2,000 Years and Counting

A women’s lifetime of dreams is upon her. Other than her commitment to Christ many years earlier, the most magnificent day has finally arrived. She is about to wed the love of her life. While readying herself in the bride’s quarters she can hardly contain herself. Soon she will walk those few glorious steps down the aisle to meet her man.

As she waits patiently she’s given word that the groom has not yet arrived. Of all days to be late! But there's no cause for alarm since there's still time. She knows in her heart that he’ll be along any minute so she tries as best she can to relax. As her mind runs wild, she begins to wonder if something's gone awry—her groom has always been abundantly faithful.

The bride's spirit is quieted somewhat as she’s given word that he will “soon” appear at the altar awaiting his beautiful bride. Minutes pass and the bride continues to sit without her beloved as tensions begin to rise. Another word from the groom’s best man is such heartening news—he is now said to be arriving “shortly”. The anticipation grows with these more imminent words but still no groom as the clock keeps ticking and the guests grow impatient, evidenced by their ensuing chatter.

A note of certainly has sprung from the groom’s entourage and the maid of honor whispers the good news to the bride saying, “It’ll be a very little while”. He must be right outside the church she surmises. She's hardly able to contain her eager anticipation. Her hopes continue to heighten. The rush is coming. Her heart begins pounding wildly. Another encouraging report saying, “it’s the last hour”, his coming is “at hand”. Her enthusiasm crescendos to a new pinnacle. She can hardly stand still. Her Groom is about to appear. She can feel his presence!

Now hours have passed and no Groom is in sight. All the guests but the parents have returned to their respective homes. The bride, sobbing and downtrodden, experiences untold sorrow. “But he was on his way. Why didn't he come? And why did they continue to tell us that he'd be here soon?" She felt the epitome of rejection, telling her maid of honor that it would have been better to have never loved than to go through this tortuously agonizing trial.

Days pass and still no Groom as the bride grew increasingly despondent. Weeks and still no sign of him. Not even a Word from his parents. Years are now in the books and although the bride was clearly grief stricken, she had moved on. Her faith was irreparably shattered, no longer able or willing to trust her Groom even if He did one day return.

Scriptures behind the above underlined hyper-linked words: "Soon": Rev 1:1; "Shortly: Rev 22:6; "Very little while": Heb 10:37; "Last hour": 1Jn 2:18; "At hand": 1Pet 4:7;

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Did Jesus fulfill His promises to the first century Christians who were the direct recipient of these imminent promises? Like the unfaithful groom to that expectant bride (above), I believe the results of non-fulfillment would have been catastrophic. Carrying out those predictions in the time-honored manner in which they were prophesied, would have been absolutely vital to the survival of those heavily persecuted first century Christ-followers.

And if you say in your heart, 'How may we know the word that the Lord has not spoken?'— ²² when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the word does not come to pass or come true, that is a word that the Lord has not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously. You need not be afraid of him. Deuteronomy 18:21-22 (ESV)

It is my conviction that neither Jesus nor His 2nd Testament authors spoke presumptuously. However, if in the prevailing belief today, God did not carry out His "second coming" plans within the "this generation" (first century) time frame stipulated by Jesus, how then do we consider God faithful under the rules He laid down in Deut 18? Faithfulness is predicated upon timely fulfillment. How could any prophet be judged either truthful or presumptuous if there are no time constraints placed on their prophecies?

The God we serve has never been late for anything and I don't believe Jesus needed to purposely confuse His 1st century followers nor the immediate generations to follow, in order to artificially create a sense of perpetual expectancy. If there was a concerted attempt to deliberately mislead by using clearly understood speech (like shortly and at hand etc.), why is that not considered lying? I understand why we attempt to do it because we don't like the implications but don't you think we'd be better off stopping these kinds of private interpretations and force ourselves to deal with understanding these statements in context?

The atheists are picking up on this and are beginning to turn up the heat. In my view, we will continue to lose influence as long as we allow this kind of interpretational free for all where plain language is totally distorted. Men like Dan Barker, a preacher turned atheist, base their doubts in part upon the premise of the wedding parable. So the reason for their atheism has nothing to do with Scriptural veracity or consistency and everything to do with their common Church-ordained misinterpretations of Scripture.

Throughout human history "soon" may have had a slightly varied meaning. In the first century with camels dominating the dusty roadways, "soon" and "shortly" may not have had the exact same urgent intensity that we give them today. However, there is no scenario where "in a very little while" or "quickly" could possibly be stretched 2,000 years.

Every detail of Jesus life, from birth to death, was with a watchmaker's precision, meticulously orchestrated by the Father. Nothing escapes His sovereignty. The redemptive design was conceived before the foundation of the world. God's plans are never foiled. Unfortunately the wedding parable is a consistent logical extension of what most believe concerning God's last days eschatological appointment.

Only a faithless generation (in which I was firmly entrenched for 33 years) lacks the confidence to comprehend the real time faithfulness of God as laid out in the NT. If Jesus was not faithful to the heavily persecuted direct recipients of His and His NT author's time laden promises, why do we expect Him to be faithful to us? Isn't faithfulness predicated upon the timely fulfillment of a promise?

It's a Matter of Time

Throughout the Scriptures we should remember that God is communicating to His finite creatures not to Himself. God created the day before He created man. Time has been a consistent throughout human history...and without it we would languish in chaos and confusion.

Think about a world where time is meaningless. Jesus said, "Sleep and take your rest later on. See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. What if the disciples wondered which “at hand” Jesus was referring…the “soon” variety or the "indefinite period" version, where a day can be a thousand years? Once you destroy the meaning of time, communication drastically loses focus and purpose and Scripture becomes a free-for-all interpretational nightmare.

How about God telling Joshua to march around the walls of Jericho for seven, 1,000 year days? :)

References to time are laced throughout Scripture and thankfully we understand what “soon”, “at hand”, “shortly and “in very a little while” mean…well that is until we arrive at the passages that involve prophecy. Then all of a sudden we invoke the 2 Peter 3:8 clause and time becomes rather elastic. As famous theologian/philospher R.C. Sproul argues, giving way to this fallacy has allowed a huge breach in Scriptural integrity. In his book, "The Last Days According to Jesus", R. C. writes, "This generation will by no means pass away," Jesus said in the Olivet Discourse, "till all these things are fulfilled." [Matt 24:34] "These things" include "the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven." Critics like Bertrand Russell (author of "Why I Am Not a Christian") cite this passage as proof that Christ's teaching was "defective." Sproul believes Christians have not always answered these critics convincingly."

Do we truly answer them convincingly? I surely don't think we have. We offer equivocation and excuses and in my view don't rightly handle the Word of Truth. Doesn’t it bother you that we (modern day Christians) have willingly ignored the first century imminent 2nd coming claims of Christ? If He said that He would return (parousia, which means arrival with a consequential presence) while some of His devout followers were still alive (Matt 16:27-28) why is it that we choose to disbelieve Him?

I think it has everything to do with the presuppositions that create our paradigm (worldview). We confuse the nature of His intended return and therefore are forced to ignore His stated timing? This kind of thing bothered me a great deal and is what originally motivated my extensive journey that thankfully brought me back to Christ. Although my views concerning things eschatological have radically changed, my commitment to the inspiration of God's Word has increased one hundred fold.

No literature is functional without a concrete view of time, yet when we come to Scripture we’ve been duped to believe that time can suit our fancy. An attorney was once asked, "How long is soon?” “As long as you like”, he replied. Funny? Not so fast. Not when it comes to the Word of God.

Have you ever asked yourself why we began interpreting time schizophrenically? Why when Jesus made the emphatic "this generation" claim (not "that" generation),we refuse to take Him at His word? Why when 2,000 years ago Peter wrote, "The end of all things is near" (1 Pet 4:7), when Paul penned, "the time is short...the form of this world is passing away" (1 Cor 7:29, 31), or as John proclaimed, "The world is passing away...children it is the last hour," (1 John 2:17-18) do we choose to ignore these rather explicit statements in context as though they're addressed directly to us? How have we drifted so far off the course of time integrity?

Do we do it with extra-Biblical literature? Does my wife Debbie ever mysticize time in her writings? (BTW, shameless plug: "Mom Needs Chocolate"is hot off the press - it would make a wonderful Mother's Day gift!) Do we do it when we communicate with one another? Is there anything in the Bible that encourages us to ignore time references as though they don’t exist? In other words, did Jesus, Paul, John or Luke ever tell their followers to take time relatively or figuratively? Is time ever allegorized as per a parable? Are there any instances of its abuse in the OT? I believe our willingness to destroy the integrity of time has lead to a whole host of inspiration issues.

Let’s follow the usage of a time word and see how it’s been interpreted. The Greek work “tachos”, means “quickly, shortly, soon”. It appears 7 times in the NT including the 3 verses directly below.

And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter's side and woke him up, saying, "Get up quickly." And his chains fell off his hands. (Acts 12:7)

And I saw Him saying to me, 'Make haste, and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.' (Acts 22:18)

Festus then answered that Paul was being kept in custody at Caesarea and that he himself was about to leave shortly. (Acts 25:4)

In each of the verses above, is there any question that “tachos” meant quickly or shortly? Now consider “tachos” as it was used by John the Revelator in both the first and last chapters of Revelation:

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, (Rev 1:1)

And he said to me, "These words are faithful and true "; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His bond-servants the things which must soon take place. (Rev 22:6)

How can we justify extending the meaning of these words from “soon” to 2,000 years? Real flesh and blood people were counting on the imminent implications of the promises contained in this Book. Put yourself in the mind of one of the direct recipients of the Revelation. You were one who was with Jesus just prior to His death/resurrection, when He said, "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." (Matthew 16:28)

It’s now some 37 years later (AD 67) and John’s Revelation is delivered to your church in Pella. (No it wasn't written in AD 96) You recently arrived at Pella after heeding Jesus’ admonition to flee Jerusalem when you saw the Holy City surrounded by armies (Luke 21:20-21). Now hear the Word of the Lord! As the scroll is read aloud, you are heartened to the point of tears by the very first verse: “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place.” Finally your long wait is about to end. Your Savior is going to silence the mockers (2 Pet 3) and return in judgment upon the clouds of His glory within the generation He promised! Hallelujah! As the reading continues you are captivated by the rich imagery and apocalyptic language. Much of it is familiar to you as you recognize the many quotes from the prophets of old.

When the reader reaches the 2^nd to the last verse of the final chapter you hear the familiar refrain. “Surely I am coming soon”? (Rev 22:20) Don’t you feel unspeakable joy? Finally the vindication Paul promised just a few years ago. “For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, ⁷ and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, ⁸ dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. (2 Thes 1:6-9) And slightly later in 2 Thes you remember hearing, “We who are alive and remain…” Aren’t you excited?!!!

(to be continued...)

Humanists Offer Cash for Rapture Victims

The following is a parody written by a humanist. It may be offensive to some but quite frankly I've grown weary of being mocked for what I believe is the profoundly bad theology trumpeted by the majority of Christians. I don't want to be insensitive toward those that have been raised on this kind of eschatology (as I was), but I would like to know how long we're going to hang on to this failed system that in my opinion makes a mockery of the veracity of Christ's claims. As times worsen it seems to do nothing but embolden the prognosticators.

Jesus was both emphatic and specific about the timing of His return. He said that he would return (parousia) before his disciples had gone through the cities of Israel (Matt 10:23), while some of His followers were still alive (Matt 16:27-28) and all within a generation. (Matt 24:34).

We simply cannot allow for one misapplied and grossly misunderstood verse (2 Peter 3:8-9) to nullify every imminent NT statement. Doing so questions the integrity of God's Word. How could any prophet be held accountable if there wasn't the demand for a timely execution of that which was prophesied? (Deut 18:22) Why couldn't the false prophet have simply invoked the old " one day is as a thousand years" alibi?

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Live Last Days in Comfort

The Center for Inquiry-West is making an unprecedented offer to their fundamentalist fellow citizens: Live out your last days in cash-rich comfort before the Rapture hits.

“We’ve been hearing about the coming Rapture for years now, so we decided to earmark thousands of dollars for the purchase of cars, boats, houses and other valuable assets,” said Center for Inquiry-West Executive Director James Underdown. “ We will pay 10¢ on-the-dollar for people’s (soon-to-be) meaningless earthly possessions -- to anyone who truly believes the rapture is at hand.”

CFI says it will streamline the sales process for those who think they have no time to waste and take possession of properties a year or two into the future. By that time, the rapture will have passed, and earthly goods will be of no use to the sellers who will have ascended to Heaven by then.

The Centers for Inquiry are an Amherst, NY-based, international organization of rationalists who feel the recent paranoia surrounding an imminent rapture is not founded in reason. The best-selling Left Behind series of books have planted unfounded, modern, end-of-the-world notions in millions of believers. Belief in similar notions have been linked to the White House.

“All we’re saying is ‘Put your money where your mouth is’”, Underdown added. “If you think this is really going to happen, we ca n help.”

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To inquire about a deferred-possession sale of hard assets, call James Underdown at (323) 666-9797 ext 101.

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We must be able to answer the charges of the agnostics, the atheists, the Muslims and anyone who questions the inspiration and integrity of God's Word. Can you answer the claims of the atheist in the following video? We must be prepared to give an answer for the hope with which we Believe (1 Pet 3:15).