Blessed are all mericful and pure in heart, and those suffering for righteousness' sake, etc. for all times, past, present and futre.
He didn't say blessed are 'you' (the apostles)...or 'you' (the people) but those (or they) who suffer...the merciful, not 'you' merciful, etc.
The Lord's Prayer says "Thy kingdom come..." It means the Kingdom is not here, BD. genhqhtw is aorist (fuutre,something that is to come or beocme yet)
The Beatitudes spell out what qualities of men, of mankind, are dear to God, and what God intends to do with such men.
"The Lord's Prayer says "Thy kingdom come..." It means the Kingdom is not here"
That's one kosta, I'll give you that but raise you:
Mark 1:15, John the Baptist, "The Kingdom of God is at hand."
Matt. 3:2, "Kingdom of Heaven is at hand".
Matt 10:7, "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand".
Matt. 12:28, "Kingdom of god has come unto you".
Luke 11:20, "Kingdom of God is come upon you".
Luke 17:21, "Kingdom of God is within you".
It is the old "realm"-"reign" question. With the exception of verses 11, 12, of what present value is all the blessings if one has to wait until he/she dies to be comforted, inherit the earth, filled,obtain mercy,see God,know that you are a child of God? Jesus says consider the lilies...the Father knows our needs now. For the child of God, the Kingdom is already within and operative for him/her and ultimately will be evidenced in all of the new recreation in the eschaton.
Matt. 5:
3Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
4 Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
5 Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.
7 Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
How many tenses are there in Aramaic? How easily can one make tense interpretations beyond the reach of cavil or dispute?
To me one of the charms of Hebrew is that it gets away with only two clearly distinct tense forms. So when I read, say, the Beatitudes I feel time kind of smooshing together. The distinctions between and among "already" realized eschatology, "not yet" delayed eschatology, "partially already/partially not yet proleptic eschatology" seem to waver before my eyes.
Just as being powerful sometimes looks like an infant or a crucified man, so also being blessed brings persecutions with it, so is not exactly what we had in mind when we saw "Makarioi" the first time. "Blessed" today might look like what a lot of people call "cursed".
And I will be cursed if I don't buy food for the various critters who rely on me.