Free Republic

Our alliance with Israel is a political one, not a biblical one.

For more about this, see my article about the everlasting Israel of God in the new covenant―and the fundamental change to God’s covenant community:

https://prophecyquestions.com/who-is-the-israel-of-god-in-the-new-covenant

WERE GOD’S PROMISES TO ISRAEL FOREVER?

“And I will establish my covenant between you and Me and you and your offspring after you through their generations for an everlasting covenant. . . and I will give to you and your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession.” (Genesis 17:7-8; cf. Genesis 13:15; 48:4; Isaiah 60:21)

“The LORD will establish you as a people holy to himself, as He has sworn to you, IF you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. . . But IF you will not obey. . . the LORD will send on you curses. . . until you are destroyed.” (Deuteronomy 28:9, 15, 20; cf. Zechariah 11:10)

Errors of biblical interpretation arise for several reasons, including:

1. Failure to reconcile all passages that seem to be different.
2. Presuppositions from errors arising from one’s denominational echo chamber (“mass formation hypnosis”).
3. Confusing new covenant things with old covenant things.

The two passages above from Genesis and Deuteronomy appear to be contradictory. On the one hand, God’s promises to Israel are everlasting. On the other hand, they are contingent on obedience. How do we reconcile these? Here’s how:

“God’s promises to Israel were forever so long as they were obedient. If they fail the obedience test, the promises are null and void.”

Continue here for the evidence and resolution of these concepts:

https://prophecyquestions.com/were-gods-promises-to-israel-unconditional-and-forever/

What Does the Bible Say about the Timing of Jesus’ Second Coming?:

https://prophecyquestions.com/what-does-the-bible-say-about-the-timing-of-the-second-coming/

What Does the Bible Say about the Nature of Jesus’ Second Coming?:

https://prophecyquestions.com/what-does-the-bible-say-about-the-nature-of-jesus-second-coming/

Summary. The Israel of God (Galatians 6:16) is not fleshly, national biblical Israel, but rather all believers in Jesus, both Jew and Gentile (Galatians 3:6-9, 25-29)―along with a remnant of Godly believers of old (Romans 11:5) melded into one body (Ephesians 2:15-16). Jesus fulfilled all of the promises to Old Covenant Israel (Matthew 5:17; Luke 1:67-79; 24:44-47; Acts 13:32-34; Romans 1:1-4; 15:8-9; 2 Corinthians 1:20; Galatians 3:16).

“Not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel” (Romans 9:5-8). The kingdom extends beyond faithful Israelites to include Gentiles (Luke 2:32; Acts 9:15; 11:1, 18; Romans 11:11-32). This is not “replacement theology,” but rather “inclusion theology.” The true replacement theology is from C. I. Scofield who said that the church will end in failure and be replaced by national Israel. Here are supporting passages:

Genesis 12:3. So many have misquoted this passage. God said to Abram, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.” God was not talking to Israel, He was talking to Abram before he became the father of Ishmael, Isaac and 6 other sons by his third wife Keturah. And Jesus never told his disciples He would bless those who blessed Israel and curse those who cursed Israel.

Galatians 6:14-16. In the context of the rest of Galatians (3:15-29; etc.), Paul refers to the “ISRAEL OF GOD” as those who walk according to the Spirit—by faith in Jesus Christ (and specifically not by works of the Jewish Old Covenant ceremonial law, including circumcision).

Galatians 3:6-9, 25-29. Heirs to the promise, i.e. the true sons of Abraham, come from faith in Christ, not physical descent. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female―for every believer is united in Christ.

Galatians 4:21-31, Hebrews 12:22-29. Physical Jerusalem, that is, the old covenant, is cast out making way for the New Spiritual Jerusalem (“the Jerusalem above”)—the new children of the promise, thus the church.

Matthew 3:7-11. John the Baptist tells the Pharisees and Sadducees not to count on their physical descent. Indeed, they are about to be cut down in the wrath about to come (AD 70).

Matthew 21:18-19. Jesus curses the fig tree, an Old Testament symbol for Old Covenant Israel (Jeremiah 24; Hosea 9:10; Luke 13:6-9), and the fig tree withered away forever.

Matthew 21:33-45. Parable of the Tenants. Jesus tells the Jews that the kingdom is being taken away from them and given to another group, obviously the church. (cf. Isaiah 65:16)

Matthew 22:1-4. The Parable of the Wedding Feast. It was obviously the Jews who were invited to the wedding, but their refusal to accept Christ as Messiah would lead to their demise—“destroyed those murderers and burned their city.” (Matthew 23, the next chapter, details why the Jews were the object of Jesus’ wrath. Not only were they exceedingly sinful, but also refused to accept Him as Savior.)

John 1:12-13. The children of God are believers, and not by blood.

John 8:31-47. Jesus explains to the Jews of his day that they are not truly offspring of Abraham, but rather are offspring of the devil.

John 18:36. Jesus said that his kingdom is not of this world. That declaration alone eliminates modern Israel as belonging to God’s kingdom.

Romans 2:28-29. “For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not the letter.”

Romans 9:5-8. Paul taught that not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel (“FOR THEY ARE NOT ALL ISRAEL WHO ARE ISRAEL”), and not all are children of Abraham. It is not the children of the flesh (i.e. their ethnicity) who are children of God (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:16.)

Romans 11:5, 11-32. Israel is all Christ-believing Jews and Gentiles. Jews who reject Christ are broken branches (11:19-21). Gentiles are grafted in by faith in the Hebrew Messiah, along with a remnant of faithful Jews (11:5). “All Israel will be saved” (v. 26) does not mean all genetic Jews will be saved, which would be nonsense and contrary to everything taught in the New Testament. Further, a genetic link of modern Jews to Abraham cannot be verified anyway.

Ephesians 2:11-3:13. Gentiles are no longer aliens but are fellow citizens in a new dwelling place, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets (cf. Revelation 21:14).

Ephesians 2:15-16. Jews and Gentiles became “one new man in place of two,” thus “one body.”

Philippians 3:3. The church is the real “circumcision.” Circumcision is the special sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and Israel (Genesis 17:10, 13), so the Christian church has become God’s covenantal people.

Colossians 1:13, Revelation 1:6. The first century Christians were already in the kingdom, which is the church.

Colossians 2:6-3:17. Paul explains in this passage that physical circumcision had been replaced by spiritual circumcision, thus spiritual Israel—believers being made spiritually alive IN CHRIST. (See also Philippians 3:3).

Hebrews 8:5-13. The Old Covenant was being replaced by a New Covenant as predicted in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 31:31-34; etc.)

Hebrews 9:22, Leviticus 17:11. Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins. The Jewish practice of sacrifices for sin ended when the temple was destroyed in AD 70 (and did not begin anew in 1948). This is adequate evidence in itself that the modern state of Israel is not biblical Israel.

1 Peter 2:4-10. The new chosen race is the Christian church (building motif).

1 John 2:23; 2 John 9. Anyone who denies Christ does not have God. (That would exclude non-believing Jews from the kingdom.)

Revelation 2:9; 3:9. There are those who say they are Jews, but are really are a “synagogue of Satan.”

Revelation 19:7, 21:2, 9-27. The New Jerusalem is the bride of Christ, the church—which is built on the foundation of the apostles (ref. Ephesians 2:20).

Conclusions. This is about the changing of the covenants. Israel’s covenant with God was contingent on obedience (Deuteronomy 28-32)! Throughout the Bible, Israel’s relationship with God is portrayed as a marriage (Isaiah 54:5; 62:4; Jeremiah 2:2; 3:14, 20; 31:31-34; Ezekiel 16:8, 32, 38; Hosea 2:2, 7, 16; Malachi 2:14). Whenever Israel was unfaithful, she is characterized as a harlot or adulterer (Deuteronomy 31:16-18; Isaiah 1:21; Jeremiah 2:20; 3:6-9; Ezekiel 6:8-9; 16:15, 26, 28; Hosea 1:2; 6:10; 9:1).

The central theme of Revelation is a story of two women—the harlot Babylon who is judged/divorced (Revelation 17:1, 5, 15; 18:9, 21; 19:2) and God’s new bride the New Jerusalem (Revelation 19:7; 21:2, 9). The faithless harlot Babylon is the “great city” (Revelation 18:10) and is identified as Jerusalem (Revelation 11:8, “the city where the Lord was slain”)―thus apostate Old Covenant Israel. The new bride is the Christian church, the wife of the Lamb, the New Jerusalem (Revelation 3:12; 19:7; 21:2, 9-27). Compare to the Parable of the Wedding Feast in Matthew 22:1-14, as well as such passages as John 3:29; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:25-27.

The notion that Israel is separate from the church, and that Israel will re-emerge as pre-eminent among nations as dispensationalists think, is not supported by the texts. Modern day Israel has no legitimate claim to be God’s children since modern Jews cannot trace their lineage to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob by DNA or any other method. It’s not about land, but rather about relationship and Christianity throughout the whole world. Modern day Israel is not a Godly nation, and certainly not a Christian nation. The reason for America’s relationship with Israel is because Israel is the only democracy in the region. It’s about politics and has nothing to do with religion or Bible prophecy.

Source: https://prophecyquestions.com/who-is-the-israel-of-god-in-the-new-covenant/

Chapter 7: THE BIBLICAL LAST DAYS: As Defined by Scripture

Are you looking for current events to identify the “biblical last days” or “end times?” If so, you are reading your own presuppositions into the text. Theologians call that “eisegesis.” That’s an illegitimate methodology for biblical interpretation. Instead, we should be trying to glean the meaning intended by the biblical authors themselves―and the understanding held by the original audience, i.e. “exegesis.” Let’s avoid newspaper eschatology and let the Bible itself define the “last days” or “end times.”

The Bible never speaks about the end of the world―only about end of the AGE. The King James Version of the Bible has misled readers for 400 years. For example, in the book of Matthew in the KJV we see the phrase “end of the world” (Matthew 13:36-50; 24:2-3; 28:18-20). But the Greek word for “world” in these passages is not KOSMOS, but rather AION. AION is better translated as “age.” Most modern translations have corrected that error, rendering it “end of the age.” The END is about the close of the old covenant age, which ended in finality in AD 70 when Jerusalem fell and the temple was destroyed.

In the New Testament, there are 19 primary texts about the last days/end times (or end of the age). The writers of the New Testament spoke with one voice that THEY were living in the last days. Contrary to popular opinion, the setting and fulfillment of the last days can only be placed within the first century! Here are eight passages, which one can ignore, futurize, or try to explain away―but you cannot do that and deal honestly with the text:

• “The appointed time has grown VERY SHORT. . . . For the present form of the world IS PASSING AWAY.” (Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 7:29-31)

• “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.” (Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 10:11)

• “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in THESE LAST DAYS He has spoken to us by his Son. . . .” (Writer of Hebrews, Hebrews 1:1-2)

• “He has appeared once for all at THE END OF THE AGES to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Writer of Hebrews, Hebrews 9:26)

• “YOU have laid up treasure IN THE LAST DAYS.” (James 5:3b)

• “He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but WAS MADE MANIFEST IN THE LAST TIMES for your sake.” (Apostle Peter, 1 Peter 1:20)

• “The END OF ALL THINGS is AT HAND.” (Apostle Peter, 1 Peter 4:7)

• “Children, IT IS THE LAST HOUR.” (Apostle John, 1 John 2:18)

Here are the other eleven passages, which you may want to look up and compare to the above: Matthew 13:38-42; 24:2-3; 13-16 (ref. v. 34); Acts 2:14-20; 1 Corinthians 1:8; 15:24; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Hebrews 3:14; 1 Peter 1:5-7; Jude 17-23. Each of these passages, either by direct statement or implication, teach the same thing. It is clear. You cannot push the last days beyond the generation of men who were writing the New Testament without doing violence to the text.

There is only one logical conclusion. The last days are not about the end of the world. In fact, the Bible never speaks about the end of the physical universe, and teaches that the earth abides forever in some sense (Psalm 78:69; 104:5; 148:3-6; Ecclesiastes 1:4; Ephesians 3:21). They are not about a supposed end of the Christian age, which has no end (Daniel 2:44; 7:14; Isaiah 9:7; Luke 1:31-33; etc.). They are not about a future millennium. Rather, they marked the last days of the OLD COVENANT AGE, which came to a violent end in AD 70 at the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple.

This is confirmed by the writer of Hebrews who declared, “In speaking of a new covenant, He makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” (Hebrews 8:13) So, what was coming to a close in the first century? The last days of what? The old covenant order!

Let’s put something else to bed. The last days did not just begin in the first century―and continue until now. That would make the end time longer than the period to which it was an end! That is, we have been in the new covenant era for 2,000 years, which is longer than the old covenant era which was 1,500 years, beginning with Moses and lasted till the first century (Hebrews 8:8-13).

The culmination of the last days/end times was in the near future of the New Testament writers, and was expected to occur during their lifetimes. “At hand” and “It is the last hour” cannot be 2,000 years later. The biblical last days were the END OF SOMETHING―NOT THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING.

Where do you suppose that these writers of the New Testament got such an idea? Well, from our Lord himself, of course, in such passages as in Matthew 21-24. In these and many other passages, Jesus placed the “end” at the time of the destruction of the temple, during his own generation (Matthew 24:1-3, 14, 34).

(This is Chapter 7 of my book Prophecy Primer. To see the Table of Contents of the book, at Amazon click on “Read Sample” at Amazon.)

THE BIBLICAL LAST DAYS: As Defined by Scripture

Are you looking for current events to identify the “biblical last days” of “End Times”? If so, you are reading your own presuppositions into the text. Theologians call that “eisegesis.” That’s an illegitimate methodology for biblical interpretation. Instead, we should be trying to glean the meaning intended by the biblical authors themselves―and the understanding of the original audience, i.e. “exegesis.” Let’s avoid newspaper-eschatology and go to the Bible to define the “last days” or “end times.”

The Bible never speaks about the end of the world―only about end of the AGE. The King James Version of the Bible has misled readers for 400 years. For example, in the book of Matthew we see the phrase “end of the world” (Matthew 13:36-50; 24:2-3; 28:18-20). But the Greek word for “world” in these passages is not KOSMOS, but rather AION. AION is better translated as “age.” Most modern translations have corrected that error, rendering it “end of the age.” The END is about the close of the old covenant age, which ended in finality in AD 70 when Jerusalem fell and the temple was destroyed.

Now, let’s consider an important passage from the Old Testament: Daniel 12. This chapter is about the “TIME OF THE END” (12:4, 6, 8, 9, 13). The fulfillment of this passage is clearly delineated. It would be fulfilled when “the power of the holy people comes to an end” (12:7) and when “the regular burnt offering is taken away” (12:11). This clearly happened in AD 70 when God sent the Roman army as the instrument of his judgment against Old Covenant Israel. At that time, the temple was destroyed and the historic Jewish animal sacrifices for sin ended forever (Matthew 23:1-24:2; Luke 21:20-24). This was the Abomination of Desolation predicted by Daniel (12:11) and Jesus (Matthew 24:15). Jesus said all this would happen in his own generation (Matthew 23:35; 24:34).

In the New Testament, there are 19 primary texts about the last days/end times (or end of the age). The writers of the New Testament spoke with one voice that THEY were living in the last days. Contrary to popular opinion, the setting and fulfillment of the last days can only be placed within the first century! Here are seven passages, which one can ignore, futurize, or try to explain away―but you cannot do that and deal honestly with the text:

• “The appointed time has grown VERY SHORT. . . . For the present form of the world IS PASSING AWAY.” (Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 7:29-31)

• “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.” (Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 10:11)

• “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in THESE LAST DAYS He has spoken to us by his Son. . . .” (Writer of Hebrews, Hebrews 1:1-2)

• “He has appeared once for all at THE END OF THE AGES to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Writer of Hebrews, Hebrews 9:26)

• “He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but WAS MADE MANIFEST IN THE LAST TIMES for your sake.” (Apostle Peter, 1 Peter 1:20)

• “The END OF ALL THINGS is AT HAND.” (Apostle Peter, 1 Peter 4:7)

• “Children, IT IS THE LAST HOUR.” (Apostle John, 1 John 2:18)

Here are the other twelve, which I suggest you look up and compare in context to the above: Matthew 13:38-42; 24:2-3; 13-16 (ref. v. 34); Acts 2:14-20; 1 Corinthians 1:8; 15:24; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Hebrews 3:14; James 5:1-6; 1 Peter 1:5-7; Jude 17-23. It is clear. You cannot push the last days beyond the generation of men who were writing the New Testament without doing violence to the text.

There is only one logical conclusion. The last days are not about the end of the world. In fact, the Bible never speaks about the end of the physical universe, and indeed teaches that the earth abides forever in some sense (Psalm 78:69; 104:5; 148:3-6; Ecclesiastes 1:4; Ephesians 3:21). They are not about a supposed end of the Christian age, which has no end (Daniel 2:44; Isaiah 9:7; Luke 1:31-33; etc.). They are not about a future millennium. Rather, they marked the last days of the OLD COVENANT AGE, which came to a violent end in AD 70 at the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple.

This is confirmed by the writer of Hebrews who declared, “In speaking of a new covenant, He makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” (Hebrews 8:13) So, what was coming to a close in the first century? The Last Days of what? The Old Covenant order!

Let’s put something else to bed. The last days/end times did not just begin in the first century―and continue until now. That would make the end time longer than the period to which it was an end! That is, we have been in the New Covenant era for 2,000 years, which is longer than the Old Covenant era which was 1500 years, beginning with Moses and lasted till the first century (Hebrews 8:5-13). “At hand” and “It is the last hour” cannot be 2,000 years later. The biblical last days were the END OF SOMETHING―NOT THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING.

The culmination of the last days/end times were in the near future to the New Testament writers:
• Writer of Hebrews―Hebrews 3:14
• Paul―2 Timothy 3:1-5
• Peter―1 Peter 1:5; 1 Peter 4:7
• John―1 John 2:17-18
• Jesus―Matthew 24:14 (ref. Luke 2:1; Romans 1:8; 10:18; 16:26; Colossians 1:6, 23)

AD 70 is when God judged Israel for her sins (Matthew 23:35-36), her refusal to accept Jesus as Messiah (Matthew 23:37-39), and for her participation with the Roman authorities in Jesus’ conviction and crucifixion (Matthew 27:24-25). This was the end of biblical Judaism. No longer would the temple be the focus of faith, but rather Jesus became the focus (John 2:19-21; Revelation 21:22).

Where do you suppose that these writers of the New Testament got such an idea? Well, from our Lord himself, of course, in such passages as Matthew 21-24. In these and many other passages, Jesus placed the “end” at the time of the destruction of the temple, during his own generation (Matthew 24:1-3, 14, 34).

For more detail on the end-times passages, see the section on the Last Days/End Times at my website:

https://prophecyquestions.com/category/last-days

Did he stop the father or the son?

The fall of dispensationalism. On this program, TBN host Matthew Crouch (son of the founders of TBN Paul and Jan Crouch) interviews 3 men who are former dispensationalists. From left to right is author David Holland, Pastor Mike Hayes (founder of Covenant Church of the Dallas area), and theologian/author Dudley Hall. This is an earthquake in American evangelicalism. TBN has other similar programs recently. These TBN programs follow the book “THE RISE AND FALL OF DISPENSATIONALISM by Daniel Hummel, which is also making similar waves.

THE BIBLICAL LAST DAYS: As Defined by Scripture

Are you looking for current events to identify the “biblical last days” of “End Times”? If so, you are reading your own presuppositions into the text. Theologians call that “eisegesis.” That’s an illegitimate methodology for biblical interpretation. Instead, we should be trying to glean the meaning intended by the biblical authors themselves―and the understanding of the original audience, i.e. “exegesis.” Let’s avoid newspaper-eschatology and go to the Bible to define the “last days” or “end times.”

The Bible never speaks about the end of the world―only about end of the AGE. The King James Version of the Bible has misled readers for 400 years. For example, in the book of Matthew we see the phrase “end of the world” (Matthew 13:36-50; 24:2-3; 28:18-20). But the Greek word for “world” in these passages is not KOSMOS, but rather AION. AION is better translated as “age.” Most modern translations have corrected that error, rendering it “end of the age.” The END is about the close of the old covenant age, which ended in finality in AD 70 when Jerusalem fell and the temple was destroyed.

Now, let’s consider an important passage from the Old Testament: Daniel 12. This chapter is about the “TIME OF THE END” (12:4, 6, 8, 9, 13). The fulfillment of this passage is clearly delineated. It would be fulfilled when “the power of the holy people comes to an end” (12:7) and when “the regular burnt offering is taken away” (12:11). This clearly happened in AD 70 when God sent the Roman army as the instrument of his judgment against Old Covenant Israel. At that time, the temple was destroyed and the historic Jewish animal sacrifices for sin ended forever (Matthew 23:1-24:2; Luke 21:20-24). This was the Abomination of Desolation predicted by Daniel (12:11) and Jesus (Matthew 24:15). Jesus said all this would happen in his own generation (Matthew 23:35; 24:34).

In the New Testament, there are 19 primary texts about the last days/end times (or end of the age). The writers of the New Testament spoke with one voice that THEY were living in the last days. Contrary to popular opinion, the setting and fulfillment of the last days can only be placed within the first century! Here are seven passages, which one can ignore, futurize, or try to explain away―but you cannot do that and deal honestly with the text:

• “The appointed time has grown VERY SHORT. . . . For the present form of the world IS PASSING AWAY.” (Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 7:29-31)

• “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.” (Apostle Paul, 1 Corinthians 10:11)

• “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in THESE LAST DAYS He has spoken to us by his Son. . . .” (Writer of Hebrews, Hebrews 1:1-2)

• “He has appeared once for all at THE END OF THE AGES to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.” (Writer of Hebrews, Hebrews 9:26)

• “He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but WAS MADE MANIFEST IN THE LAST TIMES for your sake.” (Apostle Peter, 1 Peter 1:20)

• “The END OF ALL THINGS is AT HAND.” (Apostle Peter, 1 Peter 4:7)

• “Children, IT IS THE LAST HOUR.” (Apostle John, 1 John 2:18)

Here are the other twelve, which I suggest you look up and compare in context to the above: Matthew 13:38-42; 24:2-3; 13-16 (ref. v. 34); Acts 2:14-20; 1 Corinthians 1:8; 15:24; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Hebrews 3:14; James 5:1-6; 1 Peter 1:5-7; Jude 17-23. It is clear. You cannot push the last days beyond the generation of men who were writing the New Testament without doing violence to the text.

There is only one logical conclusion. The last days are not about the end of the world. In fact, the Bible never speaks about the end of the physical universe, and indeed teaches that the earth abides forever in some sense (Psalm 78:69; 104:5; 148:3-6; Ecclesiastes 1:4; Ephesians 3:21). They are not about a supposed end of the Christian age, which has no end (Daniel 2:44; Isaiah 9:7; Luke 1:31-33; etc.). They are not about a future millennium. Rather, they marked the last days of the OLD COVENANT AGE, which came to a violent end in AD 70 at the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple.

This is confirmed by the writer of Hebrews who declared, “In speaking of a new covenant, He makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” (Hebrews 8:13) So, what was coming to a close in the first century? The Last Days of what? The Old Covenant order!

Let’s put something else to bed. The last days/end times did not just begin in the first century―and continue until now. That would make the end time longer than the period to which it was an end! That is, we have been in the New Covenant era for 2,000 years, which is longer than the Old Covenant era which was 1500 years, beginning with Moses and lasted till the first century (Hebrews 8:5-13). “At hand” and “It is the last hour” cannot be 2,000 years later. The biblical last days were the END OF SOMETHING―NOT THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING.

The culmination of the last days/end times were in the near future to the New Testament writers:
• Writer of Hebrews―Hebrews 3:14
• Paul―2 Timothy 3:1-5
• Peter―1 Peter 1:5; 1 Peter 4:7
• John―1 John 2:17-18
• Jesus―Matthew 24:14 (ref. Luke 2:1; Romans 1:8; 10:18; 16:26; Colossians 1:6, 23)

AD 70 is when God judged Israel for her sins (Matthew 23:35-36), her refusal to accept Jesus as Messiah (Matthew 23:37-39), and for her participation with the Roman authorities in Jesus’ conviction and crucifixion (Matthew 27:24-25). This was the end of biblical Judaism. No longer would the temple be the focus of faith, but rather Jesus became the focus (John 2:19-21; Revelation 21:22).

Where do you suppose that these writers of the New Testament got such an idea? Well, from our Lord himself, of course, in such passages as Matthew 21-24. In these and many other passages, Jesus placed the “end” at the time of the destruction of the temple, during his own generation (Matthew 24:1-3, 14, 34).

For more detail on the end-times passages, see the section on the Last Days/End Times at my website:

https://prophecyquestions.com/category/last-days

Yes all Israel would be saved, but who is the true Israel?

WHO IS THE TRUE ISRAEL OF GOD IN THE NEW COVENANT?

Summary. The Israel of God is not fleshly, national Israel, but rather all believers in Jesus, both Jew and Gentile (Galatians 3:6-9, 25-29)―along with a remnant of Godly believers of old (Romans 11:5)―melded into one body (Ephesians 2:15-16). Jesus fulfilled all of the promises to Old Covenant Israel (Matthew 5:17; Luke 1:67-79; 24:44-47; Acts 13:32-34; Romans 1:1-4; 15:8-9; 2 Corinthians 1:20; Galatians 3:16).

“Not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel” (Romans 9:5-8). The church extends beyond faithful Israelites to include Gentiles (Luke 2:32; Acts 9:15; 11:1, 18; Romans 11:11-32). This is not “replacement theology,” but rather “inclusion theology.” Here are supporting passages:

Galatians 6:14-16. In the context of the rest of Galatians (3:15-29; etc.), Paul refers to the “ISRAEL OF GOD” as those who walk according to the Spirit—by faith in Jesus Christ (and specifically not by works of the Jewish Old Covenant ceremonial law, including circumcision).

Galatians 3:6-9, 25-29. Heirs to the promise, i.e. the true sons of Abraham, come from faith in Christ, not physical descent.

Galatians 4:21-31. Physical Jerusalem, that is, the old covenant, is cast out making way for the New Spiritual Jerusalem (“the Jerusalem above”)—the new children of the promise.

Matthew 3:7-11. John the Baptist tells the Pharisees and Sadducees not to count on their physical descent. Indeed, they are about to be cut down in the wrath about to come (AD 70).

Matthew 21:18-19. Jesus curses the fig tree, an Old Testament symbol for Old Covenant Israel (Jeremiah 24; Hosea 9:10; Luke 13:6-9), and the fig tree withered away forever.

Matthew 21:33-45. Parable of the Tenants. Jesus tells the Jews that the kingdom is being taken away from them and given to another group, obviously the church. (cf. Isaiah 65:16)

Matthew 22:1-4. The Parable of the Wedding Feast. It was obviously the Jews who were invited to the wedding, but their refusal to accept Christ as Messiah would lead to their demise—“destroyed those murderers and burned their city.” (Matthew 23, the next chapter, details why the Jews were the object of Jesus’ wrath. Not only were they exceedingly sinful, but also refused to accept Him as Savior.)

John 1:12-13. The children of God are believers, and not by blood.

John 8:31-47. Jesus explains to the Jews of his day that they are not truly offspring of Abraham, but rather are offspring of the devil.

Romans 2:28-29. “For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not the letter.”

Romans 9:5-8. Paul taught that not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel (“FOR THEY ARE NOT ALL ISRAEL WHO ARE ISRAEL”), and not all are children of Abraham. It is not the children of the flesh (i.e. their ethnicity) who are children of God (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:16.)

Romans 11:5, 11-32. Israel is all Christ-believing Jews and Gentiles. Jews who reject Christ are broken branches (11:19-21). Gentiles are grafted in by faith in the Hebrew Messiah, along with a remnant of faithful Jews (11:5). “All Israel will be saved” (v. 26) does not mean all genetic Jews will be saved, which would be nonsense and contrary to everything taught in the New Testament. Further, a genetic link of modern Jews to Abraham cannot be verified anyway.

Continue here:

https://prophecyquestions.com/who-is-the-israel-of-god-in-the-new-covenant

WERE GOD’S PROMISES TO ISRAEL UNCONDITIONAL AND FOREVER?

“And I will establish my covenant between you and Me, and you and your offspring after you, through their generations for an everlasting covenant. . . and I will give to you and your offspring after you the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession.” (Genesis 17:7-8; cf. Genesis 13:14-15; 48:4; Isaiah 60:21)

“The LORD will establish you as a people holy to himself, as He has sworn to you, IF you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in his ways. . . But IF you will not obey. . . the LORD will send on you curses. . . until you are destroyed.” (Deuteronomy 28:9, 15, 20. See also Deuteronomy 29-32; Leviticus 18:28; 26:14-46; Joshua 23:15-16; 1 Kings 9:6-9, and Zechariah 11:10.)

Errors of biblical interpretation arise for several reasons, including:

1. Failure to reconcile all passages on the same topic, especially when they seem to be different.
2. Erroneous presuppositions from errors arising from one’s denominational echo chamber (“mass formation hypnosis”).
3. Confusing new covenant things with old covenant things.

The two passages above from Genesis and Deuteronomy appear to be contradictory. On the one hand, God’s promises to Israel are everlasting. On the other hand, they are contingent on obedience. How do we reconcile these? Here’s how:

“God’s promises to Israel were forever so long as they were obedient. If they fail the obedience test, the promises are null and void. There is a limit to God’s patience.”

Was Israel obedient? NO. Because of this disobedience, God took the blessings of the covenant away from the Jews as we see in such passages as this from the Parable of the Tenants (Matthew 21:33-45):

“Therefore, I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. . . When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that He was speaking about them.” (Matthew 21:43, 45)― leaving a remnant of faithful Jews to be saved along with believers in Christ―the new Israel of God (Romans 11).

The Old Testament declared that the land promises to Israel had been fulfilled (Joshua 21:43-45; 23:14-15; 1 Kings 8:56; Nehemiah 9:7-8). The New Testament declares that all God’s covenant promises were fulfilled in Jesus (Matthew 5:17; Luke 1:68-73; Acts 13:32-33; Romans 15:8-9; 2 Corinthians 1:20; Galatians 3;16; Hebrews 8:6-13).

Further, according to Kenneth Gentry, “First, lexically, the Hebrew word translated ‘forever’ is olam. It does not necessarily indicate unending perpetuity, but may represent a long period of time. For instance, it applies to the Old Testament sacrificial system, as in the practice of the Passover (which was fulfilled in Christ, Exo. 12:14, 17, 24), the continuation of offerings for the Aaronic priesthood (which has long since vanished, Exo. 29:28; cp. Exo. 40:15; Num. 25:13), and the permanence of the temple (which was fulfilled in Christ and destroyed in AD 70, 2 Chron. 7:16). Clearly these samples of ‘forever’ do not speak of unending duration, not even until the end of temporal history. This is further confirmed when ‘forever’ speaks of the permanent status in Israel of a slave who wants to remain with his master’s house (Exo. 21:6) and the memorial stones set up by Joshua (Josh. 4:7).”

It was necessary that the old covenant and what was connected to it should be fulfilled and vanish away, in order that a place might be found for the new and everlasting covenant, the “BETTER covenant, which was established upon BETTER PROMISES” (Hebrews 8:6-13).

“In speaking of a new covenant, He makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.” (Hebrews 8:13)

The new covenant began at the cross, being announced at the Last Supper when Jesus declared “This cup is the new covenant in my blood which is poured out for you” (Luke 22:20). The New Covenant is eternal (Hebrews 13:20). There is no third covenant and no backpedaling to the first.

The old covenant was ready to VANISH AWAY. It was imminent. That is completely clear. You just cannot whitewash that without doing violence to the text! The ceremonial aspects of the old covenant (especially the sacrificial system) went away when the temple was destroyed in AD 70. Only the moral aspects of the Law remained, as the New Testament re-affirmed at least nine of the Ten Commandments as valid.
For in Romans 4:9-25 Paul shows what was in God’s sight for Abraham’s children was to be not only of a natural line of posterity, but also “the father of ALL them that believe, though they are not circumcised.” And in that connection, he refers to the promise we are considering, and says: “For the promise that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the LAW, but through the righteousness of FAITH” (v. 13).
Here we get a view of the vast extent and the TRUE character of this promise; and we see also that the heirs of the promise are, not Abraham’s natural descendants, but his SPIRITUAL children. And this is confirmed by what is written in Galatians 3:7 and 3:29. “Understand, then, that (all) those who believe ARE children of Abraham… And if you belong to Christ, then YOU ARE Abraham’s seed, and HEIRS according to the PROMISE.”

But, why did God take the blessings of the kingdom away from the Jews? ANSWER:

1. They were exceeding sinful (Matthew 12:38-39; 16:4; 23:13-38; Luke 9:41).

2. They broke the old covenant (Hebrews 8:8-9).

3. They persecuted and killed Jesus’ followers (Matthew 21:34-36; 22:5-6; 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16; Revelation 18:20-24). Indeed, according to Jesus, the first century Jews would suffer the penalty for all the righteous blood ever shed (Matthew 23:35-36).

4. They refused to accept Jesus as Messiah (Matthew 23:37).

5. They participated with Rome in Jesus’ crucifixion (Matthew 21:37-39; 27:24-26; John 19:15.)

Can we be certain that the warnings to Israel in Deuteronomy 28-32 were fulfilled in the first century? Yes! Jesus tied the fulfillment of Deuteronomy 28-32 to his own generation multiple times. For example, the time of VENGEANCE from Deuteronomy 32:35, 41, 43 was the first-century generation. Jesus said, “THESE are the days of VENGEANCE to fulfill all that is written” (Luke 21:22, 32). Jesus also echoed the Deuteronomy prophecy about a “perverse generation” (Deuteronomy 32:20), and told the Jews of his day that THEY were that generation (Matthew 12:38-39, 42; Luke 11:29-32).

The New Testament writers affirmed their own generation as the “perverse/crooked” one (Acts 2:40; Romans 10:19; Philippians 2:13-15). In Matthew 3:1-12, John the Baptist introduced Jesus to the world―not concerning the good news of the gospel―but rather concerning the wrath which was “about to come” (Matthew 3:7, Julia Smith Literal Translation). Indeed, Jesus would baptize them (the Pharisees and Sadducees) with fire (Matthew 3:11). The axe was already laid at the root of the tree (Matthew 3:10), teaching that the judgment prophesied in Malachi 3-4 was imminent. The judgment was indeed imminent and ties perfectly with the fall of Jerusalem and destruction of the temple in AD 70.

In Matthew 23:29-39 Jesus told the Jews of his day that THEY were the target of his wrath, upon whom judgment for the blood of all the prophets EVER IN HISTORY would befall, fulfilling the prophecy from Deuteronomy 32:43! Of further note, Revelation echoes this condemnation against “the great city Babylon” (Revelation 18:21-24) which is clearly identified as the “city where the Lord was slain” (Revelation 11:8-9), again confirming that the Great Judgment was against Jerusalem—an event which would “shortly take place” (Revelation 1:1-3; 18:10; 22:6-20).

Is God finished with Israel? Yes, but only old-covenant Israel, not new-covenant spiritual Israel. It’s not about land, but about the spread of Christianity over the whole world.

The truly everlasting covenant would be the New Covenant in Christ (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 37:26-27; Hebrews 13:20)―a kingdom that cannot be shaken (Hebrews 12:28).

But wait. What about 1948? Doesn’t that prove the Jews were in God’s favor forever? Well, a nineteen-hundred-year gap is not exactly forever. Further, there are passages that confirm that the judgment of God against the Jews in AD 70 was indefinite. For example: In Matthew 21:18-19, Jesus curses the fig tree, an Old Testament symbol for Old Covenant Israel (Jeremiah 24; Hosea 9:10; Luke 13:6-9). And the fig tree withered away permanently. Then, consider Matthew 21:33-45, the Parable of the Tenants. Jesus tells the Jews that the kingdom is being taken away from them and given to another group, obviously the church. (cf. Isaiah 65:16) And in Matthew 23:34-36, Jesus himself condemns the Jews of his day, telling them that THEY would suffer the penalty for all the righteous blood ever shed on earth.

In Romans 11:5, 11-32, Israel is all Christ-believing Jews and Gentiles. Jews who reject Christ are broken branches (11:19-21). Gentiles are grafted in by faith in the Hebrew Messiah, along with a remnant of faithful Jews (11:5). “All Israel will be saved” (v. 26) does not mean all genetic Jews will be saved, which would be nonsense and contrary to everything taught in the New Testament. Further, a genetic link of modern Jews to Abraham cannot be verified anyway. In Revelation 21:22, At the AD 70 final judgment of old covenant Israel, the temple was destroyed, to be replaced by Jesus as the permanent focus of our worship.

1948 has nothing to do with biblical Israel or prophecy. The modern state of Israel is not even a religious state. And Jesus said that his kingdom is not of this world. That declaration alone eliminates modern Israel as belonging to God’s kingdom (John 18:36). Further, the genetic line from Abraham cannot be proven. We can only conclude that that national Israel today has nothing to do with the Bible or biblical prophecy.

For more about this, see my article about the everlasting Israel of God in the new covenant―and the fundamental change to God’s covenant community:

https://prophecyquestions.com/who-is-the-israel-of-god-in-the-new-covenant

What does the Bible say?

https://prophecyquestions.com/what-does-the-bible-say-about-the-timing-of-the-second-coming/

TWO RESURRECTIONS

By Charles S. Meek

The Bible speaks of two types of death—spiritual death and bodily death. It follows that there are two types of resurrections—a spiritual one and a bodily one. Spiritual “resurrection” (in quotes) is what happens to the LIVING. Bodily resurrection is what happens to physically DEAD people. Jesus spoke of both types of death in Matthew 8:22 when He said, “Let the dead bury the dead.”

This dual reality should not be surprising as we find it elsewhere. For example, there are spiritual battles (Ephesians 6:12) and battles of physical war (Luke 21:20-24).

Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:35 asks the question: “But someone will ask, ‘How are the dead raised. With what kind of body do they come?’” The nature of after-life bodies is referred to as the “soul” (Revelation 20:4), “spirit” (1 Peter 3:19-21), or “spiritual bodies” (1 Corinthians 15:35-49). Jesus said we will be like angels in heaven (Luke 20:36). The appearance of Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration in recognizable bodily form (Matthew 17:3) gives us a glimpse of the nature of our afterlife bodies. We can conclude that we will have actual bodies in heaven, though different from our old flesh-and-bone bodies. I call this the “Personhood View” of the resurrection, otherwise referred to as the Individual Body View (IBV).

The timing, according to the New Testament, of the general resurrection of the dead was a one-time event immediately ahead of the writers, thus AD 70:

“An hour is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil to the resurrection of judgment.” (John 5:28-29; cf. 6:39-40)

“There is about to be a rising again of the dead, both of the righteous and unrighteous.” (Acts 24:15 YLT)

“I 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 YLT)

“Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense with me, to repay everyone for what he has done.” (Revelation 22:12)

Thus, everyone who was residing in hades at AD 70 went to their eternal destination—heaven for believers, hell for unbelievers (hell being variously interpreted as either eternal conscious torment or annihilation). In Revelation 22:12 Jesus said He was coming soon to repay EVERYONE (in hades at that time) for what they had done. EVERYONE would be raised on the last day per John 6:39-40, 54.

Spiritual death, on the other hand, is a biblical concept about being separated from God. So, spiritual resurrection is renewed fellowship with God, that is, “justification” or “salvation.” In Ephesians 2:5 and Colossians 2:13-24 (cf. Romans 6:11), Paul said, “we are dead in our trespasses” (but made alive in Christ). This is “spiritual” death and spiritual (or metaphorical) resurrection. In the New Testament, salvation is applied to individuals upon belief:

“Whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Thus, the timing of spiritual “resurrection” is whenever the individual comes to faith―an ongoing process indefinitely into the future.

In Genesis 2:17 we read that God told Adam that on the DAY he ate the forbidden fruit he would surely die. Adam ate the fruit but did not physically die that day. Indeed, he lived to be 930 years old. So, we must conclude that the death Adam experienced on that day was spiritual death. What Adam was missing at the Fall was life-after-death, which was given to believers by Christ.

Today, when believers die, we go directly to heaven in our immortal, glorified bodies (Hebrews 9:27). There is no longer sheol/hades. And there is nothing in Scripture about our bodies being reunited with our souls at the end of time, as some futurists teach.

Spiritual resurrection is an ongoing process of justification/regeneration when people believe. This is different IN NATURE from bodily resurrection. Passages that discuss this include: Luke 15:32; John 11:25; Romans 6:1-14, 23; 7:11; 8:6-11; Ephesians 2:1-7; 5:14; Colossians 2:12-14; 3:1-4; 1 John 3:14. What may confuse even some preterists is that there is a sense in the New Testament of the salvation of living believers being completed in AD 70—at the same time as the General Resurrection of the physically dead (Luke 21:28; Romans 8:18-23; Hebrews 1:14; 9:26-28; etc.). But this is not the same thing as the resurrection of spirits of the physically dead from hades to heaven.

Spiritual “resurrection” and bodily resurrection are clearly different things―in nature, in timing, and to whom it applies. Spiritual resurrection is soteriological. Bodily resurrection is eschatological. Thus, the resurrection of the physically dead was qualitatively different from the spiritual “resurrection” of living persons. This dual resurrection is reflective of what we believers experience today: We get saved while we are alive, and we go to heaven when we die.

Corporate Body View (CBV) preterists see no difference in these two types of resurrection. That defies reason to me. The word raised in 1 Corinthians 15:52 (“For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable.”) is the same Greek word egeiro (Strongs 1453) used for Jesus’ resurrection in Matthew 28:6.

In the Old Testament, resurrection was applied to national Israel’s restoration to its homeland (Ezekiel 37). But, Jesus personalized everything. I believe that Corporate Body View (CBV) proponents are misapplying old covenant conditions for national Israel to new covenant realities.
Making Sense of Revelation 20:
Revelation 20: 5a – “The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.” This sentence is not found in the oldest and most reliable manuscripts, including a version of the Codex Sinaiticus and a Syriac translation.
About 40% of the 200 available manuscripts of Revelation do not have 5a. 50% of the earliest manuscripts from 4th-13th centuries do not have it. Going back further in time, the earliest manuscript available for Revelation is the Revelation Commentary by Victorinus of Pettau (from 300 AD). And that commentary does not have 5a.

Even in the manuscripts where 5a is found, it is presented in inconsistent forms: In some scripts, it’s there only in the margins and not as part of the text. Some have it starting with a “But” whereas others prefix it with an “And.” Some manuscripts that came much later have the “again” whereas others do not. (The Anchor Bible describes the manuscripts’ evidence against 5a.)
If you take out 5a here’s how the text reads: “. . . They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power.” Now you have a coherent statement, that does not place the first resurrection a “thousand years” into the future. It also makes sense if you understand that the first resurrection was spiritual “You were dead in your sins and made alive in Christ” from Ephesians and Colossians. So those who accepted Christ (are saved) in the “first [spiritual] resurrection” and will not die physically at the second death (physical death) but live on in heaven. Then you can see how 20:13 is the Second Resurrection: soul-spirits out of hades. The confusion disappears.
For more discussion on this, see other articles at this website www.ProphecyQuestions.com, including “The General Resurrection of the Dead” and “Salvation to Heaven after AD 70.”

But wait. What about 1948? Doesn’t that prove the Jews were in God’s favor forever? Well, a two-thousand year gap does not sound like forever. Further, there are passages that confirm that the judgment of God against the Jews in AD 70 was indefinite. For example: In Matthew 21:18-19, Jesus curses the fig tree, an Old Testament symbol for Old Covenant Israel (Jeremiah 24; Hosea 9:10; Luke 13:6-9). And the fig tree withered away forever. Then, consider Matthew 21:33-45, the Parable of the Tenants. Jesus tells the Jews that the kingdom is being taken away from them and given to another group, obviously the church. (cf. Isaiah 65:16) And in Matthew 23:34-36, Jesus himself condemns the Jews of his day, telling them that THEY would suffer the penalty for all the righteous blood ever shed on earth.

The link to “Who is the Israel of God in the New Covenant?” is

https://prophecyquestions.com/who-is-the-israel-of-god-in-the-new-covenant/

For more about this, see my article about the everlasting Israel of God in the new covenant―and the fundamental change to God’s covenant community:

https://prophecyquestions.com/were-gods-promises-to-israel-unconditional-and-forever/

Prophecy Primer Chapter 1: Introduction

The purpose of this book is to introduce readers to the prophetic imminence statements in the New Testament―and then to wrestle with the implications. These passages declare, from a plain reading of the texts (either directly or by implication) that the prophesied events, including the last days/end times and Jesus’ Second Coming, are limited to a first-century fulfillment. Over 100 such declarations are listed in Appendix A. Below are two dozen of these passages:

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. And Jesus said, “I am, and you [Caiaphas, the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin] will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” (Mark 14:62; cf. Matthew 26:64)

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

7. If I [Jesus] 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, since it is only the third hour of the day. But this is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: “And it shall be in the last days. . . .” (Acts 2:15-17)

9. There is about to be a rising again of the dead, both of righteous and unrighteous. (Acts 24:15 YLT)

10. 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).

11. The appointed time has grown very short. (1 Corinthians 7:29)

12. The present form of this world is passing away. (1 Corinthians 7:31)

13. 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)

14. I do fully testify, then, before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is about to judge the living and dead at his manifestation and his reign. (2 Timothy 4:1 YLT)

15. God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by his Son. (Hebrews 1:1-2)

16. But encouraging one another and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:25)

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

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

19. God chose Him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days He has been revealed for your sake. (1 Peter 1:20)

20. 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)

21. It is the last hour. (1 John 2:18)

22. The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants, the things which must shortly take place. (Revelation 1:1; 22:6)

23. The time is near. (Revelation 1:3; 22:10)

24. Surely, I am coming soon. (Revelation 22:7, 12, 20)

There are at least four different ways that Christians deal with these passages:

1. Ignore them.

2. Attempt to explain them away. Thus, these passages don’t really mean what they seem to mean. (Examples: “Soon” really means in the far distant future. “This generation” really means some future generation.)

3. Accept that the New Testament authors, and Jesus too, thought that He would return during the lifetimes of some of their contemporaries―but were simply wrong. This raises an even more serious question: Were they inerrant? If not, on what other matters were they wrong?

4. Accept that the New Testament authors, and Jesus too, thought that He would return during the lifetimes of some of their contemporaries―and they were correct. Thus, at least some of the passages can be understood to mean that Jesus did indeed “come,” not bodily, but rather “in divine judgment” against old covenant Israel for her sins in AD 70―just as YHWH came “in judgment” against nation-states numerous times in the Old Testament.

There are simply too many imminence passages for either approaches 1 or 2 to be serious options. You just cannot ignore or explain away a hundred of these and be faithful to God’s Word. Choice number 3 is likewise problematic if you believe that Jesus and the New Testament writers were without error.

Choice number 4, called the preterist view, is a foreign idea to many modern Christians. But it has been held by many Christians since the early days of Christianity. The large number of imminence statements in the New Testament demands that the preterist view receive a fair hearing. We will focus our attention on this and explore whether preterism holds up under scrutiny.

YOUR COMMENTS ARE WELCOME!

This is Chapter 1 of the book Prophecy Primer by Charles Meek.

Islam in a nutshell:

https://www.faithfacts.org/world-religions-and-theology/christianity-vs.-islam

The Six Biggest Errors of Dispensationalism

https://prophecyquestions.com/the-six-biggest-errors-of-dispensationalism/In