Mark 13:26 Study Bible: Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.

◄ Mark 13:26 ►

At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

At that time
This phrase indicates a specific moment in the eschatological timeline, referring to the culmination of the events described in the preceding verses. In the Greek, "τότε" (tote) is used, which means "then" or "at that time," emphasizing a future fulfillment of prophecy. This points to a divinely appointed moment, underscoring God's sovereign control over history and the unfolding of His redemptive plan.

they will see
The Greek word "ὄψονται" (opsontai) is used here, which is the future tense of "to see." This implies a visible, undeniable manifestation that will be witnessed by all. The use of this word suggests that the event will be public and unmistakable, contrasting with the secretive or hidden nature of some other divine actions. It emphasizes the certainty and clarity of Christ's return.

the Son of Man
This title, "ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου" (ho huios tou anthrōpou), is deeply rooted in the Old Testament, particularly in Daniel 7:13-14, where it describes a messianic figure endowed with authority and dominion. Jesus frequently uses this title for Himself, highlighting both His humanity and His divine authority. It connects His earthly ministry with His future return, affirming His role as the Messiah and the fulfillment of prophecy.

coming in the clouds
The imagery of "clouds" is significant in biblical literature, often associated with divine presence and glory. In the Old Testament, clouds frequently accompany theophanies, such as in Exodus 13:21-22 and 1 Kings 8:10-11. The Greek word "νεφέλαις" (nephelai) suggests a majestic and awe-inspiring arrival, reminiscent of God's presence with Israel. This phrase assures believers of Christ's divine nature and His return in glory.

with great power
The Greek word "δυνάμεως" (dynameōs) is used here, denoting strength, might, and authority. This emphasizes the omnipotence of Christ at His return, contrasting with His first coming in humility. The phrase assures believers of the ultimate victory and authority of Christ over all creation, providing hope and encouragement in the face of trials and tribulations.

and glory
The term "δόξης" (doxēs) refers to splendor, honor, and divine radiance. In biblical context, glory is often associated with God's presence and majesty, as seen in passages like Exodus 24:16-17 and Isaiah 6:3. This phrase highlights the divine nature of Christ's return, affirming His identity as the Son of God and the fulfillment of His promises. It serves as a reminder of the ultimate glorification of Christ and the hope of believers sharing in His glory.

Persons / Places / Events

1. The Son of Man
A title Jesus frequently used for Himself, emphasizing both His humanity and His divine authority. It is rooted in the prophetic vision of Daniel 7:13-14, where the "Son of Man" is given dominion and glory.

2. The Clouds
Symbolic of divine presence and majesty. In biblical literature, clouds often accompany theophanies, or appearances of God, such as in Exodus 19:9 when God descends on Mount Sinai.

3. Great Power and Glory
This phrase underscores the majesty and authority of Christ's return. It contrasts with His first coming in humility and points to His ultimate victory and reign.

Teaching Points

The Certainty of Christ's Return
Jesus' return is a foundational truth of Christian eschatology. Believers are called to live in anticipation of this event, maintaining faith and readiness.

The Majesty of Christ
The imagery of coming with "great power and glory" reminds us of Christ's divine authority and the fulfillment of His promises. It encourages worship and reverence.

Hope in Times of Tribulation
This promise provides hope and assurance to believers facing trials, knowing that Christ will return to establish His kingdom and bring justice.

Call to Evangelism
Understanding the reality of Christ's return should motivate believers to share the gospel, as it signifies the culmination of God's redemptive plan.

Living with Eternal Perspective
The anticipation of Christ's return encourages believers to prioritize eternal values over temporal concerns, fostering a life of holiness and service.

Bible Study Questions

1. How does the title "Son of Man" deepen our understanding of Jesus' identity and mission?

2. In what ways does the imagery of clouds enhance the significance of Christ's return?

3. How can the certainty of Christ's return influence our daily decisions and priorities?

4. What parallels can we draw between the description of Christ's return in Mark 13:26 and other biblical passages like Daniel 7:13-14 and Revelation 1:7?

5. How can we effectively communicate the hope and urgency of Christ's return to those around us?

Connections to Other Scriptures

Daniel 7:13-14
This passage provides the Old Testament background for the "Son of Man" coming with the clouds, highlighting the messianic expectation of a divine ruler.

Revelation 1:7
This verse echoes the imagery of Christ coming with the clouds, emphasizing the visibility and universality of His return.

Acts 1:9-11
The ascension of Jesus into heaven is described with clouds, and the angels' message assures that He will return in the same manner.

Sermons

Christ's Second Advent	R. Glover.	Mark 13:26
Science Points to the End of the World	Dr. Kemp.	Mark 13:26
Sight of Christ as Judge	Biblical Museum	Mark 13:26
The Second Coming of Christ	A. Maclaren, D. D.	Mark 13:26
Watching	R. Green	Mark 13:1-37
Dark Sayings	E. Johnson	Mark 13:14-31
The Second Advent	J.J. Given	Mark 13:24-31

People

Andrew, Daniel, James, Jesus, John, Peter

Places

Jerusalem, Judea, Mount of Olives

Topics

Clouds, Glory, Power

Dictionary of Bible Themes

Mark 13:26

     1045   God, glory of
     1105   God, power of
     1193   glory, revelation of
     2012   Christ, authority
     2024   Christ, glory of
     2051   Christ, majesty of
     2221   Christ, Son of Man
     2505   Christ, ascension
     4805   clouds
     9130   future, the

Mark 13:3-26

9170 signs of times

Mark 13:24-27

1450 signs, kinds of
8746 false Christs

Mark 13:26-27

     1412   foreknowledge
     2345   Christ, kingdom of
     7125   elect, the
     8106   assurance, nature of
     9145   Messianic age
     9220   day of the LORD

Mark 13:26-30

2565 Christ, second coming

Library

Authority and Work
'For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.'--Mark xiii. 34. Church order is not directly touched on in the Gospels, but the principles which underlie all Church order are distinctly laid down. The whole community of Christian people is a family or household, being brethren because possessors of a new life through Christ. In that household there is one 'Master,' and all …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Credulity of Unbelief
'Many shall come in My name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive many.'--Mark xiii. 6. 'When the Son of Man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?'--Luke xviii. 8. It was the same generation that is represented in these two texts as void of faith in the Son of Man, and as credulously giving heed to impostors. Unbelief and superstition are closely allied. Religion is so vital a necessity, that if the true form of it be cast aside, some false form will be eagerly seized in order to fill the aching …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

On the Words of the Gospel, Mark xiii. 32, "But of that Day or that Hour Knoweth no One, not Even the Angels in Heaven, Neither
1. The advice, Brethren, which ye have just heard Scripture give, when it tells us to watch for the last day, every one should think of as concerning his own last day; lest haply when ye judge or think the last day of the world to be far distant, ye slumber with respect to your own last day. Ye have heard what Jesus said concerning the last day of this world, "That neither the Angels of heaven, nor the Son knew it, but the Father." [3176] Where indeed there is a great difficulty, lest understanding …
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

"But the End of all Things is at Hand, be Ye Therefore Sober and Watch unto Prayer. "
1 Pet. iv. 7.--"But the end of all things is at hand, be ye therefore sober and watch unto prayer." If ye would ask what ye should do till Christ come again, or what should be your exercise and employment in this old age of the world, here ye have it in a word, "be sober, and watch unto prayer." When Christ was to go away to his Father, and leave his disciples in this world, as he left them not orphans, or comfortless, without the Comforter, so neither left he them without counsel and direction. …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

A Short and Easy Method of Prayer
CHAPTER I The Universal Call to Prayer What a dreadful delusion hath prevailed over the greater part of mankind, in supposing that they are not called to a state of prayer! whereas all are capable of prayer, and are called thereto, as all are called to and are capable of salvation. Prayer is the application of the heart to God, and the internal exercise of love. S. Paul hath enjoined us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. v 17), and our Lord saith, "I say unto you all, watch and pray" (Mark xiii. …
Madame Guyon—A Short and Easy Method of Prayer

All are Commanded to Pray --Prayer the Great Means of Salvation
CHAPTER I. ALL ARE COMMANDED TO PRAY--PRAYER THE GREAT MEANS OF SALVATION, AND POSSIBLE AT ALL TIMES BY THE MOST SIMPLE. Prayer is nothing else but the application of the heart to God, and the interior exercise of love. St Paul commands us to "pray without ceasing" (1 Thess. v. 17). Our Lord says: "Take ye heed, watch and pray." "And what I say unto you, I say unto all" (Mark xiii. 33, 37). All, then, are capable of prayer, and it is the duty of all to engage in it. But I do not think that all are …
Jeanne Marie Bouvières—A Short Method Of Prayer And Spiritual Torrents

The Noonday.
Or, The Doctrines Of An Apostate Religion Obscuring The Gospel Light. The prophet Isaiah said. "The morning cometh, and also the night." Isa. 21:11, 12. A dark night succeeded the morning of this gospel day. Jesus said to his disciples, "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light." Mark 13:24. The tribulation here spoken of was the siege and destruction of Jerusalem, the city of the Jews, by the son of Vespasian, A.D. 70, in which …
Charles Ebert Orr—The Gospel Day

The Four Gospels.
General Character and Aim of the Gospels. Christianity is a cheerful religion and brings joy and peace from heaven to earth. The New Testament opens with the gospel, that is with the authentic record of the history of all histories, the glad tidings of salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. [871] The four canonical Gospels are only variations of the same theme, a fourfold representation of one and the same gospel, animated by the same spirit. [872] They are not full …
Philip Schaff—History of the Christian Church, Volume I

The Jewish War and the Destruction of Jerusalem. A. D. 70
"And as He went forth out of the temple, one of his disciples saith unto Him, Master, behold, what manner of stones and what manner of buildings! And Jesus said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? There shall not be left here one stone upon another, which shall not be thrown down."--Mark 13:1,2. Sources. Josephus: Bell. Jud., in 7 books; and Vita, c. 4-74. The history of the Jewish war was written by him as eye-witness about a.d. 75. English translations by W. Whiston, in Works of Jos., and …
Philip Schaff—History of the Christian Church, Volume I

The Midnight Cry.
"And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch."--Mark 13:37. "Der Herr bricht ein, um Mitternacht." [79]Zinzendorf. [[80]Johann Christoph Rube] transl., Sarah Findlater, 1858 The Lord shall come in dead of night, When all is stillness round; How happy they whose lamps are bright, Who hail the trumpet's sound! How blind and dead the world appears! How deep her slumbers are! Still dreaming that the day she fears Is distant and afar! Who spends his day in holy toil? His talent used aright, That …
Jane Borthwick—Hymns from the Land of Luther

Texts Explained; Eleventhly...
Chapter XXVIII.--Texts Explained; Eleventhly, Mark xiii. 32 and Luke ii. 52 Arian explanation of the former text is against the Regula Fidei; and against the context. Our Lord said He was ignorant of the Day, by reason of His human nature. If the Holy Spirit knows the Day, therefore the Son knows; if the Son knows the Father, therefore He knows the Day; if He has all that is the Father's, therefore knowledge of the Day; if in the Father, He knows the Day in the Father; if He created and upholds all …
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius

Content of Revelation. God Three in one and the Incarnation.
To dwell at length on the theology of Athanasius under this head is unnecessary here, not because there is little to say, but partly because what there is to say has been to some extent anticipated above, §§2, 3, and ch. ii. pp. xxxii., xxxvi., partly because the history of his life and work is the best exposition of what he believed and taught. That his theology on these central subjects was profoundly moulded by the Nicene formula is (to the present writer at least) the primary fact (see …
Athanasius—Select Works and Letters or Athanasius

Things Perishing and Things Stable
"And as He went forth out of the temple, one of His disciples saith unto Him, Master, behold, what manner of stones and what manner of buildings! And Jesus said unto him, Seest thou these great buildings? there shall not be left here one stone upon another, which shall not be thrown down. And as He sat on the Mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked Him privately, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when these things are all about …
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

The Impending Judgment
"For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there shall be earthquakes in divers places; there shall be famines: these things are the beginning of travail. But take ye heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to councils; and in synagogues shall ye be beaten; and before governors and kings shall ye stand for My sake, for a testimony unto them. And the gospel must first be preached unto all the nations. And when they lead you to judgment, and deliver you up, be not …
G. A. Chadwick—The Gospel of St. Mark

The Doctrine of Angels.
I. THEIR EXISTENCE. 1. THE TEACHING OF JESUS. 2. THE TEACHING OF THE APOSTLES. II. THEIR NATURE. 1. CREATED BEINGS. 2. SPIRITUAL BEINGS. 3. GREAT POWER AND MIGHT. 4. VARIOUS GRADES. 5. THE NUMBER OF ANGELS. III. THE FALL OF ANGELS. 1. TIME AND CAUSE. 2. THE WORK OF FALLEN ANGELS. 3. THE JUDGMENT OF FALLEN ANGELS. IV. THE WORK OF ANGELS. 1. THEIR HEAVENLY MINISTRY. 2. THEIR EARTHLY MINISTRY. a) In Relation to the Believer. b) In Relation to Christ's Second Coming. THE DOCTRINE OF ANGELS. We are not …
Rev. William Evans—The Great Doctrines of the Bible

The Doctrine of the Last Things.
A. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. B. THE RESURRECTION. C. THE JUDGMENT. D. THE DESTINY OF THE WICKED. E. THE REWARD OF THE RIGHTEOUS. THE DOCTRINE OF THE LAST THINGS. Under this caption are treated such doctrines as the Second Coming of Christ, the Resurrection of both the righteous and wicked, the Judgments, Final Awards, and Eternal Destiny. A. THE SECOND COMING OF CHEIST. I. ITS IMPORTANCE. 1. PROMINENCE IN THE SCRIPTURES. 2. THE CHRISTIAN HOPE. 3. THE CHRISTIAN INCENTIVE. 4. THE CHRISTIAN COMFORT. …
Rev. William Evans—The Great Doctrines of the Bible

Why was the Fact of Our Lord's Return Presented in the Language of Imminency and the Exact Date Withheld?
At first sight it may appear strange that our Lord has not made known to us the precise date of His appearing. He has caused many details concerning the Blessed Hope to be recorded in the Word. He has made known many things which are to transpire at His second advent, and in view of the fact that so much has been revealed it may strike us as peculiar that the very point upon which human curiosity most desires enlightenment should have been left undefined. We need hardly say that it was not ignorance …
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return

God's Dealings with the Earth During the Tribulation Period.
The interval of time which separates the removal of the Church from the earth to the return of Christ to it, is variously designated in the Word of God. It is spoken of as "the day of vengeance" (Is. 61:2). It is called "the time of Jacob's trouble" (Jer. 30:7). It is the "hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world" (Rev. 3:10). It is denominated "the great day of the Lord" (Zeph. 1:14). It is termed "the great tribulation" (Matt. 24:21). It is the time of God's "controversy with the …
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return

Our Lord Himself Spoke of his Return in the Language of Imminency.
In the Olivet discourse, where the Master replied to the inquires of His disciples concerning the Sign of His Coming and of the End of the Age, He said--"Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of Man cometh. Who then is a faithful …
Arthur W. Pink—The Redeemer's Return

Secret Study of the Holy Scriptures.
Like those Emmaus travellers we go Forth from the city-gate of things below; Christ at our side, His Scripture for our light, Here burning hearts and there the beatific sight. Already I have broken ground to some extent in the all-important subject of private Bible Study. Let me now put before my reader and Brother a few more detailed remarks and suggestions on that subject. Such is the holy Book, and such is the variety of possible modes of study, that all I can dream of doing is to touch some …
Handley C. G. Moule—To My Younger Brethren

To Each one his Work
As a man sojourning in another country, having given authority to his servants, to each one his work, commanded the porter also to watch.'--Mark 13:34 What I have said in a previous chapter of the failure of the Church to do her Master's work, or even clearly to insist upon the duty of its being done by every member has often led me to ask the question, What must be done to arouse the Church to a right sense of her calling? This little book is an attempt to give the answer. Working for God must take …
Andrew Murray—Working For God!

August 31 Evening
Occupy till I come.--LUKE 19:13. The Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.--Unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey. I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.--Wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?--Leaving …
Anonymous—Daily Light on the Daily Path

The Widened Mission, Its Perils and Defences
'Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves; be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 17. But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; 18. And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for My sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19. But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 20. For it …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

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