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“I take from your post that you do NOT believe in the Millennial reign of Jesus earth?”

Not the Dispy-fundie version of it.

http://www.tektonics.org/esch/olivet01.html

[snip]

How then does this relate to the Olivet Discourse? The scene of Daniel 7, as Caird says [Wr.JVG, 341], involves not “a primitive form of space travel” but “a symbol for a mighty reversal of fortunes within history and at the national level...”

The scene is one of a victorious enthronement and vindication over enemies. To emphasize this, we will also need to pull in a verse from another part of the Gospels:

Matthew 26:64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.(Mark 14:62)
Luke 22:69 Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God.

Jesus’ retort to Caiaphas, in light of the primary charge that Jesus threatened the Temple, is of great significance in this context. “As a prophet, Jesus staked his reputation on his prediction of the Temple’s fall within a generation; if and when it fell, he would thereby be vindicated.”

Jesus also promoted himself as the new Temple which would replace the old one, with his predictions that he would raise a new one — his body — in three days.

If the Temple did NOT fall, he would be proven a charlatan. But if the Temple did indeed fall, he would be vindicated — just like Daniel’s “Son of Man” which he claimed to be.

In saying he will ride the clouds, Jesus is not saying, as Wright wryly notes, that Caiaphas would one day walk by a window, look outside, and see Jesus popping a wheelie on a cumulus. Rather Jesus is saying, “You will see me vindicated; you will see my predictions come true.”

The “coming” — as noted, using the word erchomai, which specifies neither destination nor direction — alludes to the “going” of the Daniel 7 Son of Man from earth to heaven to be enthroned.

Caipahas (or more likely, the collective assembled for the trial; as well as the “tribes of the earth” — Matthew uses “tribes” elsewhere only of Israel [19:18], and the word is used in the Septuagint to refer to them; and “earth” is ge, or land, can mean a limited area or the entire globe; in context, and in the light of the use of “tribes,” as well as the allusion to Zech 12:10 [”And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him”] it most likely means Jerusalem or Judaea only) will see the rise of the Christian movement (”from now on” or “hereafter” in the KJV), followed by the destruction of Jerusalem just as Jesus predicted — thus proving that he was and is the true Messiah, “the one in and through whom the covenant god is acting to set up his kingdom.”

Jesus also speaks, in all three versions, of being at the right hand of power — alluding all through again to Daniel 7 and the enthronement of the Son of Man. Hearken now back to the disciples’ original question. They want to know, in essence, when Jesus will assume the kingship.

Jesus replies by indicating that “the Temple’s destruction would constitute his own vindication.” [Wr.JVG, 342] His parousia, his enthronement as king, would be “consequent upon the dethronement of the present powers that were occupying the holy city.” [346]

In the Jewish mindset, the establishment of a Temple was intertwined with kingship. Solomon built the first temple; Herod rebuilt the temple as a sign of his kingship; Bar Kochba showed intentions to rebuild the temple in the 130s AD as part of his pseudo-messianic program.

In the new era, the temple of God is now the individual believer (1 Cor. 3:16-17, 6:19) and the body of believers (Eph. 2:21). The Spirit indwells in the believer, where the Shekinah once dwelt in the Jewish temple.

Christ now sits at the right hand of the father (Heb. 12:22, Eph. 1:20, Acts 2:33, etc.) and rules his kingdom. Paul sees Christ reigning now, though all is not yet accomplished in that reign (1 Cor. 15:25).

This is NOT to say that, as pantelists maintain, the resurrection has occurred already and Christ is through with the world. That can’t be read from the Scriptures. But it is clear that with the events of 70, the reign of Christ confirmed in a very unique way.

This leaves a couple of loose ends to tie up. Matthew does say as well that a “sign” shall be seen, seemingly in heaven; what of that?

[snip] Continued here: http://www.tektonics.org/esch/olivet01.html