The Second Coming of Christ Already Happened

And there is no prophecy in the Bible of a Third Coming of Christ in our future.

Sounds like the mad ravings of a cult. Or someone who's totally insane. Psychotic. Detached from reality.

Or maybe a deceiver and an anti-christ. That claim certainly doesn't sound like something any trustworthy Bible teacher would say.

That's what I would have thought a few years ago.

Surprisingly, a growing number of serious, competent, Bible-believing scholars have come to the conclusion that there are no prophecies in the Bible concerning a "second coming" of Christ in our future. They have concluded that the Bible teaches that this event took place in the past. They're called "preterists," from the Latin word for "past."

When I first read these scholars, what they said instantly made sense. I realized what they were saying was clearly Biblical.

If you'll read the Biblical support for that astonishing claim, you'll have a hard time refuting it.

The problem is, the claim is so "out there" that you probably won't even read a defense of the claim.

If you're like me, you'll be thinking initially, "What a waste of time!" "What a terrible doctrine!"
On a scale of 1 to 10, with "1" representing a really bad idea, and "10" representing a really good idea, you'll probably rank the claim (that the Second Coming already happened) at about -3 below zero. I get that. I would have said the same thing before getting to know the Bible better. I guarantee that if you read all the Bible verses on this website, you raise your rating from "-3" to "5" which represents "Oh my gosh! This crazy idea could actually be true!" or "I don't agree, but I need to study this further."  And that's a great thing to learn: that you need to study the Bible more. That's what I really want for you: a commitment to study the Bible more. I don't expect you to agree with me completely in one afternoon.

But I can prove that the Second Coming already happened, and there is no third coming in your future. All you have to do is read every verse in the Bible which allegedly teaches a "second coming" and ask two questions:

1. Did the author intend to convey the idea of a coming of Christ thousands of years in the future?
2. Did the author's original audience understand the author to be teaching the idea of a coming of Christ thousands of years in the future?

In every case, for every verse, the answer to those two questions is "No." The authors of Scripture taught that Jesus would return "soon." Not thousands of years in the future.

Just read the Bible verses.

• 101 Verses on "This Generation"
• 101 "Any Moment" Verses
• 101 "About to" Verses

I'm not going to try to trick you with technicalities from Greek words or new revelations from modern "prophets." I just want you to read a boatload of Bible verses.

If the claim "The Second Coming of Christ Already Happened" is so terribly, utterly, obviously heretical, even dangerous, and the truth is equally obvious and essential, then it should be a piece of cake for you to refute it. I wonder if you could do that off the top of your head.

Probably not. It's much easier to just say "My Pope (or Pastor) says you're a heretic, so I'm not going to read your stinkin' Bible verses."

All I'm asking you to do is read about 300 Bible verses and then tell me I'm wrong. Should be simple. Reading Bible verses should be a good thing. I expect very few people to take the time to actually read the Bible. They'll just tell me I'm a "heretic" and go back to their "second coming" cult.

If you take me up on this challenge, you will have some sticky questions to answer. It will be obvious that the author of the verse in question is prophesying an event in his generation, but you'll say to yourself, "That didn't happen." "It couldn't possibly have happened." You'll want to protect the integrity of the Bible, and not want the author of the verse to be guilty of a false prophecy, so you will "defend" the verse by saying "The prediction will come true in the future, thousands of years after it was written," even though when it was written, the author clearly said it was going to happen in his lifetime or in the lifetime of his readers, and his readers understood him to be saying the prophecy would be fulfilled in their generation.

For example, Jesus predicted, "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken" (Matthew 24:29). He added, "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled" (verse 34).

Jesus was quoting the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. His Jewish audience would have known that. We don't understand the Old Testament background of New Testament verses because we are victims of educational malpractice in atheistic public schools and adventist Sunday schools. So we believe what Hal Lindsey and the "Left Behind" movies say. Or, if we are "better educated," we believe what the "church fathers" said.

But we don't actually believe what the Bible said. The Bible was saying something very different from what we were told it was saying.

There is a cult called "Seventh-Day Adventism." Ted Cruz' wife is a Seventh-Day Adventist. They are criticized by mainstream Christians for many things.  "Seventh day" means they go to church on Saturday. I think they're probably right about the sabbath. "Adventism" has to do with a future second coming of Christ. Nobody criticizes them for believing this.

Except me.

Who is the "Heretic?"

You will say I'm a heretic for denying a future second coming of Christ. But if I'm right, what would the authors of Scripture say about you? They would say you're the heretic, and you're a member of a cult.

The Apostle Paul admitted he was a "heretic":

The word "heretic" comes from the Greek word for "choose." (Word Study)

Everybody is a "heretic" in someone else's eyes. Joshua said "Choose ye this day whom you will serve." Elijah told the people, "How long halt ye between two opinions? if the Lord be God, follow Him: but if Baal, then follow him." Elijah was a heretic in the eyes of the prophets of Baal.

The Bible lays on us a moral obligation -- a duty -- to choose; to become a "heretic." Either a "heretic" like Paul, Joshua, and Elijah, or the kind of heretic that chooses Baal, the world (James 4:4), or the city of man rather than the City of God.

We must choose between the Word of God and the word of man.

There was a man named John Nelson Darby. He invented a doctrine called "dispensational premillennialism" in the early 1800's. As this doctrine spread, other doctrines, like Marxism, also spread. Other men have been saying similar things for centuries. They have not been saying what the Bible says. If you believe what these men say, then you're not believing what the Bible says.

I believe Darby's doctrine is a "heresy." The "institutional church" does not agree with me. The "institutional church" teaches many parts of Darby's heresy.

Are you a Genuine Christian?

Andrew Torba, founder of a social media platform called "Gab," wrote a book called Christian Nationalism: A Biblical Guide to Taking Dominion and Discipling Nations. I agree with a lot in this book, but Torba would say I'm a heretic, and I guess I would have to say the same thing about him. In my view, Torba's "Nationalism" (which I regard as unBiblical) is related to his unBiblical eschatology.

Chapter 7 of Torba's book is called "The Time for Lukewarm Christianity is Over." Of course he is completely correct about this. Jesus says that being lukewarm makes Him want to vomit you out of His Mouth (Revelation 3:15-16). If lukewarm Christians aren't calling you an "extremist," you need to worry about what Jesus will call you. If the Pharisees aren't calling you a "heretic," then you need to check with Paul the Apostle and Heretic.

Torba writes:

I'll concede that Torba has accomplished more admirable things in his 33 years on earth than I have in my 66. I've never been married. Never had kids. What a loser.

But at least I have repented of "nationalism," which has resulted in the murder of millions of innocent people, and the destruction of homes, schools, and hospitals around the world.

And I would contend that the heresy of "nationalism" is related to the heresy of "Adventism."

James 1:27 says that "true religion" is protecting widows and the fatherless. Nationalism creates widows and fatherless children by killing their husbands and fathers.

Micah 4 and Isaiah 2 say that in the age some call the "millennium" we will beat our "swords into plowshares." Adventists believe that we cannot and must not fulfill this prophecy until after the Second Advent of Christ. Until then, we must continue creating widows and orphans. People who object to killing fathers and traumatizing their widows and fatherless children by dropping bombs on their homes and hospitals are called "pacifists," and are often denounced by nationalists and adventists as "heretics."

I would say that anti-pacifists have a different religion than pacifists. It's a different religion. It's time to "choose" which religion you should follow. Please see this essay: Can We Have World Peace in 2023? That's either Part 2 of this essay, or a prequel.

Was Andrew Torba a genuine Christian in his twenties? Was his thinking poisoned by a false religion? Was he missing the "pure religion" of James 1:27? He admits he was "worldly." Was he therefore an enemy of Christ (James 4:4)?  Is a lukewarm person a genuine Christian, if Jesus would "vomit" him out of His Mouth?

These are obviously very serious questions. Serious enough that you should read 300 Bible verses?

Torba, a Calvinist, would say that even though he was "lukewarm" and "worldly," and even an "enemy" of God in his twenties, he was still one of the "elect." But he needed to repent.

I think the Body of Christ as a whole needs to repent of the idea that Christ must come again.

I can prove it if you're willing to read the Bible -- and maybe also church history -- through new eyes.

Here are three reasons why you should exercise your Bible muscles by undertaking this project:

1. Be like the Bereans.

Acts 17:11

"Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true."

I have discovered that pursuing this crazy idea -- the Second Coming already happened -- has made me a better "Berean." Reading hundreds of Bible verses cannot be a bad thing, though it might (temporarily) be an uncomfortable thing.

2. Be willing to be examined. I thought I knew the Bible until I heard this argument ("The Second Coming already happened!") and wasn't able to refute it.

Proverbs 18:17

"The first to state his case seems right until another comes forward and examines him."

I encourage you to take these verses to your friends, parents, pastors, or anyone you respect. Ask them if their view can withstand examination.

3. Get sharpened.

Proverbs 27:17

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another."

All I'm really asking you do to is read a couple of hundred verses of Scripture and ask some basic questions. I totally welcome your comments. Let's sharpen each other.

If you read all the Bible verses on this webpage, you'll realize that there's a problem with the way "Churchianity" has dealt with these verses.

Did "The Institutional Church" Conspire with the Roman Empire
to Distract Christians from Micah's “Vine & Fig Tree” prophecy?

Two Categories of Bible Verses

I'd like you to consider two categories of Bible verses. One set of verses does not apply to you. The other set does. The mainstream church has these categories completely backwards.

The first category consists of verses which say "Get ready for the second coming of Christ. It's going to happen in your generation." I want you to read all these verses. You've been told all your life to be ready for the second coming. Your generation is "The Terminal Generation." (Just like the last one was.) I want you to read all the verses and conclude that those verses don't apply to you.

Then consider another set of verses. These verses say we should beat our "swords into plowshares" so everyone can dwell peacefully under his own "vine and fig tree." You've been told all your life that these verses don't apply to you. You've been told these prophecies are about "the Millennium," and cannot and will not be fulfilled until after Christ's second coming.

The whole point of this website is to convince you that you've got it backwards: The "Second Coming" already happened (and you shouldn't be waiting for it), and we are now living in what some theologians call "the Millennium" (and you should be working to make that a present reality).

This is a game-changer, and it only takes reading 300 Bible verses to get you to see it, and completely transform your walk with the Lord.

Let me introduce you to these two categories. Just a handful of verses so you get the view from 30,000 feet.

The first category: It is the pervasive teaching of the New Testament verses in the first category that Jesus was coming soon. On almost every page, we are told that Jesus would end the old age and begin the new before those who were His eye-witnesses were dead:

Matthew 16:27
For the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. ²⁸ Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

Mark 8:38-9:1  
³⁸ For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” 9:1 And He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.”

Luke 9:26-27
For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. ²⁷ But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”

New Testament readers were anticipating the end of the old and the beginning of "the New Heavens and the New Earth" (2 Peter 3). Incredible, miraculous, unprecedented things

• were "about to" happen.
• To "this generation."
• The end was "at hand."

Either they happened, or the New Testament writers (and those who believed them)

• Were Wrong
• Were Mistaken
• Are Untrustworthy

This is a very serious issue, and many atheists have recognized what's at stake. Down below I'll quote a couple of atheists so you see how important it is to get this right.

Here's a couple of other verses that don't directly apply to you.

Matthew 21:1
Now when they drew near Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.”

We can learn things from this passage, which is why it's in the Bible.
But when Jesus predicted that there would be a donkey in the next village, that prediction came true in our past.
The command He gave to His disciples was a command for Jesus' day.
You cannot obey this command.
There will not be a "double fulfillment" of this prediction.

Obviously that passage doesn't have anything to do with the "Second Coming." It's just an example of how to interpret prophecies correctly. Here's one that does. Again, notice to whom this prophecy and these directions are given. They are given to Christ's disciples, not to us. The verses are in the Bible for our edification, but not for us to go to Samaria or be arrested by Synagogue Officials. When the verse says "you," it does not mean you today, it means the twelve disciples back in the first century.

Matthew 10:1-23
¹ And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power [over] unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. ² Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: 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 tax collector; James the [son] of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.
⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: "Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. ⁶ "But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷ "And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' ⁸ "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. ⁹ "Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, ¹⁰ "nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.
¹¹ "Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. ¹² "And when you go into a household, greet it. ¹³ "If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴ "And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. ¹⁵ "Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!
¹⁶ "Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. 17 "But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. ¹⁸ "You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ "But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; ²⁰ "for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
²¹ "Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. ²² "And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. ²³ "When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Did that prophecy come true? Did the Son of Man come in their lifetime?

What Atheists Are Saying

Atheist Bertrand Russell, in his book Why I Am Not A Christian, discredits the inspiration of the New Testament based on the failed prediction of Christ and the Apostles:

Russell is mistaken when he starts with the premise that Christ and the Apostles were predicting the end of planet earth, this physical world. We’ll see that in a minute.

Russell is correct when he says that much of the New Testament was based on the belief that the Kingdom and end of the age were "at hand." If Christ and the Apostles were teaching the imminent destruction of planet earth and the inauguration of the "eternal state," then they were clearly mistaken. Russell was a very smart guy. He had a huge impact on Mathematics and Logic. He won a Nobel Prize. But the answer to his objection is really quite simple. Even really smart guys can be excused for missing it. The vast majority of churches have missed it.

There have been various responses by Christians to this criticism of the Christian faith. Among these, one is particularly striking. We get a profound impression of just what a challenge this argument is to the integrity of the Christian faith when we realize that a great Christian thinker and apologist such as C.S. Lewis despaired at finding a solution to it. Lewis surrendered to the assertion of the skeptics that Jesus was wrong. He attributed this to the limited knowledge Jesus had in His incarnate human form. He correctly pointed out that Jesus himself said, in Matthew 24:36, that He did not know the exact time when He would return:

“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”

Lewis despairingly wrote,

    “Say what you like,” we shall be told, “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.”
    It is certainly the most embarrassing verse in the Bible.” [Essay, "The World's Last Night" (1960), found in The Essential C.S. Lewis, p. 385, and here.]

To this, the skeptic may reply, “If Jesus incorrectly predicted His return within the contemporaneous generation, but actually did not know that He was going to return within that time frame, then why did He so confidently assert that all of the words He had just spoken would come to pass in Matthew 24:35? He said, ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away, but My words shall not pass away.’ ”

Recently, Christians like R.C. Sproul have suggested that most -- and maybe even all -- of these "any moment" verses were fulfilled when Jerusalem was destroyed and the age of the Old Covenant terminated. If this is true, then the Bible can be trusted; Jesus really did "come" in vengeance against those who murdered Him, and the "end of the age" (not "end of the world") actually happened when Jesus said it would happen. If not, then Christians like C.S. Lewis need to come up with an answer for atheists like Bertrand Russell and Christopher Hitchens.

The second category of verses are what I call the “Vine & Fig Tree” verses. These are prophecies made centuries before Christ was born. They say that after the Messiah comes, things will get better. I believe Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah the Old Testament prophets were talking about, and since He came, things have been getting better. So much better, that if the prophets could travel through time, they would fall on their knees in gratitude and praise to God for the New World brought into existence by Jesus the Messiah.

I can't prove that from the Bible. The Bible itself doesn't say "Things got better from the day Christ was born in 0 A.D. to ." The Bible had been written before its prophecies came to pass. But I think everyone in the Bible, if they could travel through time, would say the world has been remarkably Christianized. I think it's obvious upon a little reflection on history.

The amazing thing is, most Christians today say that things are getting worse and worse, despite the fact that everything is so much better than it was before Christ was born. They say we must not try to implement what the “Vine & Fig Tree” verses are saying, like beat our "swords into plowshares," because ending war and suffering and helping people and making the world better will delay Christ's second coming! And the prophets and the apostles would scratch their heads and say, "Huh?? Where did you get that idea??"

Understanding the second category of verses is another conversation. On this page we're just going to look at the first category of verses: the ones that say Jesus is "coming soon," in "this generation."

Three Questions

Here are three questions to think about. I hope these questions will persuade you to read the 300 Bible verses I've collected below. Maybe read them all at one sitting. I guarantee you've never read all these verses together at one time. Reading all 300 verses will rock your world.

1. Was Jesus Mistaken?
2. Why have so many prophecy teachers in the past been so wrong?
3. Why are so many Christians illiterate about the Bible?

1. Was Jesus Mistaken?

I refuse to believe that Jesus could have been mistaken. I refuse to believe that the Bible has errors. I will never give up trying to find a resolution to difficulties posed by atheists like Russell and left unanswered by apologists like C.S. Lewis. Maybe you've wondered about verses like these:

The Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds. There are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. (Matthew 16:27-28; cf. Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27)

It is the pervasive teaching of the New Testament that Jesus was coming soon. On almost every page, we are told that Jesus would end the old age and begin the new before those who were His eye-witnesses were dead.

If you read the King James Version, you might get the idea that Jesus was teaching the end of the world was imminent.

• Matthew 24:3
  And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
• 1 Corinthians 10:11
  Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

Some atheists have said, "See? Jesus wasn't God. He mistakenly predicted his second coming in his own generation.

This is a good question. There is a solution to this problem. Here are 101 more verses that say Christ is coming "at any moment."

2. Why have so many prophecy teachers in the past been so wrong?

In the last 100 years or so, we've seen so many predictions that Jesus would be coming soon, and they've all been wrong. We've had predictions that Mussolini, Hitler, Saddam Hussein, Putin, and many others, were "The Antichrist." Every time something happens in Israel, some prophecy preacher says it's a "sign of the times."

And it never is.

Why have they all been wrong?

The answer is found in the conflict between two ways of looking at the Bible. One is called "futurism," the other is called "preterism." "Preterism" comes from the Latin word for "past." As in "already happened." That's what this article is about. More about "preterism" here.

Not only have most prophecy teachers been wrong, but they've bamboozled an entire generation of Christians to be worthless. They are no longer the salt of the earth and a light to the world. They're just waiting around for the "rapture." They think Jesus is going to come back "any moment." And during the last 100 years, we've seen hundreds of millions of people killed by socialism, communism, and other forms of atheism. Americans don't even know what a "woman" is. Jesus would say these Christians are only good to be walked on (Matthew 5:13).

This is a really, really serious problem. Goofy predictions that don't come true make Christians look like idiots.

3. Why are so many Christians illiterate about the Bible?

If the authors of Scripture could travel through time, today's Christians could not carry on a coherent conversation about the Bible. Today's Christians would say they're all focused on waiting for Christ to return, and the authors of Scripture would say, "Why?" They would ask us, "Why aren't you beating swords into plowshares and making the world a better place?"

Some Christians will answer, "We're not here to save the world, only to save souls by preaching the Gospel."

This is another big issue: What is "the Gospel?" This may be another separate conversation. We'll discuss this a little below. For now, look at the verse above, which speaks of the Son of Man coming in His kingdom before that generation dies out.

One of the words most frequently associated with the word "gospel" (or the Greek word for "preach the gospel") is "kingdom"

Matthew 4:23
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.

Matthew 9:35
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

Matthew 24:14
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.

Mark 1:14-15
Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, ¹⁵ and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

The Greek word for "preach" (εὐαγγελίζω euangelizō) is the verb form of the noun "Gospel" (εὐαγγέλιον, euangélion). "Preach" means "proclaim the Gospel." We could create a new English word to translate the Greek verb: "Gospelize!"

Luke 4:43
but He said to them, “I must preach ("gospelize") the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.”

Luke 8:1
Now it came to pass, afterward, that He went through every city and village, preaching and bringing the Gospel of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with Him,

Luke 16:16
“The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the Gospel of the Kingdom of God has been preached ("gospelated"), and everyone is pressing into it.

Acts 8:12
But when they believed Philip as he preached the Gospel concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, both men and women were baptized.

The Gospel has something to do with the reign of Christ the King, which was "at hand."

Failure to understand the "coming" of the Kingdom is failure to understand the "Gospel of the Kingdom."

If you get this wrong, you get almost everything wrong. Most Christians who are waiting for the second coming preach a Kingdom-free "gospel."

Galatians 3:8 says that the Gospel is the good news that every nation on earth will become a part of this "holy nation" and be blessed with a “Vine & Fig Tree” society.

I believe "The Gospel"

What is "the gospel?"

The word "Gospel" = "Good News"
The Greek word is εὐαγγέλιον, euangélion, noun or
εὐαγγελίζω, euangelízō, verb, share or preach
eu = good
angelizō = bring a message, from
ἄγγελος, ángelos, "angel," "messenger"

"Angel" is an interesting word. It shows up in several verses which are said to teach a "second coming."

Matthew 11:10
For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold,
I send my *messenger* [angelos] before thy face,
which shall prepare thy way before thee.
[John the Baptist]

2 Corinthians 12:7
And lest I should be exalted above measure
through the abundance of the revelations,
there was given to me a thorn in the flesh,
the *messenger* [angelos] of Satan to buffet me,
lest I should be exalted above measure.

Matthew 24:31
And he shall send his *messengers* [angelos]
with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall
gather together his elect from the four winds,
from one end of heaven to the other.

Jesus said "this generation will not pass" before the "messengers" took the Gospel to every nation under heaven. And as we will see below, whether "angels" = preachers or cherubs, the prophecy was fulfilled in that generation, according to the Bible.

So what is the "message," the "good news?"

Galatians 3:8

And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith,
preached before the Gospel unto Abraham, saying,

That's "good news!"

What is "blessed?"
People who heard the Gospel in New Testament times knew their Bibles.
See Deuteronomy 28:1-14, Leviticus 26:3ff.

"All nations shall be blessed."

Not many people today believe that "good news."

Seems like most churches have a gloomy message:

Things are getting worse and worse, sin is multiplying in these "last days," the "Great Tribulation" and "Armageddon" are just around the corner.
But if you believe "the gospel," you can escape this wretched planet and go to heaven.

Is that really "good news?"

Why did God put us human beings on this planet in the first place?
Was that a mistake?
Should God have just left us in heaven instead of putting us on earth?

Galatians 3:8 says the gospel -- the "good news" -- is:

"All nations shall be blessed."

What is "blessed?"

Leviticus 26 ties "blessing" to the point I will make below, regarding "capitalism" and "socialism."

Some churches teach that "blessing" is "spiritual." But the Bible says that to be "blessed" means to live in a "capitalistic" society, free from socialists, "brown shirts," and tribute collectors.

Leviticus 26:3 ‘If you walk in My statutes and keep My commandments,
and perform them, ... you shall ... dwell in your land safely.
6 I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down,
and none will make you afraid;
I will rid the land of evil beasts,
and the sword will not go through your land.

"None will make you afraid" reminds me of Micah's “Vine & Fig Tree” prophecy (Micah 4:1-7).

"The sword" = armed agents of "The State"

"The sword" is not "good news." See the verses here.

Our goal is to turn the entire planet into the City of God, so that God's will is done in earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10)

"The Gospel" is the "good news" that if we let God be our governor, there will be "Peace on Earth" (Luke 2:14).

God is your governor if you are governed by His Word.

Jesus is your Messiah if you obey Him as King.

Jesus is not your King if you vote for another king (1 Samuel 8).

But this is another separate conversation.

How to Interpret the Bible

Before reading 300 Bible verses, let's review standard, well-accepted rules for interpreting Bible verses. Rules which are embraced even by the strongest anti-preterists.

Rules for Interpreting Scripture:

1. Scripture interprets Scripture
   • read the verse in context
   • interpret unclear verses in light of clearer verses
   • learn what the rest of the Bible says about the verse you're reading
2. Never Read a Bible Verse
3. Learn Biblical Hermeneutics
4. Use the “grammatical-historical method”
5. Put the Bible ahead of "Holy Mother the Church."
6. Study the Bible daily, not just once in a great while.
7. Study the Bible with others, like the Bereans.

Hermeneutics

"Hermeneutics" is the science of interpreting verses. The standard method of Bible interpretation is called "the grammatical-historical method." This means arriving at the meaning of the words as the author intended them at the time he wrote them. If he wrote the words in a day when a word meant "X," we should give the verse the "X" interpretation, even if the word today means "Y." This is the same way the Framers of the U.S. Constitution intended their document to be interpreted by subsequent generations.

Luke 21:20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. ²¹ Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. ²² For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. ²³ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. ²⁴ And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Matthew 21:40-41,43,45: When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers? '....He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers, who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.' ....Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it.' ....When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them.

Matthew 22:7: But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

Matthew 24:1-3: Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” 

But there are no verses which speak of a similar tribulation-judgment which clearly identifies the time this judgment would occur as being thousands or millions of years in the future.

Matthew 16:27-28 
The Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds. There are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. (cf. Mark. 8:38 - 9:1; Luke 9:26-27)

Mark 8:38-9:1  
38 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” 9:1 And He said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.”

Luke 9:26-27
For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels. 27 But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.”

Matthew 24:34:
This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

There are more than 100 verses in the New Testament which say that the Second Coming would occur within 40 years (one generation).

As I read the New Testament, Christ and His Apostles predicted that Christ would come in judgment against the same generation of Israel that rejected Him as Messiah and asked Rome to torture Him to death. This "second coming" of Christ against apostate Israel is taught on nearly every page of the New Testament.

That judgment happened in the year 70 A.D.

But the "institutional church" teaches that there will be another coming of Christ thousands of years after the New Testament was written, despite the fact that not a single verse in the New Testament alludes to such an event in their distant future, and multitudes of verses which say it is imminent.

The New Testament has a great deal to say about Christ's coming against Jerusalem in AD70. It is a major theme. Yet most church-goers have never heard of it, and certainly haven't heard about it as often as it is talked about in the pages of the New Testament.

The New Testament writers were focused on events that would take place in their generation. If they were changing the subject, they would have told us.

If there's a verse that says something like this, I haven't found it.

In the absence of such a verse, sound principles of Biblical interpretation would call on us to assume that the Biblical writer is talking about the same event Jesus and all the other writers are talking about: the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

I have been told that I'm a heretic or not a Christian at all because I take Jesus literally and use Biblical hermeneutics to interpret the New Testament.

That's a "red flag" for me. How can clergymen denounce me with such dire pronouncements when there is so little Biblical evidence to support them?

I've been told that I'm not a true Christian unless I give greater weight to the teachings of the "institutional church" (Popes, Bishops, Councils, etc.) than to the words of the Lord Jesus Christ and His Apostles in Scripture.

That seems very dangerous to me.

Gary North says that people like me should be excommunicated from church, without any debate or conversation.

I admit that the conclusion that sound Biblical hermeneutics leads to is very shocking in our day, because we've been listening to "the Church" rather than to "the law and the prophets."

There is not a single verse in the New Testament which was intended by its author to convey the idea of a return of Christ to earth thousands of years in the future.
There is not a single verse in the New Testament which was understood by its original audience to convey the idea of a return of Christ to earth thousands of years in the future.

Following these well-accepted rules of "hermeneutics" (rules for interpreting written texts), it becomes clear (to me, anyway) that the only thing on the mind of the writers of the New Testament was the imminent return of Christ in their generation; there is not a single verse in the New Testament which was intended by its author and understood by its original audience to be prophesying an event thousands of years in the future (in our future).

It is a basic rule of hermeneutics that verses which are not clear should be interpreted in light of clearer verses. Non-preterists do the opposite: they start with the most spectacular verses (like in the book of Revelation), construct a prophecy chart or vivid fictional picture, and then ignore verses which are both clearer and more numerous.

Another way to interpret the Bible (but one which full preterists deny is Biblical) is to claim that Popes and Bishops will be guided by the Holy Spirit, who will reveal to them entirely new meanings of the verse which are not evident in the words themselves, nor intended by its original author, nor understood by the original audience. We should follow the Popes, Bishops, Councils, and their "creeds," because the Holy Spirit directed them to come up with ideas which are not found in the Bible.

Consider Matthew 24:30.
John Nelson Darby, the godfather of dispensational premillennialism, an Anglo-Irish Bible teacher associated with the early years of the Plymouth Brethren, published a translation of the Bible which translates Matthew 24:30 in this way:

Matthew 24:29-31
²⁹ But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun shall be darkened, and the moon not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.
³⁰ And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the land lament, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
³¹ And he shall send his angels with a great sound of trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the one extremity of the heavens to the other extremity of them.

Darby's translation of v.30 is a slight improvement over the KJV. This passage was fulfilled in the events of A.D. 70. Futurists think it's goofy to believe that the stars fell from heaven in the first century. But "all the tribes of the land" understood that Jesus was referring to the destruction of Jerusalem. In its textual context (Matthew 24), in its grammatical context (the celestial language was a common way for Old Testament prophets to speak of the fall of a great nation), and historically, this passage was understood to be describing events that would come to pass during the lifetime of that generation.

“This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Matthew 24:34)

Nobody in Jesus' day -- I repeat, nobody -- believed that Jesus was talking about events that would take place thousands of years in the future.

This hermeneutic -- used by all partial preterists -- should be used consistently. Doing so will make one a consistent preterist.   

All such questions usually come down to this: How would readers in the first century -- steeped in the Old Testament Scriptures -- have understood these words. Not "How do readers of Hal Lindsey in the 21st century understand these words."

Many non-preterists will say that a consistent preterist is not even a Christian. Anyone who denies a future coming of Christ has denied the ecumenical creeds, which all affirm that Christ will come again (in our future).

But the only question that really matters is whether an "extreme preterist" denies any verses of the Bible.

Martin Luther proved that "the institutional church" could not even be trusted to safeguard one of the most important theological doctrines of all: Justification. Why must we believe that "the church fathers" got everything right about eschatology?

The question is whether there is a single event prophesied to occur in our future. The consistent preterist says there is no such prophesied event. Every prophesied event has already taken place, and every state or condition that was prophesied to come about has already commenced. (Isaiah speaks of a coming "new heavens and new earth," in which houses will be built and vineyards planted. The consistent preterist does not claim that every house that will ever be built has already been built, and every vineyard that will ever be planted has already been planted; only that the building of houses in the "new heavens and new earth" commenced in the past.)

What is "Preterism?"

"Preterism" comes from the Latin word for "past."

A "preterist" interpretation of a prophecy claims that the prophecy was fulfilled in the past.

The view that prophecies about the Second Coming were fulfilled in our past is called "Preterism." Obviously, most Christians today are "futurists" when it comes to the "second coming."

Every Bible-believing Christian is a "preterist" when it comes to interpreting Isaiah 7:14, which predicts the virgin birth of Christ. Matthew 1:23 teaches that this prophecy was fulfilled in our past. There's no evidence in the Bible that there will be a future fulfillment (or "double fulfillment") of Isaiah 7:14.

Isaiah predicted (chapter 10) that Assyria would attack Israel. Every Bible scholar is a "preterist" on this chapter. It already happened. It was fulfilled between 740 and 720 B.C.

We'll call this "partial preterism." Every "futurist" is also a "partial preterist."

But there are passages under dispute. They predict things in the prophet's future, but do they predict something that happened in our past, or do they predict something that is in our future?

Full Preterism teaches that there are no events in the Bible which are prophesied to occur after A.D. 70, when the temple was destroyed in Jerusalem and the Old Covenant came to a complete end.

Some full preterists teach that while all prophecies have been fulfilled, some prophecies predicted the inauguration of on-going conditions. Isaiah 65 predicts a "New Heavens and New Earth." A preterist can hold that this new world was inaugurated in the past, but is also a "world without end" (Isaiah 45:17; Ephesians 3:21, KJV). Similarly, the “Vine & Fig Tree” age predicted in Isaiah 2 and Micah 4 is said to be one which, while inaugurated in our past, continues into our future, "from now on, even forever" (Micah 4:7). The government of Christ was established in our past, but
       "Of the increase of His government and peace
       There will be no end"
       (Isaiah 9:6-7).
So it began in the past, but continues today.

"Preterism" is probably the fastest-growing school of prophetic interpretation in our day.

A question about the second coming might seem like a dry, academic, nit-picking theological question (if it doesn't seem like psychosis), but some anti-preterists get very emotional about the subject. They say that the wrong answer to that question is a "heresy." Even a "damnable heresy," meaning that if you answer the question wrong, you're going to hell. They will block you on Facebook, refuse to fellowship with you, and denounce you to their friends.

I may not be able to persuade you to become a consistent preterist, but I would like to persuade you not to block me, excommunicate me, or slander me. I would like to leave you assured that I'm a Bible-believing Christian.

So in answer to the question "What is Preterism?" preterism is either a damnable heresy, or it is a way of looking at the Bible which radically differs from 99 out of 100 Christians.

But I would say that believing that Jesus is the Christ today, and that He is building the civilization of the City of God on earth, is not a heresy, but a wonderful world-and-life view.

Applying these simple and universally-agreed upon rules helps us interpret many verses which clearly speak of Christ coming in judgment against His enemies, and this coming is clearly timed as occurring before the generation that rejected Him dies out. This first-century coming is such a dominant theme in the New Testament Scriptures, that a sound application of the “grammatical-historical hermeneutic” would require any verse which is not clear about the timing of Christ's coming in judgment to be interpreted as fitting into that "default" pre-70AD time-frame. Some clear, explicit departure from that dominant context needs to appear in the text before one would conclude that that text breaks the mold and speaks not of an event in "that generation.," but of an event thousands or millions of years in the future.

Utilizing the standard rules of Biblical Hermeneutics, one can only arrive at the conclusion that the predicted second coming of Jesus occurred in that generation, as predicted, and there is no prediction of a third coming of Christ thousands of years in the future.

So why do so many Christians believe in a third coming of Christ thousands or millions of years after the coming of Christ which was predicted in the pages of the New Testament?

The answer is obvious: they are reading a doctrine taught by the church (but not in Scripture) into certain verses of Scripture. This is "eisegesis" (reading a doctrine into Scripture) rather than exegesis (read a doctrine from or out of Scripture. This is why it is necessary to distinguish between three kinds of preterists:

• Partial Preterists
• Consistent Preterists
• Ecclesiastical Preterists

For more on the latter, see here.

If you apply Biblical Hermeneutics or the “grammatical-historical hermeneutic” consistently, you will not accept a third coming of Christ in our future. No Biblical author taught such an idea. No prophecy was intended to predict such an event, and during the last days of the Old Covenant, nobody was talking about such an event. The idea of a third coming of Christ in our future was invented by Greeks who converted to Christianity and became known as "the Church Fathers." They did not understand the Hebrew roots of the New Testament. And, yes, consistent reformed (Protestant) hermeneutics leads to the conclusion that the "Apostles' Creed" is mistaken. It is not really the Apostles' creed, it is the "Church Fathers Creed."

Preterism is the default interpretation of prophecy in the New Testament. There needs to be clear evidence from the text of Scripture indicating that the prophecy is intended to be fulfilled thousands of years in the future. Without that clear textual indication, preterism should be assumed in light of all those "any moment," "this generation," and "about to" verses.

If you want to change my mind, you need to produce a verse which explicitly states that the timing is thousands of years in the future, and cannot possibly have been intended to be fulfilled in the first century.

Otherwise the obvious "prima facie" teaching of Scripture forbids a third coming of Christ thousands (or millions) of years after the closing of the canon.

There are clearly many verses in the New Testament which inescapably point to an event or events that would occur in the first century. Another question which might be raised is this: is there a single verse in the Bible which inescapably predicts an event that would occur in the 21st century or later, and can be interpreted in no other way?

The Prophetic "Context"

It is a basic rule of Bible interpretation to read a verse of Scripture "in its context."

Modern translations divide the text of Scripture into paragraphs. There were no "paragraphs" in the first century or in the centuries before that, when the Bible was originally written. But reading the entire "paragraph" where a verse is found is usually a good way to see the verse in its "context."

You could also read the entire "chapter" where the verse is found, even though, again, there were no "chapters" in the Bible as originally written.

But when it comes to eschatology, the most important "context" is the 40-year period from A.D. 30 to A.D. 70: "the last days." The authors of the New Testament repeatedly state that they are living in the last days of the Old Covenant. The larger "context" of every prophecy in the New Testament is the "any moment" return of Christ taught in so many places. It is a dominant theme in the New Testament. It was on everyone's mind.
The timing is very clear. Any verse which speaks of "the Second Coming of Christ" which is not as clear in stating the timing should be interpreted in light of the many verses which more clearly state the timing.

Let's say there are 100 verses on eschatology in the New Testament (there are more than that). Let's say that 95 of those verses are clearly talking  about events that would occur in "the last days" of the Old Covenant, sometime in the years between A.D. 30 to A.D. 70. Nobody disputes that the authors of these verses intended to speak about events in "the last days" of the Old Covenant, and the original readers of these verses understood that the verses were directed to their generation. The other 5 verses could be talking about "the last days" of the Old Covenant, but some preachers say they are talking about events thousands or millions of years in the future. How do we determine if these preachers are correct?

The answer is: the 95 verses are "the context" in which the other 5 verses must be interpreted. The 95 verses are clear, and the 5 verses are less clear, and another basic rule of interpretation is to let the unclear verses be interpreted in light of the clear verses. The chances are good that those preachers will spend most of their time talking about those 5 verses and preaching vivid sermons or writing best-selling books on how those 5 verses are going to be fulfilled in our future, but they will never put those 5 verses in the context of the other 95 verses.

Other preachers will say that although those 95 verses were intended by their authors to speak about events in "the last days" of the Old Covenant, and the original readers of these verses understood that the verses were directed to their generation, nevertheless, those verses will have a "double fulfillment" sometime in the future.

Except the Bible itself never says that there will be a "double fulfillment" thousands or millions of years in the future. The theory of "double fulfillment" adds a "context" to those verses that is not given by the Bible itself. That context is added to the Bible to buttress the creeds.

The "second coming" of Christ that Christians were talking about in the days the New Testament was being written was Christ's coming in judgment against the Jews who murdered their Messiah. This coming occurred in AD70 when Jerusalem was destroyed. The destruction of Jerusalem was the most important event in the life of the believers witnessed the first coming of Christ. It is arguably one of the most significant events in the Bible, as it marked the end of the Old Covenant and the full inauguration of the New Covenant. The event is spoken of in verses like these:

Luke 21:20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. ²¹ Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. ²² For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. ²³ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. ²⁴ And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Matthew 21:40-41,43,45: When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers? '....He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers, who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.' ....Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it.' ....When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them.

Matthew 22:7: But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

Matthew 24:1-3: Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” 

But there are no verses which speak of a similar tribulation which clearly identifies the time this other tribulation would occur as being thousands of years in the future.

Let's look at three ways this "context" expresses itself in hundreds of verses dealing with eschatology and prophecy:

• "This Generation"
  • The New Testament writers were focused on events that would take place in their generation.
• 101 "Any Moment" Verses
  • These are verses that say Jesus is going to return soon. Theologians call this the "imminent" return of Christ.
• "About to"
  • This is the Greek word μέλλω (mello).

There's a couple of hundred verses under these sections. Reading all of them forms the "context" in which all prophecy must be seen. When we do this, we reach a surprising conclusion:

If you've never heard such a claim, then on a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 = "a very good idea," and 1 = "a very bad idea," you'll probably rate that claim at about -2. But if you will read all of the verses below, and maybe the paragraph in which those verses are found, you will rate that claim at "5" which means "I need to study this further." You can dismiss the claim if you want (for now), but please read the verses below. Our case is based on the verses in Scripture, not on creeds or confessions or seminary professors.

The view that prophecies about the Second Coming were fulfilled in our past is called "Preterism." Obviously, most Christians today are "futurists."

To prove that "the Second Coming" already happened, all I need for you to do is to read a couple hundred verses of Scripture.

If you're not willing to read the verses, there's no way I can persuade you, and no way you can be a "Berean." This is not about me tricking you, or confusing you, or telling you, "I'm your Pastor; believe what I tell you to believe!" It's just a matter of reading the verses that we have filtered out because they don't fit the theological paradigm that we have been hearing since we were small children (if we grew up in a typical Christian home and church).

If you read all these verses and still don't agree with me, that's fine. But I believe you'll have to wrestle, do some digging, and grow in your understanding of the Bible, in order to make sense of them all. That's not a bad thing, is it?

Plus, I think you'll agree that "preterists" like me are not evil people, even though at first you were thinking I'm a nut for saying the Second Coming already happened.

There are two issues in this debate: (1) the timing of the Second Coming and (2) the nature of the Second Coming. The timing verses are clear; conclusions about the nature of the Second Coming come from verses which are not as clear. Preterists interpret the nature verses in light of the timing verses, and not the other way around. Preterists also interpret the nature verses in light of similar language used in the rest of Scripture. The overwhelming testimony of the New Testament is that the Second Coming of Christ would occur in the first century A.D., that is, before the death of the generation in which Christ lived.

The timing of the second coming depends in part on the object of the second coming. Read Luke 21. This is generally agreed to be a prophecy of Christ's "second coming." It is also recorded in Matthew 24 and Mark 13. The actual subject of Christ's address is the desolation of Jerusalem. Because Israel rejected Jesus as her Messiah, Jesus would take vengeance on those who murdered Him. He says the generation that murdered Him will not pass away until Jerusalem is surrounded by gentile armies and destroyed.

This is a major theme of the New Testament. Read Matthew 23, which forms an indictment of Israel's religious leaders, and then read Matthew 24, which describes Israel's judgment. Jesus says this wicked generation shall not pass away until all the He predicts comes to pass.

But whereunto shall I liken this generation?
(Matthew 11:16-24)

Who Murdered Christ?

No Jew

• alive today or
• alive in Jesus' day

should be blamed for the murder of Christ

• unless that Jew wants to accept the blame (or take "credit") for that murder.
• And some Jews do.

But if some Jew wants to take credit for killing Jesus, no Christian has any right whatsoever to inflict any harm on that Jew. (Click here to find out why true Christians repudiate vandalism, assassinations and love their enemies, because true Christians are "pacifists.")

When Jesus came a second time in AD 70, He was already King. That is to say, He was already Christ, the Messiah. The Jews rejected Jesus as their Messiah, and therefore rejected Him as their Savior, both because they rejected Jesus as the One who could forgive their sins, and because in the Bible a "savior" is a ruler (Nehemiah 9:27). But Jesus was the Messiah, King of the Jews, whether they voted for Him or not.

In Acts chapter 2, Peter tells an assembly of "devout Jews" (v. 5) that Jesus "whom ye crucified" (v. 36) is the fulfillment of David's prophecies about the Messiah.

³⁶ “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”
³⁷ Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?”

What did those Jews think Peter had just said? Did they think Peter had just said that Jesus must come again after about 21 centuries in order to become the Christ?

Nope. They all trembled in their sandals because they had assassinated the Messiah.

Oops!

Killing the Messiah is not a good thing.

Peter says their act of murder did not stop the Messiah. He rose from the dead. But He was not just raised from the dead, but raised up to the Throne of David at the Right Hand of Almighty God in heaven (Acts 1:9; Daniel 7:13-14). Messiah is coming back, Peter says, and to use a crude vulgarity, He is pissed.

And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
Acts 2:40

The American Bible Society translates Acts 2:40 this way:

Peter made his appeal to them and with many other words he urged them, saying, “Save yourselves from the punishment coming on this wicked people!” 

Jesus did not pass out syrupy, positive-thinking Hallmark cards to those who tortured Him to death. During His years of public teaching, He constantly threatened "this wicked generation" with judgment.

It is a widely-held belief among Christians that Jesus offered to be the Messiah of Israel, but the Jews rejected Jesus as their King, and so Jesus could only be their "savior," a substitutionary atonement that would secure them a ticket to heaven when they died if they trusted in Jesus as their sacrificial lamb. Even if they rejected Him as their King/Messiah.

Give me ac couple of minutes, and I'll prove this is a completely unBiblical and confused idea.

There is no Biblical support for the idea that the Messiah can only reign over those who give Him their permission. The Old Testament prophets spoke of a Messiah who would

• "break in pieces the oppressor" (Psalm 72:4)
• "shall judge among the nations,
  He shall fill the places with dead bodies,
  He shall execute the heads of many countries." (Psalm 110:6)
• with righteousness He shall judge the poor,
  And decide with equity for the meek of the earth
  He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth
  And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. (Isaiah 11:4)
• He shall judge between many peoples,
  And rebuke strong nations afar off; (Micah 4:3)
• "Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;
  All nations shall serve Him." (Psalm 72:11)
• "I will beat down his foes before his face,
  And plague those who hate him." (Psalm 89:23)
• The Lord said to my Lord,
  “Sit at My right hand,
  Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
  The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.
  Rule in the midst of Your enemies! (Psalm 110:1-2)
• There I will make the horn of David grow;
  I will prepare a lamp for My Anointed.
  His enemies I will clothe with shame,
  But upon Himself His crown shall flourish.” (Psalm 132:17-18)

In fact, Jesus destroyed His enemies in A.D. 70, laying waste the city of Jerusalem, while saving the remnant who believed Him. The Jewish historian Josephus recorded the horrifying judgment on unbelieving Jews in his writings on the Jewish wars and destruction of Jerusalem, in which the Jews, under relentless protracted siege by the Roman armies, resorted to cannibalism before Jerusalem was completely destroyed (Deuteronomy 28:52-57). The Jews thought the Messiah would destroy the enemies of the Jews -- the unclean pagan conquering Roman gentiles. It turned out that the Messiah's enemies were the Jews themselves.

Even if Jesus was never described as "Messiah," but only as a "savior," the word "savior" in the Scriptures is virtually synonymous with "messiah." The Biblical word for "savior" is also translated "deliverer," and the "judges" are called "deliverers" and "saviors" (example: Nehemiah 9:27) But the judges were also "rulers," who "judged" (governed) Israel. very much like "kings," and the word "messiah" means "anointed," as in "king." So there really is no Biblical difference between a "savior" and a "messiah-king." A "savior" is also a "governor." Jesus was made messiah and king at His first coming 21 centuries ago, not just "savior." One of the first acts of His reign as Messiah was destroying Jerusalem. And Jesus the Christ has been reigning as Messiah ever since.

Obviously, today's Jews do not agree with that last sentence.

The vast, overwhelming majority of people who are found in a church building on Easter Sunday agree with the Jews.
    Most church-goers do not believe that Jesus is the Christ today.

• They believe Satan is in control; "Alive and Well on Planet Earth" (according to a book that sold millions of copies).
  • Maybe they believe that Jesus has the "right" to be the Christ
  • Maybe they believe that Jesus offered to be the Messiah, but the Jews rejected His offer, so He had to settle for offering them a ticket to heaven when they die. (An offer they also reject, because who wants to spend eternity hanging out with a deluded con-man who falsely claimed to be the Messiah and rejected the Law and the Prophets [held dear by the Jews]?)
    He could only be the "Savior" of the Jews, but not their "King."
  • Most likely the Easter Sunday crowd believes that Jesus will someday ("soon") become the Messiah, when He comes again, a second time. In the future.
• But they all agree that Jesus is not -- today -- reigning as Messiah (exercising His rightful powers at full level, high-octane, on "the throne of David," and bringing all these verses to fulfillment). The Messianic reign is for tomorrow, they say, not today.
  • (Why do they call themselves CHRISTians instead of JESUSians? Why do they celebrate CHRISTmas instead of JESUSmas?)

The New Testament consistently alleges that the Jews rejected their Messiah.

John 19

² And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. ³ Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they struck Him with their hands.

⁴ Pilate then went out again, and said to them [the Jews], “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him.”

⁵ Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”

⁶ Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”

Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.”

⁷ The Jews answered him, “We have a law, and according to our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.”

¹⁴And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”

¹⁵ But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!”

Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?”

The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar!”

Matthew 27

²⁴ When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.

²⁵ Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

One of Jesus' first acts as Israel's Messiah was to destroy those of His subjects who rejected Him as Messiah.

Jesus said His "second coming" would occur within the lifetime of those who witnessed His first coming. The nation that witnessed His first coming murdered Him. Jesus said he would return to take vengeance against them.

Luke 21:20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. ²¹ Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. ²² For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. ²³ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. ²⁴ And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Jesus came in a Day of Vengeance and destroyed the city that murdered Him, along with the old temple, and ended the old covenant in AD 70.

Matthew 24:1-3: Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.”

Matthew 21:35-41,43,45: And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers? '....He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers, who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.' ....Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it.' ....When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them.

Revelation 18:24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the land. In Acts 7:51-52, Stephen told the Jews who would stone him, “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you. 52 Which of the prophets did your fathers not persecute? And they killed those who foretold the coming of the Just One, of whom you now have become the betrayers and murderers,

Matthew 23:31-37
Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? 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: 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. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 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!

Luke 11:47-51
Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres. Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

Luke 13:33-34
Nevertheless I must walk to day, and to morrow, and the day following: for it cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!

Revelation 11:8 And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

Acts 2:23  God had already planned and decided that Jesus would be handed over to you. So you took him and had evil men put him to death on a cross.

Acts 3:15 You killed the Prince of Life

Acts 4:10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole.

Acts 5:28-30
Saying, Did not we straitly command you that ye should not teach in this name? and, behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this man's blood upon us. Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.

1 Thessalonians 2:15
Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are contrary to all men:

Mark 11:17
And He taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? (Isaiah 56:7) but ye have made it a den of thieves.

Matthew 22:7: But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

This prophesied destruction is one of the biggest themes in the New Testament, yet most church-goers have never heard of it, or know what happened in AD 70. (But who knows, these same church-goers might be able to tell you what color shoes "the Antichrist" will be wearing during "The Great Tribulation" 3½ years from now.)

"I never really heard about that."

One of the most theologically and historically significant events in the first century was the destruction of the temple during the military siege of Jerusalem by the Roman armies, in the years A.D. 66-70. Jesus warned His disciples:

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. ²¹ Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. ²² For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. ²³ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. ²⁴ And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Luke 21:20-24

Many church-goers have gone their entire adult lives without ever hearing about this event. They didn't know how to think about verses like these:

Matthew 21:40-41,43,45: When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers? '....He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers, who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.' ....Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it.' ....When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them.

Matthew 22:7: But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

Matthew 24:1-3: Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” 

It's on almost every page of the New Testament.

The New Testament is all about that generation, not a future generation.

"This Generation"

The dominant theme of the New Testament is the end of the Old Covenant during the lifetime of the generation that witnessed the first coming of Christ. They would also witness the second coming in vengeance for their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah. There is not a single verse in the New Testament which was intended by the author and understood by the first-century audience to be referring to a different generation thousands or millions of years in the future.

(Matthew 3:7-12) But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? {8} Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: {9} And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. {10} And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. {11} I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: {12} Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

(Matthew 11:16-24) But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, {17} And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. {18} For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. {19} The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children. {20} Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: {21} Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. {22} But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. {23} And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. {24} But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

(Matthew 12:24-45) But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. {25} And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: {26} And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? {27} And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. {28} But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. {29} Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. {30} He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. {31} Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. {32} And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. {33} Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. {34} O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. {35} A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. {36} But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. {37} For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. {38} Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. {39} But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: {40} For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. {41} The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. {42} The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. {43} When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. {44} Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. {45} Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

(Matthew 16:1-12) The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would show them a sign from heaven. {2} He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. {3} And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? {4} A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed. {5} And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. {6} Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. {7} And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. {8} Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? {9} Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? {10} Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? {11} How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? {12} Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

(Matthew 17:12-23) 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. {14} And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, {15} Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is a lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. {16} And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. {17} Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. {18} And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. {19} Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? {20} And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. {21} Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. {22} And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: {23} And they shall kill Him, and the third day He shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.

(Matthew 23:27-39) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. {28} Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. {29} Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, {30} And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. {31} Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. {32} Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. {33} Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? {34} 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. {39} For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

(Matthew 24:34) Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

(Mark 8:11-12) And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. {12} And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.

(Mark 8:31-38) And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. {32} And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. {33} But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. {34} And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. {35} For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. {36} For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? {37} Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? {38} Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. 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.

(Mark 9:19) He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.

(Mark 13:30) Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.

(Luke 3:7-9) Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath about to come? {8} Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. {9} And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

(Luke 7:31-35) And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? {32} They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept. {33} For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. {34} The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! {35} But wisdom is justified of all her children.

(Luke 9:41) And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither.

(Luke 11:29-32) And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. {30} For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. {31} The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. {32} The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

(Luke 11:39-54) And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. {40} Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also? {41} But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you. {42} But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. {43} Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. {44} Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them. {45} Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also. {46} And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. {47} Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. {48} Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres. {49} Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: {50} That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; {51} From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. {52} Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. {53} And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things: {54} Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him. {12:1) In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

(Luke 17:25) But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.

(Luke 21:32) Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.

(Acts 2:40) And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

Millions of Christians want Christ's second coming to happen in their generation, but Christ predicted that He would come in vengeance against the generation that murdered Him, not our generation. The focus is so clearly and repeatedly on the generation that murdered Him at His first coming, that unless the Biblical writer says he's changing the subject from his own generation to a future generations thousands of years hence, the Bible is clearly talking about the generation that lived before AD 70.

Let’s look at more of the timing verses.

What follows is 101 "Any Moment" verses. Read these verses. Read them in context in your own Bible if you think we're taking them out of context.

Ideally, you could read the following verses in their context and see how the idea of the imminent first-century return of Christ and great Day of Judgment thoroughly dominates the pages of the New Testament.

101 "Any Moment" Verses

Here are some of the verses which teach that Christ's "second coming" was "soon" and "near" and against the same generation that rejected God's Law and Prophets and put Jesus to death. I can almost guarantee that if you take an hour to sit down and prayerfully read all these verses, you will experience a "paradigm shift."

Read these verses. Read them in context in your own Bible if you think we're taking them out of context. There's no other way to accurately interpret the New Testament without getting into the mind of the writers by reading everything they were talking about.

Get the big picture.

Take this issue seriously.

Admit that this is a question that needs to be answered.

1. “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2)

2. “Who warned you to flee from the wrath about to come?” (Matthew 3:7)

3. “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees.” (Matthew 3:10)

4. “His winnowing fork is in His hand.” (Matthew 3:12)

5. “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)

6. “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 10:7)

7. “You shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes.” (Matthew 10:23)

8. “....the age about to come.” (Matthew 12:32)

9. “The Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds.” (Matthew 16:27; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26)

10. “Verily I say unto you, there are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom.” (Matthew 16:28; cf. Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27)

11. “‘When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?’ ‘....He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers, who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.’ ‘....Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it.’ ....When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them.” (Matthew 21:40-41,43,45)

12. “This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Matthew 24:34)

13. “Hereafter, you [Caiaphas, the chief priests, the scribes, the elders, the whole Sanhedrin] shall be seeing the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62; Luke 22:69)

14. “The kingdom of God is at hand.” (Mark 1:15)

15. “What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others. ....They [the chief priests, scribes and elders] understood that He spoke the parable against them.” (Mark 12:9,12)

16. “This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Mark 13:30)

17. “Who warned you to flee from the wrath about to come?” (Luke 3:7)

18. “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees. “ (Luke 3:9)

19. “His winnowing fork is in His hand.” (Luke 3:17)

20. “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” (Luke 10:9)

21. “The kingdom of God has come near.” (Luke 10:11)

22. “What, therefore, will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to others.” The scribes and the chief priests understood that He spoke this parable against them.” (Luke 20:15-16,19)

23. “These are days of vengeance, in order that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” (Luke 21:22)

24. “This generation will not pass away until all things take place.” (Luke 21:32)

25. “Daughters of Jerusalem , stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’” (Luke 23:28-30; Compare Revelation 6:14-17)

26. “We were hoping that He was the One who is about to redeem Israel .” (Luke 24:21)

27. “I will come to you. In that Day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.’ ‘Lord, what then has happened that You are about to disclose Yourself to us, and not to the world?’” (John 14:18,20,22)

28. “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?” (John 21:22)

29. “This is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall be in the last days’” (Acts 2:16 -17)

30. “He has fixed a day in which He is about to judge the world in righteousness” (Acts 17:31 )

31. “There is about to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.” (Acts 24:15)

32. “As he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment about to come” (Acts 24:25)

33. “Not for [Abraham’s] sake only was it written, that [faith] was reckoned to him [as righteousness], but for our sake also, to whom it is about to be reckoned.” ( Rom. 4:23-24)

34. “If you are living according to the flesh, you are about to die.” (Romans 8:13 )

35. “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18 )

36. “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 at hand.” ( Romans 13:11-12)

37. “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” (Romans 16:20 )

38. “The time has been shortened.” (I Corinthians 7:29)

39. “The form of this world is passing away.” (I Corinthians 7:31)

40. “Now these things were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” (I Corinthians 10:11)

41. “We shall not all fall sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.” (I Corinthians 15:51-52)

42. “Maranatha!” [The Lord comes!] (I Corinthians 16:22)

43. “...not only in this age, but also in the one about to come.” (Ephesians 1:21)

44. “The Lord is near.” (Phil. 4:5)

45. “The gospel was proclaimed in all creation under heaven.” (Colossians 1:23; Compare Matthew 24:14; Romans 10:18 ; 16:26 ; Colossians 1:5-6; 2 Timothy 4:17 ; Revelation 14:6-7; cf. I Clement 5,7)

46. “things which are a shadow of what is about to come.” (Colossians 2:16-17)

47. “we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord We who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds You, brethren, are not in darkness, that the Day should overtake you like a thief.” (I Thessalonians 4:15,17; 5:4)

48. “May your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Thessalonians 5:23)

49. “It is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire.” (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7)

50. “Godliness holds promise for the present life and that which is about to come.” (I Timothy 4:8)

51. “I charge you that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Timothy 6:14)

52. “storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for that which is about to come, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.” (I Timothy 6:19)

53. “In the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self Avoid these men. For of these are those who enter into households and captivate weak women These also oppose the truth But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all” (2 Timothy 3:1-2,5-6,8-9)

54. “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is about to judge the living and the dead” (2 Timothy 4:1)

55. “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son.” (Hebrews 1:1-2)

56. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who are about to inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14 )

57. “He did not subject to angels the world about to come.” (Hebrews 2:5)

58. “and have tasted the powers of the age about to come.” (Hebrews 6:5)

59. “For ground that drinks the rain which often falls upon it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near a curse, and it’s end is for burning.” (Hebrews 6:7-8)

60. “When He said, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. But what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.” (Hebrews 8:13)

61. “The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way of the [heavenly] Holy Places has not yet been revealed, while the outer tabernacle is still standing, which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.” (Hebrews 9:8-10; Compare Galatians 4:19; Ephesians 2:21-22; 3:17; 4:13)

62. “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things about to come” (Hebrews 9:11 )

63. “Now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin.” (Hebrews 9:26)

64. “For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things about to come” (Hebrews 10:1)

65. “as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25)

66. “the fury of a fire which is about to consume the adversaries.” (Hebrews 10:27)

67. “For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay.” (Hebrews 10:37)

68. “For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the one that is about to come.” (Hebrews 13:14)

69. “Speak and so act, as those who are about to be judged by the law of liberty.” (James 2:12)

70. “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!” (James 5:1,3)

71. “Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.” (James 5:7)

72. “You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” (James 5:8)

73. “salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (I Peter 1:5)

74. “He has appeared in these last times for the sake of you.” (I Peter 1:20)

75. “They shall give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” (I Peter 4:5)

76. “The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.” (I Peter 4:7)

77. “For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God.” (I Peter 4:17)

78. “as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is about to be revealed.” (I Peter 5:1)

79. “We have the prophetic word which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the Day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.” (2 Peter 1:19)

80. “Their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” (2 Peter 2:3)

81. “In the last days mockers will come. For this they willingly are ignorant of” (2 Peter 3:3,5)

82. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God.” (2 Peter 3:10-12)

83. “The darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.” (I John 2:8)

84. “The world is passing away, and its desires.” (I John 2:17)

85. “It is the last hour.” (I John 2:18)

86. “Even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour.” (I John 2:18; Compare Matthew 24:23-34)

87. “This is that of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.” (I John 4:3; Compare 2 Thessalonians 2:7)

88. “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation. About these also Enoch prophesied, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly’” (Jude 1:4,14-15)

89. “But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, ‘In the last time there shall be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.’ These are the ones who cause divisions” (Jude 1:17-19)

90. “to show to His bond-servants, the things which must shortly take place.” (Revelation 1:1)

91. “The time is near.” (Revelation 1:3)

92. “Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come.” (Revelation 2:25)

93. “I also will keep you from the hour of testing which is about to come upon the whole land.” (Revelation 3:10; cf. Matthew 2:6,20,21)

94. “I am coming quickly.” (Revelation 3:11)

95. “And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is about to rule all the nations with a rod of iron.” (Revelation 12:5)

96. “And in her [the Great City Babylon] was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.” (Revelation 18:24; Compare Matthew 23:35-36; Luke 11:50-51)

97. “to show to His bond-servants the things which must shortly take place.” (Revelation 22:6)

98. “Behold, I am coming quickly. “ (Revelation 22:7)

99. “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.” (Revelation 22:10; Compare Daniel 8:26)

100. “Behold, I am coming quickly.” (Revelation 22:12)

101. “Yes, I am coming quickly.” (Revelation 22:20)

Thanks to David Green for putting together these verses.

He adds:

There are clearly many verses in the New Testament which inescapably point to an event or events that would occur in the first century. Another question which might be raised is this: is there a single verse in the Bible which inescapably predicts an event that would occur in the 21st century or later, and can be interpreted in no other way?

These verses show that the writers of the New Testament were focused, consumed, engrossed, dominated, engaged, and riveted with the promise that Jesus was going to return in their generation to take vengeance against those who murdered Him, destroy "the world" of the Old Covenant and bring in a "New Heavens and New Earth." Almost every page of the New Testament makes reference to an event that was assuredly going to take place before that generation died out (See Matthew 16:27-28).

Overcoming Shock

People who actually look up these verses are shocked. They are not prepared for the conclusion that seems inescapable. It may take years for you to be fully persuaded. Literally, years.

Even when you start to become persuaded, you may still feel a sense of disappointment, or disillusionment. You may have been hoping to be alive when the Second Coming occurred.

But even if you realized that the odds are good that you would die before it happened, you still believed that when it happened you would be positively affected by it. You resist the conclusion that it already happened.

I would like to try to persuade you that the advantages of no second coming (in our future) vastly outweigh the disadvantages you think you might experience.   

Mello - μέλλω

There is another indication that something important was about to happen in the last days of the Old Covenant. This is seen in the Greek for "about to," which is mello.

The most interesting thing about this word is the refusal of some Bible translators to translate it. It frequently is lost in a generic future: instead of "He is about to come," we get "He will come." The choice to translate or to ignore mello doesn't seem to be based on some doctrinal conspiracy, as though someone knew mello would generate some inconsistency with what theologians already believe is true. The King James Version seems to leave mello out most of the time. Other versions have it more frequently, but not always.

The events of the years between Christ's execution and His coming in vengeance against His executioners (AD 30 - AD 70) are either misunderstood or ignored. The significance of the destruction of the Old Covenant temple and the building of a New Covenant Temple is downplayed by those who have a quite different agenda, an agenda which is yet future.

These tables collect all the occurrences of mello in the New Testament.

• First are those occurrences that are not too controversial. (This section can be skipped.)
• Then there are occurrences that speak about the incompleteness of redemption in the transitional period from AD 30 to AD 70
• Finally, there are "end time events" -- events which are said to be "about to" occur in the Bible, but which most Christians believe were at that time still in the distant future:
  • The "Great Tribulation"
  • The Resurrection
  • The Judgment
  • The New Age

"Your Redemption Draweth Nigh"

End Times Events in the Last Days of the Old Covenant

"The Last Days"

Hal Lindsey and the other televangelists tell us we're living in "The Last Days."

The "last days" of what?? What does that phrase mean? What did it mean to those who wrote about it two thousand years ago? We covered this theme on another page on this website:

• Are We in "The Last Days?"

ἔσχατος

We get the word "eschatology" from the Greek word ἔσχατος, eschatos, generally meaning "last." Are there any verses which suggest that the "last days" were thousands or millions of years in the future, or were the original readers of the New Testament being told about events in their own day? Here are all the occurrences of the Greek word ἔσχατος, eschatos.

1 Timothy 4:1 uses a different word: Now the Spirit clearly says that in the last (hysterois | ὑστέροις) times some of the faith will apostasize by being devoted to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,

Another important word is the Greek word τέλος, telos.

Matthew 24:6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place but the end (telos | τέλος | nom sg neut) is not yet.

Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed in all the world as a testimony to every nation, and then the end (telos | τέλος | nom sg neut) will come.

Mark 3:26 And if Satan rises against himself and is divided, he cannot stand but is coming to an end (telos | τέλος | acc sg neut).

Mark 13:7 And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; those things must happen, but the end (telos | τέλος | nom sg neut) is not yet.

Mark 13:13 And you will be hated by all on account of my name. But the one who perseveres to the end (telos | τέλος | acc sg neut) will be saved.

Luke 1:33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (telos | τέλος | nom sg neut)

Luke 21:9 When you hear of wars and rebellions, do not be terrified, for these things must take place first, but the end (telos | τέλος | nom sg neut) will not follow immediately.”

Luke 22:37 For I tell you that there must be fulfilled in me what stands written: ‘And he was numbered with the lawless.’ And indeed, that which concerns me has its fulfillment.” (telos | τέλος | acc sg neut)

John 13:1 It was just before the festival of Passover, and Jesus, knowing that his hour had come to depart from this world to the Father, showed his love to his own who were in the world, loving them to the very end (telos | τέλος | acc sg neut).

1 Corinthians 1:8 He will keep you steadfast to the end (telous | τέλους | gen sg neut), guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Corinthians 10:11 Now these events happened to them as examples, but were written down as warnings for us, on whom the end (telē | τέλη | nom pl neut) of the ages has come.

1 Corinthians 15:24 Then comes the end (telos | τέλος | nom sg neut), when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when he has destroyed every dominion, every authority and power.

2 Corinthians 3:13 and not like Moses who used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not gaze at the end (telos | τέλος | acc sg neut) of what was fading away.

1 Thessalonians 2:16 who prevent us from speaking to the Gentiles that they might be saved. Their goal has always been to complete the full number of their sins. But God’s wrath has caught up with them at last! (telos | τέλος | acc sg neut)

Hebrews 3:14 For we have become partners of Christ, if in fact we hold the beginning of our confidence firm to the end (telous | τέλους | gen sg neut).

Hebrews 6:8 But if it produces thorns and thistles, it is useless and about to be cursed; its fate (telos | τέλος | nom sg neut) is to be burned.

Hebrews 6:11 But we want each one of you to demonstrate the same earnestness to the very (telous | τέλους | gen sg neut) end (telous | τέλους | gen sg neut) for the fulfillment of your hope,

Hebrews 7:3 He is without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end (telos | τέλος | acc sg neut) of life; but like the Son of God he continues a priest for all time.

1 Peter 1:9 because you are obtaining the goal (telos | τέλος | acc sg neut) of your faith — the salvation of your souls.

1 Peter 4:7 The end (telos | τέλος | nom sg neut) of all things is at hand, so use sound judgment and be sober-minded for the sake of prayer.

1 Peter 4:17 Because the time has come to begin judgment with the house of God, and if first with us, what will be the outcome (telos | τέλος | nom sg neut) for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

Revelation 2:26 As for the one who conquers, who keeps my works until the end (telous | τέλους | gen sg neut), to him I will give authority over the nations,

Revelation 21:6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end (telos | τέλος | nom sg neut). To the one who thirsts I will give permission to drink free of charge from the spring of the water of life.

Revelation 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.” (telos | τέλος | nom sg neut)

 For additional information on this vital topic, see:

• The Last Days | David Chilton
• Thesis 85: The Last Days of the Old Covenant
• Who are the Real Last Days Scoffers? - The American Vision
• What Does the Bible Mean by the 'Last Days' and Jesus' Coming? - The American Vision

The answer is pretty clear: The New Testament was written in "the last days" of the Old Covenant. The age of the temple and its sacrificial/priestly system was coming to an end.

Hebrews 8:13
In that He says, “A new covenant” [Jeremiah 31:31-34], He has made the first obsolete. Now what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.

Is Jesus the Christ Today?

This is the big dispute as I see it. Did Jesus become the Christ in the past (preterism), or will He begin reigning as Messiah in the future (futurism).

The vast, overwhelming majority of Christians are futurists. They believe Jesus offered to be the King of the Jews, but the Jews rejected Him, and so, like a puppy with his tail between his legs, Jesus dejectedly walked away from His Messianic role and became a "savior," but not a King. He passes out tickets to heaven as a "savior, but He won't become King (Messiah) until He comes again -- in our future.

I see three problems with this view.

• First, there is no difference in the Bible between a "savior" and a "king."
• Second, no prophecy in the Bible speaks of the coming of a christ in our future. Not even Jesus Himself.
• Third, denying that Jesus is the Christ is the doctrine of antichrist

First, there is no difference in the Bible between a "savior" and a "king."

A "savior" in the Biblical sense is also called a "judge" or a "ruler." Read your Bible from cover to cover and circle every occurrence of the word "save" or "savior." It becomes obvious.

When the Jews rejected Jesus as their King, they rejected Him as their Savior. They rejected Him as their Judge, King, and Lawgiver (see Isaiah 33:22). Not only should you not expect to go to heaven if you reject Jesus as King, but why would anyone who says Jesus is not the Christ/Messiah/King want to spend eternity in the same room as this con man and false messiah? If the Jews rejected Jesus as Christ, they also rejected Him as "savior" (under the popular definition of "savior" as "gives out tickets to heaven" but not as King/Messiah/Christ).

But it was never Jesus' intention to rule as Messiah from a throne on earth. He intended to rule the world from the throne in heaven. Read Peter's sermon in Acts 2.

³⁶ “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Let's try to get the Big Picture

Jesus is called "The Last Adam" (1 Corinthians 15:45). Jesus came to un-do what the First Adam did.

God created human beings and commanded them to exercise dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26-28). Adam chose not to obey God, but to be his own god. And since "the Fall" of Man, men have chosen to dominate other men rather than exercise a godly stewardship over the earth.

When you compare the first three chapters of Genesis with the last three chapters of Revelation, you'll see that God's plan was for Man to transform an undeveloped Garden into the City of God. God told Man where the gold was (Genesis 2:11-12) and man was to pave the streets with it (Revelation 21:18,21). In other words, Man was commanded to turn "natural resources" from an undeveloped form into "wealth" which was serviceable to mankind, and to do so to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). But instead of serving consumers by transforming "resources" into "wealth" which raises the standard of living for consumers, some have chosen to rule over consumers as false Christs and false gods. These are "Pharaohs," "Caesars," and "Führers" -- and the bureaucrats and SWAT team members who have given them their allegiance.

The Bible says that if we reject God as our King, Judge, and Lawgiver, and vote for human politicians to rule us, and to be gods for us, God gives us our wish, and sends "swarms of officers" to eat out our substance (see the threats that Samuel conveyed to Israel from God in 1 Samuel 8). The Bible says God sends "the sword," that is, "civil governments." Romans 13 says God sends "the powers," which are demonic rulers. God "ordains" evil.

But if we obey God's commandments, Blessing progressively replaces the Curse. God promises to send us wealth, and freedom from false gods. See Leviticus 26.

Joy To The World!

Isaac Watts wrote:

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;

With reference to the "curse" in Genesis 3:17, Watts said:

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make his blessings flow
Far as the curse is found.

Jesus the Messiah has been doing this.
If they could travel through time to our day, every person whose name is mentioned in the Bible would fall to his knees in gratitude and praise for the reversal of the curse that has been accomplished since the first Christmas 2,000 years ago.

Even secular anthropologists and historians will admit that human life before the Birth of Jesus was violent almost beyond our imagination. But since Jesus became the Messiah, the world has become Christianized, and far more peaceful and prosperous than human life was before Jesus became the Christ. A surprising percent of human beings died violent deaths before the birth of Christ. Maybe half or more. They were intentionally killed, or died prematurely from the physical effects of slavery, exile, military conquest or subjugation, often by intentional famine or blockade. Today, in a world that has undergone astonishing Christianization, most people die peaceful deaths. It is truly astonishing.

If you are reading these words, you are among the top 1% of the wealthiest human beings who have ever lived on this planet.

It is truly awe-inspiring.

Most of us are not nearly as grateful as we should be.

We should fall on our knees in tears of gratitude that God sent His Messiah to the earth.

But most of us are not grateful, and we wait for God to send His Messiah in the future.

Many Christians today -- premillennialists -- believe Jesus came to give us a ticket to heaven when we die. In the meantime, Satan rules the planet. Their story of the Bible goes like this:

• God created planet earth;
• God put human beings on earth to be good stewards, and transform the Garden of Eden into the City of God;
• Satan tempted man;
• Man rebelled against God, choosing to be his own god instead;
• Satan now controls the world;
• Jesus came to de-throne Satan and reign as the Messiah, but the Jews rejected Him;
• He promises to come back and try again
• In the meantime, things are going to get worse and worse;
• Satan has successfully ruled this planet for the last 6,000 years, including 2,000 years since the first coming of Jesus;
• At His second coming, Jesus sits on a throne in Jerusalem, reigning as Messiah.
• But His reign only lasts 1,000 years when Satan leads a rebellion.
• Jesus can tell that Satan and man are not playing God's game by God's rules, and Satan is going to win the game, so Jesus decides to take his cosmic football and go home. History ends.

In other words, Satan wins.

Pretty dismal story, isn't it?

Not much of a "gospel" is it? (The word Gospel, remember, means "good news.")

Sure, God sent His Son, who died on the cross, so that some of the players can be forgiven for their rebellion and go home with God, but God's original purposes for man and the creation were thwarted by Satan, the ultimate victor.

Didn't God know that His plan of giving human beings dominion over the earth (Genesis 1:26-28) was doomed to failure?

Didn't God know that His plan of sending His Son to establish a Kingdom of Peace would be defeated by Satan and the human beings that Satan won to his false gospel?

The popular Christian writer Dave Hunt has written:

In fact, dominion – taking dominion and setting up the kingdom of Christ – is an impossibility, even for God. The millennial reign of Christ, far from being the kingdom, is actually the final proof of the incorrigible nature of the human heart, because Christ Himself can’t do it.[1]

"Impossible even for God." The Creator's idea of creating man in His Own Image and telling man to exercise dominion over the earth, converting the earth to God's Temple, building the City of God, was a mistake. Progress is not possible. Only regress. Earth is a failure. Jesus' prayer ("Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven") is just tilting at Satanic windmills. As Hal Lindsey put it, "Satan is Alive and Well on Planet Earth." And always will be. Poor God.

These two camps are promoting a different Gospel. Preterists believe the "Last Adam" (1 Corinthians 15:45) has restored the first Adam to his position of Edenic fellowship with God. Today our job is to clear away thorns and thistles left by the first Adam and build a New Jerusalem to the honor and glory of the Last Adam.

"Choose ye this day whom ye will serve" (Joshua 24:15).
Choose ye this day which gospel you will believe.

"Saviors" Before Christ

In case you've forgotten (I tend to digress) we're looking at the first of three problems with the mainstream view that Jesus did not become the Christ at His first Advent, but only a "savior," since the Jews rejected Him as their Messiah.

Here's how Nehemiah sums up Israel's history of rebelling against God's Law and then being "saved" from the consequences of their disobedience:

Nehemiah 9:23-31

²³ You also multiplied their children as the stars of heaven,
And brought them into the land
Which You had told their fathers
To go in and possess.
²⁴ So the people went in
And possessed the land;
You subdued before them the inhabitants of the land,
The Canaanites,
And gave them into their hands,
With their kings
And the people of the land,
That they might do with them as they wished.
²⁵ And they took strong cities and a rich land,
And possessed houses full of all goods,
Cisterns already dug, vineyards, olive groves,
And fruit trees in abundance.
So they ate and were filled and grew fat,
And delighted themselves in Your great goodness.
²⁶ “Nevertheless they were disobedient
And rebelled against You,
Cast Your law behind their backs
And killed Your prophets, who testified against them
To turn them to Yourself;
And they worked great provocations.
²⁷ Therefore You delivered them into the hand of their enemies,
Who oppressed them;
And in the time of their trouble,
When they cried to You,
You heard from heaven;
And according to Your abundant mercies
You gave them saviors who saved them
From the hand of their enemies.
²⁸ “But after they had rest,
They again did evil before You.
Therefore You left them in the hand of their enemies,
So that they had dominion over them;
Yet when they returned and cried out to You,
You heard from heaven;
And many times You delivered them according to Your mercies,
²⁹ And testified against them,
That You might bring them back to Your law.
Yet they acted proudly,
And did not heed Your commandments,
But sinned against Your judgments,
‘Which if a man does, he shall live by them.’
And they shrugged their shoulders,
Stiffened their necks,
And would not hear.
³⁰ Yet for many years You had patience with them,
And testified against them by Your Spirit in Your prophets.
Yet they would not listen;
Therefore You gave them into the hand of the peoples of the lands.
³¹ Nevertheless in Your great mercy
You did not utterly consume them nor forsake them;
For You are God, gracious and merciful.

God sent Israel many "saviors." When most Christians today think of "savior," they think of getting a ticket to heaven when they die. When Bible-believing saints of the past think of a "savior," they think of someone who will save Israel "out of the hand of their enemies." The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph, and said:

Matthew 1:18-23

Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.

A first-century Jew, steeped in the Scriptures, would hear this as a promise to save "His people" from the consequences of their sins, the curses imposed on them by God because of their rebellion against His Law. John the Baptist's father "Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying"

Luke 1:67-80

⁶⁸ “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited and redeemed His people,
⁶⁹ And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of His servant David,
⁷¹ That we should be saved from our enemies
And from the hand of all who hate us,
⁷⁴ To grant us that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
⁷⁵ In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
⁷⁹ To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

The Babe born in Bethlehem saved Christians in the first century from their enemies: the Jews who collaborated with Rome. Then the Rock destroyed Rome, and has filled the earth with Christian Civilization -- The City of God. The growing and filling continues.

Consider this classic Christmas text:

Luke 2:8-20

⁸ Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. ¹⁰ Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. ¹¹ For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. ¹² And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.”

¹³ And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

¹⁴        “Glory to God in the highest,
              and on earth peace among those with whom He is pleased!”

What would a first-century Israelite think if an angel of the LORD announced the coming of a "savior?" They would doubtless think back to all the saviors in the [Old Testament] Scriptures. Those saviors did not just promise a ticket to heaven when everyone died. They promised to save Israel from the consequences of her sins. Those consequences included "the Sword." Freedom from the sword is one aspect of the holistic Biblical concept of Salvation, and one of the benefits of a Biblical savior. The savior brought the benefits ("blessings") of obedience upon a people who had not been obedient, but who had repented of their disobedience.

Jesus was a Savior in this Biblical tradition. He came to bring Salvation. He came to save His people from their enemies, so they could get on with the work of building the New Jerusalem.

Jesus is the final savior. No more creaturely saviors. No more creaturely kings. The Creator (John 1:3) is the final Savior-King (Romans 1:25)

Second, no prophecy in the Bible speaks of the coming of a christ in our future. Not even Jesus Himself.

I know that sounds kooky, heretical, even evil. I challenge you to be a "Berean" and "search the Scriptures" to see if this is so.

In the Old Testament, the Jews were God's chosen people. But God extended political, military, and social salvation to non-Israelites ("gentiles") in the New Testament. God commanded Moses and Solomon to build temples where God would live. These temples were small models of the Heavenly Jerusalem. They were "paved with gold" as it were (Revelation 18:16) and with the precious stones of the Garden of Eden.

But an earthly temple is no longer appropriate.

God destroyed the old temple by fire in AD 70.

The New Testament is replete with prophecies about the destruction of Jerusalem and of the generation that rejected Jesus as the Messiah. Jesus promised to save His people by destroying their enemies. In the pages of the New Testament, the "coming" of Christ meant saving believing Jews from unbelieving Jews. And saving believing Gentiles from the gentile army that would be used to judge unbelieving Israel.

Luke 21:20-23
²⁰ “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. ²¹ Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. ²² For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. ²³ There will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people.

Matthew 16:27-28
²⁷ `For, the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father, with His messengers, and then He will reward each, according to his work.
²⁸ Verily I say to you, there are certain of those standing here who shall not taste of death till they may see the Son of Man coming in His reign.'
Young's Literal Translation

The "Second Coming" was Christ's coming in vengeance on His enemies, who rejected Him at His first coming, and who were persecuting His people.

This is what the Bible says "saviors" do. They save the faithful from their enemies by destroying their enemies.

When you look at prophecies about "the second coming" in this theological and historical context, you become a preterist. This is how first-century readers of Paul's epistles would have understood them. This is how we should understand them.

You can't understand them unless you read them. So please, read all those verses. There's over 100 verses in those links above, but they change everything.

And then, once we understand that Jesus became the Christ in the past (preterism), we should stand up and get busy building the New Jerusalem. Building is what we should be doing as citizens of heaven, living in the New Heavens and New Earth (following the destruction of the Old Heavens and Earth in AD70).

This interpretation of "heavens and earth" is not a "kooky" or heresy. It is scholarly and faithful. Great theologians like John Owen espoused this view.

Who was John Owen?

• John Owen (1616-1683) was Chaplain to Oliver Cromwell. Owen also preached regularly before the House of Commons including the day after the execution of Charles I.
• J.I. Packer has said, "He was one of the greatest English theologians. In an age of giants, he overtopped them all... he was more like Calvin than was any other of the puritan leaders."
• "There is widespread agreement that John Owen was the theologian of the Puritan movement." -- Sinclair Ferguson
• He declined an invitation to become President of Harvard University.
• Here is the biography of John Owen from the 9th edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1885).

Here is Owen's exposition of 2 Peter 3:

• Dr. John Owen (1616-1683) On the 'New Heavens and Earth.' (2 Peter iii. 13)

The Old Covenant was the old "heavens and earth." The New Covenant is the "New Heavens and New Earth." This is Biblical language, even though it is not the language of the popular prophecy novelists and televangelists.

Third, denying that Jesus is the Christ is the doctrine of antichrist:

1 John 2:22

Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.

If you don't want to become a preterist, that's OK. For now. I'm praying that you'll come around. In the meantime, I won't call you an "antichrist" if you won't call me a "heretic."

Obvious Questions

It seems obvious that all these verses are predicting return of Christ in that generation, not thousands of years in the distant future. But there are prophecies about the return of Christ that talk about more than the destruction of Jerusalem. There are prophecies about events that we've been told did not occur in the first century. The last three items under that list of "mello" words are examples of perplexing questions.

• The Resurrection
• The Judgment
• The New Age

How could those things have already taken place?

Virtually everyone who is a "futurist" agrees that "resurrection" precedes "judgment." But Jesus clearly predicted the judgment in His day:

Matthew 16:27
For the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. ²⁸ Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

These perplexing questions all take the same form:

"How could XYZ have happened in the past? How come nobody noticed XYZ?"

The assumption behind all such questions is that the form or nature of the event is like something we were taught in a Sunday School class or in "Left Behind"-style Christian fiction.

The answer to all these questions is basically the same: Your concept of the event is not the same concept which Jesus and His Apostles had, and you are imposing your concept onto the Biblical text.

What vs. When

There are two critical -- and distinct -- questions that need to be answered:

• WHAT did Jesus predict would happen?
• WHEN did He say it would happen?

The "when" question is answered repeatedly: before "that generation" died out, certain things would happen.

The problem comes when we have a preconceived idea about WHAT Jesus was saying would happen. Then when we read a verse that says SOMETHING would happen before that generation died out, we're confused: "How could THAT have happened back then?" It turns out that our idea of "THAT" is something a televangelist dreamed up, but isn't something that the writers of Scripture were thinking about. No wonder we have a hard time imagining how THAT could have happened when Jesus said it would happen (before His disciples died).

Here is an example. Consider this passage from the "Olivet Discourse:"

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 heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, and then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and all of the tribes of the land will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven 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 heaven to another (Matthew 24:29-31).

Some would say it is obvious that the astronomical phenomena described in this passage (sun darkened, stars falling, etc.) did not occur in the first century. Therefore, in order to be rational, "historical," and approved by the University-Industrial Complex, we must hold to a future fulfillment of this passage, when these things will literally take place.

This predicament is caused by a failure to understand the rhetoric of the Hebrew prophets.

At the top of this page I mentioned my reading scholars that "instantly" persuaded me to reject the mainstream opinion. It wasn't really that "instant," but was rapid and deeply transformational. Jesus said "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled" (Matthew 24:34). But how could that possibly be true concerning things like the sun being darkened and the stars falling from heaven? Surely there would have been some astronomical evidence of these cosmic, catastrophic events.

But then around 1977 I read a book called An Eschatology of Victory by J. Marcellus Kik. For four years, he served as Associate Editor of Christianity Today. His exposition of Matthew 24 was originally published in the Westminster Theological Journal in 1948. Westminster Seminary was founded in the 1920's at the same time as the founding of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, and by the same people. The founders opposed the apostasy of Princeton Seminary and the mainstream Presbyterian Church, who abandoned Biblical orthodoxy. Westminster Seminary is known for faithfulness to the Bible and high levels of scholarship. (None of these Bible-believing Christians would go as far as I have taken their writings.)

Kik showed that Jesus and the Apostles were quoting Old Testament prophets, who used the same kind of language to describe the collapse of ancient empires. Kik quotes Milton Terry's treatise on hermeneutics, published in the late 1800's:

We might fill volumes with extracts showing how exegetes and writers on New Testament doctrine assume as a principle not to be questioned that such highly wrought language as Matt. 24:29-31; 1 Thess. 4:16; and 2 Peter 3:10, 12, taken almost verbatim from Old Testament prophecies of judgment on nations and kingdoms which long ago perished, must be literally understood. Too little study of Old Testament ideas of judgment and apocalyptic language and style, would seem to be the main reason for this one sided exegesis. It will require more than assertion to convince thoughtful men that the figurative language of Isaiah and Daniel, admitted on all hands to be such in those ancient prophets, is to be literally interpreted when used by Jesus and Paul.

The Preterist says Matthew 24 –– the entire chapter –– was fulfilled in the first century. The “Great Tribulation” was the complex of events that occurred prior to and during the siege of Jerusalem, culminating in its destruction in A.D. 70. David Chilton comments on Matthew 24:29-31 above:

Think about Timothy, who was taught the Bible by his grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5; 2 Timothy 3:14-15). There was no Oprah, no Fox News, no ESPN, no Ariana Grande. Recall, for a modern parallel, the influence of the Puritan Pulpit in colonial America. [Harry Stout, The New England Soul: Preaching and Religious Culture in Colonial New England, Oxford University Press, 1986.] We can imagine in our mind's eye "the sun being darkened." We've seen artists' conceptions of "the rapture," and people flying into the sky. Surely these cosmic phenomena would have been reported in The New Roman Times if it occurred in the first century A.D.

Most of what people like Hal Lindsey and John Hagee describe as events being predicted by the Bible are the products of 20th century imagination, not Biblical imagery. Jesus and the prophets weren't thinking the way today's televangelists think.

The Olivet Discourse

A proper understanding of Christ’s “Olivet Discourse” (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21) will aid our understanding of the “end of the age.” Christ predicted the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple within a generation, which happened 40 years later, in A.D. 70.

Matthew 23:29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’
31 “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. 33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? 34 Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, 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, 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation. 38 Behold! Your house is left to you desolate;

After making this prediction, His disciples asked for signs of this event, so they would know when it would happen.

Matthew 24:1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” 3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the world?”

Jesus then proceeds to spell out the signs that would precede His coming and “the end of the world,” which, as we’ve seen, really means the end of the Old Testament age. Let’s read Luke’s account of Jesus spelling out the signs of His coming and the “end of the age,” as it brings out the immediacy of Christ’s coming in judgment against Jerusalem:

Luke 21:20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. 22 For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. 24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 25 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Verse 27 takes us back to one of the critical “any moment” verses we began with:

“The Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds. There are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” (Matthew 16:27-28; cf. Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27)

This is clearly an event that was about to happen to that generation, and did in fact happen: Jerusalem was laid waste. It was a time of tribulation greater than any Israel had ever experienced, and greater than any that Israel would ever experience again. In the mind of Israel, nothing could be worse for Israel than the destruction of the temple where God dwelled.

Christ's "Second Coming" in judgment against the very same generation that witnessed His First Coming is clearly a major theme in the "last days" of the Old Covenant (in the writings of the "New Testament").

Judgment of a nation by God was often described as God "coming in clouds" against that empire. And again, Jesus and the writers of the New Testament were quoting the language of Old Testament prophets, which too many Christians are unfamiliar with.

Once again, David Chilton explains how Scripture (the Old Testament) interprets Scripture (the New Testament):

Far too much of what we think we know about "the second coming" comes from the vivid imaginations of modern-day "prophets," and not from the Spirit-inspired prophets who wrote the Bible.

Preterists believe Jesus' lengthy discourse on the Mount of Olives is all about the destruction of Jerusalem as Jesus came in vengeance against the generation that rejected Him as Messiah. A few paragraphs above we quoted from Luke's account of the Olivet Discourse ("When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies...").

• Matthew sets up his account in Matthew 23, then records the discourse in chapters 24-25.
• Mark's account is in chapter 13
• Luke's is in chapter 21.
• John's Gospel does not contain an account. Why is this? Preterists believe it's because John wrote the Book of Revelation, and preterists contend that the entire book of Revelation is about the destruction of the old temple and the creation of a New [Spiritual] Jerusalem. If you have read the verses recommended above, you won't be surprised to hear the claim that the Book of Revelation is about the past, not our future.
  • "to show to His bond-servants, the things which must shortly take place." (Revelation 1:1)
  • "The time is near." (Revelation 1:3)
  • "Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come." (Revelation 2:25)
  • "I also will keep you from the hour of testing which is about to come upon the whole world." (Revelation 3:10)
  • "I am coming quickly." (Revelation 3:11)
  • "And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is about to rule all the nations with a rod of iron." (Revelation 12:5)
  • "And in her [the Great City Babylon] was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth." (Revelation 18:24; Compare Matthew 23:35-36; Luke 11:50-51)
  • "to show to His bond-servants the things which must shortly take place." (Revelation 22:6)
  • "Behold, I am coming quickly. " (Revelation 22:7)
  • "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near." (Revelation 22:10; Compare Daniel 8:26)
  • "Behold, I am coming quickly." (Revelation 22:12)
  • "Yes, I am coming quickly." (Revelation 22:20)

Nothing John writes in Revelation suggests that he's talking about events that would take place thousands of years in the future. Nothing indicates John intended his original audience to walk away with that conclusion, and there's no reason to believe any of his original readers came to that conclusion. They thought the Apostle was talking to them about events in their lifetimes and what they themselves should do to prepare. (Three recommended books on the Olivet Discourse are here.)

A Distant Coming?

But aren't there some verses which say the Second Coming is a long way off?

Only a couple, and they are mis-interpreted.

Matthew's account of the Olivet Discourse contains "The Parable of the Talents." In that parable, the lord gave money to his servants to invest. Verse 19 says,

"After a long time the lord of those servants came and settled accounts with them."

I've heard very good Bible scholars (like John MacArthur) say this proves the Second Coming is thousands of years in their future. Does it?

No. Taken at face value, the parable is about events that took place in one lifetime. The same generation of servants that were entrusted with wealth was the same generation that faced an accounting. The "coming" of the lord to judge his stewards was not delayed thousands of years. That really doesn't make any sense. The same servant is judged in his lifetime, not a completely different generation of servants thousands or millions of years in the future.

Seems rather desperate to hang an entire eschatology on the words "after a long time."

“The End of the World”

Every occurrence of the phrase “end of the world” (in the King James Version) is mistranslated. The Bible is not talking about the end of time and space and planet earth itself. The literal rendering is “end of the age” (Greek: αἰών, aion, "eon"). The idea of "the end of the world" has confused many people. The stereotypical "prophecy nut" carries the sign saying "THE END IS NEAR," that is, "in our future," and he is always wrong.

1. Matthew 13:39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world age; and the reapers are the angels.

2. Matthew 13:40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world age.

3. Matthew 13:49 So shall it be at the end of the world age: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,

4. Matthew 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world age?

5. Matthew 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world age. Amen.

6. 1 Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world age are come.

7. Hebrews 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world [Gk: kosmos]: but now once in the end of the world age hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

8. Extra credit: Ephesians 3:21 (cf. Isa. 45:17)
Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. (Lit., “to all the generations of the age of the ages”)

These verses signify the end of the Old Covenant age, not the destruction of the physical planet.

All of these verses concerned those who lived in the first century, not those who would live thousands of years later (though we can certainly learn some general principles from every verse of Scripture, even ones that weren't intended directly for us). The imminent destruction of the temple and judgment of those who rejected the Messiah is a dominant theme of the New Testament, and was a top priority in the minds of Christians in those days.

Resurrection

The futurist doesn't think the preterist can explain how the sun was darkened and the stars fell from heaven in the past, but the preterist who is familiar with the literary styles of the Old Testament can give a good explanation. There are other events which were said to occur in that generation, and without knowledge of the Old Testament, it seems impossible to believe that they already happened. "Resurrection" is one of the toughest nuts for the preterist to crack.

There are many conservative Bible-believing scholars who are not radical preterists who believe that the classic passage on resurrection, Ezekiel 37, is not talking about literal individual corpses rising from the dead, even though the text goes into great medical detail about the individual corpses.

A famous song once told us "Ezekiel connected dem dry bones," and exhorted us "Now hear the word of the Lord."

Dem Bones – Lyrics

Now-secularized institutions are engaging in historical revisionism by turning a "Negro spiritual" into a white secular humanist Halloween ditty:

Dem Bones Song Lyrics

But when we seriously dig into the Bible, we see that the prophecy of the "dry bones" is actually a prophecy of national Israel returning to the promised land. A metaphorical national "resurrection," not literal resurrections of human corpses.

Other conservative scholars are taking a second look at Daniel 12, and suggesting it actually points to the first century and destruction of Jerusalem.

One by one, Biblical scholars are questioning old nursery rhyme interpretations of prophecies about resurrections.

This is not to say that there is no such thing as literal individual corpses being resurrected. And futurists who say to preterists, "If there were mass resurrections in the first century, wouldn't historians have made a record of it?" Well, actually, there were resurrections in the first century:

Matthew 27
⁵⁰ And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
⁵¹ Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, ⁵² and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; ⁵³ and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
⁵⁴ So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

Not surprisingly, the New Roman Times didn't pick up this story.

This event is not the "resurrection" which futurists believe was prophesied to take place at the end of the world. It does illustrate the weakness of saying, "Yes, the Bible predicted that XYZ would take place within 40 years, but since we have no secular or pagan record of that event taking place, but only the Bible saying it would take place, we have to assume that it did not take place when the authors of Scripture said it would take place, but to defend the Bible, we contend the event would actually take place in the future, at a time different from that specified by the Bible, because pagan sources. . . ."

Too bad we can't just believe what the Bible says.

Too bad we don't know the Bible well enough to understand what it says.

Phillip G. Kayser is not a full preterist, but he admits that the Bible speaks of a resurrection to occur within that first century generation. Kayser gives us

No New Testament writer directly prophesies a resurrection thousands of years in the future. Kayser infers a future resurrection based on his understanding of "the barley harvest," which is surely very indirect proof of that future event, if it is proof at all. Every New Testament writer speaks of a resurrection and a judgment that is "about to" happen, in their generation.

The question "How did that event happen in the last days of the Old Covenant?" is a good question. It needs to be answered. But it needs to be answered in a Biblical manner. The Bible has the answer, but we don't know our Bibles well enough to see the answer.

The question "How did that event happen in the last days of the Old Covenant?" is a good question, but it is not a syllogism. It doesn't prove anything, or disprove the preterist thesis. It's just a good question. I struggle with questions like this. I want to find answers. I believe the answers are more likely to be found in the Bible than in the records of the Council of Nicea (are there even any such records in existence? Did any church father actually answer the claims of "anarcho-preterism?" I doubt it, though I admit I don't even know where the Nicean debates are recorded.)

All non-preterists believe that men must be resurrected before they can be judged on "the last day." Resurrection precedes judgment, according to adventists. But Jesus said The Great Judgment would occur within 40 years:

If the adventist prophecy charts are true, that means the "resurrection" must have occurred as well, in order for those once-dead people to be resurrected and stand before the Throne of God to be judged.

Or else the Bible is mistaken and untrustworthy.

My goal, it seems to me, is to figure out exactly WHAT happened and HOW it happened, but the WHEN is clearly stated: in the first century.

My job is not to say "I don't understand HOW it could have happened in the first century, therefore it did not happen, and MUST be something that will happen in the future," in the manner I personally understand.

It's always worth asking, "How did this AD 70 resurrection take place? What was the exact nature of this resurrection? That's an interesting question, but it takes us far afield of our present inquiry, which is about the timing. WHEN was the event prophesied to occur? Was it in that generation, or was it to be thousands of years in the future? The Bible repeatedly speaks of events that were "about to happen" to "this generation." The Bible never speaks of any events thousands of years in the future. That idea comes from "Holy Mother the Church."

Clear verses (on the timing) should be used to interpret less clear verses (such as "stars falling from heaven" or "resurrection").  If we take the timing verses seriously, we must say that something took place at the end of "that generation." What exactly that was, will depend on how we interpret the language used to describe the nature of that event throughout the Bible.

But since we don't know exactly HOW the resurrection took place in the first century, then we also wouldn't know exactly HOW such a resurrection could take place after thousands of years of decomposition of the body and dissipation of the molecules of the flesh throughout the dust of the earth. If you believe God could resurrect a totally dispersed cadaver in the future, then it should be no great task to believe He did it when He said He would do it. We can affirm it even if we don't completely understand it.

So, in conclusion, believe in a future resurrection if you want to -- "it's a free country" -- but do not deny the verses in the New Testament which speak of a resurrection in the first century. Be like David Chilton: admit that the Bible is "preterist" because it speaks only of events in our past, and not in our future, and then, if you want to, believe what the Church creeds teach about the future.

But let's at least agree that the Bible teaches preterism.

Because the Bible doesn't hint at any of this happening thousands of years in the future. All the writers of the Bible plainly say the events associated with "the Second Coming" of the Messiah would all take place within the lifetime of the generation that witnessed the first coming of the Messiah.

Preterism is the result of a standard "historico-grammatical" analysis of the text of Scripture.
Futurism is the result of obedience to Popes and Bishops and the creeds of "the Church."

So there's how a whole-Bible Hebrew "context" helps interpret prophecies: add to that the pervasive "that generation" context in the New Testament, and then there's the immediate context of the passage itself. Verses which are used by theologians to support a coming of Christ in our future ignore the context: a first-century admonition to a local congregation of believers who faced persecution by those who murdered the Messiah.

We should interpret every verse "in context." Not just the context in the letter (e.g., the paragraph in which the verse is found), but the context of the Christian community at that time. These "Any Moment" verses and the "This Generation" verses and the "about to" verses tell us about the historical context of Christians in the first century. When Jesus quotes from Isaiah and other Old Testament prophets, we should understand how those prophecies were fulfilled in the centuries before Christ was born, as this will tell us what kind of fulfillment we can expect when New Testament prophecies are fulfilled. This is the whole-Bible Hebrew "context" in which a verse should be interpreted. Verses which are used by theologians to support a coming of Christ in our future, thousands of years after the New Testament letters were written, ignore the context: a first-century admonition to a local congregation of believers who faced persecution by those who murdered the Messiah.

For example, Paul opens his second letter to the believers in Thessalonica with these words, usually taken to be a reference to a coming of Christ in our future:

...when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, ⁸ in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, ¹⁰ when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.

But here are the words that immediately precede the words just quoted, which set the context:

³ We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other, ⁴ so that we ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure, ⁵ which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; ⁶ since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, ⁷ and to give you who are troubled rest with us...

Paul was comforting Christians in a city in Greece, many of whom were Jews who had been kicked out of the local synagogue. The overall context is the New Testament teaching of the "any moment" return of Christ.  Verses which don't clearly state the timing of Christ's coming should be interpreted in light of those that clearly state the timing, because that imminent coming was of prime importance to first-century believers, both authors and readers.

The Romans waged wars against the Jews across the Roman Empire. Jews who persecuted Christians in Greece also felt the heat from the destruction of Jerusalem. 50,000 Jews were killed in Egypt. See The Wars of the Jews by Josephus.

Some who fail to take into account the literary styles of the Old Testament prophets cannot figure out how "all these things" could have happened to "that generation" that witnessed the first coming of Christ. They would say that we are logically forced to postulate a "double fulfillment" of many passages of Scripture because those passages could not possibly have been fulfilled in the past. We have to save the Scripture from itself, rescuing its authors, bailing them out of their errors by claiming that their prophecy will in fact be fulfilled in the future, even though it was not fulfilled when the authors said it would be fulfilled: in their generation.

Perhaps this was the thinking of some of the early "church fathers." They had a Greek background, not a Hebrew background, and probably didn't understand what Jesus and the other Jewish writers of the New Testament were saying.

"The Church Fathers"

The phrase "Holy Mother the Church" refers to interpreters of Scripture which I would place at the very bottom of an expanded version of the chart here. This would include the names of Popes and Bishops you've probably never heard of. Many of them were "premillennial," which I would regard as a Jewish heresy. But they are called "the Church Fathers."

And, of course, Luther pointed out that "Holy Mother the Church" failed in her responsibility to safeguard one of the most precious and important doctrines of the entire Christian faith: Justification. (But we're to rest assured in their earliest conclusions regarding eschatology?)

The "church fathers" were infected with Jewish premillennialism and Greco-Roman statism. Premillennialists -- and most amillennialists and post-millennialists are infected with the basic error of premillennialism -- deny that building the City of God, the New Jerusalem, is the responsibility of the Body of Christ in this age. It's like premils believe that Christ will hand the fulfillment of the Great Commission to the saints on a silver platter in the future.

(I would also note that many of those who do accept our responsibility to build the City of God in this current age deny that this work of building is accomplished solely by living and preaching the Gospel, not by the sword. To deny the use of the sword is, for them, the heresies of "pacifism" or "anarchism." I have said elsewhere that "anarcho-preterism" is the Gospel. The "good news" is that the entire planet will increasingly "obey the Gospel" and be blessed [(Galatians 3:8].)

Cornelius Van Til dissected "the Church Fathers," and found them deeply compromised philosophically and Biblically. Van Til's festschrift is entitled Jerusalem & Athens. The "Church Fathers" were generally Greeks, from "Athens," not Hebrews from "Jerusalem." This is important. Preterists and Futurists understand Matthew 24 differently based on their familiarity with the symbolic rhetoric of the Hebrew prophets. The "Church Fathers" generally did not think like Hebrews, but like Greeks. This affected their eschatology.

These men, despite great faith and accomplishments in some areas, should be called "the Church Babies" because they lived in the infancy of Christendom. That's the conclusion of James B. Jordan, who writes:

The true Fathers of the Church are Noah, Abraham, Joseph, Moses, Jeremiah, Jesus, Paul, Peter, and John, and the other Fathers in the Bible. These men, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, created the apostolic deposit from which the Church always grows.

The men who came after them, in the first and second and third centuries, are not Church Fathers but Church Babies. This is how we should regard Ignatius, Irenaeus, Basil, the Gregories, and yes, even Augustine. [I]n terms of the corporate biography of the Church, they lived in the infant stage and their great accomplishments were only the beginning of that corporate biography. We appreciate what the Holy Spirit did with them, and the theological accomplishments they made, but to say that they understood everything and laid everything out definitively would be grotesque, ludicrous, and idiotic.

We actually have a better understanding of the Christian faith today than "the Church Fathers" did. Jordan continues:

We may think that because these men lived right after the apostles, they must have known a lot. Remarkably, this is not the case. Anyone who reads the Bible, climaxing in the New Testament, and then turns to the "apostolic fathers" of the second century, is amazed at how little these men seem to have known. The Epistle of Barnabas, for instance, comments on the laws in Leviticus, but completely misinterprets them, following not Paul but the Jewish Letter of Aristeas. It is clear that there is some significant break in continuity between the apostles and these men. What accounts for this? I can only suggest that the harvest of the first-fruit saints in the years before AD 70, which seems to be spoken of in Revelation 14, created this historical discontinuity.

"But didn't some of the earliest church fathers study at the feet of the Apostles?"

Maybe. But at what point in time? And what did they learn from the Apostles as the Apostles spoke outside of Scripture (which, unlike everything else the Apostles said, was "breathed out" by God [2 Timothy 3:16])? Even the Apostles, like Peter, were fallible, and even at times, in grave error:

But Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
Matthew 16:23

Yikes! How would you like Jesus Himself to say something like that about you?

Even after Christ's resurrection, the Apostle Paul said of Peter:

¹¹ Now when Peter had come to Antioch, I withstood him to his face, because he was to be blamed;
¹³ And the rest of the Jews also played the hypocrite with him, so that even Barnabas was carried away with their hypocrisy.
¹⁴ they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel
Galatians 2

Wow, that's a heavy charge against "the first Pope." Not an auspicious beginning for "church authority."

The Apostles were preserved from error when they wrote the Scriptures, but not at all times. There's no telling what a "church father" picked up from conversations with an apostle.

Gary North's son-in-law, who once headed Gary DeMar's American Vision organization, has repudiated capital punishment for blasphemy and other "first table" violations. You may not agree with that conclusion, but he's a smart guy, and well-read.

He writes:

Under Justinian’s Code all heretics were to be suppressed, their buildings taken from them, and their books banned, confiscated, and burned. If they met in private houses, their houses would be confiscated and given to the Catholic Church. Teachers of false doctrines were given the death penalty. One important law (as we shall see later) specifically aimed at the enduring Donatists decreed that anyone merely rebaptizing a person (and the one inducing him to do so) would receive the death penalty.

This is evil.

The Donatists were accused of raising -- not lowering -- moral standards. They said that sacraments — performed by clergy who capitulated under the persecution of Diocletian (303-305) and handed over copies of the Bible to be burned — copies that would be cherished today — were invalid.

"The holy catholic church" has stood for confiscating property and even the killing of those who wanted to raise the moral standards of the church.  That does not sound like an organization I want to follow. How many optimillennialist pacifists did the "holy catholic church" suppress in the earliest years of Christian history? Is the "institutional church" any more friendly to anti-war Christian Reconstruction today?  

The "church fathers" were infected with Jewish premillennialism and Greco-Roman statism. Premillennialists -- and most amillennialists and post-millennialists are infected with the basic error of premillennialism -- deny that building the City of God, the New Jerusalem, is the responsibility of the Body of Christ in this age -- not something that Christ will hand to the saints on a silver platter in the future. And this work of building is accomplished by living and preaching the Gospel, not by the sword. The "good news" is that the entire planet will increasingly "obey the Gospel" and be blessed (Galatians 3:8).

Opponents of Full Preterism put their loyalty and allegiance to the "church" fathers ahead of the Bible fathers, whose canonical writings were breathed out by God. I would say that condemning a preterist who believes in the deity and substitutionary atonement of Christ, but denies that the New Testament predicts any eschatological events thousands of years in the future, is the height of ecclesiastical authoritarian arrogance.

And it is "authoritarian," because it seeks to subsume the authority of the Scriptures under the authority of "Holy Mother the Church." Such authoritarians likely have created an institution of their own ("the local church") which they seek to buttress. They are saying a person is not a genuine Christian because he puts the Bible ahead of Popes and Bishops and "the local church."

I've decided to follow Jesus and the Bible rather than popes and bishops 1800 years ago.

The Creeds

The reason people believe in the doctrine of a future second coming  is because "Holy Mother the Church" teaches the idea. Not because the Bible does. It doesn't It ultimately and always boils down to the Bible vs. the Institutional Church.

Futurists believe the Holy Spirit has led the Church to this position.

By "Church" they really mean "clergy."

They point most specifically to the "creeds." 

The creeds are not only against full preterism, they are against partial preterism.

Every partial preterist agrees that Matthew 24:30 was fulfilled in the past (hence "preterist"), but the creeds -- including the Westminster Standards -- rule out this interpretation by saying it speaks of a future (for us) second coming.

This violates Partial Preterism 101. No partial preterist believes that Jesus was speaking about our future in Matthew 24:30. He was speaking about the immediate future of that generation. The Creeds are in error.

The Westminster Confession says this:

As Christ would have us to be certainly persuaded that there shall be a day of judgment, ... to deter all men from sin ... so will He have that day unknown to men, that they may shake off all carnal security, and be always watchful, because they know not at what hour the Lord will come; and may be ever prepared to say, Come Lord Jesus, come quickly, Amen

The Creeds exhibit a premillennial hermeneutic, which partial preterists should oppose. 

Therefore a truly Protestant (sola Scriptura) eschatology is Preterism. Full Preterism.

The "Apostles' Creed" is Mistaken

I realize that's an almost obscene claim. I would never have said this years ago. But consider what we've already seen:

Old Testament prophets predicted the coming of the Messiah. New Testament prophets in the first century A.D. said these predictions concerned Jesus, and Jesus is the Christ (Messiah). This is the "first" coming of Christ (though the Bible never uses the term "first coming."

New Testament writers in the first century A.D. said that Jesus would come again to take vengeance on those who murdered Him. More than 100 verses say this "second coming" would occur before that murderous generation died out. Preterists (both "partial" and "full") believe these predictions were fulfilled in A.D. 70.

The idea of a third coming originated not in the Bible, but with "the Church Fathers."

The Apostles Creed says

I believe in ... the holy catholic church

The Roman Catholic "Baltimore Catechism" asks and answers:

Q. 561. Must we ourselves seek in the Scriptures and traditions for what we are to believe?
A. We ourselves need not seek in the Scriptures and traditions for what we are to believe. God has appointed the Church to be our guide to salvation and we must accept its teaching us our infallible rule of faith.

"Rule of faith" is a common expression in the writings of Irenaeus for creeds like the "Apostles' Creed." (Along with other odd beliefs, Iraneaus believed that Jesus lived to be 50 years old.) The earliest version of "The Apostles' Creed" is the "Old Roman Creed."

It is possible, perhaps likely, that the author(s) of "The Apostles Creed" (there's no evidence that the Apostles themselves actually wrote that creed) believed that Rome was "the Holy See" of the "Holy Catholic Church." The word "See" comes from the Latin word sedes, meaning 'seat', which refers to the papal throne (cathedra).

There is little question that the writers of the Nicene Creed believed that Rome was the "Holy See" of the "Holy Catholic Church."

No Protestant believes this.

Thus, no Protestant believes in "the holy catholic church" the way the authors of The Old Roman Creed or the "Apostles' Creed" believed in it.

Protestants believe that the "Holy [Roman] Catholic Church" got one of the most important of all Christian doctrines wrong: Justification. So in those Protestant churches which honor and recite the Apostles' Creed, and have it printed in their hymnals and church bulletins for congregational recital, they either change the word "catholic" to "universal" or leave the word "catholic" in and add "universal" in parentheses, to make sure everyone understands that when they say "I believe in ... the holy catholic church," they're not saying "I believe in the Roman Catholic Church." Because . . . we're Protestants not Catholics. Even though some Protestants (e.g., in the "Federal Vision" camp) claim they are more "truly catholic."

What if it could be proven that everyone who had a hand in framing the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed would have sided with the Holy Catholic Church's Council of Trent against the Protestant Reformers?

"The Apostles Creed" is also wrong about "the second coming."

It says about Jesus:

He ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

"Ascended" is true, and is taught in the Bible. "Seated" is true, and also taught in the Bible.

But there is no verse in the Bible which supports a claim made by anyone after AD 70 that Jesus would "come again" in their future. Even if the one making that claim calls himself a "Pope" or is called by others a "church father."

That doesn't mean everything in "The Apostles' Creed" is wrong. It just means not everything in creeds is correct.

The "church fathers" are, at many points, an offense to King Jesus.

And, of course, Luther pointed out that "Holy Mother the Church" failed in her responsibility to safeguard one of the most precious and important doctrines of the entire Christian faith: Justification. (But we're to rest assured in their earliest conclusions regarding eschatology?)

Opponents of Full Preterism put their loyalty and allegiance to the "church" fathers ahead of the Bible fathers, whose canonical writings were breathed out by God. I would say that condemning a preterist who believes in the deity and substitutionary atonement of Christ, but denies that the New Testament predicts any eschatological events thousands of years in the future, is the height of ecclesiastical authoritarian arrogance.

And it is "authoritarian," because it seeks to subsume the authority of the Scriptures under the authority of "Holy Mother the Church." Such authoritarians likely have created an institution of their own ("the local church") which they seek to buttress. They are saying a person is not a genuine Christian because he puts the Bible ahead of Popes and Bishops and "the local church."

Excommunicating full preterists is the eschatological authoritarianism of the Westboro Baptist Church.

Is it the authoritarianism of your church?

Nobody in his right mind would say that Gary DeMar or Gary North are not Christians because they take a preterist interpretation of Matthew 24:30, even though they disagree with "the creeds" by doing so.

But there are many futurists who say that "Full Preterists" have denied the Christian faith and are not real Christians.

This is because "the faith" is defined for futurists by ecclesiastical promulgations, and not the Bible alone ("sola Scriptura").

They believe that the Holy Spirit has guided "the institutional church," and even if the Bible doesn't teach a future (for us) Second Coming, "Holy Mother the Church" does.

Let's just say for now there are 13 verses related to "the Second Coming."
"Full Preterists" believe all these prophecies came to pass in the years leading up to AD70 (because the writers of the Bible said they would, not because we have any "secular" evidence from The New Rome Times that confirms the fulfillment of these prophecies).
"Partial Preterists" believe at least one of these 13 verses is referring to an event that is still in our future.

But here's the interesting thing: partial preterists disagree among themselves as to which verse is which: "Is this verse AD70 or yet-future?" Before J. Marcellus Kik, many Christians believed that the "stars falling from heaven" was a literal astronomical event. Today, nearly all Christian Reconstructionists and a growing number of amillennialists agree that Jesus was echoing the literary conventions of Old Testament prophets. Forty years ago, Daniel 12 was universally regarded as a prophecy in our future, whereas more and more commentators are seeing it fulfilled in A.D. 70. One by one, it seems, the prophecies are being moved from the distant future to the first century past.

Let's consider a dozen or so great Christian commentators, whom all would regard as genuine Christians.

Let's map out their interpretations of the various passages that are up for grabs in this debate.
  

 
Though these commentators may differ (contradict) on their interpretations of the relevant texts, we would still grant that they are "rational," even though contradiction violates the laws of rational thought.

In addition to being "rational," we would agree that they are "faithful." Nobody would say that John Calvin was not a real Christian because he took a "preterist" interpretation of some of those passages. Nobody would say that R.J. Rushdoony was not a Christian because he took a "preterist" interpretation of some of those verses.

(A scholar may take a preterist position on all the verses, but may also take the position that at least one prophecy will have a "double fulfillment." That is, the original author intended to convey an imminent first-century event, but the prophecy will nevertheless have a second fulfillment thousands of years in his future, some time in our future, which the original author may not have even contemplated when he wrote the words to a generation he believed would see the fulfillment of his prophecy. Such a past-and-present interpretation is listed in the chart above as "both." As long as you believe at least one verse teaches a future (for us) second coming, you have the Seal of Approval from the anti-full-preterist crowd, even if you believe that all of the verses were originally preterist [prophesying events in the immediate future {"this generation"}] in the mind of the New Testament author.)

(Ultimately, such a person is relying on church authority rather than being strictly limited to the text, and using standard hermeneutics to interpret the text. If you say that Paul (for example) intended his original audience to interpret his words as referring to an event in their generation, but that his words will have a "double fulfillment" -- even if there is no textual evidence in the Bible itself that Paul intended his original audience to make that inference, and no other Scripture speaks of Paul's words with reference to events thousands of years after Paul wrote his words, you are relying on church authority to impose that meaning on Paul's words. I call these preterists "Ecclesiastical Preterists.")

But when it comes to exegeting the Bible, if you just happen to agree with Godly Christian scholars on just the right combination of verses (in the chart above, the interpretations indicated by bold brown typeface), there are some who will boldly say that you are not a Christian at all and are going to hell.

If you agree with Calvin's interpretation of verse #1, DeMar on verse #2, Rushdoony on verse #3, etc., you are a "Full Preterist" and you are not a real Christian.

Because you disagree with the teaching of "the church."

I think that is insane. 

The Case of David Chilton

There are "partial preterists," who believe some but not all prophecies were fulfilled in the past, but some remain for our future.
Then there are "full preterists," who believe all prophecies were fulfilled in the past, and none remain for our future. (Though it is possible to believe that while the "New Earth" was inaugurated in the past, not every home Isaiah predicted would be built has yet been built, and not every vineyard Isaiah prophesied would be planted has yet been planted.)
Because "full preterists" or "consistent preterists" do not believe in a future "second coming" of Christ, they are condemned has heretics.

Reconstructionist writer David Chilton became a consistent preterist after writing several books on eschatology which advocated a future second coming of Christ. In the last conversation I had with on the phone before he died, he told me he had concluded (exegetically) that there are no verses in the New Testament which were intended by their author to predict events which were thousands of years in the future of the original audience. He concluded that the prophecies in the New Testament were all about the events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. He concluded that there were no prophecies in the Bible about a future (for us) Second Coming.

But at that point David Chilton was not a "full preterist." Or at least he was not condemned as a "full preterist." That's because he went on to say that although no verses in the text of the Bible teach the doctrine of a future "Second Coming" [ future for us], [and these were his words]:

I believe the doctrine anyway because Holy Mother the Church has taught that doctrine for two thousand years.

I remember his words well. "Holy Mother the Church."

Chilton was not at that point condemned by his fellow churchmen as a heretical "extreme preterist" because he continued to believe that there would be another coming of Christ in our future, even though no writer in the Bible spoke of such an event. The reason Chilton continued to believe in that future Coming, even though not taught in the Bible, was because "Holy Mother the Church has taught that doctrine for two thousand years." His eschatology was a by-product of his ecclesiology. Chilton was a part of the high-church thinking of Reconstructionists in Tyler, Texas. "Partial-preterist" Chilton wore a clerical collar. I do not know if he continued wearing a clerical collar after he began to identify as a "full preterist."

Thus, your assessment of consistent preterism is likely dependent on whether you identify as a Bible-first "Berean," or whether you are a churchman.

The Authority of "The Church"

Chilton presents us with another variety of "partial preterist." This third position still upholds a belief in a yet-future eschatological event, even though this position grants the claim of the "full preterist" that there are no verses of Scripture which teach that yet-future event.

Is it God's Truth or merely man's claim that someone who believes all the eschatological verses in the Bible were fulfilled by AD70 is not a genuine believer in Christ?

I've heard that claim.

I've heard it said that if someone embraces "full preterism," that person has "denied the orthodox faith" and is no longer a Christian.

Not a Christian.

Damned to hell for eternity.

Even if that person affirms the deity of Christ and His substitutionary atonement.

He's not a Christian.

Even if he's a six-day creationist and a five-point Calvinist.

Not a true Christian.

Even if that person affirms and defends the first 30 chapters of the Westminster Confession of Faith.

Dammed to hell.

Even if his behavior is characterized by moral purity and the spirit of Christ.

He denies one of the teachings of "the Church," and has therefore denied the "orthodox faith," and is therefore not a genuine believer.

He's not a real Christian because he's a "full preterist."

I'm not making this up.

I strenuously disagree with the claim.

Matthew 24:30 says,

"And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the land lament, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."

A "preterist" interpretation of this verse says it predicts events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.
A "futurist" interpretation says this verse concerns events to take place thousands of years after Matthew recorded these words.

Leading Christian Reconstructionists -- partial preterists -- take a "preterist" interpretation of Matthew 24. In fact, this way of viewing the verse is now considered "Eschatology 101" in Reconstructionist circles. Failure to interpret this verse in a preterist manner is a gateway drug to becoming a dispensational premillennialist.

I exaggerate slightly, but I'm being serious.

A few Reconstructionists, like Ken Gentry, have said that the second part of Matthew 24 is about a future second coming, but the first part (including verse 30) is talking about the fall of Jerusalem, and hence is to be understood preteristically. Everyone in the Reconstructionist camp agrees that verse 30 is a preterist verse.

But . . .

The Westminster Confession of Faith takes a "futurist" interpretation of this verse.

This is an exegetical error, according to nearly every partial preterist Christian Reconstructionist.

In fact, all of the credal statements about the "Second Coming" (in our future) are based on this exegetical error.

The formulations of eschatology in the creeds are hermeneutically premillennial.

I believe premillennialism is a serious doctrinal error. Yeah, that's serious (if you clicked that link). It denies that Jesus is the Christ today, because it denies that Jesus became the Christ in the past.

Against a Premillennial Hermeneutic

Premillennialism is a fundamental error.

It is based on statism. defeatism, and escapism.

• Statism: worship of the State in the place of God.
  • Socialism rather than a Freed Market (anarcho-capitalism)
  • The desire for a visible, earthly king is a rejection of God as King
    • 1 Samuel 8
    • Isaiah 33:22
  • The State brings the eschaton
  • Premillennialism's Faith in A Police State, by Gary North
• Defeatism
  • Efforts to bring in the millennium (a Christian society) are doomed to fail.
  • Jesus will come again first and hand the millennium to believers on a silver platter. Hence
• Escapism
  • We do not have to exercise dominion and work to build the New Jerusalem, the City of God.
  • Entertainment and feelings are more important than work and law.

The premillennial (futurist) hermeneutic is profoundly significant and influential.

It poisons one's entire Biblical Worldview.

Summing up:

• There is no verse in the Bible -- not a single one -- that was intended by the author and understood by the original audience to be predicting a cataclysmic, historically discontinuous event thousands of years after the prophecy was made. Like a "rapture," resurrection, or "second coming" of Christ.
• We've all been taught an unbiblical concept of the nature of key prophetic events -- like "coming in clouds," "stars falling from heaven," and "resurrection" -- and our desire to see our own conception of these events take place forces us to declare that they must take place in our future, because they didn't take place in our past (according to our conception of those events), even though the Bible says God predestined them to occur in our past.
• Nobody is working to beat "swords into plowshares" in our day because everyone is laboring under unbiblical eschatologies, even though the Bible commands us to beat swords into plowshares.
• The "institutional church" has obstructed the flowering of the Gospel and the “Vine & Fig Tree” society.

What's Next?

• This is not a "how many angels can dance on the head of a pin" question. It's literally the difference between the Gospel and the Antichrist. Ecclesiastical sources agree: they denounce full preterists as heretics and even apostate non-Christians.
• I would like to prove that non-preterism and premillennialism in particular are denials of the Gospel. The definition of "antichrist" is one who denies that Jesus is the Christ (1 John 2:2). Premillennialists deny that Jesus is currently reigning as Christ. He is only a Savior. This is a dangerous heresy, even though it has ecclesiastical approval.

Anarcho-Preterism

Peter's sermon in Acts 2 sums up preterism:

• We are not in "the last days" of the Old Covenant.
• Jesus is the Christ today. He is King.
• Jesus has no plans to step foot in Jerusalem once again, in our future.

So what's in our future? What's in our "eschatology" -- doctrine of "last things?"

An Offer from God

The first reason people find preterism unpersuasive has to do with the present.

We long for something in the future because we are ungrateful for what we have in the present.

But in a perverse sense, we are grateful for what we have -- because we refuse to sacrifice it so that future generations can have more.
We cling to what we have, and we want more of it, and resort to fraud and theft and war to obtain more.
We vote for politicians to take money from others, including the next generation, to get us the stuff we want.
We spend a trillion dollars a year to force other nations to protect our lifestyle.
Five hundred million human beings were deliberately murdered in the last century to create a "workers' paradise" or "the land of the free."

Imagine that God appears to you and makes you an offer.

God informs you that "the modern Sodom and Gomorrah" will be destroyed, by which He means the United States and the other largest exporters of weapons and pornography, and probably also those nations which consume them.

Their destruction will not be through fire and brimstone from heaven, but economic collapse due to military conflict (e.g., the "War on Terror") and currency debasement.

As it stands right now, God informs you, the 21st century will be 2x more bloody than 20th

• During the 20th century, the nations listed above murdered an average of 10,000 innocent non-combatant civilians every single day during the century. This does not include babies murdered before birth. That's several hundred million in total. Political Scientist R.J. Rummel describes this as "democide," from the Greek word demos, "people."
• Literally billions of people were also enslaved during the 20th century, under communism, fascism, socialism, totalitarianism, and Keynesianism.
• Trillions of dollars of private property were confiscated and/or destroyed in the 20th century.

Double the deaths, double the loss of rights, and double loss of property we had in the 20th century, and you have the 21st century -- as it now stands.

But God tells you you can change this. You only need to do one simple thing (which you should be doing anyway).

Do this one simple thing, and God promises to orchestrate this simple obedient act and transform the 21st century and the entire planet earth.

That one thing is this: proclaim a message of good news to everyone you meet.

This is the message:

"Peace on earth is possible if we will obey the commands of King Jesus, Who will pour out His blessings if we do."

By "blessings," the Bible means the peace and prosperity which will result if archists repent and beat their "swords into plowshares" (Micah 4).

An "archist" is someone who believes he has a moral right to impose his own will on others by force or threats of violence ("the sword"). Archists usually employ such means as:

• regulations
• IRS audits
• fines
• imprisonment
• capital punishment
• conscription
• military imperialism
• torture
• "the sword."
• the Bomb -- "Mutual Assured Destruction"

The Bible says that if we obey His commandments, God will not send "swarms" of archists "to eat out our substance" and enslave our children (1 Samuel 8). This means
      • peace (freedom from archists) and
      • prosperity (low prices, no shortages).
See Leviticus 26 for the non-archist nature of "blessing."
See Galatians 3:28 for the link between "blessing" and "Gospel" (the English word "Gospel" is used to translate a Greek word (εὐαγγέλιον) which literally means "good news" or "glad tidings").

In summary, God offers:

• hundreds of millions of lives saved
• trillions of dollars of property protected
• lifespans increased (Isaiah 65:17ff)
• repentance and revival bringing happiness

That's "good news" indeed.

More good news: Choosing this path will maximize God's glory.

Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
1 Corinthians 10:31

But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness
Matthew 6:33

... and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified.
Acts 19:17

I pray that you will then be filled with the fruit of righteousness,
which comes from Jesus Christ, in order to give glory and praise to God.
Philippians 1:11

The chief end of man is to glorify God . . . .
Westminster Shorter Catechism, Q. 1

"Preach the gospel" -- proclaim the good news -- and God will be glorified. Here's the "good news" again:

"Peace on earth is possible if we will obey the commands of King Jesus, Who will pour out His blessings if we do."

More good news: Things will only get better.

• no armageddon
• no "great tribulation"
• no "mark of the beast"
• no "antichrist"

This is what "preterists" have been saying.

But there's a "downside" to this offer:

• no rapture
• no second coming

Suppose, just for the sake of this hypothetical "offer," there's

• no resurrection for you
• no heaven for you when you die

When you die, "the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it" (Ecclesiastes 12:7), but there's no resurrection for you and no heaven as you have always imagined it: "An Everlasting Playground" as Chuck Colson described it; "paradise lite" as another phrased it.

Would you give up your resurrection in order to bring about worldwide revival and blessing and the greater glory of God?

Most people won't take this offer. Their reaction is that there is something fundamentally heretical about it.

Really? Something's wrong with preaching the Gospel? Something's wrong with giving thanks for the blessings of peace and prosperity? Something's wrong with wanting to extend all this to others around the world?

Preterism says that Jesus became the Christ in the past. It is a matter of historical fact that as the Gospel of the Kingdom has been preached over the last 2,000 years, we have dramatically increased peace and prosperity in our world. Every nation that bans the gospel soon collapses into war and poverty.

Jesus the Messiah has created Christian Civilization.

The world was fundamentally uncivilized before the birth of Christ. The world is fundamentally better after His coming.

But in a sense, this improvement in the human condition has come about almost by "accident." Few people have been working self-consciously to build the New Jerusalem. To be sure, in our day very few people are working; they are all waiting -- for the "second coming."

But the world has been colored by Christianity -- not with bold colors, but with subtle pastels. People steal less and forgive more when society is Christianized.

This degree of civilization can be vastly increased, if we are willing to obey Christ's commands, such as beating our "swords into plowshare." But we would rather wait for a rapture and go to our heavenly playground. And continue voting Republican until then.

I'm not issuing some kind of Papal Encyclical which infallibly teaches ex cathedra that there will not be a mass resurrection of every human being ever born thousands or millions of years from now. We're just saying that if such a doctrine is so important, and I'm not even a Christian at all if I question it, surely hundreds of verses (out of the more than 30,000 verses in the Bible) would make that claim. But there isn't a single one.

I'm not saying Chuck Colson is right and you are wrong; this isn't a Bible quiz. This is a psychology quiz. I'm asking about how you think. Are you always "Looking out for #1?" or are you willing to sacrifice your own imagined interests for the best interests of others?

Isn't it a prime feature of Christian ethics to be willing to sacrifice yourself for others?

What is most important to understand in order to get our present duties right, is understanding the past ("preterism"), assuming our Biblical obligations in the present and not longing for an imaginary future.

Here's an example of that, which also hints at how we should use the Scripture.

Premillennialists are disappointed to hear that the second coming might have already occurred, because they have inflated imaginations of what that event would be like. Hal Lindsey and Tim LaHaye have written mega-bestselling books describing in the style of grand, Hollywood action flicks, the "Great Tribulation" and the "Rapture" and the "Millennium." When preterists point out that the New Testament verses they rely on were fulfilled, because those verses employ the same prophetic style as verses in the Old Testament -- which have already been fulfilled -- premillennialists are greatly disappointed. But partial preterists have come to terms with this reality, and admit that the "falling stars" rhetoric employed by Old Testament prophets and those prophets speaking in "the last days" of the Old Covenant were not foretelling literal astronomical marvels.

In the same way, when the prophets spoke of the glorious conditions that would result after the "stars fell" and the old creation was de-created, we tend to take those prophecies too literally. We imagine a self-centered, self-gratifying paradise, which is not what the prophets had in mind.

However . . .

(and I'm forced to keep saying "however" and "on the other hand," because we have a tendency to veer off the path to one side, and then to over-correct and veer off the other side, first to the left, and then to the right)

. . . even though we over-embellish prophetic descriptions of the “Vine & Fig Tree” world and the New Heavens and New Earth, the prophets who uttered those prophecies would fall on their knees in gratitude and praise for what the predicted Messiah has already accomplished in his reign on earth. They would be astonished at all the progress Christ's Kingdom has made. We are less appreciative.

We want another second coming of Christ because we're not satisfied with what Christ accomplished (or set in motion) during the first century at His first coming and at His first (and only) second coming.

A complete mental, spiritual, and emotional re-arrangement is required.

This will take some time.

The City of God

We now live in The New Jerusalem.

Most people won't believe that.

Those who see the Biblical proof for that claim will at first be disappointed. They will have to shed a number of humanistic preconceptions.

In a sentence, this is my view:

Jesus is the Christ.

When you first hear it, you might think that the juxtaposition of "Jesus" and "Christ" is obvious and not at all controversial. But when you dig deeper, it appears that this is the most controversial proposition on planet earth.

• Jews don't believe that Jesus is the Christ ("Christ" means "Messiah").
• Muslims, Hindus and Buddhists don't believe that Jesus is the Messiah, fulfilling Old Testament prophets who voiced the Word of our Creator-God.
• Atheists don't believe anyone is or ever will be a "messiah."

And -- most surprisingly -- the vast, overwhelming majority of professing, church-going (or non-churching) Christians do not believe that Jesus  is  the Christ today.

• Maybe they believe that Jesus has the "right" to be the Christ
• Maybe they believe that Jesus offered to be the Messiah, but the Jews rejected His offer, so He settled for offering them a ticket to heaven when they die ("Savior," but not "King"). (An offer they also reject, because who wants to spend eternity hanging out with a deluded con-man who falsely claimed to be the Messiah and rejected the Law and the Prophets [held dear by the Jews]?)
• Most likely they believe that Jesus will someday ("soon") become the Messiah, when He comes again, a second time, and then He will begin His reign on earth.
• But they all agree that Jesus is not -- today -- reigning as Messiah (exercising His rightful powers at full level, high-octane, from a throne in Jerusalem). The Messianic reign is for tomorrow, not today.

I defend the proposition that Jesus is the Messiah right now, and has fulfilled or is fulfilling all the "messianic prophecies" -- even those prophecies most Christians reserve for "the millennium" or "the New Heavens and New Earth."

And I respect the fact that you think I'm a dangerous looney for claiming that the Second Coming already happened. I used to think that way too. Here are thee verses on "this generation" and the "any moment return of Christ."

Jesus is the Christ.

Jesus is the Messiah

Jesus is the King.

The two most controversial words in that statement are the words "IS" and "THE."

IS

 
Most church-going Christians believe that Jesus will become the Messiah at a future Christmas, a future advent, a future "Second Coming." But the word "IS" -- present tense -- is the wrong word to use about Jesus being the Messiah. To say that Jesus "is" the Messiah is to say that He already became the Messiah and began reigning in the past. The word "preterit" is from the Latin word for "past," and the idea that Jesus began reigning as Messiah in the past is called "the heresy of preterism." 
 

THE

 
The word "Christ" also has many meanings. The basic meaning is "anointed," as in "king" (Matthew 21:5 ), e.g., "King of Israel" (John 1:49). Jesus is also called a "Ruler" (Micah 5:2), a "Potentate" (1 Timothy 6:15 ), a "Governor" (Matthew 2:6 ), a "Captain" (Hebrews 2:10 ), a "Prince" (Isaiah 9:6 ), and many other words (some of which we aren't familiar with in our day, like "Horn" [Luke 1:69 ]) which are political in nature.

Many political terms can be inferred:

• Jesus is a "servant," which is another word for "minister," and Jesus is surely the "Prime Minister."
• In his inaugural address, George Washington spoke of "that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations." The one who "presides" is the "president."
• Jesus is our King, our Lawgiver, and our Judge (Isaiah 33:22) -- all three branches of government under the U.S. Constitution.

My point is that Jesus is the -- THE -- the ONLY -- legitimate king, prince, ruler, president, prime minister, governor, legislator, judge, and potentate. If we simply practice what we preach -- by obeying His commandments -- we will have a peaceful, orderly, and prosperous society. All other earthly kings, princes, rulers, presidents, prime ministers, governors, legislators, judges, and potentates are illegitimate usurpers and anti-Christ.

When I say that Jesus is the only legitimate ruler, and the Bible our only law book, people think. "What are you, some kind of ANARCHIST?" That suspicion is the kind of thing we were all taught in schools run by earthly kings, princes, rulers, presidents, prime ministers, governors, legislators, judges, and potentates. We are never taught what Jesus taught. It is illegal in the U.S.A. to teach in government-run schools what Jesus taught. Eventually, all "archists" ban the Bible. They have to. The Bible is their biggest enemy.

Micah 4 is what a society under Christ the King looks like: peace and private property. Society under the Messiah is a society under God's Law ("Theonomy").

Theonomy requires what earthly kings, despots, and tyrants call "anarchy." Proof.

Jesus the Messiah governs the earth through "The Invisible Hand" of "Divine Providence." Study the idea of "Providence" here, and "The Invisible Hand" here. "Invisible" means there is no visible, physical "ruler" on earth. And, of course, all visible, physical rulers and bureaucrats on earth insult this idea as "anarchy."

A vindication of God's Plan to place human beings on planet earth to govern it under our King, Lawgiver, Judge, and Savior in heaven is found here.

Rushdoony wrote the following:

This is what John Adams, later second President of the U.S., wrote in his diary on February 22, 1756: Suppose a nation in some distant region should take the Bible for their only law book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited! Every member would be obliged in conscience,      to temperance, frugality, and industry,      to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellow men;      and to piety, love and reverence towards Almighty God. What a Utopia, what a Paradise would this region be. Like others of his day, Adams was a theonomist!

Adams' purpose was to praise the Bible. What he ended up doing was promoting "Theocracy." If he were alive today, CNN would accuse Adams of being an "insurrectionist." His desire to downsize D.C. would be considered "anarchy."

Rushdoony authored a book called Institutes of Biblical Law, explaining how the Bible had been used as a law book in John Adams' day, and how it could be used today. Rushdoony's "law book" is not the same kind of "law book" as those found in a law library, containing statutes and decrees of government, enforced by violent earthly enforcers. Adams wasn't literally advocating the abolition of "civil government," but I believe the Bible does. Visible, physical, earthly kings are false gods, since only God is our King.

Every legitimate, non-sinful "service" provided by "civil government" is a service that can be provided by entrepreneurs in a Freed Market at a lower cost, in greater supply, and with higher quality. Nothing in the Bible prohibits businessmen from providing consumers with these services, in competition with those who claim to be "kings," and consumers are not prohibited by anything in Biblical Law from choosing a non-State service provider in a Freed Market. Eventually, the goal is the elimination of all visible, earthly, physical kings, as they all repent and join the Freed Market under King Jesus.

As long as they remain in power, all earthly, visible, physical kings eventually ban the Bible, because they (correctly) see the Bible as an "Anarchist Manifesto." Even once-called "Christian nations" like the U.S.A., have now banned the Bible. A Christian society does not need a secular Washington D.C., or even a Washington D.C. that purports to be "Christian" or "Theonomic." A purportedly Theonomic "civil government" must use violence to suppress competition, or it is no longer a "civil government." By definition, a "government" has a monopoly on the use of violence, even as it uses violence to perform otherwise good deeds like "helping the poor." Good deeds which could be better performed by a Freed Market without violence.

Today, in our age, Jesus is fulfilling all "Messianic prophecies." Including those foretelling a "New Heavens and New Earth." Jesus the Christ reigns without earthly christs.

www.JesusisTheChrist.today

Conservative Bible-believing Christians think of an "anarchist" as a bomb-throwing assassin, who leads society into chaos and lawlessness. As a pacifist, I'm against bombs, assassinations, chaos and lawlessness. But I'm an "anarchist" in the technical, etymological, and Biblical sense of the word.

The word "anarchist" means "not an archist."

So what's an "archist?"

In Mark 10:42-45, we read this:

The Greek word translated "rulers" is the Greek word from which we derive our English word "anarchist."

"Lords," "rulers" and "great ones" are "archists."

An "archist" is someone who believes he has the right to impose his own will on others by force or threats of violence. But more than mere belief, the "archist" has the power (or "authority," he claims) to make his wishes a reality, and actively uses violence to accomplish his goals. An "archist" rules rather than serves. An "archist" governs rather than serves.

The word for "Gentiles" is often translated "nations." When Jesus speaks of the "rulers [archists] over the Gentiles" He's speaking about "the kings of the nations" around Israel (see 1 Samuel 8:5,20), from Pharaoh to Moloch ("king") to Caesar.

Jesus clearly says His followers are not to be "archists." We are to be "servants" instead.

We are to be "pacifists." A pacifist is opposed to all violence, and therefore opposed to "the monopoly of violence" which is "the State." The consistent pacifist is therefore an "anarchist."

"Not" + "archist" = "anarchist."

Seems clear enough, but we've all been trained (in schools operated or accredited by archists) to believe there must be another side of the story. Christians can't be against "civil government."

Of course, archists want us to believe that without them, "society would collapse into anarchy!" i.e., chaos and lawlessness. But nobody creates more chaos and lawlessness than those who disregard the command of Jesus to be "servants." Nothing says "chaos and lawlessness" better than "war." War is the ultimate power of archists.

Anti-archists who are also anti-chaos and anti-lawlessness often call themselves "anarcho-capitalists."

If we put the Bible into practice, we will have what John Adams called (below) a "utopia" or "paradise." If someone does not follow the Bible, and does evil, we respond to evil as pacifists, and do not vote for politicians to take vengeance against the evil-doer. The cost of voting for politicians to prevent crime is greater than the cost of crime. Jesus set out the steps to follow when someone wrongs us in Matthew 18. Here's how that would work if Jesus were the King instead of Donald Trump and millions of policemen, wardens, and bureaucrats -- who prohibit your local public school teachers from telling students that God says not to kill and not to steal, and that everyone should treat the Bible as a communication from our Creator.

Jesus said the kings of the gentiles love to impose their will on other people by political and military force, but Christ's followers are not to do these things (Mark 10:42-45). Mark uses the Greek word from which we get our English word "anarchist." He says the kings of the Gentiles love to be "archists." But Jesus says His followers are NOT to be "archists." The desire for an earthly "archist" is a rejection of God (1 Samuel 8). So some folks will say all this talk about Jesus being THE Ruler -- the only legitimate Ruler -- will lead to "anarchy." Obeying Jesus as the Christ will certainly lead to the elimination of bloodthirsty empires and their Caesars, Pharaohs, and Führers. But it will certainly not lead to chaos and lawlessness (which is what most people have been trained to think of when they hear the word "anarchism" or contemplate the absence of "archists" in the swordless Kingdom of Christ).

So what is my view in a nutshell?

Taken together, the two words "IS" and "THE" are branded as the heresy of "anarcho-preterism."

Anarcho-Preterism

I maintain that "anarcho-preterism" is "the Gospel."

Freedom from archists is the Gospel ("good news").

Galatians 3:8
And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the Gospel unto Abraham, saying, "In thee shall all nations be blessed."

The Scripture preached "the Gospel" to Abraham.

Q.: What is the good news?
A.: World-wide blessing.
Q.: What is "blessing?"
A.: Salvation: Being delivered from our enemies and living securely in peace and prosperity, free from archists in a  “Vine & Fig Tree”  world.
Q.: How do we obtain God's blessing?
A.: By faithfully obeying His commandments.
Q.: But is universal obedience even possible before the Second Coming?
A.: That is the promise of the New Covenant.

Jeremiah 31

³¹ “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah” ³² not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. ³³ But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My Tôrâh in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

Ezekiel 11:19-20

¹⁹ And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh:
²⁰ That they may walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances, and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God.

Ezekiel 36:27

²⁷ And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.

Jeremiah 31:33 + Galatians 3:8
New Covenant = obedience to God's Law
New Covenant = blessing throughout the world
New Covenant = salvation/peace/safety
New Covenant = freedom from archists

Anarcho-Preterism is not tangential to the Faith. It is central.

• It is a way of looking at God and Providence. ("Government")
• It is a way of looking at our duty to serve our neighbors and the world. (service)
• It is a way of looking at prophecy and the future. (civilization)

For more, see www.JesusistheChrist.today

I'm convinced the Bible teaches "anarcho-preterism," and I like that idea better than what

"Holy Mother the Church" teaches: "archist-futurism."

I don't like archism, and there is no future in "futurism." Everything gets worse and worse, more archist and more archist, until God's entire "experiment" of putting human beings on planet earth is proven to be a huge cosmic mistake.

Christ's "Second Coming" in judgment against the very same generation that witnessed His First Coming is clearly a major theme in the "last days" of the Old Covenant (in the writings of the "New Testament").

God's Law, Not Man's Law

Reformation must take place not only in the church, but also in the State. We looked at the  reformation in the church and the church's eschatology, above; see also here.

When the average church-goer hears the claim  that the "Second Coming" already happened (when Jesus said it would, before that generation died out, in AD 70) and that Jesus is not going to return again to earth any time in our future, the average church-goer is flummoxed.

How can that be?

For many Christians, "The Second Coming" ushers in "the Messianic Age," "the Millennium," or "The New Heavens and the New Earth." They say we can't possibly be living in those ages, so the Second Coming cannot possibly have already occurred.

For amillennialists, I understand that "the Second Coming" ends earth history and inaugurates "the eternal state" (or whatever phrase might be used to describe that).

The problem here, in my not-yet-finalized-and-set-in-concrete opinion, is a misunderstanding of another concept that dominates the pages of the New Testament, "The Kingdom of God" or "The Kingdom of Heaven." Stated another way, the problem is a misunderstanding of how the Messiah governs.

Premillennialists believe that after the Second Coming, Jesus remains on earth for 1000 years, physically seated on a literal throne in Jerusalem. The Messiah is not in Moscow, He is not in London, He is not in New York, He is not in Rio de Janeiro. He's physically located in Jerusalem.

Premils might say, "If the Messiah is not here on earth, how does he govern the earth?"

To which I would respond by asking, "If Jesus is physically located in Jerusalem rather than at the Right Hand of the Father in Heaven (Acts 2), how does He govern the entire planet, including Russia, the UK, the USA, and Brazil?

The preterist says that Christians are priests and kings (Revelation 1:6; 5:10) and we reign on earth under the Messiah in heaven.

I would add to those verses in Revelation (and other verses which speak of "The Priesthood of All Believers") that while every believer is a priest, no believer is a priest.
That is, while every believer is a priest in the Protestant sense, no believer is a priest in the Roman Catholic sense.

I would also add that while every believer is a king under King Jesus, no believer is a king.
That is, every believer is a king in a capitalistic sense, and no believer is a king in a socialist sense.
That is, every believer is king in a sense that makes earthly kings nervous, and no believer is a king in a sense that makes earthly kings confident of anything other than their duty to abdicate their throne, abolish their office (to prevent the accession of any successor to the throne), and get a real job, performing a service that customers voluntarily pay you for.

Therefore, according to the Anarcho-Preterist view, earthly kings violate God's Law and impose the law of man.

Anarcho-Christocracy - "Liberty Under God" - Market Christocracy - Christ the Priest and King governs the world through His kings and priests (Revelation 1:6; 5:10), where no human being is a priest or a king. It looks like "anarchy" because there are no archist creature-rulers, only Christ the Creator-Archist (Romans 1:25; 1Samuel 8:7; Isaiah 33:22).

Jesus the Messiah is the Only Government the World Needs

Our view of preterism is a "Christian Reconstructionist" view of Preterism.

I would like to suggest that if you like Christian Reconstructionism, you'll love "extreme preterism." "Extreme Preterism" is Christian Reconstructionism on steroids.

What are "The Five Points of Christian Reconstruction?"

Gary Demar co-authored a book with Gary North in 1991 entitled, CHRISTIAN RECONSTRUCTION What It Is, What It Isn't. He wrote:

Christian Reconstruction, unlike Christian "movements" in general, has no central director, no overall, tightly controlled strategy. What unites Reconstructionists is their commitment to certain distinctive biblical doctrines that are fundamental to the Christian faith and have been supported by the church for centuries. In particular, Reconstructionists espouse the following distinctives:

1. Regeneration - salvation by grace through faith - is man's only hope both in this age and in the age to come. Only new men who reflect the image of God in Christ can bring about any significant social change since social change follows personal change, and personal change can only come through regeneration. God's sovereignty as it relates to personal salvation and limited institutional authority is foundational for the salvation of man and the abolition of tyranny.

2. [Biblical Law] The continuing validity and applicability of the whole law of God, including, but not limited to, the Mosaic case laws is the standard by which individuals, families, churches, and civil governments should conduct their affairs.

3. [Postmillennialism]  A victorious view of the future progress of the kingdom of God prior to the return of Christ is foundational for the building of a Christian civilization.

4. Presuppositional apologetics as opposed to evidentialism establishes that God's Word is self-authenticating and is the judge of all other supposed authorities, human reason included.

5. A decentralized social order where civil government is only one legitimate government among many other governments, including family government and ecclesiastical (church) government, is the basis for a free and orderly society.

The controversy over "Preterism" is related to Point Three above: a Reconstructionist preterist has a "victorious view of the future progress of the kingdom of God." Unlike the premillennialist, the preterist does not believe that Gospel prosperity depends on Christ returning to earth and ruling from a throne in Jerusalem. So the "extreme preterist" view of the current age is solidly Reconstructionist. The point of contention is whether or not there is prophesied in the Bible a future (for us) coming of Christ after a period of Christian Reconstruction. "Postmillennialism" is "optimillennialism," not "pessimillennialism." "Extreme Preterism," I would contend, is more optimistic than "lukewarm preterism," or "inconsistent preterism," or "partial preterism."

Rushdoony said that a concise definition of Christian Reconstruction "is well stated in the title of T. Robert Ingram’s excellent study, The World Under God’s Law." The Supreme Court of the United States at one time acknowledged that America was "a Christian nation." The Puritans sought to place all of human action under God's Law. Not just the church on Sunday, but all of life the rest of the week as well. Today the U.S. is an atheistic nation, as is most of Europe. But imagine being able to see the effect of India and China and the Islamic nations of the Middle East being "under" the authority of God's Law and Jesus Christ the Prince of Peace. Christian Reconstructionists believe all these non-Christian nations will become even more consistently Christian than America was in 1636 when Harvard University was founded to train Christian ministers of the Gospel.

It takes a big imagination to visualize "The World Under God's Law."

And Reconstructionists have said that all this happens before the Second Coming of Christ; that Christ does not return until after ("post") the "millennium" (that is, a "golden age" described in Revelation 20 as a "thousand years").

Question: How "under" does the world have to become before Jesus returns?
(Actually, under "postmillennialism," Jesus never literally "returns." His feet never touch the streets of Bethlehem or Jerusalem. At the "Second Coming," Christ simply ends all efforts at Christian Reconstruction on earth. "History" ends and "eternity" begins.) Perhaps the year before the Second Coming, Reconstructionists will have been trying to pass one additional Biblical law, or get one final unBiblical law repealed. Or convert one final remaining unbeliever. Or disciple that new believer. Or further sanctify a long-time believer. But when the Second Coming occurs, will Christians in every nation on earth be sitting around with nothing left to reconstruct? Will every institution, every field of human action, and every individual, be completely "under" God's Law? Perfectly sanctified? Extremely reconstructed?

The Bible promises that perfectly faithful obedience will be blessed by God. Read Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26. The day of zero remaining reconstruction will be the day of maximum blessings. All people will be willing to work productively to serve others and will find their labors blessed with abundance and prosperity. What are the economic implications of maximum blessing described in those two chapters? The economic implications are staggering. Prime rib is a nickel a pound. Investment in the economy's capital stock skyrockets, further increasing productivity and prosperity.

Why must Christian Reconstruction come to an end? Why must Jesus stop building civilization? Why must God's will cease being done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10)? I don't know, but partial preterists say it must be thus.

Actually, the Bible never says that Reconstruction comes to an end. The Bible never says that Jesus stops being the Christ, the King, the Edifier (Builder) of the edifice of Godly civilization. Consider these verses:

Isaiah 9:6-7
⁶ For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
⁷ Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

The Messianic Kingdom is Everlasting.
Not just 10 centuries, as millennialists hold.
Christian Reconstruction is eternal.

The Authority of Scripture

I think the verses in the "101 "Any Moment" Verses" I referred to above prove that the "Second Coming" of Christ -- that is, His coming in vengeance against His enemies -- happened in the events of AD 70 and the destruction of the Old Jerusalem.

The objection to this Bible-based argument takes many forms, beginning with different events that are associated with the Second Coming, like Resurrection and Judgment. The argument is against the Bible:

How can you expect me to believe what the Bible says if no secular historian confirms it?

Are those 101 verses true and trustworthy, or are they not? If they say something would happen within 40 years, I believe it happened just like the Bible said it would, even if an Imperial propagandist for Rome does not mention the events in his reports. If Jesus said "stars will fall" before that generation dies out, then I will believe Jesus, even if non-Christian reporters don't mention it. It's easier to believe it when we understand it to be speaking of something metaphorically rather than astronomically or literally. The question is, What is the Bible actually saying?

The number of verses which clearly say significant events would take place within 40 years (ask, "When?") is a much greater number than the number of verses which ambiguously say something would happen (ask, "What?") that we just can't figure out exactly how it happened (ask, "How?") if it happened in the first century A.D. Unclear verses need to be interpreted in light of the clearer verses. "It happened in the past" is clear." "What exactly happened" is less clear. Imposing our imagination on "what happened" and then demanding that it happen according to our imagination in our future is a violation several rules of sound Biblical interpretation. We deny the clear verses ("It happened in the past") and distort the less-clear passages ("What will happen is what I want to happen").

I believe that what I've written above is a "prima facie case" for preterism. If it isn't refuted from Scripture, then the institutional church should be pronounced "guilty" of adding doctrines to the Bible.

From "Prima Facie" to Persuasion

The second reason people reject preterism is that many people want to be resurrected after they die so that they can have a "second chance." A life "do-over." And a life very much like the one they have now, but with no worries, no responsibilities, no cares, no burdens, no tears. This longing is certainly understandable, but it puts psychology ahead of theology. It puts the Bible in second place behind our own wishes.

In reply, I will simply say "It's a free country. You can believe anything you want."

But don't you want to tie your beliefs to the Bible in some way?

Imagine you have died. Your corpse is getting colder in the hospital. Is it possible that you are already enjoying a resurrection body at that very moment? 

The question is sometimes posed,

"What if I'm on an ocean cruise and I fall overboard and I'm partially eaten by a shark, and then thousands of other fish eat the scraps that the shark didn't eat. Then these fish are eaten, or die and decompose on the ocean floor, and maybe in a thousand years all of the molecules of my body wash up on shore and are mixed with the sands of the beach. Can God still resurrect my body?"
...or...
"What about a person who died thousands of years ago, and worms have eaten his flesh, and the apple tree has nourished its leaves with his molecules, and other people have eaten apples with him inside? Can God still resurrect this saint's body?

And of course the BibleAnswerMan assures the listener that God can still re-create the human body, just as He created Adam out of the dust of the earth.

If God can do that in the future, He could have done it in the past. He could do it the instant your body dies.

What if no New Testament writer predicted an event thousands of years in the future where all the tombs open up and bodies are resurrected, but after your death you are made a new creation through some other process, which we might still loosely call "resurrection?" Would you be dissatisfied?
Would you protest to God if He made you a new creation rather than strictly and literally resurrected the molecules of your corpse?
Would you complain if God re-created you out of the dust of the earth, rather than out of the exact, literal molecules of your old body?
If you find yourself occupying a glorified body, which God created the same way He created Adam in the Garden, would you say,

"Wait a minute, God; I thought I was going to get a new body made out of the very same literal molecules of my old body. I want to exchange this body! This isn't a resurrection -- it's just a new creation!"

If you want to believe this because "Holy Mother the Church" teaches it, fine. But don't tell people that the Bible says there is going to be a mass resurrection thousands of years after the closing of the canon. Because the Bible doesn't say that.

Jesus said that He would return in power and glory and judge the men of that generation, before the men of that generation died out.
New Testament writers repeatedly affirmed a "second coming" in that generation, and even that there was "about to be" a resurrection.
If you preach in the pulpit or post on Facebook that there is going to be another coming of Christ, another resurrection, and another judgment thousands of years in the future, and there isn't a single verse that says "another," will you eventually stand before God accused of being a false prophet (Deuteronomy 18:20; 13:5; Jeremiah 14:14-15; Zechariah 13:2–5)?
You may have been taught all your life that those "anothers" will happen, and you may want those things to happen, but there isn't a single verse in the Bible that says they will happen. There are only man's ecclesiastical pronouncements to that effect.

But wanting, and having those desires confirmed by official pronouncements, makes it very difficult to be persuaded that they won't happen -- even if there is nothing in the Bible to support those desires.

So the second reason people find preterism unpersuasive is their entrenched beliefs about things they were told would happen in the future. Here's the first reason.

Why Does it Matter?

James 1:27 says

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

Christians who are waiting around for Jesus to set up His Kingdom are not caring for the fatherless and widows. Last year in America, over 10,000 people were murdered. We all agree this is a bad thing.
During the 20th century, around the world, about that same number were murdered each and every single day. Even more astonishing, these murders were all "legal." In fact, they were all carried out by various governments around the world. This number does not include abortions, legal or otherwise. Last year around the world, there were about 135,000 abortions each and every single day.

Creating widows and killing the fatherless is the opposite of "pure religion."

These murders are not necessary. There are about 200,000,000 Americans who call themselves Christians. These are, by and large, the most powerful people in the world. They have enough money to end poverty and illiteracy around the world simply by tithing 10% of their income to groups committed to Christian Reconstruction. But 200,000,000 Christians are not investing in the future of the planet because they believe "Jesus is coming soon."

These murders are not necessary because the governments that perpetrated them are not necessary.

If you're ready to study the Bible and find out what the future really holds, there are several places to go from here.

1. Jesus is already the Christ.
   Virtually no church on earth teaches this message. This is astonishing. See our website www.JesusistheChrist.today.
2. Jesus Christ came to rule the entire world. But not as an earthly king rules. See our website www.ChristianGlobalism.com
3. The Christmas Conspiracy
   True Christians are conspiring to make all nations the disciples of Christ.
   When an earthly government becomes Christian, it disappears. The Creator-King replaces the creature-kings (Romans 1:25; 1 Samuel 8:7; Isaiah 33:22).
4. Eventually all earthy kings and rulers will be converted to Christ, they will end their earthly governments, and the entire world will become a global Christian Theocracy, or Christocracy. Secular rulers see this as a threat to their governments. They are correct. Jesus commanded His followers to be "anarchists" with respect to earthly governments, and "Theocrats" with respect to the government of Christ. As shocking as this sounds to most Christians today, earthly governments throughout history have banned the Bible because The Bible is an Anarchist Manifesto.

The message of Christmas -- the first coming of Christ -- is a message of Global Theocracy. This "good news" began at the first Christmas. It does not wait around for a second incarnation of Christ.

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given,
and the government shall be upon His shoulders.
Isaiah 9:6 

The Promise of Salvation from Enemies

The meaning of “salvation” in the Christmas story means more than "going to heaven when you die." Jesus’ name comes from the Hebrew word for “salvation,” yasha, as the angel announced:

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.
Matthew 1:21

Scholars give us this definition of the Hebrew word for "salvation":

Yasha and its derivatives are used 353 times. The root meaning . . . is “make wide” or make sufficient: this root is in contrast to sarar, “narrow,” which means “be restricted” or “cause distress.” To move from distress to safety requires deliverance. [T]he majority of references to salvation speak of Yahweh granting deliverance from real enemies and out of real catastrophes. That which is wide connotes freedom from distress and the ability to pursue one’s own objectives. Thus salvation is not merely a momentary victory on the battlefield; it is also the safety and security necessary to maintain life unafraid of numerous dangers.
John E. Hartley, “yasha,” Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Vol 1, pp. 414-15

"Salvation" in the Bible primarily means a peaceful civilization. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, commands us to love our enemies and "resist not evil." This is the foundation of civilization. Up above we started looking at the prophecy of John the Baptist’s father, Zacharias, in Luke 1, who was filled with the Holy Spirit after John was born, and prophesied, saying:

68 “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel,
For He has visited and redeemed His people,
69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us
In the house of His servant David,
70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets,
Who have been since the world began,
71 That we should be saved from our enemies
And from the hand of all who hate us,
72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers
And to remember His holy covenant,
73 The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:
74 To grant us that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.
76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest;
For you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,
77 To give knowledge of salvation to His people
By the remission of their sins,
78 Through the tender mercy of our God,
With which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;
79 To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death,
To guide our feet into the way of peace.”

“Saved from our Enemies”

Zecharias’ prophecy is a major stumbling block for many Christians. It seems like Jesus the Messiah did not do what Zecharias (and other Old Testament prophets) said the Messiah would do. Certainly the unbelieving Jews of Jesus’ day -- and our day -- would agree that Jesus failed as a Messiah.

It seems very likely that Zecharias, like most Jews of his day, considered the Roman occupation forces to be the “enemies” of Israel. Zecharias seems to be prophesying an end to the Roman occupation. He says one of the effects of Christmas––the birth of the Messiah––is

That we should be saved from our enemies
And from the hand of all who hate us,
To grant us that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,
Luke 1:71,74

The idea of Israelites not being under foreign occupation goes back hundreds of years, to previous occupations, and is a major theme of the Old Testament, beginning at least back in Leviticus 26. Not just a “major theme,” it is at the heart of the Biblical word for “salvation.”

The "enemies" of God's people turned out to be "that generation." The "remnant" of true believers were assaulted by that "wicked generation," the descendants of those who killed the prophets (Matthew 23).

Let’s look at some of the references to “salvation” (yasha) as “being delivered from enemies”:

Numbers 10:9
“When you go to war in your land against the enemy who oppresses you, then you shall sound an alarm with the trumpets, and you will be remembered before the LORD your God, and you will be saved from your enemies.

Deuteronomy 20:4
for the LORD your God is He who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’

Deuteronomy 33:29
Happy are you, O Israel!
Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD,
The shield of your help
And the sword of your majesty!
Your enemies shall submit to you,
And you shall tread down their high places.”

Judges 2:16,18
Nevertheless the LORD raised up judges, which delivered them out of the hand of those that spoiled them.
And when the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge; for the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who oppressed them and harassed them.

1 Samuel 2:1
And Hannah prayed and said:
”My heart rejoices in the LORD;
My horn is exalted in the LORD.
I smile at my enemies,
Because I rejoice in Your salvation.

1 Samuel 4:3
And when the people had come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the LORD from Shiloh to us, that when it comes among us it may save us from the hand of our enemies.”

1 Samuel 25:26
Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, since the LORD has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now then, let your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be as Nabal.

2 Samuel 3:18
Now then, do it! For the LORD has spoken of David, saying, ‘By the hand of My servant David, I will save My people Israel from the hand of the Philistines and the hand of all their enemies.’”

2 Samuel 22:4
I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.

Psalm 3:7
Arise, O LORD;
Save me, O my God!
For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone;
You have broken the teeth of the ungodly.

Psalm 18:3
I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised;
So shall I be saved from my enemies.

Psalm 106:10
He saved them from the hand of him who hated them,
And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.

Psalm 138:7
Though I walk in the midst of trouble,
You will revive me;
You will stretch out Your hand
Against the wrath of my enemies,
And Your right hand will save me.

Nehemiah 9:27
Therefore Thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the time of their trouble, when they cried unto Thee, Thou heardest them from heaven; and according to Thy manifold mercies Thou gavest them saviours, who saved them out of the hand of their enemies.

A "savior" brings "salvation." Being "saved from our enemies" is surely a part of the salvation (yasha) that Jesus (yeshua) was to bring.

But Jesus told Zecharias’ countrymen to love their Roman enemies.
This was a stunning shift in thinking.
In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addressed this thinking head on:

38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: 41 If a Roman soldier forces you to carry his pack one mile, carry it two miles.[1]
43 You have heard people say, “Love your neighbors and hate your enemies.” 44 But I tell you to love your enemies and pray for anyone who mistreats you. 45 Then you will be acting like your Father in heaven. He makes the sun rise on both good and bad people. And he sends rain for the ones who do right and for the ones who do wrong. 46 If you love only those people who love you, will God reward you for that? Even tax collectors [2] love their friends. 47 If you greet only your friends, what’s so great about that? Don’t even unbelievers do that? 48 But you must always act like your Father in heaven.
Notes:
[1] Under Roman occupation law, a Roman soldier had the right to force an Israelite to carry the soldier's military pack as far as one mile.
[2] These were usually Jewish people who paid the Romans for the right to collect taxes. These "tax farmers" were hated by other Jews who thought of them as traitors to their country and to their religion. See chap. 7 in TREASURE AND DOMINION: An Economic Commentary on Luke by Gary North.

These were shocking statements to Jews in Roman-occupied Palestine. Rome’s military occupation of Israel was constantly in the minds of that generation. Loving these enemies rather than seeking vengeance against them was a big leap. Statements like this dashed the hopes of many disciples that Jesus might be the Messianic King (John 6:66).

But there was an even greater shift in Jesus’ teaching as He approached the hour of His execution: Zecharias’ countrymen -- not the Romans oppressors -- became the “enemies” and Jesus said their enemies would triumph over them! This was in fact part of the Old Covenant which wasn’t emphasized as much as the good part about being "saved from our enemies." But it was there all along: Israel would not be saved from her enemies:

Deuteronomy 28
15 But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
29 And thou shalt grope at noonday, as the blind gropeth in darkness, and thou shalt not prosper in thy ways: and thou shalt be only oppressed and spoiled evermore, and no man shall save thee.
31 Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you shall not eat of it; your donkey shall be violently taken away from before you, and shall not be restored to you; your sheep shall be given to your enemies, and you shall have no one to rescue (yasha) them.
45 Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:
52 And he shall besiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down, wherein thou trustedst, throughout all thy land: and he shall besiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the LORD thy God hath given thee.
53 And thou shalt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flesh of thy sons and of thy daughters, which the Lord thy God hath given thee, in the siege, and in the straitness, wherewith thine enemies shall distress thee:[3]
[3] The Jewish historian Josephus records that during the 42-month siege by the Romans, some Israelites, cut off from trade, resorted to cannibalism before they were destroyed. (Wars, 6.3.4)

Jesus said that these prophecies were going to be fulfilled against “this generation”:

Matthew 23
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.
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.
36Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

Luke 19:41-44
41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city [Jerusalem] and wept over it, 42 saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Jesus was prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem when Roman armies put the city under a siege that would take place shortly before the year A.D. 70.

Luke 21
20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. 22 For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. 24 And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Revelation 11:1-2
1 Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod. And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there. 2 But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months.

These are the months from A.D. 67-70, when Israel was destroyed by Roman armies (see Matthew 24, Luke 21, Mark 13).

So what about Zecharias’ prophecy? What happened to the angels' announcement to the shepherds: "Peace on Earth"? Why is it Israel was not saved from her enemies? All of this is a far cry from the salvation that Yeshua the Messiah was supposed to bring.

Here’s another incredible shift: Not only would Israel not be saved from her enemies, Israel herself became the “enemies.” Israel rejected her Messiah, and became the real enemy of the faithful. In numerous parables and sermons, Jesus indicted faithless Israel:

Luke 19
11 Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately. 12 Therefore He said: “A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. 13 So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Do business till I come.’ 14 But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.’
24 “And he said to those who stood by, 26 ‘I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 27 But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.’”

Matthew 21
33 “Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. 34 Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. 35 And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. 37 Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ 39 So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.
40 “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?”
41 They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
’The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the LORD’s doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. 44 And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.”
45 Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. 46 But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

True Israel, it turns out, was the remnant that believed in Jesus as the Messiah. And soon this remnant would grow to include believing Gentiles who would be grafted into True Israel, while unbelieving Israel would be cut off as the enemies of God:

Romans 11:28
Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers.

Matthew 10:36
and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’

Philippians 3:18
For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ:

Most Christians today believe that since the Jews rejected Jesus as their Messiah, Jesus could only be their Savior. But nobody who rejects Jesus as Lord thinks they need a Savior to be forgiven for their sins against the commandments of their Lord.

There is no Biblical support for the idea that the Messiah can only reign over those who give Him their permission. The Old Testament prophets spoke of a Messiah who would

• "break in pieces the oppressor" (Psalm 72:4)
• "shall judge among the nations,
  He shall fill the places with dead bodies,
  He shall execute the heads of many countries." (Psalm 110:6)
• with righteousness He shall judge the poor,
  And decide with equity for the meek of the earth
  He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth
  And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. (Isaiah 11:4)
• He shall judge between many peoples,
  And rebuke strong nations afar off; (Micah 4:3)
• "Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;
  All nations shall serve Him." (Psalm 72:11)
• "I will beat down his foes before his face,
  And plague those who hate him." (Psalm 89:23)
• The Lord said to my Lord,
  “Sit at My right hand,
  Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
  The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.
  Rule in the midst of Your enemies! (Psalm 110:1-2)
• There I will make the horn of David grow;
  I will prepare a lamp for My Anointed.
  His enemies I will clothe with shame,
  But upon Himself His crown shall flourish.” (Psalm 132:17-18)

In fact, Jesus destroyed His enemies in A.D. 70, laying waste the city of Jerusalem, while saving the remnant who believed Him. The Jewish historian Josephus recorded the horrifying judgment on unbelieving Jews in his writings on the Jewish wars and destruction of Jerusalem, in which the Jews, under relentless protracted siege by the Roman armies, resorted to cannibalism before Jerusalem was completely destroyed (Deuteronomy 28:52-57). The Jews thought the Messiah would destroy the enemies of the Jews -- the unclean pagan conquering Roman gentiles. It turned out that the Messiah's enemies were the Jews themselves.

Even if Jesus was never described as "Messiah," but only as a "savior," the word "savior" in the Scriptures is virtually synonymous with "messiah."

• The Biblical word for "savior" is also translated "deliverer," and the "judges" are called "deliverers" and "saviors" (example: Nehemiah 9:27).
• The prophet Obadiah (verse 21) said, "Then saviors shall come to Mount Zion, To judge the mountains of Esau, And the kingdom shall be the LORD’s." 
• But the "judges" were also "rulers," who "judged" (governed) Israel very much like "kings," and the word "messiah" means "anointed," as in "king."
• So there really is no Biblical difference between a "savior" and a "messiah-king." A "savior" is also a "governor." Jesus was made messiah and king at His first coming 21 centuries ago, not just "savior."
• More details?

One of the first acts of Jesus' reign as Messiah was destroying Jerusalem. And Jesus the Christ has been reigning as Messiah ever since.

Obviously, unbelieving Jews do not agree with that last sentence -- and with the thousands of Jews in Acts 2 who did.

Jesus created a New Israel, suitable for a New Covenant:

2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

Galatians 6:15
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but a new creation.

Ephesians 2:15
having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace,

1 Corinthians 5:7
Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.

Galatians 6:16
And as many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them, and upon the Israel of God.

Romans 9:6,8
But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, 8 That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.

So believers in Jesus, both Jew and Gentile, are the New Israel, under the New Covenant.

You’re still asking, “So who are the enemies of the New Israel, and how does Jesus save us from our enemies? When's Armageddon when all the bad guys get fried?”

Before answering this question, let’s look at this idea of the old and new Israel.

Zecharias said that one of the reasons Jesus came that first Christmas was so

71 That we should be saved from our enemies
And from the hand of all who hate us,
72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers
And to remember His holy covenant,
73 The oath which He swore to
our father Abraham:
74 To grant us that we,
Being delivered from the hand of our enemies,
Might serve Him without fear,

We need to learn more about

His Holy Covenant to Abraham

The Scofield Bible says that God’s promise to Abraham was “unconditional,” and no matter how evil unbelieving Israel became, even if they murder their own Messiah, they would still be entitled to be saved from their enemies and possess the land of Palestine. This is why the formation of Israel in 1948 by Great Britain and “The Anglo-American Establishment" is important to Scofield and his theological descendants.

Jesus and the prophets disagree with Scofield, and Israel was repeatedly warned that if Israel did not repent, they would be “cut off” and dispossessed of the land. Matthew 23-24 is a terrifying indictment of unbelieving Israel.

The old Israel under the Old Covenant was a failure.

Hebrews 8:8
Because finding fault with them, He says: “Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

The salvation promised to Abraham, like all of God’s promises, beginning in the Garden of Eden, was conditioned on Israel's obedience to God. God’s promise to Abraham died, as it were, with old faithless Israel, and was resurrected in the New Covenant with a New Israel. The perfect obedience of Christ is imputed (credited) to the accounts of those who believe in Him, and they become the true spiritual descendants of Abraham, the true Israel.

Galatians 3:7
Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham.

Galatians 3:9
So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

Galatians 3:14
. . . that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Galatians 3:28-29
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. {29} And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Galatians 4:28
Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.

Romans 4:13
Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.

Romans 9:8
That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed.

1 Peter 1:23
having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever,

Galatians 6:16
And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

The promise to the New Israel is not just the land between the Tigris and Euphrates, but the entire planet:

Psalm 2:8
Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. (Acts 13:33; Hebrews 1:5; Hebrews 5:5)

Matthew 28:18-20
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Acts 1:8
But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

Romans 4:16
For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

There are some Christians, believing the “dispensational” truths of the Scofield Bible, who say that Gentiles are not a part of the New Covenant. That covenant is reserved for the genetic descendants of Abraham only, and the New Covenant with Israel will not come into effect until a future restoration of genetic Abrahamites into the land of Palestine.

If you believe the Christmas Child is the promised Messiah, then you are a part of the New Covenant spoken of in the Bible, and you have no need to wait for a restoration of unbelieving Israelites to a plot of land in the Middle East. Christians are the seed of Abraham, and our inheritance is the entire world.

The question now is, how do we, the True Israel, take possession of the entire world? And further, why do we still have "enemies" to contend with?

Think about what we've already seen. The Jews alive at the first Christmas focused on the Roman occupation of Palestine. They wanted to be delivered from these enemies by a Messiah riding on a white horse who would blast all the Romans and give Israel control of the land. But being delivered from enemies is a by-product of submission to God's Commandments. And the promise of "salvation" is not just deliverance from temporary enemies. It's broader and more long term. Remember the definition of "salvation" includes these ideas:

That which is wide connotes freedom from distress and the ability to pursue one’s own objectives. Thus salvation is not merely a momentary victory on the battlefield; it is also the safety and security necessary to maintain life unafraid of numerous dangers.

When the angel announced the message of Christmas:

“Glory to God in highest heaven,
and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased.”
Luke 2:14

much more was intended than a momentary respite from Roman oppression. The idea is an enduring Christian civilization.

Jesus, the Jews, and the Torah

It is a popular myth that

• Jesus threw out the Law in favor of Grace
• The Jews were appalled at Jesus, because the Jews were "legalists" who observed every last detail of Old Testament Law, and were shocked at the idea of deviating from God's Law by one iota.

The Bible says the exact opposite:

• Jesus came to put God's Law into force (Matthew 5:17-20)
• The Jews rejected the Torah in the Scriptures and replaced God's Law with their own man-made customs and traditions (Mark 7:1-16).

For a thorough defense of this contrast, see Jesus and the Law of Moses (Torah). See also Why Jews Don't Believe In Jesus.

According to the father of John the Baptist, this is what this Newborn King would do:

How did Jesus save His people from their enemies?

This is actually a long story that begins in the Old Testament and continues through the end of the New Testament. We saw it here.

In a nutshell, the Apostle John says

And those who rejected Jesus as their Messiah turned out to be the "enemies" Zecharias spoke about, and these enemies were destroyed in AD 70. The "way of peace" is still available, and can still conquer today's enemies.

Gifts: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, sobriety

Enemies: Secularism, Humanism, Anti-Family Sex, Hedonism, Autonomy, Totalitarianism, and Mass Death

For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given,
and the government shall be upon His shoulders.
Isaiah 9:6 

For further study:

www.JesusistheChrist.today

No, Don't "relax." Build.

Top 5 Commentaries on The Gospel of Matthew - Ligonier

 Best Commentaries on Matthew - Tim Challies

People who converted to Christianity from the various Greco-Roman religions did not become immediately and instantly sanctified. They brought into Christian circles their Greco-Roman baggage. They needed to learn the Old Testament Scriptures just as we do. We should not rely on "the Church Fathers" if Scripture is clearly to the contrary.

No Second Coming? People tell me I'm insane (not rational) for believing this. Unhinged. Looney. Not rational.

They'll tell me, "Open your eyes! Just look around! Seriously??"

After I show them my reasons for believing this, they might grant that I'm not irrational, but they say I'm heretical, because even if I have the Bible on my side, I don't have "the Church Fathers" on my side. In fact, some go so far as to say that I'm not a Christian at all for believing this.

When I was younger I did not believe this, and I would have said that anyone who believed this was either non-rational, heretical, or should be excommunicated as a person who cannot possibly be a genuine Christian. Believe me, I know that my views are considered "out there." And this view is the most "out there" of all. Most church-goers are aware that some Christians are "pacifists." That can be tolerated. Some of these Christians, because they oppose killing and extortion, want to have nothing whatever to do with "government," and they are called "anarchists" or "anabaptists" and other insults. They're considered kooky (unlike the violent revolutionary assassins who are called "anarchists" even though they are actually "archists" who want to set up their own new government).

But the claim that the Second Coming of Christ already happened is either dangerously heretical or flat out insane.

How To Interpret the Bible

In order to convince you that I am not insane, I need you to read a couple hundred verses of Scripture (found below). If you're willing to make the effort to get inside the mind of the authors of Scripture, by taking a couple of hours to read a lot of verses you haven't thought about before, you will say something to me like, "OK, you're not insane. I can see why you would come to that conclusion."

But even though you might admit that I'm not insane, you won't be able to admit that the Bible does not teach that Jesus will return in our future.

"If you don't believe in a future coming of Christ," you'll tell me, "you've denied The Faith and you're not even a Christian."

Even though I'm making a rational attempt to follow the teachings of the Bible

The Faith" means "the doctrines of the catholic church." The doctrines of "the church fathers."

Many people have told me I'm not a Christian because of the way I interpret the Bible on the issue of "eschatology." They believe this very strongly and dogmatically.

But their passion is matched by their ignorance of the Bible.

If you're willing to read a couple hundred verses of the Bible and re-think what you've been taught since Sunday School, keep reading. If you're not willing to be a "Berean" and "search the Scriptures," then click here to skip this section.

When I present my case for Preterism, they can't refute it. They can't give me a single verse to support their view or to refute an idea which they furiously believe is a damnable heresy.

I believe the New Testament says that Christ's Second Coming was a coming in judgment against the same generation that witnessed His First Coming.

That judgment happened in the year 70 A.D.

The New Testament has a great deal to say about this event. It is a major theme. Yet most church-goers have never heard of it, and certainly haven't heard about it as often as it is talked about in the pages of the New Testament.

Objections

Many objections have been raised against preterism. I totally understand. This is a shocking idea to most folks.

A consistent ("extreme") preterist claims that all prophecies have been fulfilled. All of them. Already. In our past.

Even those prophecies about a "Second Coming" of Christ. Fulfilled in the past.

This is a jaw-dropping claim for most folks. They would immediately ask how a prophecy like this could have been fulfilled in the first century:

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 heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, and then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and all of the tribes of the land will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven 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 heaven to another (Matthew 24:29-31).

Preterist scholars say Matthew 24 was fulfilled in AD 70 when Jerusalem was destroyed by Roman armies ("preterism"). Other scholars say that the prophecy will be fulfilled in our future ("futurism"). They ask, "How could it possibly be the case that the stars fell from heaven in AD 70?

You've got to be a Berean (Acts 17:11) and "search the Scriptures" to see whether preterism is true. And you need to understand the rules for interpreting Scripture, which are called

How to Become a Whacked-Out Hyper-Preterist

Why should you study Preterism, a doctrine which is so reviled and out of step?

I need to figure out a way to entice you to listen.

So here's what I have to offer.

I believe this: If you wrestle with the arguments for consistent preterism, you will experience

the most profound, beneficial, 
massive, and lasting
personal transformation
of your entire life.

By "wrestle" I mean "take the Bible seriously."

Second, if you're serious about studying this issue, or if you aspire to be some kind of "influencer," I'd like to engage in a little "wager." I'm willing to put up $1,000.00.
I'll wager that if you thoughtfully and prayerfully consider the case for preterism, you will find your entire understanding of the Christian faith will be radically transformed.

I'm serious about the money.
I'll send $1,000.00 to your attorney to be placed in escrow. You read my verses and answer a 5th-grade level comprehension question about each verse. Wrestle with these verses and the contrary claims you have heard in your church and from all the televangelists. If at the end of my presentation you are not convinced that Preterism is a legitimate interpretation of the Bible, your attorney will give you my $1,000.00.

I might expect you to do the same, placing $1,000.00 in escrow which I will be paid if I provide you with the kind of transformation I predict you will experience. But you don't have to do anything. If you want to take me up on this wager, you don't even have to pay me if (when) you lose. Send an email to preterist-escrow at KevinCraig.us and let's make a wager. It will require you to study in depth all five points of Christian Reconstructionism.

What is "Prima Facie?"

Two Latin words, "first" and "face." We might say "first appearance." A "prima facie case" looks like an airtight case. "Open and shut." Enough to convict.

If the Prosecution does not present a "prima facie case" in a court of law, the Defense can move to dismiss the case without even presenting an argument in defense.

But if the Prosecution presents a "prima facie case," then the Defendant will be convicted unless the Defense overcomes the "prima facie case" presented by the Prosecution.

Was Chilton correct to conclude that there are no verses in the Bible that speak to us of a coming of Christ in our future? I believe he was. I realize that sounds crazy. Let me illustrate the preterist way of thinking.

Imagine a UFO lands in your front yard as you are mowing the lawn. The extra-terrestrial being who emerges from the craft informs you that he has come to earth to study the origins of the human race and our history. Rather than the customary "Take me to your leader," he says in effect, "Take me to your historian." Being the good Christian that you are, you give the E.T. a copy of the Bible, telling him (?) that this is the authoritative history of the human race. Being the good Protestant that you are, you also give him a copy of a standard reference work on hermeneutics so that E.T. can properly interpret the Bible.

You do not give him directions to the Vatican to have the Bible properly interpreted for him by "the Church."

When he applies the standard principles of hermeneutics to the prophecies of the Old Testament, he concludes that they have been fulfilled. For example:

• Isaiah 13:9-10 - Fulfilled Prophecy of the fall of Babylon to the Medes in 539 B.C.
• Isaiah 34:4 - Fulfilled Prophecy of the fall of Edom to the Nabataeans in the 5th century B.C.
• Amos 8:9 - Fulfilled prophecy of the doom of Samaria in 722 B.C.

Everyone agrees on the interpretation of these passages, that they were all fulfilled in the past (preterism). This is not an "extreme" position.

But when we come to similar prophetic rhetoric in passages in the New Testament regarding the "end of the world," the "coming of Christ, the "resurrection" and "The Last Judgment," E.T. ignores Hal Lindsay and the doomsdayers of today and comes to the conclusion that these events happened at the Second Coming of Christ, which happened within the lifetime of the generation that witnessed the first advent of Christ. Just as similar prophecies by Isaiah were fulfilled in the past.

The only way E.T. could come to any other conclusion is if he asked Popes and Bishops and other notable teachers of "the church" what the Bible is saying, and relied on their authority. If E.T. uses standard Protestant hermeneutics, E.T. becomes an "extreme preterist."

Let's start with these verses:

• 101 "Any Moment" Verses

Here's a few verses on "this generation":

• This Generation

The difference between a "Full Preterist" and a "Partial Preterist" is that

• The Full Preterist believes that all verses related to eschatology refer to events during the generation that witnessed the incarnation of Christ, AD30 - AD70.
• The Partial Preterist believes that some or even most of those relevant Bible verses may have been intended by their author to point to an event in that generation, but not all. There is at least one verse of Scripture which speaks of an event or events in our future.

If you are a "partial preterist," my question for you is this:

Which verse of Scripture
cannot rationally be interpreted
as having been intended by its author
to point the original audience to an event in their generation?

If there is a verse that cannot refer to the past, it must refer to the [our] future. This verse would disprove Full Preterism.

So I need to present dozens of verses to prove my position, but you only need to present ONE VERSE which will bring down my entire case.

There are more than 100 verses in the New Testament concerning "eschatology."

A "partial preterist" believes that many or most of these verses -- but not all -- have already been fulfilled in the past.

A full preterist believes that all of those verses were fulfilled in the past.

If you're a Partial Preterist, which verse is the Full Preterist misinterpreting?

I would say that the percentage of verses which have a past fulfillment is so predominant, and the energy in those verses (and throughout the New Testament) is so strong, that the "default" assumption should be "preterist." We should assume preterism unless there is clear and convincing evidence of futurism -- evidence from the text of Scripture itself.

That last phrase is critical: "evidence from the text of Scripture itself." We'll see why below.

Maybe your verse is not on that list. That's fine. Please tell me which verse that is, and why no rational person could claim that verse was intended by its author to describe something in the years AD30 - AD70, or why no rational person could deny that the verse was intended by its author to point to our future.

I asked this question on Doug Wilson's blog. Didn't get an answer.

What is "Eschatology?"

We've used that word "eschatology" twice now. What does it mean? It comes from the Greek word ἔσχατος (eschatos), meaning "last," as in

The writers of the New Testament could not have been clearer: they were living in the "last days," the "last times," the "last hour." They were living in the "eschaton." There isn't a single verse in the New Testament which says that the eschaton would begin thousands of years in the future. We are no longer in "the end times." We are in The Beginning Times.

Contents

• Three reasons to read lots of verses
• Challenge by atheists
• What is "the Gospel?"
• What is "Preterism"
• How to Interpret the Bible
• Reading a verse in Context
• 101
• Generation
• Mello
• What vs. When
• Stars Falling
• Coming in Clouds
• A Distant Coming?
• The End of the World?
• Resurrection
• Greek "Fathers" vs. Hebrew Fathers
• The "Apostles Creed" is Mistaken
• David Chilton, Ecclesiastical Preterist
• Danger of Premillennialism
• Mix'n'Match Preterism
• Anarcho-Preterism

• Offer

• Jesus is the Christ

• God's Law, Not Man's Law

• Five Points of Christian Reconstruction

• Postmillennialism

• Why must Christian Reconstruction come to an end?

• Scripture vs. Our Desires

• Making it Persuasive

• Why Does it Matter

• Christ Defeats His Enemies
• Torah