What does Mark 13:24 mean by "the sun will be darkened"? Text of Mark 13:24 “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.” Immediate Context in the Olivet Discourse Mark 13 is the Lord’s response to questions about the destruction of the temple, the sign of His coming, and the consummation of the age (Mark 13:1–4; cf. Matthew 24; Luke 21). Verse 24 follows Jesus’ description of unparalleled tribulation (Mark 13:19). The darkness is therefore part of the climactic events that immediately precede His visible return (Mark 13:26). Old Testament Background of Cosmic Darkness 1. Isaiah 13:10—“For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark when it rises…” (copied verbatim in the 1QIsᵃ scroll, ca. 150 BC, confirming textual stability). 2. Ezekiel 32:7; Joel 2:10, 31; 3:15; Amos 8:9. 3. The “Day of the LORD” motif regularly includes solar obscuration as a sign of divine judgment and imminent divine visitation. Consistent New Testament Usage Acts 2:20 re-affirms Joel’s prophecy; Revelation 6:12, 8:12, and 16:10 depict darkness in the final judgments. Jesus therefore draws on a well-known prophetic framework rather than introducing a novel image. Literal Phenomenon or Apocalyptic Imagery? Biblical prophecy often interweaves literal events with symbolic language (cf. the literal crucifixion amid symbolic darkness, Luke 23:44-45). Scripture does not present this darkness as mere metaphor: • Exodus 10:21-23 records three literal days without sunlight over Egypt. • At Calvary, darkness fell from noon to 3 p.m. (Mark 15:33) despite clear astronomical impossibility of a solar eclipse at Passover’s full moon, marking it as supernatural. These precedents favor a future, literal obscuration accompanied by symbolic meaning (judgment, mourning, interruption of created order). Exegetical Analysis of ὁ ἥλιος σκοτισθήσεται The verb σκοτίζω in the divine passive (“will be darkened”) denotes an action God brings about (cf. Revelation 8:12). The aorist subjunctive emphasizes a decisive, punctiliar event rather than a prolonged gradual dimming. Historical Fulfillment: AD 70 Foreshadowing Josephus (Wars 6.5.3) recounts ominous celestial phenomena—“a star resembling a sword, and a comet”—just prior to Jerusalem’s fall. While no extant record mentions a blacked-out sun in AD 70, the judgment on the temple prefigures the ultimate Day of the LORD. Many commentators therefore see a double-fulfillment pattern: near (temple) and far (consummation). Eschatological Fulfillment: The Future Day of the LORD Revelation’s sixth seal (Revelation 6:12-14) unfolds in striking parallel—sun becomes “black like sackcloth,” moon “like blood,” stars fall, and heaven departs “like a scroll.” Jesus’ chronology (Mark 13:24-27) places this blackout immediately before His visible, glorious return. Thus, the darkness functions as: 1. A universal signal halting normal life (Isaiah 24:1-3). 2. A judicial sign against human rebellion (Isaiah 24:21-22). 3. A stage-setting device, allowing the glory of the Son of Man to appear against a stark backdrop (Mark 13:26). Biblical Precedent for Miraculous Darkness • Exodus plague—geologically feasible via volcanic ash from the Santorini eruption (Ussher chronology places Santorini’s blast within centuries of the Exodus). • Crucifixion darkness—first-century historian Thallus tried to explain it as an eclipse (quoted in Julius Africanus, AD 221), inadvertently attesting historicity. God therefore uses both providentially timed natural mechanisms and direct supernatural fiat to achieve His purposes. Scientific Plausibility and Intelligent Design Implications 1. Volcanism: Eruption of Tambora (1815) and Krakatoa (1883) dimmed solar output globally; ice-core sulfur spikes corroborate. A cluster of end-time seismic events (Mark 13:8; Revelation 16:18-20) could trigger massive eruptions sufficient to veil the sun. 2. Impact Events: A single Chicxulub-class bolide lifts stratospheric dust, darkening the sky for months. Creationist astronomers note God’s sovereign timing rather than undirected chance. 3. Planetary-scale supernatural intervention remains fully within the Creator’s prerogative (Genesis 1:14-18), underscoring both His power and purposeful design. Theological Significance: Judgment and Redemption 1. Reversal of Creation: Day-four lights “to give light on the earth” (Genesis 1:17) are muted, symbolizing uncreation and divine displeasure. 2. Passover Echo: Darkness precedes deliverance (Exodus 10 → Exodus 12), foreshadowing eschatological rescue of the faithful (Mark 13:27). 3. Christus Victor: As darkness shrouded Calvary yet heralded atonement, end-time darkness preludes the public vindication of the risen Christ. Application for the Believer Because God controls cosmic powers, His promises stand secure. The looming blackout warns the unrepentant and comforts the faithful: “Lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28). Preparation lies not in stockpiling candles but in living holy and evangelistic lives (2 Peter 3:11-12). Evangelistic Appeal Just as no one can halt the setting of the sun, so no one can halt the return of its Creator. The same Jesus who predicted cosmic darkness also declared, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). Embrace that Light now, and the coming darkness becomes a gateway to eternal dawn. |
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