Category Archives: Bible Study

The Timing of Jesus’ Return

Posted on 25/03/2025 | 1 comment

This article discusses what the New Testament says about the timing of Jesus’ second coming.

We are often reminded by teachers that Jesus said “about that day or hour no one knows, not even angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mat 24:44) as if that should end any further discussion.

But there are a surprising number of passages referring to the timing of his coming. Let’s check them out.

First. Matthew 10:23. “But when they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”

Jesus was speaking to his disciples as he sends them out to preach and heal in their mission to the Jews. 

The phrase “the Son of Man comes” is a clear reference to Jesus’ Second Coming. Jesus was telling his disciples that their mission will not be completed before his return, and that they should not be discouraged by persecution, but instead to flee to another city of Israel and continue their work. They are only to go to cities of Israel, to Jews, not to Gentiles.

This passage also emphasizes the urgency of the disciples’ mission, as they are to proclaim the gospel in all the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes, a huge task taking several decades. The time was very short and that they must work to spread the message before it is too late for the hearers to repent and believe the gospel. We read about this activity in Acts, Paul preaching first to the Jews.

This is a 1st century Jewish setting and cannot fit any other historic period, let alone 2000 years in future.

Second. Mat 16:27-28. 27 “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.  “Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”

Jesus was speaking to His disciples and making a profound statement about His Second Coming and the final judgment. This is a 1st century setting and cannot possibly fit any other future historic period.

Though some interpret this as referring to the Transfiguration (Mat 17:1-8), where 3 disciples witness Jesus in a glorified state. That was an important preview of Christ’s role as supreme prophet and king. But there was no mention of his Return or judgment and it was only a few days after the Matthew 16 statement.

Third. Mat 23:38-39. ‘Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’

Jesus declared that the temple will be left desolate, abandoned.—a prophecy of its destruction which we know came by the Romans in 70 AD. Jesus’ body will replace the temple (see John 2:13-21).

The people of Jerusalem will not see Jesus again until they acknowledge and bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord—Jesus himself, as the One who was to return. The Jews will not recognize him as such until they use this phrase to greet him. This was spoken only a few days before they crucified him.

Fourth. Mat 24:14. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world (Greek oikoumenē) as a testimony to all peoples (Greek ethnos), and then the end will come.

Jesus was speaking to His disciples discussing the signs of the end and His coming and on the spread of the gospel before the end of the age; the time of his return is linked to the completion of their task.

Note Strongs G3525 oikoumenē can exclude ‘whole earth’ e.g., Luke 2:1, Luke 21:26, Acts 24:5, Rom 10:18.  

Note also Strongs G1484 ethnos can meana company, troop, swarm, people group not just ‘nations’

Fourth. Mat 24:15-20:  “when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ . . . .  then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains . . . Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath.

Jesus said the disciples would see the Abomination of Desolation the signal to get out of Judea and escape the Great Tribulation. Note the reference to Sabbath and the limits of travel—all purely a Judean context.

Fifth. Mat 24:32-34. “ . . . . lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.

‘All these things’ they see include the Abomination of Desolation, the Great Tribulation, the destruction of the temple and the sign of the Son of Man in the heavens and his return must have happened. If they did not happen then Jesus was at best mistaken (a decision reached by C S Lewis) or worse a false prophet.

The word ‘near’ and the phrase ‘right at the door’ can only mean his coming was quite imminent. It cannot possibly mean centuries in the future. It must be within the generation of his hearers, the disciples.

Sixth. Mat 24:44. “about that day or hour no one knows, not angels . . . nor the Son, but only the Father”

Notice Jesus used the terms hour or day of his coming—not that year, century or millennium.

Seventh. Acts 1:10-11.  After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. The two men in white said to the disciples “This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”

taken up before their eyes into a cloud: They quickly lost sight of him straining to see him, because it was not a rain cloud but a cloud of God’s glory—see Dan 7:13, Mat 17:5-8, 24:30, 26:63-64;, Rev 1:7, Rev 11:12.  

just the same way as: This Greek construction occurs in Mat 23:37. Greek tropos: like as, in the same way.

How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings . . .

Jesus said he was like a hen–not a hen! Jesus’ return is similar to his departure. He disappears in the cloud and when he returns he will come hidden in clouds of God’s glory, clouds hiding him like when he left.

When he came in judgment destroying the Temple he came in the clouds, just as He promised (Mat 24:30), and just as the same clouds of glory that shrouded Him as He ascended. Why should people  believe that he could be seen bodily, he who dwells in the splendour and glory of Almighty God?

This passage strongly suggests that his coming was to occur within the lifespan of those present. His coming is not a “coming” that will occur in our future, for indeed, it has already occurred.

How could the apostles be so sure?

There are over one hundred passages in the apostles’ letters showing how the first believers were more than confident of his return in their lifetime. Just as these ‘timing’ passages confine Christ’s Second Coming to the first-century generation, they saw the end of the age squarely in that generation as well. See e.g.

-Phil 3:20.  . And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.

-Titus 2:11f. we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, J

-2 Thes 2:1.  . .  about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him.

James 5:8-9. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door!

I conclude: Jesus must have already returned!  Please comment and explain if you are unconvinced

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Let’s look at the ‘Rapture’ Passage

Posted on 15/03/2025 | 3 comments

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.

The Lord descends from heaven

Paul expected the Lord to descend but he was silent as to just where. Not the earth, and certainly not to Jerusalem.

Who are the ‘still alive and remain’?

The word ‘and’ is not in the original text. That could mean the ones who are still alive will remain in the world and not taken away supernaturally (see John 17:15). Or the term “remain” could also indicate those who continue to hold on to their faith despite trials and tribulations.

What does ‘caught up’ mean? 

The phrase “caught up” (Greek harpazō) and derivatives occurs 14 times in the New Testament. It can mean to seize (John 6:15), catch, pluck (John 10:28), pull, forcibly take (Mat 12:29, Acts 23:10). It does not have to mean “up”. The YLT translates the Greek harpagesomethain 1 Thes 4:17 as “caught away.” Does it convey the sense of any abduction here? No, “it combines the ideas of force and suddenness seen in the irresistible power of God” (Leon Morris, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, Rev Edition, 1984, p. 94).

Paul wrote to the Corinthians of his experience of being “caught up (or away) to Paradise” (2 Cor 12:2-4). He told them about a supernatural experience he had fourteen years prior –that’s around AD 41-42. He describes being caught up to the third heaven, the dwelling place of God and angels, hearing things that cannot be revealed. He was caught into the spiritual realm. But he remained on the ground.

Meaning of ‘in clouds’

Not the clouds we see daily in the sky, but clouds of God’s glory in the spiritual realm—see Daniel 7:13, Matthew 17:5-8, 24:30, 26:63-64, Acts 1:9, Rev 1:7, 11:12, etc.  The text in v17 mentions clouds and air for the meeting site, not Earth. Note also that heaven is not mentioned—simply “in the clouds.” The destination of this “forceful catch” must be supplied by the larger biblical and theological contexts.

Meaning of ‘to meet the Lord’

The word Paul used for meet is very significant. The Greek apantēsis occurs only four times in the NT. The other places are Matthew 25:1 and 6 and Acts 28:15.

Matthew 25:1, 6. . . . . .  ‘Look the bridegroom is coming! Come out and meet him

When Christ returns they will not rise up into heaven from where he came, but will be escorted to earth where he will set up his eternal spiritual kingdom.

Acts 28:15a. [They] had heard we were coming and they came to meet us at the Forum . . . .

They did not go back to where Paul had come from, then disappear for years.

The Greek word used for ‘meet’ is most often synantó. However apantēsis is used by Paul. In the papyri it describes a newly arriving magistrate. “It seems that the special idea of the word was the official welcome of a newly arrived dignitary” (Moulton, Greek Test. Gram. Vol. I, p. 14). The citizens of the city would go out to meet the dignitary and joyfully bring him back with them to the city, not back to where he came from.

The dignitary in Mat 25 is the bridegroom (Jesus) and in Acts 28 it is Paul. But in 1 Thes 4:17 it is the Lord. This ‘meeting’ is not up in heaven but movement across the land on earth and not upwards is indicated!

In the gospels we read about many followers of Jesus went outside the city of Jerusalem with palm branches to greet Jesus as he entered the city. This was the ancient custom in welcoming someone important by going out and then escorting them back into the city.

What is meant by ‘air’                                                                                       

The Greek word aer is not the air we breathe but the spiritual realm. See also Ephesians 2:2 in which satan is described as the ‘prince of the power of the air’. In that spiritual realm both those raised, together with those remaining at his coming will be with the Lord forever.

The word aer is infrequent in the NT. Paul could have used the Greek οranos which has a different meaning than aer.  The word aer refers to the lower, dense air as distinguished from the higher and rarer air, the “heavens” as οranos can also be translated heavens, heavenly, and heaven (218 times).  Paul chose to use the word that refers as a rule to the lower atmospheric region—where people live and breathe!

It’s time to think logically, rationally

If all the apostles believed in a literal ‘rapture’ event, it would be mentioned in all of their letters. But out of all the over 100 references in the NT which mention Jesus’ imminent return, only this letter, mentions anything like a so-called ‘rapture’. Surely that is enough evidence to show that this teaching is spurious.

If I tried to make a teaching that was based on just one passage in the New Testament I would be mocked, ridiculed and ignored.

Since 1 Thessalonians 4:17 is the only clear and direct reference rapture teachers can use, why do people accept it? Peer pressure? If 90% of Christians believe it, then it must be OK? Whole denominations, churches, bible colleges, pastors, authors, movies seemingly deploy any manner of manipulative, dramatic emotionalising in order to promote this notion. There’s a price to pay if one dares to go against the mob. You can be called crazy, a heretic, or be excluded from fellowship, or lose friends. I speak from experience.

Are you expecting Jesus to return? That is logically impossible if you trust Paul’s letters are the Word of God. If his coming was near, soon, for Paul’s readers, how can it near for us?

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The Man of Lawlessness

Posted on 08/03/2025 | Leave a comment

Introduction

Shortly after writing 1 Thessalonians, the apostle Paul received a report (2 Thess. 3:11) that the Thessalonian church had accepted the strange claim that “the day of the Lord has come” (2:1–2). Paul sent them a second letter in A.D. 49–51. He was probably in Corinth at the time. This letter was addressed to the Thessalonians.2000 years ago when these people and Paul were expecting Jesus’ imminent return in their lifetime. It was seriously relevant to the Thessalonians. It is not relevant for us as 2000 years have passed but it useful for our studies and the truth is always relevant.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-9

  1. Now, dear brothers and sisters, let us clarify some things about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we will be gathered to meet him.
  2. Don’t be so easily shaken or alarmed by those who say that the day of the Lord has already begun. Don’t believe them, even if they claim to have had a spiritual vision, a revelation, or a letter supposedly from us. 3 Don’t be fooled by what they say. For that day will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed—the son of destruction.

Paul here assured the Thessalonians that a great rebellion against God and therevealing of a man who opposes God and exalts himself above everything that is called God must occur before Jesus’ return. Jesus told the disciples in the Olivet discourse (Mat 24:10-12) about this falling away.

4 He will exalt himself and defy everything that people call god and every object of worship. He will even sit in the temple of God, claiming that he himself is God.

Paul described this “man of lawlessness” as being empowered by Satan, performing signs and wonders, and deceiving many (verse 9).

Who was this son of destruction? Was it the Roman general Titus who entered the Jerusalem temple?

Josephus wrote that Titus entered the Holy of Holies with his generals in A.D. 70. (Wars, 6.4.7.) Shortly thereafter, Titus was worshipped in the Temple as was customary of someone declared imperator. As Josephus wrote, “And now the Romans . . . brought their ensigns to the temple and set them over against its eastern gate; and there did they offer sacrifices to them, and there did they make Titus imperator.”(Wars 6.6.1)  A metallic image of Vespasian and Titus was also worshipped at that time. Images of the emperor and his favourites were regularly attached to the Roman ensigns at that time. 


5. Don’t you remember that I told you about all this when I was with you? And you know what is holding him back, for he can be revealed only when his time comes.

Jesus had spoken about these things to the disciples in the Olivet discourse, Matthew 24:15-16: “So when you see the Abomination of Desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place, then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains”. Daniel, during the Babylonian captivity, had written about this happening just before His return. Jerusalem and the temple were to be destroyed and countless numbers of Jews would perish at the hands of the Romans.

Paul had told the Thessalonians about all this when he visited them previously. They already knew so he didn’t have to repeat what he had said. But Paul didn’t repeat it in this letter so it is difficult for us to know what was ‘holding him back’ from his appearing. We are left to assume that Paul never bothered to record this information in writing.


7 For this lawlessness is already at work secretly, and it will remain secret until the one who is holding it back steps out of the way. 8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendour of his coming. 9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie

Paul wrote to them about this lawlessness being already at work—the hidden, evil Satanic forces at work in the world opposed to God and His people.

So who or what is the one holding the man of lawlessness back? Many attempts have been made to identify this person or entity.

I believe the only possible explanation is that God is the restrainer, as He is the only one who can restrain Satan. God restrains evil and eventually turns unrepentant sinners over to indulge in evil (Romans 1:20-24, 26, 28). And Job reveals that God prevents Satan from certain activities (Job 1:10-12). Only God can restrain evil and the man of lawlessness.  

Paul said the one who is holding it back would step out of the way. When that would occur then the man of lawlessness would be revealed and the Lord Jesus would overthrow him and destroy him by the splendour of his coming. 

But does it really matter that we today know the identity of the one who Paul believed restrains him? That wasn’t Paul’s issue in this letter. His concern was that the Thessalonians were worried they had missed the Lord’s coming and to reassure them that they would not miss out.

We may be curious of course. And for those today, even after 2000 years, who believe the Satanic lie that Jesus is yet to return, it arouses a lot of comment. The man of lawlessness has indeed been revealed and the Lord Jesus long ago overthrew him.

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How Jesus’ first disciples learned about ‘the End’

Posted on 27/02/2025 | Leave a comment

Jesus took the disciples up on Jerusalem’s Mt Olivet (Matthew 24) go discuss the destruction of the Jerusalem temple. What eschatological understanding would the disciples already have understood?

Jesus would have expounded many OT scriptures that pointed to end times. Also He would have given them His own direct teachings. Matthew recorded many of these He gave them before the Olivet discourse. I was surprised how many there were. This article shows what I discovered.

The disciples would know about John the baptiser warning the Jewish leaders of the wrath to come.  Mat 3:1-2, 7-10: . . .  John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” . . . . . But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? . . . .   And the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit is being cut down and thrown into the fire.

The disciples would also have heard Jesus announcing the nearness of the kingdom–Mat 4:17. From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

They heard Him declare “Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfil. Mat 5:17. 

They heard this:  I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; but the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Mat 8:10-12. 

They witnessed Isaiah 53:5 fulfilled: He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled: “He Himself took our illnesses and carried away our diseases.”  Mat 8:16.

He warned them what to expect as he sent them out on their mission to the Jews.

“When you are persecuted in one town, flee to the next. I tell you the truth, the Son of Man will return before you have reached all the towns of Israel”. Mat 10:23.

Clearly, here He gave them then a time frame when He would return. This would hasten them to finish the preaching of the coming Kingdom of God to the Jews while there was still time for them to repent. This was a very urgent mission—a race against time. There was no time to waste in towns especially where they would be persecuted. We can read in the Acts account and in the letters of Paul how they quickly went from town to town and brought results e.g., Rom 1:8, Col 1:6.

Jesus told them His coming would be “soon”, in their generation. “For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father and will judge all people according to their deeds. And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now will not die before they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”  Mat 16:27-28.

The disciples asked Him to explain the parable of the weeds. He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.  Mat 9:36-43.

And to explain the Parable of the Net: . . .   the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was let down into the lake and caught all kinds of fish. When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away. This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Mat 13:47-50. 

He promised them: Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. He referred to the future time when God will restore creation to its original perfection. His “glorious throne” symbolizes His authority and rule over the restored creation. Mat 19:28. 

They will have positions of authority and leadership in Jesus’ kingdom. This is not a literal judgement, but rather a way of expressing their role in governing and guiding God’s people.

They heard Him declare to Jewish leaders:  . .  Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.  . . . . .   When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. Mat 21:33-45.

In the Parable of the Wedding Banquet, Jesus gave more information to the disciples :

 “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come. “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’ “But they paid no attention and went off—one to his field, another to his business. The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city. “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.  “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless. “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ Mat 22:2-14.

Here they learnt about Jesus’ eschatological marriage to His assembly (Greek ekklesia – church) of believers who follow Him. The guests at the feast that are clothed in the proper wedding garments are clothed in Christ’s righteousness provided by God through faith in Jesus. The man without the proper wedding garments is about the unbelieving Jews. It symbolizes a lack of proper preparation or acceptance of the invitation on God’s terms—that is, to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Finally in the week of Jesus’ passion, they heard Jesus’ final words of declaration of judgment on the whole house of Judaism: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem . . . .   Look, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”  Mat 23:37-39.

Their house is left to them ‘desolate’—solitary, lonely, uninhabited unfit for anyone especially by the Lord; replaced by the Household of faith in the Blessed One who comes in the name of the Lord.  

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Jesus Has Come

Posted on 10/02/2025 | Leave a comment

Jesus came back within the generation of his peers!

Please look up and study very carefully Matthew 24 :32–34.

And when you’ve studied this passage carefully, perhaps you will come to a different opinion when you can understand that Jesus came back within the lifetime of many of his contempories.

Was Jesus mistaken? The esteemed writer C S Lewis said Jesus was mistaken! Jesus did not come back as he said (See his book “The World’s Last Night”). That is also the view of many liberal scholars and Islamic writers. This discredits Jesus. They fail to look at the rest of the New Testament.

Christ has already come back long ago. He came at the ‘end of the age’ i.e., the end of the Jewish (Mosaic) age, the end of the Old Covenant. It was NOT the end of the world or the end of history. It was the end of Judaism. Jesus came when Jerusalem and the Jerusalem Temple were utterly destroyed (the great tribulation). It was a divine visitation. 

This is just unbelief period, plain and simple. This unbelief is so dishonouring of our Lord. it must break his heart. Of course, he is so forgiving. That’s amazing.

Let’s think about Peter, James and John listening to Jesus, when He spoke of the sign of Jesus’ coming:

 30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the land. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from the four winds—from the end of the sky to the other. 32 Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place.  (Matthew, 24:30-34)

How did these disciples and other apostles such as the apostle Paul respond to this information? That’s very easy! We can tell how they responded by their writings in the NT. They wrote unaminously of Jesus’ coming using terms like “right at the door,” “soon,” “near” and “at hand”. These do not mean 2000 years.

Right?

The first believers “waited eagerly” for his appearing (1 Cor 1:7-8, Gal 5:5 , Phil 3:20, 2 Tim 4:8, Heb 9:26-28).

Question: But could the disciples have possibly thought that by ‘generation’ Jesus meant something else far into the future, like some today who twist the scriptures saying that ‘generation’ here meant ‘race’ (the Jewish race) or others that say that by ‘generation’ Jesus meant some future generation who would see the signs of the end. No!

How can I say that? Because they took his words plainly and seriously as we can see in the rest of the New Testament!

Let God be true and every man a liar (Rom 3:4). Truth matters, evidence matters. We have been told a terrible lie. How can we behave so unfaithfully, ignoring what Jesus actually said?

Have you been brainwashed, deceived, indoctrinated? People will believe whatever they hear and do whatever they’re told by famous commentators, commentaries, or pastors. They have all been groomed by ‘dispensationalism,’ and they will follow that to the edge of a cliff.   If you’re still oblivious to the fact that you’ve been brainwashed into some sort of cult, it’s probably because you’ve already been indoctrinated.

Time to wake up. It’s time to stop waiting for the ‘rapture’. Time to spread the word of God.

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Jesus came—Period

Posted on 27/01/2025 | Leave a comment

This will be brief.

Please look up and study very carefully these three passages from Matthew’s Gospel.

Firstly, Matthew 10:23. Matthew 16:27 to 28 and Matthew 24 :32 to 34.

And when you’ve studied these carefully, perhaps you will come to a different opinion when you can understand that Jesus came back within the generation of his peers.

The alternative is that Jesus was mistaken. That was the view of the esteemed C S Lewis—see his book “The World’s Last Night”. It is also the view of many liberal scholars and Islamic writers.

This discredits Jesus.

No. Christ has already come back long ago. He came at the ‘end of the age’ i.e., the end of the Jewish (Mosaic) age or the end of the Old Covenant.

It was NOT the end of the world or the end of history. It was the end of Judaism.

Jesus came when Jerusalem and the Holy Temple were utterly destroyed (the great tribulation). It was a divine visitation or Parousia. 

The very novel ‘rapture’ doctrine was created around the 1830’s by an exclusive Brethren Englishman, John Nelson Darby and propagandised by an American criminal called ‘Dr’ Cyrus Schofield who created the Scofield Reference Bible. Today millions of ‘Bible believing’ people believe this Satanic teaching. It is against the Kingdom of God and leads to pessimism and a ‘I wanna get outa here’ mentality.

Read Matthew 23 37-38 where Jesus addressed, castigated the Jewish leaders:

“As a result, you will be held responsible for the murder of all godly people of all time—from the murder of righteous Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed in the Temple between the sanctuary and the altar. I tell you the truth, this judgment will fall on this very generation.

 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate.”

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Who are the people of God?

Posted on 16/01/2025 | Leave a comment

God’s promise to Abraham came true for us down to this very day. For we who follow Jesus are the true people of God. We are Abraham’s descendants.

We are the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16). The ὅσοι [‘as many as’] refers to the individual Christians, Jewish and Gentile; and ‘Israel of God’ to the same Christians, seen collectively and forming the true messianic community.” (Word Studies in the New Testament vol. 4, p. 180). It seems clear that in this verse 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 wrote: “if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise”. (Galatians 3:29).

Jesus said to unbelieving Jews (Mat 8:11-12).  “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.”

See also 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 Deuteronomy 7:6, 10:15, 14:2. Under the New Covenant the same applies to all believers in Christ.

And see 1 Thessalonians 1:3-4. We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people.

Replacement theology

We who insist on the above are often accused of ‘replacement theology’. I do not believe that any group has replaced “Israel”. I believe in a transformed people of God–Israel transformed at Pentecost, the remnant, all Jews from all nations of the Dispersion.

Paul wrote It doesn’t matter whether we have been circumcised or not. What counts is whether we have been transformed into a new creation. (Galatians 3:15).

And Galatians 3:6-9: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” The real children of Abraham, then, are those who put their faith in God. What’s more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would make the Gentiles right in his sight because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, “All nations will be blessed through you.” So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith.

And again (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). 

Looking at Romans 11 in the light of the above

Yes, ‘the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable’ (11:29), and “all Israel will be saved’ (11:26). Yes certainly that is true as long as it is understood that REAL Jews as Paul defined in Romans 2:26-29 (see more below). As I noted above, Paul wrote that all believers in Christ crucified are the Israel of God! (Galatians 6:16). We, both believing Jews and Gentiles, are the transformed Israel together! Thus all Israel will be saved.

Paul quotes Isaiah and God’s covenant prophesied by Isaiah (59:20-21) with Israel. So it was not ethic Israel but spiritual Israel (11:25–28). “The Redeemer will come to Jerusalem to buy back those in Israel who have turned from their sins” says the Lord. This is a wonderful covenantal promise about our redeemer coming buying back repentant Israelites—this is the gospel story. And His Spirit will not leave them, and nor will His (Jesus’) words (Matthew 24:35).

Does this Covenant promise the idea of inheriting the land? No. It does not suggest that the promises of the Old Testament are intended for ‘ethnic’ Jews, but are available to all Jews who believe in Christ. Because of their disobedience and idolatry (Deuteronomy 30) ‘ethnic’ Israel has lost its place as the chosen people of God.

The New Testament does not anticipate the return of ethnic Jews to the land of Israel as part of the fulfilment of God’s promises. Instead, it focuses on the gathering of God’s people from all nations, as seen in Revelation 7:9 (from every nation and tribe and people and language) and Matthew 24:31, where the gathered people are a Jewish-gentile community redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.

So who are REAL Jews? Paul tells us in Romans 2:26-29: if the Gentiles obey God’s law, won’t God declare them to be his own people?  . . . . . . For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.

Will the Jews literally inherit the Promised Land? Moses prophesied that if Israel as a nation repented they could be regathered to the land. Then they weregiven a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster (Deuteronomy 30:15).

Unfortunately they made the wrong choice. And many continue that in wrong choice to this very day, whether they live in the nation we know as “Israel” or elsewhere. The letter to the Hebrews addressing Christians talks about entering the ‘rest’ by faith, spiritually—not a literal land. See my article here . . . . . .

See also Matthew 23:34-38. “Therefore, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers of religious law. But you will kill some by crucifixion, and you will flog others with whips in your synagogues, chasing them from city to city.  As a result, you will be held responsible for the murder of all godly people of all time—from the murder of righteous Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you killed in the Temple between the sanctuary and the altar. I tell you the truth, this judgment will fall on this very generation. “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.  And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate. For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!

Notice carefully verse 29. There is a way back for any Jew but he must welcome Jesus as sent by the Lord!

They may be grafted back again if they turn from their unbelief (Romans 11:23): But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree. 

Romans 11:30–36 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).

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Jesus—A False Prophet?

Posted on 06/01/2025 | Leave a comment

Jesus made many, many promises to his disciples. Some of these promises were prophesies about his second coming. Here are just a few recorded in the Gospel of Matthew: see Mat 10:23, 16:27-28.23:34-36, 24:34. However let’s just look at the last one of these in more detail:

I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene until all these things take place.

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Jesus and his apostles prophesied many times about his imminent second coming, and yet countless numbers of believers today still hold that no such return took place? So was Jesus wrong? Or have they have misunderstood what had been said?

Famed Christian apologist C S Lewis wrote a collection of essays, called ‘The World’s Last Night’, (Harvest Books, 1st edition, November 4, 2002). In that book Lewis wrote:

“It is clear from the New Testament that they all expected the Second Coming in their own lifetime. And, worse still, they had a reason, and one which you will find very embarrassing. Their Master had told them so. He shared, and indeed created, their delusion. He said in so many words, ‘this generation shall not pass till all these things be done.’ And he was wrong. He clearly knew no more about the end of the world than anyone else.”

He goes on: “It is certainly the most embarrassing verse in the Bible. Yet how teasing, also, that within fourteen words of it should come the statement “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” The one exhibition of error and the one confession of ignorance grow side by side. That they stood thus in the mouth of Jesus himself, and were not merely placed thus by the reporter, we surely need not doubt . . . . . . .  he would never have recorded the confession of ignorance at all; he could have had no motive for doing so except a desire to tell the whole truth. And unless later copyists were equally honest they would never have preserved the (apparently) mistaken prediction about “this generation” after the passage of time had shown the (apparent) mistake. This passage (Mark 13:30-32) and the cry “Why hast thou forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34) together make up the strongest proof that the New Testament is historically reliable. The evangelists have the first great characteristic of honest witnesses: they mention facts which are, at first sight, damaging to their main contention. The facts are these: that Jesus professed himself (in some sense) ignorant, and within a moment showed that he really was so. ….”

So Lewis believed Jesus prophesied that he would return in that same generation. Lewis did not attempt to twist any words of Jesus to make them talk about some future generation, like some commentators. Lewis then concluded that those prophesies were not fulfilled at that time.  So Jesus and his apostles were delusional.

Lewis’ error stems from unrealistic expectations about what Jesus had in mind: Jesus prophesied the imminent end of the world, yet the world is still here. Jesus was wrong.

But it was not to be the end of the world. In 70 AD, Jesus came and went, having finished every single thing he promised to do, and the world is still with us today.

But why did Lewis then not reject Jesus and the apostles and return to atheism? For Lewis, the high status of Christ remained! This makes no sense.  If Lewis’ ideas were correct, it would make Jesus a liar and false prophet.

The Bible defines a false prophet as one who prophesies events that do not come to pass. If someone prophesied that a specific events would take place within a specific time and that time were to come and go without the event happening, then he could legitimately be labelled as a false prophet.

So dear reader, can you see that if you think Jesus did not come just as he promised, within that generation, you must conclude that Jesus was a false prophet.

Jesus said that he did not know “the day or the hour” of his coming. But he emphatically knew the generation within which he would come—his own, and that of his first followers!

What Lewis held was the wrong notion that Jesus’ return would mean the end of the world. He then decided to question Jesus’ understanding, rather than his own. 

Dear reader, are you making the same mistake as this greatly esteemed apologist? Perhaps you should question your own understanding, rather than the Lord Jesus’ understanding? Hey?

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Gleanings from The Letter to the Hebrews: The Final Days—Part 3

Posted on 18/12/2024 | Leave a comment

Recapping

These Jesus’ followers were new Christians though they still identified as Jewish. They were the true people of God but were suffering, opposed, persecuted by apostate Jews, who refused to accept Jesus. 

Remember, the letters in the New Testament were not written to us today but they can still be very important for us—audience relevance is important.  This letter is full of warnings and for today’s Christian this is just as relevant.  So let’s again plunge into some important passages.

Hebrews 10:1

The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship. 

The whole Mosaic system was only a shadow, not reality. Now these “good things” had come for these first century believers by virtue of Jesus’ perfect self-sacrifice. Why would they ever go back to a dim preview having to repeat sacrifices every year, all utterly failing to cleanse worshippers?

Why then do many Christian believers today support the return of this system—focusing on modern Israel, on the rebuilding a new temple and re-introduction of the sacrificial system? This is NOT Christian. This is idolatry! Christ alone must be our focus. He alone is able to provide perfect cleansing for our sins. To bless “Israel” is to reject Christ—to turn our backs on him.

Hebrews 10:14

For by that one offering he forever made perfect those who are being made holy.

Think of it! His one offering forever made them and us today perfect! Forever perfect in his sight—past tense. This wondrous fact, despite our ever-present need to reject sin, as we “are being made holy”—our constant sanctification process. Amazing grace!

Hebrews 10:36-38

Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.  “For in just a little while, the Coming One will come and not delay. And my righteous ones will live by faith. But I will take no pleasure in anyone who turns away.”

Our author encourages his readers to have patience and endurance in doing the will of God. He reminds them (not us) it will only be a little while when the coming one will come and NOT delay and they will receive all that he has promised! Even though they have received so much in his atoning death and resurrection, there is more to come when Jesus returns!

Were these first century believers disappointed? I think not! They would have experienced their completed salvation, the assured finishing of the atonement (see last post, Hebrews 9:28). Jesus had come as promised (see Matthew 10:23, 16:17-18, 24:34).

Now, let’s imagine for a moment that he did not come. Imagine you were one of the first century believers and as the last few in your community passed away and Jesus had not returned as expected. You are horrified. Suddenly you realise Jesus was a false prophet. You feel the horror, the torment and the abandonment of all you had been taught. Your teachers had been deceived, had believed a lie. Your hope dashed to pieces. You realise the ‘gospel’ was a myth, a fairy tale. You abandon making any disciples. All over the Roman world heart-broken ‘believers’ stop meeting together and sharing good news. The way, the truth and the life comes to an end forever.

If Christ had not already come you and I would not be sharing in Jesus’ blessing would we? Get it?

So does this not demonstrate that Jesus has already returned a second time?

Hebrews 12:22-24

. . . .  you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.

Our author encourages his readers to realise that even before Jesus comes they have come to so much. What a list! This is for us today too. Let’s be encouraged. Note the past tense “have come”!

The way they have come is by faith (Hebrews 11). Not by a physical mountain, a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, as the Israelites had at Mount Sinai. This is nothing like a physical or bodily “catching-up” (a rapture) into the heavenly realm. It is a participation in Jesus by faith. Note the past tense “have come”!

They had come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. Contrast this with the Zionism we see today, focussed on an earthbound Jerusalem, the city of false gods.

They had come to the glorious company of thousands of angels. Angels are there for them and us. They are servants—“spirits sent to serve and care for people who will inherit salvation.” (Heb 1:14)

They had come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. The word assembly (Greek ekklesia), a non-religious word, horribly translated ‘church’. They and we are called ‘God’s firstborn’ meaning the privileged ones who inherit God’s Kingdom.

They had come to God himself, who is the judge over all things, to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who are perfect, to Jesus our mediator and to the sprinkled blood—forgiveness instead of vengeance. 

So much fantastic blessing for them and for us!

Hebrews 12:27-29

When God spoke from Mount Sinai his voice shook the earth, but now he makes another promise: Once again I will shake not only the earth but the heavens also. This means that all of creation will be shaken and removed, so that only unshakable things will remain.  Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe. For our God is a devouring fire.

The expected shaking was in the future for these 1st century believers. Our author recalls Haggai 2:6. “For this is what the LORD of Heaven’s Armies says: In just a little while I will again shake the heavens and the earth, the oceans and the dry land.”Now that prophecy was about to be fulfilled for them “in just a little while”—not after 2000 years!

Hebrews 13:14.

For this world is not our permanent home; we are looking forward to a home yet to come.

Here again we have the phrase ‘to come’ translating the Greek word mello meaning “about to come”. These 1st century believers were expecting their permanent or lasting home soon!

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Gleanings from The Letter to the Hebrews: ‘The Final Days’—Part 2

Posted on 09/12/2024 | Leave a comment

Recapping

These Jesus’ followers were new Christians though still identified as Jewish. They were the true people of God as all “who remain confident in their hope in Christ. They were suffering, opposed, persecuted by apostate Jews, who refused to accept Jesus. 

Remember, the letters in the New Testament were not written to us today but they can be very important for us.  This letter is full of warnings and for today’s Christian this is just as relevant.  For “Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8). So let’s dive into some important passages.

Hebrews 6:2

You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.

Our author tells his readers to move on from such “basic principles” as the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment. These are three elementary matters frequently ignored by believers today. I spent 3 years in a theological college without hearing anything about any of these three matters. Yet the New Testament has much emphasis on these. The “Hebrews” must move on from these to spiritual maturity. How many today ignore these basics let alone moving on to spiritual maturity! Why are so many today still “babes in Christ” (Hebrews 5:12)?

The practice of laying on of hands is generally confined to “charismatic” people, in healing the sick (James 5) or in the giving of the Holy Spirit (2 Tim 1:6). But God says it’s basic! It should be everyday practice!

The resurrection of the dead is something no one seems to talk about these days. Maybe people don’t like to talk about death. But this also something very basic—it’s milk for babies! Paul has a very long passage (1 Corinthians 15) and Jesus spoke about it as coming after death (Mat 22:30). “Christ was raised as the first of the harvest; then all who belong to Christ will be raised when he comes back” (1 Corinthians 15:23 NLT). Was Paul thinking that these first-century believers won’t be raised for another 2000 years? Of course not! That’s absurd. At the beginning of this letter he told them “Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.  He will keep you strong to the end so that you will be free from all blame on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns.” (1 Cor 1:7-8 NLT)

Rarely do we hear a sermon on eternal judgment. What happens after death and resurrection is important for all believers. Very often one of us will say that the idea of standing before the Lord and having Him evaluate our lives is a very sobering thought. No matter how confident a person may be in this world, it is hard to see how any of us could be confident on that day. But our author, Paul and other apostles said we can have confidence (1 John 2:28)!

Hebrews 6:13-15

 . . . . .  there was God’s promise to Abraham. Since there was no one greater to swear by, God took an oath in his own name, saying: “I will certainly bless you, and I will multiply your descendants beyond number. Then Abraham waited patiently, and he received what God had promised.

This is a reminder how that promise to Abraham came true for us down to this very day. For we who follow Jesus are the true people of God. We are Abraham’s descendants. 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.” (Matthew 8:11-12). And Paul wrote: “if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise”. (Galatians 3:29)

Hebrews 8:13

When God speaks of a “new” covenant, it means he has made the first one obsolete. It is now out of date and will soon disappear.

God made the Old Covenant already obsolete 2000 years ago. Out of date. Why then are so many believers today so focussed on the nation called Israel? There cannot be two Covenants. There can only be one. Only one people of God. We Jesus people are the Israel of God receiving the blessing of God, not today’s nation state called Israel (Galatians 6:16). Christians should not support this Israel state which is no more worthy than any other state.

Be aware that the today’s “Israel” was established with the backing of the atheistic, Ashkenazi-Jewish, Rothschild family that decided to create the country. In 1917, the Rothschild’s used their money, power, and influence to strike a secret deal with the British government for the establishment of the modern state with the name Israel.

The word ‘soon’ is the Greek engys which means imminent, soon to come to pass. For Christians in the first century what was coming soon was in the near future. But for us today we do not live in the Old Covenant. We enjoy the New.

Hebrews 9:26-28 

. . . . .  But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.  And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.

Jesus was born at “the end of the age.” This “end” was the end of the Jewish age, the Old Covenant age, not the end of the world! As Peter wrote “God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days.”(1 Peter 1:20). That age ended after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple in AD 70.

Jesus first appearing was but once to put away sin by his offering up of himself. Done! But there was more to do so he must come again—complete salvation to all (then) who were eagerly waiting for him”!

Under the Old Covenant when the Jews saw their high priest enter the sanctuary on their behalf, they waited expectedly for his reappearance. When they saw him emerge alive, that was a welcome sign that he and the sacrifice which he presented had been accepted by God.

In the same way, Jesus’ return was proof that his offering was accepted by God. If you believe that Jesus has not already come, then rejoice for you have received full salvation because he has already come! Now that’s Good News!

Suppose he didn’t come back in his own generation as he promised (Matthew 24:34). That’s what most evangelicals believe—still waiting after 2000 years. If that is so then salvation would not be complete for anyone! Right?

The term “salvation” here is meant Christ’s completed salvation, his finishing of the atonement, the great high-priest of our salvation having appeared victorious in the Heavenly places.  Salvation is a multifaceted concept, encompassing deliverance from sin, Satan, death, and God’s wrath, ultimately leading to union with God and glorification.

The Jews believed that the end of the age would be the end of the Jewish economy and the close of their civil and ecclesiastical state. According to Habakkuk 2:3 “For the vision is yet for a future time; It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled. If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed.” So the Jews were expecting their Messiah “for a future time, at the end” and it will not be delayed. The first believers just had to wait patiently—it would not be delayed. It is absurd to believe they are still waiting after 2000 years.

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