Matthew 24

When and from where is Jesus ‘coming on the clouds’?

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The phrase ‘coming on the clouds’ is commonly misread as referring to Jesus’ return at the end of the age—when reading it in context and noticing its source in Daniel 7 paints a very different picture.

I have spent the week at Lee Abbey in Devon (if you have not been, you should go!), teaching on Hope and the End of the World.

In my teaching and reflection on issues around eschatology and the ‘second coming’ of Jesus, there is one phrase that keeps coming up, and to which people thinking about these things keep returning: the language of the Son of Man ‘coming with the clouds.’ When I have offered an alternative reading to the key passages in Matthew 24 and Mark 13, this is one of the main things that people get stuck on. I think the reason for this is that people assume that the key questions have obvious answers—so we don’t even need to ask them. But it is important to reflect on: in this phrase, where is Jesus coming from, and where is he coming to? When will this happen? And what is the origin of the phrase?

Israel, the end times, and the return of Jesus

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Martyn Whittock is a historian who has written two fascinating books about end times expectation through history, The End Times, Again? 2000 Years of the Use & Misuse of Biblical Prophecy and its impact on the radicalisation of politics, Apocalyptic Politics: A Taproot of Political Radicalization and Populism. In this video, he asks me all the … Continue Reading

When is Jesus ‘coming on the clouds’?

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In my teaching and reflection on issues around eschatology and the ‘second coming’ of Jesus, there is one phrase that keeps coming up, and to which people thinking about these things keep returning: the language of the Son of Man ‘coming with the clouds.’ When I have offered an alternative reading to the key passages … Continue Reading

Are we in the ‘end times’?

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Yesterday I was the guest on the hour-long ‘Bible surgery’ on Premier Christian Radio, hosted by Maria Rodrigues and recorded over Zoom. It was the first time that I had worked with Maria, and she is a lovely person! Although the programme was an hour long, with songs and breaks my contribution was about 35 … Continue Reading

The Comfort of the Apocalypse

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Jonathan Parker writes: Did somebody say, “Apocalypse?” When things get dire, as in our current, terrifying pandemic, I hear the word “apocalypse” come up a lot more often. “Religious” people start saying, “Here it is” or “No, this isn’t it” (often you can guess which based on their given political or cultural background). The “it” they … Continue Reading