The Gathering of the elect

The Gathering of the elect

The term "gathering of the elect" is found in Matthew 24:31.

Mat 24:31  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 had spoken of the gathering of His people before Matthew 24. In Mat 23:37-38, we read of how Jesus lamented over Jerusalem because He was trying to gather His people together like a hen gathering her chicks, but they were not willing to be gathered. And because of that, their house i.e. their Temple will be left desolate, thus prophesying about the imminent coming destruction of the Temple by the Roman armies in AD70.

Mat 23:37  O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 

Mat 23:38  See, your house is left to you desolate. 

Jesus gathering was a spiritual gathering. The Temple will be destroyed but the Temple that He is building in us will live forever. God had this intention of living inside of us by His Holy Spirit, like what Paul would say "God in us, the hope of glory" and "You are the Temple of the Holy Spirit". Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well, that a time is coming where the worship of God is not a locality like Jerusalem or a mountain, but will be within us as long as it is in spirit and truth. But alas to say, the Jews rejected Jesus, and rejected His gathering, and so God had to bring down the entire system of Jewish religion (Judaism) centred around the Temple, so that He can execute His gathering of the elect.

Some futurists have said that Mat 24:31 refers to a future event called the rapture where "angels" and spiritual beings will gather His people from the world. This is not true, and has been taken out of the context of the entire chapter of Matthew 24 which is not speaking of our future event but of their soon coming event of the destruction of Jerusalem.

In a parallel passage to Matthew 24, we read in Mark 14:61-62, where Jesus is talking to the high priest and the Sanhedrin that they will physically see Jesus coming in power and with the clouds of heaven.

Mar 14:61  But he remained silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” 

Mar 14:62  And Jesus said, “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” 

This is not our future event called the rapture!. This happened 2000 years ago when the high priest and the Pharisees and the Jewish people actually saw the coming of Jesus to gather His elect. Those that did not believe in Jesus and His message were not gathered because they did not acknowledge Him as their Messiah. They did not see this Jesus as their Savior and they only wanted to see what they had envisioned in their minds. For that they crucified Jesus to get rid of Him who was an stumbling block to their plans. They refused to be counted as part of God's elect and when Jesus came again for the salvation of His people, they missed out the gathering.

The English word "angel" in Matthew 24:31 came from the original Greek word called "aggelos". "Aggelos" does NOT mean a spiritual being or angel. In fact, the Greek word "aggelos" actually mean "messenger" and that's all. A pastor can be called an "aggelos". An evangelist can be called an "aggelos". Anyone who carries a message is called an "aggelos". In fact John the Baptist was called "aggelos" several times in the bible, and John was never a spiritual being but a human.

Luk 7:24  When John's messengers (aggelos) had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 

Luk 9:52  And Jesus sent messengers (aggelos) ahead of him, who went and entered a village of the Samaritans, to make preparations for him. 

Mat 11:10  This is he (John) of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger (aggelos) before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’ 

Mark 1:2  As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger (aggelos) before your face, who will prepare your way"

Luke 7:27  This is he (John) of whom it is written, “‘Behold, I send my messenger (aggelos) before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’ 

2Co 12:7  So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger (aggelos) of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 

Jas 2:25  And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers (aggelos) and sent them out by another way? 

Of course, angels can be messengers but messengers need not be angels.

The translators of Matthew 24:31 felt that the word "aggelos" should be translated as angels, but a proper word should be just "messengers".

Q: Why should "aggelos" in Matthew 24:31 be translated as "messengers" and not "angels"?

A: After Jesus died and was resurrected, there was a huge gathering of people believing in Jesus due to the working of the Holy Spirit, and particularly the work of spreading the gospel by His disciples (human messengers). The apostles took the message of Jesus to all the 4 corners of the land from the east to the west, and from the north to the south (thus the term "four winds").

So you can see that it was human messengers who took the gospel and took up the task of the spiritual gathering of believers in Jesus and not angels. In fact, angels or spiritual beings had never been given the task of presenting the gospel of Jesus. It was the task of Jesus disciples like you and me. We now are the "aggelos" - human messengers of Jesus taking the gospel to the whole world, to bring about a continuous gathering of the elect.

When Caiaphas prophesied that Jesus will cause the  nation of Israel to be in trouble because Rome is  going to destroy them in John 11:49-52, the author John added that Caiaphas was not just prophesying about this Jesus but also about the great gathering of all the children of God because of the work of this Jesus. This gathering of God's children had always been in the eternal plan of God.

Milton Terry in his book "Biblical Hermeneutics" 1898 wrote about this gathering of the elect:

[  This verse has been understood figuratively of the sending forth of the messengers of the gospel to gather unto Christ an elect church in place of the outcast Israel. In that sense, it was a procedure which followed the Parousia and still continues ]

Q: Why is this procedure still continues?

A: It is because we are still seeing the gathering of the people of God through the presentation of the gospel. This is the mandate to take the kingdom and spread it all over the earth. We are part of that gathering and  we are part of the messengers who gathers. It is not angels  that are presenting the gospel. We are the messengers that are the presenters of the gospel.

Jesus also prophesied earlier before this Matthew 24 passage about this gathering in Matthew 8:11-12.

Mat 8:11  I tell you, many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 

Mat 8:12  while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. 

Those that were outside of Judaism will be gathered from the east to the west, while those that had the kingdom will be left out, even those who claimed to have the blood line of Israel and the 12 tribes.

Q: How did the early church viewed this gathering spoken of by Jesus?

A: In Acts 15, we read of the great gathering even affecting the Gentiles, those that were outside of the Jewish community. Peter had a vision in Acts 10 to prepare him to accept Cornelius (a Gentile of Italian origin) to be part of the gathering of the elect. Paul and Barnabas also testify of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles in their ministry. Because this phenomena was a new happening, the council in the church in Jerusalem called a meeting to discuss this issue of Gentiles coming to believe in Jesus.

James the leader of the council made a decision and quoted Amos 9:11-12, saying that this gathering of the Jews and Gentiles was in agreement to the prophecy by Amos about the gathering of the elect of God, and the rebuilding the tabernacle of David.

Side note: The tabernacle of David had no walls and God met with His people and vice versa regularly. James is saying that Jesus is fulfilling the building of the tabernacle of David so that all the people can come to know God. And for that to happen, the tabernacle of Jerusalem must fall down then only can the tabernacle be rebuilt.

Paul told the Galatian church in Gal 4:22-26, to give up on Hagar and Ishmael (the old Jerusalem) and to go for Sarah (the new Jerusalem). The old Jerusalem is the earthly Jerusalem that was destroyed in AD70. The new Jerusalem lives forever in the Temple of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

We are  now the new Jerusalem that is  gathered into Jesus Christ. Paul tells us in Eph 1:10,

Eph 1:10  That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: 

Jesus is still in the process of gathering all things unto Himself.

Exra Palmer Gould in his book "Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Mark's gospel" 1896, wrote regarding to Matthew 24:31

[  All the processes by which men are brought to the acknowledgement of Christ and the obedience of the kingdom belong to the gathering of the elect. The angels represent the invisible heavenly agencies in an earthly event. The introduction of them means that there is that invisible divine side to a human transaction, back of all that men are doing for the conversion of the world is the Lord Jesus Christ with the hosts of heaven.

As for the time, it begins then at the  time of the consummation of the Jewish age because Judaism was  the great obstacle at that time to the universal spread of the kingdom. Under its influence, Christianity threatened to become a mere appendage of Judaism to have the particularism, formalism and legalism of that religion grated up it in such a way that it could never become a universal religion. With the removal of this obstacle, could begin not the gathering of the elect but the gathering of them from the four quarters of the world, the universal gathering.   ]

God would find it fit to break outside of the borders of Judaism and Jerusalem to go get the rest of the world. He removed the great obstacle.

Q: Someone asked that could it be that the "gathering of the elect" meant the physical gathering of the believers just before the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple?

A: Yes, it can mean that as well. If we consider the Context of the passage in Matthew 24, the "gathering of the elect" can refer to the gathering of the believers outside of Jerusalem while the city was being destroyed by the Roman armies as described in the parallel passage of Luke 21:20-21.

Luk 21:20  But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. 

Luk 21:21  Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it.

What did Luke meant by "Jerusalem surrounded by armies"?

Acccording to history, the First Jewish–Roman War began in the year AD66. It started with religious tensions between the Greeks (of Roman citizenship) and the Jews. The tension increased when the Jewish rebels attacked the Romans due to their taxation policies.

In response to the Jewish uprising, the Romans plundered the Jewish Temple and executed about 6,000 Jews in Jerusalem leading to a huge rebellion against Rome.

The small Roman military garrison of Judea was then easily defeated by the Jewish rebels and the pro-Roman king Agrippa II fled Jerusalem together with his Roman officials.

When the rebellion was growing, Cestius Gallus, the governor of Syria, brought the Syrian army together with auxiliary forces to try to restore order and quench the rebellion.

See:

https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/history-of-the-jewish-war/neros-war-i-the-blunder-of-cestius-gallus/96D313480094F1FE648A41266B60CCA4

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cestius_Gallus

However, despite making several attempts, the Syrian and Roman armies were ambushed and defeated by the Jewish rebels at the Battle of Beth Horon and 6,000 Romans were killed. This shocked the leadership at Rome.

When these events were happening, the Christian believers, especially the Jews who remembered the many warnings of Jesus about Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, began to flee Jerusalem for the hills of Judea.

That was the physical meaning of the "gathering of the elect".

See a similar description about the war in my previous post:

https://advancingtruth.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-great-tribulation.html

The Sign of the Son of Man in heaven

The Sign of the Son of Man in heaven


This is found in Mat 24:30

Mat 24:30  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. 

The phrase "sign of the Son of Man in heaven" is different from the phrase "signs of the heavens" which I covered in:
https://advancingtruth.blogspot.com/2020/05/signs-in-heavens-day-of-lord.html

The "signs (and wonders) in the heavens" speaks about the heavenly bodies such as the sun, moon and stars and it was prophesied by Joel in Joel 2:28-32, and Peter spoke of its fulfillment in Acts 2:19.

The phrase "sign of the Son of Man in heaven" is also another fulfillment of another prophecy in Dan 7:13-14, where Jesus as the Son of Man was prophesied to receive from God (the Ancient of Days) a kingdom that is forever and unshakable.

See my write up on the shakable and the unshakable:
https://advancingtruth.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-shaking-of-powers-of-heavens.html


So Mat 24:30 "sign of the Son of Man in heaven" is about the coming of Jesus to bring a destruction of the Old Mosaic Covenant by the destruction of Jerusalem and the desolation of the center of Judaism, that is the Temple, and bring in a new and everlasting kingdom that is everlasting and will never end.


Check out an extra-biblical writing of J. Marcellus Kik in his book "An Eschatology of Victory" 1971:

[  The judgement upon Jerusalem was the sign of the fact that the Son of Man was reigning in heaven. There has been misunderstanding due to the reading of this verse as some have thought it to be a sign in heaven. This is not what the verse says. It says the "sign of the Son of Man IN heaven". The phrase "in heaven" describes the locality of the Son of Man and not of the sign. The sign was not to appear in the heavens by the destruction of Jerusalem was to indicate the rule of the Son of Man in heaven.  ]


In David H. Chilton's book "The Great Tribulation" 1987, he wrote with respect to Matthew 24:30,

[  The destruction of Jerusalem was the sign that the Son of Man, the Second Adam, was in heaven, ruling ovver the world and disposing it for His own purposes. At His ascension, He had come on the clouds of heaven to receive the kingdom from His Father. The destruction of Jerusalem was the revelation of this fact.

In Matthew 24, therefore Jesus was not prophesying that He could literally come on the clouds in AD70 (although it was figuratively true). His literal coming on the clouds in fulfillment of Daniel 7, took place in AD30 at the beginning of the terminal generation. But in AD70, the tribes of Israel would see the destruction of the nations as the result of His having ascended to the throne of heaven to receive His kingdom.  ]

This is what was meant by the fulfillment of Daniel 7:13-14, where Jesus had to remove the kingdom of Moses Old Covenant and receive a New Covenant of the Kingdom of God that is forever.


In David H. Chilton's book "Paradise Restored" 1985, he added:

[  The location spoken of "is heaven" and not just the sky. Secondly, it is not the sign that is in heaven but the Son of Man who is IN heaven. The point is simply, that this great judgement upon Israel, the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, will be the sign that Jesus Christ is  enthroned in heaven at the Father's right hand, ruling over the nations and bringing vengeance. The divinely ordained cataclysm of AD70 revealed that Christ had taken the kingdom from Israel and given it to the Church. The desolation of the old Temple was the final sign that God had deserted it and was now dwelling in a new Temple, the Church.  ]


Jesus repeated this transition of kingdom to the Pharisees and Jewish audience:

Mat 21:43  Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. 

The kingdom of God that was given to Israel will be taken away and given to another. This was the interpretation of the parable of the wicked tenant in Mat 21:33-43.
This Mat 24:30 is another of Jesus interpretation of the kingdom of God taken and given to another.


Albert Barnes in his commentary on the kingdom of God in Mat 21:43 says,

[  Mat 21:43 "The kingdom of God" ... - Jesus applies the parable to them - the Jews.
They had been the children of the kingdom, or under the reign of God; having his law and acknowledging him as King. They had been his chosen and special people, but he says that now this privilege would be taken away; that they would cease to be the special people of God, and that the blessing would be given to a nation who would bring forth the fruits thereof, or “be righteous” that is, to the Gentiles, Act 28:28.
  
Act 28:28  Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.  ]


In Mat 24:30, what is the meaning of "all the tribes of the earth mourn" ?

Q: What is this tribes?

A: The word tribe has always meant to refer to Israel and has never meant the Gentiles. Tribe is a term reserved for the descendants of Israel (Jacob) and the segregation of their ancestors and descendants by their families. 

The phrase "the tribes of Israel will mourn" is a fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy in Zechariah 11.

That is, all the tribes or people of the land of Judea shall mourn at the great calamities coming upon them, and they shall wail when He comes in judgement. All the wicked shall mourn at the prospect of their doom (Rev 1:7). The cause of their wailing at the day of judgment will be chiefly that they have pierced, killed, rejected their Savior, and that they deserve the condemnation that is coming upon them (John 19:37; Zec 12:12).

Zech 11:10-12 tells us how God had broke His Covenant with Israel, if they would buy Him out of the Covenant with 30 pieces of silver. Incredibly, in Mat 26, we read of Judas betraying Jesus, the Son of God, to the Pharisees for 30 pieces of silver. This  term "30 pieces of silver" is the price of a wounded slave according to Exodus 21:32.


Q: What about the term "earth"? Futurist will say that it means the whole world, and this the "sign of the Son of Man in heaven" has not been seen by the whole world, and therefore Jesus has not yet come.

A: The understanding comes from the Greek word "ghay" for "earth" and it literally means "land" or "ground". So the tribes of the land refers to the Jewish tribes of the land, and not the whole world. It was the Jews who fled Jerusalem to the mountains during the destruction of Jerusalem, and the Jews that were left behind in the city mourned. Other lands and countries were not usually divided into tribes and they were also not affected with the calamities and desolation of Jerusalem and its Temple, and the vengeance of the Son of Man. Because other countries were not involved in the carnage of Jerusalem, they would have no reason to mourn.


Coming back to His disciples question in Matthew 24:3, what shall be the sign of His coming and of the end of the age? This sign of the Son of Man in heaven would be one of the answers that satisfied their question. The "destruction of Jerusalem", the "sign of the Son of Man in heaven" coming in the clouds with great glory and power is  the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and also an answer to their need of the sign of His coming.

Is the "Mountain Peaks of Prophecy" Interpretation correct?

Is the "Mountain Peaks of Prophecy" Interpretation correct?

If we read into Matthew 24:1-51, we come across many things that Jesus spoke to the disciples about such as "foretelling the destruction of the Temple", "signs of the End of the Age", "the abomination of desolation", "the coming of the Son of Man", and "nobody knowing the day or the hour of the coming of the Son of Man".

Many of these words or prophecies spoken by Jesus were in their future, but about 200 years ago, many theologians have came to the theory that the future events spoken by Jesus were not only in their future but in our future by using the principle of "mountain peaks of prophecy" interpretation.

Q: So what is this "mountain peaks of prophecy" interpretation?

A: This theory was made popular by Clarence Larkin (1850-1924) who also promoted the dispensationalism theory. 

In a gist, it means that a person is standing on the left and looking towards the right. The scene is a timeline, which represents the progress of time. And this person, a prophet, can only tell you what he saw in the peaks because the valleys are hidden away. They cannot tell you what lies in between the peaks. And because the mountains are so far away (in the future), he cannot tell you which mountain is nearer and which is farther. So when the prophet speaks, he describes prophecies that are in the immediate future and some of them are hundreds or even thousands of years in the future.

This method of interpretation is very subjective and you can force verses to come into a particular set of presumed timeline that had been pre-conceived. This method will fail if you read the scriptures within its Context. For example, the disciples asked Jesus a question in Mat 24:3, and if you use this method of interpretation, then the whole timeline will go haywire, and you will be bombarded with several prophets with very diverse and different types of interpretations.

Jesus was never haphazard in answering his disciples. He never jumped from place to place in His answers and provide more confusion to His message.

This "mountain peaks of prophecy" was originally started by a German Lutheran theologian called John Albert Bengel (1687-1752).

See a write up on Johann Albrecht Bengel:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Albrecht_Bengel

It may be interesting to note that Bengel calculated the date of 18th June 1836 to be the exact date for the second coming of Jesus Christ, which of course is incorrect and in grave error.

Bengel wrote in his book "Bengel's New Testament Commentary" and introduced the "mountain range/peak of prophecy" theory in his commentary on Matthew 24:29, on biblical interpretation. This is what he said:

[  The English has "immediately". You will say it is a great leap from the destruction of Jerusalem to the end of the world which is sub-joined to it "immediately". I reply a prophecy resembles a landscape painting wich represents distinctly the houses, paths and bridges in the foreground but brings together into a narrow space most widely severed valleys and mountains in the distance.

Such a view, should they who studied prophecy have of the future to which the prophecy refers. And the eyes of the disciples, who in their question had connected the end of the Temple with that of the world, are left somewhat in the dark, (for it was not yet time to know). Hence, they afterwards with entire harmony imitated the Lord's language and declared that the end was at hand.  ]

Bengel said that the disciples believed that the fall of the Temple and the end of the world were the same event and they were left somewhat in the dark since it wasn't the time for them to know. And thus from that time onward, they imitated the Lord's language and say the end is at hand.

This interpretation is contextually wrong. It means Jesus spoke out ahead of the disciples and then did not even tell them that He was speaking out ahead of them, and it ignores the word "immediately" 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. 

Let us look at this word "immediately". The Greek word for "immediately" is the word "eutheos" meaning "at once", "soon", "as soon as", "forthwith", "immediately", "shortly", "straightway".

It has never meant to be a far off amount of time in the future or someday.

To compare see how the word "immediately" or "eutheos" is used in many other verses.

Mat 3:16  And when Jesus was baptized, immediately (eutheos) he went up from the water.

Mat 8:3  And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately (eutheos) his leprosy was cleansed. 

Mat 20:34  And Jesus in pity touched their eyes, and immediately (eutheos) they recovered their sight. 

Mar 1:31  And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately (eutheos) the fever left her, and she ministered unto them. 

Mar 2:12  And immediately (eutheos) he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all.

and many more verses. In these verses, does it mean that it took many years for their healing, when Jesus said immediately? No, it was straightaway.

See Milton Terry's Biblical Hermeneutics (1898) on what he wrote about Matthew 24:29.

[  But we can find no word or sentence which appears designed to impress anyone with the idea that the destruction in question and the Parousia would be far separate as to time. The one, it is said, will immediately follow the other, and all will take place before that generation shall pass away.

On what valid hermeneutical principles, then, can it be fairly claimed that this discourse of Jesus comprehends all futurity? Why should we look for the revelations of far distant ages and millenniums of human history in a prophecy expressly limited to the generation in which it was uttered?

We are driven, then, by every sound principle of hermeneutics, to conclude that Matthew  24:29-31, must be included within the time-limits of the discourse of which it forms an essential part, and cannot be legitimately applied to events far separate from the final catastrophe of the Jewish state.  ]

Question: What is the purpose of this "mountain peak of prophecy" interpretation theory?

Answer: There is no purpose and we do not need it unless we have a pre-conceived idea of the "end times", and we try to fit in the words of Jesus into the different "peaks" of the interpretation. In that case, you will have to ignore the Context of the whole chapter and put in their own interpretation in the timeline that fits their theory of prophecy interpretation. This is called making the scriptures work within their own theory.

Let us look at another extra-biblical author called Ezra P Gould who wrote "Critical and Exegetical Commentary on Mark's Gospel" in 1896, who commented on Mark 13, which is a parallel passage to Matthew 24:29.

[  We come now to the coming of the Son of Man with its accompanying portents. It is placed after the destruction of Jerusalem but in the same general period in those days after the affliction. The portents, the darkening of the sun and moon, the falling of the stars belong to that event and not to the destruction of Jerusalem. This separation of the two events which might seem to belong together, means that the fall of Jerusalem was a preparation for the Advent, which cannot take place without it. It is the end of the old order which might precede the beginning of the new. This does not discount the possibility of anything happening in our future.  ]

See a write up on E P Gould:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ezra_Palmer_Gould

End Times according to Jesus

End Times according to Jesus - ESCHATOLOGY SERIES

(TO BE UPDATED)

1. Matt 24 and Luke 21
2. Wrong eschatology..?
3. Days of Wrath ?
4. The Desolation of Jerusalem and its Temple
5. Did Jesus proclaim the day of Vengeance.?
6. Did Jerusalem have 2 or 3 Temples?
7. The 4 Popular Views of End Times
8. Why Preterism is correct
9. Destruction of Jerusalem's Temple (not one stone left upon another)
10. The 3 Troubling Questions in Eschatology
11. The Age to Come
12. False Christs - Do not be tricked
13. Wars, famines, pestilence, earthquakes - Not the End yet?
14. What is the "Beginning of sorrows"
15. Why is there a need for AD70 (destruction of Jerusalem and Temple).?
16. Persecution for Jesus' sake - not the End yet.?
17. False prophets will come - not the End yet.?
18. Gospel to all the world - not the End yet.?
19. Open the Seal - not the End yet.?
20. The Abomination of Desolation (Part 1)
21. The Abomination of Desolation (Part 2)
22. 70 weeks - book of Daniel
23. Flee to the Mountains
24. 144,000 and 666 - Revelations
25. The Great Tribulation
26. Double Fulfillment of Prophecy?
27. Do NOT Believe It.?
28. The Coming of the Son of Man
29. The Parousia
30. Dead bodies and eagles
31. Times of the Gentiles
32. The Shaking of the Powers of the Heavens
33. Signs in the Heavens / The Day of the Lord
34. Is the "Mountain Peaks of Prophecy" Interpretation correct?
35. The Sign of the Son of Man in heaven
36. The Gathering of the elect
37. Jesus Coming in His kingdom (the Kingdom of God)
38. This Generation shall Not Pass Away (Part 1)
39. This Generation shall Not Pass Away (Part 2)
40. Heaven and Earth will pass away
41. Like the days of Noah
42. No one knows that Day or Hour
43. Remember Lot's wife
44. Faithful servant and evil servant
45. Parable of the 5 wise virgins and 5 foolish virgins
46. Is there a Rapture?

OTHER WRITERS:

1. Transition between the Old Covenant to New Covenant
2. History interprets "Woman eats her Baby"
3. Is the nation of Israel same as the Israel in the Bible?
4. God coming on the clouds in the Old Testament
5. Important verses for Christians to ponder
6. God has moved into you (From Tabernacle to Temple to Man)
7. Understanding Matthew 24
8. Understanding Revelations 15:1
9. Hell?
10. How to Interpret the Bible
11. Audience Relevance
12. 10 reasons why people are confused about the “last days”
13. Q&A on End Times / Last Days
14. Return of Christ - Biblical Time Frame
15. Where does the Old Testament predict the coming of Jesus Christ? 
16.  A metaphorical example - Psalms 18
17. A metaphorical example - Isaiah 13
18. A metaphorical example - Revelations 12

Signs in the Heavens / The Day of the Lord

Signs in the Heavens / The Day of the Lord

When Jesus spoke about the shaking of the heavens in Matthew 24:29, He mentioned particularly the sun, moon and stars not giving their lights and also falling out from the sky.

In the 1st sermon by Peter after the ascension of Jesus we read of Peter saying these same words in Acts 2:16-21

Act 2:16  But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 

Act 2:17  “‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 

Act 2:18  even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy. 

Act 2:19  And I will show wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below, blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke; 

Act 2:20  the sun shall be turned to darkness and the moon to blood, before the day of the Lord comes, the great and magnificent day. 

Act 2:21  And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’ 

Peter is telling his audience that these are not my words (v16) but the fulfillment of the words of their prophet Joel in Joel 2:28-32. Peter did not dream it up or imagine these Jewish symbols. He was speaking in their Jewish culture and language that they understood.

To see the Context of how and why Peter talked about these heavenly bodies, we need to understand that prior to his sermon, the Holy Spirit came upon them on the day of Pentecost and filled all of them with visible fire on their heads and the ability to speak in tongues and foreign languages. Those inhabitants and visitors in Jerusalem were amazed at how these 120 disciples were able to speak their mother tongue and describe the mighty works of God and His kingdom. It was within this context that Peter began to tell them about the signs in the heavens, that there will be a great shaking of the heavenlies, and that if they were to put their faith in Jesus Christ, then salvation will come upon them.

Take note that this "salvation" that Peter was talking about was the saving from the shaking of the heavens and the earth. The building up of the signs in the heavens and earth is so that the listeners may be saved from the effects of these shakings. And we shall see later, what is the meaning of these  signs and shakings.

In verse 20, Peter says that these signs in the heavens and earth will precede the coming of the "Day of the Lord" and this day will be a great and glorious day. It will be a great and glorious day for those who will be saved but a terrible day of judgement for those not saved.

This "coming of the day of the Lord" or "coming of Jesus" is the same "coming of Jesus" in Matthew 24:3-13, where the disciples asked "when will be the sign of your coming?". And Jesus answered them by saying that when they see all these signs and events take place, they should flee to the mountains of Judea and then they will be saved. Saved from what? Saved from the coming of the "day of the Lord".

Peter, Joel and Jesus were all speaking of the same thing! Joel prophesied that the "day of the Lord" will come, Jesus said these are the signs of the coming of the "day of the Lord", and Peter said the "day of the Lord" is very near.

The "signs of the heavens" were synonymous with the "day of the Lord". Peter was using the same apocalyptic language about the sun, moon and stars not giving their lights (v19-20) and I have shown that this shaking of the heavens and the earth (signs of the heavens) refers to the judgement and shaking upon the people. The audience understood that the shaking of the sun, moon and stars is not a literal description and not meant to be a natural phenomenon but a metaphorical and symbolic in its meaning.

To the Jews, their nation, Temple and the holy city of Jerusalem was their "heavens and the earth". They were the sun, moon and stars. The judgement of God about heavens and earth being shaken, burnt up, falling down, not giving their lights, are all symbolic meanings of the destruction of natural Israel. This is the passing away of the old Israel and its performance based religion of Judaism together with all its practices.

Look at how God and the prophet Isaiah referred to Israel in Isaiah 51:16. This was what the Jewish nation thought of themselves based on their Scriptures. The heavens and earth is Israel, God's people.

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.’

In Acts 2:16-21, Peter, after the filling of the Holy Spirit, said that the signs in the heavens (the sun, moon and stars stop their lights) and signs on earth with blood, fire and smoke (the destruction of Jerusalem), will be just before the coming of the "day of the Lord".

Now let's look in depth about this phrase the "day of the Lord" in Acts 2:20. It is not a future "day of the coming of Jesus" but it is a past event that happened in AD70. It indicates the arrival of judgement.

See: https://advancingtruth.blogspot.com/2020/05/the-coming-of-son-of-man.html

Just the phrase alone the "day of the Lord" is a reference to the "judgement of God", so the coming of the "day of the Lord" is the coming of the "judgement of God".

Let us see how this is used in the Old Testament:

In Isaiah 13:6,9-10 we read about the prophecy of God's judgement against Babylon.

Isa 13:6  Wail, for the day of the LORD is near; as destruction from the Almighty it will come! 

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. 

In Isa 34:8 we read of "the day of the Lord's vengeance" speaking about the judgement of God against Idumea (v5) and Bozrah (v6) and it happened just the way Isaiah prophesied.

Isa 34:8  For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of recompense for the cause of Zion. 

In Ezekiel 30:2,3 the "day of the Lord" is considered a doom day for Egypt.

Eze 30:2  Son of man, prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord GOD: “Wail, Alas for the day!" 

Eze 30:3  For the day is near, the day of the LORD is near; it will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations. 

In Joel 1:15 the "day of the Lord" is near meaning the destruction of God on Israel is near.

Joe 1:15  Alas for the day! For the day of the LORD is near, and as destruction from the Almighty it comes. 

In Joel 2:1 the "day of the Lord" is coming meaning that the alarm must be sounded for the judgement of God and the people will tremble.

Joe 2:1  Blow a trumpet in Zion; sound an alarm on my holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; it is near, 

In Joel 3:14,15 the "day of the Lord" is near with the sun, moon and stars darkened showing that judgement of God is on the nations.

Joe 3:14  Multitudes, multitudes, in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. 

Joe 3:15  The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. 

In Zeph 1:7,14 we read of the "day of the Lord" is coming to mean that the judgement of God on Jerusalem is coming and it will be a day of wrath.

Zep 1:7  Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is near; the LORD has prepared a sacrifice and consecrated his guests. 

Zep 1:14  The great day of the LORD is near, near and hastening fast; the sound of the day of the LORD is bitter; the mighty man cries aloud there. 

In Zech 14:1 the coming of the "day of the Lord" is when God brings all the nations to battle against Jerusalem.

Zec 14:1  Behold, a day is coming for the LORD, when the spoil taken from you will be divided in your midst. 

In Jeremiah 46:10 the "day of the Lord" is the day of vengeance by God on His enemies.

Jer 46:10  That day is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, to avenge himself on his foes. 

In Amos 5:18,20 the "day of the Lord" is a day of darkness and gloom.

Amo 5:18  Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD? It is darkness, and not light, 

Amo 5:20  Is not the day of the LORD darkness, and not light, and gloom with no brightness in it? 

From the above, you can read from the Scriptures what the "day of the Lord" means.

Let us look at an  extra-biblical source on the meaning of the "day of the Lord".

CD Alexander, a bible scholar wrote on his commentary on Joel 2:

[  an adequate study of prophecy would soon teach that the figures used in this prophecy, signs in heaven and earth, the darkening of the sun and the moon, blood, fire and vapor of smoke have nothing to do with the end of the world but with the end of  the Old Covenant and its earthly administration in the Jewish state. The same figures are frequently used in the Old Testament to denote the removal or the overthrow of kingdoms, powers and ordinances. See Isaiah 13, for example as those that were used to overthrow a Babylonian kingdom.

Peter's quotation was a warning to the Jewish people of his own day, that the time of the removal of their order had come. Their kingdom and state were about to go down in blood. Their sun was about to set as it took place in AD70 when nation and Temple was destroyed by the Romans.  ]

Look into Luke 21 in the New Testament which is a parallel passage to Matthew 24.

Luke 21:22 states that the "day of the Lord" is also called the "day of vengeance". All these signs mentioned before this verse are the signs of the coming of the "days of vengeance" and all of them are going to be fulfilled.

Luk 21:22  for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written. 

After those days in Luke 21:22, there is nothing left to be fulfilled about the "days of vengeance" in the future. All of them have been fulfilled according to Jesus.

Question: Were the early church expecting any literal signs in the heavens?

Answer: Yes, there were some written in non-biblical records and in historical writings. Luke 21:25-26 says there will be some signs IN the sun, moon and stars and these will cause the sea and the waves to create loud sounds. It does not say anything about the sun, moon and stars falling to the earth (symbolic meaning), but it says the signs will be IN the sun, moon and stars.

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. 

Let us see some historical writings of FW Farrar in his book "The early days of Christianity" in 1886. On page 416 it says:

[  In Jerusalem, men told how at the Passover of AD65, a mysterious light had gleamed for 3 hours at midnight in the holiest place. How the enormous gates of brass which required the exertions of 20 men to move, had opened of themselves and could not be closed. How at Pentecost, priests had heard sounds as of departing deities who said to each other "Let us depart from here".  ]

According to Flavius Josephus, a Roman historian of the 1st Century, who was an eye-witness to the events happening at Jerusalem, wrote in his book "War of the Jews. Vol. 1"

[  While they did not attempt nor give credit to the signs that were so evident, and did so plainly foretell their future desolation but like men infatuated without either eyes to see or minds to consider, did not regard the denunciations that God made to them.

Thus there was a star resembling a sword which stood over the city and a comet that continued a whole year. Thus also before the Jewish rebellion and before those commotions which preceded the war when the people were coming in great crowds to the feast of unleavened bread on the 8th day of the month of Nisan (Xanthicus), at the ninth hour of the night. So great a light shone around the altar and the holy house that it appeared to be bright daytime which light lasted for half an hour. This light seemed to be a good sign to the unskilled but was so interpreted by the sacred scribes as to portend those events that followed immediately upon it.

At the same festival also, a heifer as she was led by the high priest to be sacrificed brought forth a lamb in the middle of the Temple. Moreover the Eastern Gate of the Inner Court of the Temple, which was made of brass and vastly heavy and had been with difficulty shut by 20 men, and rested upon bases armed with iron and had bolts fastened very deep into the firm floor which was there made of one entire stone, was seen to be opened of its own accord on the 6th hour of the night. Now those who kept watch in the Temple came here upon running to the captain of the Temple and told him of it, who then came up thither and not without great difficulty was able to shut the gate again.

But the men of learning understood it. That the security of their holy house was dissolved of its own accord. And that the gate was opened for the advantage of their enemies. So they publicly declared that this signal foreshadowed the desolation that was coming upon them.

Besides these, a few days after the feast on the 21st day of the month of Iyar, a certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared. I suppose the account of it would seemed to be a fable were it not related by those that saw it and were not the events that followed it of so considerable in nature as to deserve such signals.

For before sunset, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were sen running about among the clouds and surrounding the city. Moreover at the feast which we call Pentecost, as the priests were going by night into the Inner Court of the Temple, as their custom was to perform their sacred ministrations, they said that in the first place, they felt a quaking and they heard a great noise and after that they heard a sound as of a great multitude saying "Let us remove hence".  ]

Josephus said it sounds like fable. You can believe it or not but when you read the writings of these historians, it is indeed an incredible account of the signs and wonders in the heavens that cannot be just simply explained away. Furthermore these are eye-witnesses accounts.

See a write up on the "day of the Lord" :

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_of_the_Lord

Note: The New Testament calls the "day of the Lord" by other terms as well such as "days of wrath", "days of vengeance", "day of visitation", "great day of Almighty God", "last days (of Moses Old Covenant)", "day of our Lord Jesus Christ", "day of God". And that this day will come suddenly like a thief in the night (1 The 5:2; 2 Pet 3:10).

We conclude by seeing how did the prophet Zephaniah describe this "day of the Lord".

According to Zephaniah 1:14-16, the "day of the Lord" is also called:

- that day will be a day of wrath

- a day of distress and anguish

- a day of trouble and ruin

- a day of darkness and gloom

- a day of clouds and blackness

- a day of trumpet and battle cry.

The Shaking of the Powers of the Heavens

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:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Babylon

https://www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/fall-babylon-0011090

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:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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.

https://advancingtruth.blogspot.com/2020/05/times-of-gentiles.html