The Coming of the Son of Man in Mark (Part 3)

We now come to Part 3 of our blog series on Mark 13. In Part 1, we covered the signs that preceded the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D., and in Part 2, we discussed how Jesus’ use of apocalyptic language is evidence that he is prophesying judgment on Israel no the end of the world.

We now turn to v.27, 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. What does Jesus mean by the “gathering.”

The angels (Greek messengers, also used for human agents) bring in the elect from the 'four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.' This is the Gospel being proclaimed to the nations by Christ's messengers (see v. 10). After the Temple is destroyed, Christ is vindicated, and the Gospel is announced to the nations, bringing the elect into the Kingdom.

This 'gathering' theme is closely tied with Israel's regathering in Deuteronomy 30:4 and Zechariah 2:10.[1] Both of these passages are not ecological but more of a historical regathering of Israel. In Mark, these references are theologically and historically applied. The Old Testament passages are direct judgments proclaimed against the nations and then gathering in Israel from the nations (Zecheriah 2:12). In Mark verses 24-26, it is the opposite; Israel, as a nation, receives judgment, and the elect are drawn (gathered) in from the nations. It is an "ironic reversal of the sense of the Old Testament language use: the gathering of the elect of the Son of Man will be from the whole world not by extracting Jewish exiles from their places of captivity, but by including people of all nations in what had been hitherto the Jewish community of the people of God. This is the fulfillment of v.10." [2]   

However, what does it mean that Jesus makes these proclamations in the land of Israel after the Exile? 

He is already in the Promised Land, although occupied. Israel does not have the law written on their hearts, and Old Testament passages show that Israel will be brought in from many directions (Deuteronomy 30: 3, 6).

Some argue that verse 27 is the rapture having a future gathering of the elect, which they support with 1 Thessalonians 4. However, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:1-11 is discussing the Parousia, and Paul's letter is meant to assure Thessalonian Christians that they will be reunited with fellow Christians who had passed and that there is a final second coming. The section of the verse attributed to the rapture is 4:17, "Then we who are alive, who remain, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord." Being caught in the air does not mean they are now returning to heaven to Christ; this is not in the text. Rather, the Lord descending with the angels at his second coming, and all the elect, the dead and the living, will greet their King in a grand celebration (See Cara’s article in A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament, 331-332[3]).

Within the context of this passage, it seems farfetched that Mark 13 is referring to a "rapture" – the thought sequence of Mark directs the reader to the events of 70 A.D. as distinct. The judgment of Israel and the vindication of Christ. 

Mark 13, as stated in Part 2, includes what is called the mini-apocalypse. Within the apocalyptic genre, the curtain is pulled back for the reader to see the cosmic reality. Here in Mark 13, Christ is giving a prophetic message to his disciples to encourage them, but to also show the reality of 70 A.D. — that is his coronation as Israel's King who is seated on his throne in heaven. Christ is King, and the Christian belongs to Christ's Theocracy. And in just a generation’s time, the King is coming to judge.   

In Part 4, we'll cover what Jesus meant by "this generation."

[1] R.T. France, Jesus, and the Old Testament: His Application of Old Testament Passages to Himself and His Mission. Vancouver, British Columbia: Regent College Publishing, 1998, 238.
[2] R.T. France, Jesus and the Old Testament 536.
[3] You can find this article in Kruger, Michael J., ed. A Biblical-Theological Introduction to the New Testament: The Gospel Realized. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway, 2016.