Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 181:723 (Jul 2024)
Article: The Ascension-Return Of Jesus In Lukan Redaction: Acts 1, Luke 21, And Preterism, Part 1
Author: Elton L. Hollon

BSac 181:723 (July-September 2024) p. 329

The Ascension-Return Of Jesus In Lukan Redaction: Acts 1, Luke 21, And Preterism, Part 1

Elton L. Hollon

Elton L. Hollon is a philosophy instructor at Ventura College in Ventura, California.

Abstract

The ascension and promised return of Jesus in Acts 1:9–11 and the Son of Man’s return in Luke 21:20–28 are thematically linked, demonstrating Luke’s eschatological expectation for Jesus’s return. A redactional analysis of Luke 21:20–33 reveals a separation between Jerusalem’s destruction and the Son of Man’s eschatological coming. The terms “the times of the Gentiles” and “this generation” do not refer to an imminent eschaton, suggesting that Luke introduces the church age between Jerusalem’s destruction and the eschaton.

To assess the connection between Jesus’s return in Luke 21 and his ascension and promised return in Acts 1, a higher critical discussion of Jerusalem’s destruction and the Son of Man’s coming in Luke 21:20–28 is necessary. This discussion is covered in part 1 of this two-article series. The connection between the returns is not arbitrary but based on numerous parallels of content and form, which clarify Luke’s eschatological expectations. After considering the leading interpretations and arguments, part 2 will explore stylistic connections between the Son of Man’s coming in verses 25–28 and Jesus’s ascension and promised return in Acts 1:9–11. It will survey leading interpretations, focusing on preterist views that suggest Acts 1 does not promise Jesus’s eschatological return but rather presents his vindication and glorification or his spiritual/supernatural return around Jerusalem’s destruction

BSac 181:723 (July-September 2024) p. 330

in 70 CE. These interpretations are rendered improbable by higher criticism and a close reading of the Greek text.

Jerusalem Surrounded by Armies in Luke 21:20

My discussion begins with the prophecy of judgment against Jerusalem in Luke 21:20, Ὅταν δὲ ἴδητε κυκλουμένην ὑπὸ στρατοπέδων Ἰερουσαλήμ, τότε γνῶτε ὅτι ἤγγικεν ἡ ἐρήμωσις αὐ...