originally posted by: ntech
a reply to: toktaylor
One minor detail there. You are taking verse 34 out of context. You have to ask the question "Which generation is he talking about?" So here's the
context.
Verse 3. The question he's answering.
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?
Verse 34 is a answer to the question "When is the end of the world.
Also Chap. 24 has a number of conditions that needed to be fulfilled before you get to verse 34. Here's 2 of them. Such as verse 14.
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
And verse 15.
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him
understand: )
Also something to consider. Verse 34 is part of a larger statement. The fig tree parable. The chapter and verse numbering system was added long
after the book was written. This is how the fig tree parable should be read.
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye
shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not
pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
So simply put Jesus Christ is referring to a future generation of people who were present when the last required person to fulfill verse 14 heard the
gospel. Not the generation of people present when he was alive.
i would like to ask the question, which version of the bible are you reading? the new american bible i have read clearly shows that he is referring to
the very generation of people he is speaking to..
Jesus falsely prophesies directly to the high priest (Caiphas) that he would live to see his second coming:
Matthew 26:64 "But I tell you: From now on you will see 'the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power' and 'coming on the clouds of
heaven.'"
Mark 14:62 Then Jesus answered, "I am; and 'you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.'"
Jesus mistakenly tells his followers that he will return and establish his kingdom within their lifetime:
Matthew 23:36 "Amen, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation"
Jesus implies that he will return to earth during the lifetime of John:
John 21:22 "If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me."
Jesus claims those standing right before him shall see the Armageddon:
Matthew 16:28 “There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Mark 9:1 "Amen, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come in power."
Luke 9:27 "Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God."
Jesus says that all that he describes, (his return, signs in the sun, moon, wars, stars, etc.) will occur within the lifetime of his listeners. He
purposely defines their generation and not a future one. Considering that none of those signs took place during the resurrection and that he uses the
phrase “heaven and earth shall pass away”, clearly Jesus is prophesizing that nearly 2,000 years ago Armageddon should have occurred:
Luke 21:25-33 "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea
and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they
will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because
your redemption is at hand."
He then used the fig tree analogy, "Consider the fig tree and all the other trees. When their buds burst open,
you see for yourselves and know
that summer is now near; in the same way,
when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.
Amen, I say to you,
this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away."
Matthew 10:23 also has Jesus telling his disciples that the second coming will occur before the disciples finish preaching in Israel: "When they
persecute you in one town, flee to another. Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes."
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Paul stated: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the
trump of God: And the dead Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air: And so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
Paul shared the belief, taught by Jesus, that he expected to be snatched up bodily into heaven with other saints then living, who would, thus, never
taste death. The use of “we” clearly proves as much. It is difficult to deny that Paul was certain that the end of the world was coming in the
lifetime of his contemporaries.
the problem with interpreting biblical prophecy and attempting to apply it to the current era is it requires the assumption that the teachings of
Jesus were intended for far distant generations of people and not just the generations of people of the time he lived. remember, jesus
didn't
actually write any scripture, books, or lessons. he did not write down any of his teachings or prophesy. he did not author a single passage in the
bible. Jesus taught and prophesied to those around him, and there is no biblical evidence that he was referring to the distant future. people
wrote about Jesus and his teachings, but there are no guarantees they didn't take any of his statements out of context.
most of the book of revelation isn't about the end of the world. it's about the persecution of christians in the 1st century roman empire. it isn't
prophesying the future - it's documenting what has already happened.
belief in "end times" relies on dispensationalism, a belief which only came about in the 1830s. there are no bible passages in support of the the
dispensationalist viewpoint.
similiarly, the word "rapture" itself to refer to Jesus grabbing all the living christians off the earth did not appear until the 1909 publication of
the scofield reference bible. the word "rapture" is not found anywhere in the text of the bible itself.
edit on 3-7-2015 by spygeek because:
(no reason given)