The Son of Man Coming on the clouds of heaven took place in 70 A.D.

by Tuese Ahkiong

Cloud comings of The Lord are apocalyptic descriptions of God's glory, presence, and judgment. God is Spirit and not physical.

Scripture describes clouds as physical and apocalyptic.
In Isaiah 19:1 " The burden of Egypt. Behold, the LORD rideth upon a swift cloud, and shall come into Egypt: and the idols of Egypt shall be moved at his presence, and the heart of Egypt shall melt in the midst of it. "

God did not physically surf into Egypt on a cloud. This is apocalyptic language describing God coming to judge Egypt often using foreign armies, plagues, nature.

Christ uses the same cloud coming language in describing Jerusalem's judgment and destruction, His parousia (return and presence), in 70 A.D.

Matthew 10:23

When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

**Christ tells His disciples that THEY (1st century) will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. History records the sign of Christ's coming, the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Christ's words stick His return within the lifetime of His disciples and just like He says within "this generation" (1st century).

Matthew 16:27-28 (ESV)

27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until THEY SEE THE SON OF MAN COMING IN HIS KINGDOM.”

**Christ speaks of repaying or awarding each person according to what they have done when He comes. Christ tells His disciples that SOME of THEM would not taste death until they see The Son of Man coming in His Kingdom. This meant that MOST of them would be dead before His return and only SOME would still be alive to see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom. This places the return of Christ in the 1st century "this generation" that Yeshua said He would return to before they go through all the towns (cities) of Israel.

John 21:20-23 (ESV)

20 Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” 21 When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” 22 Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that HE REMAIN UNTIL I COME, what is that to you? You follow me!” 23 So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die; yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?”

**Christ answers Peter suggesting that it was possible that John would remain until His coming. This would make sense in light of Matt. 10:23, 16:28, 14:30-35, 26:63-66; Rev 1:7 which teaches Christ's return within the lifetime of some of His disciples.

Matthew 24:30-35 (ESV); Mark 13:24-31; Luke 21:25-28

30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will SEE THE SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN WITH POWER AND GREAT GLORY. 31 And he will send out his angels with aloud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

32 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates.34 Truly, I say to you, THIS GENERATION WILL NOT PASS AWAY UNTIL ALL THESE THINGS TAKE PLACE. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

**Christ states that His coming on the clouds of heaven would be in THIS GENERATION (1st century which was 70A.D.). The sign that The Son of Man was in heaven at the right hand of God as He who has glory, dominion, and a kingdom is Jerusalem destroyed just like He said in that generation. See Daniel 7:13-14

Matthew 25:31-33
31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.

Matthew 26:63-66 (ESV); Mark 14:61-63;

63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on YOU WILL SEE THE SON OF MAN SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER AND COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.” 65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your judgment?”They answered, “He deserves death.”

**Christ tells the high priest that he would see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven. Only God comes on the clouds of heaven. Christ was basically saying that He is God. This is why the high priest and Sanhedrin wanted to kill him. They would SEE (or understand, comprehend, perceive) that The Son of Man was seated at the right hand of Power and Coming on the clouds of heaven in the DESTRUCTION of Jerusalem. see Rev. 1:7 The high priest seeing this, sticks Christ's return in the 1st century "this generation."

Revelation 1:7 (ESV)

7 Behold, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth (land-referring to Israel) will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

**Those who pierced Christ would see The Lord coming with the clouds just like Christ states in Matt. 26:64 Those who pierced Christ were the Jews. Acts 2:23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.

Revelation 22:12 (ESV)

12 “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay each one for what he has done.

**Notice how Christ says He is coming soon, bringing His recompense with Him, to repay each one for what he has done. This is connected to the repaying or judgment spoken by Christ in Matt 16:27-28 which would take place among SOME of His disciples. This sticks Christ's return in the first century "this generation."

Daniel 7:13-14 (ESV)

13 “I saw in the night visions,

and behold, with the clouds of heaven
    there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
    and was presented before him.
14 And to him was given dominion
    and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
    should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
    which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
    that shall not be destroyed.

**In Matt 24:30, Christ is quoting from this Daniel passage in which He, The Son of Man will come upon the clouds of heaven. But what direction is Christ going? To earth? Nope. He is going TO The Ancient of Days to receive dominion, glory, a kingdom... Where would He be if He came up to The Ancient of Days? At The Right Hand of the Father.

And now, the infamous Acts 1:8-11
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

Notice how all the above verses point to a this generation/ 1st century return in judgment upon apostate Israel? The like manner in which Christ returns on the clouds is in the glory of The Father, just like God came on clouds of judgment numerous times throughout the OT. The context of the judgment would be after the disciples witnessed the gospel to the end of the earth, just like in Matt. 24:14, 34 would take place in that generation. see my article of Great Commission FULFILLED.

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