When Christ Arrives
Matthew 24:29-31
February 8, 2009
Morning Service
Introduction
Predictions
I think there is a world market for maybe five computers – Thomas Watson, Chairman of IBM 1943
Who wants to hear actors talk? H.M. Warner 1927
Drill for oil? You mean drill into the ground to try to find oil? You’re crazy. Drillers response to Edwin Drake in 1859
640 Kilobytes ought to be enough for anybody – Bill Gates 1981
One area of interest for many people is the understanding of prophecy. The Bible is filled with a variety of prophetic passages. The Old Testament often refers to the birth of Christ. There are also a variety of prophecies about the second coming or the Day of the Lord. One scholar made a study of the various passages and gave a numeric breakdown.
The Old Testament has 1,845 references to the second coming and the theme is prominent in 17 different Old Testament books. The New Testament contains 27 different books and 23 of them give reference to the second coming. The New Testament also contains 260 chapters and there are 318 separate references to the second coming. One out of every thirty verses of the New Testament is dedicated to the second coming. For every reference to the birth of Christ, there are eight references to the second coming.
We are continuing to move through Matthew chapter 24. Here are is a basic breakdown of basic divisions and events in the chapter.
Nine major signs of the last days 1-14
False Messiahs
War and World Violence
Natural Disasters
Persecution
Apostasy
False Leaders that Offer False Hope
A Great Falling Away
Faith that Endures
World Evangelism
The final sign: abomination of desolation 15-28
The beginnings of the birth pains (24:8)
The Abomination that Causes desolation (24:15)
The Great Tribulation (24:21)
The sight of the Son of Man (24:29-30)
The gathering of the saints (24:31)
29 "Immediately after the distress of those days " `the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 30 "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. Matthew 24:29-31
The coming of Christ will not take place until after the tribulation. The Great tribulation will last approximately 3 and a half years. The return of Christ will occur approximately 3 and a half years after the abomination that causes desolation.
Another way to see this is that the coming of Christ ends the great tribulation and human history. Christ comes to bring an end to the reign of the Antichrist. Christ returns to fulfill His divine promise. Christ comes to put an end to the suffering and hardships of the church. All of the previous events and signs lead to the end of history and the beginning of the 1000 year reign of Christ. Through all of the suffering, trials and hardships the promise of Christ never changes, He will return.
Verse 29 gives the visible effects of the coming of Christ on the world.
• The sun will refuse to shine
• The moon will be unable to shine
• The stars will fall from the skies
• The heavens will be shaken
There will be no mistaking this sign because of the incredible nature of what happens. The sign will create a massive darkness across the whole earth like never before. Everyone will see the power of Christ displayed across the skies and there will be no denial of the event. The lost will flee in terror and the believers will have great hope.
The significance of the sun
The sun is the greatest source of light in our solar system. The sun does not only provide light to the earth but it also enables life to exist on earth. Without the sun, there would be no warmth and the earth would be a frozen wasteland. Without sunlight, vegetation would not be able to exist. Without the sun, life would not be able to exist on earth.
Imagine for a moment what life would be like without the sun. There is some significant debate over what actually happens in this verse. How will the sun be darkened before Christ comes? There seem to be several options
1.) Supernova: A supernova takes place when the sun actually explodes and completely burns out. The problem with a supernova is that the entire solar system would be destroyed in the process
2.) Sun is blocked by clouds: There are several references to the Day of the Lord being a day of gloom and darkness which does indicate the presence of clouds. However, there are some complications with this. Clouds could never completely block the sun and would block the view of the stars falling from the sky.
3.) An eclipse: A third and more likely option is an eclipse. An eclipse occurs when the moon blocks the light of the sun from shining directly on the earth The sun would be darkened by an eclipse and would still allow all to see the stars fall from the skies.
Whatever the event is one thing is clear there will be great darkness and everyone on earth will see the final signs for themselves.
The significance of the moon
The moon held incredible significance for the Jews. Remember that the Hebrews used a lunar calendar and practiced their days from sundown to sundown. We see this as part of the Sabbath. The Sabbath began at sundown and lasted until sundown the next day. The Hebrew calendar worked in this manner form sundown to sundown was one day.
The calendar impacts several important events in the Hebrew calendar including Passover. When Jesus was crucified there was a desire to bury Him quickly because the next day was Passover.
The moon had also become a source of great idolatry and a symbol of sorcery. There were groups who worshipped the moon and practiced rituals in honor of the moon. One of the most well known comes from Babylon. Remember that the final judgment of the world will fall on Babylon. The moon goes dark as a sign of that judgment.
The significance of stars
Stars play an important role through scripture. Stars were seen as a work of God and that the stars revealed the matchless nature of God’s creative power. Stars were viewed as a signs or omens. God uses a star to draw the Wise Men to Jesus. Stars represented the massive nature of creation. Jesus says that all the stars will fall from the sky. What would be the significance of this?
1.) Stars were a source of guidance
2.) Stars were a source of idolatry
3.) Stars were a source of illumination
4.) Stars were a sign of prophecy
One more issue would seem to apply. Jesus is the daystar or the great morning star. The daystar was the brightest star rising in the sky. Remember the transfiguration of Jesus where He glowed with the glory of God. The light of God’s glory will surround Jesus when He returns. Jesus will be the only source of light upon His return. All others stars will fall to give the focus of creation on Jesus.
The heavens will be shaken
Jesus specifically states that the heavens will be shaken. What does He mean here? Remember there were three distinct understandings of the word heaven. The first is the skies or earth’s atmosphere. The second is outer space and the third is the dwelling place of God. Understanding that the stars are falling from the skies, Jesus is likely giving reference to disturbances in the atmosphere and in outer space.
Following the signs in the heavens there will be another sing that will capture the attention of the entire world. The sign of the Son of Man. Many seem unclear on what this sign exactly will be and there are a variety of traditions and speculations. Some traditions believe that the sign will be an enormous blazing cross in the sky. Others claim that the sign is the glory of God appearing in the sky.
A careful examination of the Greek shows the word sign is in the genitive case meaning that the sign is not something pointing or directing attention to Christ but instead is Christ Himself. Notice that there is no time difference between seeing the sign and seeing Christ. The sign and Christ appear at the same time. The sign is the appearance of Christ enveloped in the power of God.
In this moment, the people of earth will mourn. Remember how wicked and evil the world has become. The coming of Christ not only penetrates the physical darkness but the spiritual darkness as well. The effects of the sun, moon, and stars will create an incredible darkness and Christ comes to bring the light where there is only darkness. After all, He is bright morning star. The light will reveal the evil and wickedness of the world. All people will stand in their sin and brokenness before a holy God. Those who denied Christ will find He is real and has returned. There will be great reason to mourn.
Jesus will come on the clouds
When Jesus stood before the Sanhedrin He was asked if He was the Christ and the Son of God. His answer was simply amazing. "Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." Matthew 26:64
Jesus predicted the events of His return to the disciples and then proclaims it to those who would kill Him. Jesus knew that He could not be defeated and that He would return. When Jesus ascended into heaven, He rose into the clouds. Remember that the angels told the disciples that Jesus would return in the same way.
The significance of clouds
1.) The covering: The Hebrew word for cloud simply means a covering. It applies to clouds because they cover the sky. There is a deeper meaning that applies here. Jesus is coming on the clouds meaning that His coming will cover the entire earth. His coming will be visible everywhere.
2.) The presence of God: Another aspect of clouds applies here also. The cloud represented the glory and presence of God. When Jesus comes on the clouds, He is coming in the presence, power, and glory of God.
The Gathering of the Elect
As we look at the final verse on Christ’s return we learn four valuable lessons
1.) Christ is sovereign
The angels will obey His commands because He is God and He is sovereign over all of creation. Christ is the Lord of lords and the King of kings. He is the master of all things
2.) There will be the call of the trumpet
The trumpet was used to gather large groups of people together. The trumpet is used to gather the people of God from the earth. The trumpet was used in the military to send out the army to battle.
3.) The angels will only gather the elect
The angels will gather the genuine believers. These are the people who have placed their faith in Christ and followed Him. The elect is a term for who have been chosen. The elect will be few in number compared to those who are lost
4.) The elect will be gathered from everywhere
Jesus uses two distinctive phrases here
a.) From the four winds
Every possible location on earth
b.) From one end of heaven to the other
No believer will be missed
Christ is coming to gather His people to Him. Jesus will end the sorrow and the suffering of all believers. He is coming to deliver and redeem this world and rescue His people, once and for all. Jesus is is our source of hope, our source of peace and our source of life.
So remember three important life lessons
1.) Be patient
2.) Be prayerful
3.) Be passionate
