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Understanding the Meaning of The Signs of the
Times
Matthew 24
When you read these phrases in Mt 24, what do you think it is talking about?
sign of son coming on clouds
sun darkened
moon turned to blood
stars fall from sky
roaring of sea and waves
men fainting from fear
heavens shaken
If you thought this was talking about the second coming...you are wrong!
Imagine being in a war veterans club which gathers together for various social
things on Saturdays. Once a year, the veterans club hosted a special function
where the old veterans brought their grandchildren into the club to teach the
younger generation a little about the wars. It was called,
"Grandfather-Grandchild Dinner and Dance Day". One year, as the event continued,
one of the old veterans stood up and grabbed the microphone and said the phrase,
"D-DAY", and paused for 10 seconds. The audience reacted to this simple phrase
two very different ways. The teenage grandchildren immediately associated this
phrase "D-DAY" with "Dinner and Dance Day", but they really didn't know for sure
what it meant. While all the grandchildren looked and listened in genuine
puzzlement as to what "D-DAY" meant, they were even more amazed at the reaction
of all the old veterans. Some of them began to cry, some of them quiver, some of
them sighed, some of them just hung their head in their hands. The teenage
grandchildren just could not understand why a simple phrase like "D-DAY" would
make their grandfathers react this way. What did "D-DAY" mean, they wondered?
This exactly illustrates why this document is so important. When most people
read the prophetic language of Mt 24, like "coming on the clouds of heaven and
the sun will be darkened, moon turned to blood" they incorrectly associate such
phrases with the second coming of Christ. If we could transport back in time to
be in the audience of Jesus and His disciples when he actually made these
statements, we would be the ones with the puzzlement like the teenage
grandchildren and the Jews of that time, would be like the old war veterans.
When Jesus said of Jerusalem, "coming on the clouds of heaven and the sun will
be darkened, moon turned to blood" again the audience would react in very
different ways. The Jews of that time clearly understood and were familiar with
this kind of language. They read it many times in the Old Testament. To them it
was nothing new. They understood such language was used many times in the past
whenever God would overthrow and destroy a single nation at a specific time.
They were familiar with several of these prophecies and their historical
fulfillments long before they were born!
OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLES
OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE #1
Prophecy: Isa 13:1,6-13 730 BC the day of the Lord is near hands fall limp,
man's hearts melt, terror stars of heaven and constellations will not flash
forth their light, sun dark when it rises, moon not shed light, heavens shake,
earth tremble
Fufilled: Babylon 539 BC
OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE #2
Prophecy: Isa 19:1 730 BC Lord riding on a swift cloud and is about to come to
Egypt the idols of Egypt will tremble at His presence
Fulfillment: Egypt 480 BC
OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE #3
Prophecy: Isa 34:4-5 730 BC all host of heaven (stars) will wear away sky rolled
up like a scroll, all their hosts will wither
Fulfillment: Edom before 400BC
OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE #4
Prophecy: Ezek 30:3-4 590 BC The day of the Lord is near It will be a day of
clouds,
Fulfillment: Egypt 480 BC
OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE #5
Prophecy: Ezek 32:7-8 590 BC I will extinguish Egypt heavens covered, stars
darkened, cover sun with cloud, moon not give light shining lights in the
heavens will be dark, darkness on the land
Fulfillment: Egypt 480 BC
OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE #6
Prophecy: Amos 5:18-20 755 BC day of the lord it will be darkness and not light,
gloom with no brightness in it
Fulfillment: Israel 722 BC
OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE #7
Prophecy: Amos 8:9 755 BC sun go down at noon earth dark in broad daylight
Fulfillment: Israel 722 BC
OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE #8
Prophecy: Zeph 1:7, 14-16 630 BC Near is the great day of the Lord, near and
coming very quickly a day of wrath, trouble, distress, destruction, desolation,
darkness, gloom, clouds, thick darkness a day of trumpet and battle cry
Fulfillment: Jerusalem 586 BC
OLD TESTAMENT EXAMPLE #9
Prophecy: Jer 4:14-16, 19,23-28; 6:1,22 626-586BC sound of trumpet, alarm of war
no light, heavens above dark Yet I will not execute a complete destruction
a people is coming from the north, a great nation: Babylon
Fulfillment: Jerusalem 586 BC
NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLES
NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLE #1
Prophecy: Mt 24:29-30 30 AD sign of son coming on clouds sun darkened, moon
turned to blood, stars fall from sky, roaring of sea and waves, men fainting
from fear, heavens shaken
Fulfillment: Jerusalem 70 AD
NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLE #2
Prophecy: Mt 26:64 30 AD Son of man sitting at right hand of power, coming on
clouds of heaven
Fulfillment: Jerusalem 70 AD
NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLE #3
Prophecy: 2 Pe 3:10-13 67AD Day of Lord will come Heavens will pass away with
roar, elements destroyed with intense heat, earth and works burnt up
Fulfillment: Second Coming ???? AD
NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLE #4
Prophecy: Rev 1:7 96 AD Christ is coming with clouds
Fulfillment: Second coming
NEW TESTAMENT EXAMPLE #5
Prophecy: Second coming Ax 1:9-11 30 AD Christ will return in same way he
left...with clouds
Fulfillment: Second coming
MODERN DAY EXAMPLES
Modern examples of the same kind of language we use today:
Gordon Lightfoot "Black day in July"
Folk song regarding American riots
Recent Stock Market Crash
"Black Monday" Oct 19, 1987
Gulf War
"Dark day for Iraq" Iraq 1991
CONCLUSION:
So, we can conclude that the language of Mt 24 is not referring to the second
coming, but the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD. It was 100% fulfilled
prophecy! Such language is the way the prophets described, in prophetic
language, the physical destruction of a specific nation. It has been applied to
countless Old Testament nations that were destroyed. Mt 24 is not speaking of
the second coming, but the coming of God in judgment upon Jerusalem in 70 AD.
Interesting, we do find this same kind of language used in the New Testament to
describe the second coming, but all of this is entirely outside the context of
Mt 24.
By Steve Rudd
From Expository Files 4.1; January 1997
