Old Testament Reading –– Isaiah 9:6-7
New Testament Reading – Mark 13:1-37
“The Glorious Return of Christ”
Mark 13:1-37
Wayne J. Edwards, Pastor
Each time we pray what is referred to as “The Lord’s Prayer,” we pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
- In effect, we are longing for the day when God will bring heaven down to earth, Satan will be removed from the earth, the curse of sin will be lifted from the earth, and Jesus will return and rule the world with truth and grace and make the nations prove, the glories of His righteousness and the wonders of His love.
- Christians will return with Jesus and reign with Him for 1,000 years on this earth and in the new heaven and new earth forever, world without end.
- Until that day, we can allow God to bring His kingdom authority into our lives as we submit unto the Lordship of Jesus Christ, for once we have confessed Jesus is Lord and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, the kingdom of God is within us. (Luke17:21)
Now, we wait for His glorious return:
- For us – the event Paul described in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 as being “caught up in the clouds to meet the Lords in the air.”
- The rapture of those who received Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord is the next prophetic event, and since there are no warnings preceding it, believers are to remain ready.
- With us – the event Jude described in Jude 14-15 as the Lord comes with “many thousands of His saints to execute His judgment upon the ungodly.”
- The Bible says every eye shall see Him, every knee shall bow before Him, and every tongue shall confess Him as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.
The central theme of the Bible is God’s divine plan to establish His kingdom upon this earth – a kingdom where God’s will and rule are carried out on this earth, as they are now being carried out in heaven.
- God has granted a measure of rule, authority, and power to men and Satan, but it is only temporary.
- When Jesus returns, He will end all human rule and authority, as well as Satan’s power, and having redeemed this earth from sin and Satan, He will deliver this earthly kingdom back to God the Father.
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The Prophecy of the Kingdom of God – Daniel 2:31-45 – Vs. 44 – “The God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed!”
- World history can be divided into five Kingdoms:
- Today, we live in the final world empire – a political arrangement of the nations of the world, as illustrated by the two feet and the ten toes, which means we are not united under one authority.
- However, after the rapture of the church, the governments of the world will be forced to establish a New World Order under the global authority of the Anti-Christ, which is the kingdom Daniel said would be destroyed by the glorious return of Jesus Christ.
- In Daniel 2:44, the prophet said, God will set up a new kingdom which shall never be destroyed, nor left to other people, but it shall consume every earthly nation and stand forever. This will be the eternal Kingdom of God. (Or the Kingdom of Heaven)
The theme of the Kingdom of God can be traced from Genesis to Revelation, as God illustrated His plan to establish His kingdom upon this earth.
- Isaiah 2:2-4 – “Out of Zion shall go forth the law and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem!”
- Isaiah 9:6-7 – “The government shall be upon His shoulder…and of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end!”
- Ezekiel 37:24 – “They will walk in My ordinances, and keep My statutes and observe them!”
- Amos 9:11-15 – “I will plant them on their land and they shall no more be pulled up out of their land!”
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The Proclamation of the Kingdom of God – Acts 1:6 – “Lord, will You at this time restore the Kingdom of Israel?”
Beginning with the day Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River and ending with their final conversation with Him before He ascended, the disciples were constantly being told, “The Kingdom of God is at hand!”
- When the crowds began to follow Jesus and openly declare Him to be their long-awaited Messiah, the disciples hoped the time had come for God to fulfill His promise to restore the nation of Israel.
- While their hopes were destroyed at Jesus’ death and burial, they were renewed even stronger as they witnessed His resurrection.
- Jesus told them that it was not for them to know when God would keep His promise to establish His kingdom upon the earth, but they were to wait until they were endued with the power of the Holy Spirit, and they were to be watching for His return.
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The Presentation of the King – Mark 13 – Vs. 26 – “Then, they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.”
After Jesus left the Temple where He had taught His disciples about the Kingdom of God, God Himself shut the door, not only on the Temple as a place for the Jews to worship Him, but on the Jewish system of worship. Matthew quoted Jesus as saying, “Your house is left unto you desolate.”
- When one of the disciples mentioned the beauty of the Temple, Jesus said, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another that shall not be thrown down.”
- At that time, the Temple was not only the most beautiful building in Israel, with its marble stones highlighted with gold-plated moldings, it was the most beautiful building in the world.
- But to Jesus, that magnificent building represented the ultimate failure of the Jews to know God for Who He was and to make Him known to the rest of the world.
- Such destruction happened in 70 A.D., and the ruins are there for all to see, including what the Jews call the “wailing wall,” to which the Jews go each day and pray that God will restore their city, their temple, and their kingdom.
After making that prophetic declaration, Mark said Jesus and the disciples went to the Mount of Olives, and Peter, James, and John asked Jesus privately to tell them when all these things would occur.
- However, rather than answer their question, Jesus outlined three events that would indicate the nearness of His glorious return to set up His kingdom upon the earth.
- Spiritual deception – the proclamation of a false gospel and a false concept of Christ, deceiving many.
- International disruption – wars, terror, chaos, and corruption, disturbing many.
- Physical destruction – earthquakes, famines, and all kinds of natural disasters, destroying many.
- Jesus said these types of events would increase in rapidity and intensity until the church is removed from the earth, and human history enters its seven-year countdown to the glorious return of Jesus Christ to establish His kingdom on this earth for 1,000 years, and then in the new heaven and new earth forever, world without end. Amen!
