Mark 13:24-27

The Arrival of the Son of Man

13:24 “But in those days, after that suffering, ¹  the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light; 13:25 the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. ²  13:26 Then everyone ³  will see the Son of Man arriving in the clouds ⁴  with great power and glory. 13:27 Then he will send angels and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven. ⁵ 

[13:24]  ¹ tn Traditionally, “tribulation.”

[13:25]  ² sn An allusion to Isa 13:10, 34:4 (LXX); Joel 2:10. The heavens were seen as the abode of heavenly forces, so their shaking indicates distress in the spiritual realm. Although some take the powers as a reference to bodies in the heavens (like stars and planets, “the heavenly bodies,” NIV) this is not as likely.

[13:26]  ³ tn Grk “they.”

[13:26]  ⁴ sn An allusion to Dan 7:13. Here is Jesus returning with full judging authority.

[13:27]  ⁵ tn Or “of the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context.