But in those days, after that oppression, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light,
Parallel translations
- KJV But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,
- BSB But in those days, after that tribulation: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;
- NKJV “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;
- NASB “But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light,
- NLT “At that time, after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light,
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
After that tribulation, cosmic signs appear: the sun darkened and the moon giving no light. Creation itself heralds the climactic coming.
Overview
Jesus draws on prophetic imagery (Isaiah 13:10; Joel 2:31) of the sun and moon failing, language that signals the great day of the Lord. These signs mark a turning point from the era of tribulation to the visible coming of the Son of Man. Whether read literally, symbolically, or both, they announce that the present order is giving way to God's decisive intervention.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 19
- Isa 13:10For the stars of the sky and its constellations will not give their light. The sun will be darkened in its going out, and the moon will not cause its light to shine.
- Acts 2:19–20I will show wonders in the sky above, and signs on the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and billows of smoke.
- Matt 24:29–31But 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;
- Rev 6:12–14I saw when he opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake. The sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became as blood.
- Joel 2:30–31I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood, fire, and pillars of smoke.
- 2 Pet 3:10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
- Joel 3:15The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.
- Amos 5:20Won’t the day of Yahweh be darkness, and not light? Even very dark, and no brightness in it?
- Zeph 1:14–18The great day of Yahweh is near. It is near, and hurries greatly, the voice of the day of Yahweh. The mighty man cries there bitterly.
- Jer 4:23–25I saw the earth, and, behold, it was waste and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.
- Joel 2:10The earth quakes before them. The heavens tremble. The sun and the moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining.
- Dan 12:1“At that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince who stands for the children of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who shall be found written in the book.
- Luke 21:25–27There will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars; and on the earth anxiety of nations, in perplexity for the roaring of the sea and the waves;
- Dan 7:10A fiery stream issued and came out from before him: thousands of thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
- Ezek 32:7When I shall extinguish you, I will cover the heavens, and make its stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light.
- Rev 20:11I saw a great white throne, and him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. There was found no place for them.
- Jer 4:28For this the earth will mourn, and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and I have not repented, neither will I turn back from it.”
- Isa 24:20–23The earth will stagger like a drunken man, and will sway back and forth like a hammock. Its disobedience will be heavy on it, and it will fall and not rise again.
- 2 Pet 3:12looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, which will cause the burning heavens to be dissolved, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 13:24 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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