Matthew 24:29 states, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.”

Most Believers interpret this prophecy to mean that the signs in the sun, moon and stars will be fulfilled literally. This is not so!

A careful examination of this prophecy will reveal that it corresponds to the prophecy of Revelation 6:12-13 which states, “I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.” Thus, since the book of Revelation is concealed in symbolism (Rev. 1:1), so too is this corresponding prophecy in Matthew.

The Bible reveals that the terms, “sun,” “moon,” and “stars,” symbolize Israel. Below are a few scriptural references that reveal their symbolic identity. In Genesis 15:5, God promised Abram, whose name He would later change to Abraham, “...Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” After that, Abram fathered Isaac, whose name God would later change to Israel and Israel fathered Joseph who was a dreamer of dreams. In Genesis 37:9-10, Joseph shared one of his dreams with his brothers. He said, “...Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.” So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?” Obviously, Israel understood the connection between the sun, moon and stars and his descendants, the twelve tribes of Israel. Later, the prophet Jeremiah wrote, “Thus says YHVH, Who gives the sun for a light by day, The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, And its waves roar (YHVH of hosts is His name): “If those ordinances depart From before Me, says YHVH, Then the seed of Israel shall also cease From being a nation before Me forever” (Jer. 31:35-36). Finally, the Apostle John wrote, “Now a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars” (Rev. 12:1; cf. Ps. 89:34-37; Gen. 22:17; 26:4). Of course, the woman symbolizes Israel!

One of the reasons why the sun, moon and stars symbolize Israel is that, just as the purpose of the sun, moon and stars is to illuminate the Earth, Israel’s purpose is to illuminate mankind through the preaching of the gospel. The Apostle Paul states, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Messiah, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). While the gospel was to be preached to Israel first, the Prophet Isaiah prophesied that there would come a time when Israel would reject the gospel and, as a result, Israelite Believers would carry it to the Gentiles. Isaiah 49:6 states, “I will also give You as a light to the Gentiles, That You should be My salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Notice that Israel was prophesied to be a spiritual light, just as the sun, moon and stars are natural lights. Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled in Paul’s day! Acts 13:44-47 states, “On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the word of God. But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. “For so YHVH has commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’” Thus, since the light emanated by the sun, moon and stars symbolizes the gospel, it follows, then, that the sun, moon and stars, the source of the light, symbolize Israelite Believers.

Now, let’s will examine Matthew 24:29 in context! It states, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn....”

Notice that this prophecy has two parts. The first part of the prophecy: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven...” is hidden in symbolism and means that Israelite Believers will mourn. The corresponding prophecy of Revelation 6:12 states, “the sun became black as sackcloth of hair….” The significance of this description is that sackcloth is a symbol of mourning (Joel 1:13; Jonah 3:5-6; Matt. 11:21). The second part of the prophecy: “and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn...” is plainly stated and means that Gentile Believers will mourn. Thus, this prophecy speaks of a time when both Israelite and Gentile Believers will mourn!