Did Jesus already return?

[seeker]

 

How then would you explain the verses above (Matt 10:23 and 27), Floatingaxe?

 

Matthew 10:22-23

Everyone will hate you because of me. But if you remain faithful until the end, you will be saved. When people mistreat you in one town, hurry to another one. I promise you that before you have gone to all the towns of Israel, the Son of Man will come.

 

 

Jesus was saying that because of persecution, not everyone will receive the Good News.

 

 

Jesus was speaking directly to the twelve and those accompanying them at that time. He assured them that before they had gone to all the towns of Israel, He would come. What does this mean for them specifically? In what way did He come while they were still going through the cities? Can you also explain how that fits with Matt 16:27,28?

Edited December 18, 2013 by seeker

[Floatingaxe]

How then would you explain the verses above (Matt 10:23 and 27), Floatingaxe?

 

Matthew 10:22-23

Everyone will hate you because of me. But if you remain faithful until the end, you will be saved. When people mistreat you in one town, hurry to another one. I promise you that before you have gone to all the towns of Israel, the Son of Man will come.

 

 

Jesus was saying that because of persecution, not everyone will receive the Good News.

Jesus was speaking directly to the twelve and those accompanying them at that time. He assured them that before they had gone to all the towns of Israel, He would come. What does this mean for them specifically?

 

Jesus was not actually giving a time frame. He was saying that we need to go forth and preach the gospel despite persecution because the truth is that we will not be able to witness to every town in Israel---or the world---before the Son of Man comes. Sin is that rampant.

 

In what way did He come while they were still going through the cities? Can you also explain how that fits with Matt 16:27,28?

 

That is a false claim. He hasn't come. What Jesus said has NOTHING to do with Matthew 16:27-28, where He was merely prophesying His Transfiguration.

[seeker]

 

Jesus was not actually giving a time frame. He was saying that we need to go forth and preach the gospel despite persecution because the truth is that we will not be able to witness to every town in Israel---or the world---before the Son of Man comes. Sin is that rampant.

 

 

 

 

 

I see that you read the verses mentioned as if he was speaking directly to us. But do you believe that Jesus was actually directing his words to the twelve? If so, what did the words "for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come" mean to them? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That is a false claim. He hasn't come. What Jesus said has NOTHING to do with Matthew 16:27-28, where He was merely prophesying His Transfiguration.

 

 

Are you saying you believe Jesus was prophesying His transfiguration in Matt 16:27-28?  

[Floatingaxe]

 

 Floatingaxe:

Jesus was not actually giving a time frame. He was saying that we need to go forth and preach the gospel despite persecution because the truth is that we will not be able to witness to every town in Israel---or the world---before the Son of Man comes. Sin is that rampant.

 

 

I see that you read the verses mentioned as if he was speaking directly to us. But do you believe that Jesus was actually directing his words to the twelve? If so, what did the words "for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come" mean to them?

 

Yes, Jesus was also speaking to the ensuing generations who would know Him. Jesus also was speaking directly to His disciples. The disciples didn't know He was referring to the Church---they really never did catch onto those times He did. What He said still means that it will never happen that the whole population will know the gospel before He comes. The job is massive, and the Church, while equipped and capable, is not always willing and obedient in this area of evangelizing. the words mean the same to the disciples as it means to us: Get out there and get preaching the Good News!

 

 

Floatingaxe:

That is a false claim. He hasn't come. What Jesus said has NOTHING to do with Matthew 16:27-28, where He was merely prophesying His Transfiguration.

 

 

Are you saying you believe Jesus was prophesying His transfiguration in Matt 16:27-28?  

 

 

Yes, which took place just six days later.

[Retrobyter]

Shalom, donaldjamesperry and 1peterlight.

 

 

Matthew 10:23
When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

27 "For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will reward each according to what he has done. 28 I assure you: There are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."



I can't get myself past these verses. I've tried convincing myself it could mean the transfiguration, but frankly, I feel that is a go to when hitting a brick wall. Is there any possibility we are in the 1000 years? I know there has been no time of peace. But these verses sound so immediate.

I think that all these things have happened now as a type that only applies to that first generation.  Now we are expected to follow that same pattern.  This is not Preterism it is Redirectionalism

 

 

Frankly, these are instructions that Yeshua` gave to His disciples - His apostles - His "sent ones" - during the first century when Yeshua` was offering the Kingdom to Isra'el. They are NOT "universalisms" that apply to all generations!

 

Look at the WHOLE context:

 

Matthew 10:1-11:1

10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;

3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;

4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

7 And as ye go, preach (herald), saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand (within your grasp).

8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,

10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.

11 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.

12 And when ye come into an house, salute it.

13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.

14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.

16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.

19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.

20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

21 And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.

22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.

25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

27 What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.

28 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

34 Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

36 And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.

37 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

38 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

40 He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.

42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

11:1 And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.

KJV

 

These were VERY SPECIFIC instructions given to these twelve, not to everyone! So THEIR job was to go through all the towns and villages of "the lost sheep of Isra'el" and herald the message that the King Apparent, Chosen (Anointed) by God, was coming to THEIR town! The inhabitants could either accept the message or reject it. To prove the Twelve were who they claimed to be, they were given power to heal the sick, just as the Messiah had power to do!

 

Consider the following map of Florida:

 

http://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/states/florida/florida-map.html

 

If Yeshua` (Jesus) were to have started in Miami on His way to Tallahassee, Florida, the specific locations He would have sent His apostles would have been Hollywood, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Stuart, Port Saint Lucie, Vero Beach, Saint Augustine, Jacksonville, Macclenny, Lake City, Live Oak, Madison, and Monticello, in that order, and then ending up in Tallahassee, with other smaller towns in between all these. When He said, "Don't go on any foreign roads, and don't go into any of the towns of Shomron (Samaria)," He was saying, "Don't go on any roads into Georgia, and don't visit any towns of Alabama!" (Sorry to any inhabitants of Georgia or Alabama on the forum! No evil speaking of your homes intended.) They were limited as to whom they could visit!

 

Verses 17 to 23 are events that actually happened to His disciples (which Yeshua` was foretelling at this point). So, when Yeshua` said, "Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come," He was simply saying that they wouldn't finish their task of visiting all these towns before Yeshua` caught up to them! The warnings that He gave them in verses 24 to 42 were to forewarn them of what they were about to face and to ENCOURAGE them that He would protect them and reward them for their work. When Yeshua` was done commanding them what to do, they were off, and He began HIS trip, teaching and heralding in THEIR hometowns (while they were away).

 

----

 

You also left off the book and the chapter on verses 27 and 28, but they come from the following context:

 

Matthew 16:27-17:13

27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,

2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.

3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.

4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.

6 And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid.

7 And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid.

8 And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only.

9 And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.

10 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?

11 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things.

12 But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.

13 Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.

KJV

 

Remember this: Chapter and verse divisions were added later than the writing of the text, and they are NOT inspired by God.

 

The transfiguration of the Lord in chapter 17 IS the fulfillment of His promise that some would see Him coming in His Kingdom. It was a VISION of what was to come, not the actual event itself! The message and the transfiguration are linked back-to-back in all three of the synoptic Gospels:

 

Mark 9:1-13

9:1 And he said unto them, 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 kingdom of God come with power.

2 And after six days Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.

3 And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.

4 And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.

5 And Peter answered and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

6 For he wist not what to say; for they were sore afraid.

7 And there was a cloud that overshadowed them: and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

8 And suddenly, when they had looked round about, they saw no man any more, save Jesus only with themselves.

9 And as they came down from the mountain, he charged them that they should tell no man what things they had seen, till the Son of man were risen from the dead.

10 And they kept that saying with themselves, questioning one with another what the rising from the dead should mean.

11 And they asked him, saying, Why say the scribes that Elias must first come?

12 And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.

13 But I say unto you, That Elias is indeed come, and they have done unto him whatsoever they listed, as it is written of him.

KJV

 

Luke 9:26-36

26 For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.

27 But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.

28 And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray.

29 And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering.

30 And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias:

31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem.

32 But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him.

33 And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said.

34 While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud.

35 And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.

36 And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen.

KJV

 

So, can you see? The two events - the words Yeshua` said to them and the transfiguration - are linked together in all three accounts! And, the event of the transfiguration was a VISION in partial fulfillment of Joel 2:28:

 

Joel 2:28

28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

KJV

 

So, rest assured. We are NOT yet in the 1,000 years because our Lord Yeshua` has NOT yet returned as promised.

[donaldjamesperry]

Shalom Retrobyter.

You wrote concerning Matt 10:23 and Matt 16:27 the following:

 

From Retrobyter  “So, when Yeshua` said, "Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come [10:23 djp]," He was simply saying that they wouldn't finish their task of visiting all these towns before Yeshua` caught up to them!”

 

From Donald Perry That is out of context with those chapters you quoted into your post.  Verse 18 says “10:18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.”  How is Jesus going to catch up to them on foot?  He would have already resurrected by that time.

 

From Retrobyter  The transfiguration of the Lord in chapter 17 IS the fulfillment of His promise that some would see Him coming in His Kingdom. It was a VISION of what was to come, not the actual event itself! The message and the transfiguration are linked back-to-back in all three of the synoptic Gospels:

 

From Donald Perry: Both the words and the vision speak of His coming future.  The vision does not answer the question of them seeing Him in His Kingdom, the vision defines His coming further as when the Law and the Prophets would be fulfilled and only Jesus would be left, the shadows would dissipate and the true would remain.  “ For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.”in  Luke 21:22-36 tells the same story.  They were not in that time period yet so they did not see His coming at the transfiguration. Furthermore, Jesus said some of them would not die not … both of them would not die.  But both are still alive.  You are making Jesus unintelligible.

 

From Retrobyter  So, rest assured. … our Lord Yeshua` has NOT yet returned as promised.

 

From Donald Perry  Rest assured, Yeshua has returned to those seven churches in Revelation just as God had promised.   The question is, are we ready to see His coming?  Jesus demonstrated a rule, and He does not break His own rules.   The last thing we want to do is make Jesus out to be someone who does not keep His Word.  This problem is not an isolated one, the entire New Testament age is believing with all their hearts that the Lord will return in their generation?  Do you doubt?  How many times do we read last time, last hour, last days,  that was not to mislead them. 

 

The bottom line is that if they thought His coming was a far off there would be no Jewish Christians, they would have all stayed in Jerusalem in AD 66 and ignored the Lord's commands.  He told them to get out.  They did because they understood these things were at had defined by Matt 24 the destruction of the Temple of GOD which cannot be put back on earth now and called again the Temple of GOD.  2 Thess. 2. And this too is impossible for God.  God will not dishonor His Son in this way Hebrews 6 Hebrews 10 and that way and the other way.  It cannot happen it will not happen.  I need to go to bed before I type something stupid. Good night and Gods blessings to you all.   It is 1:41 PM and I am out of batteries.  A word to the wise, do not read your email pointing to posts late at night.

[Guest DRS81]

No Jesus did not return yet. Mark 13:7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

[other one]

 

 

 

 

The bottom line is that if they thought His coming was a far off there would be no Jewish Christians, they would have all stayed in Jerusalem in AD 66 and ignored the Lord's commands.

 

How could you possibly know what they might have done?

[WillfromTexas]

There's a lot of good commentary on this subject worth reading.  Frankly I had missed this verse or it had been glossed over in my studies.  It is indeed a verse that makes you stop and take note.  One thing I know is Jesus meant something other than his literal second coming.  Your Bible should be trusted even if you don't understand everything.  Trust God and search for answers because the answers can be found.  Thankfully my salvation doesn't hang on my tiny brains understanding an infinite God.  Even the angels are intrigued by the mystery of Christ's salvation.

 

After reading several commentaries I feel satisfied with the transfiguration experience explanation.  Actually it makes the transfiguration make more sense to me.  I had always wondered why Jesus decided to show his glory and let his inner circle watch.  Here's two different views but I lean to the transfiguration view personally.

 

Here's a few helpful commentaries courtesy of biblegateway.

 

16:28 will not taste death until. Although this statement has been interpreted as referring to the Transfiguration (17:1, 2), the language implies a period longer than a week. Another possibility is the destruction of Jerusalem (10:23 note), but the context here is not specifically related to the judgment of Israel. The “coming” of the Son of Man more likely here relates to the entire process by which Jesus receives dominion, especially His resurrection, ascension, and sending of the Spirit. All these things happened during the lifetime of the disciples. The Transfiguration could also be the initial event in this process witnessed by the disciples.

 

 

The Son of Man's Glory (16:28-17:13)

Had the disciples any doubt that Jesus would someday come to reign in glory (16:27), he promises them a proleptic vision of his glory in the present (16:28). In a narrative that resembles Moses' revelation on Mount Sinai, the disciples become witnesses like Moses of Jesus' divine glory (17:1-8). The six days (17:1) probably allude to Exodus 24:15-18 (see, for example, Mauser 1963:111). The bright cloud (Mt 17:5; Ex 24:15) and other features of the narrative likewise recall the revelation on Mount Sinai. The appearance in Matthew 17:3 of the literal Moses and Elijah (both of whom had experiences with God on Mount Horeb) invite the reader to consider the other allusions to Moses (17:2-5) and Elijah (17:10-13) later in the narrative.

 

Jesus the Glorious Lord (16:28-17:3)

When Jesus again takes some disciples aside for private instruction (15:21; 16:13; see comment on 13:10-17), his transfiguration among them provides a foretaste of his glory when he will return to judge the earth (16:28). Various suggestions for the background for Jesus' proleptic "glorification" could be offered here, but a variety of allusions combine to point to Moses in the Old Testament. After Moses beheld God's glory, his own face shone with that glory (Ex 34:29-35; compare Ps-Philo 12:1; 19:16). Despite the clear testimony of Deuteronomy 34 (see also 1 Enoch 89:38), some of Jesus' contemporaries doubted that Moses had died (Sipre Deut. 357.10.5; ARN 12A), living on like Elijah and some other figures (compare 4 Ezra 6:27; pace Jos. Ant. 9.28). The Bible itself claimed that both Elijah (Mal 4:4-5) and a prophet like Moses (Deut 18:15-19) would return. Most important, this literal Moses and Elijah also capture the reader's attention for the figurative new Elijah (Mt 17:12) and new Moses-Jesus-of whom this text speaks.

But while the text may present Jesus as a new Moses (especially 17:5), it also presents him as something more. It portrays the disciples as witnesses of his glory on the mountain, just as Moses and Elijah heard God on Mount Sinai (see Moiser 1985). The presence of Moses and Elijah indicates that Jesus is incomparably greater than the prophets with whom some were comparing him (16:14; compare Thrall 1970:316).

[donaldjamesperry]

OTHER ONE: How could you possibly know what they might have done?

 

David: No Jesus did not return yet. Mark 13:7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

 

You guys should stop talking and start cracking open some books to find something substantial to bring to the table.  These are not arguments for your position at all.  I am not helped, If you want to bring me out of my error you need to do better then this.

 

First, How could I know?  Well first there is substantial testimonies of what happened when people saw Luke 21:20 “And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.” Also foretold in Luke 19 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, [44] And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. [45] And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought;

 

There is literally a ton of stuff in the Bible about bailing out of Jerusalem.  I could spend the rest of this morning filling up this page with the verses and I would not be done.  There is verses in most of the NT that say something in reference to it.

 

Concerning Babylon which Jeremiah and I believe other prophets use for a name to call unrepentant Jerusalem John says “Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.”

 

Did Jerusalem repent?  Read Luke 19 above again.  Who does Jesus have a problem with? Romans? Samaria? Sodom? Look closely, its what the whole Bible is about, Jerusalem.   They killed Jesus and all His apostles.

 

Matthew 23: “Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:

[35] That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

[36] Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

[37] O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

[38] Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.”

 

Now you guys what to drag this over a empty void of thousands of years and plop it back down into some irrelevant future for a reversed meaning.  Why?  And for what reason, it’s not necessary. 

 

CS LEWIS WRITES: ““Say what you like," we shall be told [by some critics], "the apocalyptic beliefs of the first Christians have been proved to be false.  It is clear from the New Testament that they all expected the Second Coming in their own lifetime.  And, worse still, they had a reason, and one which you will find very embarrassing.  Their Master had told them so. He shared, and indeed created, their delusion.  He said in so many words, 'This generation shall not pass till all these things be done.'  And he was wrong.  He clearly knew no more about the end of the world than anyone else." [Here the imaginary critics end speaking. CS Lewis begins next.]  It is certainly the most embarrassing verse in the Bible.  Yet how teasing, also, that within fourteen words of it should come the statement "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father."  The one exhibition of error and the one confession of ignorance grow side by side.”

 

Jesus came, get over it.  From there I would estimate that He is coming again RIGHT NOW, depending on what you do with the Gospel.  If you doing nothing then expect judgment.  If you are drinking in the bar with people at work expect judgment.  On the other hand if you are preaching the Gospel you will see Jesus vindicated just as He was before, exactly like He was before.

 

The Bible is not a crystal ball where you can look into it and predict the future.  It is not a TV set where you can sit down and watch it.  It is not something you can come to some conclusion about without having to deal with error, and we all make mistakes.  I make more then you guys do, I am sure you will agree.

 

Anyway, get some books.  How about Gentry’s before Jerusalem fell?  Too busy to read books?  I only read the Bible? If you go to church you are already getting something from a book.  Get some books.  The Bible is full of arguments, and you cannot have arguments without thinking, and you cannot have a lot of thinking without a lot of books.

 

AD 33 -70 is only a historical parable, the whole thing can be repeated again at anytime.  No I do not mean that Jesus is going to send out the 70 again as one of the last posters implied, but that similar things have happened.  

 

AD 33 -70 is only a historical parable, the whole thing can be repeated again at anytime because man has not changed and neither has God.  But NOT in the reverse order and for the opposite reasons that I hear so often from your camp.  You cannot mix it all up, it is not a news papers view of the future.  There were wars like there were never wars before.  There were earthquakes there were famines.  Do some reading.

 

During this period, Jesus said there would also be earthquakes in many places. Tacitus mentions earthquakes at Rome. He wrote that "Frequent earthquakes occurred, by which many houses were thrown down" and that "twelve populous cities of Asia fell in ruins from an earthquake."

Seneca, writing in the year 58 A. D., said: "How often have cities of Asia and Achaea fallen with one fatal shock! how many cities have been swallowed up in Syria! how many in Macedonia! how often has Cyprus been wasted by this calamity ! how often has Paphos become a ruin! News has often been brought us of the demolition of whole cities at once." He mentions the earthquake at Campania during the reign of Nero. In 60 A.D., Hierapous, Colosse, and Laodicea were overthrown—Laodicea being so self-sufficient that it recovered without the Imperial aid furnished other cities. In 63 A.D,, the city of Pompeii was greatly damaged by earthquake. There were earthquakes in Crete, Apamea, Smyrna, Miletus, Chios, Samos, and Judea. Earthquakes in divers places!

 

This is true. Now if I was to make an argument from your camp I would be asking some completely different and true questions, some difficult (still wrong though).  You guys and not doing a very good job, trust me.  Please try harder and take this more seriously.   It is good for you, even if I am wrong.  

 

 

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: