"At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory." (Mark 13:26)
After a frightening and terror-filled description of the signs that the disciples were to watch for, Jesus gives us hope.
"And He will send His angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens." (Mark 13:27)
But not before three final celestial events, as prophesied by Isaiah:
"The sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
The stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken." (Mark 13:24-25, Isaiah 13:10, 34:4)
After all that must happen, after all the consequences of sin, Jesus will come back; He will retrieve us no matter where we are - His elect.
Are you one of Jesus' elect? You are if you believe in Him - His sinless life, the necessity for Him to be sacrificed as the only One worthy to redeem us from our sin which we were all born into; that He was raised by God - from a sealed tomb - on the third day, and now sits at the right hand of God.
If you believe, you are the elect.
All that Jesus has described to His disciples, which we've studied these past four weeks, must happen - will happen - whether in our lifetimes or in future generations. The one thing we should want more than anything in life is to be called His elect.
Then you, too will experience the joy of the fulfillment of those days. Rejoice with me.