Jesus said, "I'll Be Baack!"

There are lots of people today who sincerely believe that we are truly living in the last days.  They are sure that yes, the end really is near, and Jesus is coming back any day now.  A series of best-selling books dramatizing this subject, "Left Behind", has been called "the phenomenon of the last decade", and read by millions who see them as a dramatization of true events to take place.  The general scenario is that the "true believers", that is, the true Christians on earth, will all just suddenly vanish, "POOF"!, going up into the clouds to be with Jesus, while all the rest are left behind to face the tribulation. 

So you would think that the Bible must plainly say that Jesus will be coming back.  And indeed it does.  However, as those nasty skeptics like to point out, both Jesus and the Apostles seemed to say that his "Second Coming" would be really, really soon, within the lifetime of those at that time.  So how could Jesus be God if he were wrong about that?  How could Paul and the other writers be inspired if they were wrong?  Below is a skeptical view of the relevant Bible verses:

*Note: there are some additional verses sometimes cited by skeptics, but these IMO are the ones that make the strongest case.

Jesus said the end would come before the apostles even had a chance to finish going through the cities of Israel:

But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.  Matthew 10:23

Jesus said there were some standing there that would live to see it:

"For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS. "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." Matthew 16:27-28

"Therefore, behold, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city, so that upon you may fall the guilt of all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. "Truly I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.  Mathew 23:34-36

Jesus seemed to say that the end would come once the gospel was preached to the whole world:

As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?".... "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be  famines and earthquakes.  But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.  Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.  At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.  Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.  Because lawlessness is increased, most people's love will grow cold.  But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.  This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the wholeworld as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come."  Matthew 24:3, 6-14

Romans 10:18 declares that the gospel has been preached to the whole world.  If it wasn't by then, surely it has by now?

But I say, surely they have never heard, have they? Indeed they have; "THEIR VOICE HAS GONE OUT INTO ALL THE EARTH, AND THEIR WORDS TO THE ENDS OF THE WORLD."  Romans 10:18

Jesus continues:

"But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place  Matthew 24:29-34

Jesus tells the high priest Caiaphas that he would see it:

Jesus said to him, "You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN." Matthew 26:64

And Jesus was saying to them, "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power." Mark 9:1

"But in those days, after that tribulation, THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL BE FALLING from heaven, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. "Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN CLOUDS with great power and glory. "And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven. "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. "Even so, you too, when you see these things happening, recognize that He is near, right at the door. "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place".  Mark 13:24-30

But He kept silent and did not answer. Again the high priest was questioning Him, and saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" And Jesus said, "I am; and you shall see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING WITH THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN."  Mark 14:61-62

"For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. "But I say to you truthfully, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God."  Luke 9:26-27

"There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. "Then they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory. "But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Then He told them a parable: "Behold the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they put forth leaves, you see it and know for yourselves that summer is now near. "So you also, when you see these things happening, recognize that the kingdom of God is near. "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place.  Luke 21:25-32

The writers of the epistles seemed to firmly believe that the end was very near, and that they themselves were living in the last days:

Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.  Romans 13:11-12

Paul thought that the end was so near that says that people should not to marry, and married people should not have sex.  If everyone had listened to Paul then we wouldn't even be here today to discuss it:

Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be released. Are you released from a wife? Do not seek a wife. But if you marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. Yet such will have trouble in this life, and I am trying to spare you. But this I say, brethren, the time has been shortened, so that from now on those who have wives should be as though they had none; and those who weep, as though they did not weep; and those who rejoice, as though they did not rejoice; and those who buy, as though they did not possess; and those who use the world, as though they did not make full use of it; for the form of this world is passing away. 1 Corinthians 7:27-31

Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.  1 Corinthians 10:11

They thought that some of them would still be alive:

For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.  1 Thessalonians 4:15-17

They thought they were in the last days:

in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. Hebrews 1:2

FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY, BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM. Hebrews 10:37-38

Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.  James 5:7-8

For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you 1 Peter 1:20

The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. 1 Peter 4:7

The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. 1 John 2:17-18

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near. Revelation 1:1-3

Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Revelation 3:10-11

"And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book....Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.... He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I am coming quickly." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus" Revelation 22:7,12,20  

So based on the above, it would seem that not only did Jesus say that his return was imminent, but the Paul and the other writers of the epistles said so as well, and fully expected his return at any minute.  Now here we are, some 2000 years later, and as far as we can tell Jesus still hasn't come back.  The Bible itself tells how to know if someone is really speaking for God:  "You may say in your heart, 'How will we know the word which the LORD has not spoken?' " When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him.  Deuteronomy 18:21-22

The Apologist's Defense:

So what do the apologists have to say?  Here are some of the more common defenses:

• The apostles were trying to express the urgency, not necessarily that Jesus WOULD return soon but that Jesus COULD return soon, so people should always be on guard.
• This was written for us as much as for them, and so the urgency applies even more to us today since the end is even closer.
• Prophets knew what would happen but they didn't necessarily know WHEN it would happen- so the apostles were inspired in that they knew Jesus would return, but they didn't necessarily know WHEN he would return.
• The Bible says that "no-one knows the hour" (Matthew 24:36 & Mark 13:32) and this applied to the apostles as well.
• When Jesus spoke of "this generation", he was talking about a future generation, and meant the generation that first began to witness the signs of the beginning of the end, meaning that the end would come within one generation.  He didn't mean THAT generation that was alive back then.
• The Greek word 'genea' used for "this generation", actually means "race", such as the Jewish race or nation, so he meant the Jewish race would not die out before the end.  Or, by race, he meant the human race.
• Some of the events referred to by Jesus were actually fulfilled in the crushing of the Jewish revolt and destruction of Jerusalem and the temple that occurred in A.D 70 (Mark 13:1-2).
• Seeing the "Son of Man coming in his kingdom" is referring to the resurrection and ascension into heaven, or to the transfiguration.
• God may have decided to delay the end so that more people could be saved (see 2 Peter below).
• When God said the end would be soon, he was talking about soon in terms of "God time" (see 2 Peter below).  A thousand years are like one day to the Lord..
• The mocking of the skeptics just shows that we really are now in the last days (see 2 Peter below).

Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation..... But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day.  The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance."  2 Peter 3:3-9

My take on it:

You can actually rule out Mathew 23:34-36 as a valid criticism, since there is nothing in the text that implies that Jesus is talking about the end of the world here, only the scribes and Pharisees killing the prophets and wise men. Matthew 23 NASB

Now of course you could say that the predictions of "you will see the son of man coming in his kingdom", or "the son of man sitting at the right hand of power" could be referring to Jesus ascending into heaven into the kingdom of God, and taking a seat "at the right hand of the father".  This also could apply to Luke 9:26, since it only says they would "see the kingdom of God."  However, in Matthew 16:27-28 (see above), I don't think you can make that case, because Jesus links "the Son of Man coming in His kingdom" along with the judgment day ("and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS").  So that little "and" word represents a lapse of 2000 years? And Mark 13:24-30 also refers to the judgment "And then He will send forth the angels, and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven".

Now for the verses that without a doubt refer to the end of the world, if you isolate one verse at a time and try hard enough, then you MIGHT be able to talk yourself into rationalizing some explanation to satisfy yourself.  However, when you take everything together, there's just no getting around it. And why do the apologists seem to focus on the apostles being wrong in the epistles, yet pretty much ignore that Jesus also said the end was near as well?

So here are a few points to ponder:

• When you look at the language used (as translated by Biblical scholars) then there's no mistaking that the epistle writers really thought THEY were in the end times:  "for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come... we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord... in these last days has spoken to us...has appeared in these last times... now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour".
• So sometimes what they wrote applied only to the audience it was written to (those particular ancient churches),  like the commands for women to keep silent in church and not teach ( see here), and not today?  But here, what they wrote DIDN'T apply to the people back then who it was written to, but only applies to us today?  How CONVENIENT! And what is the criteria for determining what applies to us and what doesn't?  If it conflicts with our own modern views we can disregard it as not applying to us?  And if its a prediction that failed for the ancient audience then it must not have applied to them?  This is a classic case of an ad hoc rationalization.
• How can it be argued that the writers were inspired to know Jesus would return if they could be allowed to make such a basic mistake about WHEN he would return?  Its not like they said "we don't really know when but we THINK its pretty soon".  They were pretty adamant that THEY were in the end times.
• Yes, the Bible says that "no one knows the hour" but that applied to Jesus as well!  Jesus was supposed to be God in the flesh, but he didn't even know when the end of the world would come?
• Even if you accept the defense about "this generation" not referring to the generation alive back then, you can't get around the statements that "some will not taste death until all these things take place".
• If Jesus meant "the human race" by "this generation", what would be the point of telling us that?  The human race wouldn't pass until the end came?  Isn't the PASSING of the human race the very definition of the end? (OUR end, at least)
• To say that God was using "God time" when he said the end would be soon is utterly ridiculous.  Yes, a thousand years are as one day to an infinite being.  But then again, so are a million years, and a billion years are as one second!  For an infinite being to communicate with us, any reference in regards to time would have to be in OUR terms, otherwise it would be totally meaningless.
• That there are scoffers today in no way means we are in the end times, since there have been scoffers for thousands of years, just as long as there have been people wrongly predicting the end.  That verse obviously refers to the scoffers of the time it was written, some 1900 years ago.

But hey, that's just MY take on it.  What do I know?

What about Preterism?

Most Christians all caught up in the "Left Behind" excitement of the second coming have no idea that there are actually three competing Christian schools of thought on the apocalypse. "Preterism" views all of the all the Biblical prophesies as being fulfilled in the past, in the first century.  The sun and moon being darkened, and the stars falling from the sky is taken to be a use of Old Testament imagery.  Jesus foretelling the destruction of the Jewish temple was fulfilled when the temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D.

As He was going out of the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Teacher, behold what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!" And Jesus said to him, "Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another which will not be torn down."  Mark 13:1-2 

And according to the Preterists, the events of Mark 13:14-19 refer to the Jewish revolt and the destruction/sacking of Jerusalem by the Romans during the Jewish revolt of the first century:

"But when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION standing where it should not be (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. "The one who is on the housetop must not go down, or go in to get anything out of his house; and the one who is in the field must not turn back to get his coat. "But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! "But pray that it may not happen in the winter. "For those days will be a time of tribulation such as has not occurred since the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will.  Mark 13:14-19

The more popular view today that has been ignited by the "Left Behind" series, is called "futurism", the belief that all of the apocalyptic prophesies are to happen in the future.  There is also a view called "historicism", which believes that the Biblical prophesies are being continuously fulfilled throughout history from the time of John until the return of Jesus. And there's also premillennialism and postmillennialism, which differ on the timing of Jesus's return and 1000 year reign (millennialism) in relation to the tribulation and rapture.

My take on Preterism:

Preterism does get around the very thorny problem that Jesus and the NT writers very plainly said that "IT" would happen SOON.  So preterism re-defines what was meant by "IT".  The obvious problem is that Jesus said that the generation would not pass until "ALL" was fulfilled.  Lets look again what was meant by "all". 

"But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.   "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.  "And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.  Matt 24:29-31

This is plainly talking about the end of the world, and is to happen IMMEDIATELY after the destruction of the temple/Jerusalem (referred to in verses 1-21).  So I don't think 1900+ years can qualify as "immediate" in anybody's book.  And unless no one noticed, Jesus didn't seem to have returned in 70 A.D. and angels didn't appear then to gather up the elect.

So in a nutshell, Jesus and the apostles said "THE END IS NEAR!".  That was obviously wrong, since here we are today still alive some 1900-2000 years later.  So to deal with this little case of cognitive dissonance futurism (and also historicism) redefines "near", while preterism redefines "the end".

But hey, that's just MY take on it.  What do I know?

Miscellaneous Apocalypse

Note: unless otherwise noted these Bible verses are from the New American Standard Bible.

Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

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