WAS THERE A
RESURRECTION/RAPTURE IN 70 AD?
MF Blume
No.
70 AD was only the judgment
of Christ upon Jerusalem, using heathen armies as He did so many times during
Old Testament times. God was said to ride on clouds and come in judgment,
when heathen armies came upon God's people. It was God's use of the
heathens to afflict His people due to disobedience.
Some have ignorantly
mocked our stance about the coming of the Lord in judgment
in 70 AD, accusing us of proposing the resurrection occurred at that time,
also. They are very wrong. Christ only came in judgment upon Jerusalem
at that time. There was no resurrection. It was only a localized coming of judgment and not at all to be confused with the second coming of the Lord. Full Preterism teaches
there was a resurrection at that time. However, that is not the case.
Behold,
he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his
horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled. O Jerusalem,
wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall
thy vain thoughts lodge within thee? (Jer 4:13-14)
God judged Egypt using
heathen armies, but look at how He described the judgment in His own words:
For
the day is near, even the day of the LORD is near, a cloudy day; it shall
be the time of the heathen. And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great
pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall
take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down. (Eze 30:3-4)
God said He would come,
Himself. Yet it was heathen armies who came.
At Tehaphnehes also the day shall be darkened, when I shall break there the
yokes of Egypt: and the pomp of her strength shall cease in her: as for her,
a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity. Thus will
I execute judgments in Egypt: and they shall know that I am the LORD. (Eze 30:18-19)
Here, God states, Himself,
that He will use Assyria as the rod of His anger to judge his own people.
O Assyrian, the rod of mine anger, and the staff in their hand is mine indignation.
I will send him against a hypocritical nation, and against the people of
my wrath will I give him a charge, to take the spoil, and to take the prey,
and to tread them down like the mire of the streets. (Isa 10:5-6)
So this same thing
occurred in 70 AD against Jerusalem, using the same figurative language
of clouds in Matthew 24. There was no resurrection at that time. Just
judgment against Jerusalem for crucifying the Lord.
Perhaps these
people who disagree feel Jesus is another God aside from the One in the
Old Testament?