Revelation 8 Part 2 Bible Teaching

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We begin with prayer
Sing the Word of God set to music (as a means to get it into our heads) and then we sit for a moment in silence here at the Church/Studio.

When we come back we pick up where we left off last week in our verse by verse study.

And that takes us to Revelation chapter 8 verse.

Prayer
Song
Silence

Okay so last week we read the first six verses of chapter eight which say:

Revelation 8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
Re 6:1
2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.
5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

Last week we touched on how the contents of Revelation are seen as types in the Old Testament.

There are a few things I failed to mention in our discussion relative to that general discussion last week.

First of all, the presence of God (which was also called the Shekinah or Glory Cloud) was believed to be ever present in the Most Holy Place of the Temple above the Ark of the Covenant in the Old Testament.

During the sixth century B.C., before the destruction of Solomon’s temple, Ezekiel saw “the Glory Cloud” depart from the Temple and travel east to the Mount of Olives.

This is recorded in Ezekiel 10:18-19 and 11:22-23.

Interestingly enough, we have a similar event reported in A.D. 66 before the destruction of the second Temple in A.D. 70!

In The Wars of the Jews, Josephus records what appears to be the departure of the Shekinah (or Glory Cloud) from the Most Holy Place and says:
“[A]t that feast which we call Pentecost [of A.D. 66], as the priests were going by night into the inner temple…they felt a quaking and heard a great noise, and after that they heard a sound as of a great multitude, saying, ‘Let us remove hence.”

The fact that a supernatural voice was heard to declare that it was leaving the Temple points strongly to the departure of the Shekinah from the Temple before its destruction.

Then, the “departure of the Lord” from the Temple is also described by the pagan historian Tacitus who writes,

“A sudden lightening flash from the clouds lit up the Temple. The doors of the holy place abruptly opened, a superhuman voice was heard to declare that the gods were leaving it, and in the same instant came the rushing tumult of their departure.”

The pillar of smoke by day and fire by night that guided the Hebrew slaves during the Exodus was another manifestation of the Glory Cloud.

According to the Midrash Rabbah, Lamentations Proems 25, a Jewish rabbi named Jonathan, who may have been an eyewitness to the destruction of Jerusalem, said that the “Shekinah” (or Glory of the Lord) departed from the Temple and for three and a half years ”abode on the Mount of Olives hoping that Israel would repent, but they did not; while a Bet Kol [the voice of God] issued forth announcing, ‘Return, O backsliding children [Jer. 3:14]. Return unto Me, and I will return unto you [Mal. 3:7],’ when they did not repent, it said, ‘I will return to my place [Hosea 5:15]’”

But there is more that we need to address and I have neglected to lay out plainly at this point in our discussion.

In the past, I have always associated the events that are caused by the blowing of the trumpets, and the pouring of the vials, as occurring PRIOR to Jesus coming to save His bride and church from destruction.

I have specifically dated that coming as 70 AD.

I do not think this any longer. This is why.

Revelation 8:5 and Revelation 14:14-18 imply that the parousia of Christ (or second coming) was expected to occur before the start of the seven trumpets and bowls or vials.

When we get to Revelation 19 it describes for us what Jesus triumphant return will look like and while not being given for another ten chapters it seems that the description can nicely fit right here BEFORE the trumpets sound and BEFORE the vials are unleashed.

And this would have all occurred in 66 AD or what would have been the start of the Jewish War followed by the subsequent release of the seven plagues of Revelation.

Why say this? Because if we take all the descriptions found here in scripture and then also the descriptions of pagan and non-Christian historians, Jesus Christ led an angelic army in the clouds over Israel in an appearance that seems to LITERALLY fulfill Revelation 19 (and 2 Thessalonians 1:7) BEFORE the unleashing of the angels with trumpets and vials.

In other words, what I am suggesting is a what we might see as a pre-tribulation rapture of the church happening in 66 AD rather than during or after the unleashing of the trumpets and vials upon the earth.

In Revelation 19, Jesus leads an army of angels on horseback in the sky.

One month after the mysterious light shone from the Temple altar on the 8th of Nisan of A.D. 66 (which fulfilled Revelation 8:1-5) and the month before the departure of the Shekinah from the Temple, there are reports of “an army of angels” (like those Jesus leads in Revelation 19) appearing in or on the clouds.

So let’s talk about this.
We remember that Jesus said to Caiphas the High Priest and to John the Beloved:
“You will see the Son of Man . . . coming on the Clouds of Heaven”:
In Mark 14:61-62, we read:
Mr 14:61 But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, “Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” 62 And Jesus said, “I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”
I take this literally and as true.
As stated, Revelation 19:11-14 has Jesus ride in a white horse leading an army of angels on horseback on the clouds.
An eerily similar event is recorded by Josephus to have occurred in the month of Iyyar of A.D. 66 at the start of the worst war in Israel’s history, “Israel’s war with Rome:”
He said:
[O]n the twenty-first day of the month of 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 sunsetting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities.1
This is a very similar description as what is provided in Revelation 19:11-14
This event is also recorded by other historians.
The first-century pagan historian Tacitus also mentions this event: “In the sky appeared a vision of armies in conflict, of glittering armour.”
The medieval Jewish historian Sepher Yosippon expounds upon this angelic army in the sky of A.D. 66 by saying, “Moreover, in those days were seen chariots of fire and horsemen, a great force flying across the sky near to the ground coming against Jerusalem and all the land of Judah, all of them horses of fire and riders of fire.”
The parallels between these three accounts and Revelation 19 are striking.
However, in Yosippon’s account one can see how 2 Thessalonians 1:7 was explicitly and LITERALLY fulfilled in A.D. 66. There Paul wrote to the believers of that day:
“And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Yosippon adds the fact that this angelic army in the sky of A.D. 66 was composed of cavalry that blazed with fire LITERALLY fulfilling 2 Thessalonians 1:7.

This description of the Angelic Army of Fire in the Sky (in 66 A.D.) also fulfills descriptions of the Coming of the Lord in Isaiah 66:15, Psalm 68:17 and Habakkuk 3:1-8.

Isaiah says:
“For behold, the Lord will come in fire and His chariots like the whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire.”
Psalm 68:17 and Habakkuk 3:1-8 are also described in a similar fashion.
Interestingly, the fiery army of angelic horsemen and charioteers of A.D. 66 was not the first time a specter like this was recorded in Israel.
Yosippon’s Description of the Angelic Army of Fire in the Sky in A.D. 66 EXACTLY Mirrors the Army of Angels of Fire described in 2 Kings 6:17 which says:
“And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.”
Notice that in both cases an army of angelic horsemen appeared as horsemen and chariots of fire.
According to Acts 9:3-6 and Revelation 1:13-16, Jesus’ Resurrection Body was Further Glorified after His Ascension into Heaven such that it Beamed with Radiance like Blazing Fire.
Thus Jesus’ Body took on a Form similar to that of the Angels of Heaven – which is supported by 2 Kings 6:17, 2 Corinthians 11:14 and Matthew 28:2-3.
Why did the angels of 2 Kings 6:17 and those described by Yosippon in A.D. 66 appear as beings of fire?
And why does 2 Thessalonians 1:7 imply that Jesus was to take on a form like that of blazing fire during His second coming?
Though Jesus’ resurrection body strongly resembled His physical body while He was still on earth, this appears to have changed after Jesus ascended into heaven in Acts 1.
We rarely speak of this but scripture does, as in Acts 9:3-6 and Revelation 1:13-16.
After His ascension, Jesus’ body as it is described throughout the remainder of the Bible closely resembles Biblical descriptions of the heavenly Father and other beings in heaven—beaming with fiery brilliance.
In Ezekiel 1:26-28, Ezekiel describes a vision of God in which, like descriptions of Jesus in Acts 9:3-6 and Revelation 1:13-16, God is said to shine with glorious brilliance:
It reads:
And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man above upon it. 27 And I saw as the color of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it, from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. 28 As the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of one that spake.
This clearly echoes the descriptions of Jesus in Revelation and Acts! Additionally, the angels in 2nd Kings 6:17, Matthew 28:2-3 and 2 Corinthians 11:14 are described similarly.
Matthew 28:2-3 reads, “[A]n angel of the Lord descended from heaven . . . his appearance was like lightning[.]”
2 Corinthians 11:14 echoes Matthew 28:2-3: “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”
Christ’s body after having risen to heaven is pictured with similar fiery luminescence:
[A]nd among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance (Revelation 1:13-16).”
In other words after his ascension into heaven, Jesus’ resurrection body was further glorified according to Revelation 1:13-16 such that it resembled the image of the Father and the heavenly host—shinning like blazing fire.

We also note something interesting in 2 Peter 1:16-18, which is Peter’s description of the transfiguration.

During the transfiguration, Jesus appeared to the disciples in the likeness of a being of light. (Matthew 17, Mark 9, Luke 9) What is interesting about this description of the transfiguration is that the Greek word translated coming in v. 16 is parousia, the same word often used to refer to the second coming throughout the New Testament. The fact that Peter uses the word parousia to describe the moment in which Jesus was transformed into a being of light implies that Peter may have seen the transfiguration as a visionary shadow or model of the parousia, the second coming. The fact that the transfiguration in which Jesus appeared in bright, radiant glory may be a kind of model of the second coming seems to be confirmed by Yosippon’s description of the fiery army in the clouds of A.D. 66.

This is how Peter described the Transfiguration, saying

“For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming [parousia] of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased’— and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.”
It should also be noted that this is not the only way in which the transfiguration was a model of the second coming.
According to Matthew 17:5 the Glory Cloud also appeared in the midst of the transfiguration: “While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!’”
Though scripture never identifies Jesus at the head of this angelic army in the clouds, scripture seems to indicate that this would be so as He is predicted as coming in the clouds in the presence of the heavenly host within the lifetimes of those present during His ministry.
If this supernatural event did, in fact, occur which literally fulfills Revelation 19:14 and ALL OTHER BIBLICAL DESCRIPTIONS concerning the second coming, then Jesus must have been at the head of this army on the clouds.
A few more things before we get to the first Trumpet.
Jesus said as lightening comes from the east to the west, so will be the Coming of the Son of Man.” According to Tacitus, Lightning struck the Temple around the Time of the Second Coming in fulfillment of Matthew 24:27.
This verse seems to suggest that lightning might mark the coming of the Son of Man on the clouds.
Historical evidence that lightning may have accompanied His coming at the start of the Jewish revolt in A.D. 66 is provided to us by the first-century Roman historian Tacitus who (again) said:
“In the sky appeared a vision of armies in conflict, of glittering armour. A sudden lightening flash from the clouds lit up the Temple. The doors of the holy place abruptly opened, a superhuman voice was heard to declare that the gods were leaving it, and in the same instant came the rushing tumult of their departure.”
This heavenly army recorded above LITERALLY fulfills ALL Biblical descriptions of the second coming.
Ready? It fulfills
Matthew 24,
Matthew 16:28,
Matthew 10:23,
Mark 8:38-9:1,
Mark 14:61-62,
John 21:22 and Revelation 1:7.
In fulfillment of Matthew 24:30, Revelation 1:7 and Mark 14:62, this event was reported to have occurred on the clouds.
This supernatural specter pictures what appears to be Jesus, the Son of Man, in the presence of a multitude of angels in the clouds fulfilling Matthew 16:27, Mark 8:38, 2 Thessalonians 1:7, and Jude 14-15.
This event was visible to those who were looking (in at least a visionary form) in fulfillment of Matthew 16:27-28, Matthew 24:27, Matthew 24:30, Mark 14:62, Revelation 1:7 and Acts 1:9-11.
This event was accompanied by lightning fulfilling Matthew 24:27.
This event included Jesus appeared with a heavenly army beaming with brilliant luminosity that resembled fire and lightning in fulfillment of Matthew 24:27 and 2 Thessalonians 1:7.
This event engaged the parousia or second coming at the start of the Jewish War as implied in Revelation 8:5 and Revelation 14:14.
And in fulfillment of 1 Thessalonians 4:16, this army was seen in A.D. 66, the same year in which a multitude of spiritual bodies were seen rising out of the earth in what appears to be the start the resurrection of the dead.

What do I mean by this?

A few days or weeks after the army was seen in the clouds at the start of the Jewish revolt in A.D. 66, a multitude of spiritual bodies appeared out of the earth. Writes one Cassius Dio, a Roman Statesman and Historian.
Apparently, Nero was building a canal and when they dug into the earth there was an upheaval up and out of the ground, as Cassius reports:
“[W]hen the first workers touched the earth, blood spouted from it, groans and bellowings were heard, and many phantoms appeared. Nero himself thereupon grasped a mattock and by throwing up some of the soil fairly compelled the rest to imitate him.”
In recording this event, Suetonius indicates that as Nero broke the ground the sound of a trumpet was heard.
The fact that a trumpet was heard at the time in which the dead were raised is a clear fulfillment of 1 Corinthians 15:52: “For the trumpet will sound, [and] the dead will be raised imperishable . . .”
Revelation 15:8 implies that these spirits, however, do not finally enter heaven until the seven plagues are completed.
Perhaps these spirits that had been resurrected at the start of the Jewish War are taken to an undisclosed location away from Satan’s reach for 1260 days which responds with the interval between the time of the arrival of the Romans during the month of Tishri in A.D. 66 until Passover of A.D. 70 when Titus began his attack on Jerusalem at the last trumpet.
Who can say? What we do know is taken from 1 Thessalonians 4:16 which says,

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”
This verse implies that the second coming would mark the start of the resurrection of the dead.
Then we must admit that the placement of the resurrection in the Book of Revelation is shockingly ambiguous.
Before the releasing of the seven trumpets and bowls, Revelation 8:5 alludes to the Glory Cloud which we know is the manifestation of God.
Revelation 8:1-6, Revelation 14:14-18 and Revelation 15:1-8 all describe the events leading up to the release of the seven plagues.
The fact that Christ is on the clouds in the Glory Cloud according to Revelation 8:5 and 14:14 before the release of the seven plagues points to a manifestation of Christ at the start of the Jewish War and not just in A.D. 70 as is commonly supposed.
I know this has been a lot but at this point we must ask the question:
“Was the second coming in A.D. 66 or in A.D. 70?” This is the wrong question to ask when we consider the Greek.
Hang with me.
The term second coming is not found in the original Greek of the New Testament, instead what is often translated second coming in the New Testament is the Greek word parousia.
Parousia is a Greek word that means presence or coming.
Most often “Parousia” is a word used to denote the arrival of a conquering general, emperor or high-ranking official into a city for an extended stay oftentimes for several months or years before often returning to the capital city, the seat of his throne.
For example, Nero Caesar’s Parousia in Greece lasted for years as he arrived in Greece in A.D. 66 and stayed until late A.D. 67 or early A.D. 68.
The word connotes a coming and often an extended presence or stay which is followed by a subsequent departure.
When people think of the “second coming” (writ Parousia), they often picture a one-time, brief appearance of Christ on the clouds. Boom – He arrives and then He’s gone.
But again, parousia most generally means a coming and an extended stay or presence.
For instance, look at Philippians 2:12 which says:
“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.”
The word presence here is Parousia – and Pauls presence in Philippi was not just a show up stop. He was there for a good period of time – perhaps years.
Therefore Jesus’ second coming (or Parousia) could have very likely been a “coming” or arrival with an extended stay or presence.
I am beginning to wonder if He came in 66 AD (right before the Jewish Roman war) and remained until 70 AD until the destruction of Jerusalem, its temple and its inhabitants.
To limit Jesus’ coming to A.D. 66 or A.D. 70 seems to imply that Jesus’ Parousia was just a brief, one-time appearance of Christ on the clouds. If it was, Parousia is a strange word to use to describe this event.
We have some insight into this through the words Jesus spoke in Mark 14:61-62.
I have always wondered about them.
Jesus is speaking to the high priest and we read:
“But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, ‘Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?’
‘I am,’ said Jesus. ‘And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”’
Have you ever wondered why Jesus mentions both things here – both seeing Him coming in the clouds AND sitting on the right hand of the Father?
To me this smacks of His lingering above longer than just in a one time visit.
Another thing to consider in all of this.
God made a handful of appearances throughout the Old Testament
Genesis 16:7; 21:17; 22:11; 31:11; Exodus 3:2-15; 17:1-7; Judges 6:11; 13:21; Daniel 3:24-27; Micah 5:2.
Some calls these visits Christophanies and others call them Theophanies.
I don’t know that we can discern these things so specifically.
Is there a similar pattern found between Jesus’ resurrection and His ascension and then between His ascension and the Parousia?
We do see Him appearing in between both periods of time, right?
Taking this in hand we may NOT be wrong to suggest that perhaps Jesus was MAKING numerous visits over that time and throughout the end of that age which could all be easily defined as His Parousia.
In other words, just as God has revealed himself all throughout the Old Testament to His people would it be so far afield to suggest that Jesus did the same thing over the course of the wrapping up of that specific age?
Recall that throughout the Gospels Jesus often said that He would “soon leave the world to be with His Father in heaven.”
These words are found in Luke 19:12-27; John 8:21-23; 13:1; 14:2-3; 16:7.
Jesus then made good on this promise when He rose up to heaven in a cloud in Acts 1:9-11.
Jesus then appears to have stayed in heaven at the right hand of the Father (Acts 7:55, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 2 Thessalonians 1:7, Hebrews 9:24, 1 Peter 3:22) except for a couple scattered manifestations or appearances (one in Acts 9, and then in Revelation 1:9-18).
Jesus then departs from heaven when He is said to come on the clouds of heaven during His second coming or Parousia at the end of the age.
Christ’s departure from heaven to come to earth at the time of His second coming or parousia perfectly matches the coming of God on the clouds of heaven in Psalm 18 which says:
“He [the Lord] parted the heavens and came down; dark clouds were under his feet.”
As already stated, Parousia is a word denoting the coming or arrival of an illustrious figure followed by an anticipated stay. Parousia is a word suggesting that a royal person will visit a town or city for some time before returning to the capital, the seat of his throne that is unless the city being visited by a king is not the capital itself. Thus Parousia appears to be a perfect word to depict Jesus’ coming in judgment at the time of Israel’s first-century war with Rome. After having risen into heaven in Acts 1:9-11, Christ later returned back to earth to come in judgment during the Jewish War.
Here Jesus appears to have stayed for several years while manifesting Himself in diverse and various ways before returning back to heaven, the true seat of His throne, with the saints at the resurrection at the last trumpet (1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 2 Thessalonians 2:1).
Thus Jesus’ coming to and prolonged presence in Palestine from A.D. 66 to A.D. 70 during the war with Rome seems to perfectly match Biblical prophecy and historical uses of the Greek word Parousia.
Once it was all wrapped up with the unleashing of the seals, trumpets and the pouring out of the vials, Jesus ultimately returned with all His Saints to heaven, at which time he drank wine with them again at the table of His bride.
Was He truly visible? Perhaps! Just as God was visible in the Old Testament.
With Jesus having the victory over all things, His Parousia was the perfect culminating end of all things biblical.
And in what manner did He come? He tells us in Matthew 16:27 that He would come in the glory of His Father bringing everything FULL circle and to the Glory of God.
We will pick it up at verse 7 and read through the first two trumps . . . next week.

Questions / comments ?

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Revelation 8. Part II
Meat
August 13th 2017

For a discussion of the other appearances of Christ during and shortly after the Jewish War which literally fulfilled every detail of every prophecy concerning the parousia or second coming see Historical Evidence that Jesus was LITERALLY SEEN in the Clouds in the First Century.

One month after this army was seen in the sky, the lightning and earthquake aspect of the Glory Cloud mentioned in v. 5 indicative of the coming of Christ on the clouds of heaven in the Glory Cloud were recorded by Tacitus and Josephus.

Revelation 8:5 Commentary: Josephus and Tacitus record what appears to be Christ coming on the Clouds in Judgment in the Glory Cloud in A.D. 66 in the Midst of the Fulfillment of the Rest of Revelation 8:1-6.

During Pentecost, three months after the miraculous light from the altar and one month after the mass vision of the army of angels was seen on the clouds, the earthly reflection of verse 5 appears to have unfolded.

This event is described by two first century historians. Tacitus writes, “A sudden lightening flash from the clouds lit up the Temple. The doors of the holy place abruptly opened, a superhuman voice was heard to declare that the gods were leaving it, and in the same instant came the rushing tumult of their departure” [emphasis mine].11 Here one can see the flash of lightening mentioned in v. 5. Notice that Tacitus explicitly indicates that the lightning flash that struck the Temple came from the clouds.

These clouds are the Glory Cloud indicative of the presence of God coming on the clouds in judgment.

When the Lord came on the clouds in judgment on a nation he typically came in the midst of cloud and fire or lightning–fire from heaven–according to Exodus 3:2, Exodus 13:21, Exodus 19:16-19, Deuteronomy 4:11-14, 1 Kings 19:11-13 and Psalm 50:3.

This lightning is a sign of the divine presence in the Glory Cloud.

When there is lightning, there is generally thunder which is, of course, another sign of the presence of God on the Glory Cloud.

The other sign of the presence of God is an earthquake. According to Isaiah 29:6, thunder, lightning and earthquake are physical signs of the coming of the Lord in judgment: “[T]he Lord Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire [lightning].”

The earthquake of v. 5 is mentioned in the writings of Josephus, who in describing this same event writes, “[A]t that feast which we call Pentecost, as the priests were going by night into the inner temple…they felt a quaking and heard a great noise, and after that they heard a sound as of a great multitude, saying, ‘Let us remove hence [emphasis mine].’”12

The fact that lightning, earthquake and probably thunder were noted on Pentecost of A.D. 66 suggests that God–or more specifically Jesus Christ–had come on the clouds in judgment in A.D. 66 in the presence of the Glory Cloud as implied in Revelation 8:5.

This fact seems especially probable in light of the supernatural voice recorded by both Josephus and Tacitus which was heard in the midst of all these signs.

Recall that Josephus says that the supernatural voice heard from the temple sounded like the voice of a multitude which is how the voice of the Lord Almighty is described in Ezekiel 1:24.13

Furthermore, as stated above the Glory Cloud of v. 5 is also mentioned in Revelation 14:14.

Here Christ is seated on a cloud while the angels with the seven plagues depart from the Temple and prepare to release their plagues as described in Revelation 14:15-18, Revelation 8:1-6 and Revelation 15:1-8.

In the presence of the above evidence, not only can the reader appreciate the literal, earthly fulfillment of the lightning and earthquake mentioned in v. 5 but the reader may also appreciate their significance as signs of the presence of Christ on the clouds during the initial aspect of the parousia in midst of the Glory Cloud in A.D. 66.

Having discussed the historical fulfillment of the lightning and earthquake of v. 5, let’s move on to the Biblical significance of the supernatural voice heard amidst these phenomena as mentioned above by Tacitus and Josephus in greater detail.

Before expounding on this topic, it is important to note that the events of Revelation 8:1-6 are repeated in Revelation 14:14-16:1 in greater detail.

This spectral voice recorded by both Tacitus and Josephus is, I believe, a miraculous earthly echo of the heavenly voice recorded in Revelation 16:1:

“Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, ‘Go, pour out the seven bowls of God’s wrath on the earth.’”

Did Josephus and Tacitus unknowingly record the fulfillment of the heavenly voice of Revelation 16:1 commanding the angels of the seven trumpets and bowls to leave the Temple?

It is interesting to note that the pouring out of the seven bowls causing the seven plagues of Revelation 16 is a heavenly reflection of the pouring out of the drink offerings performed by Jewish priests during the celebration of Pentecost—the very same holiday in which this miracle is said to have occurred.

Seeming confirmation of the departure of the seven angels with the seven bowls from the Temple in Revelation 16 is found in The Histories.

Here Tacitus who states that “the doors of the holy place abruptly opened.”14 Notice that in the next verse, the angels “prepared” to sound the trumpets. They did not actually blow the trumpets until the Feast of Trumpets, three and a half months later, as stated earlier.

If the supernatural voice mentioned by Josephus and Tacitus is an indication of the departure of the seven angels of the seven trumpets and bowls, how could it also point to the flight of the Glory Cloud from the Temple as well?

Recall that according to Revelation 8:2 the angels of the seven plagues are angels of the presence of God: “And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.”

These seven angels were seemingly chosen from among the angels that accompany God—i.e. Christ—in the Glory Cloud.

The fact that God is accompanied by angels in the Glory Cloud is indicated in Deuteronomy 33:2 and Ezekiel 1.

Josephus says that the voice declaring its departure heard by the Temple priests sounded like that of a multitude.

Furthermore, both Tacitus and Josephus state that the sound of the fleeing occupants sounded like that of a great number.

Thus this miracle seems to point to the exit of Christ from the Holy of Holies quickly followed by the angels of his presence, the angels of the seven plagues.

In Revelation 14:14, Jesus is shown sitting on the clouds during his second coming. Though Jesus was visible in visionary form one month earlier amidst the fiery angelic army in the sky during the initial aspect of the parousia described in detail in Revelation 19 and 2 Thessalonians 1:7, Jesus would not have likely been visible in a vision or otherwise at this time.

Just as God was invisible amidst the Glory Cloud that guided the Israelites to the Promised Land as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night in Exodus, Jesus once again pictured in the Glory Cloud in Revelation 14:14 would have also likely been invisible as God generally was while in the Glory Cloud.

God had come on the clouds in judgment several times in Old Testament history and each time God was seemingly invisible.

This point is stated clearest in Psalm 18:9-14 cited above.

In Psalm 18, God parts the heavens and rides clouds so dark that they block out the light of his presence.

Seemingly obscured by these clouds, God fires down lightning in anger from his opaque chariot in the sky.

In this preliminary aspect of his second coming, Jesus does the same causing the lightning flash that marked the departure of the angels within the temple according to Tacitus: “A sudden lightening flash from the clouds lit up the Temple. The doors of the holy place abruptly opened, a superhuman voice was heard to declare that the gods were leaving it, and in the same instant came the rushing tumult of their departure.”15