Red Moon and Falling Stars Over a Ruined Cityby KandD
13:25Mark 13:25
And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken.
On the Mount of Olives Christ mingled the ruin of the temple with the signs of His coming and the end of the world, speaking words for those who will live in the last scenes of earth's history. In those days, after the tribulation, the sun is darkened and the moon gives no light, the stars fall and the sun, moon and stars that rule in the heavens are moved out of their places by the voice of God, and then the Son of man is seen coming in the clouds with great power and glory to gather His elect. The shaking is literal, of a literal heaven, the same as the heaven departing as a scroll in Revelation 6:12-14, with dark clouds clashing and the atmosphere rolling back to an open space in Orion. The falling of the stars and the darkening of the sun and moon have been literally fulfilled as tokens that His coming is near, even at the doors, while the shaking of the powers of heaven is the last literal sign still future when the Lord shakes the heavens and the earth. These harbingers are given so all who will may flee from the wrath to come, and those who behold them are to watch that the day of God does not overtake them unawares in sudden destruction.
Context and Wording
The verse belongs to the answer given on the Mount of Olives to the questions when the temple would be destroyed and what would be the sign of coming and of the end of the world. That answer mingles the destruction of Jerusalem with the great day of coming rather than treating them separately, in mercy because the disciples could not have endured a full sight of future events, leaving them to study out the meaning for themselves. Words spoken concerning Jerusalem reach beyond that event to the final conflagration when the Lord rises out of His place to punish the world for iniquity. The whole discourse was given not for the disciples only but for those who will live amid the last scenes of this earth's history. Its falling of the stars and shaking of the powers in heaven occur in those days, after the tribulation, together with the sun being darkened and the moon not giving her light. Then the Son of man is seen coming in the clouds with great power and glory, and He sends His angels to gather His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
It gives the same signs recorded in Matthew and Luke, where heaven means heaven and earth means earth. It describes a literal shaking of a literal heaven. The powers in heaven that shall be shaken are the sun, moon, and stars, which rule in the heavens. Their being shaken means they will be moved out of their places by the voice of God, but will not pass away or fall.
The shaking of earthly powers comes first through war, rumors of war, sword, famine, pestilence, and conflict among nations, and the shaking of the sun, moon, stars, and earth at God's voice follows afterward. The turmoil and shaking of powers and angry nations in Europe is a shaking of earthly powers, not the shaking of heaven. At the shaking, dark heavy clouds come together and clash, the atmosphere parts and rolls back, an open space appears in Orion whence comes the voice of God, and the holy city will come down through that open space.
The verse is the same as Matthew 24:29 and Revelation 6:12-14, with the shaking of the powers of the heavens being the same as the heaven departing as a scroll when it is rolled together, because in both accounts it follows the falling of the stars. The falling of the stars is literal, just as the signs in the sun and moon have been literal, so the shaking of the powers of the heavens is also literal. It is a literal sign still future that must come before the advent itself, the last sign appearing when the Lord roars out of Zion and shakes the heavens and the earth.
Signs of Christ's Coming
The falling of the stars and the shaking of the powers of heaven stand among the signs that precede the return of Christ, together with the darkening of the sun and the moon not giving light, showing that His coming is near. These signs come before the Son of man is seen coming in the clouds with great power and glory. The signs in the sun, moon, and stars have been fulfilled, and being fulfilled they show that the end is near. They warn that a great, decisive event will soon take place, though the exact day and hour remain unrevealed.
The falling of the stars is literal, just as the signs in the sun and moon have been literal, and the shaking of the powers of the heavens is likewise literal. These are literal signs still future that must come before the advent itself. The shaking is the last sign, appearing when the Lord roars out of Zion and shakes the heavens and the earth. It is the same as set forth in Matthew 24:29 and Revelation 6:12-14, the shaking of the powers of the heavens being the same as the heaven departing as a scroll when rolled together, because in both accounts it follows the falling of the stars.
Warning to Watch and Escape
Just as the warning of Jerusalem's ruin was given that the disciples might escape, so the signs in the sun and moon and stars warn the world of the day of final destruction. The falling of the stars and the shaking of the powers of heaven are tokens of the approach of Christ's coming. They are given so that all who will may flee from the wrath to come.
Those who behold these harbingers are to know that His coming is near, even at the doors. They are to watch, so they are not left in darkness for that day to overtake them unawares. To those who will not watch, the day of God will still come unawares upon the careless and ungodly in sudden destruction.
On the Mount of Olives Christ mingled the ruin of the temple with the signs of His coming and the end of the world, speaking words for those who will live in the last scenes of earth's history. In those days, after the tribulation, the sun is darkened and the moon gives no light, the stars fall and the sun, moon and stars that rule in the heavens are moved out of their places by the voice of God, and then the Son of man is seen coming in the clouds with great power and glory to gather His elect. The shaking is literal, of a literal heaven, the same as the heaven departing as a scroll in Revelation 6:12-14, with dark clouds clashing and the atmosphere rolling back to an open space in Orion. The falling of the stars and the darkening of the sun and moon have been literally fulfilled as tokens that His coming is near, even at the doors, while the shaking of the powers of heaven is the last literal sign still future when the Lord shakes the heavens and the earth. These harbingers are given so all who will may flee from the wrath to come, and those who behold them are to watch that the day of God does not overtake them unawares in sudden destruction.
Context and Wording
The verse belongs to the answer given on the Mount of Olives to the questions when the temple would be destroyed and what would be the sign of coming and of the end of the world. That answer mingles the destruction of Jerusalem with the great day of coming rather than treating them separately, in mercy because the disciples could not have endured a full sight of future events, leaving them to study out the meaning for themselves. Words spoken concerning Jerusalem reach beyond that event to the final conflagration when the Lord rises out of His place to punish the world for iniquity. The whole discourse was given not for the disciples only but for those who will live amid the last scenes of this earth's history. Its falling of the stars and shaking of the powers in heaven occur in those days, after the tribulation, together with the sun being darkened and the moon not giving her light. Then the Son of man is seen coming in the clouds with great power and glory, and He sends His angels to gather His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of earth to the uttermost part of heaven.
It gives the same signs recorded in Matthew and Luke, where heaven means heaven and earth means earth. It describes a literal shaking of a literal heaven. The powers in heaven that shall be shaken are the sun, moon, and stars, which rule in the heavens. Their being shaken means they will be moved out of their places by the voice of God, but will not pass away or fall.
The shaking of earthly powers comes first through war, rumors of war, sword, famine, pestilence, and conflict among nations, and the shaking of the sun, moon, stars, and earth at God's voice follows afterward. The turmoil and shaking of powers and angry nations in Europe is a shaking of earthly powers, not the shaking of heaven. At the shaking, dark heavy clouds come together and clash, the atmosphere parts and rolls back, an open space appears in Orion whence comes the voice of God, and the holy city will come down through that open space.
The verse is the same as Matthew 24:29 and Revelation 6:12-14, with the shaking of the powers of the heavens being the same as the heaven departing as a scroll when it is rolled together, because in both accounts it follows the falling of the stars. The falling of the stars is literal, just as the signs in the sun and moon have been literal, so the shaking of the powers of the heavens is also literal. It is a literal sign still future that must come before the advent itself, the last sign appearing when the Lord roars out of Zion and shakes the heavens and the earth.
Signs of Christ's Coming
The falling of the stars and the shaking of the powers of heaven stand among the signs that precede the return of Christ, together with the darkening of the sun and the moon not giving light, showing that His coming is near. These signs come before the Son of man is seen coming in the clouds with great power and glory. The signs in the sun, moon, and stars have been fulfilled, and being fulfilled they show that the end is near. They warn that a great, decisive event will soon take place, though the exact day and hour remain unrevealed.
The falling of the stars is literal, just as the signs in the sun and moon have been literal, and the shaking of the powers of the heavens is likewise literal. These are literal signs still future that must come before the advent itself. The shaking is the last sign, appearing when the Lord roars out of Zion and shakes the heavens and the earth. It is the same as set forth in Matthew 24:29 and Revelation 6:12-14, the shaking of the powers of the heavens being the same as the heaven departing as a scroll when rolled together, because in both accounts it follows the falling of the stars.
Warning to Watch and Escape
Just as the warning of Jerusalem's ruin was given that the disciples might escape, so the signs in the sun and moon and stars warn the world of the day of final destruction. The falling of the stars and the shaking of the powers of heaven are tokens of the approach of Christ's coming. They are given so that all who will may flee from the wrath to come.
Those who behold these harbingers are to know that His coming is near, even at the doors. They are to watch, so they are not left in darkness for that day to overtake them unawares. To those who will not watch, the day of God will still come unawares upon the careless and ungodly in sudden destruction.