Please explain Matthew 24:30, "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." Does it have a time feature? (United States)

May 06th 2021 | 92902 views 

Summary: Yes, we see many signs of our Lord’s return now!

Matthew 24:30 answers the disciples’ questions of verse 3, “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming (Greek, presence) and of the end of the world (Greek, age)?” Jesus responded with partially symbolic language in order to conceal his answer until the correct time when believers could understand. Jesus tells of wars, troubles, and a falling away from the faith before the end of the age.

One strong fulfillment that we are in the end times is verse 22, “except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.” Within the last 80 years, the production of nuclear bombs has made it possible for mankind to be annihilated. However, the Lord said He would not let this happen.

Jesus also warns of false prophets teaching false doctrines. (Verses 23-26) Jesus says, (Verse 29) the sun and moon would be darkened, and the stars would fall from heaven. The sun symbolizes the New Testament, and the moon represents the Old Testament. Religious leaders (stars) would lose their influence over society due to a lack of faith. “The powers (church organizations) of heaven shall be shaken.” (See Revelation 12:1 proof for symbolic interpretations and a deeper study is available at "Revelation: How to Study & Have it Make Sense"

Verse 30 is the experience of the “tribes of the earth,” in contrast to “the elect” of verse 31 and “the fig tree” (rebirth of Israel) in verse 32. As “the elect” are believers, the “tribes of the earth” would be those without faith.

The sign or indication of Christ’s return would be accompanied by “clouds.”  Clouds can indicate an approaching storm of trouble. The trouble will grow worse for the purpose of bringing the world to a condition of “mourning.” 

Mankind is bringing the trouble on themselves. The Lord will use the trouble to humble mankind and have them turn to Him for help. Then they will see (Greek, discern) that the returned Lord is behind the “clouds,” or trouble.

Luke gives additional details. “… upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves (symbolic of restless masses, See Isaiah 17:12, 13) roaring; men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven (false religious authority) shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” (Luke 21:25-27) We see leaders struggling for solutions to complex problems when there are no solutions. Fear has become a dominate feature of life today.

Jesus’s words continue, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption (Greek, deliverance) draws nigh.” (Verse 28) This should be the attitude of true Christians.

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