Matthew 24:29-31
The Son of Man will come in unmistakable glory, and His elect will be gathered by His sovereign command.
29 But immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken;
30 and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.
31 He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
The Son of Man will come in unmistakable glory, and his elect will be gathered by his sovereign command.
Matthew presents Jesus as the Son of Man whose coming after great distress will be public, cosmic, glorious, mourned by the nations, and accompanied by the angelic gathering of his elect.
Jesus continues his private discourse on the Mount of Olives after leaving the temple and announcing its destruction. The passage belongs to Jesus’ incarnation-and-ministry teaching before the cross, yet it looks forward to his post-suffering vindication, public coming, and the final gathering of his people. It should be held in relation to cross, resurrection, ascension, and future return without collapsing those horizons into one moment.
The Olivet Discourse: Temple Desolation, Coming Judgment, the Son of Man, and Watchful Readiness
Because Jesus’ words are certain, his coming is sure, and his timing is unknown, disciples must reject deception, endure persecution, continue gospel mission, discern judgment rightly, and live as watchful, faithful servants until the Son of Man comes.