Study note

Matthew 24:29

‘The sun will be darkened … the heavens will be shaken.’: This could be literal, as is fitting for a dramatic revelation of God's Son. Or, it could be a metaphor for a major cosmic event (see Acts 2:17–21; Hebrews 12:26–27; 2 Peter 3:10; Revelation 6:12–13). The Old Testament often uses similar apocalyptic language to describe political disasters and the collapse of governments as cosmic judgments from God (for example, Isaiah 13:9–16; Ezekiel 32:1–10; Joel 2:1–17; Amos 8:7–10).