Luke 21:25

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; men fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world: for the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these things begin to come to pass, look up; and lift up your heads; because your redemption draweth nigh.

The signs spoken of here refer to the Second Advent when Christ shall appear in glory, all the dead who ever lived shall be raised to life, and the Judgment shall occur. Just as the sign of the destruction of Jerusalem was something that all could "see" (the encompassing armies), so also the sign of the Second Advent shall be when they shall "see the Son of man," coming with power and glory.

And then shall they see ... The event spoken of is very remote in time; the Lord did not say, then shall "you" see. Of course, in a little different sense, "every eye shall see him"; and no man shall "sleep through" such an event as this.

The certainty that great signs will appear, not their exact nature, is revealed here. Exactly what these will be will not be known until the final events begin. The things prophesied surely appear to be vast and cataclysmic disturbances in the physical universe. The sun's light failed at the first Advent of Christ, and similar cosmic signs may be expected in the Second Advent.

A good summary of this place was given by Barclay thus: "The Christian conception of history is that it has a goal; and, at that goal, Jesus Christ will be Lord of all. That is all we know, and all we need to know."[35]