As already mentioned, some Romans thought that the empire was doomed in the upheaval following Nero’s suicide. This apocalyptic language would have been perfectly understandable to the first-century Jews. No one would have expected literal stars to fall out of the sky.124 When we recognize it for what it is, we, too, can stop watching for the snuffing-out of the sun. We can understand the meaning of Jesus’ words as originally intended.125 So, in segment E′, Jesus consciously borrows apocalyptic language