He
will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
Matthew 24:31
Matthew 24 [23.] “Then if any man tells you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or, ‘There,’ don’t believe it. For there will arise false christs, and false prophets, and they will show great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the chosen ones.
Matthew 24 [25.] “Behold, I have told you beforehand. If therefore they tell you, ‘Behold, he is in the wilderness,’ don’t go out; ‘Behold, he is in the inner rooms,’ don’t believe it. For as the lightning flashes from the east, and is seen even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For wherever the carcass is, there is where the vultures gather together. But immediately after the oppression of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky. Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. He will send out his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
Matthew 24 [32.] “Now from the fig tree learn this parable. When its branch has now become tender, and produces its leaves, you know that the summer is near. Even so you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Most certainly I tell you, this generation will not pass away, until all these things are accomplished. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But no one knows of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Meaning:
Jesus had just described the climax of history: the sun darkened, the stars falling, and the Son of Man “coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:29-30). This verse tells us the first thing he will do when he comes. He will gather his people. Mark records the same promise, adding that they will be gathered “from the ends of the earth to the ends of the sky” (Mark 13:27).
- “He will send out his angels”
Angels serve the Son of Man. Earlier in Matthew Jesus explained that at the end of the age “the reapers are angels” (Matthew 13:39), and that they would separate the wicked from the righteous. Here their task is joyful.
- “with a great sound of a trumpet”
In Israel trumpets announced important events. God told Moses, “Make two trumpets of silver… You shall use them for the calling of the congregation” (Numbers 10:2). A loud trumpet sounded when God came down on Mount Sinai (Exodus 19:16). Isaiah foretold a day when “a great trumpet will be blown” and the scattered people of Israel would come home to worship Yahweh in Jerusalem (Isaiah 27:13). Paul also speaks of “God’s trumpet” when the Lord descends from heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:16), and says the dead will be raised “at the last trumpet” (1 Corinthians 15:52).
- “they will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds”
The “four winds” means the four directions of the compass, the whole earth. Through Zechariah God had said of his scattered people, “I have spread you abroad as the four winds of the sky” (Zechariah 2:6). Moses had promised that even if Israel’s outcasts were in “the uttermost parts of the heavens, from there Yahweh your God will gather you” (Deuteronomy 30:4). Now the gathering includes all of Christ’s chosen ones from every nation. John notes that Jesus died “that he might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad” (John 11:52).
The Significance of Matthew 24:31
- No believer will be forgotten
Christians are scattered across the world, living in very different places and conditions. Jesus promises that none of them will be overlooked. Angels will search out every one of his chosen ones and bring them to him.
- Hope that shapes the present
Paul ended his description of the Lord’s coming with the words, “Therefore comfort one another with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18). The story does not end in darkness but in a great reunion with Christ.
Cross-References:
Mark 13:27: "Then he will send out his angels, and will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the sky." The parallel in Mark.
Isaiah 27:13: "It will happen in that day that a great trumpet will be blown;" The great trumpet of gathering.
1 Thessalonians 4:16: "For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with God’s trumpet." The trumpet at Christ’s coming.
John 11:52: "but that he might also gather together into one the children of God who are scattered abroad." The purpose of Jesus’ death.
Conclusion: Matthew 24:31 promises that when the Son of Man comes in glory, he will send his angels with a great trumpet call to gather his chosen ones from every corner of the earth. The trumpet recalls Sinai, Israel’s assemblies and Isaiah’s prophecy of a great homecoming. No believer will be forgotten. This sure hope comforts God’s people in every age.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible