Mark 13:27 - Printer Friendly

ESV: 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.

NIV: And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.

NASB: And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of heaven.

CSB: 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.

NLT: And he will send out his angels to gather his chosen ones from all over the world — from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.

At the end of the tribulation, the world will be a mess. All sea life will be dead (Revelation 8:9; 16:3). Billions will be dead from disease, famine, pestilence, and war (Revelation 6:8; 9:15; 11:13; 14:20). Much of the vegetation will be gone (Revelation 8:7). The earth itself will be damaged by earthquakes and a large meteorite (Revelation 8:8–11; 16:18–20).

When the last of God's enemies have been destroyed and the beast and the false prophet thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20–21), Jesus will call to His people and gather them together. Those who survive the tribulation will be separated into the "sheep" who are saved and the "goats" who do not follow Christ and will not survive (Matthew 25:31–46). Christ-followers, both Jewish (Jeremiah 31:7–9; Ezekiel 11:16–17; Zechariah 12:10) and Gentile (Micah 4:2–3), will live in the millennial kingdom, marry, and have children.

Believers who have died or who were taken in the rapture will also occupy the millennial kingdom in glorified bodies. They will not sin, marry, or have children (Matthew 22:30). This includes several groups: 1. Jews and others before them who followed God without the benefit of knowing Christ will be there (Daniel 12:2); 2. Christ-followers who died before the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:16); 3. Christ-followers who were taken in the rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:15; 1 Corinthians 15:21–23, 51–53); and 4. those who came to Christ and died after the rapture (Revelation 20:4–6).

For a thousand years, the world will be at peace. People of the nations will come to Mount Zion and follow Jesus (Micah 4:1–5). Every covenant God made with Israel will be fulfilled. "They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make them afraid, for the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken" (Micah 4:3–4).

At the end of the millennial kingdom, Satan will be released from prison and lead the mortals who have not accepted Christ into rebellion against Him (Revelation 20:7–9). God will permanently cast Satan into the lake of fire where the unbelievers throughout the generations will join him after the judgment of the great white throne (Revelation 20:10–15).

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 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.