The Cosmic Signs
When Jesus predicted
the judgment of Israel and the end of the Mosaic age, his disciples asked him,
"Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your
coming and of the end of the age?”” (Matthew 24:3b, ESV). It will happen in their lifetime and it will
be a time of increasing chaos, but the Good News will go out to the inhabitable
area. Jerusalem and her inhabitants will
be overrun with vultures (v28). The whole point of the indicators in verses
15-28 is that the godly remnant among them would vacate the city that would soon
be destroyed. When the time comes they
have to hustle.
These are signs is it approaching date – but there's more. In Matthew 24:29–31 (ESV), we
read:
"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. 30 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. 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."
Jesus is not answering the question here about His Second Coming (as we
most readily think), but in fact His coming to judgment. And modern readers will find the term
"coming" somewhat confusing, albeit the original audience would have
no trouble at all.
The coming of Jesus is in clear continuity with the prophecy of Daniel.
If we hold fast to the prophecy of Daniel 7:13-14, we will see the coming of
Jesus is His arrival to the Throne. [1]
Jesus was "coming" to the Father and assuming His rightful place as sovereign
over all. Sam Storms is right to write,
" This “coming” refers to an event “whereby the authority of Jesus is
vindicated over the Jewish establishment which has rejected him.”[2] To keep this plain: I understand the coming
of Jesus to the Throne concurrent and virtually synonymous with His judgment on
Israel. This is confirmed by what Jesus
said to the High Priest, “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.””
(Matthew 26:64, ESV). Again Caiaphas would witness this.
To the original audience these cosmic signs would not be understood as
physical, astronomical events that one would see with the naked eye. They are prophetic symbols of judgment that
Israel has been accustomed to hearing all through their ages. Every time God's judgment was pronounced or prophesied,
Israel was told of this through these cosmic portrayals. In Isaiah
13: 9-10 similar terms are used to speak of the impending judgment of God
on Babylon. The foretold destruction of
Egypt is also couched in the same language (Eze
32: 7-8, 15). Edom is also warned
in the same way in (Isa
34: 4-5). To suddenly change and predict actual cosmic phenomenon would be
contrary to Israel's understanding.
Let's keep it
simple. Jesus is saying to His audience
that after this period of tribulation (vv4-12) they would see the sign that He
is enthroned in Heaven and His judgment is pending. What is the sign of Christ's coming to the
Throne? “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.” (Matthew 24:31, ESV)
That's another
difficult concept for the westerner to understand. To be continued …
[1] ““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.” (Daniel 7:13–14, ESV)
[2] Storms,
Sam (2013-04-30). Kingdom Come: The Amillennial Alternative (Kindle Locations
4480-4481). Christian Focus Publications. Kindle Edition.
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