24:29 the tribulation. The great tribulation begins with the very temporary exaltation of the man of sin as the world’s humanistic god (Matthew 24:15; II Thessalonians 2:4). It ends with the permanent coming of the Son of man in such great glory that nothing else can be seen in the heavens; all else will be supernaturally darkened (as at the cross when He died) and only His magnificent glory can be seen over all the earth.

24:31 gather together his elect. Christ will return to the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem (Acts 1:10-12; Zechariah 14:4), and it is either there or somewhere else in Jerusalem that He will “sit upon the throne of His glory” to judge the living nations (Matthew 25:31-32). Even before that, however, all believers who have managed to escape the death squads of the Beast after refusing the mark of the beast (Revelation 13:16-17; 20:4) will be translated by angels to Christ’s presence, and those who had been martyred during that period will also be resurrected and “live” and reign with Him (Revelation 20:4).