We completed our study of Matthew 24:29-31, Mark 13:24-27, and Luke 21:25-28 making note of their similarities and differences in recording this portion of the Olivet Discourse. Jesus and Peter both quote from Joel concerning events surrounding the 2nd Advent.
Matthew 24:29-31: Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun 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: 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 in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send 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.
Joel 2:30-32: And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Acts 2:16-21: But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Paul discusses the mystery of Israel's blindness and how it is removed during the tribulation in Romans 11:25-27. Jesus said, When you see...you flee...in Matthew 24:15. Matthew 24:29-31, Mark 13:24-27, and Luke 21:25-28 record physical events that will occur in the last days of the tribulation:
*The sun will be turned to darkness (Revelation 6:12) *The moon will be turned into blood / not give her light *The stars of heaven shall fall to the earth (This is an angelic fall as a result of the war in heaven described in Revelation 6:13, 12:4, 7-9. The Dragon drew 1/3 of the stars of heaven with him when he fell. These are the stars / angels that make up the army that is defeated and cast to the earth. Luke 10:18 helps us to see that the same devil that fell from heaven in the first attempted overthrow before Adam was created will fail again in the last days of the tribulation.) *The powers of heaven shall be shaken (Ephesians 6:12) *Whosoever will call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered! *Messiah King Jesus, the Son of Man will be seen by all the world coming in power!
Revelation 14:9-20 and Revelation 19:11-16 repeat the prophecy of Isaiah 63:1-6, and the outpouring of God's wrath upon nations of this world. Revelation 6:12-17 encapsulates the events of the last days of the tribulation including the 2nd Advent. Messiah King Jesus will come in great glory and power and pour out the wrath of God upon the evildoers! The blood will flow for 207 miles as high as the horse bridles. The battle will be swift and the victory will be complete!
