all that. And so, deceivers abound. They abound now, they will abound then.

[25:33] And so, there will be many people, who will be deceived, primarily, like Paul says, because they did not receive, the love of the truth. They don't love the truth, they love their sin, they love, they love the, waywardness of their own, of their own lives, rather than loving the truth.

[25:53] And so, they will be deceived, because many of them, they really, they want to be deceived. And it's going back to what Jesus said. He was saying, the deceptions will be so powerful, that they might deceive, if possible, even the elect.

[26:06] It's interesting, he says, if possible, even the elect. Because the elect, these are the people who love the Lord. They love the truth. And so, he's saying, hey listen, there's going to be deception, and be careful.

[26:17] Now, you shouldn't be deceived, because it should be pretty obvious. But still, be careful, because if possible, it might even deceive you. It's not intended to deceive the elect, it's intended to deceive the unbelievers, and the wicked.

[26:33] And then he says this, in verse 23, but take heed, see, I have told you all these things beforehand. And so, what he's getting at here, is he's saying, hey listen, all these things that I just told you, it's a warning.

[26:45] I need you to take heed. I need you to listen, to all the things that I said. You need to be prepared. You need to count the cost. There's going to be a cost, to this seven year period, and your duty, your purpose, in it.

[27:02] You need to endure, through the end of it. Whether by giving up your life, or enduring faithfully, all the way to the end, of that seven year period.

[27:13] We're going to talk, a little bit more, because Jesus picks this, idea up, a few verses later. He repeats this same sentence, or this same sentiment. But let's get into, the most exciting section, the less depressing one.

[27:29] Because here, is where Jesus returns. We've just been reading about, the, all this tribulation, and suffering, and sorrow, and deception. but then, all of this, is going to come to an end.

[27:46] It says this, but in those days, after that 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.

[27:59] And this, these signs, which are signs in the heavens, this is the final sign. Jesus has given a lot of signs, that they're going to see.

[28:11] This is the very last one. This, is when, everything, comes, to its conclusion. We'll look at these, just briefly, kind of individually.

[28:22] It says, the sun will be darkened, and the moon, will not give its light. And it doesn't really say why. It could be dark clouds, it could be smoke. People have, conjectured that, you know, maybe smoke, over the whole earth, has caused this.

[28:37] I've actually been, one of the things, that I've experienced, that not many people, have experienced in their life, was a volcano. Anybody ever been through a volcano? Not many people have, but I lived in the Philippines, in 1991, too?

[28:50] I can't remember, something early 90s, when Mount Pinatubo, blew up. It was the largest, volcanic explosion, in the last 80 years, at the time. Second largest, in the last 100 years. I think the, the only one bigger, was in like 1912, or something like that.

[29:06] And we lived about 20 miles, from this volcano. And we watched, off in the distance, this mushroom cloud, just go up into the earth, it was like a nuclear bomb. It was incredible.

[29:17] At the same time, interestingly enough, a hurricane came through, and, all this cloud of, smoke, and dust of the earth, just went right over us.

[29:31] And it was the middle of the day, middle of the day, sun shining bright, and this cloud came over us, and it became, completely pitch black. And when a volcano blows up, it kind of, causes a lot of disturbance.

[29:44] There was no electricity, no telephone, no water even. Everything just stopped working. And so we didn't have any lights, except if you had batteries, and a flashlight. And so you go outside, it's 12 o'clock, in the middle of the, in the middle of the day, and you can't see anything, nothing, from one volcano, that blew up.

[30:07] And so, having that experience, I can imagine a little bit, of what this might be like. Now, there's other passages, that actually speak of the moon, I think it's turning into blood.

[30:18] So maybe, a little bit of light, might come through, but it'll be discolored, right, through, you know, whatever the physics is, behind all that. You'll be able to see, a little bit of light. It says, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.

[30:31] And so, there will at least be, some kind of thing, in the atmosphere, that will cause that. And then it says this, the stars of heaven will fall. Now that's pretty wild. You know, we know today, that stars are, like suns.

[30:44] Many of them, much bigger, than even our sun. Some of them smaller. And so, is this talking about, actual stars, falling, to the earth?

[30:55] That's not something, that's actually reasonable, is it? But, has anybody ever heard, of a shooting star? Have you ever seen, shooting stars, right? They're pretty neat.

[31:06] Sometimes you can, just catch them randomly. They actually happen, all the time. But are shooting stars, stars? They're not, right? But we call them, stars.

[31:18] And why is that? Well, it's just, people just, look at celestial objects, and for a long time, they just called, everything up there, stars. The little lights, you know, unless it's the sun or the moon, just everything else is a star.

[31:30] Even if it's a planet, or a meteor, or an asteroid of some kind. And so, I think that's what's going on here. So, there will be some kind of, catastrophe, calamity, of all kinds of things, just pouring, from the heavens.

[31:49] Meteors, most likely. And it will be, frightening. And then it says this, the powers of the heavens, will be shaken.

[32:00] And what does that mean? I don't know. But there, this is going to be a terrifying, frightening thing, that happens, up in the heavens, right before, somebody, arrives.

[32:13] We don't know how long, this is going to be. Is this going to be, a few minutes? Is it going to be, some hours? Is it going to be, even days, where all this stuff, is happening in the heavens? But let me, share with you, a passage from the book, of Revelation, that describes this event, in a little bit more detail.

[32:29] Revelation, chapter 6, verse 12. Revelation, chapter 6, verse 12. I looked, when he opened, the sixth seal. This is, one of the judgments.

[32:44] And behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun, became black. And sorry, I hear pages still rustling, so I'll, just to give you all time, I want to make sure everybody gets there.

[32:55] Revelation, chapter 6, verse 12. I'll start again. I looked, when he opened, the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun, became black, as sackcloth of hair, and the moon, became like blood, and the stars, of heaven, fell to the earth, as a fig tree, drops it, drops its late figs, when it is shaken, by a mighty wind.

[33:21] You can all imagine that, right? These, a tree that has a bunch of fruit on it, and it's, it's during harvest season, when everything's kind of loose, and a strong wind comes in, and all this fruit just comes tumbling down, from the tree.

[33:33] That's the way that it's going to be, with the stars, of heaven. Then the sky receded, as a scroll, when it is rolled up, and every mountain, and island, was moved, out of its place.

[33:47] I don't know, is this from the meteors, hitting the earth? And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, so these are the, the top dogs, the rich, the famous, the ones who, have everything that they, they would need, power, fame, wealth.

[34:09] But then it says this, every slave, and every free man, they hid themselves, in the caves, in the rocks, of the mountains. You can imagine, things are falling out of the sky.

[34:21] I'm going for cover. And this is what they said, and they said to the mountains, and the rocks, fall on us, and hide us, from the face of him, who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the lamb.

[34:35] For the great day of his wrath, has come, and who is able, to stand? People are going to be, scared out of their minds, because of all this thing, that this is going to be, the last event that happens, it's going to be terrifying.

[34:52] This is the last sign, before Jesus returns. And this is what it says, in verse 26, back to Mark, Mark 13, 26. And it says this, then they will see, the son of man, coming in the clouds, with great power, and glory.

[35:10] And this is why, you shouldn't listen to people, who says, oh I'm the Messiah, I'm the prophet, even if they're doing miracles. Because that's not how, Jesus is coming back, he's not coming back, to do what he was doing before, where he was born as a babe, and did miracles.

[35:25] He's coming in a different way, and Jesus told them, how he was coming. In fact, let's look there, Acts chapter 1. This actually happens, just maybe, a few months, after what, we're reading today.

[35:39] Jesus ascends, into the heavens, right in front of his own disciples, Acts chapter 1 verse 9. Now when he had spoken these things, so he gave them some last instructions, while they watched, he was taken up, and a cloud received him, out of their sight.

[36:00] He was taken up, he just lifted, he just took off, into the air. And eventually, at some point, as he's going up, a cloud comes in, and he kind of, gets hidden, in the cloud.

[36:11] And it just keeps on going up, and then he's gone. It received him, out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly, toward heaven, as he went up, behold, two men stood by them, in white apparel.

[36:24] Angels. Who also said, men of Galilee, why do you stand, gazing up, into heaven? I don't know how long they waited. I don't know, were they looking up there, for like 10 minutes, like, do you see him?

[36:35] Is he gone? Is he, what's going on? I don't know. Why do you stand, gazing up, into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up, from you, into heaven, will so come, in like manner, as you saw him, go, into heaven.

[36:49] Jesus is coming back, the same way, that he left, from the clouds. Not only that, he's coming back, on the same spot. The Bible says, he's going to, come back, right there, on the Mount of Olives, coming from the heavens, down to the Mount of Olives, right where he, lifted off.

[37:10] You know, when Jesus came, the first time, he came, in a spirit, of lowliness, and meekness. He suffered, he suffered persecution, he allowed people, to revile him.

[37:26] But when he comes again, the second time, it's not going to be, that same way. It's going to be, with great power, and glory, and there will, be judgment.

[37:38] Again, we're going to go back, to Revelation chapter 19, and see the description, of this event. So, we'll probably, maybe finish up with this, since our time is almost out. But Revelation chapter 19, verse 11.

[37:51] Revelation chapter 19, and verse 11, describes, Jesus returning, in the clouds. 19, 11. Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on him, was called faithful, and true, and in righteousness, he judges, and makes war.

[38:16] His eyes, were like a flame of fire, and on his head, were many crowns. He had a name, written, that no one knew, except himself. He was clothed, with a robe, dipped in blood, and his name, is called, the word of God.

[38:32] That's what, that's what, Jesus is called, in the book of John, the gospel of John, in the very beginning. He is the word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed him, on white horses.

[38:45] Jesus isn't coming alone, he's bringing his armies, with him. Now out of his mouth, goes a sharp sword, that with it, he should strike, the nations, and he himself, will rule them, with a rod of iron.

[38:57] He himself, treads the winepress, of the fierceness, and wrath, of almighty God. And he has on his robe, and on his thigh, a name written, King of kings, and Lord of lords.

[39:09] Jesus is going to come, he's going to come out, of the clouds, but then he's going to, make his landing, there, right there in Jerusalem, with his armies, and he is going to, conquer all the nations, that have caused, so much pain, and suffering, and turmoil.

[39:22] We see this, in the Old Testament, right? God actually, judges Israel, through another nation, but then, once that judgment is done, he goes back, and says, well you guys, I just kind of unrestrained you, you're still responsible, God's going to do this, here as well.

[39:37] He's going to judge the nations, for all the evil, that they've done, on the earth. But he will be, now, the king of all kings, and there will still, continue to be, kings on the earth, other kings, other than Jesus.

[39:49] But he will be, the king above all kings, and he will be, the Lord, above all lords, at that time. Okay, I'm just going to, I'm going to finish, because this kind of, is a, a better stopping point.

[40:09] Verse 27, in Mark, Mark 13, 27, and then he will send his angels, and gather together his elect, from the four winds, from the farthest part of the earth, to the farthest part, of heaven.

[40:26] When Jesus establishes his kingdom, and we see this throughout, all the Old Testament, the prophets, said this over and over again, that when the Messiah comes, and establishes his kingdom, all of his people, the people that trust him, the people that he loves, the Jewish people, who have been, dispersed, throughout all the nations, they will come back.

[40:47] He will gather them, back in, to Israel, because this is the land, that he promised them, would be theirs. You know, in Luke's account, of the Olivet Discourse, the same, speech, that Jesus gives, the same message, that Jesus gives, he adds a little bit more detail.

[41:06] He, when he mentions, the persecution, that's going to be coming, on the, on the Jewish, people, and his own disciples, he says this, Luke 21, verse 24, and they will fall, by the edge of the sword, again he's talking, about his own disciples, and the righteous, during this tribulation, and they will be, led away captive, into all the nations, and Jerusalem, will be trampled, by Gentiles, until the times, of the Gentiles, are fulfilled.

[41:32] So he specifically says, that you're going, to not just be, persecuted, you're going to be, taken out, of Israel, or out of Jerusalem, and taken captive, to other nations, just like it has happened, to them in the past.

[41:47] Then, there's another passage, also in Luke, that Jesus, where Jesus talks, about this event, and he's warning, the Pharisees, and all the unbelieving Jews, about what would happen, to them, if they did not repent, and turn to him.

[42:01] And he says this, there will be, weeping, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all, sorry, did I give the reference, Luke 13, 28, if you're taking notes, maybe, won't take time, to turn there, but Luke 13, 28, there will be, weeping, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God, and yourselves, thrust out.

[42:27] He's saying, when the kingdom comes, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, they will be risen, from the dead, and they're going to enter, into the kingdom, and you're going to watch them, into the kingdom, and you know what, you're not coming in, because you did not believe, in me.

[42:42] You're going to be thrust, out of the kingdom. They will come, from the east, and the west, from the north, and the south, and sit down, in the kingdom of God, and indeed, there are the last, who will be first, and there are first, who will be last.

[42:56] A couple other references, from the Old Testament, Isaiah chapter 11, speaks to this, Isaiah 11, verse 12, it says this, and he will set up, a banner for the nations, and will assemble, the outcasts of Israel, and gather together, the dispersed of Judah, from the four corners, of the earth.

[43:15] So, a lot of different language used, but notice how there's, this theme of four, in each of this passage, the four corners of the earth, from the north, south, east, and west, from the four winds, of the earth, we see all four of those, but they're talking, about the same thing.

[43:27] God's gathering his people, from all over the world, back into, their homeland, Israel. Isaiah chapter 35, says it in a little bit, well actually, we'll skip that one, just for the sake of time, but it's basically, just reiterating the same thing, that he's going, that the people will return, to Israel, from other nations, of the world, at this time.

[43:49] Now, keep in mind, that this is something, you know, some people have said, well this, was actually fulfilled, when Israel became a nation, right, because that's something, that actually happened, right, Israel became a nation, in 1948, and so all these Jews, came from Germany, and Russia, and the US, and even South America, all over the world, they came back, to Israel, and some have said, well, that's a fulfillment, of the things spoken of here, but I don't think so, I think in a way, it probably is, some people use the term, like a setting of the stage, because in order for all these things, this tribulation to happen, there has to be a nation of Israel, to start with, right, and a temple built, and sacrifices being offered, in order for all these things, that are prophesied to happen, to happen, but I don't think, that all these Jews, coming back to Israel, at this time, or in the last 50, 60, 70 years, is a fulfillment, of these prophecies, that are spoken of, because specifically, especially with, what we're reading, with Jesus, is that this is something, that happens at the end, of the tribulation, all these Jewish people, are dispersed, these believers, they're dispersed, throughout the world, and it's at the, it's at the time, of Jesus's coming, that he gathers them all in, and they get to enjoy, the kingdom, that was promised, to them, because, they were faithful, so, we're going to end there, this is, in a lot of ways, like, disturbing, and, you know, thinking about, all, all these things, that are going to happen, but at the same time, at the very end,

[45:31] God is going to make, all things new, Jesus is going to come, and bring righteousness, to the world, and next week, we'll talk about, why, why would, all this suffering come, why would, why would this last, kind of hurrah, this last, just thrust, of persecution, and suffering, and tribulation, and trial, come, why would that be, part of God's plan, and we'll actually look at, a few places, where the Bible, actually speaks, to why, we'll finish up, the rest of the passage, and then we'll talk about, those things, so, let's, why don't everybody stand, and we'll end, in a word of prayer, Father, we don't always understand, why you do the things, that you do, or why you will do, the things that you say, that you will do, many times, you give us an explanation, and we're so grateful, for that, but, we want to just, we want to trust you, you're such a trustworthy God, you've done so much, for us, you died on the cross, you suffered yourself, for our sins, that we might have life, and so you are worthy, of all of our trust, even if, sometimes things, are difficult to understand, we thank you, for the word, that you've given to us, that we might, understand it, as best we can, that you would work in us, to give us, light, and understanding, and all these things, but above all things, just like the song, that we sang, today, we want to continue, to grow in our love, for you, to love you more today, than we did, even yesterday, and to love you more tomorrow, than we do today, we thank you for helping us, in that way, in Jesus name,

[47:08]  Amen.