A layman's commentary on Matthew 24 verses 29 through 31 _ Immediately after the tribulation of those days.

 

Praise the Lord; He is coming.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” 
Matthew 24:29 NKJV

If this portrays the end of the seven years, what has the world been enduring?

• The catching away of the church has come, and we are gone.

• The departure of the church opened the door for the antichrist to come onto the scene.

  This is pointing to 2 Thessalonians 2:3 and a few more verses. I will explain.

  “Let not any one deceive you in any manner, because it will not be unless the apostasy have first come, and the man of sin have been revealed, the son of perdition;.” 
  2 Thessalonians 2:3 Darby

  With his earned Doctorate in Theology, Pastor Andy Woods tells us in a book he wrote several years ago that 2 Thessalonians 2:3 should read departure instead of apostasy. To conserve space, I am not detailing the whys involved. Regardless, you should ask if we are waiting for this falling away to get worse.

  How much further do we as a church need to fall?

  I think we have gone too far, but that is just me.

  If the church, in general, has adequately fallen, then what are we waiting for - that last person that God needs to be brought into the kingdom?

  On the other hand, if a departure must happen, as we are frequently told, there is nothing to prevent Jesus from collecting His church.

• And the seven years of God’s wrath have been poured out.

The seven years is not quite done yet, and we can know this based on the language used.

“immediately after the tribulation of those days.”

"I beheld therefore, because of the voice of the great words that the horn spoke; I beheld till the beast was slain, and its body destroyed, and it was given up to be burned with fire."
Daniel 7:11 Darby

After the seven years the beast will be slain, and its body destroyed, and it will be burned with fire.

Will the beast - the antichrist, die? 

Not in a spiritual sense. 

So, what then is death? 

Death, no matter who we are talking about, is a complete separation from God. The fact that the beast is tossed into the lake of fire merely helps to establish the eternal judgment and separation from God.

The Word Study Dictionary discusses the Hebrew word ḥēywāh, indicating that it means a beast (of the field), but it goes on to say that the word, in general, is used to refer to all beasts of the field.

Isn't it interesting that Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, was made to crawl on his hands and knees, in the grass, like a beast of the field, for seven years, until he turned his heart toward God.

“As for the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away, yet their lives were prolonged for a season and a time.”
Daniel 7:12 NKJV

Even though the beast – antichrist is thrown into the lake of fire, there are others, that hold positions almost as deadly as the beast. How long their season lasts we are not told, but consider that the millennial reign is just moments away and it is not a land where bullies run rampant.

Daniel saw something that horrified him.

"After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. I was considering the horns, and there was another horn, a little one, coming up among them, before whom three of the first horns were plucked out by the roots. And there, in this horn, were eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words.” Daniel 7:7-8 NKJV

Still, Daniel wanted to know what these beasts were.

'Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth.

Daniel 7:17 NKJV

What happens next?

“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.”
Mark 13:24-27 NKJV

• “The sun will be darkened.”

  Illustration 1: The town at noon. May 18, 1980.

  An interesting article on Space.com talks more in terms of the sun expanding as it enters the red giant phase. This is projected to happen in about 5 billion years. So it would only be conjecture on my part to guess how this will happen. Although a picture from noonday after Mt. Saint Helens blew in the early 80s may help you to understand.

• “The moon will not give its light,”

  As most of you know, the moon only reflects the light of other light sources, so we probably not be able to figure how it works. However, darkness is intimidating and representative of evil.

• “the stars of heaven will fall,”

  Stars are effectively suns in distant galaxies. Held in place by the Word of God who put them there, there is only one thing that can make them fall, God.

• “the powers in the heavens will be shaken.”

  Here is a fascinating piece of information from Paul's letter to the church in Ephesus.

  “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the . Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.”
  Ephesians 6:12-13 NASB

  The word power is the same word dunamis that we see in Matthew 24:29, but in Ephesians, it is distinctly connected with forces of darkness—spiritual forces of wickedness “in the heavenly places.” 

   Perhaps a way to understand this is to ask, where did this all begin?

   In the heavenlies. If you were raised in the church, as I was, then you were given the idea that Satan, along with his crew of followers, were cast to earth, never to be heard from again. The reality is we are pestered by his demonic followers on a daily basis, and they all still have access to the heavenlies. If you must question that, then look at the opening passages of Job; there, you will find Satan mingling with the angels (the sons of God) and responding to God's questioning.

  Shaken is the Greek word saleuō and means to waver, agitate, rock, topple or (by implication) destroy.

  Consider this. The seven years are coming to an end; I say that because Jesus told us immediately after and then described some additional things that begin to happen, and they don't sound good. One might assume that the grief associated with the wrath would end immediately. A couple of ways to look at this moment in time. 1. Is that any additional grief is only coming against those who chose to fight against Jesus, who is riding on the white horse. 2. All those who chose Jesus during this ugly time will, in all likelihood, be martyred. Scripture tells us that this is the first resurrection. Note that there is a third group of people and you will see that highlighted in yellow below.

  Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.
  Revelation 20:4-5 NASB

• “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.”

  When I first read Revelation 19:11, I might have said, finally, it is done, and yet the church has lived in peace for seven years. Now, with my eyes wide open, I see that the finish will take a few more minutes, to say the least. All of this shaking of the heavens can only be meant to demonstrate the awesomeness of God, the one who is in charge even now. Still, with all that, the heavens and the earth will be remade after being burned with fire after the thousand years and the white throne judgment.

  The fire will NOT touch those who belong to God, and I can assure you that this will all be sorted out by this time.

• “He will send His angels, and gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven.”

  The Dake's bible notes say this about the elect. “He is talking about the Jews, not the Church because”:
  (My thoughts are in italics.)

1. Jesus is answering a Jewish question (Mat_24:3; Mat_25:31-46; Act_1:6)

   Matthew 24:3 tells us that Jesus was talking, exclusively, to His disciples. “the disciples came to Him privately.”

   Matthew 25:31-46, unlike Matthew 24:3, does not affirm that these are Jews, nor does it convey that this is related to the seven years. Verse 37 makes a reference to the righteous, which we might assume is a reference to Jews; it is not. This scenario happens at the end of the thousand years and is associated with the white throne judgment. Our scriptural definition merely informs us that these are from the nations (Gentiles) who have died and did not previously go up in the rapture of the church, and it includes people from among the nations who have been born and raised during the thousand years and have died for various reasons.

   And the last reference is from Acts 1:6.

   Here, Jesus has risen from the dead, walked with the disciples, and is about to return to the Father. It is the disciples, once again, who are asking Him if this is the time in which He will restore the kingdom to Israel. Jesus' answer to them went like this, “it is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.” This statement does place a time frame or a nationality on the hearer, although we know they were Jews.

2. False Messiahs primarily concern Israel (Mat_24:5, Mat_24:23-26)

Think in terms of location and context. The location is centered on Israel in the majority of instances. The context is the seven year period, often referred to as God's wrath.

3. Anti-antisemitism proves it (Mat_24:9)

   The obvious point here is that the church cannot be the recipient of anti-antisemitism because we Gentiles are not Jewish. We fall under the category of the nations, as far as the Jewish people are concerned. Should they give their lives to Christ, they can freely be with us in our church bodies, but it does not impact their Jewishness except to remove the stigma of their religious upbringing.

4. The travail of Israel (note, Mat_24:8)

   Matthew 24:8 NKJV: tells us that “All these are the beginning of sorrows.” 

   The context is everything related to Jesus's Jewish answer to their Jewish question.

   The first eight signs of Mat_24:4-7 are the beginning of sorrows against Israel and the Jews, not the end. It will have an impact on the nations/gentiles as well. (UCRT)

   Dake goes on to explain “sorrows.” The Greek word: odin (G5604), birth pangs (Gal_4:19, Gal_4:27; 1Th_5:3; Rev_12:2). This refers to the troubles of Israel in the tribulation (Mat_24:15-21; Isa_66:7-8; Jer_30:4-7; Dan_7:21; Dan_8:9-14, Dan_8:24; Dan_9:27; Rev_12:1-17).

5. The abomination of desolation concerns Israel only. (note, Mat_24:15)

   From Dake's notes: “When—this marks the starting point of the middle of Daniel’s 70th week when the Antichrist will break his 7-year covenant with Israel and enter Judea to take over Jerusalem as his capital and the Jewish temple as his capital building (Dan_9:27;

   Dan 9:27  Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;

   Dan_11:40-45;

   Daniel 11:41-42 NKJV  He shall also enter the Glorious Land, and many countries shall be overthrown, but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab, and the prominent people of Ammon.  42  He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.

   Yes, it does mention the glorious land, which we understand to be Israel, but it does not tell us when this happens.

   Dan_12:1 NKJV reads like this.

   "At that time Michael shall stand up, The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book.”

   The problem with using Daniel 12:1 is that you lose focus on the context, and it makes no sense without it. It becomes quite obvious that Daniel 12:1 is speaking about the minute transition between the seven years and the millennial reign. You should be aware that many of the Jews who make it to this point—we know that 1/3 of Israel does survive—will come to a knowledge of Jesus as the Messiah.

   Dan_12:7 (NKJV): “Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.”

   When will all things be finished? Two points of view on this. 1. Is when the tribulation ends; and 2. At the end of the thousand years. Regardless, this is NOT speaking of the time of Jacob's troubles.

   2Th_2:4. Let's look specifically at 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 NKJV 

   “Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,  4  who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”

   Some will appropriately tell you that the falling away or departure of the church is the event that triggers the time of God's wrath (“the tribulation.”) Does it make sense that the apostasy or falling away is the trigger when the process of falling away has been an ongoing event for a long time. The departure will be a soon coming, one time, event. If 2 Thessalonians 2:4 doesn't seem to answer your questions, well, you are not alone, but continue reading because 2 Thessalonians 2:7 expounds on the fact that the Holy Spirit, working through us, is restraining the advent of the antichrist and will continue to do so until the day we are removed from the earth.

   “For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.” NKJV 

   Rev_11:1-2; Verse two indicates that the Gentiles will trample the temple underfoot. Here is the verse to prove my point.

   “But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.” Revelation 11:2 NKJV

   You should know that 42 months equal three and one half years on the Jewish, 360 day calendar. The Gentiles/ the Assyrians have been trampling all over the temple mount already. What is the difference? No temple, so keep your eyes on the Holy Land because things are happening so rapidly.

   We can definitely say that Revelation 11 talks about the time of wrath.

   Rev_12:1-17; The signs/stars transpired just a few years ago. I did not follow this phenomenon that closely. And, by the way, we are still here—bummer. But it alerts us that time is drawing to a close. This theme carries through to verse 17.

   Rev_13:1-18). Gives us an overview of the beasts that comes to a conclusion with the antichrist. One that gives so many a problem is this:

   “And I saw one of his heads as if it had been mortally wounded, and his deadly wound was healed. And all the world marveled and followed the beast.” Revelation 13:3 NKJV.

   Far too many portray this head as a human; it is NOT. The Revelation explains that all these, until the last one, are kingdoms and empires, so why change the pattern now.

   I believe that the head that appeared to sustain a mortal wound was the Ottoman Caliphate, a Muslim empire. Taken down in 1924 by the British, they immediately began rebuilding through the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.

   The Islamic Revolution in 1979 seemed to awaken a sleeping giant, that has become a thorn in all our flesh. Look around you, we are surrounded by Muslims on every side, and they are a people that live by passages in the Quran and teachings of Imams that tell them to kill the infidel where ever you can find them. For your information, those who do not adhere to the Quran are infidels.

Dake states that “All this prophecy from Mat_24:15 on must be fulfilled the last 3 1/2 years of this age.”

There were 9 more scripture references from Dake's Bible notes, but I have already overwhelmed many of you.

If you read the narratives about the antichrist and this covenant, you will find that Israel is not mentioned. In all of them. Can we make logical assumptions? Yes, but to say they are all talking about Israel is pure conjecture and something that we need to be cautious about.