29“But 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 the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”
Skeptics and liberal scholars scoff at the literal interpretation of Christ’s return, saying that the genre of literature called “apocalyptic,” such as the book of Daniel and the Book of the Revelation, is meant to be taken figuratively. To be sure, prophecy can be difficult to interpret. However, from our perspective today, with nuclear power in the hands of humans, and regular video footage of disasters like tornadoes and volcanic eruptions regularly shown on the evening news, the image Jesus presented in verse 29 is not so far-fetched. Jesus said the intensity of these things would increase to unprecedented levels. Finally, creation will convulse at the re-entry of its Creator into the physical universe, culminating with the Lord Jesus Christ’s return.
A few observations are in order: first, His return will be literally in the clouds. After His resurrection, when Jesus ascended from the disciples up into the clouds, they were told He would return in the same way (Acts 1:9-11), namely in the clouds. This is exactly what Daniel prophesied (Dan 7:13).
Second, people who have rejected Christ will be overwhelmed with their loss (“all the tribes of the earth will mourn”). The stark truth of the complete loss of relationship with their Creator will fully sink in.
Third, Christ will still be identified as the “Son of Man,” and therefore closely associate with humans as an incarnated being forever.
Fourth, His second coming will be “with power and great glory.” The first time around, Jesus veiled His glory and limited His power. This will not be the case the second time around. He will act decisively, in plain view of everyone.
Fifth, His second coming will be announced with a “Great Trumpet,” a common instrument used throughout the ancient world to announce the start of a battle or the entrance of a regal character. He will be heralded in no uncertain terms. Finally, there will be a great gathering of all the people of God from the entire earth. God’s plan of redemption will find its ultimate fulfillment when the Lord returns for His own!
Lord, I so look forward to the trumpet sound, announcing Your return to bring everything to a fitting conclusion. Help me to remain faithful until them.
0 Comments