Sunday, 27. January 2008, 09:59:20
One of the most common themes found in the New Testament is that of the imminent coming (or return) of the Christ, and with it the end of the world. In the Epistle to the Hebrews, we find this thought in the starkest terms:
For soon, very soon "he who is to come will come and will not delay" (Heb 10:37, NEB)
Yet 2,000 years later, Christians are still waiting for the Christ to come into glory. I dare say that the time has already lapsed and the prophecies unfilfilled.
References to an imminent
parousia is sprinkled throughout the scriptures. The gospel writers themselves record Jesus as anticipating such a return. In the Little Apocalypse (also known as the Olivet Discourse) in Mark 13, Jesus declares:
But in those days, after that oppression, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. Then he will send out his angels, and will gather together his chosen ones from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the sky. Now from the fig tree, learn this parable. When the branch has now become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that the summer is near; even so you also, when you see these things coming to pass, know that it is near, at the doors. (Mark 13:24-29)
Jesus expects the end of the world to come soon, it is "at the doors." In fact, he gave this "prophecy" in anticipation of the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem:
As he went out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, Teacher, see what kind of stones and what kind of buildings! Jesus said to him, Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone on another, which will not be thrown down.
As he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, Tell us, when will these things be? What is the sign that these things are all about to be fulfilled? (Mark 13:1-4)
But this is already in the past. The Temple was destroyed near the end of the Jewish-Roman War (66-70
CE).
Further evidence that Jesus meant the end-of-the-world will come soon is his statement found in the synoptics:
He said to them, "Most certainly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste death until they see the Kingdom of God come with power." (Mark 9:1)
"Most certainly I tell you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste of death, until they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom." (Matt 16:28)
Jesus promised that some of his listeners will not die before coming of the Kingdom of God. Remember, he said this 2,000 years ago! If we take these verses as veridical, then either Jesus was mistaken in his promise, or that some of his audience are still alive today (the
Wandering Jew). I think option one is more likely.
We have another quote from Jesus of when the supposed parousia will happen:
But when they persecute you in this city, flee into the next, for most certainly I tell you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man has come. (Matt 10:23)
The implication in this verse is that the "Son of Man" is to come within the lifetime of the disciples, before they could preach through all the cities of Israel.
The fledging church also expects an imminent coming of the Christ and the destruction of the world. Saint Paul of Tarsus, in his letters, expected the parousia to come during his lifetime:
For this we tell you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left to the coming of the Lord, will in no way precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with Gods trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever. (1 Thess 4:15-17)
Paul didn't expect himself to "fall asleep" before the coming of the Lord. Since he was martyred around 64 CE, we can safely say that his words in the Scriptures is erroneous. In another passage, on discussing the issue of marriage, Paul reluctantly accepts that the believers should get married, rather than burn (1 Cor 7:7-9). His reluctance on marriage is due to his belief in imminent eschatology:
But I say this, brothers: the time is short, that from now on, both those who have wives may be as though they had none; and those who weep, as though they didnt weep; and those who rejoice, as though they didnt rejoice; and those who buy, as though they didnt possess; and those who use the world, as not using it to the fullest. For the mode of this world passes away. (1 Cor 7:29-31)
Other epistle writers were equally certain that the end of the world is just around the corner:
But the end of all things is near. Therefore be of sound mind, self-controlled, and sober in prayer. (1 Pet 4:7)
You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Dont grumble, brothers, against one another, so that you wont be judged. Behold, the judge stands at the door. (James 5:8-9)
Little children, these are the end times, and as you heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen. By this we know that it is the final hour. (1 Jn 2:18)
This is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things which must happen soon, which he sent and made known by his angel to his servant, John... Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written in it, for the time is at hand. (Rev 1:1,3)
As the coming parousia fails to come, apologists in the early church have begun to feel the heat of ridicule, and have responded with the lame excuse about the difference between human-time and god-time:
That in the last days mockers will come, walking after their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of his coming?" ... But dont forget this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. (2 Pet 3:3-4,8)
The problem with this excuse is that it is not just the Lord (Christ Jesus) who says the end is nigh, but also some of the "inspired" authors like Paul, James, Peter and John. Presumably, they are communicating through the words of men, not of god.
If we accept this line of reasoning, then what confidence can we have for taking any of the words in the New Testament as true? Remember, according to biblical chronology, the world was only four thousand years old when the New Testament was written. How can words like "near," "soon," "at hand," "the final hour,"
et cetera, mean "more than two thousand years on"? I believe there is an implicit "statute of limitation" for the coming of the Lord and of the end of the world, and it has expired more than nineteen centuries ago.
Two other verses are sometimes marshalled to protect the faithful from the mockery of skeptics:
For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night. (1 Thess 5:2)
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. (2 Pet 3:10)
It may come as a thief in the night, but it does not imply waiting for a long period of time. They could just as well apply to an immediate parousia.
Lord Jesus is not coming, he is dead and remains dead. By this time he stinketh.
This is the last part of my National Bible Week series.
