Palm Sunday and the End Times
It’s not often we read the text of the triumphant entry into Jerusalem as an eschatological text thinking about the return of Christ. Especially as at this point the in the Gospel narratives, Jesus is on earth in his first coming, and still a week away from his crucifixion!
While the texts usually read across the world on Palm Sunday may be familiar to us (Luke 19:28–40), we might miss the connection with the preceding parables if we don’t read the whole of Luke 19 together.
I won’t quote everything here, as you can read the whole text for yourself, but the pertinent verses come from the Parable of the Ten Minas in verses 11–27:
Luke 19:11, 27
As they were listening to this, He went on to tell a parable because He was near Jerusalem, and they thought the kingdom of God was going to appear right away. … But bring here these enemies of mine, who did not want me to rule over them, and slaughter them in my presence.
This parable is pointing to the departure of Jesus (the king) who leaves his servants in charge (his disciples then and now) while he goes to receive “royal power for himself” (v.12) and has a delayed return in which he will slaughter those who opposed his kingship once he is back (v.27).
This leads into the “Palm Sunday” day of Jesus coming as a rightful king and then later being rejected and leaving to receive his authority:
(v.12) So he said, “A nobleman went to a distant region to receive royal power for himself and then return.
This ties into Daniel 7 when the Son of Man (Jesus) goes to the Father (the “Ancient One”) and is given authority and a kingdom:
Daniel 7:13–14
As I watched in the night visions,I saw one like a human being
coming with the clouds of heaven.
And he came to the Ancient One
and was presented before him.
To him was given dominion
and glory and kingship,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
should serve him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
that shall not pass away,
and his kingship is one
that shall never be destroyed.
Coming on or with clouds is a metaphor often used throughout the Old Testament to signify the sovereign judgement of God coming upon a nation. If you want to understand more about this concept, see my other article: The Coming of Jesus: Coming on the clouds.
When Jesus says that he is coming again, hinted at in the parable, and at other times that he will come “on the clouds”, we must remember that this is a reference to a prophecy set within a context of God doing some judging (Dan 7:10). This language isn’t unique to Daniel either, but is a typical example of apocalyptic imagery used by prophets.
He then returned “in the clouds” in the Roman-Jewish War of AD 66-70 to bring that judgement on the “delegation” that didn’t want him to be king (Luke 19:14) — e.g. pharisaical Judaism; the Jews who rejected Jesus.
The temple was abandoned by God and the Romans trampled it, as predicted:
Luke 21:24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
We can see how this played out in the writings of Josephus, a first century Jewish historian, who reported what happened in Jerusalem and at the temple during the Roman-Jewish war.
Moreover, at the feast which is called Pentecost, the priests on entering the inner court of the temple by night, as their custom was in the discharge of their ministrations, reported that they were conscious, first of a commotion and a din, and after that of a voice as of a host, “We are departing hence.”
Josephus, Jewish Wars, 6.5 (circa 75 AD)
We see a similar thing happening in Ezekiel when the glory of God was prophesied to leave the temple before the first temple destruction:
Ezekiel 10:18
Then the glory of the LORD went out from the threshold of the house and stopped above the cherubim.
Then we have angelic visions above the city of Jerusalem prior to its destruction:
…before sun-setting, chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running about among the clouds, and surrounding of cities.
Josephus, Jewish Wars, 6.5.3 (circa 75 AD)
There had been seen hosts joining battle in the skies, the fiery gleam of arms, the temple illuminated by a sudden radiance from the clouds.
Roman historian Tacitus in The History, 5.13 (circa 100 AD)
Interestingly, this is also something we see in the Book of Maccabees, a chronicle of the Jewish victories against Antiochus Epiphanes IV, king of the Seleucid Empire (175–164 B.C.). It recorded “people all over Jerusalem” who witnessed angelic armies “charging across the sky” for almost forty days:
2 Maccabees 5:1–4
About this time Antiochus made his second invasion of Egypt. And it happened that, for almost forty days, there appeared over all the city golden-clad cavalry charging through the air, in companies fully armed with lances and drawn swords — troops of cavalry drawn up, attacks and counterattacks made on this side and on that, brandishing of shields, massing of spears, hurling of missiles, the flash of golden trappings, and armor of all kinds. Therefore everyone prayed that the apparition might prove to have been a good omen.
This last verse is interesting as it’s also similar to what Josephus notes about the Jewish people thinking the strange signs meant just before the Romans attacked Jerusalem, hoping it was a good omen (spoiler: it wasn’t).
This all sounds like the armies of heaven, similar to what Elisha saw in 2 Kings 6:17.
Circling back to the parable in Luke 19, I hope you can see the connection between Jesus speaking of his kingship and kingdom he was about to receive from the Father, a reward for his obedience to the cross and what that accomplished, through parabolic language.
It also speaks to the forty year delay between his death and resurrection and the judgement on the nation of Israel. Jesus returned as King, and the Church began to spread the Good News of His Kingdom to the world. This is something we must continue to do until the consummation of the ages and final judgement comes upon the whole world.
In the second letter of Peter, the Church then, as well as now, are encouraged in this waiting period before the judgement which will come “like a thief in the night”. The visitation of God for judgement in AD 70 was predicated by signs which Jesus told his disciples to be watchful for (e.g. in Matt. 24), the final judgement will come unexpectedly so we are to live accordingly:
2 Peter 3:8–13
But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise, as some think of slowness, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be destroyed with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and destroyed and the elements will melt with fire? But, in accordance with his promise, we wait for new heavens and a new earth, where righteousness is at home.
So go, live “lives of holiness and godliness” waiting for the glorious Day of the Lord! Maranatha.
