The disciples asked Jesus about the end of the age – when the signs of not one stone left on top of another would be, the time of His coming, and the sign of the end of the world. Jesus’ reply had everything to do with what was going to happen to the generation of people listening to Him at that time, not 2000 years in the future, the ‘end’ referring to the end of Israel as a nation and the end of the Jewish religious system. In Daniel it is written about the sacrifice that will cease in the middle of the week – referring to the ministry of Jesus and Him being sacrificed, causing all other sacrifices to cease. The abomination which causes desolation was the armies of Rome which surrounded Jerusalem in AD70 and Jesus advised those living in Jerusalem at that time to flee. The Jewish religious leaders were the stars in the heavens (symbolic language for a system of government) which fell at the end of the previous age and now Jesus and the Church are the stars shining in the heavens. .The vultures gathering about the carcass also speaks of Rome’s armies gathering about a dead Israel. The sign of the Son of man shall appear in the heavens, not the sky and He shall gather His people (not the Jews, the Church) from the four corners of the whole earth. This was the beginning of the oneness of the Church, His Body, the Kingdom of God. The fig tree was not a reference to Israel, but simply used as a sign indicating that summer, or in this case the time of the fulfillment of the prophesy, was at hand . At Jesus’ trial when He was asked if He was the Christ, He told the high priest that THEY would be witnesses of the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the majestic power and coming in the clouds of heaven. This was a direct quote out of the book of Daniel where judgment was set by the Ancient of Days and Jesus was given power, authority and dominion to rule and reign over all nations. He was telling them that the day of Lord, the day of judgment; wrath and vengeance of God were upon them because of their rejection of Jesus, who was their salvation. Coming in clouds was a well-know Old Testament metaphor of God coming in salvation for this people and judgment upon his enemies. The fall of Jerusalem at AD70 was the second coming of Jesus.
