Twenty Prophetic Imminence Passages in the New Testament
1. You shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes. (Matthew 10:23)
2. 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, YLT)
3. 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)
4. This generation will not pass away until all these things take place. (Matthew 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32)
5. From now on, you [Caiaphas, the chief priests, the scribes, the elders, the whole Sanhedrin] will 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)
6. These are days of vengeance, in order that all things which are written may be fulfilled. (Luke 21:22)
7. If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? (John 21:22)
8. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose. . . But this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: “And it shall be in the last days. . .” (Acts 2:15-17)
9. 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)
10. The appointed time has grown very short. (1 Corinthians 7:29)
11. The present form of this world is passing away. (1 Corinthians 7:31)
12. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. (1 Corinthians 10:11)
13. 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)
14. For yet in a very, very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay. (Hebrews 10:37)
15. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. (James 5:8)
16. He . . . has appeared in these last times for the sake of you. (1 Peter 1:20)
17. The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. (1 Peter 4:7)
18. It is the last hour. (1 John 2:18)
19. to show to His bond servants, the things which must shortly take place (Revelation 1:1; 22:6)
20. The time is near. (Revelation 1:3; 22:10 compare Daniel 8:26; 12:4)
QUESTION: WHY DO CHRISTIANS ROUTINELY IGNORE OR ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN AWAY THESE PASSAGES?
It is clear that Jesus and the writers of the New Testament taught that THEY were living in the “last days,” and that Jesus would return while some of them were still alive. Where did they get this idea?―from Jesus, of course. Were they wrong? If so, neither the New Testament writers nor Jesus could be inspired—and Christianity falls.
For all 100 prophetic imminence statements, see
https://prophecyquestions.com/preterism-101
The fact is that Christians are divided on exactly how the passages you cite should be interpreted. Christians generally agree that Jesus will return and sit on David's throne in Jerusalem. Christians are not in agreement as to what happens between now and then.
I grew up reading "The Late Great Planet Earth" written in 1970 by Hal Lindsey. At that time, Hal took tried to make the geopolitics of his time match the Book of Revelation. Hal is not alone. There have been Christians through the ages who have attempted to make the geopolitics of their time match the Book of Revelation. Today, there are a number of Christians who focus on nothing but the Book of Revelation. I think this is a mistake. Our focus should be on Christ and spreading the gospel. The reality for every human is that they will die shortly because we are mortal. For Christians, that means they will be present with the Lord when they pass and there will be no litmus test on what they believed about the end times.
There is nothing wrong with making a study of the end times. However, it's a mistake to make that subject your Christian focal point - IMHO.
Everyone is ignoring your post.
You do make a compelling argument. All of these passages have always concerned me. I think it is enough to be a believer, and neither rely on a Rapture or having to suffer through the End Times, except to say you are a follower of Jesus regardless of anything.
To always be ready in Christ is the only answer.