I’m presently focusing upon what Jesus said in Matthew 16:27-28. It is a very controversial scripture, and, if taken literally, debunks modern futurism that looks for Jesus to come in the clouds to judge mankind. Imagine, if you can, turning to Christian radio or Christian TV and not finding a single channel that wants to tell you about Jesus’ soon return or that the world is about to come to an end. At least from the point of view of modern eschatology. Much of what we see in modern Christianity has become a fear-religion rather than the Good News faith. Instead of preaching the Gospel of Christ, we often hear about the end of our space-time continuum. Is that what Jesus told us to do? I don’t think so. According to how I read Jesus’ words, he has already kept his word to us back in the first century AD, and absolutely no one got left behind!
For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. (Matthew 16:27-28).
In previous studies of mine, I’ve shown how this scripture is connected to Isaiah 40 and 62. That is, Isaiah seems to be a source or focal point out of which Jesus derived his prediction about his coming in Matthew 16:27-28. Romans 15:8 tells us that Jesus made himself the servant of the Jews for the sake of the truth, that is, for the sake of God’s word, in order to fulfill God’s promises to the fathers—Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Therefore, everything Jesus said and did should find its fountain in promises made and / or prophesies given in the Old Testament.
What I hope to do in this study is to show how Jesus’ remarks in Matthew 16 can also be seen in Daniel chapter seven. There, Daniel prophesies about the rise of four ancient gentile kingdoms, but he focuses upon a little horn that rises out of the fourth kingdom. This horn is representative of an authority that persecutes the saints of God (Daniel 7:21), and the persecution is so intense that it is claimed that he is, in fact, wearing them out (Daniel 7:25).
Daniel then shows that one like the Son of Man (Christ) would come on a cloud to the Ancient of Days (God the Father) to receive a Kingdom. The Son of Man would at that time destroy the little horn and reward the saints with their inheritance – the Kingdom (Daniel 7:14, 18, 27), but how does Daniel’s prophecy relate to Matthew 16?
In Matthew 16:21 Jesus foretold that he would be persecuted and killed by the Jewish authorities at Jerusalem. He went on to say that, if a man chose to be his disciple, he must not hold his life dear, because there is a price to pay for being his disciple (Matthew 16:24-25), so Jesus, like Daniel, spoke of the persecution of the righteous.
Daniel predicted that eventually the Ancient of Days would sit in judgment (Daniel 7:10), but Jesus said that God had committed all judgment to his Son (John 5:22). So, in other words, the Father judges mankind through the person of his Son, Jesus. Daniel then predicted that God (Jesus) would judge and destroy the little horn (Daniel 7:26), but he would give the Kingdom to the saints (Daniel 7:22).
This is exactly what Jesus predicted he would do in Matthew 16:27-28. He predicted that he would come in the glory of the Father and reward every man according to his works (that’s judgment). Moreover, Jesus predicted he would do it all in the lifetime of some of his listeners, meaning that generation in the first century AD, and Daniel said it would be done in the days of the fourth gentile kingdom, i.e. Rome. Therefore, according to Daniel, we cannot project Jesus’ coming beyond the days of the Roman Empire. So, the only plausible coming of Christ would have been his coming to vindicate his saints and reward them (cir. 70 AD) and destroy those who were persecuting them, i.e. Jerusalem, the Harlot of Revelation 17, in whom was found the blood of all of the righteous from the time of Able to the first century believer, whom she persecuted from city to city and slew when given the opportunity (cf. Matthew 23:32-36).
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8 responses to “Jesus’ Coming and Daniel 7”
Once again, hello and thank you for your comment and friendly manner. Lord bless you.
Yes, it is usually the case that conversations such as ours or even strenuous debates don’t change the minds of folks seeking truth. I am convinced the Holy Spirit is the one who convicts our hearts on these things, but it is fun to speak of them, even when we cannot agree — that is, it is fun, if the conversation is friendly, as this one is.
Other translations of John 18:36 have it: “As a matter of fact…” which, of course, has no time element at all. Moreover, the “shall” (KJV) or “will” (NASB) of John 12:31 is not in the Greek. The sentence is in the present tense. In Luke 10:18 Jesus told the returning 70 disciples that he saw Satan fall from heaven to the earth, which places Revelation 12:7-9 during Jesus’ public ministry. As for Revelation 12:5, indeed, Jesus is prophesied to “rule” all nations. However, consider the idea that Satan at least **was** ruler of the nations (some believe he still does rule). He didn’t physically rule anywhere. Rather, men ruled through Satan’s spiritual “guidance” (for the lack of a better word). In the same manner Jesus rules with a rod of iron. That is an iron shepherd’s staff. His rule is also spiritual, but he rules by example, not in a physical location or on a physical throne. The “throne of God” in as much as I am able to tell is man’s heart. We rule the Lord’s creation through his loving guidance. That’s the way it was intended to work from the very beginning, and it is being implemented through the effect of the Gospel.
Of course, things such as these take a lot of time, especially since evil is so forceful and intimidating (physically), and much innocent blood needed (and still needs) to be shed on the part of believers. Nevertheless, things are changing, and it is because of the Gospel. Well, anyway, that’s my take. May the Lord bless you, Wayne.
In brotherly friendship,
Eddie
Hi again Eddie. In our correspondence on August 2 and 3 disagreed on whether Jesus would have a physical rule. I still believe that Jesus will have a physical rule on earth but the reason I am writing is about the rod of iron mentioned in Rev. 12:5. I did not want you to think that I believe that Jesus could ever be cruel or unjust. I believe the iron rod is a scepter, a symbol of sovereignty, and that sovereignty cannot be broken or taken from Him. It is just a point that bothered me.
God Bless You in All Your Study
Sincerely, Wayne
Hi Wayne! I never thought you would believe Jesus would ever be cruel, just saying. Lord bless you, and thanks for the comment.