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And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then
let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them
that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may
be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great
distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away
captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. And
there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars: and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity;
the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming
on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the
Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory… Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass away,
till all be fulfilled. (Luke 21:20-32)
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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
Some have speculated that Jesus
might have actually returned in the clouds in the spring of AD 66. Quite possibly many who were present at Jesus’ trial
would have lived to witness this event. Several reasons support this theory. First, Halley’s Comet appeared in AD 66.
This is significant because it only appears about once every 70 years. Some might have viewed this comet as a fulfillment
of Jesus’ prediction about signs appearing in the stars in the Luke passage cited above.
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.
We Which Are Alive...
Finally consider 1 Thessalonians
4:15-17:
We which are alive and
remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: And so shall
we ever be with the Lord.
This is a difficult and much debated passage. Paul was clearly implying that some of those Christians who were alive in
his time would actually witness Christ returning at the end of the world. I mention this passage because it may be very misleading
to readers. I believe Paul was actually describing reincarnation in this passage. Some Christians alive in his
day would naturally witness Christ's return if reincarnation occurred. For a more detailed discussion of this controversial
doctrine see the links on the navigation bar.
The
two cloud-comings of Christ
Iyar 21, AD 66← times of Gentiles → Marheshvan 17, 2006
(precisely 2,000 lunar years elapsed from the last day of Iyar, 66 to Marheshvan 1, 2006 or
if Nisan arrived a month later exactly 2,000 lunar years elapsed from Iyar 17, 66 to Marheshvan 17, 2006)
In the book
of Revelation was John describing what he saw on the day Christ returned in the clouds in Iyar, 66?
1) Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall
see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. …I
John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the
isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ. I was in the
Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet. (Revelation 1:7-10)
2) And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man
in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven
with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his
elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24: 30-31)
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Compare these two passages. Notice the marked similarities.
John describes Christ appearing in the clouds. He claims those who actually pierced Christ would see him in the clouds. He
hears a trumpet. It all happens on the “Lord’s day” which easily could be a term describing the return of
Christ. John seems to be describing what he actually witnessed one day while on the island
of Patmos. Doesn’t this imply Christ might have returned in the clouds in
Iyar, 66 and was this the day John was describing?
Continued in Part 3
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