The Return of Jesus ? And the 'Rapture' possibly 2026?

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1 The Return of Jesus ? And the 'Rapture' possibly 2026? (Ed. This page is part of the Admin's Blog section on the website IHS-WA.net, therefore being the private view of Max Jefferies. It is NOT a representation of any view within the Christian Brethren movement.) *** This article has been REVISED *** In my original article I was establishing the date of the crucifixion of Jesus from the estimated year of His birth, which has been anywhere from 7 to 2 BC, and then adding 33 years to get to the crucifixion date. I have since discovered that the date of His death has been firmly calculated as April 3, AD 33. Please read the attachment at the end of this article for a full explanation. It is the death of Jesus that we are concerned with in this article as that was when the old covenant was replaced with the new covenant, and salvation, through the shedding of His sinless blood, became available to all people who would respond to Him. FRIGHTENING - EXCITING - CHALLENGING Preface Here we go - another prophecy date-fixer! I have kept quiet about my thoughts on the return of Jesus, fearing the typical expected backlash, but now feel that I must come out in favour of this view that is becoming more widely aired on the internet these days. To me this is so exciting and what a challenge - to live your life with the purpose of investing all you have into God's Kingdom before His VERY NEAR RETURN. How much money do you have - to meet the Lord Jesus and still have many thousands of dollars still in your bank account or invested when it could have been used to distribute Bibles or spread God's message in countries hungry for the Good News, would be a great shame. And your time - spent on things of this world instead of working earnestly to further Christ's message and love before His near return, would be rather pointless. Get excited about Christ's return - get active - it is your last chance this side of heaven. 1 A Logical Date On the lead up to the year 2000 I began thinking about how close the return of Jesus is and adding 2,000 years to date of His death, which finished the old covenant and brought in the new covenant. Jesus death has been reliably calculated to have occurred in AD 33, which gives a simple figure of the years AD 2033 for His possible return. Pretty simple really! BUT, WOW!! This is frightening, exciting and challenging to us, the followers of Christ! There have been numerous dates set for Jesus' return over the years, most needed a Ph.D. to follow them, but it must be said now THAT ALL THOSE DATES ARE NOW IN THE PAST, so you can forget about them. The only future date that has any real biblical weight to it is 2,000 years from the cross of Christ. 2 No Day or Hour, but the Year? Many people jump on you when you talk about dating the second coming of Christ, that we are told we can not know the day or hour - clearly seen in what Jesus says in Matthew: "Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away. But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." (Matthew 24:32-35 NKJV) 1

2 But Jesus does say we will be able to see the timing of His return in a more general sense, when it is at your door, and that we MUST be prepared for it! To talk about the approximate YEAR of His return is not to go against the Bible passage above, but to put it into the real world that we are living in. As the next few years develop, it will become more obvious that the end of this era is drawing to a RAPID close. 3 God's 7 Day / 7,000 Year Plan This is something I found on the internet that got my attention and thought. In Isaiah God says He declares the end from the beginning. The beginning was the creation week, but how does this show the 'End' of things? "Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, "My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure."" (Isaiah 46:9-10 NKJV). "...saying, Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. For this they wilfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up." (2 Peter 3:4-10 NKJV) This understanding that God has established a 7 day / 7,000 year master plan for His creation of mankind on planet Earth is a intriguing concept. The 'beginning' was 6 days of creation and a day of rest, the Sabbath. 7 days! We are almost to 6,000 years since creation and we are looking forward to Christ's return to earth for what the scripture says is a thousand year reign of rest - making a total of 7,000 years - then the Judgement Seat of Christ will occur. Let us read the Book of Revelation chapter 20 for a better understanding: "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years. Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were 2

3 opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:1-15 NKJV) After the previous chapters in the book of Revelation describing the 7 years of 'Tribulation', we see this 1,000 years of rest, then the final battle with Satan, then the end of the age with the Judgement Seat and the Book of Life. Then the 7,000 years are complete. 7 days of creation / 7,000 year history of the earth. We are almost to the end of the 6,000 year period. 4 The Fig Tree and Israel Just days before Jesus death, He told a parable that greatly helps us pinpoint when his 2 nd Advent will occur: "Now as He (Jesus) sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? (Matthew 24:3 NKJV) "Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place." (Matthew 24:32-34 NKJV) Sometimes in Scripture the fig tree is a representation the nation of Israel. God told the prophet Hosea: I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your fathers as the first-ripe in the fig tree at her first time (Hosea 9:10). And during Jesus 3½ year ministry, he often used the symbol of a fig tree when communicating things about the nation of Israel. When the nation of Israel came back on the map again in AD 1948 (after almost 1,900 years of nonexistence), it is seen that Israel (the Fig Tree) has put forth her leaves once again! So Jesus was declaring that there will be some of those who were alive at that time will still be alive when Jesus returns to earth once more. So how long are we talking about in years here? The observation in the text below is about 80 years (but now would be longer still). "The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years..." (Psalm 90:10 NKJV) So if you add 80+ years to the foundation date of Israel in 1948 it yields AD This puts it well within the timeframe of Jesus Christ returning to Earth 2,000 years after the crucifixion, approximately AD The Tribulation Years & the Rapture of the Church So given the above, this means the final 7 year tribulation period prophesied in Scripture will begin somewhere around AD 2026, BEFORE the end of the 6,000 years. So we need to abandon our focus on things of this world and put all our resources and energy in to sharing the good news of salvation from our sins and freedom in Christ, to those wanting to hear. There are people in some countries eager for the truth of God's Word, for Bibles and teachers of scripture, and we need to release our accumulated money into sharing Jesus with them NOW, before it is too late. But not just our financial resources, but ourselves as well. For those who hold to the view of the church being raptured (taken up) to meet Jesus in the air before the tribulation begins (pre-tribulation rapture), then the time for the harvest of souls for God's Kingdom is so much shorter, the time being just a few years away around AD The following is a quick view of the three main 'Rapture' views within the Christian church today. 3

4 The 'Rapture of the Church' comparison chart: It must be noted that all three views see the church taken up to be with Jesus before the Millennium reign of Christ on the earth. Before the 6,000 year period is complete at around AD The Frightening Conclusion The END is NEARER than you THINK! This simple idea of adding 2,000 years from the date of Jesus' crucifixion is compelling, giving us around AD for the return of Christ for His church and for judgements. We have gotten into the lull of thinking Christ won't return and have become dull and lazy, and have lost our first love. Our minds refuse to accept the obvious - Jesus' return IS CLOSER THAN IT HAS EVER BEEN!!!!! Is gives us a wakeup call to stop messing around playing "Christian" games and biding our time from Sunday to Sunday. Believer, the joy you get from worldly activities is a small taste of the joys one feels in active service for Jesus, and it has eternal rewards for you and the ones you reach and serve in Christ name. Send any comments & thoughts through to me on this subject at Max@spiritland.net - copy into address. 4

5 Placing the Cross in History...Attachment by Dr. Andreas J. Köstenberger on April 1, 2014; last featured April 23, 2016 Can we know the exact date of Christ s death? The Bible s firsthand accounts give us plenty of historical details that narrow down when it fell within the Roman Empire s tumultuous early days. When did Jesus die? Scholars continue to debate this important question. Admittedly, the Bible does not specify the precise date of Jesus' Crucifixion, and the date is not an essential salvation truth. At the same time, Christianity is a historical religion, and the events of Christ s life did take place in human history alongside other known events. For this reason it is helpful to locate Jesus' death as precisely as the available evidence allows within the larger context of human history. Reference to the 15th Year of Tiberius in Luke The events in Jesus' ministry are firmly rooted in human history. Among the evangelists, no one makes this point more strongly than Luke. He provides several rather precise historical details that help us set the key dates of Jesus' life. In Luke 2:1, he writes that in those days [that is, when Jesus was born] a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. Augustus (ruled 31 BC AD 14) presided over the Golden Age of Rome, an era of peace and prosperity. Upon his death, he was succeeded by Tiberius (AD 14 37). In Luke 3:1 3, we read, In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee,... while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Later in the same chapter, Luke provides a brief account of John s baptism of Jesus (Luke 3:21 22) and states that Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age (Luke 3:23). In our efforts to reconstruct the most probable date of Jesus' Crucifixion, we are greatly indebted to Luke. In fact, it is hard to imagine a more thorough account of the historical setting of John the Baptist s and Jesus' ministries. Most helpful are Luke s references to various Roman government officials, particularly Tiberius, because several Roman histories detail the lives and reigns of the various emperors. Through such reports, we learn that the Roman Senate confirmed Tiberius as Augustus s successor on August 19, AD 14. Implications from the Data Provided by Luke Scholars have calculated the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar in a number of ways. Most likely, Tiberius s reign was counted either from the day he took office in AD 14 or from January 1 of the following year, AD 15. The earliest possible date at which Tiberius s fifteenth year began is August 19, AD 28, and the latest possible date at which his fifteenth year ended is December 31, AD 29. So the most likely way to interpret the beginning date of John the Baptist s ministry is anywhere between August 19, AD 28, and December 31, AD 29. If, as Luke s account indicates, Jesus began His ministry not long after John, the earliest date would be in late AD 28, but sometime in the first half of the year AD 29 seems more likely because it appears that a few months elapsed between the beginning of John s ministry and that of Jesus (and the year AD 30 is the latest possible date). So we can estimate Jesus' age when He began His ministry. If He was born in 6 or 5 BC, Jesus would have been anywhere between 32 and 35 years of age at the start of His ministry.1 This coheres with Luke s statement that Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age (Luke 3:23). Note that Luke does not say Jesus was exactly thirty years old; about indicates his approximate age. Luke s reference to Tiberius s fifteenth year is important because it provides a firm historical starting point for calculating the year of Jesus' Crucifixion. If Jesus' ministry lasted for more than one year, this would seem to rule out AD 30 as a possible date for the Crucifixion. John s Gospel mentions that Jesus attended at least three Passovers, first in Jerusalem (John 2:13, 2:23), then in Galilee (John 6:4), and finally in Jerusalem at the time of His Crucifixion (John 11:55; 12:1). In addition, Jesus may have attended one more Passover not recorded in John but in the other Gospels. If so, Jesus' ministry lasted for about three years (if spanning four Passovers, about three and a half years). With the year AD 29 as the most likely starting point, this places the date of Jesus' Crucifixion in the year AD 33. 5

6 Crucifixion on the Day of Preparation for the Passover Fast-forwarding to the Gospel accounts of Jesus' Crucifixion, John mentions that Jesus was crucified on the day of Preparation (John 19:31), that is, the Friday before the Sabbath of Passover week (Mark 15:42). The night before, on Thursday evening, Jesus ate a Passover meal with the twelve (Mark 14:12). In the Pharisaic-rabbinic calendar commonly used in Jesus' day, Passover always falls on the fourteenth day of Nisan (Exodus 12:6), which begins Thursday after sundown and ends Friday at sundown. In the year AD 33, the most likely year of Jesus' Crucifixion, Nisan 14 fell on April 3, yielding April 3, AD 33, as the most likely date for the Crucifixion. Conclusion Luke provides several rather precise historical details that help us set the key dates of Jesus' life. This enables us to determine a possible date for the Crucifixion. The above calculations may appear complicated, but the argument is easier to follow in chart form (above). While AD 33 is in the author s judgment the most likely scenario, it should be acknowledged that many believe Jesus was crucified in the year AD 30. However, if the beginning of Tiberius s reign is placed in the year AD 14, it is virtually impossible to accommodate fifteen years of Tiberius s reign and three years of Jesus' ministry between AD 14 and 30. For this reason, some have postulated a co-regency (joint rule) of Tiberius and Augustus during the last few years of Augustus s reign. However, there is no reliable ancient historical evidence for such co-regency. This author concludes that Jesus was most likely crucified on April 3, AD 33. While this is not a salvation truth and while other dates are possible, believers can take great assurance from the fact that the most important historical events in Jesus' life, such as the Crucifixion, are firmly anchored in human history. The same is true for all of the Bible s history, including creation and humanity s rebellion in the Garden that brought death into the world and made Christ s Crucifixion necessary. When we celebrate Easter, and as we walk with Jesus every day of the year, we can be confident that our faith is based not only on subjective personal assurance but on reliable historical data, which makes ours an eminently reasonable faith. Author: Dr. Andreas Köstenberger is senior research professor at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina. He is the founder of Biblical Foundations ( and author of The Final Days of Jesus (with Justin Taylor, Crossway, 2014.) Footnote: 1. This allows at least a few months to pass before Herod ordered the killing of Bethlehem s infants under two years old. Many date Herod s death to the spring of 4 BC. Attachment sourced from: 6