But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 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. (Mark 13:24-27)

Looking At The Son

Children learn from an early age not to look directly at the sun. Parents warn children of the dangers of staring into the glare of the incredibly luminous visage of the center of the solar system. The brilliance of an early morning sun reminds the soul of the enormity of the power contained within the burning ball of hot plasma. No one can look into the sun without being blinded as everything else is shut out and only the brilliant glow of the sun envelops the senses with its raw beauty. The closer the eye comes to focus on the center of the sun the more all other things diminish until nothing is seen but the image of the atomic power of a star 94 million miles away. Jesus was asked about the signs when the judgment of the Lord would come. His reply to the disciples, the Christ illustrated the coming of the Lord when He said the Son of Man would come in the clouds with great power and great glory. Parabolically, Jesus tells of the coming judgment upon Israel and shows the signs of the time when the Lord will return a second time apart from sin for salvation. In either case, the visage of the Lord will make His presence known upon the people.

The judgment of God upon Israel was fulfilled in 70 A.D. when the Roman Empire destroyed the city of Jerusalem thus bringing to a close the nation of Israel. For all those living today the judgment of God will come in the form of the final day of judgment upon all men when the heavens and earth will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. The apostle Paul describes this day as a time when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of Christ. For the saints, this will be a day of glory as they are able to stare into the presence of One who is brighter than the sun and to admire the beauty of His radiance. Imagine being able to stare at a source of light more brilliant than the sun and suffer no harm. The saved will look into the face of Jesus Christ with no harm because His love will fill their souls with eternal salvation. The warmth of everlasting glory will flow through their bodies as a new tabernacle is formed for the everlasting dwelling with the Heavenly Father. The sun will have been destroyed by the Son whose brilliance and glory is brighter than ten billion stars. All men will see this at the coming of God’s Son but for most this will be a vision of terror at the sight of such brilliance. Staring in the face of Jesus, the Son of Man will bring eternal destruction to all those who refused to acknowledge Him in life.

Jesus wants all men to look at Him and Him alone. He is the only way to the Father, the only truth that will give man peace and the only life anyone can find in eternal rest. There are no other avenues to salvation. Like the physical sun, staring into the face of Jesus will obliterate all other things to be seen but unlike the sun will not bring harm but eternal good. The more one looks into the face of Jesus as the Son of God and Savior, the less the world is seen and recognized. Satan’s ploy is to have men take their eyes off of Jesus and look upon a world that is filled with the greenery of temptation, lust, and passion. Men have a desire to live in darkness rather than light lest their evil deeds are revealed. Coming to the light of Jesus exposes their evil hearts and they do not want to have their corruption found out. Those who come to the truth come to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. The difference for all men is defined by those who live in the light of God’s Son or those who live in the darkness of the devil’s wickedness. Only in the Son of God will man find hope and glory. Live in the Son of God letting His light dwell in the heart and when the final day comes when the sun is destroyed the Son will save. Do not look at the sun but do everything within your power to look at the Son. Your eternal destiny depends on which you look at.