This Generation

This chapter highlights the predominance of New Testament writing that extols the imminent return of Christ to that very generation to whom Jesus spoke.

After having established that there is an impressive amount of text indicating that the return of Christ was imminent 2,000 years ago there are a limited number of possible explanations for the apparent discrepancy that comes with them:

  1. Christ and the New Testament authors were mistaken in their understanding of the timing of the Second Coming.
  2. Christ and the New Testament authors understood the timing, but deliberately misled their generation. (For any of a number of reasons, which are secondary to the point at hand)
  3. In light of our understanding of (the nature of) how Christ will return (based upon our understanding of Scripture), we must be misunderstanding these verses concerning when He will return. In other words, our understanding of the nature of His return dictates that we must reinterpret the verses concerning the timing of His return. (This is the Futurist position, also the dominant position of the church today)
  4. In light of our understanding of when Christ will return (based upon the above Scriptures, ET. Al.), we must be misunderstanding the verses that describe how He will return. In other words, our understanding of the timing of His return dictates that we must reinterpret the verses concerning the nature of His return. (This is the Preterist position)

Those who believe that Christ was the Son of God incarnate, that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, and that the authors wrote as they were "inspired by the Holy Spirit" can immediately dismiss the first two possibilities. What we are left with are two options: 1) either the imminency passages don’t mean what they appear to mean; or 2) the passages describing Christ’s physical return to a physical kingdom don’t mean what they appear to mean. We cannot say that we believe the Bible teaches an imminent Second Coming to the New Testament Church, and still be waiting for it 2,000 years later. How imminent is that? (p. 182-183, Behind The Veil of Moses)

This chapter will illuminate the imminency scriptures and show that the New Testament authors, along with Jesus’ own words, all concurred in their outlook that the Second Coming of Christ was expected to happen in their generation.