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 21:29-32)

In this passage Jesus predicted he would appear in the clouds of heaven. Then he implied he would return in that generation.

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.

Matthew 24:38-39 reads:

For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

One could argue that the passage means Jesus would return on the calendar date when Noah entered the ark. According to Genesis 7:11-13, the calendar date when Noah entered the ark was the 17^th day of the second month. This date is Marheshvan 17 when Tishri is the first month. The date is Iyar 17 if Nisan is counted as the first month. Since the calendar used in Genesis 1-7 was a simple lunar one, both of these calendar dates could be envisioned in Matthew 24:39.

Did Jesus appear in the clouds in that generation? And, if so, on what date did he appear?

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 Olivet Discourse.

The Jewish historian Josephus described the appearance of angelic figures in the clouds over Jerusalem on Iyar 21, 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. How is this theory that Jesus returned in the clouds in the spring of AD 66 supported by my book The Millennium Chronology?

Three other Bible verses are relevant. Psalm 90:4 reads: "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night."  One could argue that this passage means that a given millennium corresponds with either a 12-hour day or one of the three night watches observed in the Old Testament. But the Old Testament does not indicate how many hours comprise each of the watches. Christ said he would return at some hour:

And this know, that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and not have suffered his house to be broken through. (Luke 12:39)

The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  (Matthew 24:50-51)

I believe a proper interpretation of Mark 13:35 reveals the number of hours in each of the three watches. It reads:

Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:

These times likely correspond to specific Roman hours which reflect the following times (by our standards): evening (8:00 p.m.), midnight (12:00 a.m.), cockcrowing (7:00 a.m.-since cocks crow at dawn), and morning (8:00 a.m.).

The following chart reflects the number of hours in each millennium if Jesus' millennium happens to coincide with the 12-hour day. The 4,000 year "day" began at sunset which coincides with the first night watch:

# of hours in each millennium based on Mark 13:35

millennium          hours of day                         total hours

3852 BC-- 2852 BC       8:00 p.m. to midnight         4

2852 BC-- 1852 BC      midnight to 7:00 a.m.          7

1852 BC-- 852 BC      7:00 a.m. to 8:00a.m.           1

852 BC - AD 149          8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.        12

AD 149-- AD 1149       8:00 p.m. to midnight          4

AD 1149-- AD 2149      midnight to 7:00 a.m.          7

AD 2149-- AD 3149      7:00 a.m. to 8:00a.m.         1

This cycle continues and repeats itself for every subsequent millennium until the world ends.

Consider the following. If a day is a thousand years to the Lord (2 Peter 3:8) and there are twelve hours in a day (John 11:9) then how long was one hour in Jesus' millennium? The answer is 1,000/12 or 83.333 years. This happens to equal the precise interval from Iyar 21, AD 66 to Tishri 1, AD 149 if we assume 13 lunar months comprised the year beginning with Tishri 1, AD 65. This would have been the case if Nisan 1, 66 arrived after the vernal equinox.  The beginning of the 11th hour of that millennium coincides with Iyar 21, AD 66 if Nisan 1 arrived after the vernal equinox in AD 66! 

Iyar 21 is the closest to Iyar 17 of any dates that arrive precisely on an hour during any millennium. If Nisan 1 arrived after the vernal equinox then there were 383 days in the year. When dividing 383 by 3 the total is 128 days which is the precise interval from Iyar 21 to Tishri 1.  Iyar 21, 66 would have coincided with the Gregorian date of May 31, 66. 

Jesus did return at a specific hour during the day.  This evidence strongly suggests he returned in the clouds in the spring of AD 66.

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)

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 this was the day John described?