The Coming of the Son of Man (24:29-31).
In a remarkable contrast Jesus now brings out the glory of His coming which will make all creation pale into insignificance. It will occur when God calls time on the great tribulation suffered through the ages by the Jews. And then all that man gloried in will fade. The sun will be darkened, the moon will not give her light, for both will withdraw in the face of the greater glory of the Coming One. Furthermore the stars will fall from Heaven. This is regularly a picture of the defeat of the forces of evil, both earthly and heavenly (Daniel 8:10; Revelation 12:4; Revelation 12:9). So all that the heavens represented will be defeated and humbled. But in contrast will be the coming Son of Man, for His glory will shine out in ever increasing splendour, and His angels will descend triumphantly to gather up all Who are His, His ‘elect', rescued from all who, represented by the heavens, would do them harm.
Analysis.
a “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give her light, and the stars will fall from heaven” (Matthew 24:29 a).
b “And the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Matthew 24:29 b).
c “And then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven” (Matthew 24:30 a).
b “And then will all the tribes of the earth mourn “ (Matthew 24:30 b).
a “And they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, and He will send forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:30-31).
Not that in ‘a' the ‘lights of the heavens will be dimmed', and ‘the stars will fall from heaven', and in the parallel ‘the glory of the Son of Man will shine out', and ‘the angels will come down' to gather the elect from one end of heaven to the other. In ‘b' the powers of the heavens will be shaken, and in the parallel the tribes of the earth will mourn. Centrally in ‘c' all will see the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven.