Daniel 7:13-14 – Ascension or Second Coming?
“I was watching in the night visions. And behold, One like the Son of Man [Jesus], coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days [God], and they [the angels] brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away. And His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed” (Dan. 7:13–14)
Some commentators say this cloud coming refers to Jesus’s ascension in AD 33. After all, Daniel describes the Son of Man coming to the Ancient of Days, which seems to match how Jesus ascended to heaven in AD 33 (see Acts 1:9).
However, there are at least three problems with this view:
One, as many scholars have pointed out, Jesus quoted from Daniel 7:13–14 in the Olivet Discourse. Compare the various elements that both Daniel and Jesus mention: the Son of Man coming (Dan. 7:13, Luke 21:27), on clouds (Dan. 7:13, Luke 21:27), in glory (Dan. 7:14, Luke 21:27), with his kingdom (Dan. 7:14, Luke 21:31). Daniel and Jesus are clearly describing the same event…the same coming of the Lord. And when did Jesus say it would happen?
To answer this question, let me give a quick overview of what Jesus said in the Olivet Discourse. The discourse starts by Jesus saying the temple would be destroyed: “Not one stone would be left upon another” (Luke 21:6). Then in verse 7, the disciples ask Jesus when this event would happen. Then Jesus answers their question by mentioning all the various precursors, such as false christs, nation rising up against nation, and severe Christian persecution. Then, Jesus goes on to say in v. 20 that Jerusalem would be surrounded by armies, which would indicate its destruction was near. Then, Jesus says in v. 25 that the disciples would “see signs in the sun, moon and stars.” And then Jesus says in v. 27 that they would see Jesus “coming on clouds of glory.”
So Jesus’ cloud coming doesn’t happen until after Jerusalem is surrounded by armies. But according to historians, Jerusalem was not surrounded by the Roman armies until around AD 67. Then, the city and temple were destroyed in the following Jewish-Roman War of AD 67-AD 70.
Since Jesus’ cloud coming happens after the surrounding of Jerusalem, and the surrounding of Jerusalem didn’t happen until AD 67, then the cloud coming cannot possibly refer to Jesus’ ascension (which happened back in AD 33).
Jesus’ cloud coming is linked to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. That’s what a cloud coming is–a judgment. In fact, God the Father came on clouds of judgment many times in the OT (see Isaiah 19:1, Ezek. 32:7-15, Ps. 18:7-17). And there was no judgment at Jesus’ ascension. The judgment did not happen until around thirty five years later.
Two, another reason we can be sure the cloud coming described in Daniel 7:13–14 does not refer to Jesus’ ascension in AD 33 is that verses 21–22 (see also vv. 15–16) say this event would happen after the persecution of the saints. Yet this persecuted did not happen until after the Ascension. The persecution intensified with Nero in AD 64, after which the Son on Man came on clouds of judgement in AD 70.
Three, still another reason we can be sure the cloud coming described in Daniel 7:13-14 does not refer to Jesus’ ascension in AD 33 is that the cloud coming was still future when Revelation was written in AD 65: “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him” (Rev. 1:7). This is the same cloud coming described in the Olivet Discourse, and it was the same cloud coming described in Daniel 7–at least we have no biblical reason to believe otherwise–and it was still future when Revelation was written in AD 65, then Daniel 13:13–14 cannot possibly refer to the ascension in AD 33. For more information about Revelation 1:7, see my article “Every Eye will See Jesus Coming” or video “Every Eye Will See Him Coming.”
Conclusion: Daniel 7:13–14 is clearly describing Jesus’s coming in AD 70—not his ascension in AD 33.
For more about the topics discussed in this article, see my book The End Is Here: How the New Testament’s Prophecies Were Fulfilled, available NOW on Amazon.
By Alex Polyak – Director of The Bible Fulfilled – 9/18/24
[1] Futurists believe the Second Coming is a still future event. Preterists, on the other hand, believe the Second Coming happened in AD 70 based on passages such as Matthew 16:27–28, in which Jesus said: “Assuredly, I say to you [first-century disciples], there are some standing here who shall not taste death [die] till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom” (Matt. 16:28; see also Matt 10:23, 24:30–34, 26:64 and Rev. 22:6–10).
