Matthew 24:29-44 The Great Tribulation Pt. 4: The Coming of the Son of Man

I’ve been arguing that Matthew 24 is not some prophecy about the future end of the world, but is actually all about the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple at the hands of the Romans in 70 AD.

Right before this chapter, Jesus condemned the Jews for rejecting Him and said Matthew 23:38 “See, your house, your Temple, is left to you desolate.”

then He told His disciples You see all these, do you not? You see this Temple and all of its buildings? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down (Matthew 24:2).

This Temple is dead. Its unclean. Abandoned. And I’m going to tear it down brick by brick.

And then He says verse 34: Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place (Matthew 24:34).

That is the key. That is the key to this whole chapter.

Either everything Jesus said in Matthew 24 happened exactly as He said it did before that generation passed away or else He was a false prophet, He was not the Son of God, and we are still dead in our sins.

Verses 4-14 gave us the birth pains. The beginning signs of the Old Covenant age growing old and ready to vanish away (Heb. 8:13).

Then verses 15-28, gave us the Abomination of Desolation and Judgment like lightning.

Those verses get to the actual labor and delivery of the Old Covenant age passing away once and for all to give birth to the stand alone New Covenant, gospel age without the shadow of the Old Covenant weighing it down anymore.

And now, we get to verses 29-44. These verses tell us the results of the Great Tribulation. What happens after. What did all of this bring about.

And these verses are some of the main reasons people read Matthew 24 and see it all in the future.

The Sun, moon, and stars not giving their light and falling from heaven.

The Son of Man coming on the clouds

Angels going out to gather in the elect from one end of heaven to the other.

And one being taken and the other left.

This is where we need to remember what Jesus said. This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

So lets get into it.

Let’s see how the destruction of Jerusalem and the Great Tribulation ultimately shows us that...

God is faithful to all of His covenant promises.

And then look at what that means for us today who have been given New Covenant promises from God.

The De-Creation of Israel

Matthew 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Right off the bat. How in the world can I say this happened in AD 70?

Have you been outside? Its hot! The sun’s still there. The moon is still there. The stars are still there.

But what are our rules?

Number 1: Scripture interprets Scripture.

Number 2: We interpret less clear passages in light of more clear passages and not the other way around.

And Number 3: A literal interpretation of Scripture is one that interprets Scripture as the literature that it is.

You interpret historical narrative as history. Poetry as poetry. Prophecy as prophecy.

The “literal” meaning of Scripture is the one the author wanted to communicate.

So if you want to read the Bible literally you need to try to read what the author wanted to say how the author wanted to say it.

That’s hermeneutics. That’s Bible interpretation 101.

And when it comes to Matthew 24, this is prophecy. Jesus is the True Prophet of God in the same vein as all the other prophets of God.

And the language Jesus uses here is prophetic language that talks about, not the end of the world, but of destruction of nations or cities under the judgment of God.

In fact, Jesus most likely quotes these words from Isaiah 13:9-11. Look what it says.

Isaiah 13:9-11 Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light. I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.

Who was Isaiah talking about? Verse 1: The oracle concerning Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw (Isaiah 13:1).

When God says the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light, the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light, He is talking about Babylon. The same Babylon that destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC and took Israel into exile.

But the world did not come to an end when Babylon was destroyed. Its still going now.

This is judgment language. De-creation language to say to a nation, I’m going to de-create you.

I’m going to turn your lights out. The sun, moon, and stars will no longer shine on you because I’m going to wipe you off from the face of the earth.

And like I said, this is normal, everyday prophetic language.

Here’s what God said to Egypt. Ezekiel 32:7-8 When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens and make their stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over you, and put darkness on your land, declares the Lord God.

To Edom Isaiah 34:4-5 All the host of heaven shall rot away, and the skies roll up like a scroll. All their host shall fall, as leaves fall from the vine, like leaves falling from the fig tree. For my sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction.

Jesus is prophesying, just like the prophets before Him, that Israel was going to be destroyed. The sun, moon, and stars were not going to shine on it anymore because they were no longer going to exist.

That’s what this de-creation language is all about.

God’s judgment and the end of nations.

Why? Why is that how God tells a nation He is going to destroy them? Where did the prophets get this idea? From Genesis.

When God made the sun, moon, and stars, what did He say?

Genesis 1:14-18 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

God created the sun, moon, and stars to rule, or govern, day and night.

This is why God uses them as symbols for earthly governors who rule earthly kingdoms.

We even still see this today. There’s 50 stars on the American flag. Japan has a red sun. Middle Eastern countries use a crescent moon.

Collapsing solar systems in prophetic literature, are not talking about the literal dissolution of the cosmos. They are talking about about collapsing nations. No more light. No more day. No more night. Because you are not going to exist.

And that’s exactly what happened to Israel in AD 70. They were absolutely destroyed and wiped off the face of the earth under God’s judgment.

And here’s what’s really interesting.

Its it is not a coincidence that Jesus quotes Isaiah’s prophecy against Babylon in Matthew 24 because in Revelation, Jerusalem is the Harlot Babylon. The New Babylon.

Israel becomes the new kingdom of darkness and enemy of God’s people, the church.

So when Jesus says Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, He, as the True Prophet, is using prophetic language to prophesy about the de-creation of Israel, not the de-creation of the world, for breaking God’s covenant and crucifying the Messiah.

Verse 30...

The Coming of the Son of Man

Matthew 24:30-31 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 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.

Alright. So I really want you to work with me here, because this is one of those passages that is so familiar that everyone just assumes the know what it means and that keeps them from reading it carefully.

Most people read this, and they think this is talking about the Second Coming. But remember what Jesus said: This generation.

And not only the context, but the text and the Old Testament background itself tells us this passage is talking about something other than the Second Coming of Christ.

First off, I don’t think Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man is the best translation of this verse.

Literally in Greek, if you just translated this verse word for word it would say: And then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven.

Why is that significant?

Because its not the sign that’s in Heaven. Its the Son of Man that’s in Heaven.

Jesus says then will appear the sign, that Jesus, the Son of Man, is truly in heaven reigning at the right hand of the Father.

This is not talking about Jesus’ physical, Second Coming.

If it was then Jesus wouldn’t have said you will see the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. He would’ve said you will see the Son of Man in heaven (Kik, An Eschatology of Victory, 137).

What Jesus is talking about is a sign, that will show everyone that Jesus is reigning in heaven.

That He is King of kings and Lord of lords, seated at the right hand of the Father with all power and glory.

Its not a sign that you see up there in the clouds of heaven, its a sign that tells you what’s going on in heaven.

So, what is that sign? Its the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

That’s why it says and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn.

Again. A literal translation of this verse would say all the tribes of the land. Of the land.

Well when you hear tribes and you hear land in the Bible, what should you immediately think of?

The 12 tribes of Israel in the Promise Land.

That’s precisely the idea here.

Jesus says all the tribes of Israel will mourn in the destruction of Jerusalem because of what Revelation calls the wrath of the Lamb,

The wrath of Christ when brings the judgment of God and all the covenant curses of the Old Testament against the tribes of Israel for rejecting Him, crucifying Him, and persecuting His church.

They will mourn because of the great and terrible Day of the Lord.

And when they mourn, when they see their city destroyed and all the judgment of God poured out Jesus says they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

This is what the sign ultimately pointed to.

I know, this sure looks like the Second Coming, but its not.

Remember, we are constrained by Jesus’ own words: Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

But Jesus also says almost the exact same thing to Caiaphas, the High Priest in Matthew 26:63-64: And the high priest said to him, “…Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Jesus tells Caiaphas you, Caiphas, the High Priest will see me coming on the clouds.

And He links coming on the clouds with seated at the right hand of Power, which means this is not about Jesus’ second coming but rather His reigning at the right hand of the Father.

That’s why the High Priest tore his robes and said Jesus uttered blasphemy.

The Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory in Matthew 24 and with Caiaphas in Matthew 26 is not a New Testament idea, but a direct reference to Daniel 7:13-14 which is one of the most important verses about the Messiah in the entire Old Testament.

Daniel says...

Daniel 7:13-14 I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

The Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven is not Jesus coming back to earth, but coming up to the Ancient of Days, to God the Father to receive an everlasting Kingdom over all nations which will never pass away or be destroyed.

In other words one of power and great glory.

This is exactly what happened at Christ’s Ascension in Acts 1:9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.

That cloud became Christ’s chariot that took Him to the Ancient of Days to reign at the right hand of the Father.

Psalm 110:1 The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.”

Now obviously, Christ sat on the throne as King of kings and Lord of lords when He Ascended into heaven.

But that world defining truth wasn’t seen, as it were, until the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 at the hands of the Romans.

That’s what makes it the sign of the Son of Man in heaven.

That was when all the tribes of Israel and the entire Roman Empire saw that Christ really was the King of kings and Lord of lords because it was the definitive proof that all nations and kingdoms had been given to Him.

Israel was the first nation Christ judged as King of heaven and earth.

They were destroyed because they were the first nation that rejected Christ and persecuted His people.

And what that did was show all the other nations what would happen if they raged against the Lord and His Anointed. If they refused to kiss the Son lest they perish (Psalm 2).

If that’s what Christ did to the Old Covenant chosen people of God for rejecting Him, what will He do to everybody else.

This is why the destruction of Jerusalem is the sign that Christ the Son of Man ascended to the throne to rule over all nations as King of kings and Lord of lords with a Kingdom that will not pass away and never be destroyed.

And as Paul says, He must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet (1 Cor. 15:25).

Well what about this loud trumpet call and gathering in the elect?

Matthew 24:31 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.

Now the majority interpretation, just like with the rest of this passage, is that this is about the Second Coming of Christ. And I’ll tell you, there is a good reason people assume that.

1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15 both talk about a trumpet sounding at the return of Christ.

But that’s not what’s going on here, because remember, this generation.

So what does this mean? Well, Again we have here is Jesus using prophetic language and imagery as the True Prophet of God.

Zech 2:6 flee north = babylon

Matthew 11:10 “This is he of whom it is written, “ ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’”

Concluding with John 11:47-53

The Lesson of the Fig Tree

The Days of Noah

Conclusion/Covenant Judgment - Covenant Promises

God is faithful to all His covenant promises.

Note on Great Tribulation mt 24:21 that talks about why it was a blessing to teh church and part of God’s plan possibly. may not use

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