The Shaking of the Powers of the Heavens
These words looks like they come out from a science fiction movie, but they are actually found in the bible in Mat 24:29.
Mat 24:29 “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."
Compare this verse with David's writing in Psalms 18:7-13, where it says:
Psa 18:7 Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations also of the mountains trembled and quaked, because he was angry.
Psa 18:8 Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.
Psa 18:9 He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet.
Psa 18:10 He rode on a cherub and flew; he came swiftly on the wings of the wind.
Psa 18:11 He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water.
Psa 18:12 Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
Psa 18:13 The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice, hailstones and coals of fire.
Q: What was Psalms 18 written by David about?
A: These words actually belong to a Song (Psalm) of David. "A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD, who addressed the words of this song to the LORD on the day when the LORD delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul." David was singing about his deliverance from King Saul in battle, and using Jewish metaphors to describe the judgement of God coming down on his enemies.
This battle going on between David and Saul is described in 2 Samuel 21. In fact, after the battle the same song was also recorded in 2 Samuel 22, where these Hebrew metaphors were used. David was a great song or poem writer who used lots of symbols and Jewish metaphors to bring colors to his words.
Mat 24:29 is no different, when Jesus talks to His disciples about the heavenly bodies being shaken. Do stars literally fall from the sky? Are stars in the sky or in the outer galaxies? Can the sun be darkened or the moon gives out light? Of course not. These are languages that Jews understand, and that the 21st Century reader must not take it literally. By the way, these words were actually written in ancient Hebrew, and translated into Greek, then into Latin, and then into English.
Let us look at Old Testament apocalyptic language being used by writers and prophets especially on judgments that were impending on the people. These prophetic words were later fulfilled and recorded in the Old Testament.
In Isaiah 13:9-13 we read of the prophecy predicting the fall of the Babylonian (Isa 13:1) empire to the Medes (or Persians). This happened in 539BC, about more than 500 years before the writings of the New Testament.
Isa 13:9 Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it.
Isa 13:10 For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.
Isa 13:11 I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will put an end to the pomp of the arrogant, and lay low the pompous pride of the ruthless.
See a write up on the Fall of Babylon in 539BC:
In Ezekiel 32:7-8, we read of the prophecy predicting the war against the Pharaoh and Egypt (Eze 32:2) and it was later fulfilled.
Eze 32:7 And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light.
Eze 32:8 All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.
In Amos 8:9, we read of the prophecy predicting the judgement of the Jews of the Northern Kingdom.
Amo 8:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:
These verses are written in apocalyptic language that the Jews understand and it is in similar style with Matthew 24:29. Futurists and dispensationalists take these verses literally as some sort of cosmic phenomenon in the heavenly bodies in the future, not understanding audience relevance of the Jews. But to the Jewish listeners who are familiar with Old Testament scriptures, the Torah and their prophetic writings, it is common metaphorical language.
Another example of metaphorical words is Daniel 8:9-10. Imagine a goat's horn growing so big that it reaches the heavens and bring down some of the stars to trample.
Dan 8:9 Out of one of them came a little horn, which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the glorious land.
Dan 8:10 It grew great, even to the host of heaven. And some of the host and some of the stars it threw down to the ground and trampled on them.
Another example in Isaiah 34:3-4, where the mountains will be melted with blood, the stars of heaven will be dissolved, the heavens will be rolled up like a scroll, and the heavenly hosts will fall down like leaves. These are symbolic words of punishment on the cities of Idumea (Edom) and Bozrah. And they were fulfilled when the cities were destroyed. Isaiah was prophesying that the judgement on these two cities is going to take place.
Isa 34:3 Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood.
Isa 34:4 And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.
Isa 34:9 And the streams of Edom shall be turned into pitch, and her soil into sulfur; her land shall become burning pitch.
Isa 34:10 Night and day it shall not be quenched; its smoke shall go up forever. From generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it forever and ever.
Isaiah write of the streams will turn to pitch and the soil into sulfur forever and ever. But if you go to the land of Edom in the Middle East today, the rivers are not pitch and the soil is not sulfur. In fact, people can still pass through them. It was not forever and ever. It was symbolic and metaphorical language, and not to be taken literally. Isaiah used these metaphors to show the severity of the judgement on them.
We find similar apocalyptic words in the New Testament in Rev 6:13-14 where John was given a vision in parallel to the judgement of Jerusalem in Mat 24:29.
Rev 6:13 and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale.
Rev 6:14 The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
This is symbolism saying the stars of heaven falling to the earth, heavens will vanish and rolled up like a scroll, mountains and islands will be displaced. The New Testament and Old Testament apocalyptic language is identical. So Matthew 24:29 is symbolic language found in the language and culture and style of the Old Testament scripture.
Let's look at how the author of Hebrews wrote to the Jews. Hebrews was written a few years before the fall of Jerusalem and the Temple in AD70. Many say it was most probably written by apostle Paul or someone familiar and concerned with the Jewish nation. The author was writing to the Jews who were leaving the Moses Old Covenant and became believers in Jesus Christ so that they do not go back to it. And to go back would be like trampling on the blood of Jesus again. Read Hebrews 9.
In Hebrews 12, the author warned the Jews that they do not reject Jesus who is from heaven, and He is going to shake the heavens and the earth very soon. In return Jesus will bring in a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
Heb 12:25 See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape, those who refused him that spoke on earth, much more we shall not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from Heaven,
Heb 12:26 whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, "Yet once more I will not only shake the earth, but also the heavens."
Heb 12:27 And this word, "Yet once more," signifies the removing of those things that are shaken, as of things that have been made, so that the things which cannot be shaken may remain.
Heb 12:28 Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear,
The author was quoting the book of Haggai chapter 2, and indicated that a judgement that is happening right in their midst. God is bringing about a shaking so big that it will remove them (the Temple) and replaced with things that cannot be shaken and that is the kingdom of God. It happened in AD70 when Israel, Jerusalem and the Temple would fall and 1.3 million Jews were killed by the Romans according to the historian Flavius Josephus. This is the event referred to as "the sun would darkened" and "the moon will not give out light", and the "powers of heavens will be shaken".
We also read earlier in Daniel 7:13-14, that the Son of Man (Jesus) is coming before the Ancient of Days (God) and receiving a kingdom that will last forever and ever, and cannot be shaken.
When Jesus was on the earth 2000 years ago, Jesus came preaching the gospel of the kingdom saying that the kingdom of God is already at hand (Mat 3:2; Mat 4:17; Mat 10:7; Mark 1:15; Luke 21:31). It is not far in the future but it is already among them, at hand.
Paul told the Colossian church that they have been taken out of the kingdom of darkness and delivered into the kingdom of His Son (Colossians 1:13).
All these shows that we are already placed in the kingdom of God that cannot be shaken.
Coming back to the book of Hebrews, God is shaking up the things that can be shaken so that He can remove them. All through the book of Hebrews from chapters 1 to 12, we read of the author systematically telling the audience that the Old Covenant has no more significance, and that Jesus is bringing in the New Covenant that is the kingdom that cannot be shaken. The author repeatedly says that Jesus is better than Moses, Aaron, the priesthood, angels, and the Temple. All these are going to pass away. It is going to be shaken and never applicable anymore.
In Jewish culture they understand that the "heavens" refer to the Temple. God has removed the old system of performance based religion of the Temple so that He can FULLY brings in the New Covenant.
Heb 8:13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
In Heb 8:13, we read of the Old Covenant is already obsolete, and it will vanish away.
When did it became obsolete? At the Cross, when Jesus became the sacrificial lamb that took away the sin of the world. God did not accept any more animal sacrifices after that. The old sacrifices had no more meaning anymore.
When did it vanish away? At the destruction of the Temple when all the religions system of Judaism and sacrifices were done away with. All the practices and paraphernalia established by the presence of the Temple building were stopped with the destruction of the Temple.
The Old Covenant had been rolled up like a scroll and kept away. The sun and moon had stopped giving out light. The heavens of Moses Old Covenant was shaken and we are left with the kingdom of God that cannot be shaken.
John L Bray in his book "Matthew 24 Fulfilled" wrote this about the sun, moon and stars:
[ Jewish writers understood the light to mean the law. The sun represents the king. The moon was the Sanhedrin and the stars were the rabbis. ]
Look at how Isaiah called Israel (Zion). God called Israel as the heavens and the earth.
Isa 51:16 And I have put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand, establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion, ‘You are my people.’”
Right early in Genesis 37:9, when Joseph had a dream. He saw the sun, moon and stars bow down and worship him. And this dream was fulfilled when Jacob and his sons had to submit to Joseph when he was in Egypt. By the way, Jacob and his wife did not literally bow down in the flesh to Joseph.
Gen 37:9 Then he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and said, “Behold, I have dreamed another dream. Behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me.”
Gen 37:10 But when he told it to his father and to his brothers, his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall I and your mother and your brothers indeed come to bow ourselves to the ground before you?”
His father, Jacob (later renamed Israel) had 12 sons, who later became the 12 tribes of Israel. Jacob was a Jew and he understood the cultural meaning of sun, moon and stars. This was in their mindset. The heavenly bodies represent Jacob and their family members. This was common Jewish symbolism. Jesus said in Mat 24:29 that the powers of heaven will be shaken, meaning that Israel will be shaken at the event of the great tribulation (Mat 24:21,29).
See a write up about Jacob:
In Jewish culture, the darkening of the sun, moon and stars and the shaking of heavenly bodies is always interpreted as a bad omen, that a great calamity or disaster is soon going to come. They are taken as astrological signs foreshadowing that a great tragedy is about to occur.
We read this in Joel 2:10-11 where Joel prophesied about Jesus coming with His armies in judgement, and the sun, moon and stars were darkened before the army arrives.
Joe 2:10 The earth quakes before them; the heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.
Joe 2:11 The LORD utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes his word is powerful. For the day of the LORD is great and very awesome; who can endure it?
In Luke 21:25-27, we also read of the signs in the sun, moon and star at the start of the great tribulation mentioned in Mat 24:29.
Luk 21:25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves,
Luk 21:26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Luk 21:27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Noticed that the shaking of the heavens occurs concurrently with the coming of the Son of Man, and the great tribulation. It is not after, but definitely before or at the same time.
In the Old Testament the shaking of the powers of heavens and earth is always related to judgement upon people:
Jeremiah 4:23-28 speaks about the prophecy by Jeremiah on the destruction of the kingdom of Judah at the hands of the Babylonian armiy in the 6th Century BC. He called it the destruction of heaven and earth.
Isaiah 13:9-13 speaks about the prophecy by Isaiah predicting the fall of Babylon. He said the sun, moon and stars will no longer give any light, and they will tremble.
Ezekiel 32:7-9 speaks about the prophecy by Ezekiel to the Pharaoh of Egypt on how the judgement of God will be upon them. The stars, sun and moon will stop giving light to them and their destruction will be known among the nations.
All of these passages use the apocalyptic language of poetry and symbolism about the destruction of heavens and earth to describe judgement of God on people. These are basically poetry and not to be taken literally like news in a newspaper. The heavenly bodies and earth do not physically passed away in AD70 during the Jewish Roman War, just as the sky and the stars did not dissolve and the heavens rolled away during the fall of Egypt, Judah and Babylon in the 6th Century BC.
The audience in Revelations 6:12-14 and in 2 Peter 3, understood that the "destruction of the heavens and earth" does not mean the complete destruction of all of creation.
CONCLUSION
We know in Isaiah 51:16 that God called Zion (Israel) the heavens and the earth.
So the passing away of heavens and earth refers to the passing away of Israel (Mat 5:18; Mat 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33).
The shaking of the heavens and earth refers to the judgement and shaking that came upon the nation of Israel.
Q: When will the shaking take place according to Matthew 24:29?
A: It will take place IMMEDIATELY after the tribulation of those days. What days? the days of great tribulation in Matthew 24:15-28.
Q: Will it happen in our future?
A: NO. It happened in THAT GENERATION just as Jesus said it would in Luke 21:31.
Luk 21:31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near.
Luk 21:32 Truly, I say to you, THIS GENERATION will not pass away until all has taken place.
Luk 21:33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
ALL that Jesus said came true because it came to pass as the times of the Gentiles (Roman army) was fulfilled in AD7O when Jerusalem was trampled upon by Gentiles.
This is NOT in the future.
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