MATTHEW 24-25 FULFILLED IN AD 70 OR FUTURE? PART 9 - THE PARALLELS (ANALOGY OF FAITH) BETWEEN MATTHEW 24 = 1 THESSALONIANS 4-5 = 1 CORINTHIANS 15 & THE TWO COMING(S) THEORY OF PARTIAL PRETERISM
Introduction:
To say that the Futurist system of eschatology is conflicted or disagrees over Matthew 24:30-31 is an understatement. Some teach that the coming of Christ and gathering of the elect here was fulfilled spiritually in AD 70 with an ongoing spiritual fulfillment (spiritual resurrection in hearing the gospel post AD 70), while others affirm this is the Second Coming and resurrection event. Others such as G.K. Beale say this is a “thorny problem” for their Futurist creedal system and within his own personal writings because he has affirmed its both the Second Coming event in one work and then in another, it was spiritually fulfilled in AD 70. I will document Beale’s confusion and contradiction in the body of this article.
And to make it even more interesting and to add to the Futurist confusion, some Partial Preterist’s such as James Jordan and Gary DeMar are now teaching Matthew 24:30-31 and Daniel 12:2 is describing a spiritual resurrection of souls/spirits for the OT and NT dead that were raised spiritually out of Abraham’s bosom or Hades to inherit eternal life in the Father’s presence at Christ’s imminent Parousia in AD 70. Let’s make sense of these positions and interpretations of Matthew 24:30-31 and solve what G.K. Beale calls a “thorny problem.”
· “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” (Mt. 24:31).
In the Reformed Study Bible edited by Postmillennial Partial Preterists R.C. Sproul and Keith Mathison, we learn this of Matt. 24:30-31:
“But the language of Matt. 24:31 is parallel to passages like 13:41; 16:27; and 25:31 [passages which Postmillennialists such as Mathison and DeMar say were fulfilled in AD 70], as well as to passages such as 1 Cor. 15:52 and 1 Thess. 4:14-17. The passage most naturally refers to the Second Coming.”
This is more than a bit odd since R.C. Sproul and Keith Mathison believe and teach that the coming of Christ in judgment of Matthew 24:27-30 (and Mathison on the coming of Christ in Mt. 25:31) was fulfilled somehow in the ascension event and spiritually in AD 70--yet we learn in their own Study Bible that these passages “most naturally refer to the Second Coming”! These propositions cannot both be true without Full Preterism being true.
John Murray, appealing to the “analogy of faith” principle of interpretation in examining this passage, also correctly observes,
“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.”[1]
The “parallels” of Matthew 24, 1 Thessalonians 4-5 and 1 Corinthians 15
I have put together a chart which shows the “parallels” between Matthew 24, 1 Thessalonians 4-5 and 1 Corinthians 15 demonstrating Paul’s eschatology is Jesus’ eschatology and these are the same eschatological events:
And as I pointed out in my introduction G.K. Beale affirms in his commentary on 1-2 Thessalonians,
“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…”[2]
He then goes on to make virtually the same parallels between Matthew 24 and 1 Thessalonians 4-5 that I have made in the chart above. But then out of the other side of Beale’s mouth, he now affirms that the coming of Christ in Matthew 24:30 is referring to Christ’s “invisible coming” “fulfilled not at the very end of history but rather in AD 70…”:
“The clearest reference to Jesus as the Son of Man from Daniel 7:13 come in the third category (which he identifies as “those that refer to Jesus’ future coming in glory”), where there are quotations of Dan. 7:13 (Matt. 24:30, Mark 13:26, Luke 21:27). However, it is likely better to see most of these third-category references fulfilled not at the very end of history but rather in AD 70 at the destruction of Jerusalem, in which the Son of Man’s coming would be understood as an invisible coming in judgment, using the Roman armies as his agent.”[3]
In a footnote in the above quote, Beale realizing what he wrote in his commentary on 1-2 Thessalonians and what he is now saying about Matthew 24:30 creates a Futurist contradiction or in his words a “thorny problem” “that deserves much more study.”[4] For Beale, his way out of this contradiction is to appeal to the coming of Christ in Matthew 25:31 as the end of world history Second Coming event. But as we have seen Partial Preterists such as Milton Terry, Gary DeMar, Keith Mathison, Mike Bull, etc.—correctly teach the coming of Christ in glory in BOTH Matthew 24:30 and Matthew 25:31 is referring to the same AD 70 coming of Christ and not an end of world history coming. And to Beale’s point, Full Preterism has done the “more study” and fixed the “thorny problem” he and Futurism have created for themselves.
We can readily see how the two main Reformed views have formed the Sovereign Grace Full Preterist view:
Major Premise: The “parallels” or the analogy of faith principle of interpretation of Matthew 24; 1 Thessalonians 4-5 and 1 Corinthians 15 demonstrate this is the ONE Second Coming event inseparably connected to the ONE end of the age resurrection event – classic Amillennialism.
Minor Premise: But the coming of Christ and gathering of the elect of Matthew 24:27-31 was fulfilled spiritually at the end of the old covenant age in AD 70 – Partial Preterism.
Conclusion/Synthesis/Reformed and Always Reforming: Therefore, the ONE end of the age Second Coming and resurrection event of Matthew 24:30-31=1 Thessalonians 4-5=1 Corinthians 15 was fulfilled spiritually at the end of the old covenant age in AD 70 – Sovereign Grace Full Preterism.
As I mentioned in the introduction, there is a recent development within the Partial Preterist world when it comes to the “gathering of the elect” from the “four winds of heaven” (Mt. 24:31). Gary DeMar and James Jordan of American Vision are now teaching this is not a mere post AD 70 evangelism, but a resurrection event of OT and NT souls being raised out of Abraham’s bosom or Hades into God’s presence in AD 70. In a recent debate with Michael Brown Gary applied this to the souls of the OT dead being raised into God’s presence in AD 70.[2] James Jordan while teaching Daniel 12:2 is a resurrection of souls for the OT worthies in AD 70, now applies Matthew 24:30-31 to the resurrection of the NT martyrs in AD 70. Jordan writes,
“Further confirmation of this interpretation is to be found, I believe, in the phrases that follow in verse 31. There we see messengers gathering the elect not from their graves (which is how the Last Judgment scenes read), nor from all over the earth (which is how an evangelistic passage would read), but from all over the heavens. They are gathered from the four winds, not from the four corners of the earth. They are gathered from the ends of heaven, not from the ends of the earth (cf. Deut. 4:32; Psa. 19:6; Jer. 49:36).
This language might be taken as a general reference to the whole earthly world, except for the fact that it fits so very well with what we find, again, in Revelation. The dead saints “under the altar” are in “paradise” or “Abraham’s bosom,” a location symbolically equivalent to the firmament heavens that are right below the throne-heavens (Rev. 6:9-11). It is these elect, and their newly-massacred brethren who come out of the Great Tribulation, who are gathered before the Throne in Revelation 15.”[5]
He goes on to summarize,
“Let us summarize Matthew 24:29-31. Immediately after the great affliction, the great persecution and martyrdom of the apostolic church, the world will be changed from the Old to the New Creation. No longer will sun and moon determine liturgy and worship; the former covenant with its lunar liturgy will be broken forever. No longer will angelic stars and heavenly powers govern humanity, for in Jesus, mankind has at last come of age. No longer will angels rule the world. They will vacate their heavenly thrones.
At that time, the promised sign will be given, a sign that shows that Jesus, a man, is truly enthroned in heaven. That sign is the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. The Jews will mourn over Jerusalem, and they will realize that the Church, which they had hoped to destroy, has now ascended to the Ancient of Days and has been given the Kingdom promised in Daniel 7. Those saints have been gathered by the angels in connection with the seventh and last trumpet described in the book of Revelation, their souls gathered from all the heavenly places in Paradise where they had been waiting for this day. The saints are gathered before the Throne in the highest heavens, and shortly will sit down on thrones with their Lord and Master. They will be the new stars and moon and will sit where the angels formerly sat in heaven.”[6]
Some brief thoughts on Jordan’s comments:
1). Since in his commentary on Daniel 12:2-3, 13 (see his comments later in this article) he includes Daniel's soul being raised from Abraham's bosom in AD 70, there is a larger group of souls raised than just the martyrs. I would have liked to see him harmonize those two teachings not just going to Revelation and dealing with the martyrs. Yet Gary DeMar in his recent debate with Michael Brown over Matthew 24 taught the gathering of the elect in Matthew 24:31 was the resurrection of the OT dead elect.
Jordan tries to make a distinction from this spiritual resurrection in AD 70 from an alleged future physical one based on the absence of “graves” which he (without evidence) says must be a future to us “general resurrection.” And although "graves" is not mentioned, from the "dust" (figuratively) is in Dan. 12:2 and here in Mt. 24:31 the description of the same spiritual resurrection is described as from the "four winds" of "heaven." Jordan has not proven this isn’t a description of the "general resurrection." Especially if he says the resurrection of Daniel 12 was fulfilled spiritually in AD 70 and yet Daniel 12 IS the resurrection from the “graves” of John 5:19-29! This and a resurrection from the “graves” can be a corporate and spiritual resurrection as described in Ezekiel 37:12. Even Gentry (below in this article) sees the resurrection of Daniel 12:2-3 being a spiritual and corporate resurrection for Israel and the Church in AD 70 and uses the resurrection of Ezekiel 37 as support. So if a spiritual and corporate resurrection can be from “the dust” and or out from “the graves,” then a spiritual and corporate resurrection from the “graves,” the “dust” and from the “four winds of heaven” can refer to the general resurrection in AD 70. Again, a combination of Jordan’s writings have the OT worthies (the dead) and the NT martyrs (those who have died “in Christ”) being spiritually raised together at Christ’s Parousia in AD 70 — that IS the Full Preterist view of the resurrection and that of the NT.
2). Jordan and DeMar position on a spiritual AD 70 resurrection at the end of the OC age in AD 70 begs the question - If the righteous OT and NT dead were raised together to inherit eternal life in God’s presence, at Christ’s parousia, at the sound of a trumpet (or “the last trumpet”) in AD 70, then why isn’t this the same resurrection, parousia and trumpet discussed by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4-5 and 1 Corinthians 15?!? Paul doesn’t discuss there was coming TWO different kinds of resurrections for the OT “the dead” and those who had died “in Christ” – 1). “a” spiritual one at Christ’s parousia in AD 70 and then 2). a physical one at the end of world history!
Partial Preterist such as Milton Terry and men like Mike Bull at least have connected Jesus’ imminent eschatology with Paul’s in these texts but they teach some kind of limited physical resurrection and “rapture” in AD 70. Of course none of these texts discuss a limited number being raised or “raptured” but they must have a limited amount to try and get around how historians would miss such an event!
As I point out in my exposition of 1 Corinthians 15, the Corinthians had a hard time reconciling how the OT dead would be raised with those who had died "in Christ," since they died before or outside the new covenant or being "in Christ." In a similar way some Jews denied resurrection for those who did not die in or were not buried "in the land." Dispensationalists likewise have a hard time seeing how the two groups can be raised together. Paul has to point out that they are all a part of ONE body that was in the process of "being raised" from Adamic "the death" which was in the process of "being destroyed" (1 Cor. 15:26 WUESTNT). The two groups needed each other and could not be made "perfect" without each other (Heb. 11:40). I would have loved James to try and harmonize how the OT dead and the NT saints were raised out of Abraham's bosom in AD 70 and yet somehow this wasn't the general resurrection? Especially since the judgment and resurrection of the dead of Daniel 12 is the judgment and resurrection of the dead found in Jn. 5 and is the end of the millennium judgment and resurrection of the dead of Rev. 20:5-15. He still leaves major questions hanging and the exegesis is incomplete.
3). And if the first century Church “judged the angels” (1 Cor. 6:3) or “crushed Satan shortly” “under their feet” (Rms. 16:20/Gen. 3:15) in AD 70 and have taken their place in rulership over the nations with Christ, then the angels and Satan were judged at Christ’s coming in AD 70 per Matthew 25:31-46.
4). Jordan and DeMar are still teaching that the destruction of Jerusalem was a sign of the ascension, and that Christ was ruling from heaven. This is possible, but I agree more with F.F. Bruce in that John in Revelation 1:7-17 and Matthew in Matthew 24:30 is following the OG LXX which reads the Son of Man comes upon the clouds both as the Son of man AND “…AS the Ancient of Days” and not “up to the Ancient of Days.” After all John describes Jesus coming upon the clouds as both the Son of Man and then immediately describes Him as the Ancient of Days in Daniel 7 (Rev. 1:7-17). And K&D correctly point out Christ is coming downward on the clouds in judging the little horn and the nations. If the point is that Christ is coming “up to the Ancient of Days,” then it would be after he had come down in judgment in His Parousia of AD 70 to deliver the Kingdom (the raised souls of the OT and NT saints - again the resurrection event) to the Father (1 Cor. 15:23-24 / Dan. 7:13-27). Either way, Jesus and the NT authors interpret Daniel 7:13 as the Second Coming event and not the ascension.
5). The reformed creeds are at least correct in teaching there is only one end of the age judgment and resurrection for the “quick and the dead,” so the resurrection of dead souls for the OT and NT saints into God’s presence to inherit eternal life at Christ’s Parousia in AD 70 is not “a” resurrection, but “THE” resurrection event.
The role of angels in gathering or transporting the soul/spirit of man
In the OT we learn that men such as Abraham were “gathered to his people” at death. More information is given by Jesus in how this process took place. According to Jesus, the angels assist in the gathering or transportation of the soul at death. In Luke 16 (prior to AD 70) we learn the angels “carry” (Lk. 16:22) the souls of the righteous to Abraham’s bosom. Jesus here in Luke 16 is endorsing 1 Enoch 22 in its teaching of:
a “gulf” or “separation” (1 En. 22:9-10, 12, 22/Lk. 16:26) of the believing dead from the wicked.
There is “water” on the righteous side (1 En. 22:10/Lk. 16:24).
There is “fire” and “torment” for the wicked to experience (1 En. 22:22/Lk. 16:24-25, 28).
Just as Peter and Jude appeal to 1 Enoch so does Jesus. It doesn’t mean they endorse everything 1 Enoch teaches, just the sections they quote from or refer to.
Therefore, the believing thief on the cross and his soul/spirit was carried by the angels that very day to be with Christ on the good side of Abraham’s bosom in “Paradise” to hear some good preaching on a an imminent judgment for the dead and the Watchers and salvation for the righteous (Lk. 23:43; 1 Pet. 3:18-20) to be fulfilled by AD 70.
Therefore, if angels assist the soul/spirit of man from his earthly body to the good side of Abraham’s bosom or “Paradise,” then it is consistent for Jesus to teach their involvement in the “gathering” of these souls out of Abraham’s bosom into God’s presence at His Parousia in AD 70.
A couple more possible OT echos or sources for the “gathering” of Matthew 24:31
I would agree that one of Jesus’ main OT sources for the trumpet gathering here in Matthew 24:31 is Isaiah 27:12-13 which within Isaiah’s little apocalypse does address the resurrection (cf. Isa. 25:6-9/1 Cor. 15:54-56 and possibly Isa. 26:19). The trumpet gathering of Isaiah 27:12-13 takes place “when he makes all the stones of the altar as chalkstone that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up” (Isa. 27:9). That is, it is at the time of the judgment of Jerusalem and destruction of the temple which is consistent with Daniel 12:1-7 and Jesus’ teaching here in Matthew 24:1-34/Luke 21:20-32. The theological point is that the new covenant trumpet gathering will be “in Christ” and not “in the land” (a NC “better resurrection” as Hebrews puts it) and thus be the fuller or anti-type fulfillment of Isaiah.
But I can’t seem to escape the connection between the “gathering” of Matthew 24:31 and the “taking” of the soul found in the Psalms. In two places in the Psalms God “takes,” “snatches,” or “carries” the soul of the righteous at death to eventually be in His “presence” or to be in His “glory” (Ps. 49:15; Ps. 73:24).
The grave, Sheol, Abraham’s bosom or Hades was never the ultimate resting place for the soul/spirit of the righteous for after Christ’s redemption had been accomplished through the cross and the parousia, Christ and the angels “gathered” “took,” “snatched,” or “carried,” the righteous dead at the end of the old covenant age to be raised out of Abraham’s bosom or Hades to be in His presence.
Eternal resurrection life in the Proverbs as well
Many scholars think the Jewish concept of “eternal life,” the “afterlife,” or even the resurrection wasn’t developed in the OT until after the Jews came out of the Babylonian captivity. They think the ONLY OT text Jesus draws from which teaches “eternal life” is Daniel 12:2. Yet new scholarship is challenging that. Having looked at a couple of passages in the Psalms, here are just a few passages in Proverbs that teach the concept of either eternal life or immortality for the righteous to experience at some point after death. I agree with Michelle Dahood’s scholarship[7] that “life eternal” or “eternal life” is not only a possible translation but almost a certain one in the following texts:
Prov. 8:35-36: Indeed, who finds me finds life eternal, and the treading of her path is immortality.
Prov. 12:28: In the path of virtue is eternal life, And the treading of her way [Christ is “the WAY”] is immortality [Delitzsch, Dahood and others render this “immortality” while the ESV & AVT give a similar concept of “no death”]
Prov. 14:24: The path of life eternal is upward for the prudent, thus escaping Sheol below.
Dahood argues that since the time the Psalms and Proverbs were written [which he gives as a very early or ancient date in Israelite history], “eternal life” or “immortality” were concepts already being discussed and written about in other contemporary theological systems such as the Canaaites and Egyptians-- therefore it should not surprise us that these concepts would be found in Israel’s theology at this early period as well. For example, in UT, 2 Aqht:VI: 27-29 we read:
“Ask for life eternal (hym) and I will give it to you, immortality (btmt) and I will bestow it upon you.”
Reformed scholar Elmer Smick gives Dahood’s research a positive review and writes,
“Though Dan 12:2 is often given in the lexicons as the only place where ḥayyīm means eternal life, Dahood sees it in many other places and more than once refers to the Ugaritic antecedent in 2 Aqht VI 27–29:
Ask for eternal life [ḥym] And I will give it to you, Immortality [bl·mt]
And I will bestow it on you. I will make you number years with Baal, With gods you will number months.
Prov 12:28 uses ʾal-māwet (no death) as the parallel of ḥayyīm (life). The Ugaritic bl·mt translated “immortality” above is an equivalent expression. The Revised Standard Version says the Hebrew is uncertain and proceeds to give a translation based on an emended text. However, Ewald, Bertheau, Franz Delitzsch, and even the Judeo-Arabist Saadia in the Middle Ages said ʾal-māwet means “immortality.” The Authorized Version translated it “no death.” They have all been proved correct by the Ugaritic bl·mt as used in the above citation. Dahood translates the verse:
In the path of virtue is eternal life, And the treading of her way is immortality.
…The point is not what the Ugaritians believed but that they used the word ḥym for eternal life whereas the Hebrew lexicons generally list only Dan 12:2 as using ḥayyīm distinctively to denote eternal life because of its alleged Maccabean origin.”[8]
Dahood, even,
“…renders Psalm 17:15: At my vindication I will gaze upon your face At the resurrection I will be saturated with your being. "At the resurrection," comments Dahood, " . . . seems to be the plain sense of b'hâqïs [in Psalm 17:15] when one compares it with the eschatological passages Isa xxvi 19, 'But your dead will live, their bodies will rise. Arise (haqïsu) and sing, O you who dwell in the slime !' and Dan xii 2, 'And many of those who sleep in the land of slime will arise' (yâqïsu) . . .." Dahood maintains that "the archaic language throughout the psalm [17]. . . suggests that the Israelite belief in the beatific vision was very ancient indeed"[9]
I agree with this scholarship. Concerning Dahood’s points in Proverbs—in the gospels and Pauline theology we learn that Jesus is the “Wisdom” and the “Way” mentioned and predicted in the Proverbs and those that put their trust in Him and thus travel upon this Way would at His Parousia and resurrection event be called or “gathered” “upward” to receive “eternal life” or “never die” (1 Cor. 1:30; Jn. 14:6; Jn. 11:25-26; Jn. 3:16, 36; Jn. 8:24; Mt. 24:30-31/1 Thess. 4:15-17/Rev. 11:12). The point of Matthew 24:30-31 or 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 is not that the living would physically disappear off the planet and or not see and experience physical death, but rather they would receive “eternal life” and thus “never die” meaning—they would never be separated from God through the spiritual “THE death” that came through Adam the very day he rebelled against God. And the souls of the dead would be raised out of Abraham’s bosom or Hades and gathered or carried away by Christ and His angels into the Father’s presence to also inherit eternal life and “never die” (be subject to the curse and separation of Adamic death again). Both groups are no longer held captive or spiritually separated by “THE sin” and “THE death” that came through Adam - for Christ overcame them for both groups at His Parousia in AD 70.
The “parallels” between Daniel 12:1-7; Matthew 13:39-43 and Matthew 24
It is not difficult to see that the eschatological “gathering” Jesus has in mind at “the end of the age” (Mt. 24:3, 31) is the resurrection event when He has already stated in Matthew 13:39-43 that this “gathering” at “the end of the age” is the resurrection of Daniel 12:2-3 of which the righteous would shine like the sun in the Kingdom.
Partial Preterism has gotten closer and closer to Full Preterism over the last 15 years or so. It was once defended that the resurrection of Daniel 12:2-3 was only ONE resurrection to take place at the end of the age or world history as described by Jesus in Matthew 13:39-43. But now it is admitted that the “end of the age” of Matthew 13:39-43 was the old covenant age (not the end of world history) and that Daniel 12 does indeed connect the resurrection of verses 2-3 with the time of the tribulation in the “3 ½ years” events of AD 67 – AD 70. Let’s examine these admissions.
Partial Preterist James Jordan now understands the resurrection of Daniel 12:2-3 (and Daniel’s personal resurrection [his soul] in verse 13) as being a spiritual and corporate resurrection that took place from Jesus’ earthly ministry to AD 70. Jordan even believes that Daniel’s soul was raised (or gathered) out of Abraham’s bosom into God’s presence according to Revelation 20 in AD 70. Here are some selected quotes from his commentary on Daniel:
· “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.”[10]
· “…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 (Mt. 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.”[11]
· “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.”[12]
· “Revelation takes up where Daniel leaves off, and deals mostly with the Apostolic Age and the death and resurrection of the Church.”[13]
· “What Daniel is promised is that after his rest in Abraham’s bosom, he will stand up with all God’s saintsand 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.”[14]
After challenging Kenneth Gentry for many years on the timing of the resurrection of Daniel 12, he too has had a recent epiphany recognizing that there had to have been some kind of spiritual resurrection of Daniel 12 fulfilled in AD 70:
· “In Daniel 12:1-2 we find a passage that clearly speaks of the great tribulation in AD 70.”[15]
· “…But it also seems to speak of the resurrection occurring at that time…”[16]
· “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).”[17]
· “…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.”[18]
· “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.”[19]
Let’s summarize the position of Jordan and Gentry here on what the resurrection of Daniel 12 entails:
1). It is Israel’s last spiritual and corporate resurrection.
2). Both Israel and the Church participate in this spiritual, covenantal and corporate resurrection whereby the new covenant Church or new Israel of God is raised out of the corpse of old covenant Israel in AD 70.
3). There was an “already and not yet” type evangelism taking place between Christ’s earthly ministry and His coming in AD 70 which brought about the consummative resurrection or “end” of Israel during the events of AD 67 - AD 70.
4). This resurrection resulted in Daniel’s soul being raised out of Abraham’s bosom to be seated on a throne to reign with Christ and inherit eternal life.
Partial Preterist Joel McDurmon, commenting on the end of the age harvest judgment of Matthew 13:39-43, concedes it is the end of the old covenant age that is in view 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 13:2430, 36-43 describe 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.
This, of course, is exactly what happened to the Christians. Not only were they saved in soul, but they mostly fled Jerusalem before the Roman siege. This was consequent to Jesus’ advice to flee and not look back once the signs arose (Matt. 24:16-22); indeed, this would correspond with the angels’ work of harvesting the elect (24:30).”[20]
McDurmon even develops Jesus’ two age model (“this age” = old covenant age) and “age to come” or “age about to come” (the new covenant age) in Pauline eschatology to be one and the same. After making his case in Ephesians 1:21; 2:1-7; 3:8-11; Colossians 1:26; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Hebrews 9:26, he concludes:
“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.”[21]
Once again, we can see how the two main orthodox Reformed positions on the end of the age resurrection of Matthew 13:39-43; Matthew 24:3, 31; and Daniel 12:1-7 has formed the Sovereign Grace Full Preterist position:
Major Premise: The “end of the age” “gathering” of Matthew 13:39-43 and Matthew 24:3, 31 as predicted in Daniel 12:2-3 is the ONE resurrection event inseparably connected to the ONE Second Coming event of Matthew 24:27, 30 – classic Amillennialism.
Minor Premise: But the “end of the age” “gathering” of Matthew 13:39-43 and Matthew 24:3, 31 was fulfilled spiritually at Christ’s spiritual coming in Matthew 24:27-30 to close the old covenant age in AD 70. In AD 70 God raised and gathered the souls/spirits of men such as Daniel out of Hades or Abraham’s bosom into God’s presence to inherit eternal life – Partial Preterism.
Conclusion/Synthesis/Reformed and Always Reforming: Therefore, the ONE Second Coming and “end of the age” “gathering” resurrection event of Matthew 13:39-43 and Matthew 24:3, 27-31 and Daniel 12:1-7 was fulfilled during the 3 ½ years of AD 67 – AD 70 to close the old covenant age in AD 70 – Sovereign Grace Full Preterism.
Jewish views of a spiritual resurrection
The fact of the matter that both the Partial Preterist and the Full Preterist are following a historical hermeneutic in that before Jesus and Paul and in their day there was a Jewish expectation of a spiritual resurrection. 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 exclusively 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.”[22]
“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.”[23]
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.”[24]
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 Rabbi 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).”[25]
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 (AD 30 - AD 70) 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.
If the resurrection and Parousia event of Daniel 12 and that of Matthew 24:30-31/Luke 21 was fulfilled spiritually in AD 70, then so was the resurrection and Parousia event of 1 Corinthians 15. The resurrection body of 1 Corinthians 15 is a “spiritual body” (1 Cor. 15:44):
Concluding Part 9
When we allow Scripture to interpret Scripture (Mt. 24/1 Thess. 4-5; Mt. 13:39-43/Mt. 24:3, 31; and Dan. 12:1-7), we can clearly see that the coming of Christ and “gathering” or “catching away” of God’s people into His Kingdom was an event to be fulfilled at the end of the old covenant age and thus in the lifetime and generation of the first century Church.
While we applaud the new developments within Partial Preterism to see a spiritual resurrection of souls out of Abraham’s bosom or Hades at Christ’s Parousia in AD 70 to be found in Matthew 24:30-31 and Daniel 12:2-3, 13 and Revelation 20, the position remains inconsistent and violating the analogy of faith principle of interpretation and the historical creeds. The resurrection “gathering” at the “end of the age” in Matthew 13:39-43 / Matthew 24:3, 30-31 is the ONE “end” of the age resurrection of Daniel 12:1-13; which is the “about to be” resurrection of Acts 24:15 YLT; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 1 Corinthians 15; and end of the millennium resurrection of Revelation 20:5-15. This and the creeds and the classic Amillennial position are correct to connect these as all being inseparably linked together in one unbreakable chain—the ONE Second Coming event ushers in the ONE end of the age judgment and resurrection of the dead event.
Since it was a Jewish view in the times of Jesus and Paul that the resurrection of Daniel 12 would be a spiritual resurrection of souls out of Abraham’s bosom or Hades to inherit eternal life or condemnation, and that it would take place 40 years after Messiah would be “cut off” (AD 30 - AD 70), Full Preterism is justified both exegetically and historically in its view of an imminent and spiritual resurrection by AD 70. Especially since the reformed community can’t make up its mind if this imminent spiritual resurrection was “a” resurrection or “the” resurrection event. Our position makes sense of the conflicting views within Futurist eschatology and fixes their “thorny problem.”
Having looked at the problems Matthew 24:30-31 and 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 have created for the Partial Preterist two coming(s) theory, in Part 10 we will look at the exegetical problem these passages pose for the two coming(s) theory of the Dispensational Pre-trib. “rapture” position. Does Jesus and Paul teach two comings – one “for” the Church in a “rapture” and then seven years later one “with” the Church?
* Now proceed to Part 10 where we refute the two Second Coming(s) theory (one coming “for” the Church 7 years before His coming “with” the Church) of Dispensationalism.
[1] John Murray, COLLECTED WRITINGS OF JOHN MURRAY 2 Systematic Theology, (Carlisle, PA: THE BANNER OF TRUTH TRUST, 1977), 391
[2] G.K. Beale, The IVP New Testament Commentary Series 1–2 Thessalonians (Downers Grove, IL: Inter Varsity Press, 2003), 136
[3] G.K. Beale, A New Testament Biblical Theology the Unfolding of the Olde Testament in the New, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2011), 396 n.27—397. Emphasis MJS.
[4] Ibid., footnote 27.
[5] James B. Jordan MATTHEW 23-25 A LITERARY, HISTORICAL, AND THEOLOGICAL COMMENTARY, (Powder Springs, GA: The American Vision Inc., - this book is currently at the printer to be published), p. 180. Please properly ask Gary and AV for permission to quote this as I have – especially since it is an unpublished work.
[6] Ibid., p. 181
[7] which is picked up in the Anchor Bible, Vol. 16. See, Michelle Dahood, Psalms. III (101-150), NY: Doubleday, 1970, XLVI-XLVII.
[8] Elmer Smick, THE BEARING OF NEW PHILOLOGICAL DATA ON THE SUBJECTS OF RESURRECTION AND IMMORTALITY IN THE OLD TESTAMENT, Westminster Theological Journal 31 (1968).
[9] Ibid.
[10] James B. Jordan, THE HANDWRITING ON THE WALL A Commentary on the Book of Daniel, (Powder Springs, GA: American Vision, 2007), 618
[11] Ibid., 618-619
[12] Ibid., 620
[13] Ibid. 621
[14] Ibid., 628
[15] Kenneth L. Gentry, JR., HE SHALL HAVE DOMINION A POSTMILLENNIAL ESCHATOLOGY THIRD EDITION REVISED AND EXPANDED, (Draper, VA: Apologetics Group Media, 2009), 538
[16] Ibid., 538 emphasis MJS
[17] Ibid., 538-539 emphasis MJS
[18] Ibid., 539 emphasis MJS
[19] Ibid., 540 emphasis MJS
[20] Joel McDurmon, Jesus v. Jerusalem: A Commentary on Luke 9:51 – 20:26, Jesus’ Lawsuit Against Israel (Powder Springs, GA: The American Vision, Inc., 2011), 48-49; see entire section 43-51.
[21] Ibid., 539 emphasis MJS
[22] 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 9396
[23] Ibid.
[24] 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
[25] Historical Jewish Sources, https://preteristarchives.org/historical-jewish-sources/?fbclid=IwAR2OszDkXKqp8Z-qv0RFId1hjS6_tDT7hoysllAAjdGQpUOTi03OmHx67Nc