“then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man,” Jesus in Matthew 24:30
“And the Pharisees and Sadducees…to test Him asked Him [for] a sign from heaven.” (Matthew 16:1)
“There is a profound theology [in] this language of cosmic catastrophe at the end of the age. It illustrates the transcendence of God and the dependence of his creation on its Creator.” (George Eldon Ladd, Revelation)
In contrast to the false Christs whose “arrivals” must be pointed out to others (v. 26), the world’s attention will be riveted to the dramatic return of Christ, much like a lightning bolt that flashes across the sky (v. 27).
Accompanying His return will be four astronomical signs. The sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken (v.29). Similar phrases are used elsewhere in the Bible when speaking of the End Times. Joel 2:10 says “the sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.” (See also Isaiah 13:10, 34:4, Ezekiel 32:7 and Amos 8:9.)
Another item debated in the study of the End Times is if this apocryphal language is literal. Many scholars agree that this “earth shattering” language is figurative. But the Bible records two times when the sun was literally darkened: the plague upon Egypt (see Exodus 10:21-23) and Jesus’ crucifixion (see Matthew 27:45).
When Jesus says “powers of heavens” (v.29) He is not speaking astronomically but of “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places,” (Ephesians 6:12; see also Ephesians 1:21 and 2:2). The powers of the heavens will be shaken and cast into the lake of fire as a final act of judgment with His return (see Revelation 20).
The Pharisees and the Sadducees will get exactly what they demanded in Matthew 16:1 when they asked Jesus for a sign from heaven. He denied them then. But not forever. One can almost hear a colloquial voice saying, “Oh, don’t you worry, now, Mr. Pharisee and Dr. Sadducee; you’ll get your sign, alright.” But it will not be a sign of amusement or entertainment; it will be a sign of awful, terrifying judgment.
Let’s remember that the return of Christ comes immediately after the tribulation of those days (v. 29) where the followers of Christ will be delivered up and put to death and hated by all nations because of Christ (v. 9). Therefore when Christ comes for vengeance and judgment, all the tribes of the earth will mourn (v.30).
And He will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other, (v. 31). This is yet another verse whose meaning is debated. Many say this is the rapture, when believers “will be caught up…to meet the Lord in the air,” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
But is this interpretation conclusive? Revelation 19:14 says the armies of heaven will follow Him as He returns to earth. And verse 31 says the elect will be gathered not from earth but from one end of heaven to the other. But Mark 13:27 softens this polarity by saying the elect will come from both heaven and earth. Blomberg, in The New American Commentary on Matthew (p. 363), captures this lack of closure: “Disputes about a pretribulation, midtribulation, or posttribulation rapture will have to be settled by other texts.”
No event in the history of our planet since creation will impact earth as the return of the Lord For most it will be a terrible day of reckoning and judgment. Yet for those who have suffered for His sake, God’s Word gives this exhortation: Straighten up and raise your heads, “for your redemption draweth nigh,” (Luke 21:28, KJV).
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