The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 24 Part 9 The Signs Of Jesus' Return

Jesus began answering three questions from His disciples.

First, when will the end of the world come? 

Second, what signs will accompany the return of Christ? 

Third, what will the end of the world be like?

So far in this chapter, Jesus warned against false prophets and false Christs.

He described the end times as having ongoing wars and conflicts, earthquakes, famine and disease.

The primary differentiator is that they will increase in frequency and intensity as the end of the world draws closer.

Those who preach the gospel and seek to live in a way that glorifies God, will come under increasing persecution, betrayal, or physical attacks.

These terrible times will be followed by the last seven years of history, as the rise of the antichrist begins.

He will sign a seven year peace treaty, but in the middle of it he will betray Israel and demand to be worshiped as God.

The antichrist will seek to exterminate the Jewish people and Jesus warned them to flee into the wilderness where God will provide a safe place of refuge.

Jesus then began to answer the question about the signs of His coming.

Remember,  this day of the LORD judgment will happen at the end of the seven year tribulation period (See also Revelation 19-20).

Thus, these things Jesus spoke of will occur after the rapture of the church, after the marriage supper of the Lamb in heaven. 

They will happen after the seven seals, seven bowls and seven trumpets of God's judgment have been measured out on the kingdom of antichrist.

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

Jesus spoke about the coming day of the LORD judgment that will mark the end of the world and He used the words "after the tribulation" to show that this occurs after the seven years are complete.

This is a judgment upon all the wicked people, upon the antichrist and his demonic kingdom.

The sun will be darkened in a supernatural manner.

The moon will not shine and it will be evident that God is doing this mighty work.

The stars will seem to fall from the heavens and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Paul warned us about spiritual wickedness in high places, and this refers to the Devil, who is called the prince of the power of the air (See Ephesians 2:2; 6:10-13).

Jesus Christ will come with all heaven's mighty angels and the host of heaven will dethrone Satan from his seat of authority.

Christ's victory represents a monumental change as the powers of the heavens surrounding earth will be shaken to its core and cleansed of all the evil beings.

Since Jesus's words speak about the coming day of the LORD judgment, we will look at what the prophets wrote about it and you will quickly see the similarities.

You will find it beneficial to read through the book of Revelation. 

Chapters 1 through 3 reveal our glorified, resurrected Lord and His warnings to the seven churches.

Chapters 4 through 20 deal with the seven year tribulation period, while chapters 21 and 22 tell us about the new heavens and new earth.

Isaiah 13:9-11  Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. 10  For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. 11  And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.

Isaiah describes the day of the LORD as the time when the unmitigated fury of God toward sinners shall be fully unleashed.

In every generation since Creation, God has always given a gospel message that He will save sinners who repent and turn to Him for salvation.

The first emergence of the gospel was when God sought Adam and Eve after they sinned and hid from Him.

The gospel was preached by men like Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and then by His prophets, priests and and certain good kings, like David, Hezekiah, and Josiah.

The gospel of Jesus Christ and His saving power has been preached for almost two thousand years.

During that time, vast masses of humanity have turned a deaf ear to the gospel.

During the seven years of tribulation, throngs of people will believe and follow the antichrist, while the faithful people (mostly Jews) will be forced to flee into the wilderness.

Antichrist and his demonic kingdom will fall. 

All wicked men and evil doers will perish. 

When this happens, Isaiah tells us that the sun, moon and stars will not be visible. 

The lights of heaven will be turned off and this alone will strike fear into the hearts of God's enemies.

Isaiah 24:20-21  The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cottage; and the transgression thereof shall be heavy upon it; and it shall fall, and not rise again. 21  And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth. 

Isaiah continued to speak about this day of final judgment and described the world as reeling, staggering back and forth like a drunkard.

The physical world will be profoundly impacted by Christ's return to punish spiritual wickedness in high places.

Jeremiah 4:23-28  I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. 24  I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. 25  I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. 26  I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger. 27  For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end. 28  For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black: because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and will not repent, neither will I turn back from it. 

The prophet Jeremiah also was guided by God's Spirit to describe the day of the LORD judgment.

He saw the hills and the mountains trembling no doubt because of earthquakes Jesus said would happen.

All animals, people and wildlife seemingly vanish before the presence of the LORD and His fury.

All farmland and crop growing places will be destroyed and all the cities of men will be broken down.

Jeremiah also tells us that the lights of heaven will be turned off.

Joel 2:1-11  Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand; 2  A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations. 3  A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them. 4  The appearance of them is as the appearance of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. 5  Like the noise of chariots on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array. 6  Before their face the people shall be much pained: all faces shall gather blackness. 7  They shall run like mighty men; they shall climb the wall like men of war; and they shall march every one on his ways, and they shall not break their ranks: 8  Neither shall one thrust another; they shall walk every one in his path: and when they fall upon the sword, they shall not be wounded. 9  They shall run to and fro in the city; they shall run upon the wall, they shall climb up upon the houses; they shall enter in at the windows like a thief. 10  The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining: 11  And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it? 

The prophet Joel spoke with graphic detail about the day of the LORD judgment.

A mighty trumpet from heaven will sound so loud that all the people on the earth will hear it and know that God is coming as Judge and King.

People will fear and shake at the thought of standing before Holy God, whom they have sinned against.

An impenetrable darkness will cover the earth such as has not been seen since Jehovah judged Pharaoh (See Exodus 10:21-29).

Heaven's mighty armies under Christ's command will bring fire and flames that leave destruction and desolation in their wake.

2 Peter 3:7  But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 

Joel's prophecy connects with Peter's teaching that reminds us the present heaven and earth are reserved for a fiery judgment from God.

All God's enemies who see His army approach shall have faces twisted in anguish and fear and their skin color will leave them looking blackened. 

God's mighty army will be unstoppable and cannot be harmed in any way.

They will ride over all enemies, treading them down with death and terror.

No walls, oceans, cliffs, caves or tall buildings will hinder the host of heaven. 

They will enter all dwelling places and the wicked will be gathered together like worthless tares, and be cast into the flaming fires of Hell.

During this time, the earth will quake in the presence of it Maker, and the lights of heaven will not shine.

The LORD will utter His voice and all the host of heaven will march forward to accomplish complete destruction of all the wicked.

No one will stand against God in that day, for His omnipotent power will prevail.

Imagine the shock of those who deny the existence of God, and live their lives as if God's moral law does not exist.

They will swiftly find out that He does exist and He will hold each sinner accountable for his or her sins.

{See also Amos 5:20; 8:9 and Zephaniah 1:14-15}

Matthew 24:30-31  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 

Jesus described His coming to judge the world at the day of the LORD, as being like lightning.

He will come  wielding immense, irresistible power with the full glory of God on display, just as lightning is intensely bright and fills the sky with light.

All people and nations will see the sign of Christ's return, and they will know that God has come to judge them for their sins.

Acts 1:6-11  When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7  And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 9  And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10  And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11  Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.  

We turn to Luke's record of Jesus ascending to His heavenly Father.

Jesus' last words to His apostles were to return to Jerusalem and wait for the Spirit of God to come upon them.

Then, they church would be birthed and the apostles empowered to preach the gospel beginning at Jerusalem.

Jesus was then taken up to heaven in a cloud and the angel told His disciples that Christ will return in the same manner that He was taken from them.

Therefore, in addition to lightning, Jesus will return in clouds of glory that will not be like normal cloud formations.  

The clouds and lightning accompanying Jesus' return will be different from what we normally experience because they will be a supernatural sign from God.

All the tribes and nations will see these signs and see Christ coming in the clouds and with lightning showing forth His great power and glory.

The word translated "mourn" means people will smite themselves, beating their chests with grief. 

They will mourn because their denial of God and His Word has been undone.

They will mourn because their evil schemes have cmoe to a final end.

They will mourn because they know they will be judged by God for sins and transgressions.

Revelation 1:7  Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. 

When John saw His risen Lord, he reminded us that Jesus is coming again to judge the world. 

When He returns in clouds, with lightning and great glory, every eye will see Him.

Sinners in that day, will know that the same Jesus whom they cursed and blasphemed is coming to judge them. 

Wicked ones will know that the same Jesus whom they denied was God manifest in the flesh, is Creator of all things and is able to undo them with a word.

Revelation 6:15-17  And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 16  And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: 17  For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand? 

Gentiles, those who follow the antichrist, politicians and merchants who promote antichrist's wicked agenda are in view here.

The Jewish people will have fled to the safe place God will provide for them.

When the signs of Jesus coming are revealed and all people see Jesus Christ coming in great power and glory, they will be terrified.

The very God they blasphemed or denied is coming to judge and punish them for their iniquities.

They will flee to caves and mountains and cry out for the rocks to fall upon them because they are terrified at the sight of Christ coming in glory.

Notice, this is directly connected with the final day of the LORD judgment that occurs at the end of the seven years of tribulation. 

The Jewish people will then realize that the gospel is true and that they crucified their own Messiah.

Zechariah 12:10-14  And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. 11  In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. 12  And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart, and their wives apart; 13  The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; 14  All the families that remain, every family apart, and their wives apart. 

Zechariah tells us that God will turn His attention to the Jewish people when the age of the church is over and tribulation period begins. 

God will restore Israel and the Jewish people at this point in time.

He will pour out His Spirit upon them and they will hear the same gospel of grace preached by Christ's apostles.

They will see Jesus whom they pierced and their hearts will be broken such that the weep as if weeping over the death of a child.

There will be a national mourning and repentance among the Jewish people and when the repent of their sins and call upon the Lord, He will save them.

I share the gospel often on this blog because I want each reader to give his or her heart to Christ in repentant faith.

We must love our families and friends enough to tell them the gospel of Christ.

This is the Great Commission work Jesus gave us to do.

All who reject the gospel will see Jesus coming in flaming fires of judgment to take vengeance upon them.

All who repent and trust Christ now, will be home in heaven during the seven years of tribulation as God's judgment is poured out upon the antichrists kingdom and the Devil who empowers him.

God loves us enough that He sacrificed His own Son in order to pay the debt of sin that we owe.

The gospel tells us about Jesus' perfect life, His vicarious death and resurrection and how He will save all who repent of their sins and call upon Him.

Let us live for God's glory and be His faithful witnesses.

Let us be watching, working and worshiping God until Christ calls us home.

Bob