This article, on the 1st & 2nd Coming of Jesus, is a preview of the way I handle the numbers and symbols in the book of Revelation. I know everyone is more interested in the 2nd Coming of Jesus, but in order to understand my explanation of the 2nd Coming of Jesus, I will need to begin by explaining what the 1st Coming of Jesus was in refernce to.

According to Daniel 9:25-26, some decree will be issued to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. Exactly sixty-nine "sevens" (69x7) or 483 years after this occurs, the Anointed One will come. The decree in question is the one issued by King Artaxerxes in 458 BCE (Ezra 7:11-26).

Ezra left Jerusalem in April and arrived in Jerusalem in August of that same year (Ezra 7:8-9). I believed that Ezra read the decree to the Israelites on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), which fell on September 11, in 458 BCE. In Ezra 8:35-36, we are told that several burnt offerings were made and that the king's decree was read thereafter. The Jewish historian Josephus records that these offerings were for the remission of sin (The Antiquities 11.5.2). This also coincides with the number of animal that were to be sacrificed for each tribe on the Day of Atonement (Numbers 29:7-11). Since most scholars agree that Ezra is when we should start counting, then 483 years from 458 BCE brings us to 26 CE.

Now if I am correct, Jesus began his ministry and was baptized on or near His 30th birthday (Luke 3:23) on The Day of Atonement in 26 CE. FYI, the Greek words used in Luke 3:23, which tell us that "Jesus was about 30 years of age when he began his ministry," should be translated, Jesus began (commenced) to be or just turned 30 years of age when he began his ministry. Also, in John 2:13-20, when it was almost time for the Passover, the Jews told Jesus it had taken 46 years to build the temple up to its current state. The work on the Jewish temple began in 20 BCE, so 46 years from that time brings us to 27 CE (year 0 does not exist). Since this is the Passover that occurred just after Jesus’ baptism, we now have further assurance that it was in 26 CE that Jesus was baptized and began his ministry.

The next issue I will examine with respect to Jesus’ 1^st Coming is in regard to his death. Jesus’ ministry lasted about three and a half years. He died around 3:00 p.m. on Passover (Nissan 14), which occurred on Wednesday, April 5, 30 CE. He arose three and a half days later on Sunday morning, April 9, 30 CE. (For more information about this topic, you will have to read my book.)

Daniel 9:26 tells us that the Anointed one would come and afterwards be "cut off". In a prophetic passage, Isaiah describes Jesus as being "cut off" (Isaiah 53:8) when he dies on the cross. Thus the 1^st Coming of Jesus was not in reference to his birth, but the three and a half years of his ministry. Now let’s take a quick look at the 2^nd Coming of Jesus.

Daniel 9:27 and all of Daniel 12 deal with the seventieth week and the time of the end. This is in reference to the end of the Old Covenant Age. In Revelation 12:6, a period of 1260 days or 3 ½ years is mentioned. (If you haven’t already noticed, the number 3 ½ is a significant biblical number.) I believe this is actually referring to the time period from the spring of 67 CE to the destruction of Jerusalem in September of 70 CE. In the fall of 66 CE, there had been several uprisings in Judea. The situation escalated when Gessius Florus became the Roman procurator of that area. He incited the Jews to war by his cruel and detestable actions. Finally Cestius Gallus, the governor over that region came to Judea in an attempt to quiet the uprisings. He surrounded Jerusalem in September of 66 CE and according to Josephus would have taken the city had he continued his siege a little longer.

Josephus believed it was an act of God that Gallus did not end the war at that time (Josephus, The Wars, Book II, Chapter 19, Sections 4-6). Instead, Gallus withdrew his troops from Jerusalem in October of 66 CE. The Christians left Jerusalem shortly after this withdrawal (Josephus, The Wars, Book II, Chapter 20, Section 1). The Romans came back in 67 CE and waged war against the Jews living in Judea. Three and a half years later they destroyed the city of Jerusalem. (I elaborate on this much more in my book).

Does any of this sound familiar to passages in the gospels? In Matthew 24, Jesus tells his disciples what sign to look for before He returns. He mentions fig trees here and in Revelation chapter 6. Figs are harvested in the Jewish month of Elul (August-September). He mentions the trumpet call, which is a reference to the Jewish Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah) celebrated in the month of Tishri (September-October). He also mentions a harvesting or ingathering of the elect, which is a reference to the Feast of Tabernacles that is also celebrated in the Jewish month of Tishri. In Luke 21, we are told that the abomination equates to the armies surrounding Jerusalem or Gentiles in the temple area. (To better understand this, you would need to study what happened to God's people when Antiochus Epiphanes came to Jerusalem in 167 BCE or read chapter 12 of my book.) The Christians obviously understood that Jesus' coming was near since they got out of Jerusalem after the events described above.

Hopefully, I have shown that the 2^nd Coming of Jesus was actually the 3 1/2 year period that the Romans waged war against Jerusalem. I can already hear some of you asking how that has anything to do with Jesus coming in the clouds when he returns. In case you were not aware, there are several descriptions of God coming in the clouds in the Bible (Isaiah 19:1, Jeremiah 4:13, Ezekiel 1:4, 1:28, and Daniel 7:13). Most of the scriptures that I just presented are in reference to God coming in judgment. If that is not enough, Josephus states the following:

“Besides these, a few days after that feast, on the one and twentieth day of the month Artemisius, [Jyar,] a certain prodigious and incredible phenomenon appeared: I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable, were it not related by those that saw it, and were not the events that followed it of so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals; for, before sun-setting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities." (Josephus, The Wars, Book VI, Chapter 5, Section 3)

In summary, the first time that Jesus came for 3½ years, He offered grace, forgiveness, salvation, and hope. The second time that Jesus came for 3½ years, it was to execute Judgment against Jerusalem.

If you would like to know more about the abominations spoken of by Daniel and Jesus, and the fulfillment of prophecies in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, you will have to read my book, "A PERSONAL REVELATION".