The Events of the End

The Events of the End

by J.M.MacLeod

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. Mark 13:27 

This verse ought to settle once and for all the question of whether there is a

Secret Coming of Jesus to catch His Bride away to Himself before the Day of the Lord. The very word “uttermost” connotes the totality of existence of all the inhabitable places of God's Creation. This means those who are still alive at His appearing as well as those souls waiting in Paradise (Luke 23:43) for the culmination of the ages at Christ's return. 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 before the tribulation to catch his saints away. But, according to this verse, there is only a one-time gathering of all His saints. The whole dubious theory of a double rapture begs the question when considering the imagery Jesus used of a Bridegroom claiming 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 the rest of her?

Would the Lord use the imagery of bride and bridegroom if He didn’t intend

us to understand the details of the symbol? What’s missing from this verse is the exact sequence and timing of the events leading up to the catching away. Suffice it to say that this verse proves there is only one gathering, one catching away of the saints to be with the Lord. All the theories of two (or more) catchings-away of the saints should vanish into the thin air from which they were formulated at this point.

Now, the task of uncovering sequentially just when this catching away takes

place falls to the earnest Bible student. 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 believer 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 books, magazines, sermons and lectures replete

with charts and power point presentations seems complicated and far removed from

the plain, literal understanding of such passages. Upon examining the convoluted expert

renderings of prophetic passages the average reader despairs of comprehending the

mysteries of prophecy, yielding their own discernment to “scholarly opinions.”

This is a shame, for the scholars have often proved in error on a wide range of subjects when compared to the simple reading of what God’s Word plainly says.

We need not for any (learned expert) man to teach us, for the Anointing 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 it’s beneath them

to delve into understanding future events, stating that only the spiritually immature or

obsessive curiosity-seekers are concerned with such things.

Both the above attitudes are in direct contradiction to the commands of our Lord

Jesus, who said, "See to it that no one misleads you... but, take heed; behold, I have

told you everything in advance..." (Mark 13: 5b; 23 NAS). The Lord clearly intended

His disciples to know not only that He was going to return, but the sequence of events

leading to His return as protection against falling prey to rampant deceptions that will stalk the earth at that time. Now, if His disciples—hand-picked men who journeyed, camped, went fishing and ate with Him for three years—needed to take heed lest they be deceived, how much more so do we!

Furthermore, we must ask ourselves just how much of our understanding on the

subject has been influenced by “the experts” proof-texting their theories rather than by what Jesus simply taught. So, to fully comprehend what Jesus wanted His disciples (and us by extension) to grasp, we need to return to the mysterious saying about Messiah’s mysterious disappearance instead of immediately establishing a kingdom.

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. 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.”

And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, over against the temple, Peter and

James and John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when shall these things

be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?”(Mark 13:1)

To fully understand the question the disciples asked, we need to appreciate

their mindset. In the previous two chapters we see Jesus contending with the spiritual

leaders of the day. 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

political positions in society be jeopardized. Jesus, by His teaching and miracles,

exposed them for what they were—legalistic hirelings (John 10:13). The tension in Jerusalem’s religious-political climate of was keenly felt from the lowest beggar up to the halls of power. Jesus' arrival and rumors of Him being the Messiah threatened the man-established order. A showdown was imminent. He must either declare Himself Messiah and oustthe hirelings with their Roman masters, or the hirelings must destroy Him (Mark 12: 7-8).

Then one day Jesus commits a seeming breach of character by cursing a fig tree

(Mark 1:13-14). To the uninitiated this seems like a senseless, selfish tantrum thrown

by the hungry 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 it wasn’t time for ripe figs yet; it’ss peculiar with fig trees that they

bear immature, but edible fruit in the spring, even before leaves form. The unripe fruit

matures over the summer to become the succulent, legendary treat of the Middle East. The unripe fig, though somewhat bland and chewy, was a staple of poor people, sustaining them 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 intended 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. This tree yielded 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 true righteousness in the hearts of men. Just as the nation of Israel was about to come under a curse for rejecting its Messiah, thereby remaining fruitless, so too, Jesus pronounced a curse on the fig tree (Israel and its man-modified laws are symbolized in the OT as a fig tree) as an object lesson that Judaism was rejected from bearing the fruit of righteousness from that day on.

Immediately after cursing the fig tree Jesus cleansed the Temple, rebuking the hirelings, refuting their supposed wisdom, and posing them riddles after their own fashion which they couldn’t answer, thus demonstrating their incompetence to lead God's heritage.

Meanwhile, the disciples, assuming this was His public statement that He was capable of taking over in their stead, were beside themselves with anticipation at this turn of events (Mark 12:34). The time had come for Him to publicly declare Himself as Israel's Messiah.

Who could stand against Him? With just His voice He’d calmed the raging sea. With

a soft command He’d cast two-thousand demons out of a man. With a mere wave of His hand and a brief prayer He’d fed thousands from a few crusts of bread and a couple of fish. He was, no doubt, biding His time until the highest holy day of the festival when throngs of worshippers would rush to follow Him as He declared Himself. In one surging rush, Messiah and his 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! The climax of the ages was happening before their very eyes as Scripture foretold, and they were at the heart of it all.

It’s feasible that the reason the disciples wondered at the familiar buildings (they’d seen them at least three times a year since achieving Bar-mitzvah when visiting Jerusalem to celebrate the feasts) 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 Messiah’s reign. Instead, this was the

time for the sacrifice which would cleanse mankind of sin, allowing the Holy Spirit to

begin His work of sanctification unto perfection in Messiah's followers. Jesus would reign as king only after a people had been redeemed and were in process of being made holy; a holy King deserves a holy people.

The throngs crowding Jerusalem were religious, but far from holy, instead,

they were, self-seeking and ambitious. Had He declared Himself king over that

rabble He’d have had to judge and destroy all mankind, beginning with His own, self-

promoting disciples. No one who’d come to keep the feast at Jerusalem 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 and visited well-deserved

vengeance upon all the ungodly (Jude 14-15).

Jesus flatly disabused His disciples of their grandiose dreams by simply saying

that all those wondrous buildings at which they gawked would be rubble in a very

short time. "Not one stone," He prophesied, "would be left on another." This was

because the earthly Temple’s worship was no longer acceptable to God. The earthly

Temple offered only types and shadows of the real sacrifice that He’d come to offer.

As a menu is discarded once the meal has come, so too Judaism had run its course, sadly proving unfruitful, and as such, was about to be replaced by the True Sacrifice that could actually remove sin forever ( Dan. 9:24; Heb. 7:18-22). The Temple, center of Judaism, like the selfish fig tree, henceforth was cursed as an abomination to God. Continuing its sacrifices would be a declaration that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ was neither acceptable nor a sufficient offering for sin. From that moment on, there was no other name by which mankind must be saved (Acts 4:12).

Jesus declared to His disciples that God would soon remove the Temple

and all its impressive buildings. Within a generation that Temple was completely torn

down and the stones scattered as Roman soldiers sought any hidden bits of molten

gold after the conflagration that destroyed all that remained, fulfilling Jesus’ prediction.

The disciples understood none of this. They were perplexed that the man they

knew as Messiah was saying that Israel was not about to rule over the whole world. This is why Peter, John and James, along with Andrew, worked up the courage to admit they had no clue as to what Jesus was talking about and privately came seeking an explanation at one of His favorite places, the Mount of Olives.

"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, Jerusalem sacked, and the Temple destroyed when He, the

Messiah—Deliverer and Protector of Israel had come in their day? What other

prophetic signs were going to be fulfilled than what they’d seen? Was Israel yet to be

sacked after Messiah had come?

Jesus' answer no doubt puzzled them even more. And Jesus answering them

began to say, “Take heed lest any man deceive you: For many shall come in my

name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many (Mark 13:5-6).  Here was the Messiah, sitting in their midst—they knew Him about as well as anybody and were going to be His cabinet when He set up his administration—they’d followed Him for three years; how could any imposter possibly deceive them? Others perhaps, might be deceived, but not them! What could Jesus possibly mean?

“And when ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars, be ye not troubled: for

such things must needs be; but the end shall not be yet. 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 Jesus gets even more confusing; wasn't it prophesied of Messiah that

He would bring peace and healing to all nations? Yet Jesus was now disclaiming

everything they’d been taught since childhood. Instead, Jesus warned that deceivers would appear to fulfill Israel's expectations, yet He Himself was doing none of the things Messiah was expected to do! Imagine the perplexity of these men? In effect, Jesus said, "Yes, I’m the Messiah, and, no, I’m not going to do what’s prophesied. But false messiahs will arise and appear to do those things... and oh yes, did I mention that you, my disciples, were going to be persecuted because you won’t fall for the ploys of those deceivers? (vs 9)."

Some two-thousand years later we understand the perspective from which Jesus

spoke. We comprehend He was hinting at being put to death, rising again, ascending to

heaven to wait for the Father's set time for His return. It all makes perfect sense to us,

with our excellent hindsight knowing that He wasn’t going to begin His reign then

and there. The disciples, however, were focused upon His immediate reign. What He

was saying was incomprehensible. Messiah die? Out of the question! How could

God allow that?

Yet that is precisely what He’d been trying to tell them for some months. Jesus

knew they couldn’t possibly grasp the implications of what he was telling them, yet,

they must be informed. The Holy Spirit would later remind them of this teaching and

give them understanding. We need to keep in mind the way His hearers understood

Him as well as view it from our own perspective so we can properly grasp the context

of what is being said.

Jesus then laid down the chronology of what they (and we) are to expect in

answer to their question: "what shall be the sign when all these things shall be

fulfilled?" They didn’t know that they were asking for a chronology of events, or for

that matter, 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, in time, would form

in their minds and hearts. The Lord often, when asked a question that didn’t go to the

heart of the issue, would answer with a seemingly incongruous statement; He foresaw

where the conversation needed to go rather than where it was headed. A careful

comparison of Mark 13, Matthew 24, Luke 21 with Revelation chapter 6 reveals a

consistent pattern of chronological events. Consider this examination of the Gospels

with the Revelation account: 

Synoptic Gospels:                                 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

temporarily leaves off giving a chronology of the final events until later. The

Revelation is not a book to be taken chronologically but is chronological in parts,

often shifting viewpoints of identical events, so, it is, rather a vision which must be

discerned by the Holy Spirit. As a vision, it doesn’t follow the rules of chronological

narrative but must be understood on its own terms. The Synoptic gospels however, are

written in such a way as to 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’s enough to show that the Revelation and the Synoptic Gospels 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.

"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.  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 grim picture of the days just prior to His return. He’s 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 desperately hope to be off the earth; so much so that they alter what the Lord Himself said about His return. In so doing they deceive themselves, disobeying the Lord’s command to not allow themselves be deceived. “And then if any man shall say to you, Lo, here is Christ; or, lo, he is there; believe him not: For false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall show signs and wonders, to seduce, if it were possible, even the elect.”

A popular teaching in our day 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 make sure that they stay in the truth lest by wandering astray from the truth, they make conditions possible for falling into the abundance of deception in the last days.

The power of satanic spirits to work miracles will be greatly increased, 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 moves of the Spirit in 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 many of these 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." These of the elect—that is, those who have heard and responded to the Gospel—are being deceived, even while

thinking such a prospect is impossible. This is precisely what Jesus warned against.

The same is true of the Lord's chronological account of the End Times. We find that the Lord says that the gospel will have been preached the world over (vs 10). Then His followers will be arrested and sorely tested, even betrayed by loved family members. After that Judea would come under increasing trouble, culminating in the exposing of the Antichrist as he claims to be God in the restored Temple (2 Thes. 2:3-4).

Now note carefully the Lord’s choice of words. “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 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 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 what His disciples should expect. When we rearrange this sequence we jeopardize our hold on truth and become vulnerable to deception.

Does it really matter what we believe about the End Times? Jesus seemed to think so. He didn’t want us to be unprepared or caught off guard, but as children of the Day, we need to be aware of the times we are in. What are the possible consequences of not comprehending this sequence?

“Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.”

Jesus resorts back to the symbol of Israel, the fig tree, yet again. For nearly two-thousand years the Jews have been a people without a homeland, yet have miraculously maintained their ethnicity though dispersed among Gentile nations. He knew what the disciples couldn’t comprehend, even as He gave them this sign, not for their benefit as much as for the final generation which would see the sign when Israel would be re-gathered. The fig tree that was cursed would again sprout leaves. When Israel resumed as a nation in May, 1948 the fig tree again put forth its leaves. The generation that would not disappear does not necessarily mean what so many assume. It’s conjectured that He meant some who were living would still be alive then, or that the length of a generation, 35—40, or even 70 years, would be all the time required to see the events from start to finish.

The word translated as generation, however, is from the Greek genea (genea) and also has as another meaning: a race of people. When Jesus vocalized this fact, it didn’t seem so unusual, But from our day’s perspective, when the Jews have been spread around the world for over nineteen hundred years, yet have maintained their individuality, this is quite a remarkable prophecy. Many nations have been conquered and deported into other nations, but none have kept their genetic heritage, let alone their faith and rituals that set them apart from other nations.

Strangers 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’s because God will climax the Age with Israel once again in His fold.

These prophetic events have begun to unroll in our day with the so-called “Arab Spring”, and are unstoppable until they’ve run their course. It’s imperative for us, His household servants, to recognize the time of day, lest we fall prey to the deceptions rampant in our day and lose our edge and usefulness. The false security offered by the Pre-Trib Rapture theorists is not only unsupported by Scripture, but dangerous. Its adherents are lulled into a sense of non-concern as far as identifying the signs of the end such as the Mark of the Beast and the escalation of Christian persecution, and so will catch many unprepared (virgins without oil?). Many will fall away into the great apostasy when what they’ve been led to expect doesn’t materialize. They expect things that Jesus never predicted and will not come, and so, will be disappointed and discouraged, wondering if the Faith is true at all.

“But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. 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. 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: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.”

Again, Jesus is not saying that we wouldn't know the chronology of events, but rather, that we can't know the exact day and the hour He will come (case in point—Harold Camping et al). The lesson is to be prepared for His appearing by recognizing the signs of the times and by staying in the Spirit through Bible study, prayer an d spiritual fellowship. It’s interesting that for the first Eighteen hundred years the Church only expected His coming after the Tribulation. But in our day a 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 knew that just before He returned there would be four major opinions about His arrival. He’s given us the clues of what to expect. We have no one to blame if we are deceived and lose out.

“And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”