John Calvin Commentary 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." — Matthew 24:31 (ASV)

And He shall send His angels. He describes the effect of His power: that He will send His angels to gather His elect from the most distant parts of the world. For the extremity of heaven means the most distant region.

But Christ speaks hyperbolically to show that the elect, even if they were carried away from the earth and scattered in the air, will again be gathered to be united in the enjoyment of eternal life under Him as their head, and to enjoy the expected inheritance.

For Christ intended by this to console His disciples, so that they would not be completely discouraged by the lamentable dispersion of the Church.

Therefore, whenever we perceive the Church scattered by the wiles of Satan, or torn apart by the cruelty of the ungodly, or disturbed by false doctrines, or tossed by storms, let us learn to turn our eyes to this gathering of the elect.

And if this seems to us difficult to believe, let us remember the power of the angels, which Christ presents to us for the express purpose of raising our perspective above human means.

For, though the Church is now tormented by the malice of men, or even broken by the violence of the waves, and miserably torn apart, so that it has no stability in the world, yet we should always cherish confident hope, because the Lord will gather His Church not by human means, but by heavenly power, which will be far superior to every obstacle.