Has Jesus Already Returned?

The idea that Jesus has already returned and that the New Heaven and New Earth were established in AD 70 is rooted in the belief that many of the prophecies in the Bible, particularly those found in Daniel, Revelation, and the teachings of Jesus Himself, were fulfilled in the first century AD. The events described in these prophecies unfolded during a 40-year period between AD 26 and AD 66, culminating in the destruction of the Second Temple in AD 70 by the Romans, marking the end of the Old Covenant world and the beginning of a new spiritual reality.

Throughout the Gospels, Jesus made it clear that His return and the fulfillment of prophecies would happen within the lifetime of His contemporaries. For example, in Matthew 16:28, He says, "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." Similar statements are found in Luke 9:27 and Mark 9:1, emphasizing that some people alive during His ministry would witness His coming. In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus further reinforces this immediacy in Matthew 24:34, stating, "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place." The clear and direct language used by Jesus challenges interpretations that push these events into a distant future, suggesting instead that they were intended for His contemporary audience.  We either take Jesus at his word, or we do not as Jesus emphasized this immediacy over and over again.

The Book of Revelation, traditionally attributed to the Apostle John, begins with a sense of urgency: "The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place."  This immediacy is echoed throughout the text, culminating in Revelation 22:10, where John is instructed, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near." This contrasts sharply with Daniel 8:26, where Daniel is told to seal up his vision because its fulfillment is far off. The juxtaposition of these two instructions suggests that the prophecies in Revelation were meant to occur within the first century, not in some distant future.  Revelation was almost certainly written during the reign of Nero, when John was exiled to Patmos by the Romans.  Revelation 11:1-2 describes the temple as still standing, confirming that the book was written before the temple’s destruction, making its prophecies relevant to, and warning of the events leading up to AD 70.

Since John was under Roman guard on Patmos, he had to be careful what he wrote, and so he used figurative language to refer to the Romans, and to Nero.  Still, the Roman emperor Nero is obviously the Antichrist that John was referring to.  Nero’s reign (AD 54-68) was marked by extreme cruelty, including the brutal persecution of Christians, including the execution of both Peter and Paul.  Nero's violent rule aligns with the apocalyptic characteristics described in Revelation.  John gives an even further confirmation in Revelation 13:15: "Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six."  Using gematria, a form of Jewish numerology, the number 666 is the total of the value of the letters of Nero's name in Israel "Neron Caesar."  This was a sly way for John to reference Nero that only the Jews would recognize but the Romans would not.  Nero’s persecution of early Christians fits Jesus' warnings in Matthew 24:9 about the tribulations His followers would face.

Nero required complete loyalty.  Citizens were required to offer sacrifices and declare “Caesar is Lord.” Refusal to participate in this was seen as treason. Christians, however, refused to offer such worship, as their loyalty was to Jesus alone. As a result, they were ostracized and persecuted, making it unable to buy or sell without the mark of Nero, or proven loyalty to the emperor.  This is what John referred to as the "mark of the beast" in Revelation.

In the Bible, clouds often symbolize God's presence during times of judgment and destruction. For example, Isaiah 19:1 says, “See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt,” signaling divine judgment upon the nation. Similarly, Joel 2:2 describes “a day of clouds and blackness” as a time of impending destruction. These and other passages, such as Ezekiel 30:3 and Nahum 1:3, depict clouds as symbols of God's wrath and swift action against wickedness.  When Jesus foretells His return, He says, “They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30). This imagery reflects the Old Testament association of clouds with divine judgment. Jesus’ coming on the clouds represents His role as judge, bringing justice and reckoning to the world, much like the cloud-borne judgment seen in earlier Biblical accounts.

One of the most profound teachings of Jesus is found in Luke 17:20-21, where He explains that His kingdom is not something that could be visibly observed: "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst." This statement suggests that the Kingdom of God is a spiritual reality rather than a physical one. The New Testament consistently portrays the Kingdom as something that is both "already" and "not yet"—present in the hearts and lives of believers, yet fully realized in the spiritual realm.

The New Heaven and New Earth described in Revelation 21-22 should also be understood as spiritual concepts rather than physical ones. The language used in these chapters is highly symbolic, depicting a new order where God’s presence is fully manifest among His people. Revelation 21:3 states, "And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.’" This passage emphasizes the intimate relationship between God and His people, a relationship that was inaugurated through Jesus’ death and resurrection and fully realized in the establishment of the New Covenant.

This spiritual understanding of the New Heaven and New Earth aligns with the broader New Testament teaching that God’s dwelling place is no longer a physical temple but within the hearts of believers. Paul articulates this in 1 Corinthians 3:16, saying, "Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" Similarly, Ephesians 2:22 describes believers as "being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit." The destruction of the physical temple in AD 70 symbolized the end of the Old Covenant and the transition to this new spiritual reality where God’s presence is no longer confined to a specific location but is accessible to all believers everywhere.

The events of AD 70, particularly the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, marked the definitive end of the Old Covenant world. Jesus’ prophecies in Matthew 24 and Luke 21 about the coming judgment on Jerusalem were fulfilled with striking accuracy during the Roman siege. Matthew 24:2 records Jesus’ prediction that "not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down," a prophecy fulfilled in AD 70. The "abomination of desolation" mentioned in Matthew 24:15 can be seen as the Roman legions, with their idolatrous standards, standing in the holy place, leading to the temple’s destruction.

This judgment on Jerusalem and the Jewish leaders who rejected Jesus is echoed in Jesus’ parables, such as in Matthew 21:40-41, where the vineyard owner brings judgment on the wicked tenants (representing the Jewish authorities) and rents out the vineyard to other vine-growers (representing the Gentiles and the new covenant community). The fall of Jerusalem and the end of the temple’s sacrificial system signified the final judgment against those who rejected Jesus, fulfilling His prophetic warnings.

In the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21), Jesus predicted the destruction of the Temple, wars, false prophets, tribulation, and cosmic signs. He specifically stated, “Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2), and prophesied that “the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven” (Matthew 24:29).

These events can be historically confirmed by the writings of Flavius Josephus and Tacitus. Josephus, in The Jewish War, records the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD: “The sanctuary was burning, neither pity for age nor respect for rank was shown. On the contrary, children and old people, laymen and priests alike were massacred.” He also notes the appearance of a comet that “stood over the city” for a year, interpreted as an omen, and reports of “chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor” seen in the clouds. These accounts align with Jesus’ prediction of the Temple’s destruction and celestial signs.

Tacitus, in Histories, corroborates Josephus, describing “prodigies seen in the heavens, armies in conflict with glittering armor,” and a sudden light illuminating the Temple, adding to the atmosphere of supernatural forewarning. These accounts of signs in the heavens — fiery appearances and celestial phenomena — reflect the cosmic disturbances that Jesus predicted. Both Josephus and Tacitus offer independent historical evidence that Jesus’ prophecies in the Olivet Discourse, including the destruction of Jerusalem and heavenly signs, were fulfilled in the first century AD.

Following these events, the early Christian Church, despite intense persecution, rapidly spread throughout the Roman Empire, fulfilling Jesus’ prophecy that the Gospel would be preached to all nations (Matthew 24:14). Paul’s statement in Colossians 1:23 that the Gospel had already been proclaimed "in all creation under heaven" by the time of his writing further supports the idea that these prophecies were being fulfilled in the first century.

With the establishment of the New Heaven and New Earth, symbolizing the new covenantal relationship between God and humanity, believers now live in the age of the Spirit. God’s Kingdom is fully realized in the sense that His presence dwells within each believer, and His will is being done on Earth through the lives of those who follow Him. The New Heaven and New Earth are not about a future physical transformation of the planet but about the spiritual renewal that comes through Christ, the inauguration of a new way of relating to God, and the establishment of His rule in the hearts of His people, and throughout the Earth, as more people follow Him and bring us closer to the a reality of "on Earth as it is in Heaven."

The events of AD 70 were not just historical occurrences but the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy, marking the end of the Old Covenant and the beginning of the New. The return of Jesus, as prophesied in the Gospels, was fulfilled in a spiritual sense with the establishment of the New Covenant, where God’s Kingdom is a present reality within the lives of believers. The New Heaven and New Earth represent this spiritual reality, where God’s presence is no longer confined to a physical temple but dwells within His people. The prophecies concerning the end times were meant for the early Church and were fulfilled as Jesus promised. Through His sacrifice, Jesus opened the doors to heaven and established a new, eternal covenant, allowing believers to experience God’s Kingdom here and now, and after their physical death in the next realm.  We are living in a glorious time.  God wants nothing more than for us to use our time here to bring the spiritual Kingdom of God to physical fruition on Earth.  Jesus did the work in the spiritual realm, now it's up to us to do the work here in the physical realm, of our own free will.