Much like a literal sense is automatically granted to v.29 by average students of eschatology, the same approach is used of vs. 30-31. It’s claimed that the texts communicate a literal appearing of a sign or of the Lord Himself in the sky. Some in the past even believed that the sign would be the appearing of a cross over the earth (Constantine)! I believe that the better approach is to consult, once again, the OT to see how these expressions are defined. If it is the case that the sun, moon and stars can be interpreted symbolically, and associated with the destruction of Jerusalem, then it’s not a far stretch to at least consider vs. 30-31 in a similar fashion. The following verses are entrenched in OT prophetic language, and it would serve us well to consider the vocabulary of these prophets once again.
THE SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN (Matthew 24:30-31)
And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
The Lord speaks of a “sign of the Son of Man appearing in the sky” that will communicate to the tribes that He has come. Notice what it doesn’t say, it doesn’t say that the tribes will see the Son of Man but that they will see “the sign” of His coming in the sky (heavens). While the translation can allow that the sign will appear in heaven, it can also communicate that they shall see the sign that would prove that the Son of Man is in heaven. This is really no different than in Acts 2:33 with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Peter states that those at Pentecost could “see and hear” that the Spirit had been poured out yet they couldn’t actually see the Spirit but they could see and hear the signs or repercussions of that Spirit being present. Much in the same way, they would “see” the results of that coming. But what was the sign? Those who would witness the events of 70 would see the sign of Jesus’ enthronement when they saw Jerusalem’s destruction. Thus the “sign” of the Son of Man being enthroned and vindicated in “heaven” is the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple on “earth”[1]. The symbolic nature of the text also should leak into our understanding of the term “to see”. While it certainly can mean to fix one’s physical eyes upon a person or object, in many cases in the NT, it refers to understanding or gaining insight into something[2] which I believe is the case in this text.
The coming of the Son of Man is a reoccurring theme in the gospel of Matthew. The seeing the Son of Man coming is found in 16:28 Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” And also in 26:64 when the high priest asks the Lord to acknowledge that He is the Christ to which He responded, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, [hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven”. The language is undoubtedly speaking of something that was expected within a generation of the time they were spoken. All of them speak of a “coming of the Son of Man” which is visible, which is associated with power, and which is to take place within the lifetime of those to whom he is speaking (In this case, “this generation” in v.34)[3]. It is largely accepted that the passage is utilizing the language of Daniel 7:13-14.
“I kept looking in the night visions, And behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming, And He came up to the Ancient of Days And was presented before Him. “And to Him was given dominion, Glory and a kingdom, That all the peoples, nations and men of every language Might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion Which will not pass away; And His kingdom is one Which will not be destroyed.
Notice in Daniel’s words that the Son of Man is “coming” in the clouds of heaven to God the Father to receive His Kingship and Kingdom. There is nothing in this texts that speaks of the Son of Man coming to the earth. This is not speaking therefore of Christ’s returning to the earth as in the Parousia at His 2nd coming[4] but it is speaking of His coming to the ancient of days for His enthronization[5]. We mustn’t think of the term “coming” in the sense of descending but ascending. It communicates an arrival, not to the earth but into heaven[6]. He is given dominion on earth and in heaven (Matthew 28:18) and the dominion will never pass way. His kingdom will never be defeated and those who are the enemies of the King and His Kingdom will receive their full judgment. He will come on the clouds with glory and with power to deal with those who were responsible for His rejection and death[7]. This happened at His ascension into heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father. The upheaval spoken of in v.29 through the cosmic tribulation of the sun, moon, stars and the earth, which will produce an overturning of power, both political and religious, is shown to be replaced with another reign over Israel, mainly that of the Son of Man.
It’s important to note that clouds are symbols of God’s presence and in our context, He comes on a cloud in judgment. The whole context since 23:32 was the judgment upon Jerusalem for their rejection and murder of the prophets as well as their rejection and coming murder of the Son. We saw this in the form of the parables of the Two Sons, the Landowner and the Marriage Feast. In all these parables, there is a visitation from God for the rejection of the Son. This coming won’t be with the clouds to receive His Kingdom and glory, but He comes on the cloud with the glory and power already received at the ascension when He sat down at the right hand of the Father. This was no different than Yahweh coming in the clouds to judge Egypt (Isaiah 19:1) as an expression of judgment rather than a physical coming. Truly, this judgment on Jerusalem in A.D. 70 was a day of clouds!
The expression “all the tribes of the earth will mourn” is undoubtedly an allusion to Zechariah 12. The text could just as easily be translated “all the tribes of the land” speaking, not of the whole earth, but specifically of the land in Israel. The use of the word “tribe” is largely used in relating to the descendants of 12 sons of Jacob or the tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28; Luke 2:36; Acts 13:21; Romans 11:1; Hebrews 7:13-14 etc..). Notice also that the text doesn’t say that they will approach this coming with approval but that these tribes will “mourn”. While some argue that the mourning is meant to communicate repentance, this remorse is probably more likely to convey a regret for what they had done without a turning away! The text in Zechariah demonstrates that these mourners are those who had pierced Him coming from the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:10). These were not every tribe known to the earth, but Zechariah defines those tribes as coming from the people of Israel. In the overall pattern of Zechariah 9-14 this “one they have pierced” is usually interpreted as a rejected messianic figure, who appears also as the rejected shepherd in Zech 11:4-14 and the shepherd killed by the sword in Zech 13:7-9. In this gospel both of the latter passages will be applied to Jesus’ death in Jerusalem and the present allusion should therefore probably be taken in the same way[8].
The result of His coronation is He is granted authority to send His angels to gather His chosen people. The language, much like vs 29-30 should be taken as symbolic and refer to OT prophetic texts. Many of the symbols and sayings are found in reference to OT analogies. The gathering of the elect is found in Deuteronomy where it states that the Lord your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the Lord your God has scattered you. 4 If your outcasts are at the ends of the earth, from there the Lord your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you back. (30:3-4) and in Isaiah we read that It will come about also in that day that a great trumpet will be blown, and those who were perishing in the land of Assyria and who were scattered in the land of Egypt will come and worship the Lord in the holy mountain at Jerusalem. (27:13). Those who adhere to the idea that vs.29-31 should be interpreted as events at the end of history explain these texts as the gathering of Israelites scattered after a military invasion (Revelation 12:14-16). An angel will blow a mighty trumpet to call them back to the land of Israel for the final restoration anticipated in the OT (Deuteronomy 30:1-8)[9]. If v.29 speaks of the change in political and religious authority and that authority is now ascribed to the Lord Jesus as King and religious leader of Israel, it would make better sense that the gathering of the elect would initiate in the 1st century as well. I believe that these prophecies were regarding the gathering of Israelites after they’d been scattered abroad however, these texts are now applied by the Lord to those NT believers, both Jews and Gentiles (Matthew 8:11-12).
Interpreting the “angels” and the significance of the trumpet blast is difficult. Was Matthew referring to heavenly hosts, which is by and far the sense it’s used in other texts in Matthew[10], or could it be speaking of angels as human messengers as in 11:10? France would argue from the former where in the context of the authority of the Son of Man it probably refers to the spiritual power underlying human evangelization[11]. Others however would argue that the latter fits the description of the angels. I would argue that both make sense. The term “angeloi” certainly can mean celestial beings however it is also commonly used as human messengers[12] even in the gospels[13]. For the most part, theologians are at least in agreement that the great trumpet is a call to gather before God. We see this in Israel’s history when a trumpet was blown to gather the people together for worship (Numbers 10:1-10). But the trumpet call can also be symbolic of Israel’s messengers calling a people to repentance. Notice the following OT reference to the messengers call to repentance being in the likeness of a trumpet blowing:
Cry loudly, do not hold back; Raise your voice like a trumpet, And declare to My people their transgression And to the house of Jacob their sins. (Isaiah 58:1)
Thus says the Lord, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is, and walk in it; And you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’ “And I set watchmen over you, saying, ‘Listen to the sound of the trumpet!’ But they said, ‘We will not listen.’ (Jeremiah 6:16-17)
He sees the sword coming upon the land and blows on the trumpet and warns the people, then he who hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head. He heard the sound of the trumpet but did not take warning; his blood will be on himself. But had he taken warning, he would have delivered his life. But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman’s hand.’ “Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth and give them warning from Me. (Ezekiel 33:3-7)
There are other references to trumpets coming from the clouds of heaven (Exodus 19:16), to proclaim the restoration of Israel (Isaiah 27:13) and the deliverance of Judah and Ephraim (Zechariah 9:14). While Hebrews 12:19 is more ambiguous and probably referring symbolically to Exodus 19, Revelation 8:2 and Revelation 11:15 relates the trumpet blow to announce certain truths. Many who subscribe to a future fulfillment of the Olivet Discourse, have interpreted the trumpet call as the final trumpet to be blown prior to the 2nd coming of Christ and the resurrection of the righteous (as in such texts as 1 Corinthians 15:52, 1 Thessalonians 4:16).
We must note that another interpretation that has gained popularity is that the Lord had the Jubilee in mind (Leviticus 25). The purpose of the trumpet’s sound is to gather the elect from all over the world. Notice that it doesn’t say where they are called to be gather to. It is not a place but a person. This is a reference to the great calling of God’s people, both Jews and Gentiles, to receive their King. When the overthrow of Jerusalem was complete, (sun, moon and stars), the political and religious life severed and the Kingdom of Jesus established on earth and in heaven, the messengers would proclaim this to the ends of the earth to gather God’s people for His kingdom. Another challenge is the text from Matthew 13:41 where we read that the angels will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
Regardless, of the identification of the angels, the point of the text is that the coronation of the king in heaven will result in an ingathering of God’s chosen people from every corner of the world. The basis for the missionary work of the church to the nations is upon this coronation, as we are told: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:18-20).
[1] Storms P.269
[2] See John 12:40; Acts 26:18; Luke 24:31; Mark 1:44; Luke 17:22; John 3:3; Romans 15:21.
[3] France P. 923
[4] Greek erchomenos
[5] The term Parousia is not used in vs. 29-31 but appears in v.27 and then again in vs. 37 & 39
[6] It should be noted that I do believe that the Lord will return visibly and to the earth at the end of history but I do not believe that this passage is communicating this truth.
[7] What is the association of clouds with God? First, God showed Himself by the physical presence of clouds, although no one ever saw Him (e,g, Ex. 13:21; 14:24; 19:9; 20:21; 24:15; 33:9; 34:5; 1 Kings 8:12). Second, God’s abode is described as a canopy of clouds (Psalm 97:2). Third, God’s mode of transportation is figuratively described as a chariot (104:3). Fourth, when God speaks, “He causes the clouds to ascend from the end of the earth” (Jer. 10:13; 51:16). Fifth, the “day of the LORD… will be a day of clouds.” (Ezek. 30:3; Joel 2:2). Sixth, God’s judgment of the wicked is described as the upheaval of the created order: “in whirlwind and storm is His way, and clouds are the dust beneath His feet” (Nahum 1:3). In each of the above examples, clouds are symbols of God’s presence. Demar P. 160
[8] France P. 925
[9] J. Dwight Pentecost, Thy Kingdom Come, (Wheaton IL, Victor Books, 1990, P. 255) – as quoted in Demar’s Last Days Madness.
[10] i.e. Matthew 13:41 & 16:27
[11] France P 928
[12] See 2 Chronicles 26:15-16; Haggai 1:13; Malachi 2:7; Hebrews 1:14; James 2:25; Revelation 1:1
[13] Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:2; Luke 7:24, 27, 9:52)
The Moncton Herald 