Matthew 24:29-5129Immediately 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: 30And 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. 31And 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. 32Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: 33So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. 34Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. 35Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 36But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. 43But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. 44Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. 45Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? 46Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. 47Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. 48But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; 49And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 50The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, 51And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matthew 24:29‑51)
WHEN the Lord as Son of man comes in judgment it will be as the brightness and suddenness of lightning. But the Lord adds further: “For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together.” The “carcass” represents the lifeless, apostate part of the nation of Israel, while the eagles set forth the penetrating eyes of God and His swiftness in judgment.
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darned, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.” No doubt this is symbolic language. When God interferes in that day, all authority which governs the world shall fall, and all the powers in rebellion against Him shall be overthrown forever.
The disciples had asked the Lord, “What shall be the sign of Thy coming?” v. 3. Here He tells them, “then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven.” It was in heaven the sign of His coming would be seen. “And then shall all the tribes of the earth [land] mourn.” We believe it is more the land of Israel the Spirit of God has in view here. “And they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
“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.” Not only in Palestine will His elect be delivered, but from the four winds of heaven (Zech. 2: 6) shall His chosen ones be gathered in. It is a sweet and comforting thought that while He will send His angels to gather back His earthly people, when He comes for the Church, His bride, He is coming Himself. “For the Lord Himself shall descend front heaven with a shout,... and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 1 Thess. 4:16, 1716For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16‑17).
After this the Lord gave His disciples another sign of His coming in the parable of the fig tree — a type of Israel as a nation. “When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.”
All that He had spoken would surely come to pass. “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.”
But no one would know the day nor the hour of His coming, except the Father. The wickedness that filled the earth in the days of Noah would characterize the last days at the coming of the Son of man, who will judge with righteous discernment. “Then two shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” One shall be taken away in judgment, and the other left to enjoy Christ’s blessed reign.
In the end of the chapter we get principles that would apply to a Christian now in view of all that the Lord had said. The faithful and wise servant would continue in the work the Lord had given Him to do, and would receive a blessed portion at His coming. The unfaithful servant would be judged as a hypocrite.
ML-01/13/1963