The Stars Will Fall from Heaven
Reflecting on the second coming of Jesus Christ
How much thought have you given to the second coming of Jesus Christ? Does the event make you shudder or just lead to confusion? Or does the thought of it make you dive headfirst into the different types of eschatology (pre-mill, a-mill, post-mill)?
I must admit that I haven’t given enough thought to Christ’s second coming. I can state my somewhat-flimsy position on eschatology (historic pre-mill!) but apart from that, I simply know and believe Jesus will return again.
And I know that his return is going to be in power. His incarnation was as a helpless infant, a humble servant seeking to carry out the will of the Father. In his second coming, Christ returns in full power and glory, and comes back to use his enemies as a footstool.
Matthew’s gospel says this about the second coming: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matt. 24:29-31).
Can you imagine what it’ll be like? Can you ponder the reality of what we’ll see, hear, and feel? The gospel tells us the stars will fall from heaven; the moon will not give it's light; the powers of heaven will be shaken. Some of us might admit that, even as Christians, this event sounds absolutely terrifying.
And it will be—for unbelievers.
Our church’s small groups just finished watching Michael Reeve’s lessons on the fear of God through Ligonier Ministries. It was absolutely phenomenal. One of the points Reeves brought home was the difference between filial and sinful fear.
Filial fear is what believers have; that is the biblical definition of the fear of the Lord. We fear God, not in the sense of being afraid or concerned about his anger or wrath or fury, but because we honor and adore him as God and revere his holiness. We fear him as a son should fear his father. “Filial fear is the fear of a son who loves his father and does not want to offend him or let him down,” RC Sproul wrote, referencing Martin Luther. “It is a fear born of respect. When the Bible calls us to fear God, it is issuing a call to a fear born of reverence, awe, and adoration. It is a respect of the highest magnitude.”
This filial fear will cause us to truly be astonished, amazed, and awestruck at Christ’s second coming. It will make us drop to our knees in reverence at the transcendence of God in the person of Jesus Christ. It will be more than we can ever imagine. But we won’t be afraid; we won’t be scared, for we are in the sovereign, loving hands of God. Yes, it will be quite scary, incredibly petrifying for unbelievers. Those who currently don’t fear God will indeed fear him when they see him come in full glory and majesty, prepared to throw all evildoers and unbelievers into hell, along with Satan.
Christians, however, can rest assured that Christ’s second coming is merely the beginning of glory, the start of sinlessness, the dawn of everlasting peace, joy, and praise. When the stars fall from heaven, when the moon loses its light—don’t be afraid. It’s just beginning for us as children of God. Take courage and look to Jesus.
Thank you! Very good summary and thank you for giving us an accurate word to describe our fear of the Lord! I looked up the etymology and basically means to be “as a son or a daughter.”. Praise be to God for our adoption!