Matthew 24:30

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 in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Verse 29 Read Chapter 24 Verse 31

Augustine of Hippo

AD 430

Ep. 199, 41: The first and most apparent meaning of this is of that time when He shall come to judge the quick and the dead in His body—that body in which Hesits at the right hand of the Father, in which He died and rose again and ascended into heaven. As we read in the Acts of the Apostles; “He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out their sight,” upon which it was said bythe Angels, “He shall so come as ye have seen Him go into heaven,” we may reasonably believe that He will come again, not only in the same body, but also in a cloud. But because the Scriptures are to be searched, and we are not to content ourselves with the surface of them, let us look closely at what follows, “Whenye see all these things come to pass, know that he is near even at the door. "We know then that He is near, when we see come to pass not any of the foregoing things, but all of them, among which is this that the Son of Man shall be seen coming. “And he shall send his Angels,” who from the four quarters ... Read More

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Augustine of Hippo

AD 430

Ep. 199, 39: Or, the Church is the sun, moon, and stars, to which it is said, "Fair as the moon, bright as the sun. Then shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,” because in that ungoverned fury of wicked persecutors, the Church shall not be seen.

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Cornelius a Lapide

AD 1637

And then shall appear the sign, &c. You will ask, what is the sign of the Son of Prayer of Manasseh , that is to say, of Christ Incarnate? I answer, it is the Cross. For this is the sign, because it is the standard (vexillum) of Christ, and the cause of the victory of believers. And as it was beforetime the scandal of unbelievers and the impious, so will it be in the Day of Judgment their condemnation and their torment. So the Fathers, almost passim. Yea, the Church herself gives this meaning her sanction, when she sings in the office for Holy Cross Day, "This sign of the Cross shall be in heaven when the Lord shall come to judgment." There are three reasons why the Cross shall then appear1To signify that Christ by the Cross has merited this judicial power and glory2d To show that Christ was crucified for the salvation of all men, and that therefore they are ungrateful and without excuse who have neglected so great grace and love3d To show that all worshippers of Christ crucified shall... Read More

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George Leo Haydock

AD 1849

The sign of the Son of man The Fathers generally expound this of the cross of Christ, that shall be seen in the air. (Witham) This sign is the cross, much more resplendent than the sun itself. Therefore the sun hides its diminished head, whilst the cross appears in glory; because the great standard of the cross, excels in brightness all the refulgent rays that dart from the meridian sun. (St. Chrysostom, hom. lxxvii.) The Jews, looking upon him whom they had pierced, now coming in the clouds of heaven with power and exceedingly great glory, shall have great lamentations. Bitterly will they weep over their misery, in having despised and insulted him on a cross, who ought to have been the object of their veneration, adoration, and love. (St. Chrysostom, hom. lxxvii.)

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Glossa Ordinaria

AD 1480

Non occ.: As soon as the Lord has fortified the believers against the arts of Antichrist and his ministers, by shewing that His coming would be public, He proceeds to show the order and method of His coming.

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Hilary of Poitiers

AD 368

The darkening of the sun, the failing of the moon, and the fall of the stars, indicate the glories of His coming.

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Jerome

AD 420

These things, therefore, shall not come to pass by any diminution of light, forin another place we read that the light of the sun shall be sevenfold; but by comparison with real light, all things shall seem dim. “By the powers of heaven,” we understand the bands of the Angels. Rightly does He say, “the tribes of the earth,” for they shall mourn who haveno citizenship in heaven, but are written in earth.

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John Chrysostom

AD 407

“Then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven.” The cross will be brighter than the sun. The sun will be darkened and hide itself. The sun will appear at times when it would not normally appear. But why is this sign given? In order that the brazenness of the Jews might be more abundantly silenced. For having the cross as the greatest plea, the Son of man thus comes to that judgment seat, showing not only his wounds but also the reproach of his death. The Gospel of Matthew, Homily

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John Chrysostom

AD 407

He adds this, that having heard of the cross, they should not now imagine asimilar degradation.

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John Chrysostom

AD 407

By the tribulation, He means the times of Antichrist and the false Prophets; for when there are so many deceivers, the tribulation will be great. But its hall not extend through any great length of time. For if for the elect’s sake the Jewish war is shortened, much more shall this tribulation be shortened for their sakes; for which reason He said not “After,” but “Immediately after,” forHe shall come immediately after. Very fitly shall they be shaken and dismayed, seeing so mighty a change being wrought, their fellow-servants punished, and the universe standing before aterrible tribunal. But because the sun will be darkened, the cross would not be seen, if it werenot far brighter than the rays of the sun. That the disciples might not be ashamed, and grieve over the cross, He speaks of it as a sign, with a kind of distinction. The sign of the cross will appear to overthrow the shamelessness of the Jews, when Christ shall appear in the judgment, shewing not only His wounds, but His most ... Read More

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John Chrysostom

AD 407

Then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in Heaven; Matthew 24:30 that is, the cross being brighter than the sun, since this last will be darkened, and hide himself, and that will appear when it would not appear, unless it were far brighter than the beams of the sun. But wherefore does the sign appear? In order that the shamelessness of the Jews may be more abundantly silenced. For having the cross as the greatest plea, Christ thus comes to that judgment-seat, showing not His wounds only, but also the death of reproach. Then shall the tribes mourn, for there shall be no need of an accusation, when they see the cross; and they shall mourn, that by His death they are nothing benefited; because they crucified Him whom they ought to have adored. Do you see how fearfully He has pictured His coming? How He has stirred up the spirits of His disciples? For this reason, let me add, He puts the mournful things first, and then the good things, that in this way also He may comfort and refre... Read More

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Rabanus Maurus

AD 856

But nothing hinders our supposing that the sun and moon with the other stars shall for a time lose their light, as we know did the sun at the time of the Lord's passion; as Joel also says, “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon blood, before the great and manifest day of the Lord come.” that is, lacking their proper light.

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Theophylact of Ochrid

AD 1107

The Cross will then be seen in heaven shining more brightly than the sun as a reproof to the Jews, for when the Lord comes He will display the Cross as the strongest evidence against the Jews, like one who shows the stone with which he was struck. He calls the Cross a sign, as a trophy and royal ensign. Then all the tribes of the land of Judea will mourn and bewail their own unbelief, and all those who care for earthly things will mourn, though they be Christians. For those who are attached to earthly things might also be called "the tribes of the earth." Although the Lord comes accompanied by the Cross, He also comes "with power and great glory."

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