Mark 13:26 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.

NIV: "At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.

NASB: And then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory.

CSB: Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.

NLT: Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory.

KJV: And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

NKJV: Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

Revelation 19 gives a more detailed description of Jesus' "great power and glory." He will arrive on a white horse, His eyes will be like fire and His robe will be dipped in blood. His army will follow on white horses. A sharp sword will come from His mouth and will destroy nations. He will bring the fury and wrath of God (Revelation 19:11–16). While the rapture will remove believers from the earth, during Jesus' second coming, unbelievers will be destroyed and those who came to trust Christ during the tribulation will remain.

"Son of Man" is one of the more common ways Jesus describes Himself. Daniel tells how the Ancient of Days will give "one like a son of man" everlasting dominion, glory, and a kingdom over all the peoples, nations, and languages (Daniel 7:13–14). Jesus' use of this title has confused the disciples about what the Messiah has come to do. They can understand how Jesus can be the Son of Man who is given a kingdom by God, but they can't understand how that same victorious figure ties in with Isaiah 53's "Suffering Servant" who is despised and rejected by men. Jesus gives a clue here: the Son of Man will not come into His glory until the end times. Between now and then, the Suffering Servant must die (Mark 8:31; 9:31; 10:33–34).

God's presence is often accompanied by clouds. A cloud guided the Israelites by day (Exodus 13:21). God protected Moses from His glory with a cloud (Exodus 19:9). And God appeared during Jesus' transfiguration in a cloud (Mark 9:7). God seems to use our literal heavens as a metaphor for the spiritual heavens in which He lives. Clouds, then, act as a kind of threshold between the realms.

This wording, combined Mark 13:29, is similar to the rapture in that Jesus will descend from heaven and gather His followers (1 Thessalonians 4:15–17). There are at least three identifying differences between the rapture and this, the second coming. Nothing needs to happen in human history before the rapture, but the entire tribulation must pass before Jesus' second coming. The rapture will take place in a single moment with no fanfare (1 Corinthians 15:50–54), unlike the spectacle of the second coming which is described here. And during the rapture, Jesus will stay in the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:17), while the second coming marks His physical return to earth (Zechariah 14:4).

Mark 13:24–27 continues Jesus' predictions about His eventual return. Anyone would be excused for being confused about the timeline of the end times, especially regarding Jesus' return. According to a pre-tribulation, dispensational interpretation, this event is Jesus' second coming, which occurs after the rapture and the tribulation. In fact, it marks the end of the tribulation when Jesus destroys the Antichrist and his army (Revelation 19:11–21), imprisons Satan (Revelation 20:1–3), and brings only the tribulation saints and past believers with Him into the millennial kingdom. Jesus' return is also prophesied in Matthew 24:29–31 and Luke 21:25–27.

Days before the crucifixion, the disciples praise the glory of the temple. When Jesus tells them the temple will be destroyed, they ask for signs of that coming destruction and of His return (Matthew 24:3). Jesus answers their second question with information crucial for believers in the end times, and any time. Tribulation Christians will face horrifying hardships and violence, as may believers of any era, but they must remember that the hardships will not last. Jesus will return so quickly, any attempt to live by the world's rules will be futile.

The prior chapter contained several parables and Jesus' answer to assorted questions. In this section, Jesus turns His teaching towards the disciples. He explains concepts related to the end times: the still-future period when God will complete His plan for judgment on sin. Those details include a prophecy about the impending destruction of the temple. The final chapters of Mark then describe events up to and after the crucifixion of Jesus at the hands of His enemies.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.