Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary 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 24:29 (ASV)

For general arguments that vv.29–31 refer to Jesus’ Parousia, not the coming of the Son of Man in the events of A. D. 70, see comments on vv.1–3. The reference to “the distress of those days” goes back to vv.9, 22, not to the “great distress” of vv.15–21. Thus the celestial signs and the coming of the Son of Man do not immediately follow “the abomination that causes desolation” but “the distress of those days”—i.e., of the entire interadvent period of persecution and tribulation. The cosmic portents (cf. esp. Isaiah 13:9–10; 34:4) are probably meant to be taken literally, because of the climactic nature of the Son of Man’s final selfdisclosure. Yet this is not certain, since in some political contexts similar expressions are used metaphorically (see comments on vv.1–13).