Have you ever had someone try to prove the truth of their Biblical teaching by quoting multiple texts. However, if the understanding of those verses is not consistent with what scripture says in other texts, that understanding is faulty.
If there is a scripture elsewhere which adds more information not available in the verse you are using, then it will not give the whole story and you will not be expressing truth. You will be dishonest and manipulative.
Convincing arguments are often made to support false doctrines through the use of scripture while ignoring other texts. Writers and preachers can carefully select parts of scripture that seem to support their position.
For example, I used to believe Jesus’ return was in the future, was prolonged 2000 years. I would push aside any doubts that arose when I saw a part of scripture that seemed to contradict what the dispensational and futurists teachers were saying.
Their doctrines seemed strong only while those contradictory parts of scripture were ignored. When those scriptures were properly addressed, the weaknesses in futurism ideas were exposed.
Until I willingly addressed those formerly ignored parts of scriptures I could not recognize and turn from those false ideas. When I studied the gospels and their plainly documented time constraints such as we find in Rev 1, Rev 22 and Mat 10:23, 16:27-28, 24:34.
Another example. Earlier this year I read an article by distinguished biblical author and scholar, Dr Tim Orr. This author had cherry-picked the scriptures to claim that modern Israel is still the chosen people of God. He published his article in the Australian journal, the Daily Declaration. His chosen scriptures included Genesis 12:2, which says I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great;
And so you will be a blessing; and I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.
and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
He had ignored much evidence patently found in the NT, for example:
Galatians 3:26-29: For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you (Gentiles).
1 Peter 2:4-10: . . . . . . for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people. Once you received no mercy; now you have received God’s mercy.
These terms, ‘chosen people, royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession’ reflect God’s declaration under the Old Covenant (Deuteronomy 7:6, 10:15, 14:2). Under the New Covenant the same applies to all believers in Christ both Jew and gentile.
Matthew 8:11-12. Jesus said to unbelieving Jews: I tell you this that many Gentiles will come from all over the world –from east and west–and sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob at the feast in the Kingdom of Heaven. But many Israelites–those for whom the Kingdom was prepared–will be thrown into outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
1 Thessalonians 1:3-4. We know dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people.
Romans 11 does not teach about a kingdom with both Jews and Gentiles as distinct populations within the people of God. That would be a totally abhorrent idea for Paul (Galatians 3-6, Ephesians 2-3).
Romans 11:5-6 . . . . . then, there has come to be at the present time a remnant according to God’s gracious choice. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, since otherwise grace is no longer grace. What then? What Israel is seeking, it has not obtained, but those who were chosen obtained it, and the rest were hardened.
Galatians 6:16. We are the Israel of God. Paul cannot be pronouncing a benediction upon persons who are not included in the phrase “as many as shall walk by this rule” i.e., the rule of boasting only in the cross. The entire argument of the epistle prevents any idea that here he would give a blessing to those who are not included in this group. And Paul also wrote: “if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise”. (Galatians 3:6-9, also Galatians 12. 3:29.
I truly marvel that such a well-known academic could be so blind and so wrong and lead astray countless people! This makes me very angry. And when given clear responses they refuse to accept the obvious conclusion that their exegesis is faulty.
Further I simply cannot understand how students can read such clear time statements that plainly show that Jesus Christ has already returned in His generation, the first century and yet still expect Him to come, thus accusing Our Lord of being mistaken!
If He has not already come, your salvation is not complete, you are not living in the New Covenant, and the Kingdom of God has not arrived. Which is absurd.
Ian Thomson 
Luke 13:35 says:
‘Behold, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’
Jesus said these amazing words: “30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.” “tribes of the earth” refers specifically to the twelve tribes of Israel. Greek–pasai hai phylai tēs gēs (not the planet but the ‘land, i.e., Israel’)
This happened about 66 -70 AD according to the Jewish historion Josephus notes “Chariots and troops of soldiers in their amour were seen running about iamong the clouds and surrounding the cities” (Wars of the Jews Book VI, Ch 5, 882-3)
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You said “I would need to look at it further’.
Yep! It’s worth looking at all this further, in context and observing audience relevance and respecting the time constraints. The time setting is 1st Cent Israel.
‘But Mat.24:34 refers to the generation who see all the later day signs he has just described.’
Yes! That was Jesus’ own generation! Peter, James and John all saw the later day signs before they passed away! They saw the false prophets, persecution, the great tribulation, the Abomination of Desolation, the sign of the Son of Man appear in the sky as promised by Jesus (Mathew 24-the Olivet Discourse).
‘The gnashing of teeth is the judgement when He returns in fire with angels and people see that they are there and then at that time excluded from the kingdom’.
See 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9. This the Apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Thessalonica and has already taken place in their lifetime 2000 yrs ago!
‘So if he has returned then why don’t we see evidence of the expected “hell” or punishment that comes on all men. around us?’
We are promised by Jesus: John 5:25ff Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For just as the Father has life in Himself, even so He gave to the Son also to have life in Himself; 27 and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is [f]the Son of Man. 28 Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, 29 and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment.
‘The “coming” of Jesus in His time, AT that time, can be seen in His return at Pentecost.’
No. Pentecos, was specifically the pouring out of the Holy Spirit, after Jesus was ascended to the Father and exalted on high.
Mat 12.28 so Jesus was, or represented, the Kingdom then.
Yes. Jesus manifested the kingdom by his miracles.
“. . . . there will be a time when “the earth and the works thereon will be
destroyed by fire and a loud noise”
Yes, 2 Peter 3:10: . . . 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.
This is not to be taken literally. The ‘heavens’ means the Old Covenant, the end of the Mo the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and [b]its works will be [c]burned up. saic era, the Temple worship. The ‘elements’ means the whole system of Israel. The earth means the nation / people of Israel.
Finally I would heartily recommend David Sorensen’s, recent magisterial work “The Return Of Christ” available at Amazon for $39.
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Ian, it is a difficult and lonely path to walk to a ‘different drum’. And yet, it is in perfect alignment with Scripture and especially with the words of Jesus in the Gospels. You are in alignment with that which was foretold in the Old Testament: the coming Kingdom of God and the end of the Old Covenant or Mosaic Age – the End of The Age in A.D. 70. Thank you.
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the “weeping and gnashing of teeth”?
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So you don’t believe He is coming again? Where then is the “weeping and gnashing of teeth”?
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the “weeping and gnashing of teeth”?
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Luke 13:28
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Luke 13:38. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but yourselves being thrown out.
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OK thanks Ian but that is actually Luke 13:35, not 38.
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Jesus promised he would return before His own generation would pass away. (Mat 10:23, 16:27-28, 24:3 Mat 10:23. “But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes. Mat 16:27-28. For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds. 28 “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Mat 24:34. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
So was Jesus a liar or mistaken? Of course not. So, He has already come!
I am puzzled by your question. The “weeping and gnashing of teeth” is still applicable in each of the synoptic gospels.
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I would need to look at it further, but Mat.24:34 refers to the generation who see all the latter day signs he has just described. The gnashing of teeth is the judgement when He returns in fire with angels and people see that they are there and then at that time excluded from the kingdom. So if he has returned then why don’t we see evidence of the expected “hell” or punishment that comes on all men. around us? The “coming” of Jesus in His time, AT that time, can be seen in His return at Pentecost. Jesus also said that the kingdom had come upon you? Mat 12.28 so Jesus was, or represented, the Kingdom then. But the full representation is that there will be a time when “the earth and the works thereon will be destroyed by fire and a loud noise, -Peter? – .This being the judgement. “It is appointed unto men once to die, and then the judgement” Once physical death occurs, the resurrection will become to those ‘not in the kingdom’, the Second Death”. It is a matter of context as usual. Just like people claim that Romans 7 is the story of a Christian when it certainly is not, and I also struggle with how people fail to see it for what it is, so I empathize with you 🙂
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