MATHEW 16:27-28 THE SECOND COMING Based on the clear time statement (time limitation) given by Jesus in Mathew 16:28, we conclude that the final (second) coming of Jesus, the judgment of all men, and the full establishment of the Kingdom of God as prophesied in Mathew 16:27-28, was fulfilled in the lifetime of Jesus first century disciples no later than AD70. However, to avoid these conclusions, some continue to claim that Mathew 16:27-28 does not refer to the final (second) coming of the Lord. As we shall demonstrate, this position is completely untenable. In order to prove our position, we present several charts below which will show that the coming of the Lord in Mathew 16:27-28 was in fact the final (second) coming of the Lord as prophesied by the Old Testament prophets. In Mathew 16:27-28, Jesus was quoting and alluding to at least 3 Old Testament prophesies which prophesied the final (second) coming of the Lord. They are Daniel 7, Isaiah 59:17-21, and Isaiah 40:1-10. Therefore, if we can demonstrate that all 3 of these Old Testament prophecies were in fact the prophetic source of Mathew 16:27-28, then Mathew 16:27-28 must refer to the final (second) coming of the Lord. The first text we will compare to Mathew 16:27-28 is Daniel 7. Below are the two parallel texts, one after another. Daniel 7:13-14 I kept looking in the night visions, and behold, with the clouds of heaven One like a Son of Man was coming And to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom Mathew 16:27-8 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. Undeniably, Jesus is Daniel s Son of man who Daniel saw coming in glory to receive His Kingdom. Jesus quotes Daniel s prophecy, and promises that He, the Son of Man, will come (return) in glory to receive His Kingdom within the lifetime of His first century disciples. In other words, Jesus promises to fulfill Daniel s vision of His second and final coming within the lifetime of His contemporary generation. Consider the following chart. MATHEW 16:27-28 DANIEL 7 The coming of the Son of Man The coming of the Son of Man (7:13,22) Judgment of the Son of Man Judgment of the Son of Man (7:9,22,26) Coming in glory Coming in glory (7:9,14) With the angels Thousands upon thousands attending him (7:10) Judgment of every man according to their deeds Myriads upon myriads stood before Him, the books were opened (7:10) (compare Revelation 20:12-13) To establish the Kingdom (16:28) To establish the Kingdom (7:14,22,27) Fulfilled during the reign of the 4 th beast (the Roman empire)
These perfect parallels prove that Daniel 7 was in fact a prophetic source for Mathew 16:27-28. But, Daniel 7 prophesied the final (second) coming of Jesus to establish His Kingdom. Therefore, in Mathew 16:27-28 Jesus prophesied His final (second) coming to establish His Kingdom in fulfillment of Daniel 7, and promised to accomplish it within the lifetime of His first century disciples. -Notice that Jesus time limitation in Mathew 16:28 is consistent with the time limitation of Daniel s prophecy also. Jesus returned in the lifetime of his first century disciples who lived and died while Rome (Daniel s 4 th beast) ruled the world. The second text which served as the source for Jesus prophecy in Mathew 16:27-28 is Isaiah 59:17-21. Below are the two parallel texts, one after another. Mathew 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds. Isaiah 59:18,20 According to their deeds, so He will repay A Redeemer will come to Zion Undeniably, Jesus is Isaiah s Redeemer who was prophesied to come to His people in salvation and vengeance, and repay Israel according to their deeds. Jesus quoted Isaiah s prophecy, and promised to come (return) to bring judgment and salvation to Israel within the lifetime of His first century disciples. In other words, Jesus promised to fulfill Isaiah s prophecy before all his first century disciples passed away. Consider the following chart. MATHEW 16:27-28 ISAIAH 59:17-21 The coming of the Son of Man The coming of the Redeemer - Jesus (59:19-20) Judgment of the Son of Man Judgment of the Lord (59:18) Coming in glory Coming in glory (59:19) Judgment of every man Judgment of the wicked (the adversaries) and according to their deeds the righteous (those who turn from transgression) according to their deeds (59:17-20) To establish the Kingdom (16:28) To establish the New Covenant (59:21) Fulfilled in the lifetime of Jesus first century disciples (16:28) Fulfilled in the day of vengeance and wrath upon Israel (59:17-18) (See Luke 21:20-23,32 this generation) These perfect parallels prove that Isaiah 59:17-20 was in fact a prophetic source for Jesus prophecy in Mathew 16:27-28. But, Isaiah 59:17-21 was a prophecy of the final (second) coming of the Lord to bring salvation and judgment to Israel. Therefore, in Mathew 16:27-28 Jesus prophesied to bring both judgment and salvation to Israel at his final (second) coming in fulfillment of Isaiah 59, and promised to accomplish it within the lifetime of His first century disciples. -And again, Jesus time limitation in Mathew 16:28 is consistent with the time limitation of Isaiah s prophecy. Jesus placed upon His coming in vengeance and salvation/redemption (in
fulfillment of Isaiah 59), in the lifetime of his first century generation (Luke 21:20-32. Jesus returned in the lifetime of his first century disciples, in their generation. The third text which served as the source for Jesus prophecy in Mathew 16:27-28 is Isaiah 40:1-10. Below are the two parallel texts, one after another. Mathew 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds. Isaiah 40:10 Behold, the Lord God will come with might, with His arm ruling for Him. Behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him. Undeniably, Jesus is the Lord who Isaiah prophesied to come with might and with His reward. Jesus quoted Isaiah s prophecy, and promised it s fulfillment within the lifetime of His contemporary first century disciples. Consider the following chart. MATHEW 16:27-28 ISAIAH 40:1-10 The coming of the Son of Man Coming of the Lord (40:10) Coming with reward Coming with reward (40:10) Coming in glory Coming in glory (40:5) To establish the Kingdom Coming to rule and reign (40:10) Fulfilled at the judgment of Jerusalem for her sin (40:1-2 see Mathew 23:29-36) These perfect parallels prove that Isaiah 40:1-10 was one of the prophetic sources of Jesus prophecy in Mathew 16:27-28. But, Isaiah 40:1-10 was a prophecy of the final (second) coming of the Lord to establish His Kingdom and to judge and reward the flock of Israel. Therefore, Jesus prophesied his second coming to establish the Kingdom and reward Israel in fulfillment of Isaiah 40, and promised to accomplish it within the lifetime of His first century disciples. -Once again, this interpretation fits the timeframe in which Isaiah places the coming of the Lord in judgment and reward. According to Isaiah, the coming of the Lord follows the judgment of the Lord upon Jerusalem for all her sin. The judgment of Jerusalem for all her sin would be fulfilled in Jesus contemporary generation. (see Mathew 23:29-36) Based on the evidence above, we conclude that Daniel 7, Isaiah 40:1-10, and Isaiah 59:17-21 did in fact prophecy the second coming of the Lord, and were in fact the source for Jesus prophecy in Mathew 16:27-28. Therefore, Jesus prophecy in Mathew 16:27-28 was a prophecy of His final (second) coming to establish His Kingdom and to reward all men according to their works, which He promised to accomplish within the lifetime of His first century disciples. Furthermore as we have shown, not only does Mathew 16:28 place Jesus second coming in the first century, but so do all 3 Old Testament texts, either explicitly, or implicitly. Therefore, the second coming of the Lord of Mathew 16:27-28 to judge every man according to their works and to establish the Messianic Kingdom, must have been fulfilled in the first century, within the
lifetime of Jesus contemporary generation. Indeed, all this was fulfilled through the destruction of Jerusalem in AD70. Below are the thee charts one after another. MATHEW 16:27-28 DANIEL 7 The coming of the Son of Man The coming of the Son of Man (7:13,22) Judgment of the Son of Man Judgment of the Son of Man (7:9,22,26) Coming in glory Coming in glory (7:9,14) With the angels Thousands upon thousands attending him (7:10) Judgment of every man according to their deeds Myriads upon myriads stood before Him, the books were opened (7:10) (compare Revelation 20:12-13) To establish the Kingdom (16:28) To establish the Kingdom (7:14,22,27) Fulfilled during the reign of the 4 th beast (the Roman empire) MATHEW 16:27-28 ISAIAH 59:17-21 The coming of the Son of Man The coming of the Redeemer - Jesus (59:19-20) Judgment of the Son of Man Judgment of the Lord (59:18) Coming in glory Coming in glory (59:19) Judgment of every man Judgment of the wicked (the adversaries) and according to their deeds the righteous (those who turn from transgression) according to their deeds (59:17-20) To establish the Kingdom (16:28) To establish the New Covenant (59:21) Fulfilled in the lifetime of Jesus first century disciples (16:28) Fulfilled in the day of vengeance and wrath upon Israel (59:17-18) (See Luke 21:20-23,32 this generation) MATHEW 16:27-28 ISAIAH 40:1-10 The coming of the Son of Man Coming of the Lord (40:10) Coming with reward Coming with reward (40:10) Coming in glory Coming in glory (40:5) To establish the Kingdom Coming to rule and reign (40:10) Fulfilled at the judgment of Jerusalem for her sin (40:1-2, see Mathew 23:29-36) Those who deny that the final (second) coming of the Lord took place in AD70, not only reject the words of Jesus and the prophets, but they reject their own salvation that the Lord already returned and delivered once for all. Hebrews 9:28 and Mathew 16:27-28 (NLT) So also, Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him. For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.