IN DISCUSSING the last clause of verse 11, "and there shall be terrors and great signs from heaven," I called attention above to the fact that these terrors and signs from heaven are to occur in the year 1954 plus X. In verses 12-19, as we have already seen, our Lord went back from 1954 plus X to His own day and time. Then in verses 20-24b, He left the Apostolic Age and took His stand at the siege and fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and described it vividly, concluding with the thought that Jerusalem would be trodden down by the Gentiles, which came to pass. Then He added the significant prediction, "and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled." In this temporal clause Jesus left the events of A.D. 70 and traversed the entire Christian Dispensation, going forward to the year 1954 plus X, the year when the terrors and great signs from heaven will appear. Thus, in verses 25 and 26, Jesus took up the line of thought concerning the terrors and great signs from heaven and enlarged upon this theme. "And there shall be signs in sun and moon and stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows; 26 men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world." This quotation is an enlargement upon the last clause of verse 11, which is dated in the year 1954 plus X.

There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars. That is where they will appear first. They will be visible to men here upon earth and will have great significance as to the time. We are not told anything by our Lord as to the nature of these signs. People of earth will recognize them as portending direful events.

At the same time, there will be upon the earth "distress of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the billows; 26 men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world." There will be distress upon the earth among the nations. They will be in perplexity--not knowing what to do or how to meet the situation that will have arisen. That about which they will be in perplexity will be "the roaring of the sea and the billows." What is the meaning of this expression? There is but one logical meaning that these words can have in this connection, which is the literal significance. Sea means the sea; billows means billows. In other words, there will be great tidal waves, monsoons, typhoons, of unprecedented magnitude, which will create for the nations of the world a problem with which they cannot cope. In connection with this prediction may I use my imagination a little?--within the bounds of reason, of course? We may be certain that there will arise great tidal waves which may--for the sake of vividness, may I add--dash over the entire peninsula of Florida. Or it might strike the British Isles and go rushing though them like a mad tornado, leaving nothing but death and destruction in its wake. Great monsoons may sweep over some of the Japanese Islands. But let us come closer to home. It is altogether possible that some mighty wave might strike Southern California and go rushing like a mighty flood over this southland of ours, resulting in the loss of life and property beyond computation. Shipping, in such cases as that, will be largely destroyed, or greatly crippled. What can the United States Government do if a tidal wave, hundreds of feet high, should strike Southern California, or New York City and vicinity, or the Pacific Northwest? Our Government, as well as the Canadian Government, would be as helpless as newborn babies in the presence of such a catastrophe. There is an intimation in Psalm 46:1-3 that such will be the case. The faithful remnant of Israel will say at that time;

1 God is our refuge and strength,
A very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will we not fear, though the earth do change,
And though the mountains be shaken into the heart of the seas;
3 Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,
Though the mountains tremble with the swelling thereof. (Psalms 46:1-3)

This is not a hypothetical case. We are in the habit of interpreting this by saying that the Jews will say, "Even though worst should come to the worst, and this should develop, we will not fear." The more probable meaning of this expression is that great changes and convulsions throughout nature will be taking place. Then the Jews will say, "Though these things are occurring, we believe in God who holds all nature in His own hands, and who will work redemption for His people and for all mankind."

I am aware of the fact that there are those who spiritualize these passages and in essence say, "Yes, it says this, but it means something else." Instead of saying that they "spiritualize" these predictions, it would be more accurate to say that they "evaporate" them and make their meaning go off into thin air. Is there any reason for our not taking these words at their primary, ordinary, usual, literal meaning? We are never to depart from such literal meaning unless there are indications in the context to show otherwise--to show a departure from the literal to a figurative, or symbolic, meaning. We shall look at this context in vain for such indications. We therefore do well to take our Lord's words seriously and believe that He meant what He said and said what He meant!

We may believe that there will be some connection between the signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and these unprecedented tidal waves here upon the earth.

At that time many men will be fainting for fear and for expectation of greater and more disastrous events to take place than those that begin, and that are taking place in the heavens above and upon the earth beneath. Many men will literally be frightened to death and will expire when reports come over the radio and through the press that a mighty typhoon has struck, for instance, Japan; or that a tidal wave has struck New York City and has blotted it from the face of the globe.

"...For the powers of the heavens shall be shaken" (vs. 26c). When will the powers of the heavens be shaken? Luke in his Gospel does not give our Lord's instruction on this point, but Matthew does. "29 But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall 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 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 on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Matt. 24:29,30). From this statement we learn that the great convulsions throughout the universe and the shaking of the powers of the heavens will occur immediately after the Tribulation has ceased. Then Jesus will come in power and glory and those people who survive upon the earth until that time will mourn because of Him. Then shall they "see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." We may be sure, therefore, that the signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and the distress of nations upon the earth because of the roaring of the seas and the billows will culminate with the shaking of the powers of the heavens and the appearance of the Son of man when He comes in glory and great power. We cannot avoid this conclusion if we take our Lord's words seriously and accept His statements as being true.

Luke records what our Lord said in regard to His second coming--His visible, bodily return to this earth at the end of the Tribulation: "27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." Luke's account here is exactly in line with that of Matthew--the shaking of the powers of the heavens and the coming of the Son of man at the end of the Tribulation. Different ones of the old prophets foretold this coming of Christ at the end of the Tribulation. For instance, examine carefully in its context Isaiah 30:27-33; Isaiah 63:1-6; also Isaiah 66:15-17. Habakkuk, chapter 3, gives a most vivid and detailed description of the second coming of Christ and of some of the physical changes that will take place upon the earth when He does return.

The rapture of the church saints occurs before the Tribulation: "But when these things begin to come to pass, look up, and lift up your heads; because your redemption draweth nigh" (Luke 21:28). What is embraced in the term, "these things"? Obviously it refers to the things which the Lord had just mentioned, namely, the things that are found in verses 25, 26, and 27: the signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, the distress of nations because of the roaring of the seas and the billows, the shaking of the powers of the heavens, and the visible, bodily return of our Lord. All of these are-included in "these things."

But note particularly the statement, "But when these things begin to come to pass." The word begin indicates a process and a development. Jesus did not say, "When these things occur; but, "When they begin to come to pass." They begin to come to pass and they run their course, culminating with His visible, bodily, second coming. The question now before us is this: When do these visible signs begin to come to pass? The passage in Luke does not give us the information. There is however, a statement by Joel that will give us the desired enlightenment: 28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions; 29 and also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit. 30 And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of Jehovah cometh. 32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of Jehovah shall be delivered; for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those that escape, as Jehovah hath said, and among the remnant those whom Jehovah doth call" (Joel 2:28-32).

In this quotation we are told that it shall come to pass afterward that God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh. The pouring out of God's Spirit upon all flesh occurs "afterward." After what? The context must decide that question. If the reader will examine carefully Joel 2:21-27, he will see that the prophet was talking about the great Millennial Age, when the curse is lifted from the earth and Jehovah is reigning in the midst of Israel. At that time there will be an abundance of rain, and food for both man and animals. The Lord will at that time send the former rain in just measure and the latter rain likewise. Rain means rain, and nothing else--the early rains coming in the fall, and the latter rains in the spring. The earth will at that time yield its increase. There will never be any more droughts or crop failures. At that time Israel, said Jehovah, "...shall know that I am in the midst of Israel, and that I am Jehovah your God, and there is none else; and my people shall never be put to shame" (Joel 2:27). Jehovah will be here upon earth, reigning in Mount Zion. (Read carefully Isaiah 33:17-24, especially verses 20 and 21; Zephaniah 3:14-17.) Thus it is apparent from the evidence that Joel 2:21-27 is talking about the introduction of the millennial reign of our Lord here upon the earth, with the curse lifted and with joy, peace, and happiness being the order of the day. Israel will have repented of her rejection of the Messiah, will have confessed and repudiated the national sin of rejecting Him, and will have plead for Him to return. When Israel does that, Messiah will return and establish His reign of righteousness. When Israel has thus repudiated the national sin and pleaded for Messiah to return, and He has done this and is in the midst of Israel, then, and not till then, will God pour out His Spirit upon all flesh. When does God pour out His Spirit upon a person? "And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God hath given to them that obey him" (Acts 5:32). God gives His Holy Spirit and sends the Spirit in the hearts of those who obey Him--as we see from this verse. When Israel accepts the Messiah, and He comes back and is in the midst of the Chosen People, God pours out His Spirit upon all the rest of mankind. Since He does not pour out His Spirit upon people until they obey Him, we may conclude that, after the conversion of Israel, the rest of the people of the world will turn to God and will accept Christ and become obedient to Him. Then He will pour out His Spirit upon them. From other passages of Scripture we learn that Israel, being converted, will lead all nations to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. Thus, converted Israel, as we see in Psalm 67, will pray that God may enable them to disseminate the gospel to all nations and lead them to accept Him:

"1 God be merciful unto us, and bless us,
And cause his face to shine upon us;
2 That thy way may be known upon earth,
Thy salvation among all nations."