The Gathering of His Elect
Exposition of Mark 13:27
24 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;
25 the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in heaven will be shaken. 26 Then they will see the Son
of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. 27 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.
(Mk. 13:24-27)
I. IMMEDIATE CONTEXT OF MARK 13:27
A. The Beginning of the Olivet Discourse (Mark 13:1-6)
1. Jesus’ prophecy over Jerusalem (Mk. 13:1-2) – From Mark 11:27 onward, Jesus began to teach in the temple of
Jerusalem. Jesus teaches the chief priests, the scribes, the elders and even the Pharisees as they each directed
questions pertaining to His authority, the resurrection of dead, their responsibility in tax paying and the greatest
commandment. Jesus also questioned these religious leaders about the relationship between King David and the
Messiah and taught them about extravagant giving. After Jesus finished this session of teaching in the temple, he
left the temple and headed toward the Mount of Olives. It was during this journey that one of his disciples began to
highlight the splendor of the Jerusalem temple complex. Jesus prophesied to him about the coming destruction of the
temple. This prophecy was vividly fulfilled on August 10, A.D. 70 (on the very day, according to Jewish calendar, when
the King of Babylon burned the Temple in 586 B.C). Jewish historian Flavius Josephus claimed to be present in
Jerusalem and an eyewitness of that destruction. The fulfillment of these two verses in A.D. 70 did not warrant the
fulfillment of the entire prophecy in the Olivet Discourse in A.D. 70 as some have taught. The account of the Olivet
Discourse in Matt. 24:14 and Mark 13:10 require the Gospel to be preached to all nations before the end.
2. Jesus’ private teaching to the disciples about the coming deception (Mk.13:3-6) – When Jesus sat down on
the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, Andrew and John asked Jesus privately about the sign and
timing of the fulfillment of this prophecy. Jesus’ answer to them was simply to watch out for false messiahs that will
arise to deceive many.
B. The Main Content of the Olivet Discourse (Mark 13:7-27)
1. The beginnings of sorrows (Mk. 13: 7-9) – Jesus specifies the beginning of sorrows as wars, rumor of wars, nations
rise against nations, famine, earthquakes and trouble. Cross-references for this content are Matt. 24: 6-8, Luke 21:9-11
and Rev. 6:1-12. This period is distinct from the period of the Great Tribulation, which comes after the setting up of the
abomination of desolations.
2. You will be hated by all men for My sake (Mk. 13:10-13) – Jesus explicitly prepared His disciples for the coming
days when they would be persecuted for His sake. Jesus assured the disciples that their friends, relatives and even
parents would betray them, but He would give them words of testimony before their adversary at that hour. The
persecution would become an occasion to testify.
3. The abomination of desolations and the Great Tribulation (Mk.13:14-20) – These two events are closely related
based on the teaching of Jesus Christ in the Olivet discourse. In the account of Matthew, the time sequence is more
explicit than the account in Mark. Matthew 24:15, 21 says, “So when you see the ‘abomination of desolation’…..then
there will be Great Tribulation.” The visible set up of the abomination of desolation spoken by Daniel is a sign for the
impending Great Tribulation. The abomination of desolations is found in Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11. The original Hebrew
word for “Abominations” is #WQvi (transliterated as shiqquwts and pronounced shik-koots') or #WQvi (transliterated as
shiqquts and pronounced shik-koots'). Both words are defined as “a detestable thing or idol, abominable thing,
abomination, idol and detested thing.” In Greek “abominations” is bdelugma (transliterated as bdelugma and pronounced
bdel'-oog-mah). The definition is “a foul thing, a detestable thing or of idols and things pertaining to idolatry.” The word
that was translated “desolate” in Hebrew is ~mev' (transliterated as shamem and pronounced shaw-mame'). The
corresponding Greek word is eremosij (transliterated as eremosis, and pronounced er-ay'-mo-sis), which carries a
range of meanings similar to the Hewbrew word “to be desolate, be appalled, stun, stupefy, to be desolated, be
deflowered, be deserted, be appalled, to be stunned, to devastate, ravage, make desolated and show horror.”
The account in the book of Daniel explains how this idolatrous act that will desecrate the temple will continue to bring
destruction until end. Some scholars believed that a particular historical event in Jewish history during 168 B.C. may
have fulfilled this prophecy spoken by Daniel. In 168 B.C. a Seleucid King, Antiochus IV (Epiphanes), conquered
Jerusalem, entered the Holy of Holies, desecrated the sanctuary by offering unclean animals on the altar, plundered the
temple treasury, erected an idol of Jupiter Olympius in the temple and dedicated the temple to Jupiter.
In the context of the Olivet Discourse, the abomination of desolation cannot be a historical event that happened in the
2nd Century B.C. because Jesus taught the disciples to look out for a future sign. Thus, the act of Antiochus IV only
served as a type and shadow of a future event after the time of Christ.
The Great Tribulation refers to a period of great trouble on earth that had not happened since the world began. The
Greek word for “great” in this context is megaj (transliterated as megas), which can be expounded as “great, abundant,
all the more, greater, greatest, severe, too much, very much and wide.” The Greek word for tribulation is qliyij
(transliterated as thlipsis), which can be defined as “affliction, anguish, distress, persecution, tribulation and trouble.”
Thus the concept of the Great Tribulation literally means “greatest affliction, distress, persecution and trouble.”
4. The presence of false prophets and false christs (Mk. 13:21-23) – The rise of many false prophets and false
christs with signs and wonders during this period is part of Satan’s deceptive scheme that seeks to ensnare even
God’s elect.
5. Gathering of His elect at the Second Coming of Christ (Mk. 13:24-27) – At the end of the Great Tribulation,
cosmic and seismic signs will occur to set the stage for the coming (parousia) of Christ and the deliverance and
gathering of His elect.
C. The Conclusion of the Olivet Discourse (Mark 13:28-37)
1. The sign of the fig tree (Mk. 13:28-29) – In Mark 13:4 the disciples asked Jesus what would be the sign and the timing
of the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy. Jesus gave the disciples seven important signs and timing indicators in the Olivet
Discourse (i.e. the sign of the beginning of sorrows, the sign of the Gospel going to all the nations, the sign of the
abomination of desolation, the sign of the Great Tribulation, the sign of the Son of Man, the sign of cosmic darkness
and the sign of the fig tree).
2. The certainty of God’s word (Mk. 13:30-31) – Jesus taught the disciples that the certainty of this prophecy is
greater than the foundation of earth and heaven. Before the consummation of this age, this prophecy will surely come
to pass.
3. Only the Father knows the time and the hour (Mk.13:32) – Mark 13:32 starts with the phrase, “But of that day
and hour no one knows…” This verse is taught in the context of the various sure signs that Jesus already gave to His
disciples. In other words, Jesus gave the disciples revelation of the important signs that point the nearness of His Second
Coming but not the exact day or hour of His return. The period of cosmic darkness prior to the parousia may have a role
in keeping the prophetic time clock mysterious.
4. Final exhortation to watch (Mk.13:33-37) – Jesus taught the disciples to be like faithful servants who are committed
to the master’s house because the master is returning at an unknown time. Thus a faithful servant must be found
watching and praying at anytime for the coming of his master.
II. EXEGETICAL STUDY OF MARK 13:27
A. Outline of Mark 13:24-27
1. Events after the Great Tribulation (v. 24a)
2. Major cosmic and seismic disturbances (vs. 24b-25)
3. Visible coming of Christ in power and glory (v. 26)
4. Deployment of angels (v. 27a)
5. Gathering of His elect from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven (v. 27b)
B. “He will send His angels…”
1. “Send” in Greek is apostelei (apostello). To send is an act by the Lord Himself who will apostelei or send forth His angels
(-avggelouj, transliterated as aggelos and pronounced ang’-el-os). The word apostelei carries two important emphases:
apo and stello. Together they describe a process of setting fast, setting apart and sending forth properly with a mission,
not just random traveling. The emphasis of this reality is on the one who is sending, that is the Lord Himself. In this is
particular context “send” is in active third person verb, thus indicating that the Lord Himself who will send His angels is
not among the angels.
2. “Angels” in its various forms is used 186 times in the New Testament. In most occasions they have been translated
as “angel” in singular and in plural forms. Only in seven occurrences, they have been translated as “messenger” in
singular and plural forms. These occurrences refer to human messenger, but “messenger” in 2 Cor.12:7, “a messenger
of Satan buffet me,” can refer to a demonic or human messenger who was an instrument of Satan. The context of Mark
13:27 demands aggelos to be interpreted as angelic messengers, not human messengers, who can gather with four
winds.
3. In conclusion, this verse details a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ sending forth His angelic messengers at His
Second Coming to gather together His elect. He sent these angels on His behalf to gather the elect with four winds.
C. “…gather together His elect…”
1. “Gather together” in the Greek is evpisuna,xei (transliterated as episunaxei). This Greek word is used in 8 other places
in the New Testament, and in every occurrence, it is translated as “gathered” or “gathered together”. A deeper look at the
root meaning of the word reveals that episunaxei carries the connotation of “to collect or to gather together in one
direction or one collecting point.” It interesting to note the metaphor Jesus used in Luke 17:37, “And they answered and
said to Him, ‘Where, Lord?’ So He said to them, ‘Where the body is, there the eagles [aetos] will be gathered together.’”
In this context, the phrase “gathered together” is of the same Greek root word kai, oi` avetoi, evpisunacqh,sontaiÅ.
In Matthew 23:37, this same Greek word was used by Jesus Christ explain the heart of the Lord to gather the inhabitants
of Jerusalem as the hen gathering her chicks under her wings. Matthew 24:31, the parallel passage to this passage,
uses the same Greek word as well.
2. The Greek word for “elect” is ejklektovj (transliterated as eklektous). This word is translated sixteen times as
“elect” and seven times as “chosen” in the King James Version of the New Testament. This word has a wide range of
applications. It is used to describe Jesus Christ our Lord (Luke 23:35, 1 Peter 2:4,6), gentile believers (1 Peter 2:9,
2 Tim 2:10), angels (1 Tim. 5:21), Peter and Paul as Jewish believers and apostles (1 Peter 1:1, Titus 1:1) and believers
(Luke 18:7). The context of Revelation 17:14 also demands eklektous to refer to “chosen” ones from every tongue,
tribes and nations.
3. In conclusion, The Lord Jesus Christ will send His angelic messengers to gather together His believers, the chosen
ones from both Jews and Gentiles, into one direction or focal area. From the above survey of the usage of the New
Testament words, the usage of the Greek word eklektous cannot merely be restricted to Jews. In doing so, people would
tend to interpret this text to fit their eschatological or theological presupposition.
D. “…four winds…”
1. The words “four winds” in Greek are tevssarej a[nemoj (transliterated as tessares anemos). This phrase simply
means “literal winds” (moving air that can be violent wind like that which Paul experienced in Acts 27:14) that are related
to four cardinal points (quarters of the earth). In every New Testament occurrence of “winds,” it is only translated as wind.
In Revelation 7:1, the Apostle John saw four angels holding the winds from the four corner of the earth and another angel
came down to command the four angels not to harm anyone until the servants of God have been sealed by the seal of
God. These servants of God are from the twelve tribes are Israel, literally.
2. Since the gathering of the elect involved angels by the means of wind, it pain a clear and solid biblical imagery
of angelic messengers gathering the elect with wind other than any other explanation e.g. gathering Israelites to the land
after the tribulation etc.
E. “…from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven”
1. The Greek form of “farthest part of earth” is a;krou gh/j (transliterated as akrou gees). This expression refers to
the extreme or uttermost end or limit of the soil, earth, ground, globe, country or land. This word is used 251 times in the
New Testament and carries the various meaning as listed above.
2. The Greek form of “farthest part of Heaven” is a;krou ouvranou/Å (transliterated as akrou ouranou). This expression
refers to the extreme or uttermost limit of heaven, sky, air or even the abode of God. It is used 284 times in the New
Testament and is almost always translated as heaven or heavens. Many times it is used in the context of the kingdom of
heaven (basilei,an tw/n ouvranw/n). In several occasions when it was translated as “air”, it describes flying creature like
fowl and birds in the air.
3. In conclusion, what Mark 13:27 is clearly depicting is the gathering of the believers from every tongue, tribe and
nation, which includes Jewish believers, by angelic messengers who are sent by the Lord Jesus Christ covering the
uttermost extent of all land on the globe, the sky, every space of flight and even beyond in the heavens. This is the
meaning intended by the Jesus Christ set within the historical-grammatical boundary of the passage of Mark 13.
III. THE MEANING OF MARK 13:27 AND ITS SIGNIFICANCE IN ESCHATOLOGY
A. His elect
1. Dispensational Premillennialist and Pre-Tribulationist scholars, teachers and writers, in an effort to give validity
to the rapture of the saints before the Great Tribulation, had to ascribe this gathering of the elect (eklektous) only to the
Jews. This occurrence clearly happens after the Great Tribulation, and by doing so, the time sequence, so clearly taught
by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse, is no longer applicable to the Church but the Jews only. The grammatical study of the
word “elect” (eklektous) does not yield consistent results with their pre-supposition.
2. Mark 13:37 clearly speaks of angelic messengers, not human messengers, sent by the Lord to gather the elect,
believers, of God by winds from four corner of the earth from the uttermost part of the earth and also sky and heavens.
This saying of Jesus Christ cannot be referred to the gathering of Jews by Jesus Christ to the land of Israel and
Jerusalem after the Great Tribulation and still maintain the rapture of the saints happen in another even prior to the
Great Tribulation.
3. Our exegetical study of Mark 13:27 within the context of the Olivet Discourse yielded a clear conclusion that
Jesus Christ clearly describing the gathering of the saints through the four winds by the angels He sent. The
phenomenon is commonly known as the Rapture of the saints (i.e. the saints being caught up in the air at the Second
Coming of Jesus Christ after they receive their resurrected bodies). In conclusion, it is obvious the Jesus Christ taught
the disciples the gathering of the elect will happen after the Great Tribulation, which refers to the Rapture of the saints
as stated in 1 Thessalonians 4:17.
4. The elect does not just refer to Jews but to chosen ones, Jews and Gentiles.
5. The gathering together is not a depiction of the gathering of Jews to Jerusalem and the land of Israel but of
believers with winds and angels taken up to meet Jesus Christ in the sky.
6. Thus the evidence of Scripture from Mark 13 reveals by necessity that the Second Coming of Christ must be
placed after the occurrence of the Great Tribulation. The Rapture of the saints will happen after the appearance of
Christ.
B. This study provides a clear biblical case that challenges the validity of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture within the
Pre-Millennialist’s camp. The challenge of the most popular view of Eschatology in the Protestant Evangelical world
still stands and must be answered with sound exegetical evidence from the Olivet Discourse (i.e. Eschatology
according to Jesus Christ).