Signs In The Heavens

Jesus said: Matthew 24:29: “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.”

The fact that this was fulfilled does not necessarily depend on our having some extant secular historical record of it. However, we do have records that the sun was darkened at the crucifixion. We also know that Vesuvius erupted in AD 79 darkening the sun and moon over a large area of the world, and burying the city of Pompey, Italy. An earlier eruption of Vesuvius is recorded, in about 62 AD, although not so famous as that of AD 79.

An Eclipse of Prophecy

A more likely interpretation of this, however, is the spiritual one found in Micah 3:5-7:
“Thus saith the Lord concerning the prophets that make my people err, that bite with their teeth, and cry, Peace, and he that putteth not into their mouths, they even prepare war against them. (6) Therefore night shall be unto you, that ye shall not have a vision; and it shall be dark unto you, that ye shall not divine; and the sun shall go down over the prophets, and the day shall be dark over them. (7) Then shall the seers be ashamed, and the diviners confounded: yea, they shall all cover their lips, for there is no answer of God.”

In 70 AD, the prophets, priests and seers of Israel had lost their spiritual vision and so gross darkness had come upon the people, as if an eclipse darkened the sun and moon.

The Lord Is The Light Of His People

Nevertheless, the Lord God Almighty has become the Light as in Isaiah 60:19-20:
“19 The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. 20 Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. “

Joel’s Prophecy Fulfilled

We do know that the prophecy in Joel 2:31: “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come,” was interpreted as having already been fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost, (Acts 2:16). If Peter and the eleven and the men of Judea believed at that time that Joel 2:31 had been fulfilled, then let us accept their judgment on the matter and declare that it had indeed been fulfilled.

Did Jesus Come In The Clouds?

Jesus said, Matthew 24:30: “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.” (See also Mark 13:26; Luke 21:27.)

If one is not willing to accept the testimony of the writers of the New Testament, I would suggest the secular historian Josephus’ account of an appearance in the clouds over Jerusalem as it was being destroyed.

“The signs that were so evident, and did so plainly foretell their future desolation…. [of Jerusalem]. Besides these (signs), a few days after that feast, on the one-and twentieth day of the month Artemisius, [Jyar,] a certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared; I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable, were it not related by those that saw it, and were not the events that followed it of so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals; for before sun-setting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armour were seen running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities,” (6.5.3).

Jesus’ prophecy was fulfilled. They did see the “sign of the Son of Man” in the clouds.

Next Lesson: Christ Revealed As Judge