Message by Kevin Daly from Messianic Good News
‘Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory’ (1 Timothy 3:16)
Forty days after Jesus suffered and died as the prophets foretold, and was raised again bodily, he gave parting instructions to his disciples and was taken up before their eyes into heaven:
‘After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight’ (Acts 1:9)
At this time two messengers appeared in white and brought them the well-known consolation:
‘”Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”‘ (Acts 1:11)
This text is often presented as proof that Jesus will return in human likeness, to dwell once more among mortal men and to commence at that time a millennial reign from an earthly throne.
In contrast with this idea, we learn from Scripture that the same Jesus who once ‘appeared in a body’ was ‘taken up in glory’ (1 Tim 3:16) and is now ‘exalted to the highest place’ so that every knee, whether in heaven, on earth or under the earth, should bow, and every tongue confess Him as Lord (Phil. 2: 9-11).
The ‘highest place’ is the right hand of God (Acts 2:33; Eph 1:20), where ‘in the heavenlies,’ God has put everything under His feet and has made Him to be head over all, ‘far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come’ (Eph 1:21).
The prophet Daniel foresaw the heavenly enthronement at the time of the Babylonian exile:
I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into His presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (Dan. 7:13-14)
Son of Man refers to the status that Jesus assumed – the fleshly guise for which He gave up His divine splendour – having ‘no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him’ (Isaiah 53:2). He did this to reveal God’s nature – which we may perceive more freely when His brilliance and majesty are concealed. He who was ‘with God from the beginning’ (John 1:1-2) entered the fallen world through human birth and eschewing all social advantage and political authority, became the purest expression of God’s essential qualities that man can know.
The startling paradox in Daniel’s vision is that the One ‘like a son of man’ comes ‘in the clouds’. Prior to Daniel’s vision, this association was made only in respect of the Most High, who ‘alone stretched out the heavens,’ who made ‘His pavilion around Him … thick clouds of the skies,’ who called to Moses from the cloud and later descended to him within it.
When Jesus told the Sanhedrin, ‘in the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven,’ it was regarded as blasphemy and immediately led to his conviction on that charge.
While Daniel sees Jesus received into heaven at the end of His incarnate mission (‘coming with the clouds’ into the Divine Presence), the apostles saw the same event from below, namely Jesus ascending to heaven in the cloud.
This is why it says: ‘When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men.’
What does ‘he ascended’ mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe. (Ephesians 4:8-10)
At His ascension the humble guise that Jesus maintained even after His resurrection was for ever set aside and He resumed His rightful place, not only as Son of God, but now also as Redeemer and Saviour of mankind, and its eternal, anointed Priest and King.
From His heavenly throne, He reigns on earth through the Holy Spirit, through whom He works among the faithful to will and to act according to His good purpose (Phil 2:13). At the same time He is judging the world – by His gospel revealing the very thoughts and attitudes of the heart – so that nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight (Heb 4:12).
Messiah’s delay in executing judgment over His enemies does not mean that He is yet to receive power, dominion and authority at a future time, or that He does not reign supreme and victorious right now.
His deliberate delay in punishing sin serves to extend the opportunity for repentance, but also to lull the unfaithful into complacency and entice the rebellious into an ever more brazen defiance – so that the full extent of man’s evil may be exposed before His judgments are carried out.
As Peter explains in his letter,
the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. (2 Peter 3:8-10)
The saints must also reserve judgment until this time:
Judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise from God. (1 Corinthians 4:5)
Scriptures teach an immediate and decisive end to human defiance at the revelation of our LORD from heaven, and not the start of a prolonged engagement with conventional armies that culminates in an apocalyptic crisis after a thousand years.
At His first appearance, the Son of Man reveals God’s nature, submits himself to death at the hands of ungodly men, and makes atonement for sin. But, ‘when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels,’ He comes in the full manifestation of God’s glory, to ‘punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus’ (2 Thess. 1:7-8).
Significantly, where YHVH is depicted as coming on the clouds, it is for judgment:
See, the LORD rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt.
The idols of Egypt tremble before him,
and the hearts of the Egyptians melt within them.
“I will stir up Egyptian against Egyptian -
brother will fight against brother, neighbour against neighbour,
city against city, kingdom against kingdom.
The Egyptians will lose heart,
and I will bring their plans to nothing … (Isaiah 19:1-3).
Jesus alludes to this prophecy against Egypt when he warns the Sanhedrin, ‘in the future you will see the Son of Man … coming on the clouds of heaven,’ suggesting an analogous judgment upon unfaithful Israel in their own time. Josephus bears witness to the extent of in-fighting and fratricide among the Jews before Jerusalem was destroyed in AD70.
Not all the New Testament references to the coming of Jesus, or His coming on the clouds, or His glory being revealed from heaven, are thus to the Final Day at the end of the mortal age. The events of AD70 were a unique judgment on the Jews that rejected Jesus, by which events Jesus was revealed as a true prophet (through the fulfilment of His prophecies against Jerusalem and the Temple). By which also His claim to being King Messiah, enthroned ‘at the Right Hand of the Father in Heaven’ with all power to execute His prophetic judgments, was confirmed.
In Matthew 24, Jesus spoke of the things that would come upon ‘this generation,’ namely the generation that rejected and crucified him.
In the parallel account in Luke 21 we read:
When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near … At that time you will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. (verses 20 & 27)
Earlier, Jesus told the Twelve:
When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. (Mat 10:23)
Jesus came in AD70 in the mode of Isaiah’s prophecy against Egypt. The ‘power and great glory’ spoken of in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 are not the consummate glory, when He comes to be ‘glorified in his saints, and to be admired by all those who believe’ (2 Thes 1:10), but rather the vindication glory that affirmed Him as righteous judge, true prophet and reigning King.
That God is glorified in the execution of His judgments is clear from Ezekiel 28 and 39.
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I am against thee, O Zidon; and I will be glorified in the midst of thee: and they shall know that I am the LORD, when I shall have executed judgments in her, and shall be sanctified in her. For I will send into her pestilence, and blood into her streets; and the wounded shall be judged in the midst of her by the sword upon her on every side; and they shall know that I am the LORD. (Ezekiel 28:22-23)
As the execution of His judgments bring glory to God, so the converse is also true: God’s appearance in glory is in itself an act of judgment. For ‘who shall stand when He appears?’
The Revelation of John on Patmos is described as ‘the revelation [ἀποκάλυψις = unveiling] of Jesus Christ (Rev 1:1). The same John who walked, ate and slept next to the Messiah for three years ‘fell as though dead’ at the sight of the Christ revealed in glory (Rev 1:17). Though we once regarded Christ after the flesh, we must clearly do so no more (2 Cor 5:16).
No flesh shall bear the intensity of His appearance in glory.
That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. (2 Pet 3:10-13)
The saints will survive this event by the transformation of their mortal body – in the twinkling of an eye being clothed in their heavenly dwellings (2 Cor 5:2). The dead will rise first, and those who are alive at that time will be changed to meet Him in the air (1 Thes 4:16-17; 1 Cor 15:50-53).
The assurance given to the apostles in Acts 1 is not that Jesus will once again assume the veil of human flesh, but rather the opposite. He was taken up in glory, and so He shall return!
Jesus revealed that He has completed His Father’s work in the mortal realm (John 17:4). This world will see Him no more (John 14:19).
I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. (John 17:4-5)
His next coming brings about the end of the mortal age, when the last enemy, namely death, is destroyed.
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the first-fruits; then, when He comes, those who belong to Him. Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For He must reign until he has put all his enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Corinthians 15:22-26).
At His first coming, the Lord came down to share in our humanity. At His second coming we are taken into His glory.
When he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is (1 John 3:2).
This is what he promised his disciples:
If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:2-3)
This is his manifest desire for all who believe:
Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. (John 17:24)
The same event will mark the end of the rebellion, which the Lord will snuff out in an instant, ‘by the breath of His mouth’ and ‘the splendour of His coming’ (2 Thes 2:8).
This is our expectation, based on the Word that was given to us.
Having seen Christ glorified we cannot see him humbled again, co-habiting with sinners once more and warring against the flesh and blood enemies of a geo-political Israel, just to face a further rejection by mortal man at the end of another thousand years.
For He must remain in heaven until the restoration of all things, ‘which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets, since the world began’ (Acts 3:21).
I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21:2-5)
*any thoughts?
"If the professed convert distinctly and deliberately declares that he knows the Lord's will but does not mean to attend to it, you are not to pamper his presumption, but it is your duty to assure him that he is not saved. Do not suppose that the Gospel is magnified or God glorified by going to the worldlings and telling them that they may be saved at this moment by simply accepting Christ as their Savior, while they are wedded to their idols, and their hearts are still in love with sin. If I do so I tell them a lie, pervert the Gospel , insult Christ, and turn the grace of God into lasciviousness."
Thoughts?
This certainly seems amillenial eachatology, of which I am very familiar, having about half of the christian members of my family being ammillenialists. I, myself, am historic premillenial. This means the historic premillenial position of reformation saints and early church fathers, not the widely popular dispensationalist, pre-millenialist, mid-tribulation rapturist eschatology of western christianity today (which also some christian members of my family adhere to).
I find myself on strange ground among them. My grandfather, a godly man, is very amillenialistic and no stranger to defending it. When we talk about eschatology, we remember to conduct ourselves as befitting children of the Lord and if either or both of us get a little ‘too passionate’ about our position, we agree to continue another time. Like an amillenialist, I believe certain prophecies were already clearly fulfilled long ago that a dispensational premillenial mid-tribulation rapture (DPMR, I’ll use, for short) proponent does not and in fact, considers an unfulfilled future event. History, even secular historians, bear out fulfillment of certain prophecies.
I have a more difficult time having such a conversation with the part of my family that is DPMR. They have been brought up in Darbyism (as I was), not really knowing the relatively short history of that particular eschatological bent, really going out on limbs to make scripture say something it doesn’t within the context, and trusting in pastoral proponents of it without being good Bereans and searching the scriptures to see if it is so.
While I can usually speak in comfort with my amillenial relatives (though we may agree to disagree), the DPMRers in the family will view me as a heretic for daring to think saints will suffer (haven’t they always?), that Jesus isn’t coming in to secretly wisk the faithful away, for not believing that the antichrist is going to sit in a third temple as the abomination of desolation (which I, like amillenialists, believe already occured in the first century), that there is not a literal 7 year tribulation coming (again, wrong understanding of Daniel), the ‘gap theory’ in the 490 weeks is wrong (again, misunderstood Daniel), and basically not buying much of anything else one finds in Left Behind books.
That said, I do believe in a millenial kingdom, a literal reign of Christ on earth from Jerusalem, and THEN final judgement, a new heavens and earth, and the eternal state. I do not believe Satan being bound for a thousand years then released for a short time is hyperbole or allegory. I see prophecies not yet fulfilled (though not nearly as many as a DPMR proponent). We have not seen all the world come up yearly to Jerusalem, etc.
So, while I agree with nearly all of the historicity of my family amillenialists, I disagree concerning other things, for which I have never received scripturally (and historically) convincing evidence or argument. I believe they over-allegorize some things and that I have the correct and origianl eschatological view in light of early church father writings, while I believe the DPMRers of my family have been duped into poorly exegeting texts to fit a relatively new, and I believe, generally unbiblical, view of the end time.
All that said, and belive it or not, I really tried to be brief, as I am not here to argue the various eschatological views that may be held by posters here but to give a little background on where I am coming from with my thoughts on the article, I agree with a great deal of it.
There are events that happened in Judea that Christ and the prophets foretold that did in fact occur within that generation, the apostles having witnessed and recorded by ancient historians. From 66 A.D. to 73 A.D., all these events occurred, the 7 years (that DPMRers set to some future date), the abomination of desolation, etc. If one reads the history, it so clearly aligns to the prophecies concerning what would happen, from the destruction of the temple, to the christians fleeing when Nero’s first army showed up as instructed by Christ.
Of course, I obviously disagree with Jesus’ second coming being ‘it’ and that immediately, there will be a new heavens and new earth.
Still, good article for aligning prophecy with history to show it fulfilled.
It is an interesting article Brian…glad you thought so too.
That may be the closest term to my own beliefs, though i still don’t snugly fit in that group either. Sometimes i think im a prophetic renegade, in that i can’t seem to agree with any of the more commonly known prophetic schools of thought, totally. I find things i agree [and disagree] with in all of them.
Some years back i just stopped trying to find a ‘prophetic’ home and just look at each prophecy individually. LOL
I’m much in agreement with you.
To the right of your article there is a quote from Corrie Ten Boom from a book (?) entitled “Prepared for the Coming Tribulation”. Since you assign the words of Jesus in Matt 24 (I agree) to coming to pass in the destruction of Jerusalem, do you disagree with Corrie and maintain that the Tribulation was in the events leading up to the destruction?
Jack,
for a long time the words of Matthew 24 have presented a ‘mixed bag’–so are a mystery to me.
I say that because i don’t believe ALL of Matthew 24 is future (as future from today) but that a portion of the signs/warnings Jesus gave were in fact to do with the destruction of Jerusalem during the judgment in 70ad. BUT im not so sure that all of the chapter points to 70ad.
ahaha… if i sound confused its because i’ve never pinned it down in my own mind satisfactorily.
I definitely don’t hold to all awaiting a future fulfillment–
Hi Pj
Nice article!
You are not a prophetic renegade.You are one who allows scripture to interpret scripture.So your views are formed by the written word alone.Indeed all of Matthew 24 was not fulfilled in the first century.Daniel 12:1 speaks of a time that is yet to come,which the Lord confirms in Matthew 24:21,22.
I have an eschatological view as well as an Ism.However, i hold to neither.The scriptures do not allow for my orthodox partial Preterist views to state that all tribulation spoken of by the Lord Jesus was fulfilled in the first century.That i believe that all of Daniel 9:24-27 was completely fulfilled by 70 A.D. is a separate matter.
The Abomination of desolation Luke 21:20,21 (gentile armies) coming to destroy Jerusalem and the temple was not ” tribulation ” believers escaped the siege of Jerusalem.This was God’s judgment spoken of by Jesus on that unbelieving generation who put His Son and their own Messiah to death.
One thing i think that many who hold a certain end times view seem not to think about,is this.What pleasure shall a “beast” “anti-christ” or “man of sin” or Satan himself have in persecuting unbelievers and apostates? None. Why would the Lord Jesus cut the days of tribulation short for unbelievers and apostates? Why would Micheal,the arch angel stand for unbelievers and apostates of any nation?
PJ. Even now there remains a wall of separation between Messianic believers and Christians that should not be there.There is but one coming future event (imo) that will shatter this wall,before the Lord comes.It is the coming world-wide persecution of all believers in Jesus.See Daniel 11:31-35.I know this has gone off topic,but i will ask you to do a search of a few things and see where they lead us.
1. The word sacrifice Hebrew/Aramaic # 2077 is only found in Daniel 9:27,where it speaks of Jesus confirming the New Covenant.The word “sacrifice” meaning sin offering or burnt offering is not found anywhere in the Hebrew/Aramaic manuscripts of the book of Daniel.It is not in 8:11,12,13 or 11:31 or 12:11.So then this word must mean something else.
2. In Daniel 12:11 there is a Hebrew/Aramaic phrase “shall be taken away” following the words daily sacrifice,this is Hebrew/Aramaic # 5493 it means to turn away or even commit apostasy.Unbelievers who build a temple and sacrifice animals cannot turn away from Christ or commit apostasy,because they are not his to begin with.
3. In Daniel 12:12 there are 2 words ” Waiteth” Hebrew/Aramaic # 2442 and “Cometh” Hebrew/Aramaic # 5060,please take a look at them.
Whatever your preferred translation of the scriptures may be,i only ask that you use the Strong’s concordance or if possible a Keyword or Hebrew/Aramaic Lexicon to look up these words as found in the KJV translation.
Pj.You may find that Daniel chapter 12 holds a/the key to the true end-times scenario.
Let’s face it, many prophecies are difficult to decipher, as many do not assign a timeline and events they may in fact be separated by (or slowly ongoing over) a long period of time. There are things in Matthew which I clearly see already fulfilled. And there are things I think are yet future (beyond the readily obvious, such as the Judgement).
As christians, we have to be humble about eschatology (though it’s easy to slip into the flesh and become indignant about our own personal view). Even the many, many prophecies concerning the coming of Christ are small bits of larger texts that made little sense in and of themselves and seem to be allegorical. However, once He fulfilled them, they made complete sense and were not very allegorical. We have the benefit of hindsight to the fulfilment that the faithful before His coming did not. What seems obvious to us now was mystery to them.
I try to not get too passionate about eschatology. It’s there to build us up and encourage us, as well as give us a little insight into God’s plans. I only get a little vehement when I think a certain eschatology, or part of one, could be harmful to the brethren. Such as the secret rapture. I wonder, as the love of many grows colder, as the birth pains of the world grow more intense, as the falling away intensifies, and as tribulations increase, how many brethren, who are looking for Christ to secretly sweep them away, will be discouraged and heart broken that they would suffer, even greatly, for the name sake of their Lord rather than see the precious priviledge to share in His sufferings and a marvelous encouragement that we are truly in the faith because we are hated for His sake. I wonder if for some, as they see the end looming, they won’t just hide away and await their rescue rather than doing the faithful work the Lord expects them to be busy with upon His arrival, as His parable about the master going to another country and arriving to find slothful servants not doing their duty to Him. Of course, I by no means suggest that all who believe in a secret rapture would behave thus, only that the teaching provides a potential reasoning for some to do so.
I think in Matthew, our Lord spoke of things to come to pass very soon, somewhat soon after, and then far into the end of the age. Compound that by some being fulfilled constantly, like false christs, etc. I do believe the judgements poured out in the Revelation are future, not already fulfilled events.
One other thing about eschatology; it’s the area of biblical study I feel the least dogmatic about because I know we ‘see through a glass darkly’. I’d be surprised if many believers in history truly had their eschatological view laid out exactly as it will transpire with no error at all, but we’ll all know for sure once it has happened. The important thing to remember, while any or all of us may be wrong somewhere in our eschatology, we need to be right about just one thing: What do you think of the Christ? Who do you say He is?
Yes, that’s where im at in my thinking too Brian..
I worked at a prophecy board awhile back and i learned that the hard way–there is NOTHING like end day prophecy to get people’s flesh riled up. Its one reason i have only posted a few things on the topic here since opening the blog–it can bring out the nasty in people. ahaha…
I flat out refuse to get into discussions with Christians who believe they have it all figured out–down to the eye color of a future AC…but i love discussing prophecy with people who like me, are still being taught by the Holy Spirit.
Amen, you sound like me. Are we related? LOL
As i wrote Yeshua is the Lord of Glory below, i thought to start putting up topics on prophecy more often, and hope to start tomorrow.
hope you’ll jump in…
This article is very good!
PJ.
I like your blog a lot!
I would love to see you explore and dig deeper into the things that you were thinking of in October of 2007. See your comment below.
” The word of God is not confusing..or it shouldn’t be to those who are abiding in Christ, but in my opinion there is something not being seen clearly within certain chapters: (Daniel 9,- Matthew 24,- Luke 21,- Mark 13 – 2Thess.2)”
Sure, we can do that!
I spent this evening cleaning out a few old posts etc on the blog, so how about a new eschatology post tomorrow? If you know where the post is you quoted from, post the link here and i’ll use it to create a new one tomorrow…
Glad you like the blog!!
Good morning PJ.
I would love to participate.However,i work the evening/night shift.I am off on the weekends.Besides i want to see where you take us.(not saying that i will not read the posts and perhaps make a comment) I will read it/them indeed.Below is where i took your quote from.
http://pjmiller.wordpress.com/2007/09/30/the-abomination-of-desolation/