The Second Coming

[ryanoneil]

I have often wondered what was meant in Matthew 24:34 when Christ describes His Second Coming and declares that “this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.”

I spent time in a Benedictine Monastery and asked a priest there, who was a biblical scholar, what this meant. His answer was that Jesus was mistaken. Revelation also speaks of the Second Coming happening soon.

How do you folks understand these type of verses?

Jesus was not mistaken. His judgment of Israel took less than 40 years to happen. There is a close connection between the termination of the Old Covenant era (70 a.d.) and the end of the visible world. Signs of Chaos and catastrophe preceded the collapse of the Old age and the coming of Christ’s kingdom and similair signs are expected before the final days of the New age and Christ’s Second Coming in glory.

 

[Snerticus]

This is an example of fallibility of the Bible. As with Genesis, as portions of the Bible are proven to be incorrect, Christian theologians are forced to come up with alternative meanings to passages that were written quite clearly.

Jesus was probably not mistaken, he was probably misquoted.

The Bible is not fallible with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The question then becomes “how do we know when the Holy Spirit guides the interpretation?” The answer to that question is a journey that many have taken and many more will take. And many cannot accept the answer to. I did not accept it early on, then I didn’t care if the Bible was fallible or not, and then after a period of calamity and discernment, I came back home.

It’s funny how catastrophe often leads many to the Truth. I guess that’s when we realize our own selves are fallible and we need to trust in something that’s not.

Snert

 

[John_Colean]

I do believe that The Bible is true and correct under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. There are some issue, such as the second coming, which seem to cause a great deal of confusion. I also believe that when it becomes necessary to dissect an element of Sacred Scripture into many parts confusion results. I further believe that faced with these circumstances our best course of action is to read the Scripture diligently under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and when the time is right you will receive a Word from the HS that will satisfy your understanding.

Blessings to all,
John

 

[redhen]

This is an example of fallibility of the Bible. As with Genesis, as portions of the Bible are proven to be incorrect, Christian theologians are forced to come up with alternative meanings to passages that were written quite clearly.

Jesus was probably not mistaken, he was probably misquoted.

Only two possible scenarios, either Jesus was wrong, or the apostles and early Church were wrong.

It is widely accepted, even in Catholic academia, that the early Church expected an imminent parousia. Thus we see the incentive to give away all your possessions. Or, in the case of Ananias and his wife Sapphira (Acts 5), to give all the proceeds of the sale of their property to the Church. When confronted with the fact that they kept some of their money, they were instantly struck dead. Nice.

 

[Vimy_Ridge]

Only two possible scenarios, either Jesus was wrong, or the apostles and early Church were wrong.

It is widely accepted, even in Catholic academia, that the early Church expected an imminent parousia. Thus we see the incentive to give away all your possessions. Or, in the case of Ananias and his wife Sapphira (Acts 5), to give all the proceeds of the sale of their property to the Church. When confronted with the fact that they kept some of their money, they were instantly struck dead. Nice.

Or they were all wrong. When you read the book of ‘Revelation’ you cannot avoid the fact that the Second Coming was supposed to happen quickly. This book was meant for the believers of that era and it was a failed prophecy.

 

[Snerticus]

Or they were all wrong. When you read the book of ‘Revelation’ you cannot avoid the fact that the Second Coming was supposed to happen quickly. This book was meant for the believers of that era and it was a failed prophecy.

If that’s how you want to interpret it, you’re certainly free to do so.

 

[matahari]

Only two possible scenarios, either Jesus was wrong, or the apostles and early Church were wrong.

It is widely accepted, even in Catholic academia, that the early Church expected an imminent parousia. Thus we see the incentive to give away all your possessions. Or, in the case of Ananias and his wife Sapphira (Acts 5), to give all the proceeds of the sale of their property to the Church. When confronted with the fact that they kept some of their money, they were instantly struck dead. Nice.

---

Ananias and Saphira voluntarily gave some of the proceeds of their property to the Church.
They were not struck dead for keeping some of the proceeds themselves. If you read Acts5V4 you will see that they were struck down for lying to God. They were not under any compulsion to sell their property or give anything to the Church.

 

[matahari]

Or they were all wrong. When you read the book of ‘Revelation’ you cannot avoid the fact that the Second Coming was supposed to happen quickly. This book was meant for the believers of that era and it was a failed prophecy.

---

I come quickly : these are the words of Christ and confirm the declaration of the last verse. He will come quickly but the precise time is not determined. " One day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day " 2 Peter 3:8 ]:knight2::bible1:

Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ’
Saint Jerome