Many folks have used Revelation 1:7 to say that Jesus’ Second Coming has not yet occurred. After all, if every eye would see the Lord, coming on a lily white, cumulus cloud when he returns, and, given the fact that no one has reported seeing such a news worthy event up to this present day, then surely we must still look for Jesus’ Second Coming in the future. Personally, I think it is high time we stop shooting from the hip with the word of God and take the time to investigate what the text really says. Do you really believe you are able to interpret Jesus’ coming by understanding Biblical language in a 21st century context? We need to consider the fact that the whole Bible, that is, the first and second covenants, were written by Jews and for Jews, using a Jewish manner of speaking. In other words, we need to acquaint ourselves with the Jewish culture of the day, and take advantage of the Greek lexicons and other scholarly writings about the Bible available to us today.
First of all, we need to realize that where we place the date of the writing of the Apocalypse in the first century has an intense eschatological consequence, as far as our ability to understand the truth contained in this book is concerned. For example, if we have the wrong date of the writing, how could we know who Babylon or the Harlot are? Who is the Beast and the False Prophet, if we place the date of the writing of the Apocalypse **after** their judgment? A false dating of this book dooms the Bible student to accept a false interpretation of the things he reads in this marvelous prophecy.
As I mentioned above, John tells us that Jesus is coming and “every eye will see him” (Revelation 1:7). Context is very, very important at this point. Is John speaking of every eye in a global sense, or is he speaking of every eye in a local sense? Well, verse-7 tells us that “those who pierced Him; (would see him) and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him” (NASB). In other words, the Jews of the first century AD are the **they** who would see him! Obviously, this has to do with the judgment of those who were responsible for Jesus’ crucifixion. The Apocalypse is all about the judgment of those responsible for Jesus’ death and that of his disciples and Apostles, and their “eyes would see Him; and all the tribes of the earth (meaning the land of the Jews or Israel) will mourn over Him” (because he is the coming Judge). Obviously, the parenthesis are mine in that excerpt.
Notice what we are told in one of the Gospel narratives:
When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.” And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” (Matthew 27:24-25 NASB)
“All the people” in the text refers to the Jewish authorities, but do you see what they are saying? They are admitting to the blood guilt of Jesus. These are those whose eyes would see Him (Revelation 1:7). There’s really no room for debate here. Three times Pilate tried to release Jesus, but he was prevented by the Jewish authorities and a threat of a riot by close to a million or more Jews, if we can believe Josephus’ account of how many Jews were celebrating the Passover in 66 AD, and how much difference would there be thirty some years earlier?
Finally and concerning “every eye shall see Him,” Jesus claimed in Matthew 16:27-28 that he would come to vindicate the deaths of his disciples and their reward would be with him. This is not only speaking of the judgment, but also the resurrection of the saints, because one cannot separate those events from the coming of the Lord. Moreover, Jesus said all this would occur in the expected lifetimes of his disciples (Matthew 16:28; 23:34-36; compare Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62). Did they see him (Revelation 1:7), certainly not physically, but they saw his judgment coming in the war with Rome cir. 66-70 AD, just as Pharaoh, hundreds of years earlier, saw his judgment coming from the Lord in the person of the Assyrian king (Isaiah 19:1).
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30 responses to “Every Eye Will See Him”
Eddie,
You’re truly twisting scripture to fit your own narrative. Every eye means just what it says, couldn’t be more clear. The verse (Rev 1:7) says “every” eye, “even” those that pierced Him. It does not say only those that pierced him as you are interpreting.
The bible is full of warnings about false gospels claiming that the Lord has arrived. And we are instructed to ignore every one of them – because everyone will know for themselves, without any room for doubt, that Jesus has arrived.
Until then, God Bless,
-Gary
Greetings Gary, and welcome. It has been awhile. :-)
Am I really “twisting scripture” to fit myself and what I believe, Gary? How have I twisted anything here? Was Matthew “twisting” scripture when he claimed **all** Judea came out to be baptized by John (Matthew 3:5-6)? Doesn’t **all** always mean **all** just like, in your opinion, **every** means just what it says (as understood in our modern culture)? If you wish to make an exception with John in order to say not every man woman and child went out of Judea to be baptized by John, why must **every** in Revelation 1:7 mean every eye of every man, woman and child in the world?
Did you know that the Greek word for **all** in Matthew 3:5 is the same Greek word for **every** in Revelation 1:7?
Concerning warnings about false gospels that claim the Lord has already arrived, your argument isn’t logical. Even according to your own eschatology the Lord will definitely come one day. After that day would it be a “false gospel” to preach he had already come? This argument is false. If the New Testament is true, after the Lord came, whether in 70 AD or 2000 years later, saying that he had already come (after he came) would not be a false gospel. It would be a false gospel to deny it.
May the Lord bless you as you seek to understand his word.
Hi Eddie,
You’re spot on with this interpretation of “every eye shall see Him” being particularly those who pierced Christ, and not every inhabitant of the planet seeing Him simultaneously, as is the usual interpretation. The key is the word “EVEN”, which is the Greek word “kai”, which in this case means “namely,” or “that is,” or “specifically”.
We have another example of the word “even” used in the same manner in James 3:9. James was speaking about the tongue when he said, “Therewith bless we God, EVEN the Father” (namely, the Father) “and therewith curse we men which are made after the similitude of God.”
So, the Rev. 1:7 verse goes “and every eye shall see Him, EVEN they which pierced Him” (namely, or that is, or specifically they which pierced Him). As you said above, Eddie, it would be the TRIBES OF THE EARTH, or the land of Israel, who would be mourning when they saw Christ’s return. And we have not had any tribes of Israel ever since the tribal genealogies were burned up in Jerusalem in the AD 70 era. God intended to obliterate the records of the tribes because by then, they had served their purpose and were not needed any more.
One point where you and I would differ, Eddie, is that I do believe that this was a physical return of Christ on the Mount of Olives in AD 70, as promised in Zechariah 14:4-5. Since it was a local event, it was that generation of those in the city of Jerusalem who would have seen his physical return – not every person on the planet simultaneously.
A while back I did a study on this Rev. 1:7 verse at this link, if anyone is interested:
http://www.gracecentered.com/christian_forums/end-times-forum/'-and-every-eye-shall-see-him'-how-scripture-defines-'every-eye'/
Greetings, Patricia, and thank you for reading and for your well thought out commentary. We needn’t agree on all things, and I see no reason that my point of view (second last paragraph) needs defending. We can agree that we differ on this point. Lord bless you.
Eddie,
It’s clear that the bible does use figurative language, and that this leaves open some liberty in the interpretation. However, these figurative portions are still intended to make a specific point, and interpreting Rev 1:7 to be describing a local event, witnessed by only a small subset of the world’s population, is twisting the meaning to fit a narrative. The verse adds “even those who pierced him” to make it clear that this is not a limited set. Your interpretation concludes the very opposite meaning.
Another example is Matthew 24:23-27 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
So, yes, clearly figurative language. Does this mean that the second coming of Jesus will look like lightning in the sky (I thought he would look like a man riding a white horse)? What are we supposed to interpret from this warning? Jesus makes it clear that we should ignore any and all messages claiming that Christ has returned. And we are told why to ignore them, because we’ll be first hand witnesses to the event and we won’t need “anyone” to convince us that we missed it.
And, of course 1 Thessalonians 16-17 paints a vivid picture of Christ’s return “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”
But, again, what is the main message? It’s that no one is going to miss out, even those already dead in Christ will be personally involved. So, should we believe that this doesn’t really mean God will be blowing a literal trumpet, that this is just figurative language? Well, maybe. But should we believe that this grand event already happened and that we all missed it? Not a chance.
When Christ does return, everything will be different:
1 Corinthians 15:51-53 Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.
1 John 3:2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
1 Corinthians 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.
When that trumpet sounds, when Jesus does return, we are promised immortal bodies, we will become like Jesus, we will see Him as He really is, face to face, and we will live with Him forever. Seriously, did this already happen, and we all just missed it? In that new age there will be no “false gospel” since, as surely as Jesus lives:
Romans 14:11 It is written:
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’”
So, how should we interpret the word “every”? Well, it seems clear that, after Christ does return, no one will exist that can still deny Him, so, as figurative as this may be, it pretty much includes everyone. At that time, no one will be able to ask “where is Jesus?”, we will know fully, even as we are fully known.
God Bless,
-Gary