The Sign of the Son of Man is the sign Jesus said would appear in heaven after the tribulation of those days.
The sun will be darkened,
the moon will not give its light,
the stars will fall,
and then that sign will appear.
All the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
The sign is not a riddle for the clever.
It is the public appearing of the King.
On the Mount of Olives the disciples asked Jesus for the sign of His coming and of the end of the age.
- He warned them first against false christs and false signs.
- He spoke of tribulation, of cosmic shaking, and then He said, “Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man.”
- The title Son of Man is the name He took from Daniel.
- In the night visions one like a son of man came with the clouds of heaven and received dominion, glory, and a kingdom.
- Jesus told the council that from then on they would see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.
- The sign, then, is bound to His person.
- It is the visible, unmistakable arrival of the One who was rejected, crucified, and raised.
- Angels will be sent with a loud trumpet call to gather His elect from the four winds.
The world that asked for a sign while refusing the Sign already given will not miss this one.
Every eye will see Him,
even those who pierced Him.
- The sign of the Son of Man belongs to His coming, not to every disturbance in the sky.
- It follows the tribulation of those days and the shaking of the heavens.
- Son of Man is Jesus’ own title, drawn from Daniel’s vision of the cloud-borne King.
- The coming is public: power, glory, clouds, trumpet, and mourning tribes.
- False christs offer signs in secret. This sign is in heaven, seen by all.
- The elect are gathered; the tribes mourn. The same appearing is hope and judgment.
- The church waits for a Person, not for a puzzle.
- After the Tribulation – It does not replace the warnings Jesus already gave. It comes after them.
- In Heaven – The sign appears where all can see, not in an inner room.
- Coming on the Clouds – The Daniel picture fulfilled in the return of Jesus.
- Power and Great Glory – Not the hidden years of Nazareth, but the open reign of the King.
- Mourning of the Tribes – The earth sees and grieves as the pierced One appears.
- Gathering of the Elect – Angels, trumpet, and the four winds.
- Against Deception – No one will need a rumor that He is in the wilderness or the inner rooms.
- Matthew 24:29-31 – “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
- Matthew 24:3-5, 23-27 – “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Jesus answers first with a warning: “See that no one leads you astray… If they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
- Daniel 7:13-14 – “I saw in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man, and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him. And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away.”
- Matthew 26:64 – “Jesus said to him, ‘You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.’”
- Mark 13:24-27 – “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened… And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds…”
- Luke 21:25-28 – “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars… And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
- Revelation 1:7 – “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.”
- Zechariah 12:10 – “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him…”
- Acts 1:9-11 – “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
- 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 – “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God.”
- Matthew 16:27 – “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.”
- Matthew 25:31 – “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.”
- Luke 17:24 – “For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.”
- John 1:51 – “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
- Revelation 14:14 – “Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and seated on the cloud one like a son of man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand.”
Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man.
After the shaking of the lights, the tribes will see Him coming on the clouds with power and great glory.
Do not go into the wilderness after a rumor. Do not believe the inner rooms.
As the lightning shines from east to west, so will His coming be.
Every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him.
Straighten up. Raise your heads. The angels will gather the elect. The King who went up will come in the same way.
The sign is the Son Himself, unveiled at last.
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