The Timing of the Second Coming
To understand the timing of the second coming, we need look no further than Jesus’s own words. Jesus’s statements tell us everything we need to know. And Jesus spoke plainly enough that the people of his day–many of whom were fishermen, farmers, merchants, etc.–could grasp his meaning (at least if they wanted to). In fact, Jesus’s apostles were, for the most part, average men with ordinary jobs, not trained theologians. Seven were likely fishermen, one was a tax collector, and one was a zealot (political revolutionary). It’s true that the apostle Paul was trained in theology, but he was the exception. The point is this: If Jesus’s first-century followers could understand his words and concepts, so can we! Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.
As you consider Jesus’s statements (below), keep in the forefront of your mind that Jesus said these things during his earthly ministry, which began around AD 30 and ended around AD 33. (AD is short for the Latin phrase anno Domini, which means “in the year of our Lord.”) While this dating may be off a few years one way or the other–there are different opinions regarding the exact year of Jesus’s birth, at what age he began his ministry, and the exact length of his ministry–any possible variance is irrelevant to this discussion because a few years difference one way or the other would not affect the arguments presented. Therefore, to keep things simple, let’s just say (1) Jesus was born in AD 1, which is what our modern calendar is based on; (2) Jesus began his ministry at thirty years old, which is generally the scholarly consensus; and (3) Jesus was crucified about three years later, which, again, is generally the scholarly consensus. In other words, Jesus’s earthly ministry began in AD 30 and ended in AD 33–or simply AD 30 for short.
This date and others will be highlighted throughout this article because knowing when the events of the New Testament happened is crucial to understanding the timing of Jesus’s second coming.
That said, be careful not to confuse the dating of the statements/events with the dating of authorship (when the New Testament books/letters were written). For example, the gospel of Matthew records events from Jesus’s birth in AD 1 to his death, resurrection and ascension in AD 33. However, the book of Matthew was likely not written until around AD 50, according to most scholars.
Four Important Time Indicators about the Second Coming
Let’s look at four passages in Matthew in which Jesus talks about his second coming and when it would happen. Keep in mind, Jesus said these things during his earthly ministry in approximately AD 30.
“For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. Assuredly, I [Jesus] say to you [Jesus’s first-century audience], there are some standing here who shall not taste death [die] till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom” (Matt. 16:27–28).
“But whenever they persecute you [apostles] in one city, flee to the next; for truly I [Jesus] say to you, you will not finish going through [preaching throughout] the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes” (Matt. 10:23).
“Assuredly, I [Jesus] say to you [apostles], not one stone [of the temple] shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down…They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory…Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place” (Matt. 24:2, 30, 34, italics mine). Note: historians acknowledge the temple was destroyed in AD 70.
“I [Jesus] say to you [High Priest Caiaphas / Jewish Sanhedrin], hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matt. 26:64).
In each of these passages, Jesus said (in AD 30) that he would come again within the lifetimes or generation of the people he was talking to. In Matthew 16, Jesus said he would come before his audience passed away. In Matthew 10, Jesus said he would come before his apostles finished preaching throughout Israel, a country about the size of New Jersey. In Matthew 24, Jesus said he would come within a generation, which the Bible itself defines as forty years (Heb. 3:8–10; Num. 14:30–34; Neh. 9:21). And in Matthew 26, Jesus told the Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin that they would see him coming on the clouds. In all four passages, Jesus essentially said the same thing, namely, that he would come again within the lifetimes of the people he was talking to.
Since these four statements all give the exact same fulfillment time frame, we can be confident that the timing indicators are not figures of speech or hyperbole. Jesus meant them exactly how they sound. In fact, these passages interpret one another. If we only had one of them, a person might have a legitimate reason for not being overly dogmatic about whether or not to take the timing aspect literally; but not with all four together. It’s clear from the four statements together that the timing aspect was meant exactly how it sounds in each of the individual statements. Jesus clearly believed he would come (again) within the lifetimes or generation of the first-century audiences he was addressing. While Jesus did not know the exact day and hour of his coming (Matt. 24:36), he certainly knew it would happen within the lifetimes/generation of the people he was addressing because he said so repeatedly.
Since these four statements all give the same fulfillment time frame, we can also be confident they refer to the same event. In fact, had Jesus believed there was going to be another coming besides this one–a third coming, if you will–it is baffling why he would have neglected to mention it in any of these passages. This would have been the perfect time to do so, especially in Matthew 24, where Jesus and the disciples discuss “the end” (vv. 3, 13, 14). Yet Jesus says nothing about a third coming. Granted, this is an argument from silence…but the silence is deafening!
The writer of Hebrews confirms all this as well in saying, “He will appear a second time” (Heb. 9:28, italics mine)–not a third time. Neither Jesus nor the apostles ever mentioned a third coming. And they never mentioned future comings (plural), either, as if expecting more than one. Nor did they ever contrast “this (future) coming” with “that (future) coming,” as if expecting more than one. Plus, when giving timing indicators, Jesus and the apostles repeatedly said it would happen within the lifetimes or generation of their audiences, just like in those four statements in Matthew (above). In fact, even in this passage from Hebrews–which was written around AD 60–the writer says it would happen in a little while–not in thousands of years. “For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come and will not tarry” (Heb. 10:37, italics mine).This timing fits perfectly with those four statements in Matthew!
Keep in mind, Jesus’s second coming is markedly different than his various post resurrection appearances, which are sometimes loosely referred to as comings by some commentators. For example, after his death and resurrection, Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:4–5). Jesus also appeared to “doubting Thomas” (John 20:26–29). Jesus also appeared to Peter in the vision of a sheet descending with animals (Acts 10:13–15). Although these sorts of appearances/events are sometimes loosely referred to as comings, they are notably different than the second coming, which involves judgment (see below).
There is an interesting example of one Jesus’s post resurrection appearances in which he also mentioned his second coming. The event took place at the Sea of Tiberias, during an unproductive day of fishing. All of a sudden, Jesus appeared on the shore and told the disciples to cast their fishing net on the other side of the boat. So they did, after which their fishing net almost tore apart because of the amount of fish they caught. Later that day, while Jesus ate fish with his apostles on the beach, he revealed that Peter would die a martyr’s death. Peter then asked about John’s fate, to which Jesus replied cryptically: “If I will that he remains [stay alive] till I come, what is that to you?” (John 21:23). While Jesus did not explicitly say that John would remain alive until the second coming, he sure hinted at it. This timing would not only fit perfectly with those statements above in Matthew and Hebrews (above), but it would also fit perfectly with what ended up happening. Historians affirm that John lived to AD 70. The rest of the apostles–including Peter–were martyred before then. (Judas hung himself.) Coincidence? Not likely.
Consider another telling aspect of Jesus’s four statements in Matthew (above). Jesus used the second-person pronoun “you”–as opposed to “they.” For example, in Matthew 10, Jesus said “you [apostles] will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes” (italics mine). And in Matthew 26, Jesus said “you [Caiaphas / the Sanhedrin] will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven” (italics mine). Likewise, in Matthew 24, Jesus used the second person plural “you” seven times. Jesus clearly believed he would come again within the lifetimes of the people he was addressing. Had Jesus intended to come thousands of years later, he would have said “they will see me coming on clouds”–not “you will see me coming on clouds.”
When reading the Bible–or any other book for that matter–we need to be careful not to overlook who is actually being spoken to. Some of the statements in the Bible were not meant for us. While all of the statements in the Bible were preserved for us, not all of the statements were spoken to us. For example, in Hosea 1:2, God says: “Go, take for yourself a wife of harlotry and have children of harlotry” (NASB). And in Matthew 21:2, Jesus says, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me.” While such statements were preserved for us–for our learning, edification, and the building up of our faith–they were not meant directly for us. These statements were meant only for the people being spoken to. It’s the same with Jesus’s four statements in Matthew about his second coming. Jesus was speaking to the people right in front of him–and only to them–and he promised to come (again) within their generation.
Automatically assuming that every Bible verse was spoken to us/meant for us without first considering who was actually being addressed makes about as much sense as overhearing a random conversation between two people on the street and assuming the speaker is talking to you. He isn’t! And neither was Jesus. To interpret the Bible correctly, we must not overlook who was actually being addressed. This vitally important hermeneutic (method of Bible interpretation) is called “audience relevance.”
Keep in mind, just because Jesus’s prophecies were not meant directly for us does not mean they are therefore irrelevant and unimportant to us. They are immensely important to us, just like the many other already-fulfilled prophecies in the Old Testament. They confirm God’s existence. They show how God worked through history. They show God’s faithfulness, that he does what he says when he says. They also reveal God’s wishes and desires for humanity. Such things are immensely important for us. Nevertheless, the prophecies were not intended for us directly. They were certainly preserved for us–for our learning, edification, and the building up of our faith–but they were not meant directly for us.
The Significance of Jesus’s Four Time Statements
Consider the significance of Jesus’s four time statements in Matthew (above).These were not just ordinary statements; these were prophecies. Prophecies belong in the same category as raising the dead, feeding five thousand people with five loaves and two fish, healing a blind man, and other miracles. In the same way these other supernatural signs and wonders validate God’s true spokesmen, so do fulfilled prophecies (Deut. 18:18–22; Heb. 2:3–4; John 10:37–38, 14:10–11; Mark 2:5–11). Since only God knows the future with certainty and detail, therefore, only someone truly in communication with God–either verbally or through visions, dreams, or other revelations–can accurately foretell the future with detail. Fulfilled prophecies validate the prophets who uttered them, and they confirm that the prophets/apostles were in fact men of God–especially prophecies of the magnitude Jesus uttered in those four passages in Matthew (above). Jesus intentionally put himself out on a limb, as if to say to his first-century critics: “In addition to all of the miracles I did in your presence during my three-year earthly ministry that prove I am the Messiah, I am also going to put a big exclamation point on it by coming again on clouds of glory–and it’s going to happen within your generation!”
Either it happened, which means Jesus is exactly who he claimed to be, or it didn’t, which means Jesus was a false prophet. The test of a prophet is whether or not his prophecy comes to pass: “And if you say in your heart, ‘How shall we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’–when a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not happen or come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken” (Deut. 18:21–22).
In fact, if Jesus did not come on clouds of glory within a generation (or by approximately AD 70), then killing him was justified: “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in My [God’s] name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die” (Deut. 18:20).
The reason why God judged false prophets so harshly is because they claimed to be speaking for him. God’s reputation was on the line, and he did not want it squandered away by charlatans and wannabes. Plus, God did not want false prophets muddying up his message, causing confusion among his people, and competing with his true spokesmen. So the penalty for false prophecy under the Old Covenant was death.
Jesus knew this well, as his repeated warnings about false prophets show (Matt. 24:4–5, 23-25). Therefore, he never would have uttered those four prophecies (in Matthew) unless he expected to come again within the generation of the people he was addressing.
The Long Delay?
Possible objection: Jesus implied in two parables that he would not come for a long time. In the Parable of the Virgins, Jesus said the Bridegroom, which represents himself, delayed his return (Matt. 25:1–13). Likewise, in the Parable of the Talents, Jesus said the Master (which represents himself) traveled to a far country and returned after a long time (Matt. 25:14–30). In both of these parables, Jesus implied he would not come for a long time–thousands, if not tens of thousands, of years (according to some postmillennialists).
Response: First, notice that even in these parables, the Bridegroom/Master returned within the lifetimes of the people he left. In the Parable of the Virgins, the Bridegroom returned while the unprepared virgins were gone purchasing oil, so he must have come within their lifetimes. And in the Parable of the Talents, the Master returned to the same group of people he had given the talents to and rewarded/condemned them based on how they used their talents. So once again, he must have come within their lifetimes. This timing fits perfectly with Jesus’s other four statements (in Matthew).
Second, there is not a scintilla of biblical evidence to suggest Jesus is referring to a different coming in these two parables (in Matthew) than in those other four statements (also in Matthew) in which Jesus said he would return within a generation. Jesus certainly never said he was referring to a different coming–and neither did Matthew, the author of the book. That notion has to be read into the passages, which is eisegesis.[1] Had Jesus been referring to a different coming in these parables, surely Jesus or Matthew would have said so. Yet they didn’t.
Third, it was the unrighteous people–not the righteous people–who expected a prolonged delay to Messiah’s coming. In the Parable of the Evil Servant, Jesus called these people “evil servants” (Matt. 24:48). Paul described them as “children of darkness” (1 Thess. 5:3–5). And Peter called them “scoffers” (2 Pet. 3:3–4).The righteous people, on the other hand, were the ones warning that Jesus was coming soon (James 5:7, 1 Pet. 4:17, Phil. 4:5, Rev. 22:6–12).
It is true that Jesus mentioned a “delay” in the Parable of the Virgins (in AD 30); however, by AD 60, the writer of Hebrews said that delay was over: “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay” (Heb. 10:36, NASB, italics mine). Jesus’s idea of a “delay” was forty years (a generation). Jesus was mercifully giving the people of his day a reasonable amount of time to figure out who he was before the judgment hit: “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise [of his coming], as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9). Yet this delay would not extend past “this generation,” as Jesus repeatedly said in those time statements in Matthew (above).
Here’s a very telling comparison: Compare what Jesus had said in AD 30 regarding the timing of his second coming to what Jesus said in approximately AD 65 (through an angel) regarding the timing of his second coming. In AD 30, Jesus had said he would come again within a generation (Matt. 10:23, 16:28, 24:30–34, 26:64). Yet thirty-five (or so) years later, at the tail end of “this generation,” Jesus now said: “Behold, I am coming quickly…for the time is at hand” (Rev. 22:7, 10). What a difference thirty-five years makes! Note: Jesus spoke this latter statement through an angel (Rev. 1:1).
The Great and Dreadful Day of the Lord
Jesus had only one (second) coming in mind, the one that would happen within the generation of his first-century audiences. In fact, this would be “the great and dreadful day of the Lord” that Malachi had prophesied about some 430 years earlier:
“For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, that will leave them neither root nor branch…Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord” (Mal. 4:1–5; also see Malachi 3).
This is the coming Jesus had in mind, and it is easy to prove by comparing Malachi’s words to Jesus’s. Malachi had said that Elijah would come before the great and dreadful Day of the Lord (Mal. 4:5); and Jesus said, in AD 30, that Elijah had come: “And if you are willing to receive it, he [John the Baptist] is Elijah who is to come” (Matt. 11:14; see also Matt. 17:11–13 and Luke 1:17). In saying this, Jesus was warning the people of his day in no uncertain terms that Malachi’s prophecy of the great and dreadful Day of the Lord was about to be fulfilled–within a generation, as Jesus repeatedly said in those four passages in Matthew (above)!
John the Baptist knew this too. In fact, John the Baptist described this judgment using the very same fiery language that Malachi had used, coupling it with the imminence Jesus used. For example, Malachi had said the great and dreadful Day of the Lord would “leave neither root nor branch” and “burn up the stubble” (Mal. 4:1–5, italics mine). And John the Baptist said: “Even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire…His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clean out His threshing floor, and gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire”[2] (Matt. 3:10–12, italics mine). Same root. Same branches/trees. Same fire. John the Baptist was clearly referring to Malachi’s “great and dreadful day of the Lord”–and John said the ax was already laid at the root. This judgment was coming soon, just as Jesus said!
Urgency Increases as AD 70 Approaches
Besides Jesus’s many time indicators about his second coming, there are many similar statements from the apostles about the event. In fact, it is rather obvious from the following list that the apostles were just repeating (using their own words) what Jesus taught them, namely that he would come by approximately AD 70. As you read the following statements, pay close attention again to the approximate dating.[3] And notice how the urgency increases as AD 70 approaches:
AD 51/52: “For this we [apostles] say to you [Thessalonians] by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep [have died]” (1 Thess. 4:15, italics mine). Note: Paul is essentially echoing what Jesus had said twenty years earlier, namely, “There are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming” (Matt. 16:28). For a detailed discussion of 1 Thessalonians 4, see my book The End is Here, available spring 2024.
AD 57: “The time is short” (1 Cor. 7:29).
AD 57: “Now all these things happened to them [the Israelites in Moses’s day] as examples, and they were written for our [first-century Christians’] admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (1 Cor. 10:11, italics mine).
AD 58: “The night is far spent, the day [of the Lord] is at hand” (Rom. 13:12).
AD 61/62: “The coming of the Lord is at hand…the judge is standing at the door” (James 5:8, 9, italics mine).
AD 62/63: “The Lord is at hand” (Phil. 4:5).
AD 62: “For yet a little while, And He who is coming will come and will not tarry” (Heb. 10:37, italics mine).
AD 63: “They will give an account to him [Jesus] who is ready to judge the living and dead” (1 Pet. 4:5, italics mine).
AD 63: “The end of all things is at hand” (1 Pet. 4:7).
AD 65: “It is the last hour” (1 John 2:18).
AD 65: “Behold I [Jesus] come quickly…the time is at hand” (Rev. 22:7, 10). Note: Jesus said this through an angel (Rev. 1:1).
It is evident from these time statements leading up to the judgment in AD 70 that the apostles were repeating what Jesus had taught them; namely, that he would come on clouds within a generation (or approximately forty years). The difference is that it was getting progressively closer to that day, so the urgency kept increasing. Instead of Jesus coming within a generation–as he had said back in AD 30–Jesus was now, in AD 65, coming quickly, for the time was at hand (Rev. 22:7, 10). By this time, it was not only the last days, it was now the last hour of the last day (1 John 2:18). For a detailed discussion of the last days, see my article “Are We In the Last Days?“
How did the Old Testament Prophets View and Use Time Statements?
Many Christians gloss over these kinds of time statements without so much as a second thought. Surely these passages could not mean what they (so clearly) seem to be saying…could they? Let me answer this question by pointing to what God once said about this time statements–or more accurately, time statement deniers. Ezekiel 12:22–26 is a prophecy about the soon-coming judgment and destruction of Jerusalem and the first temple (Solomon’s temple), which was fulfilled a short time later in around 586 BC. God had pronounced this soon-coming judgment on Israel because of her disobedience. Yet the Israelites of that day were in abject denial about it and said it was far off, that it would not happen soon. So God charged these time statement deniers with giving “false visions” and “flattering divination” (Ezek. 12:24). These are serious offenses, and it shows that when God says something will happen soon, he expects people to heed the timing indicator. “Soon” means soon!
Moreover, God’s prophets of old had no problem saying that a prophecy would not happen for a long period of time when that was in fact the case. Consider the following prophecies about far off events:
Numbers 24:17
“I see Him [Messiah], but not now; I behold Him, but not near; a Star shall come out of Jacob; a Scepter shall rise out of Israel” (italics mine).
Note: This was a prophecy about Jesus that was uttered around 1,500 years before his arrival–which is why the prophet said it was not near.
Daniel 8:26
“And the vision of the evenings and mornings which was told is true; therefore seal up the vision, for it refers to many days in the future” (italics mine).
Note: This prophecy was for many days in the future, which is why the angel told Daniel to “seal up the vision.” The term “seal it up” essentially means “set it aside until later” or “put it away until later” (see next passage below; see also Isa. 29:11–12).
Daniel 12:4, 9
“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end…Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end” (italics mine).
Note: The reason why the angel told Daniel to “seal it up” was because the time was not near.
As these passages show, the Old Testament prophets had no problem saying when a prophecy or event was far off or not near. So why would it be any different with Jesus and the apostles? If the second coming was still thousands of years away (in the first century), why didn’t Jesus and the apostles simply say something to that effect, as the Old Testament prophets had done? Why didn’t they say it was not near? In fact, they did the exact opposite; they repeatedly said the second coming was near, soon, at hand, etc.
Some commentators argue that the reason why Jesus and the apostles used timing indicators such as soon, near, and “at hand” was to keep Christians on the tiptoes of expectation, as if Christians might fall away if told Jesus is not coming for a long time. However, the Old Testament prophets clearly never felt like they had to use such deception (let’s call a spade a spade). If a prophecy was not expected to come to pass for a long time, that’s exactly what the Old Testament prophets said. So why would Jesus and the apostles have done any differently?
In fact, Jesus specifically warned his disciples to watch out for the false prophets who were declaring prematurely that the end is near: “Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ Therefore do not go after them” (Luke 21:8, italics mine).” As the parallel gospel account shows, Jesus said this to Peter, James, and John (Mark 13:3). Yet within about thirty years, these very three apostles were proclaiming the end is near: “The end of all things is near,” Peter said in approximately AD 64 (1 Pet. 4:7, NASB). “The coming of the Lord is near,” James said in AD 64 (James 5:8, NASB). “The time is near,” John wrote in AD 65 (Rev. 1:3; 22:10, NASB).[4] Did Jesus’s own apostles become the false prophets he had warned about…or had the end arrived? There is no other logical option.
Consider another eye-opening comparison related to this issue. It involves the passage just cited above, Daniel 12:4–9, concerning the time of the end. (Note: Daniel is discussing the time of the end–not the end of time. Contrary to popular opinion, there is not a single verse in the Bible about the end of time.) This passage was uttered around 600 BC, and the reason why the angel told Daniel (in 600 BC) to seal up the prophecy about the time of the end is because it was not near: “But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end…Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end” (Dan. 12:4, 9).
Now here’s the eye-opening part: In Revelation, which was written in approximately AD 65, the angel–presumably the same angel as in Daniel–told John do the exact opposite: “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book for the time [of the end] is at hand” (Rev. 22:10, italics mine).The reason why the angel told John not to seal up (set aside) the prophecy was because by this time, AD 65, the time of the end was at hand. In other words, the time of the end had finally arrived!
Think about these two passages mathematically. In approximately 600 BC, the angel told Daniel to seal up the prophecy because the time of the end was not near. The time span from the writing of Daniel (600 BC) to the writing of Revelation (AD 65) is approximately 665 years. Then, in AD 65, the angel told John not to seal up the prophecy because the time of the end was near (at hand). Logically, then, the time of the end must have been nearer than 665 years away by this time; otherwise, the angel would have told John to seal it up, just as he had told Daniel. In other words, the time of the end must have come no later than around AD 730 (AD 65 + 665 years = AD 730)!
To further narrow down this timing, all we have to do is consider what “at hand” means (in Rev. 22:10)–it means “about to happen.” We can be sure of this because the angel had just said a few verses earlier that the events of Revelation “must shortly take place” (v. 6). Then, the angel says the events are “at hand” (v. 10). And immediately following this, Jesus says (through an angel), “I am coming quickly” (v. 12). These are three time statements, back to back to back, all essentially saying the very same thing! Since this prophecy was uttered around AD 65, the fulfillment date of AD 70 fits perfectly–which also “just happens” to fit perfectly with all those other time statements discussed above.
The scriptural evidence is overwhelming. The second coming had to have happened by around AD 70. While there certainly are other passages in the New Testament, besides the ones discussed above, that talk about the second coming, suffice it to say for now that there is not an iota of biblical evidence to suggest any of them refer to a different coming than the one in AD 70. Certainly none of them say anything like that. What’s more, the contexts of those passages and the scriptural cross-references point to the very same coming.
Are there a few ambiguous passages without timing indicators that could, possibly, twisted just the right way, refer to a yet-future (to us) coming? Admittedly, yes. However, given those parameters, one can “make” the Bible say just about anything they want–and they have! Furthermore, there is such an abundance of clear passages that say Jesus would come within the first century that to interpret the ambiguous ones as yet-future would be irresponsible. The first rule of biblical hermeneutics is to interpret the unclear passages by the clear ones, and that applies in this case too.
For a detailed discussion of these ambiguous passages, see my book The End is Here, available summer 2024. See also my article “What is a ‘Coming of the Lord’?“
Alex Polyak, The Bible Fulfilled 12/22/23
[1] Eisegesis means: to read one’s presuppositions, biases, and/or agenda into a text (without textural justification). Exegesis, on the other hand, means: to allow the text to speak for itself.
[2] The term “unquenchable fire” means “unstoppable fire”–not “unending fire.” Once God determines a judgment will happen, it cannot be thwarted by anyone. And God’s judgment/fire cannot be extinguished until it finishes its purpose. Some commentators say “unquenchable fire” means “to burn forever,” but that cannot possibly be correct because there were many “unquenchable fires” in the Old Testament (Jer. 17:27; 7:20; Ez. 20:47–48; Amos 5:6), yet these fires are not still burning today.
[3] While scholars differ some about the exact dating of the New Testament books, conservatives generally agree they were written before AD 70. The only book there is notable debate about is Revelation, which some commentators argue was written in the 90s, as opposed to the mid-60s. While scholarly opinion about this issue has ebbed and flowed over the centuries, the book itself seems to demand a pre-AD 70 writing. After all, Revelation talks about the city of Jerusalem and the temple–which were destroyed in AD 70–as if still intact (Rev. 11:1–2). See my book The End is Here, available summer 2024, for a detailed discussion about the dating of Revelation.
[4] Don Preston, Can God Tell Time, 18.