October 23, 2022—It is the first century AD in Jerusalem. Four men are standing on the Mount of Olives to listen to the Son of Man who is seated on the mountain. Having heard his message on the beginning of sorrows, the other signs, and the great tribulation of the end times, they are listening intently. This is because the Son of Man is about to tell them something miraculous and extraordinary: the Messiah will be return to earth.
Who is this and what does this mean? The Son of Man is Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He is our Messiah (John 4). Jesus is both “the Christ” and the “Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16). God came down to the earth as flesh in the form of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. This happened to fulfill the law and the prophecies which we see in the scriptures of the Old Testament. The Old Testament describes the law (and how it was broken) and the New Testament is how God fulfilled it (through Jesus Christ). Jesus did not come to condemn the world (John 3:17), but to call the sinners to repentance (Matthew 9:13). Why? God desires mercy and not sacrifice (Hosea 6:6, and Matthew 9:13). Also, because God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16). Hallelujah!
When Christ came to the earth the first time, He was a lamb. However, the return of Jesus Christ is going to be much different. Jesus Christ will return for war against His enemies. This article will explain the signs of the second coming of Jesus Christ found in scripture.
The Signs of Second Coming of Jesus Christ
While they were on the Mount of Olives, Jesus Christ told His disciples of the signs of His return. You can find these signs in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. According to Jesus, the signs His return will occur after the tribulation. In the aforementioned books of the Holy Bible, the sign of the second coming of Jesus Christ consists of the following:
The sun and the moon will be darkened
The stars from Heaven will fall
Powers of heaven will be shaken
The Son of Man will appear in heaven
Jesus returns on the clouds
Trumpet sounds
The angels collect the elect (the believers of Jesus Christ)
The Sun and the Moon will be Darkened
The books of the Matthew, and Mark discusses the sun and moon being darkened. The verses are below:
Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. (Matthew 24:29)
But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. (Mark 13:24)
People can argue this sign and claim that this occurs with every major storm or even with a volcanic eruption. Clouds or volcanic smog or ash move in, and the sun and the moon are no longer visible. However, this is not what Jesus said. According to scripture, Jesus said that “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.” This suggests that the sun and moon will still be visible, but they will be darkened. Regardless of how it will happen, we know that some sort of cosmic disturbance will be necessary for such an event to occur. Perhaps this sign will tie into the stars from heaven, or the powers of heaven will be shaken.
The Stars and Powers from Heaven
When Jesus explained this event to His disciples, could it be that Jesus was talking about comets shooting across the sky or crashing down to the earth? Or could this be the recent event whereas NASA purposely crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid as part of the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART)? Perhaps. Let us take a look at the Holy Bible and see if we can break this down together.
Both Matthew and Mark have the same thing written, which is that “the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Matthew 24:29 and Mark 13:25. The book of Luke does not include language on the stars falling from heaven. However, Luke does mention the “powers of heaven” in chapter 21, “men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” (Luke 21:26).
Notice how Matthew and Mark mention the “stars from heaven” (singular) and the “powers of the heavens” (plural). From praying to God to ask for wisdom and understanding of the Holy Spirit, I am interpreting that these are two different things. Whereas the singular form of heaven is from our atmosphere or outer space, and the plural form of heavens is referring to the spiritual and physical realms.
Therefore, I believe that the stars falling from heaven will be in the form of meteors which are currently referred to as “falling stars” or “shooting stars.” Remember, the verses in Matthew and Mark say, “the stars will fall from heaven.” Regarding the “powers of the heavens,” look at Revelation 11:19, “Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail.”
There was an earthquake when an angel of the Lord came down to earth and rolled the stone away from Jesus’s tomb (Matthew 28:2). Here is the back story on this event: When Jesus was crucified on the cross, His body was removed and taken to a tomb. According to the book of Matthew, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered together to ask Pilate (Roman governor of the Judaean province) to place a guard outside Jesus’s tomb. They asked this because they recalled Jesus saying that “After three days, I will rise.” They told Pilate that His disciples would take Jesus’s body to make it seem real.
Pilate gave them a guard and told them to make the tomb “as secure as they know how” (Matthew 27:65). Therefore, they sealed a stone to the entrance and set a guard. However, an angel rolled that stone away and it caused an earthquake.
In addition, Jesus told His disciples that there would be various earthquakes in various places as part of the beginnings of sorrows (Matthew 24:7, Mark 13:8, and Luke 21:11). Finally, the prophet Zechariah mentioned that when Jesus returns, He will set “His feet on the Mount of Olives” and the mountain would be split in half from the east to the west (Zechariah 14:4). If this does not cause a massive earthquake, I do not know what will.
The Coming of Jesus Christ
Then we will see powers of heavens shaken. For the sign of “the Son of Man will appear in heaven” and then we will see “the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory” (Mark 13:26). Shortly after these things, Jesus will sound a trumpet, sending His angels to collect the elect (those that believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah) from all over the earth (Matthew 24: 30-31).
The apostle Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy speak to the collection event in their second letter to the church in Thessalonica:
Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come. 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, 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.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-4
There are a few things that I must clarify to you about these statements in 2 Thessalonians. Note that the event where the angels will gather us is referred to as “the Rapture.” When Paul refers to “the man of sin” he is referring to the Antichrist. In addition, the “son of perdition” is the false prophet that the Antichrist will give power to. Articles will be written on these subjects in the future.
Is Jesus Coming Soon?
In the previous articles that were posted in October 2022, I explained the end of times signs. There are three past articles about these signs, and you can read them here:
In those articles, you may have noticed that I did not say that the end of times was here. Beloved, this was because I wanted you to pray to God and read the Holy Bible. By doing these things, you will build a closer relationship to God our Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, I tell you now, that we are in the end times. When we hear and see physical signs like you have never heard or seen before but have read in the Holy Bible and prayed about, be prepared, for Jesus Christ will return soon. Be aware that no one can know the hour of Christ’s return (Matthew 24:37, and Mark 13:32). In the meantime, you should ask yourself, “Am I right with God?” What will you do if God answers, “No, you are not.”
Accepting Jesus
In the name of Jesus, I pray that you will be filled with the Holy Spirit and be led to pray and read the Holy Bible: that you will receive the spiritual gifts of wisdom and understanding. And if you have not accepted Jesus Christ in your life as your savior, then I pray that you accept Him as your Savior now by praying this:
God, I confess that Jesus came in the flesh and blood, paid the price for my sins, died on the cross, rose on the third day, ascended to the heavens, and sent the Holy Spirit to help me understand Your ways. For that, I accept Jesus Christ as my savior and Lord, and I welcome the Holy Spirit in my life. In Jesus’s name I pray, amen!
Amen!
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