This transcript was generated by whisper.ai.

Welcome to Daily Drive Time Devotions, Mark chapter 13 this week, day 4. We've
been talking about the end times and we looked yesterday at the two events that
the disciples were going to see very soon in their lives that helped them to
recognize that Jesus was going to come again. Today we're going to look at
events that you and I are likely going to see in our lives that help us to
recognize that Jesus Christ is coming again.

Jesus talks about it in verses 24 to 29. Listen to these verses, what he had to
say. "But in those days, following that distress, the sun will be darkened and
the moon will not give its light.

The stars will fall from the sky and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that
time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.
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.

" Now learn this lesson from the fig tree. As soon as its twigs get tender and
its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these
things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door.

Jesus Christ is talking in these verses about his second coming. And sometimes
in these verses we get confused because he's just been talking about Jerusalem
and what's going to happen there. And then he says, "In those days following
that distress," and he goes straight to at least 2,000 years later.

This is called, by the way, in the Bible, prophetic foreshortening. You skip
events of hundreds, sometimes even thousands of years from one verse to the
other. And Jesus here goes straight to talking about his second coming.

And he gives us some pictures. He talks about all powers being shaken. He talks
about his coming and glory.

He talks about the gathering of the elect. These are the signs that accompany
the end that he's talking about here. Remember, a couple of days ago, we talked
about signs way before the end, the beginning of birth pangs that we've had for
2,000 years.

But we also talked about signs that accompany the end. We talked about an engine
and how you'd hear grumbling noises. Those are the signs we've always had with
us.

But we also talked about the engine falling out. That makes it obvious to
everyone. Well, these are the signs that accompany the end, and they are very
dramatic signs.

He just goes through a list of them with us. He says there will be signs in the
sun, the moon, and the stars. The sun will be darkened.

The moon will not give its light. The stars will fall from the sky. The heavenly
body is shaken.

This world is not going to last. When the stars fall out of the sky, it's a
pretty good indication that something is terribly wrong, that something is not
going to last. This world is not going to last.

God's going to create a new heaven and a new earth. And he will end this world
in his time. Now, by the way, as we talk about God's plan for this world, God's
going to end this world in his time.

Human beings aren't going to destroy this world. God's going to end it and
recreate it in his time. The Christian motivation for being green, for
environmentalism, is not selfish fear like a lot of people play on.

Our motivation is stewardship. God made us stewards over this world. Our
motivation is compassion.

Compassion for those who are hurt by our lack of stewardship, especially the
poor. That's our motivation. The motivation of those who don't know Christ is
fear.

Our motivation is stewardship and compassion. That's just an aside in the midst
of this talk about the second coming. Jesus says there are signs.

Signs in the sun, moon, and stars. The heavenly bodies are going to be shaken,
he says. Luke 21, 26, and 27 says, "Men will faint from terror apprehensive of
what is coming in the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken.

At that time, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with great power
and glory. " Jesus says another sign that accompanies the end is a great
distress that's going to be upon the world, unequaled in the world. The most
dramatic descriptions of these end time events that we're talking about here are
found in the book of Revelation.

This book that confuses many of us makes us scratch our head. These are the
signs that are talked about in the seven seals and the seven trumpets and the
seven bowls. These pictures given in the book of Revelation, the seven seals
that talk about the final conflict, the seven trumpets that talk about final
destruction, the seven bowls that finish up God's wrath, that shows God's wrath
against sin, cleanses this world for God's eternity.

You and I read these pictures today and they're a little bit confusing to us,
partly because they're Jewish pictures from the first century. Everyone in that
day would have easily understood what was being talked about, easily understood
some of these pictures that you and I wonder about. But we also wonder about
these pictures because we allow ourselves to think that this world is going to
last.

We allow ourselves to think somehow that things are just going to continue as
they always have. And Jesus says it will not be that way. There is a new heaven
and a new earth that is on the way.

And in order for that to happen, this earth has to end. That day is coming.
Jesus talks in these verses about the signs of what's going to happen.

And then he says, "These signs point to something, the Son of Man coming in the
clouds with great power and glory. " Now as we talk about the end time events,
Jesus is painting a picture for us here. You and I need to understand, I think
every believer in Christ needs to understand three events that are going to
happen in the end time.

And we've looked at them in these verses. You need to understand the
tribulation, the rapture, and the visible return of Christ, the difference
between those three events. The tribulation is talked about a lot in Revelation.

Revelation chapter 4 to 18 describes it in detail. These are the signs that
accompany Jesus' second coming or are right before his second coming. These are
the signs, the descriptions of the occurrences that are going to happen as this
world is ending.

The time of tribulation includes the battle of Armageddon, the great final
battle, the great final famine that's going to wash across this world, and all
the signs that we've talked about in these verses and in other verses you find
in the Bible, they're going to happen in nature. The stars falling from the sky,
the roaring of the sea. These are all signs that let the world know this world
isn't going to last.

Why would God do that? Why would he allow a tribulation? I believe because as
time nears its end, God's going to allow all of us a final choice.

As we see that this world is ending, if I don't know Christ, that's my final
opportunity to say, "I can't trust in this world. I need to trust in him. " Now
sadly, the book of Revelation says that during this time of tribulation, many
will, instead of trusting Christ, just become more angry at God and blame him
for what's happening rather than trusting him for the future.

But God allows this time of tribulation to cause us to have an opportunity to
trust him. A second event you may have heard of is called the rapture. The word
rapture comes from a Latin word for the verses in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4
verse 17 that will be caught up.

The original Greek word is translated "caught up" in English. The rapture is
when Jesus gathers all believers to be with him and he gives each of us a
resurrected glorified body. This is a good thing.

Now this is to be distinguished from the visible return of Christ where we'll
all see him as he comes to judge the nations and establish his kingdom. Everyone
will see him, not just believers. Many people see the rapture as an event that's
hidden to all but believers and occurs years before Jesus' visible return.

Other people, other believers, see the rapture and Jesus' visible return as
happening simultaneously. Now there is some question, as you study the Bible,
about the exact time of the rapture, but the questions that we have about the
exact timing shouldn't detract from the fact, the assurance that it will happen.
Jesus, he says that in these verses, he's going to gather his elect from the
four corners of the earth, from the heavens, he's going to gather us.

So I need to understand the tribulation, the rapture, but I also need to
understand the visible return of Christ. It's different from the rapture. At
this return, all the earth that Jesus is returning, he comes in the clouds,
every eye will see him, the Bible says.

This is when he establishes his rule and his reign over every single heart.
Matthew chapter 24 verse 30 says, "At that time the Son of Man will appear in
the sky and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of
Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.

" Now why will they mourn? They will mourn because it will become immediately
apparent that they built their lives on the wrong foundation. Instead of the
foundation of God's love, they built their lives in the foundation of something
that will not last, the circumstances and the things of this world.

Now as we think about the rapture and the visible return of Jesus Christ, as we
think about things such as the tribulation, our goal as believers is very
simple. Jesus tells us what our goal is. Here's the goal.

The goal is to have more people rejoice and fewer people mourn at the return of
Christ. To help someone to put their faith in Christ so that you can have them
sense and feel the assurance that they have in him at his return. So that that
moment of Jesus's return will be a moment of inexpressible joy, not excruciating
grief, inexpressible joy.

The Bible tells us that the reason that Jesus waits to come again, that he is
patient, because he's waiting for more people to come to him. And I have a
chance, I have an opportunity to let people know the good news of Jesus Christ.
And so rather than getting caught up in thinking about what the second coming
means for me and my family, as a believer in Christ, I need to get caught up in
what the second coming means for those who are around me.

Some who know Christ and some who don't know Christ. And let them know the good
news. The good news that he is coming again.

The good news that he is going to gather. The good news that I can look forward
in my life to the greatest moment of inexpressible joy. The greatest thing in
your life, it hasn't happened yet.

It's still coming. It's still on the way. That's the hope that we have in him.

Let's take a moment to talk to Jesus. And Jesus, as we talk to you today, we
pray you'd help us to see the world around us. The people that we're going to
encounter today through your eyes.

People who you want to experience joy. People who you want to see experience
hope. Lord, I pray you'd give me, I pray you'd give us opportunities today to
share hope.

A hope of who you are and what you can do in our lives. Although those who don't
know you yet may not be concerned about your second coming, they are concerned
about their lives. And they do need to know that there is hope.

And there is a fear. There's a fear in their lives because they know this world
will not last and underlies so many decisions, so many worries, so much anxiety.
Lord, I pray that in place of that fear, you would give to these people that are
around us that we love the gift of hope and joy as they turn their hearts to
you.

And I pray that you'd help me help us to be one small part of sharing the good
news so that those hearts are turned to you. We pray this Jesus in your name.
Amen.

Join us tomorrow. We're going to end our look at this chapter and see Jesus
focusing our attitudes about the second coming.