Matthew 24-25 Fulfilled in AD 70, Part 6: (Matthew 24:30-31 / Luke 21:27-28) The Second Exodus Trumpet Gathering & Redemption – Full Preterism is Gospel Eschatology – overcoming "the death" from Genesis 2:17/3:15 to Revelation 21:4/22:17

Introduction
The “gathering” of the elect in Matthew 24:30–31 or the harpazō (“catching away”) of 1 Thessalonians 4:15–17 are often misread as a literal, physical rapture into the sky or physical resurrection event to take place at the end of world history. In reality, these texts are steeped in second-exodus imagery drawn from Isaiah 27:12–13 and the typology of Exodus 19–24, depicting God’s people being spiritually gathered to the summit of heavenly Mount Zion, entering the glory cloud of His presence and kingdom. Just as Moses ascended Sinai’s cloud to meet God face-to-face—experiencing a partial and fading glory under the old covenant (Ex. 34:29–35; 2 Cor. 3:7–13)—so believers in Christ were drawn into an eternal, unfading glory at His Parousia in AD 70, when the old covenant system collapsed with Jerusalem’s destruction.

Matthew 24:30–31—the Son of Man’s cloud-coming with a trumpet-blast gathering—stands where Israel’s prophetic streams converge. Read alongside Daniel 7:13–14; 12:1–7; Isaiah 27:9–13; and Jesus’ own parallels in Matthew 13:39–43; 16:27–28; 25:31, the passage presents not a distant, fragmented eschatology, but a unified covenantal consummation within the first-century horizon. This study contends that the “gathering” and the “catching away” are one event: a spiritual ascent into the new covenant kingdom, where the Church—God’s eternal tabernacle—feasts in Christ’s presence, fulfilling the second exodus with a glory far surpassing Moses’ temporary radiance.

Three pillars carry the argument. First, the “sign of the Son of Man” (Matt. 24:30) is best read not as a sky-apparition, but as the destruction of Jerusalem itself—a visible sign on earth that the Son of Man had received dominion and was now judging from heaven (cf. Ps. 110; Matt. 26:64), in harmony with the “this generation” horizon and the localized mourning of the “tribes of the land” (Zech. 12).

Second, Daniel 7—in its literary flow, OG/LXX nuance (“coming as the Ancient of Days”), and New Testament usage—depicts not the AD 30 ascension but a judicial cloud-coming that consummates the kingdom in the Roman-era crisis; its fiery judgment, beast-destruction, and saints’ inheritance align with Matthew 24–25 and the seventh trumpet of Revelation 10–11 (“no more delay”), all keyed to Daniel’s appointed kairos and the 3½-year trampling of the holy city.

Third, following the analogy of faith, the identical motifs—clouds, trumpet, angels, gathering/resurrection, thief-like arrival, unknown day, birth pangs, and explicit imminence—recur across Matthew 24, 1 Thessalonians 4–5, 1 Corinthians 15, Romans 8–13, Luke 17/21, and Revelation 10–11. Their interlocking vocabulary and timing markers argue for one consummative event rather than multiple, staggered fulfillments.

Along the way, this study engages key Reformed voices—correcting John Murray’s severing of Luke 21’s imminence from Paul’s redemption hope in Romans, extending N. T. Wright’s second-exodus reading by reuniting it with first-century time-markers (mellō, engus, kairos), and recovering John Lightfoot’s view that “creation” in Romans 8 refers to humanity in bondage, not the planet. It also notes Second Temple expectations of a non-corpse, spiritual resurrection (including the “forty years after Messiah” motif) and the Partial Preterist concessions (Jordan, Gentry, McDurmon) that Daniel 12’s resurrection was corporately and spiritually realized in AD 70—concessions that, when combined with classic Amillennial “one climactic event” logic, resolve in Full Preterism.

In short, the trumpet, the clouds, and the gathering are one: covenantal, climactic, and complete.

The Sign of the Son of Man (Matthew 24:30)

The context of Matthew 24:30 follows the “distress/tribulation” and old covenant Israel’s cosmic de-creation imagery of verse 29, which begins with “immediately after those days.” Verse 30 then states, “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the land will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” The temporal marker “then” indicates a direct sequence from the tribulation and fleeing of the events of the previous verses (AD 67–70), ruling out a thousands-of-years gap.[1]

Some commentators, such as Hofman and Meyer, suggest the “sign” refers to an apparition witnessed during the siege of Jerusalem. Josephus and Sepher Yosippon record extraordinary phenomena, such as an apparition of a glorious man above the temple and chariots of fire in the sky, seen during the AD 67–70 period.[2] Sepher Yosippon describes,

“…there was seen from above over the Holy of Holies for the whole night the outline of a man’s face, the like of whose beauty had never been seen in all the land, and his appearance was quite awesome. Moreover, in those days were seen chariots of fire and horsemen, a great force flying across the sky near to the ground coming against Jerusalem and all Judah, all of them horses of fire and riders of fire.”[3]

Another account notes,

“Also, after many days a certain figure appeared of tremendous size, which many saw… and before the setting of the sun there were suddenly seen in the clouds chariots and armed battle arrays, by which the cities of all Judaea and its territories were invaded.”[4]

These events, coupled with priests hearing a voice declaring, “Let’s go and leave this House,”[5] suggest a supernatural sign accompanying Jerusalem’s destruction.

While the above interpretation is interesting a more natural interpretation in my opinion is expressed by the following authors.

Marcellus Kik observes:

“The verse speaks of a ‘sign’ and not the personal appearance of Christ Himself… The sign of the passing of the pre-Messianic age and the beginning of the Messianic reign was the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple.”

Reformed Baptist exegete John Gill concurs:

“The other evangelists mention only the Son of Man (Mark 13:26), not a visible sign. He shall appear, not in person, but in the power of His wrath and vengeance on the Jewish nation—a full sign of His coming. When these calamities strike their civil and ecclesiastical state, it will be clear that Christ has come in the flesh and in vengeance for their rejection and crucifixion of Him, as if they had seen Him in the heavens. They sought a sign; now they have one with a witness. The tribes of the land (Judea) shall mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matt. 26:64). This refers to the Jews witnessing His judgment, a dark and cloudy dispensation, proving He is more than a mere man—the Son of God, whose kingdom is now established among the Gentiles.”

This reading—that Matthew 24:30 was fulfilled in AD 70, with Jerusalem’s fall as the sign of Christ’s heavenly reign and judgment (Ps. 110)—is supported by commentators such as R.T. France, David Chilton, R.C. Sproul, N.T. Wright, Kenneth Gentry, Gary DeMar, Peter Leithart, Doug Wilson, Jeff Durbin, and others. It aligns with Jesus’ answer to the disciples’ question about the sign of His coming and the end of the age, directly linking it to Jerusalem’s destruction within their generation (Matt. 24:3–34). Some of these scholars further conclude that the Second Coming and resurrection of Matthew 24:31 were likewise fulfilled in AD 70—a conclusion that both the immediate context and the analogy of faith substantiate.

John Lightfoot further explains:

“then shall the Son of man give a proof of himself, whom they would not before acknowledge: a proof, indeed, not in any visible figure, but in vengeance and judgment so visible, that all the tribes of the earth shall be forced to acknowledge him as avenger. The Jews would not know him: now they shall know him, whether they will or no, Isa. 26:11. Many times they asked of him a sign: now a sign shall appear, that he is the true Messiah, whom they despised, derided, and crucified, namely, his signal vengeance and fury, such as never any nation felt from the first foundations of the world.”[6]

Keith Mathison explains,

“The Greek text of this verse does not state that the Son of the Man will appear in the heavens. Rather, what appears is the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. In other words, the destruction of the Jerusalem will be the sign that the Son of Man, who prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem, is in heaven.”[7]

Unfortunately, some of these men like Mathison believe the coming of the Son of Man upon the clouds in Matthew 24:30 is somehow both his ascension going on a cloud and then him coming on clouds in AD 70 in fulfillment of Daniel 7:13. I will refute the idea that Daniel 7:13 is the ascension shortly, but all to say Daniel 7:13 and Matthew 24:30 are both referring to one event–Him coming upon the clouds to judge Jerusalem in AD 70. I would agree however that the sign is the fall of Jerusalem proving that Christ had ascended and was now proving his claims of Messiahship and being God having ascended (Ps. 110 / Acts 2) and now proving that by him coming upon the clouds and judging those enemies and placing them under his feet in AD 70.

Marcellus Kik similarly notes,

“One must note that the verse speaks of a ‘sign’ and not of the personal appearance of Christ Himself… The sign of the passing away of the pre-Messianic age and the beginning of the Messianic reign was the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple.”[8]

Mathison and others interpret the “coming of the Son of Man upon the clouds” in Matthew 24:30 as encompassing both Christ’s ascension and His judgment in AD 70, appealing to Daniel 7:13. I contend, however, that Daniel 7:13 and Matthew 24:30 refer exclusively to Christ’s coming in judgment upon Jerusalem in AD 70—not His ascension. The fall of the city served as the definitive sign that Christ, having ascended (Ps. 110; Acts 2), now reigned as Messiah and God, putting His enemies under His feet in covenantal vengeance.

The renown Reformed Baptist exegete John Gill agrees,

“…and it may be observed, that the other evangelists make no mention of the sign, only speak of the son of man, Mark 13:26 and he shall appear, not in person, but in the power of his wrath and vengeance, on the Jewish nation which will be a full sign and proof of his being come: for the sense is, that when the above calamities shall be upon the civil state of that people, and there will be such changes in their ecclesiastical state it will be as clear a point, that Christ is come in the flesh, and that he is also come in his vengeance on that nation, for their rejection and crucifixion him, as if they had seen him appear in person in the heavens. They had been always seeking a sign, and were continually asking one of him; and now they will have a sign with a witness; as they had accordingly, And then shall the tribes of the earth, or land, mourn; that is, the land of Judea…and they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. The Arabic version reads it, “ye shall see”, as is expressed by Christ, in Matthew 26:64. Where the high priest, chief priests, Scribes, and elders, and the whole sanhedrim of the Jews are spoken to: and as the same persons, namely, the Jews, are meant here…his coming to bring on, and give the finishing stroke to the destruction of that people, which was a dark and cloudy dispensation to them: and when they felt the power of his arm, might, if not blind and stupid to the last degree, see the glory of his person, that he was more than a mere man, and no other than the Son of God, whom they had despised, rejected, and crucified; and who came to set up his kingdom and glory in a more visible and peculiar manner, among the Gentiles.”[9]

Again, this reading—that Matthew 24:30 was fulfilled in AD 70, with Jerusalem’s fall as the sign of Christ’s heavenly reign and judgment (Ps. 110)—is supported by a host of commentators. While most of these men stop short of saying the Second Coming and resurrection were fulfilled in AD 70, their interpretation of Matthew 24:30 by implication demands it, since the analogy of faith shows that Matthew 24:30–31 is the same complex of events elsewhere described as the Second Coming and resurrection.

This aligns with Jesus’ response to the disciples’ question about the sign of His coming and the end of the age and he is clearly connecting it to the fall of Jerusalem and something that will be fulfilled in their generation (Matt. 24:3-34).

The Mourning of “All the Tribes of the Land”

When Jesus says “all the tribes of the land will mourn” (hai phylai tēs gēs), most modern readers assume this describes a global lament at the end of history. But the Greek expression points to a much narrower, covenant-specific meaning. Phylai (“tribes”) in the New Testament and Septuagint almost always refers to the tribes of Israel unless a broader scope is explicitly stated. Likewise, gē (“land”) frequently denotes the land of Israel in covenant contexts.

This covenantal reading is confirmed by the Old Testament background in Zechariah 12:10–14. There Yahweh promises to “pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication,” so that “they will look on Me whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son.” The mourning is then described in explicitly tribal terms:

“The land shall mourn, each family by itself: the family of the house of David… the family of the house of Nathan… the family of the house of Levi… the family of the Shimeites… all the families that remain, every family by itself, and their wives by themselves” (Zech. 12:12–14).

The specific naming of Israelite tribes and clans shows beyond doubt that the “tribes of the land” in this prophetic imagery are the tribes of Israel within their own land, not all ethnic groups across the globe.

But what kind of mourning is in view? Zechariah 12 blends two aspects:

Redemptive Mourning – The “spirit of grace and supplication” points to a work of God’s Spirit that leads to repentance for some. This was fulfilled in part at Pentecost, when thousands of Jews were “cut to the heart” and turned to Christ (Acts 2:37–41), thus escaping the coming judgment by heeding His call to flee (Luke 21:20–22).
Judgment Mourning – For those who rejected the Messiah, the same prophetic imagery applies to the lament of defeat, disaster, and covenant curse. The prophets often use “mourning as for an only son” to describe not only heartfelt repentance but also the bitter grief of national catastrophe (Isa. 3:26; Jer. 6:26; Amos 8:10).

Jesus and the apostles draw on the judgment side of Zechariah’s imagery in their first-century application. In Matthew 24:30, Jesus places this tribal mourning in the context of Jerusalem’s destruction, when the sign of the Son of Man’s heavenly reign would be displayed through His judgment on the city (cf. Matt. 26:64). Likewise, Revelation 1:7 combines Zechariah 12:10 with Daniel 7:13: “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all the tribes of the land will wail because of Him.” John thus applies Zechariah’s tribal mourning to the visible judgment of those responsible for crucifying Christ—first-century Israel.

The historical record in Josephus confirms that the tribes of the land did indeed “mourn” in this judgment sense. During the siege of AD 70, he describes Jerusalem’s inhabitants in a state of unspeakable grief, famine, and terror (Wars 6.5.1–3). This was not the repentance of Zechariah’s Spirit-anointed remnant, but the wailing of covenant-breakers overtaken by the curses of Deuteronomy 28 and the vengeance foretold in Deuteronomy 32.

Daniel 7 and the Son of Man’s Coming in AD 70

The imagery of the Son of Man coming with the clouds in Matthew 24:30 comes directly from Daniel 7:13–14. Many commentators have assumed this refers to Christ’s ascension. But when the full context of Daniel 7 is considered, the timing, sequence, and imagery point not to the ascension, but to Christ’s public vindication and judgment in AD 70.

Daniel’s vision unfolds in a clear sequence: four beasts (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome) arise from the sea; the fourth beast is more terrifying than the rest; from it comes a “little horn” who speaks boastful words and persecutes the saints; the heavenly court sits in judgment; the beast is slain; the little horn’s dominion is removed; then “one like a son of man” comes with the clouds to the Ancient of Days and receives dominion, glory, and a kingdom which is then given to the saints.

This order is crucial. The Son of Man’s coming with the clouds occurs after the horn’s persecution and after the court’s verdict, not before. That means this “coming” cannot be the ascension, which occurred before the persecution of the saints by the horn. Instead, it depicts the heavenly scene in which Christ, already enthroned (Acts 2:33–36), receives the public, covenantal vindication of His authority by executing judgment on the persecutor — fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem.

If one wishes to discuss the ascension, the proper prophetic text is Psalm 110, not Daniel 7:13. In Psalm 110:1, the Messiah ascends to the right hand of Yahweh:

“Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.”

Here, the ascension and enthronement are followed by a period of reigning in the midst of His enemies, after which the enemies are subdued and judgment is rendered. Daniel 7:13, by contrast, is not about receiving the throne in the first place, but about coming in judgment after enthronement.

Jesus makes this distinction in Matthew 26:64–65, when He tells the high priest:

“From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power [Ps. 110:1] and coming on the clouds of heaven [Dan. 7:13].”

In other words, He conflates two distinct events:

His ascension and enthronement (Psalm 110) — to take place soon after His resurrection.
His imminent second coming in judgment (Daniel 7:13) — to take place within their generation (Matt. 24:34).

The same pattern appears in Hebrews 10:12–37. There, Christ’s ascension is described in Psalm 110 terms:

“But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God [Ps. 110:1], waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet” (Heb. 10:12–13).

The writer then warns his audience of an imminent, fiery judgment against God’s adversaries (vv. 26–31) and explicitly ties it to the Second Coming of the Lord in “a very little while” (vv. 36–37):

“For yet a very little while, and the Coming One will come and will not delay.”

This is the same “Second Coming” mentioned in the previous chapter (9:26-28).

This mirrors the sequence of Psalm 110 and Daniel 7:

Ascension and enthronement at the right hand (Ps. 110)
Period of reigning until enemies are subdued
Imminent judgment coming upon those enemies in the lifetime of the first-century audience (Dan. 7; Matt. 24–26:64-65)

The OG LXX Reading and Revelation 1
This interpretation is further strengthened by the OG LXX (Old Greek) translation of Daniel 7:13, which renders the phrase not as “coming to the Ancient of Days” but as “coming as the Ancient of Days.” In this reading, the Son of Man comes in the same judicial capacity as the Ancient of Days, executing the verdict just pronounced.

John appears to follow this OG LXX nuance in Revelation 1. In verse 7, he cites Daniel 7:13 and Zechariah 12:10 together:

“Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all the tribes of the land will wail on account of Him.”

The Greek verb for “see” here (horaō) does not always denote mere physical sight; it can also mean to perceive, discern, or understand (cf. John 3:36; Acts 8:23; Heb. 11:27). Thus, those who “pierced Him” — the first-century Jewish leadership and their generation — could “see” the Son of Man coming on the clouds in the sense of recognizing and perceiving that the catastrophic destruction by Rome was the very covenantal judgment He had foretold, even if they did not behold a literal form in the sky. The unmistakable connection between His prophecies and the city’s ruin would force their acknowledgment that this was indeed His coming in glory and vengeance.

Then, only a few verses later (vv. 12–17), John describes this same Son of Man using imagery Daniel applies to the Ancient of Days — clothed in a long robe, hair white like wool, eyes like blazing fire. John’s literary sequence matches the OG LXX understanding: the Son of Man is not merely coming to the Ancient of Days, but coming as the Ancient of Days, wielding divine judgment and authority.

By reading Daniel 7 in its narrative sequence, distinguishing it from Psalm 110, considering the OG LXX rendering, observing John’s adoption of that rendering in Revelation 1, and recognizing Hebrews 10’s application of the same enthronement → imminent judgment pattern, we see a consistent biblical witness: the “coming with the clouds” in Daniel 7:13 and Matthew 24:30 is the AD 70 judgment, when Christ acted in the very role of the Ancient of Days to vindicate His people and bring the old covenant order to its close.

Isaiah 27, Daniel 12, and Matthew 24: A Threefold Witness for the AD 70 Resurrection and Judgment

The intertextual relationship between Isaiah 27, Daniel 12, and Matthew 24 offers a unified prophetic framework for the resurrection, the ingathering of God’s people, and the judgment of Jerusalem. In Matthew 24:30–31, Jesus depicts the coming of the Son of Man with angels and a trumpet to “gather the elect.” This imagery is drawn directly from Isaiah 27:12–13, where the Lord sounds a “great trumpet” to gather His dispersed people, and from Daniel 12:1–2, where a resurrection follows an unparalleled time of tribulation.

Paul likewise employs these same motifs in 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51–52, underscoring that the New Testament writers saw the resurrection, trumpet gathering, and eschatological judgment as intimately connected. Even many Partial Preterist commentators are beginning to concede that Daniel 12 situates the resurrection at the time of the “shattering of the holy people” (Dan. 12:7)—fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. When these texts are read together, they testify to a single redemptive climax at “the time of the end” of the Old Covenant age, not the end of the physical cosmos.

Isaiah 27: Judgment, Trumpet, and Second Exodus Gathering

Isaiah’s oracle describes a climactic “day” when the Lord would crush Leviathan, judge “the fortified city,” and pulverize its idolatrous altars “like chalkstone” (Isa. 27:1, 9). The result would be the removal of Jacob’s guilt and the restoration of the covenant community. Historically, this judgment began with the Babylonian destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BC, which initiated the exile and effectively ended widespread idolatry in Israel.

Yet verses 12–13 expand the vision beyond the Babylonian crisis. They depict the Lord “threshing” His people—a harvest metaphor—at the sound of a “great trumpet,” gathering them from Assyria and Egypt. The language evokes a “second exodus” patterned after Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. This ingathering found a partial fulfillment in the return from exile under Ezra and Nehemiah (538–445 BC), when Jerusalem’s walls and Temple were rebuilt and worship restored. However, the restoration was incomplete: the tribes were not fully regathered, and Israel remained under foreign rule.

This earlier judgment and partial restoration thus served typologically. The Babylonian destruction foreshadowed a fuller covenantal judgment and gathering, which reached its consummation in AD 70. Then, as in 586 BC, Jerusalem fell—this time to Rome—and the Temple was destroyed. But unlike the return from Babylon, the final trumpet gathering was not a return to the land; it was the uniting of Jew and Gentile in Christ, who is Himself the true Temple and land inheritance of God’s people (2 Cor. 1:20).

Daniel 12: Resurrection at the Time of Tribulation

Daniel’s prophecy parallels Isaiah’s in its eschatological contours. He foresees “a time of distress such as never occurred” (Dan. 12:1)—the same “great tribulation” Jesus describes in Matthew 24:21. Immediately afterward, “many… will awake, some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt” (Dan. 12:2).

The timing is precise: these events transpire within “a time, times, and half a time” (Dan. 12:7)—three and a half years—when the “power of the holy people” is shattered. Daniel is told to seal the vision until the “time of the end” (Dan. 12:4), which is not the end of world history but the end of the Old Covenant order. In the first century, the Roman siege of Jerusalem lasted approximately three and a half years (AD 67–70), culminating in the destruction of the Temple. The resurrection here, consistent with Isaiah’s harvest and trumpet imagery, belongs to the same covenantal transition.

Matthew 24: The Convergence of Isaiah and Daniel

In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus consciously merges Isaiah’s and Daniel’s visions. He speaks of the coming of the Son of Man “on the clouds of heaven” with power and glory (Matt. 24:30), sending His angels with a “loud trumpet” to gather His elect from the four winds (Matt. 24:31). This is Isaiah’s great trumpet gathering, now framed in the context of Daniel’s time of distress and resurrection.

The destruction of the Temple, announced in Matthew 24:2, serves as the visible sign that the Son of Man has taken His throne (Ps. 110 / Acts 2:29-36) and is executing His covenantal judgment. Jesus locates all of these events firmly within the horizon of “this generation” (Matt. 24:34), the generation of His own disciples. Thus, Isaiah’s harvest, Daniel’s resurrection, and Jesus’ trumpet gathering converge in a single eschatological moment: the end of the Old Covenant age in AD 70.

The Second Exodus Motif

Matthew’s Gospel develops this further through sustained Mosaic typology:

*In Matthew 2:13–15, Jesus’ flight to Egypt and return recalls Moses’ deliverance from Pharaoh.

*In Matthew 3–4, His baptism and wilderness testing parallel Israel’s Red Sea crossing and desert trials, yet where Israel failed, Jesus prevailed.

*In Matthew 5–7, the Sermon on the Mount functions as a new Torah delivered from a mountain.

*His feeding of multitudes (Matt. 14:13–21; 15:32–39) echoes the manna in the wilderness.

*At the Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1–8; Luke 9:31), Moses and Elijah speak with Jesus about His coming “exodus” (exodos), the redemptive departure He would accomplish in Jerusalem. Here, Jesus’ glory eclipses theirs, signaling the superiority and permanence of the New Covenant over the fading glory of the Old (2 Cor. 3:7–11).

*In Matthew 24:31, the Olivet trumpet gathering portrays the spiritual regathering of God’s people at the end of the Old Covenant age.

Second Temple Anticipations of Spiritual Restoration

Jesus’ application of Isaiah’s gathering motif to a spiritual, Christ-centered restoration was not without precedent in Second Temple Judaism. Philo of Alexandria allegorized exile as moral alienation from God and restoration as the soul’s return to divine wisdom (On Rewards and Punishments 164–172; On the Migration of Abraham).

The Qumran sect likewise saw restoration in spiritual terms. The Community Rule (1QS 1:1–3; 8:12–16) portrayed the community as a spiritually gathered remnant; the Damascus Document (CD 1:1–11; 3:20–21) depicted ingathering as covenant renewal; and the Pesharim on Isaiah (4Q161; 4Q163) blended literal hopes with eschatological purification under the “Teacher of Righteousness.” Such currents made Jesus’ claim—that the true gathering was into Himself, not back to a geographical land—intelligible to some of His contemporaries, especially in light of ongoing Roman domination.

Major Premise: If the resurrection, gathering, and judgment are inseparably linked in Daniel 12, Isaiah 27, and Matthew 24, and all are tied to the “time of the end” of the Old Covenant age within Jesus’ generation, then these events were fulfilled in AD 70.

Minor Premise: Daniel connects the resurrection to the Great Tribulation and the shattering of Old Covenant Israel; Isaiah links the trumpet gathering and removal of sin to Jerusalem’s judgment (prefigured by Babylon, fulfilled in AD 70); Matthew applies both to the “immediately after the tribulation” gathering within “this generation,” identifying AD 70 as the sign of fulfillment.

Conclusion: Therefore, the resurrection, gathering, and judgment were fulfilled in AD 70, completing the second exodus and the promised “day of redemption” (Lk. 21:27-28) for the first-century Church.

The Gathering of the Elect and the Analogy of Faith (Matthew 24:31)

Verse 31 states, “And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Within Futurist eschatology this “gathering” has been interpreted as evangelism and regeneration, a physical rapture or resurrection, and or a spiritual resurrection event taking place in AD 70. To resolve this, we must consider the “end of the age” context (Matt. 24:3) and its parallels with other New Testament texts.

John Murray correctly identified this eschatological gathering to be the resurrection event,

“There is ample allusion to the sound of the trumpet and to the ministry of angels elsewhere in the New Testament in connection with Christ’s advent (1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 4:16). Hence verse 31 can most readily be taken to refer to the gathering of the elect at the resurrection.”^[10]

The Reformed Study Bible, edited by R.C. Sproul and Keith Mathison, likewise notes that Matthew 24:31 parallels Matthew 13:41; 16:27; 25:31; 1 Corinthians 15:52; and 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17, suggesting it “most naturally refers to the Second Coming.”[11] Let’s use The Reformed Study Bible as an outline to unpack each of these texts that “parallel” Matthew 24:30-31 beginning with Matthew 13.

a) Matthew 24:30-31, Matthew 13:39-43, and Daniel 12:2-4: A Unified Eschatological Event

The “end of the age” gathering in Matthew 24:3, 30-31 is explicitly described in Matthew 13:39-43 as the resurrection event foretold in Daniel 12:2-4. The parallels between these passages demonstrate that Jesus draws from Daniel 12 to describe a single eschatological event fulfilled at the end of the Old Covenant age in AD 70. The following table outlines the textual connections:

Daniel 12	Matthew 13	Matthew 24–25
1) Increased knowledge of the Messiah and evangelism before the end (12:3–4)	1) Evangelism and sowing of the gospel before the end of the Old Covenant age (sunteleia tou aionos), as depicted in the parable of the wheat and tares (13:24–30, 36–43)	1) Evangelism before the end of the Old Covenant age (sunteleia tou aionos), with the gospel preached to all nations (24:3, 14)
2) Unprecedented tribulation (12:1)	—	2) Great Tribulation, unmatched in history (using common hyperbole), marking the end of the age (24:21, 29)
3) Righteous rise to eternal life; wicked rise to eternal shame (12:2–3)	3) Righteous wheat gathered into the barn to shine in the kingdom; tares reaped and burned in judgment (13:30, 40–43)	3) Righteous sheep gathered by angels to inherit eternal life and the kingdom; goats face eternal punishment (24:30–31; 25:31–46)
4) Fulfillment at the appointed time of the end, when the power of the holy people is shattered for three-and-a-half years (12:4, 7; cf. Dan. 9:26–27, LXX – Jerusalem and Second Temple desolated during AD 67–70)	4) Fulfillment at the harvest, which is the end of the Old Covenant age, when the Son of Man sends His angels (13:39–40)	4) Fulfillment in Jesus’ generation, immediately after the tribulation and the “times of the Gentiles” (AD 67–70), with Jerusalem and the Second Temple desolated (24:3–34; cf. Luke 21:20–24, 32)

These parallels confirm that Matthew 13:39-43 and Matthew 24:30-31 both describe the resurrection and judgment of Daniel 12:2-4, tied to the end of the Old Covenant age.

Theological Implications and the Formation of Full Preterism

Futurism, including Partial Preterism, acknowledges that the “end of the age” in Matthew 13:39-43 and Matthew 24:3, 30-31 refers to the end of the Old Covenant age in AD 70 and includes a spiritual resurrection of the dead from Hades into God’s presence, as per Daniel 12:2-4 (Partial Preterism). Let’s review what Partial Preterism teaches about the resurrection of Daniel 12. James Jordan in his commentary on Daniel affirms:

“The resurrection of [Dan. 12:2] seems to connect to the evangelistic and teaching ministry spoken of in verse 3; thus, it is some kind of historical resurrection that is spoke of, a resurrectional event in this world, in our history.”^[12]

“…Daniel 12:2 tells us that in the days of Jesus the nation will undergo a last spiritual resurrection, but some will not persevere and their resurrection will only be unto destruction. The Parable of the soils fits here (Matt.13:3–23): three different kinds of people come to life, but only one of the three different kinds of people come to like, but only one of the three kinds is awakened to persevering, everlasting life.

During His ministry, Jesus raised the nation back to life. He healed the sick, cleansed the unclean, brought dead people back to life, restored the Law, entered the Temple as King, etc. Then, as always, the restored people fell into sin and crucified Him.

Thus, a resurrection of Israel is in view. The wicked are raised, but do not profit from it, and are destroyed. The saints experience a great distress, and live with God forever and ever.”^[13]

“The death of the Church in the Great Tribulation, and her resurrection after that event, were the great proof that Jesus had accomplished the work He came to do. The fact that the Church exists today, nearly 2000 years after her death in the Great Tribulation, is the ongoing vindication of Jesus work.”^[14]

“Revelation takes up where Daniel leaves off, and deals mostly with the Apostolic Age and the death and resurrection of the Church.”^[15]

“What Daniel is promised is that after his rest in Abraham’s bosom, he will stand up with all God’s saints and join Michael on a throne in heaven, as described in Revelation 20, an event that came after the Great Tribulation and in the year AD 70.”^[16]

Similarly, after long debate, even Kenneth Gentry recently conceded the necessity of understanding Daniel 12 as a spiritual resurrection fulfilled in AD 70:

“In Daniel 12:1–2 we find a passage that clearly speaks of the great tribulation in AD 70.”^[17]

“…But it also seems to speak of the resurrection occurring at that time…”^[18]

Daniel appears to be presenting Israel as a grave site under God’s curse: Israel as a corporate body is in the “dust” (Da 12:2; cp. Ge 3:14, 19). In this he follows Ezekiel’s pattern in his vision of the dry bones, which represent Israel’s “death” in the Babylonian dispersion (Eze 37). In Daniel’s prophecy many will awaken, as it were, during the great tribulation to suffer the full fury of the divine wrath, while others will enjoy God’s grace in receiving everlasting life. Luke presents similar imagery in Luke 2:34 in a prophecy about the results of Jesus’s birth for Israel: “And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, ‘Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed.

Christ Himself points out that some from Israel will believe and be saved, while others will not (e.g., Mt. 10:34–36; 13:11–15), that in the removing of the kingdom from Israel many will be crushed and scattered like dust (Mt. 21:43–45). He even speaks of the saved Jews as arising from the “shadow of death” (Mt. 4:16). Though in AD 70 elect Jews will flee Israel and will live (Mt. 24:22), the rest of the nation will be a corpse: “wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather” (Mt. 24:28). Indeed, in AD 70 we see in the destruction of the city of Jerusalem (Mt. 22:7) that “many are called, but few are chosen” (Mt. 22:14). Elsewhere he employs the imagery of “regeneration” to the arising of the new Israel from out of the dead, old covenant Israel in AD 70: “You who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Mt. 19:28).^[19]

“…it appears that Daniel is drawing from the hope of a future, literal resurrection and applying it symbolically to the first century leading up the tribulation in AD 70. That is, he is portraying God’s separating believing Jews out of Israel through the winnowing of Israel in AD 70.”^[20]

“Daniel only picks up on resurrection imagery and, like Ezekiel, applies that to corporate Israel. He is teaching that in the events of AD 70, the true Israel will arise from old Israel’s carcass, as in a resurrection.”^[21]

Here’s a summary of James Jordan and Kenneth Gentry’s view on the resurrection in Daniel 12:

It represents old covenant Israel’s final spiritual and corporate resurrection.
Both Israel and the Church participate in this spiritual, covenantal, and corporate resurrection, with the new covenant Church—or new Israel of God—emerging from the corpse of old covenant Israel in AD 70.
An “already and not yet” evangelistic process unfolded between Christ’s earthly ministry and His AD 70 coming, culminating in this resurrection or “end” of Israel during the events of AD 67–70.
This resurrection included Daniel’s soul being raised from Abraham’s Bosom to sit on a throne, reigning with Christ and inheriting eternal life.

Partial preterist Joel McDurmon, commenting on the parable of the wheat and the tares, concedes that it signifies the end of the old covenant age and not the end of world history:

It is clear that Jesus did not have in mind the end of the world, nor did He mean the final judgment. Rather, Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43 describes the judgment that would come upon unbelieving Jerusalem. During this time, the angels would “gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity” (13:41) and these would be judged with fire. Many of them literally were burned in fire during the destruction of Jerusalem. During this same time, however, the elect of Christ— “the children of the kingdom” (v. 38)—will be harvested. While the explanation of the parable does not tell us their final end, the parable itself has the householder instructing the harvesters to “gather the wheat into my barn.” In other words, they are protected and saved by God.^[22]

McDurmon notes that this is precisely what happened to the early Christians, who were not only saved spiritually but also largely escaped the Roman siege by fleeing Jerusalem, heeding Jesus’ advice to “flee and not look back” when the signs appeared (Matt. 24:16–22). McDurmon connects this event with the angels’ work of gathering the elect (24:31).

McDurmon further develops Jesus’ two age model: “this age, representing the old covenant age, and the “age to come” or “age about to come,” which refers to the new covenant age. In his analysis of Pauline eschatology, he interprets passages such as Ephesians 1:21; 2:1–7; 3:8–11; Colossians 1:26; 1 Corinthians 10:11; and Hebrews 9:26 as support for his model, concluding:

“So, from the teaching of Jesus, Paul and the author of Hebrews, we get a very clear picture of the two primary ages: one that endured up until the time of Christ, and another that began around that same period. I believe these two periods, being hinged upon the coming and work of Christ, pertain obviously to the Old and New Covenant administrations.”^[23]

Classic Amillennialism holds that passages such as Matthew 13:39–43, Matthew 24:30–31, and Daniel 12:2–4 describe the singular, consummative resurrection and Second Coming event, not a preliminary or minor occurrence. A comparison of Jesus’ teaching on the eschatological “gathering” at the “end of the age” in Matthew 13:39–43 and 24:3, 30–31 with Daniel 12:1–4 reveals that this “end” is the “appointed time” for the resurrection (Dan. 12:2). G.K. Beale affirms this connection, noting that the “gathering of the elect” in Matthew 24:31 “…implies the [resurrection] of all believers, both living and dead…”

Faced with these textual parallels, reinforced by both Full Preterist and Amillennial interpretations, Partial Preterists like James Jordan concede that the resurrection of Daniel 12:1–2 and Matthew 24:30–31 was spiritually fulfilled in AD 70, with souls raised from Hades into God’s presence. Jordan explains:

“There we see messengers gathering the elect… from all over the heavens… They are gathered from the four winds, not from the four corners of the earth… This fits so very well with what we find in Revelation. The dead saints ‘under the altar’ are in ‘paradise’ or ‘Abraham’s bosom’… It is these elect… who are gathered before the Throne in Revelation 15.”[24]

This creates a “thorny problem” indeed that is resolved by Full Preterism, as follows:

Major Premise: The resurrection and Second Coming event in Daniel 12:1-4, Matthew 13:39-43, and Matthew 24:3, 30-31 is the singular, consummative eschatological event (Classic Amillennialism).

Minor Premise: Daniel 12:1-4, Matthew 13:39-43, and Matthew 24:3, 30-31 describe a spiritual resurrection and coming of Christ fulfilled at the end of the Old Covenant age in AD 70 (Partial Preterism).

Conclusion: The singular, consummative resurrection and Second Coming event of Daniel 12:1-4, Matthew 13:39-43, and Matthew 24:3, 30-31 was spiritually fulfilled at the end of the Old Covenant age in AD 70 (Full Preterism).

Let’s now move on to two other texts The Reformation Study Bible tells us is the same event as Matthew 24:30-31, namely Matthew 16:27 and Matthew 25:31.

b). Matthew 24:30-31, Matthew 16:27, and Matthew 25:31: A Unified Eschatological Event

Classic Amillennialism, as reflected in contributions to The Reformation Study Bible, equates Matthew 16:27-28, Matthew 24:30-31, and Matthew 25:31 as describing the singular, consummative Second Coming and judgment or resurrection event. However, Keith Mathison, the editor of The Reformation Study Bible, argues that these passages—Matthew 16:27-28, 24:30-31, and 25:31—refer to a spiritual coming of Christ fulfilled in the AD 70 judgment. Mathison, following Gary DeMar, has acknowledged that positing two distinct comings of Christ in Matthew 24:30 and 25:31 is untenable, concluding that both describe the same AD 70 event. This aligns with Partial Preterism, which sees these texts as fulfilled spiritually in AD 70, yet creates a tension with the Amillennial view of a singular, future Second Coming.

The following chart illustrates the textual harmony among these passages, supporting the Partial and Full Preterist view of an AD 70 fulfillment:

Matthew 16:27-28	Matthew 24:30-31	Matthew 25:31
1) Christ comes (Grk. erchomai): “For the Son of Man is going to come” (16:27)	1) Christ comes (Grk. erchomai): “The Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven” (24:30)	1) Christ comes (Grk. erchomai): “When the Son of Man comes” (25:31)
2) Christ comes with His angels: “With His angels” (16:27)	2) Christ comes with His angels: “With His angels” (24:31)	2) Christ comes with His angels: “With all His holy angels” (25:31)
3) Christ comes in glory: “In the glory of His Father” (16:27)	3) Christ comes in glory: “With power and great glory” (24:30)	3) Christ comes in glory: “In His glory” (25:31)
4) Christ comes in judgment to reward/repay in lifetime of some: “He will repay each person according to what they have done… some standing here will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming” (16:27-28)	4) Christ comes in judgment to reward/repay in their “generation”: “The Son of Man… will send His angels to gather His elect… this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (24:30-34)	4) Christ comes in judgment to reward/repay in their “generation”: “The Son of Man… will separate the sheep from the goats,” rewarding the righteous and punishing the wicked (25:31-46; cf. 24:34 for generational timing)
5) Christ and His Kingdom come together in power and great glory: “The Son of Man coming in His kingdom” (16:28)	5) Christ and His Kingdom come together in power and great glory: “Coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (24:30). Saints inherit “redemption” and kingdom (Lk. 21:27-32).	5) Christ and His Kingdom come together in power and great glory: “The Son of Man… sits on His glorious throne” (25:31). Saints inherit “eternal life” and the kingdom (24:30-32; 25:31-46).

Matthew employs Hebraic recapitulation in the Olivet Discourse, describing the same AD 70 coming of Christ in both Matthew 24:30-31 and 25:31. This explains why Partial Preterists like Mathison and DeMar conclude that these passages refer to a singular event fulfilled in the ascension and Christ’s coming to judge in AD 70. This also accounts for the reason Mark and Luke find no need to mention two comings of Christ separated by thousands of years. Here is a chart comparing Matthew 16:27-28 with all three accounts of the Olivet Discourse:

Matthew 16:27-28	Matthew 24:30-31 / 25:31	Mark 13 / Luke 21
1) Christ comes (Grk. erchomai): “For the Son of Man is going to come” (16:27)	1) Christ comes (Grk. erchomai): “The Son of Man coming on the clouds” (24:30); “The Son of Man comes” (25:31)	1) Christ comes (Grk. erchomai): “The Son of Man coming in clouds” (Mark 13:26); “The Son of Man coming in a cloud” (Luke 21:27)
2) Christ comes with His angels: “With His angels” (16:27)	2) Christ comes with His angels: “With His angels” (24:31); “With all His holy angels” (25:31)	2) Christ comes with His angels: “With His angels” (Mark 13:27); implied in Luke 21:27 (context of divine authority)
3) Christ comes in glory: “In the glory of His Father” (16:27)	3) Christ comes in glory: “Coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (24:30); “In His glory” (25:31)	3) Christ comes in glory: “With great power and glory” (Mark 13:26); “In a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27)
4) Christ comes in judgment to reward/repay in lifetime of some: “He will repay each person according to what they have done… some standing here will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming” (16:27-28)	4) Christ comes in judgment to reward/repay in their “generation”: “The Son of Man… will gather His elect… this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (24:30-34); judgment of sheep and goats (25:31-46)	4) Christ comes in judgment to reward/repay in their “generation”: “They will see the Son of Man… gathering the elect… this generation will not pass away” (Mark 13:26-30; cf. Luke 21:27-32)
5) Christ and His Kingdom come together in power and great glory: “The Son of Man coming in His kingdom” (16:28)	5) Christ and His Kingdom come together in power and great glory: “Coming… with power and great glory” (24:30); “Kingdom is near” “The Son of Man… sits on His glorious throne” (25:31). Saints inherit “kingdom” and “eternal life” at Christ’s coming (24:30-32; 25:31-46).	5) Christ and His Kingdom come together in power and great glory: “Coming in clouds with great power and glory” (Mark 13:26); “The kingdom of God is near” (Luke 21:27, 31). Saints inherit the “kingdom” and “redemption” at Christ’s coming (Lk. 21:27-32).

Once again Full Preterism solves the “thorny problem” in the writings of men such as Beale and Partial Preterists on these key texts.

Major Premise: The coming of Christ and judgment or resurrection described in Matthew 16:27; 24:30-31; 25:31-46 is the ONE end of the age Second Coming event (Classic Amillennialism)

Minor Premise: The coming of Christ in Matthew 16:27-28; 24:30-31; 25:31 was spiritually fulfilled in AD 70 (Partial Preterism).

Conclusion: The coming of Christ and judgment or resurrection described in Matthew 16:27-28; 24:30-31; 25:31-46 is the ONE Second Coming, judgment and resurrection event that was fulfilled at the end of the old covenant age in AD 70 (Full Preterism).

Keith Mathison, by conceding that all “coming of the Son of Man” passages in the Gospels (e.g., Matthew 10:22-23; 16:27-28, 24:30-31, 25:31; Luke 17:20-37) refer to a spiritual fulfillment in AD 70, arrives at an unprecedented position within reformed theology: that Jesus Himself never taught about a future Second Coming. To address this challenge to orthodoxy, Mathison proposes that the concept of a future Second Coming was developed later by the apostles, particularly Paul, in passages like 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-52.[25] This view is untenable for two reasons:

First, Jesus came to fulfill “all” the Law and the Prophets within His generation (Luke 21:22-32), which included prophecies of His Second Coming on the clouds, the New Creation, and the judgment and resurrection of the dead—clarified by Jesus and the New Testament regarding their timing and spiritual nature. The old saying is true—“The OT is the NT concealed, and the NT is the OT revealed.” Both Jesus and Paul are unpacking the OT’s teaching on the doctrines of the Second Coming and Resurrection of the dead.

Second, it suggests Jesus’ teachings omit any direct reference to the Second Coming, undermining the traditional Reformed view that the Gospels form the bedrock of eschatological doctrine of which the rest of the NT builds.

Third, it weakens the analogy of faith (Scripture interpreting Scripture), as a comparison of Matthew 24, 1 Thessalonians 4, and 1 Corinthians 15 reveals that Paul’s teachings align with and expand upon Jesus’ eschatological framework, rather than introducing an independent doctrine.

To explore this continuity, we now examine the parallels between Matthew 24, 1 Thessalonians 4, and 1 Corinthians 15.

c). Matthew 24:30-31, 1 Thessalonians 4-5, and 1 Corinthians 15: A Unified Eschatological Event

So far in this series showing how Matthew 21-25 was fulfilled in AD 70, I have developed the analogy of faith and harmonized through charts and exegesis how the coming of the Son of Man in Matthew 10:17-23; 16:27-28; 26:64-65 and Luke 17:20-37 were mere snap-shots of what Christ was going to fully develop in Matthew 24-25 concerning his imminent Second Coming in AD 70. I demonstrated that Futurists (through Partial Preterism) have conceded all of those texts were fulfilled in AD 70 of which Matthew 24-25 only builds upon. Now we will see how Matthew 24-25 is the cornerstone upon which Paul builds his eschatology in 1-2 Thessalonians, 1 Corinthians, and Romans. Let’s quickly dismiss of the hyper-creedal man pleasing hermeneutic of Keith Mathison and Partial Preterism. Mathison makes parallels in Matthew 24 to prove that the coming of Christ in 1 Thessalonians 5 was fulfilled in AD 70 while completely ignoring the key ones in 1 Thessalonians 4 or between Matthew 24 and 1 Corinthians 15:

If A (Matthew 24) = B (1 Thessalonians 4-5)

Theme	Matthew 24	1 Thessalonians 4-5
Christ returns from heaven	24:30	4:16
With voice of Arch Angel	24:31	4:16
With trumpet of God	24:31	4:16
Caught/gathered together with/to Christ	24:31	4:17
“Meet” the Lord in the clouds	24:30 & 25:6	4:17
Exact time unknown	24:36	5:1-2
Christ comes as a thief	24:43	5:2
Unbelievers caught off guard	24:37-39	5:3
Time of birth pangs	24:8	5:3
Believers not deceived	24:43	5:4-5
Believers to be watchful	24:42	5:6
Exhorted to sobriety	24:49	5:7
Son/sunlight shining from east to west / Sons of the Day	24:27, 36, & 38	5:4-8

B (1 Thessalonians 4) = C (1 Corinthians 15)

Theme	1 Thessalonians 4	1 Corinthians 15
The sleeping to be raised	4:13-14	15:12-18
The living to be caught/changed	4:15-17	15:51-52
Christ’s coming (Greek: Parousia)	4:15	15:23
At the sound of the trumpet	4:16	15:52
Encouraged to stand firm	4:18	15:58
Same contemporary “we”	4:15-17	15:51-52

A (Matthew 24 & Parallels) = C (1 Corinthians 15)

Theme	Matthew 24 & Parallels	1 Corinthians 15
Christ to come (Greek: Parousia)	24:27	15:23
His people to be gathered/changed	24:31	15:52
To come with the sound of a trumpet	24:31	15:52
To be “the end” (Greek: telos, the goal)	24:3, 14	15:24
Kingdom consummation (goal reached)	Luke 21:30-32	15:24
All prophecy fulfilled at this point	Luke 21:22	15:54-55
Victory over the Mosaic Law/temple	24:1	15:55-56
Same contemporary “you” or “we”	24:2ff	15:51-52

Two or More Things that are Equal to Another Thing are Also Equal to Each Other

Theme	Matthew 24	1 Thess. 4	1 Corinthians 15
At His coming	24:27-31	4:16	15:23
At the trumpet	24:31	4:16	15:52
Dead raised, all gathered	24:31	4:16	15:35-44
All living gathered	24:31	4:17 (Living caught together to Him)	15:51 (Status of living changed)

Unlike Keith Mathison, his Reformed Study Bible and G.K. Beale has acknowledged the parallels between Matthew 24 and 1 Thessalonians 4, stating:

“That both [1 Thessalonians] 4:15–18 and 5:1–11 explain the same events [in Matthew 24] is discernible from observing that both passages actually form one continuous depiction of the same narrative in Matthew 24…”[26]

If the trumpet coming of Christ and resurrection in Matthew 24:30–31 is the same event as the trumpet coming in 1 Thessalonians 4:15–17 and 1 Corinthians 15:23, 51–52, and if Matthew 24:30–31 was fulfilled spiritually in AD 70, the following argument emerges:

Major Premise: The trumpet coming of Christ and eschatological “gathering” in Matthew 24:30–31 is the singular Second Coming and resurrection event also described in 1 Thessalonians 4:15–17 and 1 Corinthians 15:51–52 (Classic Amillennialism).

Minor Premise: The trumpet coming of Christ and gathering [resurrection] in Matthew 24:30–31 was fulfilled spiritually in AD 70, closing the Old Covenant age (Partial Preterism, e.g., James Jordan).

Conclusion: Therefore, the singular trumpet Second Coming and resurrection event of Matthew 24:30–31, 1 Thessalonians 4:15–17, and 1 Corinthians 15:51–52 was fulfilled spiritually in AD 70, closing the Old Covenant age (Full Preterism).

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

“For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:15-17).

The Second Exodus

Commentators agree that both Jesus and Paul are drawing from the second exodus and resurrection motif found in Isaiah 27 that we briefly addressed previously.

A day was approaching when Christ would deliver believers from their persecutions and pour out His wrath upon their persecutors (1 Thess. 1:10; cf. 2 Thess. 1:6–7). When that day came, the Lord descended from heaven with a word of command (or “a shout”), with an archangelic voice, and with a trumpet call of God; and the dead in Christ rose. Then the living in Christ and the dead in Christ were simultaneously “caught up” in “clouds” to “a meeting of the Lord in the air.”

Since the cloud-covered mountain is not literal, but is heavenly, neither then was the meeting that took place in the heavenly mountain (i.e., in the clouds in the air) literal. Therefore, the shout, voice, trumpet, mountain, cloud, and meeting of 1 Thessalonians 4:16 are all spiritual antitypes of the literal shout, voice, trumpet, mountain, cloud, and meeting of Exodus 19 and 20 (Heb. 12:18–22).

Since Exodus 19-24 serves as a type of Matthew 24:30-31 and 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, we notice a number of important points. According to James Jordan in his book, Through New Eyes, Mount Sinai served as Israel’s tabernacle or temple and served as a model for the structure of the tabernacle and temple.

The Courtyard – In the tabernacle / temple area, the courtyard was where the average Jew could offer sacrifices at the bronze altar and worship. It corresponds to the area where the Israelites gathered at Mount Sinai’s base.

The Holy Place – The average priest had access not only to the courtyard, but also to the Holy Place. Despite being able to advance to this area, he was unable to enter the Most Holy Place. We see the seventy elders of Israel eating and dining with God here, amid the mountain but not at the top.

The Most Holy Place – The Most Holy Place was only accessible to the High Priest once a year. The glory cloud presence of God rested above the ark of the covenant in this location. When Moses ascended to the top of the mountain to meet with God face to face and receive the revelation of the old covenant law, he was acting as Israel’s High Priest.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 and 2 Corinthians 3, Paul is communicating that this was a type. At the top of the cloud-covered mountain, Moses was able to enter the Most Holy Place, where God was present. The old covenant system, however, provided him and Israel with a temporary glory. Between AD 30 – 70 there was an “increasing” new covenant age of glory and the old covenant veil of the old covenant age was gradually being lifted away from God’s people. As a corporate body of new covenant kings and priests, we have ascended into God’s presence and the Most Holy Place on Mount Zion. Christ and His kingdom have manifested themselves on our hearts through the revelation of the new covenant. The Church has been raised and was feasting with God at His wedding feast at Christ’s parousia in AD 70.

What we have then in 1 Thessalonians 4:15–17 is the “rapturously” metaphorical language of a prophet who is speaking of antitypical, spiritual realities —the transcendent profundities of Christological glory in and among the saints in the consummation of the ages. If this sounds like an over-spiritualization, it shouldn’t. The Lord Jesus Himself was opposed to a literal removal of the church out of the world:

“I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one” (John 17:15).

The “rapture” passage is no more literal than the prophecy of Ezekiel 37:4–14. In that passage, God caused a valley full of dry bones to come together. He attached tendons to them and put skin on them. Then He caused the bodies to breathe and they stood on their feet as a vast army. The bones represented the house of Israel. They were hopelessly cut off from the land, and were said to be in “graves.” As God had done for the dry bones, He was going to do for the house of Israel.

In the same way, in 1 Thessalonians 4:15–17, God raised up His church —the first fruits of the resurrection harvest— which was anxiously longing for the consummation of redemption and atonement. As a mighty warrior, the Lord issued forth his shout of command and sounded the trumpet of God. Then His spiritual army arose by His power. They met Him on His way to His temple to judge the enemies in His kingdom (Mal. 3:1). That is when God afflicted the persecutors of His church, when He gave His people relief and glorified Himself in them (2 Thess. 1:8–10).

Being revealed with Christ in glory (Col. 3:4) and becoming like Him and seeing Him in His Parousia (1 Jn. 3:2) had nothing to do with escaping physical death or with being literally caught up into the literal sky or with being biologically changed. It had to do with God’s people, living and dead, being “gathered together” to become His eternal tabernacle, His spiritual body, the new man, the heavenly Mount Zion, and the New Jerusalem in the Spirit. “This mystery is great” (Eph. 5:32), and is therefore communicated in the accommodative “sign language” of prophetic metaphor.

Since our Lord came “with His saints” and destroyed the earthly temple in AD 70 (Heb. 9:8), the church of all ages lives and reigns in glory with Him forever (Rom. 6:8; 2 Cor. 13:4; 2 Tim. 2:11–12). Now whether we are alive or asleep, we “live together with Him” (1 Thess. 5:10). This was not the case in the OT, when to die was to be cut off from the people of God. As Paul says in Romans 14:8–9, “…whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. For to this end Christ died and rose and lived again, that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.”

“…with the trumpet call of God and the dead in Christ will rise first.” (4:16)

There is definitely a chronological order, with the dead rising first and then the gathering, catching away or change for the living taking place second. Even Jesus addresses the dead first in John 11:

“I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die [OT worthies like Abraham or Daniel, along with those who recently died prior to AD 70], yet shall he live [be raised out of Abraham’s bosom or Hades to inherit God’s presence and eternal life], and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die [that is not that they would never see biological death, but rather inherit God’s “within” kingdom and presence of eternal life]. Do you believe this (John 11:25-26)?”

At Christ’s Second Coming in AD 70 the living would “never die” in the same way that those who put their faith in him would “never hunger” or “never thirst” (Jn. 6:35). To “never die” just means to inherit eternal life and the believer would never be separated from God in this life or when their physical body expires.

“Gathered up” (Greek Harpazo) (4:17)

The NCV translates harpazo as “gathered up,” thus giving it a theological and parallel connection to the eschatological gathering of Matthew 13:39-43, Matthew 24:30-31 & 2 Thessalonians 2:1. Other translations render it “snatched away” or “will be seized.”

Harpazo means to “take one’s plunder openly and violently, catch or snatch away.” Sometimes it is addressing someone being pulled, snatched away or rescued by someone from an enemy. But is 1 Thessalonians 4:17 discussing an inward spiritual rescuing into Christ’s glory cloud presence, or an outward and upward catching away into physical clouds in the sky and a biological change?

Here are some very clear uses of harpazo being an inward spiritual event:

(1) Matthew 12:29 – Satan was “bound” and Christ was “carrying away” (harpazo) his plunder, which were people that were rightfully His who were held captive by Satan and demons. But how was He doing this? It was by casting out demons (an inward spiritual reality), and in some cases actually giving faith to these individuals to follow him (again an inward spiritual reality).

(2) Matthew 11:12 – “the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing (Christ casting out demons openly and publicly taking Satan’s plunder), and (in return) the forceful men (believers) lay hold of it” (harpazo – through faith, vigor, power, and determination in light of present persecution – such as in the case of John). People were violently laying hold of the kingdom through having faith (a spiritual and inward reality).

(3) Matthew 13:19 – In the parable of the sower, the wicked one comes and snatches away (harpazo) what was sown in his heart (again, an inner spiritual reality).

(4) John 10:12 – The wolf (Pharisees, sons of Satan) sought to snatch (harpazo) and scatter the sheep/ people of Israel. How did the Pharisees seek to “snatch” and “scatter” the Jews from following Jesus? The first phase involved seeking to deceive them in their hearts and minds (an inward snatching) by convincing them that He was not the Christ by perverting the Scriptures and accusing Him of having a demon, etc. The second phase was a physical excommunication or scattering of Christians from their synagogues.

(5) John 10:28-29 – Anyone who has faith in Jesus cannot be “snatched” (harpazo) out of the Father’s hand. That is, he cannot be influenced (snatched inwardly) in his or her mind and heart to leave God. Like Peter, “Where else can we go, Lord? You alone have the words to eternal life.” The gift of faith is spiritually preserved in the heart and soul of the believer. He cannot be deceived to the point of committing the sin unto death (1 Jn. 3:9). Again, this is an inner spiritual reality of the heart/mind/soul of man.

(6) Acts 8:39 – This simply means that the Holy Spirit directed Philip in His heart and mind (inwardly) to go elsewhere and the Eunuch did not see him again. There’s nothing in the text to support the idea that Philip was “raptured” into the atmosphere and was then instantly dropped off miles and miles away from where he was.

The eschatological “already” of the inward kingdom gathering and catching away was spiritual, and the eschatological “gathering” and “catching away” in the kingdom at Christ’s return would also be a spiritual event in AD 70. As we noted in our exegesis of Luke 17:20-37/Lk. 21:27-32, Jesus said when that the kingdom would come at His return (to gather all His elect Mt. 24:31), it would be an experience to occur “within” an individual and not something that could be seen with the physical eyes.

The inward realm of redemption or catching away is further evident from a study of the next two words, “clouds” and “air.”

“…in the clouds…” (4:17)

Many partial preterists are correct to see Christ coming on the clouds in Matthew 24:30-31 or Revelation 1:7 as God coming on the clouds in the Old Testament, being common apocalyptic language and not referring to physical clouds we see in the sky. And again, this being the anti-type to the physical cloud covering type of Exodus 19-24, we can see how this is readily a spiritual fulfillment using apocalyptic language. The Church is collectively (dead and living) “gathered” or “caught away” to be on top of Zion in His glory cloud communing with Him enjoying eternal life.

To “meet” the Lord… (4:17)

This Greek word, to “meet,” is wedding language and is only used twice in the NT in an eschatological context – here and also in the wedding motif that Jesus develops in Matthew 25:1-13 (which many Partial Preterists correctly teach was fulfilled spiritually in AD 70).

At Jewish betrothals and weddings, only the father knew the exact time and date of the wedding. When the virgin and her bridesmaids were not expecting it, he would have the groomsmen blow a trumpet ahead of the groom. It was customary for the groom to consummate his marriage sexually at the virgin’s father’s house before taking her to his father’s house, where they would continue consummating the union for seven days and have the wedding feast. The following are parallels with the Messianic wedding motif:

Matthew 24:36, 25:1-13	1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
(1) Christ comes as the Groom at the sound of a “trumpet” (24:30-31)	(1) Christ comes as the Groom at the sound of a “trumpet” (4:16)
(2) Christ comes to “meet” (Greek apantesin) the bride during a “day and hour” “only known by the Father” (24:30-31; 36; 25:6, 13)	(2) Christ comes to “meet” (Greek apantesin) His bride (4:17)

We cannot stress enough how exegetically untenable it is to claim the eschatological wedding or feast of Matthew 8:10-12; Matthew 25:1-13 and Revelation 19-21 was fulfilled at the coming of Christ in AD 70, but the wedding trumpet and coming of Christ here in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 is a different event. This and both Jesus and Paul are drawing upon the wedding of Isaiah 25:

Isaiah 25	Matthew 24-25	1-2 Thessalonians
(1) When old covenant Jerusalem becomes a “heap” and “ruin” is also when God draws the nations to the eschatological wedding to Zion where He “swallows up death” (Isa. 24:10-12; 25:2)	(1) When God would send His “armies” to “burn” or “desolate” Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70, would be the time of the eschatological wedding / resurrection “trumpet” “gathering” when Jesus would “meet” His bride (Matt. 22:7; 24:3-31)	(1) Christ would come from heaven upon the clouds to give “trouble” and covenantal “wrath” to the Jewish persecutors of the Thessalonians while at the same time at the sound of a “trumpet,” He would “gather” and “meet” His bride (1 Thess. 4:16-17; 2 Thess. 1:5-10; 2:1).

This Greek word for “meet” was also often used of a king or dignitary coming to make his home in a city which his empire or kingdom had conquered or was about to conquer. On the news of the imminent coming of the king or dignitary, at the sound of a trumpet the members of the city would go out of the city and “meet” him and escort him back to their home/town. The king’s presence was established WHERE the people already lived. Again, the imagery does not support a literal “rapture” of people off of planet earth, but rather of God coming to rule and reign in the hearts of His people where they are – living on planet earth.

“…in the air” (4:17)

But what of this meeting the Lord in the “air” (Greek eros)? The Strong’s Greek Dictionary defines it as: “From ‘aemi,” to breath unconsciously, to respire. By analogy, to blow. The air, particularly the lower and denser air as distinguished from the higher and rarer air.” So, the point is that this is the air “in” or “within” us.

The Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains lists Eph 2:2, 1 Thess. 4:17, and Rev 16:17 in its definition of eros as meaning “the space inhabited and controlled by [spiritual] powers.”

The Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament says of the “air” in Ephesians 2:2 – “…Jewish conceptions, according to which, among other things, the air is the abode of demons.”

Ephesians 2 refers to Satan as the “prince and power of the AER.” He dwelt in the spiritual realm which extended to the souls of men. The war we see Christ and Satan fighting in the NT is for the spiritual condition of men – within their hearts and minds. Paul goes on to say that Satan “now works in the children of disobedience.” And consistently Jesus defines His kingdom as something that He is setting up “in” and “within” men, and transforming them into His image spiritually.

Prior to AD 70, Satan used his demonic legions to “possess” individuals within the realm of their minds and the spiritual realm of their being. Satan used the old covenant Mosaic law to blind their spiritual eyes, hearts and minds in the realm of the “air” – within their souls, hearts, and minds to produce an arrogant and zealous self-righteousness which apart from Christ could only lead to utter despair (cf. 2 Cor. 3; Gal. 4:17-18; Rom. 7). Christ “bound the strong man” and was raising and delivering Christians from the darkness and death of this spiritual kingdom realm into His own realm (cf. Eph. 2:1-10). Christ snatched away His beloved and spoke peace and joy into the “air” of her heart, soul, and mind when He said, “It is finished” (Rev. 16:17/Heb. 9-10/1 Cor. 15)!

The powers of Satan, demons, the condemnation of the law, and the spiritual death Adam brought upon men were all conquered by Christ at His Parousia in AD 70 for those who put their faith in Him.

Had Paul meant to clearly communicate that believers would physically fly off the planet into the sky and atmosphere above, he would have used the Greek word “ouranos,” which clearly states this as its meaning.

In the “rapture,” Christ descends from heaven on a cloud to earth where He gathers the living into His presence, “within” us where we serve as His most holy dwelling and throne. We also see this in Revelation where the New Jerusalem descends from heaven to earth as God’s glorious bride and establishes His presence within His Church. This can also be seen in John 14 and 2 Corinthians 3 and 5. In John 14, Christ prepares dwelling places (side rooms) in the Father’s “house/temple” for believers to dwell in. During the period of AD 30 – 70, the Church was being “transformed” into Christ’s “image” and needed to be clothed from Her new covenant “house / temple” from heaven (2 Cor. 3; 5). During the Church’s time on earth, the new covenant Most Holy Place of Revelation 21:16 was “coming down” (Rev. 3:11-12NIV) and thus preparing to further clothe for the Church. As God destroyed the old covenant “house/temple” or Jerusalem, followers of Messiah would not be left homeless or naked. The kingdom of Christ has been gathered within us and He and His kingdom are within us (Lk. 17:20-37; Jn. 14:2-3, 23, 29). We are in Him and He is in us.

The parallels between Matthew 23–26, Luke 21, Luke 17, 1 Thessalonians, and 2 Thessalonians demonstrate that Paul’s eschatology in 1–2 Thessalonians is rooted in Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels. These connections, particularly the shared language and themes of Christ’s parousia, judgment, and gathering, suggest a unified eschatological event tied to the first-century context.

The following chart illustrates these parallels, highlighting the continuity of Jesus’ and Paul’s teachings and their fulfillment in AD 70:

Matthew 23–26 / Luke 21 / Luke 17	1 Thessalonians
1) First-century audience (“you”) to experience Christ’s coming (Matt. 23–26; Lk. 21)	1) First-century audience (“you,” “us”) to experience Christ’s coming (1:9–10)
2) Persecution, suffering, and death (Matt. 23:34; 24:9)	2) Present persecution and death (1:6; 2:14; 4:13–17)
3) Imminence: “Raise your heads” because “all” OT will be fulfilled and redemption is “near” in “this generation” (Lk. 21:27–32)	3) Imminence: “Eagerly wait” for His coming (1:9–10)
4) Christ’s parousia (Matt. 24:27)	4) Christ’s parousia (2:19)
5) Christ comes on the clouds of heaven (Matt. 24:30)	5) Christ comes from heaven (2:19)
6) To “gather” believers to Christ (Matt. 24:31)	6) To “snatch” believers from wrath to Christ (1:10)
7) Exhorted to flee from Roman armies and the coming “wrath” upon the Jews (Lk. 21:20–23)	7) Delivers believers from “wrath,” while first-century Jewish persecutors experience “wrath” (1:10; 2:16)
8) Jews killed the OT prophets and would kill NT prophets sent to them in that generation (Matt. 23:34–36)	8) Jews killed the prophets, Jesus, and persecuted the Thessalonians (2:14–15; cf. Acts 17)
9) Jews were to “fill up” the measure of sin through blood guilt in their generation (Matt. 23:32–36)	9) Jews were in the process of “filling up” the measure of sin through blood guilt (2:14–16)
10) The coming of the Lord and wrath would be poured out by the “end” (Grk. telos) of the Old Covenant age (Matt. 24:3–30; Lk. 21:20–23)	10) The coming of the Lord and wrath would be poured out to the “end” (Grk. telos) (2:16)
11) Wedding terminology: “Only the Father knows the time of the wedding”; “shout” at the sound of a “trumpet.” Exhorted to be “wise” and “watch” (Matt. 24:30–31, 36; 25:1–13)	11) Wedding terminology: Thessalonians exhorted to be “spotless” and “blameless” [as a bride] as Christ [the Groom] comes for her (3:13)
12) Christ comes (parousia) (Mt. 24:27)	12) Christ comes (parousia) (4:15–17)
13) Comes “upon the clouds of heaven” (Matt. 24:30)	13) “Descends from heaven” (4:16)
14) Comes with “angels” (Mt. 24:31)	14) Comes with the “archangel” (4:16)
15) At the sound of a “trumpet” (Matt. 24:31)	15) At the sound of a “trumpet” (4:16)
16) Believers “gathered” to Christ (Matt. 24:31)	16) Believers “caught,” “snatched,” or “gathered” to Christ (1:10; 4:17)
17) Wedding terminology: “Only the Father knows the time”; Groom “meets” the bride at the sound of a “trumpet” (Matt. 24:30–31, 36; 25:1–13)	17) Wedding terminology: “Meet” the Lord at His coming with the sound of a “trumpet” (4:16–17)
18) Inward fulfillment: When Christ would be revealed from heaven, the “kingdom” would be “within” the heart of the believer (Lk. 17:20–37)	18) Inward fulfillment: “Caught” (Grk.harpazō) in the “air” (Grk. aēr) (used for inward spiritual influence; cf. Mt. 12:29; 13:19; Eph. 2:2)
19) Exact time unknown (Matt. 24:36)	19) Exact time unknown (5:1–2)
20) Christ comes as a thief (Matt. 24:43)	20) Christ comes as a thief (5:2–4)
21) Unbelievers caught off guard (Matt. 24:37–39)	21) Unbelievers caught off guard (5:3)
22) The time of the eschatological or Messianic “birth pains” (Matt. 24:8)	22) The time of the eschatological or Messianic “birth pains” (5:3)
23) Believers not deceived (Matt. 24:43)	23) Believers not deceived (5:4–5)
24) Unbelievers deceived (Matt. 24:43)	24) Unbelievers deceived (5:4–5)
25) Believers “watchful” (Matt. 24:42)	25) Believers “watchful” (5:6)
26) Warning against drunkenness (Matt. 24:49)	26) Warning against drunkenness (5:7)
27) Christ comes as the “light of day” “shining from east to west” (Matt. 24:27; Lk. 17:24; Aramaic NT / AFV)	27) Called “sons of the day” and “belong to the day” at Christ’s “day of the Lord” (5:5, 8)
Matthew 23–26 / Luke 21 / Luke 17	2 Thessalonians
28) Jesus predicts false prophets would claim the end had come before it was time (Matt. 24:24–27)	28) False teachers were teaching the Day of the Lord had “already” come (2:2; cf. 2 Tim. 2:17–18). If Paul taught a physical rapture and resurrection, why didn’t he counter by saying, “How can you believe this? We are all still here, and bodies are still in the graves—right?!?”
29) The sign of Roman armies surrounding Jerusalem and the Jewish apostasy / rebellion had to take place first before Christ would come to “gather” His people (Matt. 24:12, 15, 30–31; Lk. 21:20–27)	29) The sign of the Man of Lawlessness being revealed and the Jewish apostasy / rebellion had to take place first before Christ would come to “gather” His people (2:3–4ff.)
30) At Christ’s coming, there would be everlasting punishment, and the priesthood would see Christ coming on the clouds to judge them (Mt. 25:31–46; cf. 26:62–65). They “saw” (perceived/understood) He had come by witnessing the Romans destroy Jerusalem and the temple, as Jesus promised!	30) At Christ’s coming, there would be everlasting destruction and punishment for the Man of Lawlessness (restrainer = former High Priest Theophilus who opposed rebellion; Man of Lawlessness = High Priest Phannias installed by Zealots for the rebellion) being “killed” in AD 70 (1:9; 2:8)

The parallels between Matthew 23–26 / Luke 21 / Luke 17, 1 Thessalonians, and 2 Thessalonians demonstrate that Paul’s eschatology is rooted in Jesus’ teachings, pointing to a unified eschatological event in the first century. These connections include shared language and themes such as Christ’s parousia (Mt. 24:27; 1 Thess. 2:19, 4:15–17), coming on clouds/from heaven (Mt. 24:30; 1 Thess. 4:16), gathering/snatching believers (Mt. 24:31; 1 Thess. 1:10, 4:17), a trumpet sound (Mt. 24:31; 1 Thess. 4:16), judgment and wrath (Mt. 24:3–30; Lk. 21:20–23; 1 Thess. 1:10; 2:16; 2 Thess. 1:9, 2:8), and imminence within “this generation” and the lifetime of the Thessalonians (Lk. 21:27–32; 1 Thess. 1:9–10).

Major Premise: The coming of Christ, gathering of believers, and judgment described in Matthew 23:39–26:64, Luke 21:12–32, Luke 17:20–37, 1 Thessalonians 1:9–10, 2:14–16, 4:15–17, 5:1–11, and 2 Thessalonians 1:9, 2:2–8 constitute the singular Second Coming and eschatological event (Classic Amillennialism).

Minor Premise: The coming of Christ, gathering of believers, and judgment in Matthew 23:39–26:64, Luke 21:12–32, Luke 17:20–37, and 2 Thessalonians 2:2–8 were fulfilled spiritually in AD 70, coinciding with the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, marking the end of the Old Covenant age (Partial Preterism).

Conclusion: Therefore, the singular Second Coming, gathering of believers, and judgment event described in Matthew 23:39–26:64, Luke 21:12–32, Luke 17:20–37, 1 Thessalonians 1:9–10, 2:14–16, 4:15–17, 5:1–11, and 2 Thessalonians 1:9, 2:2–8 was fulfilled spiritually in AD 70, closing the Old Covenant age (Full Preterism).

Lastly, let’s see how the Olivet Discourse forms Paul’s imminent hope of the resurrection in Romans.

d). Luke 21:27-28 and Romans 8–13:11-12: A Unified Eschatological Event

I would agree with reformed theologians like John Murray who understood the “redemption” of Luke 21 to be Paul’s redemption hope here in Romans:

“Now in Luke 21:28 . . . [t]his word ‘redemption’ (apolutrosin), when used with reference to the future, has a distinctly eschatological connotation, the final redemption, the consummation of the redemptive process (cf. Rom 8:23…). Hence analogy would again point to the eschatological complex of events.”[27]

I also find merit in certain aspects of N.T. Wright’s perspective, as outlined in “Redemption from the New Perspective? Towards a Multi-Layered Pauline Theology of the Cross,” where he identifies the second exodus motif in Romans. Wright argues that Paul reinterprets the Old Testament second exodus narrative—originally Israel’s liberation from Egypt—as a key framework for redemption, using exodus imagery (e.g., deliverance from bondage, a new creation, and God’s leading) to depict the Church’s liberation from sin and death through Christ’s work. This second exodus represents a spiritual and cosmic renewal, constituting believers—both Jew and Gentile—as God’s renewed people, with the cross and resurrection fulfilling God’s covenant promises and liberating humanity from the “exile” of sin.

Wright notes that in Romans 8, Paul employs language of groaning creation and the Spirit’s leading to echo Israel’s exodus, signifying a new divine deliverance. However, he does not connect this redemption to an imminent first-century fulfillment, such as AD 70, instead presenting it as an ongoing narrative of God’s kingdom, with the cross as the central event. This contrasts with the imminent AD 70 consummation suggested by Paul’s time indicators.

Both Murray and Wright, however, miss critical elements by not developing the imminent time texts in the Olivet Discourse (Luke 21) and Romans, which point to the “appointed time” (kairos) for this redemption. This oversight distorts their understanding of its nature and timing. Additionally, their failure to engage John Lightfoot’s insight that the “creation” in Romans 8 refers to humanity rather than the planet further misguides their interpretation of the time and essence of God’s redemptive plan in Christ.

Here in Romans 8:18-23 YLT, Paul’s redemptive “appointed time” is intimately connected to three imminent key Greek expressions:

Mello—signifying that something is “about to be” or “soon to be” fulfilled.
Apokaradokia—connoting the act of having one’s head or neck extended in eager anticipation for an event to be fulfilled.
Apekdechomai—implying to be on one’s toes in expectant readiness for an event to be fulfilled.^[28]

Reformed theologian John Lightfoot provides a crucial insight. According to Lightfoot, the “earnest expectation of the creature” and the “groaning of the whole creation” are not literal descriptions of planetary decay but rather metaphors for the inner spiritual decay and emptiness of the human mind. He explains:

… [T]his vanity [or futility] is improperly applied to this vanishing, changeable, dying state of the [physical] creation. For vanity, doth not so much denote the vanishing condition of the outward state, as it doth the inward vanity and emptiness of the mind. The Romans to whom this apostle writes, knew well enough how many and how great predictions and promises it had pleased God to publish by his prophets, concerning gathering together and adopting sons to himself among the Gentiles: the manifestation and production of which sons, the whole Gentile world doth now wait for, as it were, with an out-stretched neck.^[29]

And again,

The Gentile world shall in time be delivered from the bondage of their sinful corruption, that is, the bondage of their lusts and vile affections, (under which it hath lain for so long a time) into a noble liberty, such as the sons of God enjoy. If it be inquired how the Gentile world groaned and travailed in pain, let them who expound this of the fabric of the material world tell us how that groaneth and travaileth. They must needs own it to be a borrowed and allusive phrase.^[30]

In this case, Lightfoot is on solid ground, citing 2 Peter 1:4, 2 Corinthians 11:3, and 1 Corinthians 15:33 to support this view. Not only do the terms “vanity,” “corruption,” and “decay” hint at ethical and moral putrefaction in man’s heart and mind, but contextually the passage has nothing to do with hydrogen, oxygen, or squirrels longing for a better day when they won’t be hit by cars.

Major Premise:

If Scripture presents eschatological themes—such as the second exodus, redemption from bondage, and the consummation at Christ’s Second Coming—as being thematically fulfilled through the union of Old Testament prophecy and New Testament teaching (e.g., Romans 8–13; Luke 21; Luke 17), and explicitly places their consummation within the first-century “this generation” via time indicators like “near” (engus), “about to be” (mellō), and “kairos” (eschatological appointed time), then these promises must have been accomplished and applied in that historical framework, marking AD 70 as the point of fulfillment. This insight, missed by Murray due to his neglect of the imminent time texts in Luke 21 and Romans, and by N.T. Wright despite his recognition of the second exodus theme, underscores the necessity of integrating these temporal markers.

Minor Premise:

Jesus in Luke 21 links Israel’s imminent redemption to His coming within “this generation” (vv. 27–28, 32), while Paul in Romans 8–13 develops this same Olivet Discourse framework—connecting Israel’s exodus groaning and redemption to the Church’s liberation from Adamic bondage—using identical “near” (engus) and “about to be” (mellō) time markers. N.T. Wright correctly identifies Paul’s development of the second exodus theme in Romans but misses its imminent fulfillment by overlooking these time indicators. These parallels, drawing directly from Old Testament second exodus themes and Jesus’ teachings, include:

Old Covenant Israel (Second Exodus Themes)	New Covenant Fulfillment in the Church (Romans 8)
Israel as God’s “children” or “sons” (Deut. 32:5, 19–20)	Church as God’s “children” or “sons” (Rom. 8:14, 16, 21)
God “created”/“made” Israel through the exodus event (Deut. 32:6; Isa. 51:15–16)	“Creation” as believing Gentiles & Jews, not physical creation (Rom. 8:22)
God “led” Israel (Deut. 32:12)	Church “led” by the Spirit (Rom. 8:14)
Israel “groaning” to be “set free” and “redeemed” from Egyptian slavery/bondage (Ex. 6:2–9)	Jew/Gentile Church “groaning” to be “set free” & “redeemed” from inner “bondage” and corruption of Adamic sin (Rom. 8:20–22)
Olivet Discourse & Luke 17	Romans 8–13:11–12 Fulfillment
Suffering & eschatological birth pains coming (Matt. 24:8–9)	Suffering & eschatological birth pains already taking place (Rom. 8:17–18, 22)
Kingdom to be realized “within” a person at Christ’s Second Coming (Luke 17:20–37; 21:27–32)	Christ’s “glory” revealed in the Church at His Second Coming (Rom. 8:18; 13:11–12; cf. Col. 1:27)
Called to “lift up heads” because “redemption” was “drawing near” in “this generation” (Luke 21:27–28)	Believers to wait with “eager expectation” (Gk. apekdechomai, apokaradokia – “to eagerly wait for fulfillment with an outstretched neck and head lifted forward”) (Rom. 8:19–23)
Second Coming & “gathering” (resurrection) at the end of the Old Covenant age described as “shining like the sun” in the Kingdom (Matt. 24:27–31; 13:39–43; cf. Dan. 12:2–3)	Second Coming & “awakening from sleep” (resurrection) described as the arrival of “the [eschatological New Covenant age] Day” (Rom. 13:11–12; fulfillment of Dan. 12:2–3)
The “time” (kairos – eschatological “appointed time of fulfillment / consummation”) was “near” in the first-century “generation” or by AD 70 (Luke 21:8, 32; Dan. 12:4 LXX)	The “time” (kairos) was “near” and “about to be” fulfilled in AD 70 (Rom. 8:18; 13:11–12)

Conclusion:

Therefore, the redemption promised by Jesus and expounded by Paul was not a distant hope but an imminent reality, accomplished and applied at Christ’s coming in AD 70. By overlooking the explicit time indicators in Luke 21 and their apostolic development in Romans—along with the integrated second exodus and Olivet parallels—Murray fails to recognize the unified, first-century fulfillment, missing the AD 70 timing entirely, while N.T. Wright, despite noting the second exodus theme, also misses this imminent fulfillment, thus both scholars fall short of the complete eschatological redemptive picture.

e) Matthew 24:30–31 and Revelation 10–11: A Unified Eschatological Event

Many commentators—both historic and modern—have recognized that John’s Apocalypse functions as the prophetic counterpart to the Olivet Discourse. While Revelation contains multiple visionary cycles, the parallels between Matthew 24:30–31 and the sounding of the seventh trumpet in Revelation 10–11 stand out as particularly decisive for identifying the timing and nature of the event in view.

Reformed Amillennial pastor and scholar, Kim Riddlebarger wrote:

“The trumpet call in Matthew 24:31, where the Son of Man sends His angels to gather His elect, is the same trumpet sounded in Revelation 11:15, marking the seventh trumpet and the establishment of God’s kingdom.”[31]

In both texts, the trumpet blast signals the same climactic reality:

The judgment of Jerusalem and the end of the Old Covenant order
The resurrection/judgment of the dead
The consummation of all prophecy foretold by Daniel and the other prophets
The inheritance of the kingdom by the saints
And the consummation of the Jew–Gentile mystery

Both root these events in the same prophetic timeframe—Daniel’s “appointed time of the end” (kairos, Dan. 12:4, 9)—and both identify the period as a three-and-a-half-year trampling of the holy city. Significantly, Luke 21:8, 24 adds that the fall of Jerusalem would take place during the kairos (“appointed time”) of the Gentiles, reinforcing the Danielic time indicator. Each passage speaks with the same note of imminence: Jesus promises fulfillment “in this generation” (Matt. 24:34; Lk. 21:32), while John hears that there will be “no more delay” (Rev. 10:6–7).

Because these passages are conceptually and linguistically intertwined, the connections become even clearer when their key elements are set side-by-side. The following chart traces the direct correspondences between the trumpet gathering in Matthew 24–25 and the seventh trumpet in Revelation 10–11:

Matthew 24–25 / Luke 21	Revelation 10–11
1. At the sound of the trumpet (24:31)	1. At the sound of the seventh trumpet (10:6–7; 11:15)
2. All Old Testament prophecy fulfilled within Jesus’ generation (Lk. 21:22, 32)	2. The consummative Jew/Gentile mystery foretold by the prophets would be “no longer delayed” (10:6–7; cf. Rom. 16:25–26)
3. The resurrection/gathering of the elect and inheritance of eternal life (24:31; 25:46)	3. The judgment of the dead and granting of access to God’s presence in the heavenly temple (11:18–19)
4. The “appointed time” (kairos, Lk. 21:8, 24) / “times of the Gentiles” to trample Jerusalem in fulfillment of Dan. 12:7’s 3½ years (AD 67–70)	4. The “appointed time” (kairos) for Jerusalem (“where the Lord was slain”) and the temple to be trampled for 42 months in fulfillment of Dan. 12:7’s 3½ years (11:1–8 – AD 67–70)
5. Fulfilled “immediately after” the tribulation—“near” and “at the doors” in Jesus’ generation (24:29–34)	5. Fulfilled with “no more delay” and “shortly” / “soon” in the AD 70 time frame (1:1, 3; 10:6; 22:10)
6. The time when the saints inherit the kingdom (24:32–34; 25:34; Lk. 21:31)	6. The time when the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (11:15)

These Matthew–Revelation connections are not accidental. Both writers are deliberately drawing from the same prophetic source material—especially Daniel 12. Daniel’s prophecy provides the time markers, covenantal context, and redemptive scope that shape both Jesus’ teaching and John’s vision. When Matthew 24:30–31 and Revelation 10–11 are read against Daniel 12, the full prophetic alignment comes into view:

Daniel 12	Matthew 24–25 / Luke 21	Revelation 10–11
1. “Appointed time of the end” (kairos, 12:4, 9)	1. End of the Old Covenant age in “this generation” and the kairos (24:3, 34; Lk. 21:8, 24, 32)	1. “No more delay… appointed time” (kairos) for the mystery to be fulfilled (10:6–7; 11:18)
2. Jerusalem/holy people shattered after 3½ years (12:7)	2. “Times of the Gentiles” / kairos of the Gentiles trampling Jerusalem (Lk. 21:8, 24)	2. Holy city trampled for 42 months; witnesses killed (11:2–8)
3. Resurrection/judgment of the dead (12:2–3)	3. Gathering of the elect at the trumpet (24:31; 25:31–46)	3. Judgment of the dead and reward to the saints (11:18)
4. Fulfillment seals all prophecy (12:4)	4. “All things” fulfilled (Lk. 21:22)	4. Mystery of God fulfilled; temple opened (10:7; 11:19)
(no direct reference)—implied since Dan. 12 recapitulates Dan. 2 and 7 where the kingdom is	5. Time when the saints inherit the kingdom (24:32–34; 25:34; Lk. 21:31)	5. Time when the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ (11:15)

Major Premise: The trumpet coming of Christ in Matthew 24:30–31 and the sounding of the seventh trumpet in Revelation 10–11 describe the same consummative eschatological event—the “appointed time of the end” (kairos) of Daniel 12, echoed in Luke 21:8, 24—when Jerusalem is judged, the dead are raised, the kingdom is inherited, the Jew–Gentile mystery is consummated, and all Old Testament prophecy is fulfilled.

Minor Premise: Both Matthew 24:30–31 and Revelation 10–11 place this trumpet event in the first century, declaring it would occur “immediately after” the tribulation (Matt. 24:29–34) and with “no more delay” (Rev. 10:6–7), during the AD 67–70 siege and destruction of Jerusalem, thus spiritually fulfilling the resurrection/judgment, kingdom-inheritance, and prophetic consummation.

Conclusion: Therefore, the consummative resurrection, judgment, kingdom inheritance, and prophetic fulfillment described in Matthew 24:30–31, Luke 21, and Revelation 10–11 were spiritually realized in AD 70 at the end of the Old Covenant age.

Jewish Views of the Resurrection

Many Futurists simply assume that the only concept of the resurrection of the dead in the OT and during Jesus’ day was a biological fleshly one in which an alleged individual’s physical/ spiritual body would emerge from the literal grave at the end of time and thus be fitted for the afterlife in the new creation or some paradise on earth. But this is simply not the case.

I like how Lester L. Grabbe points out that, during the Second Temple period, the interpretations of the resurrection in the OT were not all necessarily understood to refer to the physical body. They included the view that the resurrection involved only the souls/spirits of individuals being fit for God’s presence either at death, or only their souls were raised at a general judgment of the dead event. He points out that there is no evidence that the physical view was any more dominant than the spiritual view. While lengthy, I think his historical comments will be helpful before we begin an exegesis of the OT and NT resurrection texts and simply assume they are addressing a biological resurrection at the end of time when Jesus or Messiah comes:

“It is sometimes asserted that the resurrection of the body was the characteristic Jewish belief. This is not borne out by the data. A variety of beliefs seem to be attested about the same time in Israelite history. One of these was the resurrection of the body, but there is little reason to think that it was earlier or more characteristic of Jewish thinking than the immortality of the soul or resurrection of the spirit. And it is clear that some Jews still maintained the older belief in no afterlife. The Sadducees (see section 2.7) are one group who thought so; so did Ben Sira. Writing about 190 bce Ben Sira does not seem to think of any life beyond death, as interpreted by the vast majority of scholars. Therefore, it would be quite wrong to refer to any of these beliefs as ‘characteristically’ Jewish or the Jewish belief on the subject.”[32]

“The exact form of the resurrection is not always specified, but we should not expect it always to entail resurrection of the body. Sometimes only the resurrection of the spirit is in mind, as in Jubilees 23:20–22:

And at that time the Lord will heal his servants, and they shall be exalted and prosper greatly; and they shall drive out their adversaries. And the righteous shall see it and be thankful, and rejoice with joy for ever and ever; and they shall see all the punishments and curses that had been their lot falling on their enemies. And their bones shall rest in the earth, and their spirits shall have much joy; and they shall know that the Lord is one who executes judgement, and shows mercy to hundreds, and to tens of thousands, and to all that love him.

Belief in the immortality of the soul is known at least as early as the Book of Watchers (1 Enoch 1–36). The souls of the various sorts of people are preserved in hollow places after death (1 Enoch 22):

And from there I went to another place, and he showed me in the west a large and high mountain, and a hard rock and four beautiful places, and inside it was deep and wide and very smooth . . . Then Raphael, one of the holy angels who was with me, answered me and said to me, These beautiful places are intended for this, that the spirits, the souls of the dead, might be gathered into them; for them they were created, that here they might gather all the souls of the sons of men. And these places they made where they will keep them until the day of their judgement and until their appointed time – and that appointed time will be long – until the great judgement comes upon them.

As the rest of the passage indicates, the souls of the dead are already experiencing reward and punishment in their intermediate state. In this case, the existence of the soul after death seems to be combined with the idea of a final judgement. This may imply a general resurrection, though this is not stated explicitly. In other sections of 1 Enoch, a resurrection is mentioned (46:6; 51:1; 90:33; 91:10; 92:3–4).

Other sources give no indication of a resurrection at all, only the immortal soul. A good example is Wisdom of Solomon which speaks of the soul (e.g., 3:1–9) but does not mention the resurrection. Whether Wisdom thinks the souls of all are immortal, or only those of the righteous, is debated. Many feel that immortality is not inherent in the soul itself but is a gift given only to the righteous.

The Testament of Abraham gives the clearest picture of how the souls are judged after death (Version A 11–14; Version B 9–11). The souls are brought before a throne on which Abel sits as judge. The one who presents the souls for judgement is Enoch, the scribe of righteousness (Version B only). The judged souls go either through the strait gate which leads to life (for the righteous) or the broad gate to destruction (for the sinners). Although there is a brief indication of belief in a general resurrection in the Testament of Abraham (Version B 7:16), judgement of each individual seems to take place immediately after death, and the emphasis is on this immediate judgement of the soul while the body rests in the grave.

On the other hand, the immortal souls and the resurrection may be combined, as in 2 Baruch 29–30:

[30:2] And it shall come to pass at that time that the treasuries will be opened in which is preserved the number of the souls of the righteous, and they will come out, and the multitude of souls will appear together in one single assembly; and those who are first will rejoice, and those who are last will not be cast down. For each one of them will know that the predetermined end of the times has come. But the souls of the wicked, when they see all this, will be the more discomforted. For they will know that their torment is upon them and that their perdition has arrived.”[33]

Murray J. Harris after examining the intertestamental period of Judaism agrees:

“And there is the concept of the immortality of the soul or spirit that is gained at death or at the End [of the Mosaic age], with or without a resurrection of the [physical] body.”[34]

In Jewish tradition and exegesis there is also the view that the resurrection takes place 40 years after Messiah,

“Jewish writings stipulate that forty years after the coming of the Messiah there will be a resurrection of the dead, and all who are lying in dust will rise to new life.” (The 13 Principles and the Resurrection of the Dead)

The Rebbe often quotes the Zohar to the effect that the Resurrection will take place 40 years after the advent of Mashiach. (See Igros Kodesh, Vol. II, p. 75; Sefer HaSichos 5752, Vol. I, p. 274. However, there are also other references in the sichos (e.g., Likkutei Sichos, Vol. XXVII, p. 206; Sefer HaSichos 5733, Shabbos Parshas Balak, footnote 3).”[35]

The fact that the resurrection could be a resurrection of spirits out of Hades in the coming judgment and that it would be fulfilled 40 years after Messiah was cut-off or during His transitionary reign between their old covenant “this age” and the new covenant “age about to come” fits perfectly with the teachings of Jesus and the NT authors.

Reformed Views of a Spiritual Resurrection in AD 70

Many Christians are also unaware that Reformed Partial Preterism teaches that there was a spiritual resurrection of the dead at the coming or parousia of Christ in AD 70. This position teaches the exact same concepts that Full Preterism teaches, in that the OT and NT supports that:

1). There was a spiritual, progressive, corporate and covenantal resurrection from the condemnation and death of the old covenant body of Israel being transformed and rising into the imputed righteousness and resurrection life of the new covenant body of Israel between AD 30 – AD 70.

2). This spiritual, progressive, corporate and covenantal resurrection is consummated “immediately after” the Tribulation of AD 67 – AD 70 when God emptied the souls from Abraham’s Bosom, or Hades, and caused His righteous to inherit God’s presence and eternal life.

Unfortunately, the weakness of this position is that both the OT and NT teach that this is the ONE “appointed time of the end” or “end of the (old covenant) age” consummative resurrection event and not just “a” resurrection. But through harmonizing the analogy of faith of the Classic Amillennial view and the imminent and spiritual concepts coming from Partial Preterism, we inevitably have been drawn by the work of the Spirit to Full Preterism.

Conclusion
Read canonically and by the analogy of faith, the trumpet-gathering of Matthew 24:30–31 is the same consummative event signaled by Daniel 7; 12, echoed by Jesus in Matthew 13; 16; 25 and by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4–5; 1 Corinthians 15; Romans 8–13, and sealed in Revelation 10–11 at the seventh trumpet. The timeline is coherent and constrained: the tribulation culminates in the appointed kairos, the holy city is trampled for 3½ years, and immediately after that tribulation there is no more delay—Jerusalem falls as the sign of the Son of Man’s enthronement; the old aeon is judged; and the resurrectional ingathering (Hades-to-presence) of the elect is accomplished. From that consummation the gathering continues—not as a second, different eschaton—but as the ongoing influx of the nations into the New Jerusalem’s life (Rev. 21:2, 17).

This synthesis resolves the timing-and-nature impasse between classic Amillennialism and Partial Preterism: if there is one climactic resurrection/Parousia, and if the key texts (Dan. 12; Matt. 13; 24–25; 1 Thess. 4; 1 Cor. 15; Rom. 8–13; Rev.10–11) are admitted—often by Partial-Preterists themselves—to have been spiritually fulfilled in AD 70, the conclusion follows: the singular, promised event occurred covenantally and completely within Jesus’ generation. It also explains Second Temple expectations (including a spiritual resurrection “forty years” after Messiah) and vindicates Lightfoot’s reading of Romans 8 as imminent, anthropological renewal rather than planetary renovation.

Murray’s reluctance to integrate Luke 21’s imminence with Romans, and Wright’s tendency to detach the second-exodus motif from AD 70, both dissolve when Scripture is allowed to interpret Scripture. In AD 70 the Old Covenant closed, the Son of Man’s rule was publicly vindicated, the dead were gathered into His presence, and the kingdom passed into its unveiled administration. From that consummation flows the present invitation of Revelation 22:17—the Spirit and the Bride still say, “Come”—as the healing of the nations advances in history, the abiding fruit of a Parousia accomplished and a people gathered to be His dwelling forever.

[1] John L. Bray, MATTHEW 24 FULFILLED, (Powder Springs, GA: American Vision, 1996), pp. 160-161

[2] R. Hofman, cited in Meyer’s Commentary on the New Testament, vol. 1, 423.

[3] Sepher Yosippon, trans. Steven B. Bowman.

[4] Pseudo-Hegesippus, trans. Wade Blocker, ed. Roger Pearse, 2005.

[5] Sepher Yosippon, Ibid.

[6] John Lightfoot, COMMENTARY ON THE NEW TESTAMENT FROM THE TALMUD AND HEBRAICA, (Baker Book House, Vol. 2, 1979), 320

[7] Keith A. Mathison, Postmillennialism: An Eschatology of Hope (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 1999), 114.

[8] J. Marcellus Kik, An Eschatology of Victory (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 1971), 137-138.

[9] See John Gill’s Commentary on the Bible free online at Biblehub.com or elsewhere.

[10] John Murray, The Epistle to the Romans, New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1968), 391.

[11] Reformed Study Bible, ed. R.C. Sproul and Keith Mathison.

[12] James B. Jordan, The Handwriting on the Wall: A Commentary on the Book of Daniel (Powder Springs, GA: American Vision, 2007), 618. Emphasis added.

[13] Ibid., 618–619.

[14] Ibid., 620

[15] Ibid., 621

[16] Ibid., 628

[17] Kenneth L. Gentry Jr., He Shall Have Dominion: A Postmillennial Eschatology, 3rd ed. (Draper, VA: Apologetics Group Media, 2009), 538.

[18] Ibid., 538. Emphasis added.

[19] Ibid., 538–539. Emphasis added.

[20] Ibid., 539. Emphasis added.

[21] Ibid., 540. Emphasis added.

[22] Joel McDurmon, Jesus v. Jerusalem: A Commentary on Luke 9:51–20:26, Jesus’ Lawsuit Against Israel (Powder Springs, GA: The American Vision, 2011), 48–49; see entire section, 43–51.

[23] 68 Ibid., 46–47.

[24] James B. Jordan, Matthew 23-25: A Literary, Historical, and Theological Commentary (Powder Springs, GA: American Vision, forthcoming), 180-181.

[25] Mathison, FROM AGE TO AGE, pp. 365-366 fn. 92

[26] G.K. Beale, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series: 1–2 Thessalonians (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2003), 136.

[27] John Murray, COLLECTED WRITINGS OF JOHN MURRAY 2 Systematic Theology (Pennsylvania, PA: THE BANNER OF TRUTH TRUST, 1977), 390-391

[28] See also Gary DeMar and Kim Burgess, The Hope of Israel and the Nations: New Testament Eschatology Accomplished and Applied, vol. 1 (Powder Springs, GA: American Vision, 2023), 215–220.

[29] John Lightfoot, Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Hebraica, vol. 4 (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, n.d.), 157. Lightfoot, Hammond, and Gill understand the “creation” as referring to Gentiles: “. . . Crellius (Comm., Para.) explains it as a reference to regenerate Christians, and Le Clerc

(Supp., NT) refers it particularly to Gentile Christians.” See also John Locke, The Clarendon Edition of the Works of John Locke. I tend to see it as referring primarily to believers within Old Covenant Israel groaning under the Law (Rom. 7) as they awaited Messianic deliverance, though there is no reason to exclude righteous Gentiles who also longed for the seed of the woman to deliver them from Adamic death and sin, which the Mosaic Law only magnified. Kim Burgess interprets the “creation” in verses 19–21 as referring to the Jews, verse 22 to the Gentiles, and verse 23 to Christians. See Gary DeMar and Kim Burgess, The Hope of Israel and the Nations: New Testament Eschatology Accomplished and Applied, vol. 1 (Powder Springs, GA: American Vision, 2023), 222. Emphasis added.

[30] Ibid., 158–159. Emphasis added.

[31] Kim Riddlebarger, “The Eschatological Framework of Amillennialism” published on The Riddleblog (riddleblog.blogspot.com), dated March 15, 2010.

[32] Lester L. Grabbe, An Introduction to Second Temple Judaism: History and Religion of the Jews in the Time of Nehemiah, the Maccabees, Hillel, and Jesus, (T&T Clark Publishing, 2010), see pages 93-96

[33] Ibid.

[34] Murray J. Harris, FROM GRAVE to GLORY RESURRECTION IN THE NEW TESTAMENT Including a Response to Norman L. Geisler, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1990), 70

[35] (Historical Jewish Sources, https://preteristarchives.org/historical-jewish-sources/?fbclid=IwAR2Osz
DkXKqp8Z-qv0RFId1hjS6_tDT7hoysllAAjdGQpUOTi03OmHx67Nc