PJ Hanley“They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory” Matt 24:30-3I NIV
Though the church is somewhat fragmented on the issues relating to the return of Jesus, all genuine Christians are excited by the above verse. To see our Savior coming on the clouds with power and great glory is our deepest longing for the earth. This is the time we all believe when the kingdom comes in its fullness. However, the church seems quite confused about what is really going to happen. On the one hand we hear “This is heaven” which we understand to be a spiritual place, while on the other we see Jesus coming back to a physical earth and establishing His kingdom.
Statements like, “When we get to heaven” and “In heaven there will be” are frequently applied to the future, yet we also refer to this period as “the kingdom.” Few would see “heaven” as having anything to do with the physical world, while at the same time, they believe Jesus is coming back to planet Earth. As we have seen earlier, this confusion is a result of the inroads made by Gnostic dualism in the early church (the spiritual state is good and the material world evil) and Replacement Theology, which sees the Messianic kingdom as purely spiritual. Consequently, most believers have a very difficult time understanding how the kingdom of heaven can actually come to the physical world and how the two can operate together under Messiah’s rule. But this is precisely what the kingdom is all about. Jesus told us to pray, “Thy kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.” Though we are called to bring the kingdom of heaven to people right now, the ultimate fulfilment of this verse is when Jesus comes, and the kingdom of heaven takes up full residence here. He is coming in the clouds with power and great glory and every eye will see Him. He is coming to a literal world and establishing a literal government.
Heaven is literally coming to earth…
When discussing the coming of the Son of Man, it is very rare that any teacher or preacher will acknowledge His appearing as having anything to do with the kingdom of David or Israel. If the words of the prophets are mentioned at all, in connection with this future event, it is usually Daniel that is quoted and not Isaiah or Jeremiah. Perhaps the reason for this is that the term “Son of Man” is easier to deal with than “Son of David” or “Root of Jesse.” It sounds less Jewish. Jesus repeatedly referred to Himself as “The Son of Man,” a term His hearers would clearly have understood as Messianic, and the establishment of His kingdom as the same event referred to in the following passage.
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.” Dan 7:13-14 NIV
As we read the above passage it is easy to see how it is more palatable to Genties than other Messianic texts. The Son of Man appearing before the Ancient of Days in Heaven and receiving an everlasting kingdom sounds more universal and heavenly than earthly or Israeli. And since it is the final state of things, replacing all earthly systems, it is presumed to be devoid of ethnicity of any kind. After all, it is “the kingdom” and “all peoples” are said to worship Him. The idea that the Almighty would allow one race to have preeminence over all other peoples in the kingdom of heaven seems to be unspiritual and even racist. Yet, as we have already seen, it is precisely what God has promised to do! Consider carefully the context of the chapter in Daniel concerning the Son of Man and His kingdom, and its Jewishness will be easily apparent. Indeed, the angelic explanation for verses 13 and I4 is clearly stated in the last verse.
“Then the sovereignty, the dominion and the greatness of all the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be given to the people of the saints of the Highest One; His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all the dominions will serve and obey Him.” Dan 7:27 NASU (Emphasis Mine)
Believers, who by and large have been indoctrinated by Replacement Theology, are quick to assume that the “peo-ple of the saints of the Highest One” is a reference to the church. However, this is not the “City of God” written by Augustine- it is the book of Daniel written by a Jewish prophet during the Babylonian exile. He was a Jew who interceded night and day for the restoration of Israel and Jerusalem. To him was given the exact sequence of Gentile empires to dominate the Holy Land, the timing of the Lord’s first coming and rejection, the destruction of the Second Temple and the future reign of Antichrist and his overthrow by the King of kings. All of His life and ministry was devoted to the restoration of the Jewish people to their land, city and holy calling. It is unthinkable that he was not referring to Israel when he spoke of the “saints of the Highest One” or “the holy people.” The angelic messengers never hinted at any future group of Gentiles being called the “Holy People” and such a thought would have been completely foreign to a devout Jew such as Daniel.
Furthermore, all of Daniel’s references to the “people of the saints” throughout his writings must be taken to refer to the Jewish people, since they were the only ones who could have been called by such a title. For instance, this term is clearly seen to refer to Israel in the passage about their persecution by the Greek king Antiochus Epiphanies in 8:24. And since this is so and accepted by almost all, there is no basis upon which it can be translated any other way in the book of Daniel. Thus the “people of the saints” are the Jewish people-the descendants of Jacob. The Son of Man is Jesus the Jewish Messiah. The Ancient of Days is the God of Israel and the revelation of Daniel the Jewish prophet is that the everlasting kingdom will be given to the remnant of His ancient covenant people.
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