Matthew 24:29-31 (ESV)

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. ³⁰ 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. ³¹ 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.

Jesus explained to his followers what would occur right after the great tribulation. He said the sun and the moon and the stars will no longer give their light, and as a result the world will be engulfed by total darkness. Some have suggested that Jesus meant the sun will literally stop shining, while others believe this is symbolic of the world’s rulers losing all power. Either way, the bottom line is the same: “the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Whatever or whomever these powers of the heavens are at the time, God will bring them down at the second coming of Christ. Jesus will then appear before the entire world. And will they rejoice? No. Instead, they will mourn as they realize their security in this life has come to an end. When Jesus first came to this planet, he arrived in absolute humility. He was born an infant and placed in a manger. And he continued to live his life in utter humility, even going all the way to a slave’s death—death on a cross. But, the day will come when Jesus will return again. And this time, he will fully exercise his power and authority. Those who have chosen to surrender to his lordship in this life will be the subjects of his amazing kingdom. But those who refuse to obey him will be shut out from his presence forever.

The day will come when everything in our world system will come undone and Jesus will reign as the rightful king forever. We live in a culture that seems to elevate celebrities such as politicians, intellectuals, athletes, pop stars, and models to a height where people can value them as somehow worth more than the average soul. But clearly, they’re not! In fact, the day is coming when anyone and everyone not right with Christ will be brought down, no matter how powerful or popular they are now. If you are a Christian, make sure your thinking is consistent with truth. If you tend to elevate those whom the world venerates and esteem them above other “common” people, you need to stop. Ask God to help you to see others as he sees them. It’s not wrong to look up to people, but Christians should admire those who will be great in the kingdom of our Lord.