Christ predicted that there would "be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in
the stars" [ LUKE 21:25 ], specifying that "the sun will be darkened, and the
moon will not give off its light; the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers
in heaven will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the
clouds with great power and glory." [ MARK 13:24-26 ] In addition, John saw
that a great earthquake would precede the signs in the heavens. [ REV 6:12 ]
All of these signs would mark the end of the 1260 years of persecution.
The "powers of heaven" refer to the heavenly bodies, e.g. sun, moon, earth.
The "powers of earth" refer to the governments on Earth.