Matthew 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
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.
31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

It is important to notice that Jesus is still continuing the same conversation He began in verse 4 of this chapter. Jesus is answering the questions that the disciples asked Him.
In verse 29, we read the word “immediately” in the context of the entire passage. Jesus is talking of a specific time in the history of this world. That time is known as the “Tribulation”. At the end of that specific time, the sun shall be darkened, etc. During the entire 7 year period of the Tribulation, there will be catastrophic events taking place. The antichrist will be trying so hard to prove himself as the most important person on earth. For those who are saved during that time, he will be seen as a wicked and evil man who cannot bring about any type of utopia.
We have mentioned before that our current P.M. is a type of the antichrist. He is an evil man as well. He was in Europe again this week, wasting our tax dollars. He went to the European Parliament to give a speech on “democracy”. This event was seen as such a hypocritical move that around 90% of the parliamentarians left before he gave his speech. At least two of the parliamentarians called him out for his hypocrisy. Those who believe the CBC will have been told that he received a standing ovation for his speech. That may be true but what they do not say is that only 10% of the people were in attendance.
He wants to be seen as such a great leader, but he is being seen as what he truly is and that is not very flattering. It is quite possible that the citizens of this country will suffer further at the hands of this evil man when he returns to this country. He is so full of himself that he will not listen to any criticism with an ear to learn something. We continue to pray for his salvation. That would be such a wonderful event for him.
In the context of verse 29, the antichrist will be dealt his final blow. He will not only be de-throned by the Lord Jesus Christ; he will be cast into the lake of fire. There will be no need for a trial. He is guilty and will be judged and cast into that dreadful place for all of eternity.
During the battle of Armageddon, Jesus will not only use His power to destroy all evil on this earth at that time, He will also use His power to change the course of His creation. The sun will be darkened. The sun was created on the fourth day of Creation week. It has given light to the world for some 6,000 years now. It has also given warmth to the earth. Yet, this wonderful light will be darkened for a short time. We are not told how long, but we are told it will be “after the tribulation of those days”.
The moon will also not give her light. The moon is described in Genesis 1:16 as the “lesser” of the two lights. The moon reflects the light of the sun. Not only that but the stars shall fall from heaven. The very powers of heaven shall be shaken.
Jesus is talking of events that man cannot stop. Man will have no control over this and he will not be able to plan any way of escaping this judgment. Jesus is going to bring in major changes as He acts in judgment against the wickedness of this world.
Verse 30 tells us that all this will take place in conjunction with the appearance of the Son of man. Again, we see that this cannot be speaking of the time of the Rapture. This will be a major event that will not go unnoticed by those alive at that time. It will be a major demonstration of the power and authority of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Notice here as well that the “sign” of the Son of man will come at the end of the Tribulation. There are no signs that we are looking for at the Rapture. We are told to be ready and watching. We are told to be busy serving the Lord. We are told to live in expectation of the soon return of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is what I am looking for.
We are told as well that all the tribes of the earth shall mourn at the Lord’s coming. They will realize that He is the conquering King and the Messiah. This is speaking of the many who during the Tribulation will have rejected the Lord Jesus Christ. They will have fallen for the lies of the antichrist. They will see that their hope is lost but they will reject the Son of man.
Proud people just will not admit they are wrong. They will not turn to the truth. We see that today as we have politicians, doctors, nurses, police officers, who know that the lockdowns and the shots and the fines were wrong. They know that they were supporting a lie. Yet even when they can now see that there are many who are dying and have other severe side-effects from the shots, they are still stuck on the lie. It is the same response that they have made about evolution. Any thinking person has to admit that evolution is a complete fraud. Some have even admitted to that, and they have even written that they must keep up the lie because if they do not, the only other option is to admit there is a God, and they refuse to do that.
That is why the Bible warns us:

Ecclesiastes12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;
2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain:
3 In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened,
4 And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low;
5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets:
6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.

God warns us that there comes a time when the troubles of life and the difficulties associated with aging, can cause a person to become so hardened against the truth, that they are so preoccupied with the negative effects of life and they blame God rather than turn to Him in repentance and faith.
In verse 31 Jesus speaks of another important event that will take place at the end of the Tribulation. He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet. There will be a trumpet sound at the Rapture as well. However, our text tells us specifically that this trumpet sound will come at the end of the Tribulation.
In the Old Testament Israel was taught to blow the trumpet at various occasions. They were to give different sounds with the trumpet to indicate different events. Thus there is no reason for us to be confused just because God talks of different trumpet sounds in the New Testament.
It is also important to remember that Jesus is addressing the questions of His disciples in this account. It is important information for all people to receive, but much of it is specific to the nation of Israel. The elect in this passage is in reference to the nation of Israel. The elect is in reference to the purpose that God had for the nation of Israel. They were “elected” in Abraham to be a light to the Gentiles. They were to be a testimony of God’s greatness and His goodness.
We have already noted that God has warned them to flee at the mid-point of the Tribulation. They needed to find a place to hide from the wicked plot of the antichrist. Now, at the end of the Tribulation God is calling His elect from the four winds and bringing them back to Jerusalem. Jesus Christ is the conquering King and He is the Saviour and they will now come together to begin the Millennium.
In the past, God has been bringing Jews back to Israel. There have been “waves” of Jews from various parts coming back since they once again had the privilege of living in the land previously promised to Abraham.
At the end of the Tribulation all those saved Jews who are scattered wherever, will be called back to Israel and they will be together, not under the deceptiveness of the antichrist, but to the blessings of the King of kings and the Lord of lords. They will hear this great trumpet sound and they will know this is not a trick. They will know this is God calling them back. They will come to the place of safety and blessing.
Jesus was continuing to give details of specific events that would take place at a specific time. He was not telling the disciples that they or their people could live carelessly until that time. He was warning them of the trouble that their people would face precisely because they had been living carelessly.
Even as we consider the disciples’ opening words of this chapter. They were in awe of the Temple buildings. Many Jews were in awe of the Temple buildings. However, they were not in awe of the Lord Jesus Christ. The disciples knew He was the Son of God, but they did not yet grasp the significance of this fact. Soon they would. Many in their nation and at that time would never know the true Saviour. Many today still do not know the true Saviour.
Trouble is brewing. Whether Jew, or Gentile, the day of salvation is today. Do not delay. Begin to know the blessings of God’s forgiveness. Then help others to know Him as well. Deceivers abound. However, that does not mean we cannot know the truth. Let us who are of the day live in the light of the day and serve God faithfully.
Pastor Bartel

Calvary Baptist Church of Treherne, Inc.
Box 219
Treherne, MB
R0G2V0
1-204-595-6229
walter.bartel@gmail.com
calvarybaptistchurchoftreherneinc.com
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