In part I of this article, I speculated that Christ appeared in the clouds on November 7, 2006 (Marheshvan 17, 2006). In this second part I will show that in Luke’s Olivet Discourse Jesus might have also predicted his return in 2006 after the expiration of the “times of the Gentiles.”

In Matthew 26:64 Jesus made the following statement to Caiaphas the Jewish high priest at his trial in AD 30:

Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.

Jesus’ statement that they would see him coming in the clouds of heaven was almost certainly referencing Caiaphas personally and those present. In the verse Jesus used the pronoun “thou”-- directed at Caiaphas himself. One cannot imagine that Jesus would have then shifted his perspective away from Caiaphas when he used the term ”ye.” This was indeed a prediction that those present would witness him returning in the clouds.

The Return in AD 66

The Jewish historian Josephus described the appearance of angelic figures in the clouds over Jerusalem in AD 66:

Besides these, a few days after that feast, on the one- and-twentieth day of the month Artemisius, [Jyar,] a certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared; I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable, were it not related by those that saw it, and were not the events that followed it of so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals; for, before sun-setting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armour were seen running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities. (Jewish Wars, VI-V-3).

The Roman historian Tacitus also recorded this event. What is interesting about this passage is the date noted. The reference to the "feast" is the feast of unleavened bread which Josephus previously mentioned. This is a week-long festival that begins either on Nisan 15 or possibly even on the 15th of Iyar, the second month (2 Chron. 30). This festival ends on the 21st day of the month which explains why that date is noted. On that date a solemn convocation to the Lord is observed (Deuteronomy 16:8). Thus, this special feast day happens to be the day angels (and perhaps Christ) appeared in the clouds. Coincidence?

Even more interesting is the fact that this date is in the second month Iyar rather than in Nisan. A possible reason for this timing is that precisely 2,000 lunar years elapsed between the last day of Iyar, AD 66 and Marheshvan 1, 2006. However, if Nisan arrived a month later in AD 66, which is quite possible, then exactly 2,000 lunar years elapsed from Iyar 17, AD 66 to Marheshvan 17, 2006. The key fact is that Iyar 21 is only days after Iyar 17, the 17th day of the second month from Nisan (see part 1 of this article for the relevance of that date as it relates to the Genesis flood). Early Christians might have thought Jesus would come at the end of this particular feast rather than in the middle on the 17th day.

Moreover, the table in part 1 of this article reflected that the millennium when Jesus lived was divided into 12 hours. When dividing a millennium by 12, four of those hours will roughly coincide with an Iyar 17 date. We noted that Noah's flood began on the 17th day of the second month and Jesus linked that passage to his coming. The beginning of the 11th hour of that millennium coincides with Iyar 17-21, AD 66!

Times of the Gentiles

What did Jesus mean when he used the phrase “times of the Gentiles" in the Luke passage previously cited? How is this phrase to be interpreted in relation to Jesus returning in the clouds of heaven?

The same Greek word for “times” is used in Revelation 12:14 to describe two epochs of time. This same word is also used in Luke 12:42 (“due season”) to possibly describe a millennium. A lunar calendar, comprised of 12 lunar months, was used by the Gentiles in Jesus’ time. Thus we could interpret the phrase “times of the Gentiles” to mean 2,000 lunar years (1,940.4 years). 

In short, by the phrase “times of the Gentiles” Jesus was describing the interval between his two appearances in the clouds of heaven.

How do we know the times of the Gentiles began when Jesus returned in the clouds in Iyar, 66? In the Luke passage cited above Jesus began by stating that people would see Jerusalem "encompassed by armies." I believe this phrase was depicting the armies in heaven that Josephus described encircling the cities in Iyar, 66. Jesus then mentioned the "times of the Gentiles" in that context. Thus the "times of the Gentiles" began when Jerusalem was encompassed by the armies of heaven-- the same day Jesus returned in the clouds. Many believe the mention of the "armies" was in reference to the Roman armies before AD 70 when Jerusalem was destroyed. However, by the time the Roman army had encircled the city in AD 70 it was far too late for anyone to flee Judea as Jesus described in this passage.

When one reads the entire Olivet Discourse in Luke 21, this interpretation makes good sense. Jesus was describing events that would be fulfilled within that generation which was certainly true if he returned in the clouds in the spring of AD 66. But by the same token he also was describing two events separated by 2,000 years. The two events were his appearances in the clouds of heaven. In the event the world ended sooner, the times of the Gentiles would have simply meant the time Jerusalem was tread under foot by the Gentiles until the world ended. The interpretation that the times of the Gentiles encompassed 2,000 years does not contradict Jesus' statement that all would be "fulfilled" in that generation. The two words for "fulfilled" in Luke 21:32 and 21:24 are different. The former simply implies that the times of the Gentiles would appear in that generation.  

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