The immediate context of Jesus’ words is the presence of the abomination that causes desolation in the holy place, the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. As a result, some commentators understand Matthew 24:29–31 to be a reference to Jesus’ enthronement in heaven.1 This preterist understanding is erroneous. Since the destruction of Jerusalem is presented as a type of the horrors to come before the return of Christ, the distress is more general and refers to all the hardships that will be seen throughout the world and faced by believers in particular.2 The desolation of Jerusalem anticipates future desolations that lead to an intense period of tribulation before Christ brings judgment on the wicked.3
29 “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.