Jesus used very strong and vivid language based on the apocalyptic language of the Old Testament to describe the passing of the Jewish nation (Matt 24:29-31). Many Christians expect these passages to be fulfilled literally, so they assume that Jesus is speaking about the end of the world. Jesus' words were dramatic, but failure to understand the nature of apocalyptic language he used has led many people to see them as a description of the second coming. Jesus is actually describing the consequences of the fall of Jerusalem.
Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken (Matt 24:29).
The time frame of these verses is made very clear: "immediately after the tribulation of those days". They apply to that part of the great tribulation that takes immediately place after the Roman Armies surround Jerusalem.
Jesus speaks of the sun and moon being darkened, and the stars falling from the sky. These things are not to be understood literally, because the Old Testament prophets often described the collapse of a great nation in similar language. Ezekiel's prophecy of the defeat of Egypt by Babylon is an example.
When I snuff you out, I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon will not give its light (Ez 32:7).
These words give a graphic description of the collapse of Egypt before a greater power. They were not fulfilled literally, but prophetically they have been fulfilled. Other prophets used the same kind of language to describe the collapse of a nation. The heavenly bodies were used as symbols of human governments, so the fall of a human government was described as the sun and moon falling from the sky.
The disciples were familiar with the Old Testament, so they would have understood Jesus' meaning. The destruction of Jerusalem would not just be a temporary setback for Israel, it would actually cease to exist as a nation. This is what happened. After AD 70, the Jews continued as a people, but they ceased to be a nation with their own government and their own land. They lost their political independence.
For many Jews, this suggestion would be impossible to accept. They traced their political independence right back to Moses. They believed that a time would come when a king of Israel would rule all the nations of the earth. This was a false hope, so Jesus used dramatic language to kill it off. He wanted them to know that Israel would not just be defeated, it would be destroyed. This was a shocking message; so dramatic that it needed reinforcing.
Jesus final warning was equally strong.
Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather (Matt 24:28).
The vultures were the Roman army. The carcass was Jerusalem. This shocked his listeners, but his warning proved to be correct.
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