Awaiting Nativity 2.0
Brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ, Merry Christmas Eve! I pray you are all standing firm in the Lord and in the power of His might (Eph. 6:10). I know it has been a challenging and painful year for many of you with grief and loss, sickness, weariness, financial burden, betrayal, opposition, and intense spiritual warfare; but as we await the trumpet blast, do not grow weary: put on the full armor (given, not earned), gird your loins, hang on a little longer, “for He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23). Just as the weary faithful once rejoiced at the first appearance of our Savior, whose coming in the fullness of time abruptly interrupted a long period of heavenly silence, so too will we rejoice when that very same Savior interrupts this present darkness with a cry yet again—not as a baby in a feeding trough, but as the glorified and enthroned King calling His newborn children home.
O holy night, the stars are brightly shining;
it is the night of the dear Savior’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,
for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!
Angels we have heard on high,
Sweetly singing o’er the plains,
And the mountains in reply
Echoing their joyous strains.
. . .
Come to Bethlehem and see
Him whose birth the angels sing.
Come, adore on bended knee
Christ the Lord, the newborn King.
My soul magnifies the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.
For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant;
For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.
For He who is mighty has done great things for me,
And holy is His name.
And His mercy is on those who fear Him
From generation to generation.
He has shown strength with His arm;
He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He has put down the mighty from their thrones,
And exalted the lowly.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
And the rich He has sent away empty.
He has helped His servant Israel,
In remembrance of His mercy,
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and to his seed forever. (Lk. 1:46–55, NKJV)
Nativity 1.0: God Himself taking on flesh in humility and being born into a fallen world to save His people from their sins.
Nativity 2.0: The people of God, the Church, taking on heavenly bodies to be born into God’s very presence, to rule and reign with Christ from Heaven—the Body forever united to the Head (Rev. 12:5; Isa. 26:17–21; 66:7–9; 1 Thess. 4:16–17; 1 Cor. 15:51–53).
Revisiting the Final Four
We enter the last year of the final four theory and it fits like a glove in many ways. Numero Uno: if 2,000 years transpires between Christ’s ascension and return, and AD 33 was the year of His ascension, then 2026 could very well be the year (2033 less seven years of Tribulation). I think this makes the most sense. That said, other possibilities rattle around in my head: What if the Church Age itself is 2,000 years in duration and Daniel’s 70th week stands outside of this time period? Or what if the beginning of Christ’s public ministry extending through to the Rapture constitutes the 2,000 years? (Note that even during His earthly ministry Christ was already speaking proleptically regarding the Church and salvation by faith alone as if the new dispensation had already been instituted: see, in particular, the Gospel of John.)
In these scenarios, the “final four” would be: 2030–2033 or 2026–2029, respectively.
While I suspect our departure is nearer, these other possibilities uphold the septa-millennial theory, and I think septa-millennialism is the strongest overarching theory we have, backed by the plain sense of Scripture (2 Pt. 3:8; Rev. 20) and very clear dispensational and/or millennial markers (approximate):
1. Creation + Adam and Eve 6,000 years ago,
2. Enoch raptured 5,000 years ago,
3. Abraham 4,000 years ago,
4. David/Solomon/Temple 3,000 years ago,
5. Christ 2,000 years ago,
6. Great Schism 1,000 years ago,
7. Rapture and Second Coming (imminent),
8. New Creation 1,000 years from now.
Note that Enoch’s rapture + Enoch seeing the Second Coming (Jd. 14–15) came 1,000 years after creation in a perfect mirror of our rapture + the Second Coming coming 1,000 years before the new creation.
In these scenarios, the “final four” would be: 2030–2033 or 2026–2029, respectively.
While I suspect our departure is nearer, these other possibilities uphold the septa-millennial theory, and I think septa-millennialism is the strongest overarching theory we have, backed by the plain sense of Scripture (2 Pt. 3:8; Rev. 20) and very clear dispensational and/or millennial markers (approximate):
1. Creation + Adam and Eve 6,000 years ago,
2. Enoch raptured 5,000 years ago,
3. Abraham 4,000 years ago,
4. David/Solomon/Temple 3,000 years ago,
5. Christ 2,000 years ago,
6. Great Schism 1,000 years ago,
7. Rapture and Second Coming (imminent),
8. New Creation 1,000 years from now.
Septa-millennialism defined: The belief that the history of the world leading up to the new creation and eternal age (Rev. 21–22) mirrors the six days of creation and the subsequent sabbath rest (cf. 2 Pt. 3:8; Rev. 20).
Note that Enoch’s rapture + Enoch seeing the Second Coming (Jd. 14–15) came 1,000 years after creation in a perfect mirror of our rapture + the Second Coming coming 1,000 years before the new creation.
I for one have had significant qualms about an AD 32 crucifixion (and by deduction, a 2025 rapture). It is hard to fit AD 32 with either Friday or Wednesday crucifixion scenarios, but I certainly would have preferred it to work. AD 30, 31, and 33 remain the best candidates for the year of the Crucifixion and Resurrection (in this writer’s humble opinion). AD 30 and 33 are the best researched years with monumental scholarly support. On the other hand, AD 31 fits well with either a Wednesday or Thursday crucifixion.
Regarding the day of the week on which Christ was crucified, I approach the question comprehensively because a controversy exists and an [apparent] contradiction. I say “apparent,” because I believe the contradiction is resolvable. Scripture repeatedly states that Christ would rise “on the third day” or simply “the third day.” By Hebrew metric, this would be akin to saying that Christ would rise “the day after tomorrow.”
Secondly, all four gospels state that Christ was crucified on Preparation Day. There is scant evidence this refers to anything other than Friday. Moreover, each Gospel (except Matthew) directly states that the Sabbath followed the day of crucifixion. (And to be clear: I am aware of the argument that there was a special Sabbath, etc., but I do not think the argument necessarily holds much water against the traditional Friday crucifixion theory, especially since παρασκευή, Preparation [Day], is universally tied to Friday in Koine literature as far as I can tell.)
Given that Christ rising on the third day is repeatedly and clearly stated in Scripture (by my count, 11 times), my hermeneutic compels me to interpret Matthew 12:40 (a solitary verse) in light of the overall direction and force of Scripture. In other words, Matthew 12:40 is reconciled to all these many verses, rather than the other way around.
A simple and more literal reconciliation might look like counting the miraculous three hours of darkness as a night and including Christ’s imprisonment and crucifixion itself as the meaning underlying the idiom “heart of the earth.” Most attempts to reconcile Matthew 12:40 regard it as symbolic or entirely idiomatic. Rick Lanser has a thorough and scholarly deep dive on the three days/three nights issue here.
The day of the week of the Crucifixion will remain the crux of the issue. And a Friday crucifixion scenario is still the likeliest scenario in my opinion, although I reserve room for being wrong on this. While I do not outright discount Wednesday/Thursday theories (in fact, I have promoted AD 31 as the best year for these), I nevertheless believe that the case for a Friday crucifixion is still pretty strong despite Matthew 12:40 (“three days and three nights”). A Friday crucifixion only works in AD 30 and 33. AD 33 is the traditional date, and 30 is the date with the most scholarly support (although 33 is not far behind).
By normal count, Nisan 14 fell on a Monday in 32 which does not work for either Wednesday or Friday theories. Making 32 work always requires a lot of contortion and fudging (in my humble opinion).
Regarding the day of the week on which Christ was crucified, I approach the question comprehensively because a controversy exists and an [apparent] contradiction. I say “apparent,” because I believe the contradiction is resolvable. Scripture repeatedly states that Christ would rise “on the third day” or simply “the third day.” By Hebrew metric, this would be akin to saying that Christ would rise “the day after tomorrow.”
Secondly, all four gospels state that Christ was crucified on Preparation Day. There is scant evidence this refers to anything other than Friday. Moreover, each Gospel (except Matthew) directly states that the Sabbath followed the day of crucifixion. (And to be clear: I am aware of the argument that there was a special Sabbath, etc., but I do not think the argument necessarily holds much water against the traditional Friday crucifixion theory, especially since παρασκευή, Preparation [Day], is universally tied to Friday in Koine literature as far as I can tell.)
Given that Christ rising on the third day is repeatedly and clearly stated in Scripture (by my count, 11 times), my hermeneutic compels me to interpret Matthew 12:40 (a solitary verse) in light of the overall direction and force of Scripture. In other words, Matthew 12:40 is reconciled to all these many verses, rather than the other way around.
A simple and more literal reconciliation might look like counting the miraculous three hours of darkness as a night and including Christ’s imprisonment and crucifixion itself as the meaning underlying the idiom “heart of the earth.” Most attempts to reconcile Matthew 12:40 regard it as symbolic or entirely idiomatic. Rick Lanser has a thorough and scholarly deep dive on the three days/three nights issue here.
Septa-millennialism + Israel’s rebirth and perfect technological synchronicity leading up to the 6,000-year mark + the Revelation 12 Sign = my very deep conviction and confidence in being able to say, “This is it.” But pinning down that exact “day and hour” seems to be the never-ending fool’s errand. We see the Day approaching (Heb. 10:25), we will not be caught off guard (1 Thess. 5:4), the signs are clear and evident (Mt. 16:3; Lk. 19:44), but the tension of knowing but not knowing remains.
The Lord has come and He’s coming again. His promises are true. Merry Christmas!
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