THE SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN THE TRIBULATION OF THOSE DAYS Matthew 24:29-31

THE SIGN THE SIGN OF THE OF THE

SON OF MANSON OF MAN

THE TRIBULATION OF THOSE DAYS

Matthew 24:29-31

• Literal and Symbolic Signs of the Son of Man— Darkening of the Sun and Moon— Falling of the Stars

Matthew 24:3 (Young's Literal Translation)

And when he is sitting on the mount of the Olives, the disciples came near to him by himself, saying, `Tell us, when shall these be? and what [is] the sign of thy presence, and of the full end of the age?'

Matthew 24:29 But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall 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:

Matthew 24:30 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 on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Matthew 24:31 And he shall send forth 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.

• Not literally God's Heaven

A Reminder:

• Not the earth's physical Heaven

• Must be the ecclesiastical or spiritual Heaven

Matthew 24:29 But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall 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:

The 1260 years of Papal persecution. D584; R711:3; HG95:3

those days =

The 1260 years ended in 1799 through the agency of Napoleon

the sun shall be darkened

Symbolically, the Gospel light, the truth, and thus, Christ Jesus.

– D590The true gospel sunlight is already

darkened. R1305:2; HG418:3

the sun shall be darkened -- Literally, in the dark day of May 19, 1780, which extended over 320,000 square miles.

Fire scars reveal source of New England’s 1780 Dark Day – International Journal of Wildland Fire

Historical evidence suggests that great wildfires burning in the Lake States and Canada can affect atmospheric conditions several hundred miles away. One such ‘dark day’ occurred across New England in 1780, a year in which people were technologically unable to confirm the source of such a phenomenon. Here we combine written accounts and fire scar evidence to document wildfire as the likely source of the infamous Dark Day of 1780.

moon shall not give her light,

Symbolically, the light of the Mosaic Law shall be turned into blood" (Joel 2:31) by claims that the typical sacrifices were bloody and barbaric.

The darkening of the Gospel takes away the understanding of Israel's sacrifices

stars shall fall from heaven,

Literally, the meteoric shower of Nov. 13, 1833, covering the United States, and a part of Mexico and the West India islands, 11,000,000 square miles.

D588, 589, 590; R711:5; HG95:4

LEONID Meteor Shower

• A remarkable, singular event that has never been repeated

Question.--What about the falling of stars predictedin the newspapers by astronomers for Nov. 15-17?It is said that these meteoric showers occur everythirty-three years. How does this fit with the expositionset forth in MILLENNIAL DAWN, VOL. IV., wherethe Meteoric shower of 1833 is referred to as a sign?

R2539

It fits well! The fact that astronomershave located the floating star dust which produced thephenomena of 1833, and the fact that they know nowthat it approaches close to the earth every thirty-threeyears prove nothing. The original fact remains thatin 1833 there was a starry shower such as was neverheard of before and such as has never been seen since,tho twice predicted.

...the meteoric shower of Nov. 13th, 1833, was aspecial one intended as a sign and understood at thetime as such and that the like never occurred beforeas it has not occurred since.

Leonid Meteor Shower

http://leonid.arc.nasa.gov/history.html1899 - The disappointment. It was now well established that the comet and the meteors returned to Earth every 33 years. The return of 1899 was eagerly awaited. Paris scientists launched a balloon with the first meteor airborne astronomer Dorothea Klumpke. That year, many meteors crossed the sky, but the sharp main peak of past Leonid storms was not observed. The comet also did not show itself again. However, strong activity continued until 1902, with rates increasing to storm conditions in 1901.

Symbolically, the pulpit stars make a great display in coming down from spiritual things to Christian-citizenship-politics level.

D595, 596

The teachings of the God-ordained twelve stars of the Church, the apostles, will also fade from view, cease to be recognized as guides or lights. D593; HG418:5

the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

Ecclesiastical powers. R1947:6Sectarian creeds and systems. D597, 595

Earth shall be shaken as well as the heavens. (Heb. 12:26)

What things shook these 'powers of the heavens'?

Theory of Evolution, Atheism, Communism, Humanism, Socialism, Capitalism

Ideas and concepts ('heavens') which were turned into movements

Matthew 24:30 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 on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Greek, seemion, evidence

then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven:

A Sign gives the thought of proof, evidence.

• Direction

• Information

In Volume IV, when Br. Russell comments on this verse, he writes the following:

"Ye shall see the sign of the Son of Man," does notsignify that the Lord's disciples then living will see him, but that they will have an indication or evidence of his presence at that time. The signs of our Lord's second presence will be found in harmony with, and corroborated by, the testimony of the prophets, as was the case at the first advent.

In this passage, the Pastor uses the singular 'sign' and the plural 'signs' interchangeably.

Literal Signs of the Son of Man

Since we walk by faith and not by sight, the question of there being literal signs of the Lord's Parousia is not easily answered.

Depending on how each of us views prophetic fulfillments, some might point to the following as literal signs at the time of Christ's Second Presence:

• Electricity

• Telephone

• Internal Combustion Engines

• Technological Inventions

The founding of Petah Tikvah in 1878 could be seen as a literal sign, announcing God's face or favor turning again towards Israel, as Jesus begins to assume control of events connected with the earthly seed.

Symbolic fulfillment's

Br. Russell mentions many symbolic or spiritual fulfillments that he applies as 'signs of the son of man'.

Some of these 'signs':

• wonderful inventions and progress

•Reaping of the wheat, the fig tree of the Jewish nation putting forthleaves, worldliness in the church systems, the beginning of the smiting ofthe nations. R5697:2

• the harvest work, the restoration of the truth

There is another very important 'sign'

The understanding of the Permission of Evil

The Prophet Habakuk was asking why does God permit evil?

Habakkuk 2:1 I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower, and will look forth to see what he will speak with me, and what I shall answer concerning my complaint.Habakkuk 2:2 And Jehovah answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tablets, that he may run that readeth it.Habakkuk 2:3 For the vision is yet for the appointed time, and it hasteth toward the end, and shall not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not delay.

The Chart of the Ages was a visual answer to Habakuk's question.

In effect, God was saying that the answer to the fundamental question of why He permits evil will be given at an appointed time, and it will not delay nor lie.

A Vindication of the Divine Character and Government:

Showing, by a Recognition and Harmonizingof all the Scriptures, that the Permission ofEvil, Past and Present, is Educational and

Preparatoryto the Ushering of Mankind IntoTHE GOLDEN AGE OF PROPHECY

In Which All the Families of the Earth WillBe Blessed with a Full Knowledge of God

and aFull Opportunity for Attaining Everlasting

LifeThrough the Redeemer, Who Then Will Be

theGreat Restorer and Life-Giver. Acts 3:19-21

The Apostle Paul quotes these verses from Habakuk in Hebrews 10:37

Hebrews 10:35 Cast not away therefore your boldness, which hath great recompense of reward.Hebrews 10:36 For ye have need of patience, that, having done the will of God, ye may receive the promise.Hebrews 10:37 For yet a very little while, He that cometh shall come, and shall not tarry.Hebrews 10:38 But my righteous one shall live by faith: And if he shrink back, my soul hath nopleasure in him.

Paul makes a change when quoting from Habakkuk.In Heb.10:37...

ITbecomes

HE

(the Vision)

(Christ)

Paul was in effect saying that if you see the answer to why God permits evil in connection with a message of the Lord's Second Advent, it is

the fulfillment of Habakuk's prophecy.

No one else has the answer to the permission of evil.

This clear understanding is a sign of the (return) of the Son of Man in

(the religious) heaven.

In that day there will be an altar to the LORD in the midst of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the LORD near its border.

It will become a sign and a witness to the LORD of hosts in the land of Egypt; for they will cry to the LORD because of oppressors, and He will send them a Savior and a Champion, and He will deliver them.

What 'stars' were placed in the 'heavens' by God?

There were only 12 'apostolic stars' that were appointed by God to enlighten the

church

These, and the Sun (Gospel) and the Moon (the Law) were the agencies through which light was given to the Church

Christ Jesus, the 'light of the world'

Many religions have appeared in the 'ecclesiastical heavens' since our Lord's first advent.

These have tried to make themselves into 'signs', ways to point humanity to a closer relationship with the Creator.

As in the physical heavens, there are greater and lesser lights, or luminaries, so in the spiritual heavens.

• Popes• Bishops• Presbyters• False Apostles

But none of these could be THE 'Sign of the Son of Man'

• Preachers• Self-styled Prophets• Theologians• Authorities

These were all signs of the Son of Man in heaven.

Yet, the text in Matthew is in the singular: what would be the SIGN of the Son of Man that would appear in the heaven?

harvest work • restoring the truth • Israel • smiting the nations • great inventions and world

changes • perplexity of nations • hidden things of darkness exposed • understanding of the

permission of evil • the great pyramid

Rev. 15:1

And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

These angels (messengers) that appeared in the (ecclesiastical) heaven are spoken of as a sign in

Rev.15:1.

PAULPAUL JOHNJOHN

ARIUSARIUSWALDOWALDO

WY CLIFFEWY CLIFFE

LUTHERLUTHER

harvest work • restoring the truth • Israel • smiting the nations • great inventions and world

changes • perplexity of nations • hidden things of darkness exposed • understanding of the

permission of evil • the great pyramid

RUSSELLRUSSELL

Who gave the church the understanding of the momentous changes that were taking place in the spiritual realm? Which of the precious doctrines of present truth did we receive from somewhere else? Would God operate through other channels, as the churches believe?

Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?

Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. - Mat. 24:45-46

Matthew 24:30 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 on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

'They' see the Son of Man Coming;we are blessed to 'see' Him Present.

THE SIGN THE SIGN OF THE OF THE

SON OF MANSON OF MAN

Matthew 24:29-31