Mark 13:24-27, The Coming of the Son of Man

²⁴ “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, ²⁵ and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. [The words of these verses are drawn from Isaiah 13:10 and 34:4. The first is a description of the fall of Babylon and the second of God’s judgment on all nations. This language refers to temporal judgment and the fall of political powers after the destruction of the temple. Jerusalem will basically cease to exist.] ²⁶ And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. [Read Daniel 7:13-14.] 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. [This refers not to the final judgment but to the growth of the church.]