Articles
Jesus' Figures of Speech - 10
“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 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.” (Mt 24:30)
On first reading this sounds like a “final judgment” scene. But a short time later during His trial before the Sanhedrin, Jesus speaks similarly: “Hereafter you will see the son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Mt 26:64). Further, as John receives the Revelation which foretells the church’s victory over Roman oppression, he declares: “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, and they also who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen” (1:7).
This is not the language of the end of time but of triumph of righteousness over evil. In Mt 24, Jesus foretells of Jerusalem’s fall; in Mt 26 He judges the Jewish leaders for unjust condemnation; in Rev 1 He pronounces the demise of Rome. This is apocalyptic imagery descriptive of God’s public vindication of His people and His purposes.
