The Advent of Christ & Acts 2
By Charles Geiser
Through
the myriad of views concerning the second coming of Christ and that He came
many times over a period of time in the past and is yet to come "a second
time," there is one concept that this writer believes is inconsistent with
scripture on the subject of eschatology. This is the concept that Christ came
again in some sense on the day of Pentecost in Acts two in fulfillment of
certain passages, e.g., Matthew 16:28, Mark 9:1, and Luke 9:27. For example,
Mark 9:1 has been used primarily by anti-premillennialists to show the time of
the coming of the kingdom of God in Acts two, but our question in this study is
whether the parallel passages of Matthew 16:28 and Luke 9:27 support an Acts
two application in fulfillment.
We have
traditionally been taught that Mark 9:1 was supposed to have been fulfilled in
Acts 2:1ff. This interpretation no doubt has had its good times in arguments
with Zionist doctrines. The King James translators have Jesus saying in Mark
9:1, "Verily I say unto you, That there be some
of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen
the
Thus, Jesus was
speaking to persons in His presence who were going to be alive to see the
promise He was making to them of which we in the twentieth century were not to
"see" except by faith (we must see the derivatives of horao and blepo
in Biblical eschatology as a recognition of fulfillment to Jesus' disciples as
promised in that first century, contextually, literally, and spiritually). We
were not there then, not in the literal presence of Christ hearing His words
then, as others were then.
(2) Not only would
they "see" the kingdom of God come, but they would see it come with
"power" (Mark 9:1). Matthew and Luke do not employ the term "power,"
but Mark's use of the word allows us to imply its use in the other two
parallels. So, whatever at this point is included or excluded in
"see," "kingdom of God," power," or "taste of
death," "they" who were in Jesus' purview then would perceive
the phenomena.
(3) Jesus was
telling them then the truth (see again Luke 9:27a). This was not the figment of
Jesus' imagination in some state of lunacy. It was not a falsehood to induce a
following of some kind. Neither was it meant to be interpreted that someday in
some generation's time frame these things would transpire. The phrase by Jesus,
"some of you standing here," ought to have sufficient force even for
the most vehement futurist on Bible prophecy to mean what it says.
The Son Of
Man Is Included
Now we confront the
dilemma, which, if scripturally and logically encountered, truly is a bull with
two horns of inconsistency for those who hold Acts two
to be a time of prophetic appearance for Christ. In Matthew's account of the
words of Jesus in our study (
(1) The Son of man
is not mentioned in Mark's and Luke's wording. Do we
then propose that Mark and Luke are the accurate passages on the subject and
that Matthew
(2) We have relied
heavily on Mark 9:1 traditionally for the "kingdom came on Pentecost"
view. In much reading in this area of study, this writer has seen Mark 9:1
repeatedly referred to in support of the Acts two view
with virtually no mention of Matthew 16:28. We do not
personally doubt that those who have written on this study have read Matthew
16:27,28 when considering their comments on Mark 8:38-9:1 and Luke 9:26,27, but
we guess that it has so muddled their thinking on what they wished already to
interpret on Mark 9:1 that it was ignored so as not to confuse a doctrine with
Bible facts! How can we understand the Bible correctly, however, if we
pass by a parallel passage that needs examination in a given study? We are to
rightly divide God's Word (II Timothy
WHO Was
Promised To Come In Acts 2?
Someone was promised
to come in fulfillment at Acts two. But
it is suggested that the One who promised that another would come did not mean
Himself! If a study of John chapters 14 through 16 is done, particular passages
show that Jesus promised His disciples (1) that the Father would give them
another Comforter (implying that Jesus had been their Comforter until that
time), the Spirit of truth (John 14:16,17). If it be
thought that John
(2) Can a person
send and be the one sent at the same time? The Spirit of truth by power (Luke
24:49; Acts 1:8a) would testify of Christ (John
(3) If the Son of
man did not promise that He would come again in Acts two, but promised that
another Comforter, the Holy Spirit, would come, we must look again at Matthew
16:28; Mark 9:1; and Luke 9:27. We again have applied Mark 9:1 to Pentecost
with the kingdom and power, but we have the Son of man's coming in His kingdom
in the Matthew passage. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would remind,
teach, and prophesy through the disciples in Acts two (John
Can We Honor These Texts In
Question?
What are included in
our three verses; no death for some standing there; Son of man's coming; kingdom
of God's coming with power; Son of man's coming in His kingdom. Now, Acts two will not fulfill these requirements. The power of the
Holy Spirit was to come as promised in Acts two (1-4;
Luke 24:49; Acts 1:8). We could say that the "power" promised in Luke
24:49, e.g., was the same "power" in fulfillment as promised by
Jesus, Mark 9:1, et al.. But
would we be correct?
(1) We believe it
would be an assumption in interpretation to accept that Luke 24:49 and Mark 9:1
were to be fulfilled at the very same time; same generation of time, yes, but
not the same day, e.g., Acts two. One word, the same word, used in two
different passages may at first indicate total, identical consummation in time,
but one must consider whatever other factors in two given verses are also
involved before an interpretation of whole agreement can be accepted. Thus, one
can comment that "power from on high" as in Luke 24:49 does not necessarily mean the same in every way that
"kingdom of God come with power" means as in Mark 9:1. We have
usually brought Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8 together to interpret the
disciples/apostles receiving power after the Holy Spirit was to come upon them
in beginning gospel preaching, Acts 2:1ff. But we do
not believe that receiving power after the Holy Spirit was come upon them means
the same as the "kingdom of God come in power." We do not think it is
difficult to understand that Luke 24:49 and Acts 1:8 (see again John 14:26;
15:26; 16:12,13) do not fit the same time in fulfillment as the parallels of
Matthew 16:27,28; Mark 8:38, 9:1; and Luke 9:26,27, even though
"power" is a term used in respective passages.
(2) Further,
another passage with "power" in it is Matthew 24:30. We have never
seen Luke 24:49, Acts 1:8, and Matthew 24:30 used as parallels for the same
time in fulfillment. The context differs and the promises have variances that
cannot be harmonized if all are brought to Acts two in
fulfillment. But let us try our study verses with Matthew 24:30, or, rather to
make it a bit easier, go to the parallel chapters of Matthew 24 and Luke 21 and
study. The chapter context is the fall of
Behind Mark 9:1
Something that may have been forgotten at Mark 9:1 is its context, namely
Mark 8:38. "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in
this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be
ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
What sinful and adulterous generation did Jesus mean? If we can accept that
Mark
Mark did not write
in chapters and verses. Jesus probably said in one breath what you and I read
in Mark 8:38-9:1. And if anyone can place 1900+ years
between two verses like this, it may be something our Lord never meant for us
to understand that way. Mark 9:1 will not fit Pentecost. "To hold the
Pentecost view of Mark 9:1 is to divorce it from the previous sentence which
speaks of judgment on that generation (Mark
Conclusion
In closing this
study for whatever help it might have been, we suggest that it was not Acts two
that was a pivotal or transitional time in Bible history, but such chapters as
Matthew 24, 25, and Luke 17, 21. "For these be the days of vengeance, that
all things which are written may be fulfilled" (Luke
The establishment of
the eternal kingdom is equated with the time of
Christ's coming in His kingdom with power, which is commonly assigned to
Pentecost Day. But this is an assumption lacking
scriptural proof. The first proof offered is Mark 9:1 and Acts 1:8, which is a
coalition of two scriptures separated in time. "The only thing common in
these two verses is the word `power' which falls short of proof that they are
synchronous in time and event" (Max R. King, The Spirit of Prophecy, p.
138). We need to cease using Mark 9:1 in connection with Christ's kingdom wrongly,
and begin applying it to A.D.70 as it should be.