Post by Josh on Jun 4, 2009 12:58:02 GMT -8
Mark 13:30
I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
Jesus speaks these words at the end of his famous apocalyptic speech know as the Olivet Discourse (also found in Luke 21 and Matthew 24). This pronouncement follows a long list of future predictions made by Jesus, leading up to, said Albert Schweizter (known for beginning the "Quest for the historical Jesus"), an expectation that the "world would end" in short order. This did not occur, so no matter how much we might admire Jesus, we must see him as incapable of successfully predicting the future.
This claim presented a vexing problem for me for quite some time years ago until one morning, interestingly, as I was dreaming this verse was rolling around in my brain (I wasn't joking about the "vexing"
and a thought came to me out of the blue.
The verse in question, Mark 13:30, can't be implying the "end of the world", with which is associated the end of death itself, when even within the verse he is stating that the generation of his hearers would indeed pass away. The pivotal word is "until". The until confirms that the generation will, indeed, pass away- just after certain things have been fulfilled. Those things that are fulfilled cannot include the "end of the world" because if they did, then the generation could not be said to pass away- rather, they would never die.
So, rather than a false prophecy, we have in Mark 13:30 and it's parallel's Jesus' own prediction that the world would not end within a generation.
There's another verse that Schweitzer brings up that we can apply similar logic to:
Luke 9:27
I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."
Here the "kingdom of God" cannot be equated with the "end of the world" simply because, again, the word "before" indicates to us that they will taste death.
If Jesus had intended to say what Schweitzer would have him saying, these verses should have looked more like this:
"I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away because all these things are about to happen"
and
"I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will never taste death because they will soon see the kingdom of God."
What do you think?
This is the first time I've written this out, and as far as I know the idea is original to me- I've never read it anywhere in an eschatology book. Have you ever heard a similar argument? Do you think it holds merit?
I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
Jesus speaks these words at the end of his famous apocalyptic speech know as the Olivet Discourse (also found in Luke 21 and Matthew 24). This pronouncement follows a long list of future predictions made by Jesus, leading up to, said Albert Schweizter (known for beginning the "Quest for the historical Jesus"), an expectation that the "world would end" in short order. This did not occur, so no matter how much we might admire Jesus, we must see him as incapable of successfully predicting the future.
This claim presented a vexing problem for me for quite some time years ago until one morning, interestingly, as I was dreaming this verse was rolling around in my brain (I wasn't joking about the "vexing"
and a thought came to me out of the blue.The verse in question, Mark 13:30, can't be implying the "end of the world", with which is associated the end of death itself, when even within the verse he is stating that the generation of his hearers would indeed pass away. The pivotal word is "until". The until confirms that the generation will, indeed, pass away- just after certain things have been fulfilled. Those things that are fulfilled cannot include the "end of the world" because if they did, then the generation could not be said to pass away- rather, they would never die.
So, rather than a false prophecy, we have in Mark 13:30 and it's parallel's Jesus' own prediction that the world would not end within a generation.
There's another verse that Schweitzer brings up that we can apply similar logic to:
Luke 9:27
I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God."
Here the "kingdom of God" cannot be equated with the "end of the world" simply because, again, the word "before" indicates to us that they will taste death.
If Jesus had intended to say what Schweitzer would have him saying, these verses should have looked more like this:
"I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away because all these things are about to happen"
and
"I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will never taste death because they will soon see the kingdom of God."
What do you think?
This is the first time I've written this out, and as far as I know the idea is original to me- I've never read it anywhere in an eschatology book. Have you ever heard a similar argument? Do you think it holds merit?