FROM THE OLD TO THE NEW (PART II)

In Part one of "From The Old To The New" we left off looking at the seen and the unseen.

2 Cor 4:17-18 "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."

Here the transition is to faith..."look(ing) at the things which are NOT SEEN." How do we look upon that which is "NOT SEEN"? The only way to do that is by faith.

Again this is speaking of the contrast between the Old Covenant, Shadows, types, figures, etc., all which were seen. The temple, the priesthood, the sacrifice. These were constituent elements of the Old Covenant, ALL which could be seen. Paul says, do not look to those things, but look to the truth and reality of the New
[CLICK ON THE PHOTO FOR BETTER VIEW]
Covenant that cannot be seen with the human eye, but MUST be seen by FAITH.

Paul gets to the concept of "FAITH" very soon in 2 Cor 5:7, (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

But before he gets there he says some very interesting things...

Starting chapter five of 2nd Corinthians, Paul continues his progression of his logical argument using the term "FOR". Continuing to build on what he has said prior, his use of this transitional term indicates that he is NOT changing topics but rather building on the already stated topic. This already stated topic is the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant.

"For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: If so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked." 2 Corinthians 5:1-3

Many theologians and preachers at this point find reason to change the topic from Covenant transition to the believers death. Funny, Paul does not mention the believers death here and the "FOR" clearly ties his allegory about the body to the topic of covenant transition.

For a more extensive look at the use of the term "Body" see my post from 4 April , 2008

http://prosthero.blogspot.com/2008/04/body-2-corinthians-510.html

Moving from the end of chapter 4 having stated that we look to those things that are NOT seen, and our focus is on the eternal New Covenant, Paul is not changing the topic. He is declaring, that Because of the focus on the unseen..."FOR"..."We will put off the earthly tabernacle, the building of God". The tabernacle here is not the believers physical body, but it is the Old Covenant tabernacle, temple, building of God that was going to pass away in 70 A.D. as a physical manifestation that the Old Covenant had completely passed away.

But we have a building from God. A house not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens. This is speaking of our New Covenant tabernacle which is Christ himself.

In the heavens:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:" Ephesians 1:3

"Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places," Ephesians 3:20

"And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" Ephesians 2:6

"To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God," Ephesians 3:10

Where are these heavenly places of which he speaks. It must be a place where we are sharing the presence of Christ right now. This is evident because the Apostle declares that both Christ and the believer are occupying that same place at the same time.

The Heavenly places Paul is speaking of is the place of the New Covenant, for where Christ (the master) is, there will his servant (the believer) be.

"But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;" Hebrews 9:11

"For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:" Hebrews 9:24

This is the same temple or city not made with hands that Abraham was looking for by faith.

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Hebrews 11:8-10

For further reading on the typology of "The Body - The Building - The Bride - The Wife - The City - The Temple (or Tabernacle)" and how each of these literary pictures are all used to describe the church read my post from 12 June. 2010. Or just click on the link.

http://prosthero.blogspot.com/2010/06/body-building-bride-wife-city-temple.html

So here in 2 Corinthians 5 1-3 we find that Paul is building on the theme of the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant...and he has not begun a new topic, but through his transitional phrases (FOR), he is continuing the same theme. This theme is highlighted elsewhere with Abraham and Christ in Hebrews.

To be continued...

FROM THE OLD TO THE NEW (PART I)

To break a paradigm you must be willing to look at something from a different, maybe not so obvious, new perspective. In my bible study I try to do this as often as I can. I have found that a great deal of what I have heard from the pulpit in the last 30 years of listening to preachers has been a party line or a denominational position.

In trying to live a berean life and wanting to be able to hear God's spirit for myself, I have had to throw off much of the "Christian Party Line" and the denominational dogma.

Another passage that has confronted me lately in my paradigm shift is 2 Corinthians. After an extended introduction in chapters 1 and 2 Paul begins in Chapter 3 to highlight the superiority of the New Covenant over the Old Covenant.

2 Cor 3:3 "Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart."

Here contrasts the Old Covenant written in stone and the fulfillment of the prophecy of the New Covenant coming to pass by the Spirit of the living God writing the epistles of Christ (the teachings of Christ--the Law of Christ) on our fleshy tables of the heart.

2 Cor 3:4-7 "And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:"

Paul next declares our full sufficiency to be found in God, and then elaborates on the nature of the Old Covenant compared to the New. The "Letter", or "Ministration of Death", or that which is "Written and engraven in stone", brings about "DEATH".

But the "Spirit", or the New Covenant brings "LIFE". He declares the Old Covenant as possessing some form of "Glory", but that Glory was being done away with. The Glory of the New Covenant was however superior to that of the old.

2 Cor 3:8-11 "How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth. For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious."

Here we see that the Old Covenant was being done away with in Paul's day and the New Covenant was to remain. The New Covenant is referred to in Hebrews as an "Everlasting Covenant".

Hebrews 13 20 "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,"

2 Cor 4:1 "Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;"

Here in 2 Corinthians 4 Paul begins a series of logical arguments based on this covenantal transition in chapter 3. He uses terms like "Therefore", "Wherefore", and "For" All purpose clauses intended to point us back to the previous point of the argument for substantiation, but all of them finding their root and context in the covenantal change that Chapter 3 reveals.

Let's follow this logic trail of Paul's.

"Therefore seeing we have this ministry...: What ministry Paul? It is the ministry of the New Covenant.

Since we are now ministers of a New Covenant we "have received mercy", "we faint not", "But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." 2 Cor 4:1-2. In verse 3 we have not "hid the gospel", but others have blinded the minds of those who do not believe (The New Covenant).

2 Cor 4:5 "For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake." At the center of this New Covenant Gospel is Christ.

2 Cor 4:6 "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

In the New Covenant, it is God who commands the light (the truth of the New Covenant) to shine in our hearts by way of Jesus Christ.

2 Cor 4:6 "But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."

Having this treasure of the New Covenant in Earthen vessels allows the praise to go to God, but in verse 7 we see that those in the first century who participated in the transition from the Old to the New will be misunderstood and persecuted because of this New Covenant.

"We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body." 2 Cor 4:8-10

2 Cor 4:11-14 "For we which live are alway delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you. We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak; Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you."

So the New Covenant will bring persecution that will lead to death, but Paul encourages those who will be faced with that death to recognize that their death will result in the bringing of life to others, just as the death of Jesus resulted in resurrection. This is following the pattern of putting away the Old Covenant of DEATH in favor of the New Covenant of LIFE.

2 Cor 4:15 "For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God." This suffering and possible death results in the grace of God toward those ministering the New Covenant, and ultimately gratitude.

2 Cor 4:16 "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." Because Grace is promised the ministers of the New Covenant can move forward without fainting, knowing that the New Man of the New Covenant will be renewed day by day.

2 Cor 4:17-18 "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." Here the transition is to faith..."look(ing) at the things which are NOT SEEN." How do we look upon that which is "NOT SEEN"?? The only way to do that is by faith.

Again this is speaking of the contrast between the Old Covenant, Shadows, types, figures, etc., all which were seen. The temple, the priesthood, the sacrifice. These were constituent elements of the Old Covenant, ALL which could be seen. Paul says, do not look to those things, but look to the truth and reality of the New Covenant that cannot be seen with the human eye, but MUST be seen by FAITH.

Paul gets to the concept of "FAITH" very soon in 2 Cor 5:7, (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

But before he gets there he says some very interesting things...

To be continued.

AS THE SEASONS TURN

My friend Steve in Buena Vista, CO took this picture this morning. The snow has begun to accumulate in the Rockies, what a beautiful time of year.







Click on the picture for a larger display.

RIDING ON A "SWIFT CLOUD"

Behold, the LORD rides on a swift cloud, and will come into Egypt; The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence, and the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst. (Is 19:1)

The above verse is describing:

A. Every Egyptian seeing God on a literal cloud as He rides in judgment against their nation.

B. God’s judgment of Egypt described in figurative, apocalyptic language.

Few, if any, students of the Word believe that God was actually seen on a cloud by anyone during His judgment against Egypt. In fact, most have no difficulty in acknowledging that while there was a literal judgment against Egypt, this apocalyptic description is not to be taken literally. Why, then, do we insist on a literal interpretation for the following verse?

Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven. (Matt 26:64)

When the high priest heard Jesus say this, he tore his clothes and accused Jesus of blasphemy.

Why?

Because he knew what coming on the clouds of heaven meant—that Jesus was claiming to be God, and would come in judgment against them.

The Jewish Council, before whom Jesus spoke these words, knew that cloud-comings were woven throughout the Old Testament Scriptures. Did they deem Him deserving of death because He claimed He could ride on a cloud, or because He had just stated, in language which all Jews understood, that He was God and would return to judge them? Surely the latter is the case.

Why, then, do we insist on interpreting this cloud-coming judgment of Christ in a literal fashion, instead of in the manner of Old Testament cloud-coming judgments?

ALL THE LAND...

The bible predicts and history clearly records that Israel was given all the land that God promised.

--God kept every promise that he ever made to the physical literal nation called Israel.

--That nation Israel rebelled against God in every possible way for years and years.

--God's ultimate purpose for this nation was to bring forth his Son, Messiah. Born under the law. THIS CAME TO PASS.

--Once The nation had fulfilled God's ordained purpose, God was free to keep the rest of his promises...Promises of Judgment and destruction.

--Read Deuteronomy 28-30 you will see the many many promises of God's justice and judgment to come on that nation.

--History records in the Jewish Roman wars of63 AD-70 AD the complete fulfillment of these promises of Judgment. God utterly destroyed this rebellious nation. In his destruction of this nation he showed that he was finished with them. They served their purpose and they received what they deserved for their rejection of God's son and their messiah.

Utter destruction is what was predicted by the prophets...Utter destruction is what happened to the nation of Israel in the first century.

Not all who are of the physical seed of Abraham are Israel...but those who are the sons of Abraham by faith.

SO..."FOR ME, there is an Israel"...but it is not the physical literal nation that was destroyed in AD 70. It is the remnant of that group mixed in the one body with the wall of partition being broken down. It is those who are the seed of Abraham BY FAITH. They are the Israel that I recognize. NOT a physical literal nation attached to a physical literal land. Those physical literal promises were all fulfilled in Joshua's day.

We now live in the greater reality of the Spiritual. The church, the elect, the bride of Christ, the new Jerusalem...we (believers in Christ) are all the spiritual Israel that Paul wrote about.

"For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God." Romans 2:28-29

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:28

"For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God." Galatians 6:15-16

Who did Paul say are the "Israel of God"??? "As Many as walk according to THIS rule". Which Rule are you talking about Paul? The rule that Circumcision no longer counts for anything, but a NEW CREATURE. Paul do you men that the Israel of God are all those who are NEW CREATURES in the NEW COVENANT? That is exactly what Paul means.

There is no longer a physical literal nation attached to a land that God has any obligation to. He has obligated himself through his son and by faith to those whom he has redeemed out of every kindred tribe tongue and nation. The Church!

WHY POLISH THE BRASS ON A SINKING SHIP?

In doing an honest look at history, we can trace our social welfare system to the time when the church gave up its role to care for the poor and the widows and the fatherless.

When did this trend begin?

It began at the same time that "pre-millennial Dispensationalism took a choke-hold in the churches of this country. We had leaders in the church declaring; "Why polish the brass on a sinking ship?"

Once I heard a preacher declare that it would be foolish to make improvements to rental property.

The teaching continues.

Until the Church takes back its God ordained responsibility to care for those among us who cannot, the government will continue to insert themselves where the church belongs. Pre-mil Dispensationalism,being the first of the excess baggage that needs to go by the way-side.

EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIM

When people share their belief that all Bible prophecy has been fulfilled, listeners routinely protest with a short phrase from Rev. 1:7: “…every eye will see Him…” (NASB throughout). This response is almost always offered without regard to the context or even the rest of the verse. Here is the complete quotation:

Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen.

Most see this verse as a major problem since there is no evidence Christ’s second coming in the clouds was ever seen by anyone, let alone everyone in the world. However, we will demonstrate that it is actually the popular futurist view of the second coming that cannot be reconciled with Rev. 1:7.

Popular scenario difficult to imagine

Many Christians would consider the following an accurate description of the second coming:

1. Jesus returns bodily on the clouds riding a white horse (Matt. 24:30; Rev. 19:11);
2. He streaks across the sky from east to west like a flash of lightning (Matt. 24:27);
3. Everyone in the whole world sees it take place (Rev. 1:7).

Popular author Max Lucado envisions a somewhat more serene return, evidently, minus the lightning:

Suddenly, the heavens are quiet. All is quiet. The angels turn, you turn, the entire world turns—and there he is. Jesus. Through waves of light you see the silhouetted figure of Christ the King. He is atop a great stallion, and the stallion is atop a billowing cloud. (Max Lucado, When Christ Comes [Nashville: Word Publishing, 1999], xvi)

Although Jesus has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18) and is certainly able to perform amazing feats, the descriptions above raise some puzzling questions:

1. If Jesus and his horse are on top of the clouds, how will anyone see them? Won’t they actually be hidden by the clouds? Who hasn’t strained without success to see an airplane flying over that was above the clouds? Perhaps they might be visible on top of a cloud in the distance, but then, they would probably be too far away to be seen without a telescope.
2. When a lightning bolt strikes, we are usually looking somewhere else, and by the time we turn our heads, the flash has disappeared. So if Jesus races around the world like a streak of lightning, won’t most people miss it? Won’t everyone in the world need to be looking up at precisely the right moment and all at the same time? Does that ever happen? What about people in buildings, or millions looking downward to read or do their work? What about miners working underground, or sailors in submerged submarines? What about half of the world’s population on the dark side of the globe who will be sleeping? At any given moment, only a small fraction of humankind is looking toward the sky.
3. If Jesus were to orbit the earth at the equator for example, he would be visible to only a relatively small number of people living within a narrow strip of land. How would people in other parts of the globe manage to see him? Can you see clouds over the equator from your house?

Even with a loud trumpet blast to get everyone’s attention (Rev. 11:15) it seems impossible to imagine how “every eye” in the world could witness the second coming as most seem to understand it. Of course, some will argue that although we don’t have a complete understanding of Christ’s return, it will all work out, and we don’t need to be concerned with the details. Nevertheless, we think our questions indicate something is seriously wrong with the popular scenario. We will further suggest that the commonly held interpretation of Rev. 1:7 completely misses the intended meaning.

Zech. 12:10-11

Rev. 1:7 refers to Zech. 12:10-11:

10“I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. 11In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem… (Zech. 12:10-11)

The “house of David” refers to the nation of Jews under the Old Covenant. In the first century, God ceased working through this physical nation because under the New Covenant, we are all spiritually one in Christ (Rom. 10:12). Today, the church is God’s “holy nation” (1 Pet. 2:9). Therefore, this prophecy must refer to something within the bounds of the Old Covenant era which came to its complete end when Herod’s temple was destroyed in a.d. 70. Jerusalem became irrelevant at this time as well. God will never again use a physical temple in a physical city for animal sacrifices because Jesus has been sacrificed once for all (Heb. 10:10). Today, we have come to the “heavenly Jerusalem,” the church (Heb. 12:22-23). Sometimes, the church is described as God’s “temple” (1 Cor. 3:16; 2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 2:21). Therefore, since earthly Jerusalem with its physical temple is now irrelevant, the “great mourning in Jerusalem” can refer only to the city’s destruction in the first century.

Matt. 24:30

Jesus referred to Zech. 12:10-11 in Matt. 24:30:

…all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.

We have already seen that the original prophecy referred to the first century. Now, immediately after referencing Zechariah’s prophecy, Jesus confirms the time of fulfillment:

Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. (v. 34)

“Tribes” is translated from the Greek word φυλή (phule). It is the same word used in Jas. 1:1:

James, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ,
To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.

This refers to the 12 tribes of Israel, not all nations of the world, in which case the Greek would be ἔθνος (ethnos).

“Earth” is an unfortunate rendering since this English word has several shades of meaning. Most have assumed it refers to the entire globe here. However, a clump of earth can be held in one’s hand. A gardener might plant a seed in the earth and then, cover it with earth. The gardener would not have the globe in mind at all.

The word “earth” in Matt. 24:30 is γῆ (ge) in the Greek. It is translated “land” in other places:

And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah… (Matt. 2:6); Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel… (v. 20); The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali… (ch. 4:15); Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. (ch. 27:45)

In every case above, ge refers to the land of Israel or Judah, not the globe.

That the original prophecy refers to God’s Old Covenant people has been firmly established. Now, with additional support from the Greek in Matt. 24:30 we reconfirm that conclusion: “all the tribes of the earth will mourn” should be understood to mean all the tribes of the land of Israel will mourn.

Rev. 1:7

It is abundantly clear that Zech. 12:10-11, restated in Matt. 24:30, refers to the first century. So, when we find it referenced again in Rev. 1:7, the timing of its fulfillment is simply not open to question; the verse must refer to the first century; and once again, this is corroborated by the surrounding text:

1The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place…3Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near. (Rev. 1:1-3)

The “soon” theme is carried right on through to the end of the vision:

And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place. (ch. 22:6); And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.” (v. 10)

It is unnatural and unbelievable that “near” could mean almost 2,000 years. However, most futurist expositors either read right over all this or attempt to redefine “soon” and “near” with questionable appeals to the Greek and some rather creative interpretive techniques.

We can now begin to illuminate Rev. 1:7. The verse appears to contain three statements:

1. behold, He is coming with the clouds,
2. and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him;
3. and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him.

However, there are really only two declarations here; everything before the semi-colon, i.e., items one and two, belong together.

1. “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him;”

This combines an allusion to Zech. 12:10 (“pierced”) with a reference to Christ’s trial. The High Priest demanded Jesus answer this charge: “…tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God” (Matt. 26:63). Jesus gave him the answer he wanted: “…hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven” (v. 64). To some, this may not seem like a very direct response. However, it was, in fact, quite clear to those attending the trial; they knew exactly what Jesus meant. They mocked him saying, “Prophesy to us, You Christ” (v. 68). They knew he was claiming to be the Christ because he was identifying himself as “the Son of Man” mentioned in Dan. 7:13:

I kept looking in the night visions,

And behold, with the clouds of heaven

One like a Son of Man was coming,

And He came up to the Ancient of Days

And was presented before Him.

Christ’s answer was “blasphemy” to the Jews (Matt. 26:65) because they knew that only God or the Son of God could be coming on clouds. But Jesus was not suggesting they would actually see him coming in the clouds; rather, he was simply identifying himself as the Christ: the “Son of God” (Matt. 26:63). This was the purpose of his slightly oblique reply.

God is sometimes figuratively pictured as coming on clouds. For instance, when David was delivered from his enemies, he praised God for things that never occurred literally:

9 He bowed the heavens also, and came down
With thick darkness under His feet.
10 He rode upon a cherub and flew;
And He sped upon the wings of the wind.
11 He made darkness His hiding place, His canopy around Him,
Darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.
12 From the brightness before Him passed His thick clouds,
Hailstones and coals of fire. (Ps. 18:9-12)

God didn’t literally “come down” in “thick clouds,” and no one saw him. This is imagery portraying God as all-powerful. Christ used this same device to answer the High Priest who understood it immediately. Today, we know that looking up into the sky actually peers into outer space. However, in the past, the sky was simply viewed as heaven. Anyone coming down through the clouds was coming from God’s throne.

We often use the word see to mean understand or perceive. Such usage is not new. Jesus did the same thing. So did Isaiah:

13“Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.
14“In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says,
‘You will keep on hearing, but will not understand;
You will keep on seeing, but will not perceive;
15 For the heart of this people has become dull,
With their ears they scarcely hear,
And they have closed their eyes,
Otherwise they would see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart and return,
And I would heal them.’
16“But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.
17“For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. (Matt. 13:13-17).

Jesus used “eyes” as a metaphor for the mind, and by “see” he meant “understand”: “…blessed are your eyes, because they see.” When he told those present at his trial they would “see” him coming with clouds, he meant they would finally understand he was the Christ. He meant the same thing in Rev. 1:7 and even mentioned “those who pierced Him,” a clear reference to his accusers. They and the mob who demanded his crucifixion were the ones ultimately guilty of his murder (Matt. 27:1-2; Acts 2:23; 3:14-15), not the Roman soldier who pierced his side (John 19:34). So “see” in Rev. 1:7 means many people, including those guilty of his murder, would finally comprehend who he was.

The word “every” is common hyperbole. It was just as prevalent in ancient times as it is today. We use it all the time, but don’t expect people to take us literally. (Incidentally, the phrase all the time is hyperbole too.) One might say, “Oh, everybody knows that.” This just means a fact is well known, not that every living soul on earth knows it. It is not necessary to include every eye on the entire planet when interpreting Rev. 1:7. The point is Christ’s return would be dramatic, and his true identity as the Christ would be perceived by many.

Therefore, “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him” in Rev. 1:7 does not require a literal interpretation. It simply predicts that the Jews who handed Jesus over to the Romans for crucifixion would finally understand who he was. This pronouncement should be understood to mean many will perceive that Jesus is the Christ, even those guilty of his murder.

2. “and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him.”

This has already been covered. In Zech. 12:10-11, it was “the house of David” and “the inhabitants of Jerusalem” who would mourn over the one they had pierced. In Matt. 24:30, it was the tribes of the land of Israel. The Greek is the same in Rev. 1:7: “tribes” is phule; “earth” is ge. Therefore, “all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him” should be understood as all the tribes of the land of Israel will mourn over Him.

The full meaning of Rev. 1:7 is now evident:

Many will perceive that Jesus is the Christ, even those guilty of his murder; and all the tribes of the land of Israel will mourn over Him.

Enormous implications

Since Rev. 1:7 clearly refers to the destruction of the Jews in a.d. 70, the book of Revelation must have been written no later than the late sixties. Furthermore, since this one verse from Revelation was fulfilled in a.d. 70, then all of Revelation must have been fulfilled by that time. And since all of Revelation has been fulfilled, then all eschatological events including the second coming, resurrection of the dead, rapture and judgment must have come to complete fulfillment as well.

We marvel at the tremendous power packed into Rev. 1:7. The proper understanding of this solitary verse is enough to prove that all Bible prophecy has been fulfilled. The verse most often quoted to refute the first century fulfillment when it actually supports it.

Conclusion

1. When Jesus returned in a.d. 70, many perceived that he was the Christ, even those guilty of his murder; and all the tribes of the land of Israel mourned over him;
2. The book of Revelation was written before a.d. 70;
3. All Bible prophecy came to complete fulfillment in a.d. 70.

Objection

Objection: In Acts 1:9-11, we see Jesus ascending into a literal cloud. The “men in white clothing” said he would return “in just the same way.” Doesn’t that demand a literal cloud?

Answer: Yes. However, we must be careful to distinguish between two groups of people: the loyal followers of Jesus and the unrepentant Jews. It was Christ’s disciples who witnessed the ascension. The promise that Jesus would return “in just the same way,” i.e., in a cloud, was made to them only. They eventually rose to meet Jesus in the clouds at which time their bodies were transformed in the “twinkling of an eye” to be conformed to his glorious body (1 Thess. 4:16-17; Phil. 3:20-21; 1 Cor. 15:50-54).

The unrepentant Jews experienced nothing like this. They received only vengeance, fire and death (Luke 21:22; Matt. 13:41-50; 22:7). Granted, they were predicted to “see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky” (Matt. 24:30), but this should no more be taken literally than other similar Old Testament descriptions of God taking vengeance on his enemies at which times he was not literally seen on clouds (Ps. 18:9-12; 97:2-3; 104:3; Isa. 19:1).

Who knows? Perhaps those punished by God actually do see him in the clouds as they meet their doom. However, since they are always being destroyed, they never leave behind a record of their experiences. We cannot prove this occurs; however, neither can anyone prove it doesn’t. So ultimately, we are not stating categorically that Jesus was not seen on the clouds; we are simply saying that references to coming with clouds do not require a literal interpretation. They are best understood as symbolic, indentifying Jesus as the Christ.