Shema Living During End Times #18
“Immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:29-31)
The Mount Olive Discourse in Matthew 24 all began with a couple of questions the disciples asked Jesus, As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? (v. 3) The initial question of, “When will these things (the Temple destroyed (v. 2) happen?” has been answered but not directly as Jesus speaks to both first-century Roman Empire circumstances that have already occurred as well as to future end times events that are still waiting to transpire. However, the second question is now answered. “The sign” of Jesus coming will be…wait for it…Jesus’ coming! All the previous indicators that have included multiple warnings of false Christs, betrayal, persecution, as well as the ongoing advance of the gospel to every people group during these troublesome times all move towards the one sign…Jesus’ actual, without question, foretold second advent to gather His church and then initiate His wrath and final judgment on evil and lostness!
Verse 29 begins with a succinct summary of Jesus’ earlier prophetic words. As that time comes to a completion, a shift to utter and complete physical darkness is prophesied. “…sun will be darkened…moon will not give its light…stars will fall from heaven…” all the sources of earthly illumination will be extinguished as the Son of Man and the Light of the World is about to enter.
These cosmic events return us back to Revelation 6. In earlier posts, the presentation of how Jesus’ Matthew 24 words are eerily like the vision given to John in Revelation 6 regarding the first five seals. Now, the sixth seal, echoes the same message of Matthew 24:29. And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. (Revelation 6:12-14) Other references describing this cataclysmic moment from the Old Testament passages include Isaiah 13:9-11; Joel 2:10-11, 30-31.
In the aftermath of this world-wide darkness and colossal shaking, “the Son of Man will appear…” Though there are different interpretations, personally, the most apparent position to take is that the “sign’ is the Person of Christ Jesus. Similarly, as mentioned by Christ when he said, “the sign of Jonah” (Matthew 16:4)—the sign to come is foreshadowed in the life of Jonah. Now, this Old Testament template is reflected in Jesus, Himself, as the Sign that answers the disciples’ question of, “what will be the sign of Your coming…?”
Jesus’ second advent will cause the response of great grieving. The word “mourn” denotes “to beat the breast in anguish.” Those “tribes” signifying the inhabitants of the entire world, who said “No!” to Christ will be left with the reality of great, eternal anguish as impending judgment tells of their future fate. Thus, Jesus’ decisive and universal display not only communicates to each one, without any question, of what is occurring, it brings great lament to those who rejected Christ and embraced evil. The day of great rejoicing for the good and faithful will not be experienced by most as Christ returns in “power and great glory.”
Jesus then gives the order to His angels to sound the trumpet and gather “His elect”—the rapture of the church and His saints will be the first order of business upon Jesus’ arrival. In Old Testament times the blowing of trumpets denoted a time of war (like in Joshua 6) or the announcement of a Jewish festival. Thus, the ultimate and final trumpet blast (1 Thessalonians 4:16) denotes the soon-to-be expression of God’s wrath in battle over the Satanic forces as well as the ultimate marriage feast with the Lamb. The Church, as stated by Paul, will be “delivered from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:10) So Jesus’ angels will gather all of God’s elect from the four corners of the earth as well as of those who are “asleep.”
The Sign is the Person of Christ, the Son of Man! As Creator. Savior, and now, as King and Lord Christ returns as the universal Light-giver, one more time, in the role of Judge.
Our Father, thank You that suffering will only last for the night but joy, Your joy, comes in the full light of the morning. Rise up and bring forth Your salvation. Thank You for always defeating darkness and delivering Your people before judgment. Whether Lot and family, Noah and family, or Rahab and family…You first deliver and snatch away the elect and then bring forth, immediately after, the rain of fire and brimstone or the closing of the ark’s door, or impenetrable walls that tumble to the ground. This is Your way! May we embrace the invitation to endure through Satan’s evil as Your disciples all the way up until darkness encompasses the whole world and You “split the sky” and the rapture of Your church precedes Your onslaught of wrath as Judge. In Jesus’ name, amen.
