Every Eye Will See Him
“Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth [land] will mourn because of Him.”
This passage from Revelation 1:7 is often read by Christians—out of context—and assume that it is a future event. (“Obviously, this hasn’t happened yet!”) The preterist view, popular views notwithstanding, is that this happened in AD 70 when Jesus “came in judgment” against apostate Israel. It would be helpful, as a prerequisite, to read my other articles including, “When Was Revelation Written” and “Revelation: Its Central Theme Illuminated”: REVELATION
There are at least ten reasons why this passage is not about a literal bodily coming of Jesus in our future, but is about Jesus’ coming in judgment in AD 70:
- Immediate context. Just before verse 1:7 are time-restricting statements in 1:1 and 1:3 which insist that the book of Revelation is about events that MUST shortly take place as the time was near. In addition to 1:1 and 1:3 there are over two dozen passages throughout Revelation that confirm the imminency of Jesus’ return and fulfillment of the book, either directly or by implication.
Consider: Revelation 1:9-10; 1:19; 2:10; 2:16; 2:25; 3:10; 3:11; 4:1; 6:12-17; 8:13; 10:6-7; 11:2; 11:8; 11:15-19; 12:5; 14:7; 14:14-20; 15:5-8; 16:19; 17:8; 22:6; 22:7; 22:10; 22:12; 22:20. The passages in bold specifically say that the events in view, including the Second Coming, were to happen soon or were near or were going to take place without delay (“must shortly take place.”).
In addition, certain of these passages (1:19; 3:10; 8:13; 10:7; 12:5; 17:8) contain the Greek word mello, which, in literal translations such as Young’s Literal Translation, is rendered “about to” (happen). These time-texts are definitive.
Several more passages (6:10; 16:6; 17:6; 18:24; 19:2) reference the blood of the martyrs. These are direct references to Matthew 23:35-36 which Jesus said would be avenged in his literal generation. - Greater context. Including the above passages, there are over 100 time-restricting imminence statements in the New Testament. These passages demand that fulfillment of the last days and Second Coming while some of the contemporaries of Jesus were still alive. Examples include Matthew 10:23; 16:27-28; 24:34, and 26:64.
- The cloud language will jump out at the serious student of prophecy. It is the same language used in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:29-34) where Jesus says all prophecy would be fulfilled in his generation, in conjunction with the destruction of the temple (Matthew 24:2-3). Jesus also said He would come on a judgment cloud in Matthew 26:64, which Caiaphas would witness. Such language is reflective of how God came numerous times in the Old Testament—on clouds of glory—usually in judgment against his enemies. (Examples include Psalm 18:4-15 and Isaiah 19:1-22.) These comings of God were real, even though nobody visually saw Him. Jesus was emphasizing his own divine authority, as his “coming” would be similar in nature to that of Yahweh.
- “Tribes” (also in the Olivet Discourse, Matthew 24:30) can only mean the tribes of Israel—those who pierced Him—so this ties to local Israel in the first century.
- In Revelation 1:7 John is referencing Zechariah 12:10 (“when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced”). The context of Zechariah is a time when God annuls the old covenant with Israel (Zechariah 11:10)―at the siege of Jerusalem (Zechariah 12:2b; 14:2). That’s AD 70.
- The word translated as “earth” is the Greek word ge. In other places, it is translated as “country,” “district,” or “land,” thus having a regional connotation (Matthew 9:31; Acts 7:3; etc.). So clearly, the events John foresaw were to be local rather than global―i.e the land of Israel. This is how the original audience would have understood it.
- We should see how the statement, “those who pierced him,” connects to prophecies of Jesus such as in Matthew 26:64 where He tells the Jewish leaders that they would see Him coming on clouds of heaven. Given this context, it seems best to understand seeing in the sense of revelation rather than literal sight. Isaiah 40: 5 says, “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.”
- The word “see” does not necessarily mean to see via one’s optic nerve. It can mean “to perceive” his power and wrath, or even his love in other situations. An example is Matthew 5:8 where Jesus states “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” Or, do you “see” what I am saying?
- What about “every eye” seeing Him? The words “all” or “every” are often used in Scripture as hyperbole for emphasis rather than in a literal sense. (Examples include: Matthew 2:3; 8:34; 10:22; Mark 1:5; 9:23; Luke 2:1). Should we really understand from this text that the Eskimos in Alaska would see Jesus standing in Jerusalem? I don’t really think so. Rather, He would be seen in the sense of to perceive his power and glory.
- The text also says that “those who pierced (crucified) Jesus” will see Him at his Second Coming. Does that mean that those people will be resurrected to literally see Him? Of course not. This was fulfilled in the first century while some of those people were still alive.
- Yet, in a more literal sense, consider an amazing event related by Josephus (from The Wars of the Jews, Book 6 (6.5.3) of seeing chariots in the clouds in about AD 66 near the start of the Jewish-Roman War:
“Besides these [signs], a few days after that feast, on the one-and-twentieth day of the month 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 sun-setting, CHARIOTS and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running about among the CLOUDS, and surrounding of cities. Moreover, at that feast which we call Pentecost, as the priests were going by night into the inner [court of the] temple, as their custom was, to perform their sacred ministrations, they said that, in the first place, 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.’”
In addition to Josephus—Tacitus, Eusebius, and the Jewish Talmud mentioned this phenomenon! (Tacitus Histories (Book 5), Eusebius Ecclesiastics History (Book 3, Chapter 8, Sections 1-6), Sepher Yosippon A Mediaeval History of Ancient Israel (Chapter 87, “Burning of the Temple”). This is an astounding account of an event reportedly witnessed by many people. It should not be discounted. The sight of the soldiers and chariots in the clouds surrounding cities could be interpreted as the Second Coming. This satisfies the visibility requirement.
In sum, Revelation 1:7 was fulfilled with Jesus’ coming in judgment against old-covenant Israel with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 66-70.
Here’s a helpful video series on this: Every Eye with James Gallagher
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