The Ascension of Christ Marks the Time

This is Part II in the series of Frequent Mistakes posted at my blog ShreddingTheVeil

Many people fail to link the prophesy of Christ’s ascension in Daniel with the vision of Christ before God’s throne in Rev. chap 5 as the same event.  That they are the same confirms the contemporary nature of Revelation’s prophesy to the first century A.D Christians.

Acts 1:9, ” And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.” 

When did Christ ascend to the Father?  Christ was resurrected on the third day after His crucifixion in either 30 or 31 AD – in the first century A.D.  Afterwards, He appeared to the apostles and disciples for 40 days (Acts 1:3).  He then ascended before their eyes into a cloud and went up to our Father in heaven. 

So, Daniel’s prophesy of Christ’s ascension was fulfilled in the first century A.D.

Dan. 7:13, ” I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him.” 

During which kingdom in Daniel’s vision in chap. 7 did the ascension of Christ take place?  It was during the 4th kingdom. As Christ ascended during that 4th kingdom / beast vision, and as we know that Christ ascended in front of the men of Galilee in the first century A.D., then Daniel’s vision of the 4th kingdom was the world power that existed in the first century A.D.

Dan. 7:14, “And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.“ 

Dan. 7: 19- 27:

“ ¹⁹ Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet;

²⁰ And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.

²¹ I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;

²² Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.

²³ Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces.

²⁴ And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings.

²⁵ And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

²⁶ But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.

²⁷ And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.”

We may still argue over who the little horn was who wore out the saints and thought to change times and laws, but we have to acknowledge that the timing of the establishment of Christ’s kingdom happened after His ascension during the first century A.D. 

Once we acknowledge that the fulfillment of Daniel 7 happened during the first century A.D., then we also know that the vision of Christ standing as though just slain before the throne of God in Revelation chap 5 is also the fulfillment of Daniel 7.

Rev. 5:6, ” And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.” 

The vision of Christ standing before the throne of God in Rev. chap. 5 was a scene from history at the time it was shown to John.  This event had already happened as had been described in Acts. 1:9.  So, the flashback was for John’s benefit so he could see the events that happened in heaven after Christ left the earth. 

This was the heavenly scene of an earlier event that happened in the first century A.D, and it was the fulfillment of Daniel’s vision during the kingdom of the 4th beast.  That means that Revelation chapter 5 actually happened about 30-31 A.D.

Therefore, none of the kingdoms of Daniel 7 can be forced into a time after the first century A.D; which also means that Revelation’s “at hand” time was ready to occur during the first century A.D. (Rev. 1:3; 22:10).

Rev. 19:15, “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.“

Smiting the nations was the same as Daniel’s vision of the stone that smote the image of the four kingdom into pieces (Dan. 2:35).

Even if we cannot know exactly who all the players were, we can get fairly close because we know those of the 4th kingdom were present during the first century A.D.  We must therefore look at the kings of the old Roman empire during the time that Judea was a province of Rome for these events.  Daniel’s vision sets the time limit. We cannot go beyond them. 

We can know several things about the beast kingdoms of Daniel 7:

1) They came up from the “sea” (Dan. 7:3).  The sea was a reference to pagan nations, so all of the kingdoms were outside the “earth” or land of Israel.

2) They began with Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of Dan. 2.

3) Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom (Babylon) was the first one that God specified for the time frame of the coming of Christ’s everlasting kingdom.

4) As Babylon was a world power, then the other three kingdoms would be those which conquered the previous world power, and held dominion after them.  They were world powers of their day. (Dan. 2:38-39; 7 6).

5) We can then count the world powers from the first one of the time frame in Daniel:

   a) Babylon, b) Medo-Persian, c) Greco-Macedonian, and d) Rome

6) The Roman empire was an amalgamation of all of the other empires having incorporated them into the one.  They stamped the residue of the others, and broke them into pieces. The pieces of gold, silver, brass, iron and clay were all present in Rome.  That is also what made them weak as the iron and clay of the broken pieces would not mix.

7) The ten horns, which were ten kings were of the 4th kingdom (Dan 7:20, 24), and were therefore Roman rulers / kings.

8) God began his judgment during the time of the little horn that was of the 4th kingdom of Rome (Dan. 7:26). 

9) Christ’s was given dominion, and glory and a kingdom that would never end at His ascension (Dan. 7:13-14)

10) Christ’s everlasting kingdom broke the 4th kingdom into pieces (Dan. 2:44; 7:26)

Dan. 7:26, “But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.“ 

When God is on His throne, He is sitting in judgment.  When Christ ascended in the clouds, He went to the throne of God (Rev. 4 & 5), to the judgment seat of God, and began opening the seals that would pour forth the judgment of God. 

Christ told the disciples they would see Him coming in the clouds of heaven (Matt. 24:30).  Christ pronounced His return to Caiaphas in judgment language – coming in the clouds (Matt 26:64). John saw the vision of Christ coming in the clouds to judge those who pierced Him (Rev. 1:7)  This is also how the angel told the disciples that they would see Him return – in the clouds of heaven (Acts 1:11).

Those who pierced Him lived in the first century A.D.  The 4th kingdom of Daniel’s vision existed during Christ’s ministry on earth, was partly responsible for His crucifixion, and was the one who helped persecute the saints (wore out the saints) during the first century A.D.  Christ’s kingdom was established during the time of the 4th kingdom of Daniel’s vision.

Daniel pointed to the time – the first century A.D.  The time was declared throughout the NT books -it was “at hand” (Matt. 3:2; 4:6, 17; 10:7; Mark 1:15; Rom. 13:12; Phil 4:5; 2 Thess. 2:2; 1 Pet. 4:7).  Christ told that generation in which He walked on this earth that all of the things would be fulfilled during their generation (Matt. 24:34). 

Revelation was the prophesy of that judgment against all who had rejected the promised Messiah, who crucified Christ and persecuted His saints.

Revelation was the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophesy of the establishment of Christ’s forever and eternal kingdom.  He established it just as had been foretold during that 4th kingdom of Daniel’s prophesy in the first century A.D.  The time of His ascension marked the time of the beginning of the judgment from God’s throne.  

That judgment was poured out against those who rejected the promised Messiah in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD. 70.  Christ has been judging the nations and ruling them with a rod of iron ever since.

All scripture is from the KJV.  All bold emphasis is mine.

Further reading:

All the posts at my blog provide more scripture evidences of the time of Christ’s return in the first century AD, especially Daniel and The End Times; the series on The Signs of Revelation, and the series on It’s Not The End of The World.

“The Prophesy of Daniel Seven”  here