Chapter 11 from Beyond the End Times: Didn't Jesus Return When He Said He Would?

Much of the material in this and the next chapter was presented by the author at the Evangelical Theological Society's 48th Annual Meeting in November 1996 in Jackson, Missippi.

The fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 does not stand alone as an isolated event of history. Nor does it compare with catastrophes like the siege of Troy, the downfall of Carthage, the demise of the Roman Empire, or even the collapse of Communism. Behind its visible events is an unseen significance that is just as real and even more relevant and more important than any other major event in history. Until now, only a few scholars have recognized and appreciated what we will discuss in this and the next chapter. Why is it so important? Because God’s Word tells us that “My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge” (Hos. 4:6a). Lack of this knowledge has destroyed much and hindered many. As a result, the Church has squandered much of its true heritage and traded in its sure foundation for a bowl of postponement pottage (Ge. 25:19-34).

In addition to his astonishingly accurate prediction in A.D. 30 of the destruction of the Temple, the fall of Jerusalem, and the end of the age, Jesus included one other major eschatological event in his prophecy, his parousia, or “coming on the clouds:”

• What will be the sign of your coming (parousia)…? (Mt. 24:3).
  
• For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so will be the coming (parousia) of the Son of Man (Mt. 24:27).
  
• At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming (erchomai) on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory (Mt. 24:30).

With three short words, Jesus proclaimed that “all these things,” everything from verse 3 through 33, would transpire before “this generation...passed away” (Mt. 24:34). At face value, these words of Jesus are so plain and grammatically precise that they should preclude any possibility of misunderstanding, especially of the timing issue. If not, then his words have no obvious or definite meaning. Like it or not, Jesus’ Olivet Discourse is one continuous and homogeneous prophecy. And no interpreter has the freedom to weave in and out of its time-limited context at will. No justification exists for either postponing fulfillment to some distant future or exempting and extracting any of the things He said would happen from the restriction of his “this generation.”

If Jesus meant what He said, said what He meant, and was an infallible Prophet, all the components of his prophecy must stand or fall together. These certainly include his coming on the clouds with power and glory. The failure of any one component to occur within that existing generation would disqualify Jesus as a prophet and call into question the truth of Scripture. If He did not return when He said He would, we have a dilemma of huge proportions.

The Enigma and Dilemma of “Nonoccurrence”
No subject in the Bible generates more interest, speculation, or debate than the coming again, the return, or the second coming of Jesus Christ, as it is variously called. Yet for nearly 2,000 years the vast majority of Christians has been eagerly expecting and predicting his “soon-and-any-moment” return. Meanwhile, we’ve struggled with the enigma and dilemma of “nonoccurrence,” as we try to maintain a pretense of inerrancy, infallibility, and inspiration of Scripture—an impossible and harmful balancing act.

Conservative scholarship postulates that Jesus’ coming again has been delayed or postponed. This makes Jesus’ time-frame references and the imminency expectations of the early Church major embarrassments that must be explained away. Liberal scholarship reckons that Jesus and the New Testament writers were simply mistaken or deluded. Some think that the statements were altered or added later by his frustrated followers. These questionable conclusions dismiss the authenticity of Christ and the whole issue of Bible inerrancy.

Most Christians don’t seem to realize the predicament we are in if Jesus Christ didn’t fulfill his many promises to return within the time parameters He specified. Informed critics of Christianity, on the other hand, have no trouble seeing right through the strained attempts of church leaders to explain away nonoccurrence and to protect the credibility and divinity of Jesus in the face of his supposed failure to return. These critics have a legitimate complaint if Jesus did not do something that He said He would. They are quite aware of the enigma and dilemma that nonoccurrence presents for the Christian Church and the impossibility of escaping it without being disloyal to Christ.

• Bertrand Russell. Atheist Bertrand Russell, in his book Why I Am Not A Christian, discredits the inspiration of the New Testament by saying:
  
  "I am concerned with Christ as He appears in the Gospel narrative…He certainly thought that his second coming would occur in clouds of glory before the death of all the people who were living at the time. There are a great many texts that prove…He believed that his coming would happen during the lifetime of many then living. That was the belief of his earlier followers, and it was the basis of a good deal of his moral teaching."
  
  
• Albert Schweitzer. In his 19-century book, The Quest of the Historical Jesus, Schweitzer summarized the problem of “Parousia delay” as follows:
  
  " The whole history of Christianity down to the present day... is based on the delay of the Parousia, the nonoccurrence of the Parousia, the abandonment of eschatology, the process and completion of the ‘de-eschatologizing’ of religion which has been connected therewith."
  
  
• Jewish Critics. Jewish critics contend that Jesus didn’t complete the whole mission of the Messiah, although many admit that He fulfilled some of it. That’s why, in their opinion, He was definitely not the Messiah, though some allow that He may have been the Messiah for the Gentiles. This is the Jews’ primary excuse for rejecting Jesus and belittling Christianity.
  
  
• Muslim Critics. Many Muslims paint Christianity as a failed and false religion. They acknowledge that Jesus was a prophet, but discredit his divinity and destroy the credibility of the faith He presented by pointing out alleged errors and inconsistencies concerning his perceived nonreturn. They rightly recognize the logical implications of the Bible’s time statements as having a direct bearing on the messianic and divine claims of Christ. They believe that Jesus and the Apostles either lied about his imminent return and other eschatological matters, or Jesus prophesied things that were not fulfilled when He said they would. Either way, He was a false prophet. These arguments naturally seek to undermine the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible and open the door for the acceptance of the Koran and Islam.
  
  
• Scoffers. In New Testament times, Jewish scoffers acknowledged the link between Jesus’ return and the destruction of the Temple. They pointed to the continuation of everything—the Temple, city, and priesthood—as evidence that Jesus hadn’t come back as He promised. No visible changes were evident. These scoffers doubted the sureness of Jesus’ promise, viewed Christianity as a perversion of Israel’s future, and mockingly asked, “Where is this coming He promised?” (2 Pe. 3:3-4; Jude 16-19). Back then, Jesus’ prophecies were only thirty-some years old. Currently, the “delay” is 19 centuries long and counting. The arguments of those early scoffers are looking pretty good now. If there was a delay, hasn’t history proven those 1st-century scoffers were right after all?
  
  
• Complicity in the Christian Camp. Most Christian traditionalists have not faced or answered the challenge of Jesus’ nonreturn. In essence, they have aligned themselves with the 1st-century scoffers and become unwitting accomplices of Christianity’s critics. Most agree that Jesus didn’t returned as and when He promised, in that generation or in that century. Standard Christian explanations posit that Jesus’ coming has been delayed or postponed, or that the timing was misunderstood, and that He will come again (return) someday “soon” and finish the job. Sadly, these rebuttals only prove the critics’ point that Jesus was incorrect about his time-restricted predictions and therefore cannot be the Messiah. The bottom line is that postponement theories directly contradict the teachings of Jesus, and nonoccurrence leaves Christianity vulnerable to all manner of critical and skeptical assaults. It gives critics all the license they need to blaspheme Jesus as not only a false prophet, but a deceiver as well. It opens wide the door to the dismissal of all Christian claims.
  
  Even C.S. Lewis, the respected Christian apologist and author, we are embarrassed to report, said in 1960:

  
  "Say what you like," we shall be told, "the apocalyptic beliefs of the first Christians have been proved to be false. It is clear from the New Testament that they all expected the Second Coming in their own lifetime. And, worse still, they had a reason, and one which you will find very embarrassing. Their Master had told them so. He shared, and indeed created, their delusion. He said in so many words, ‘this generation shall not pass till all these things be done.’ And He was wrong. He clearly knew no more about the end of the world than anyone else. It is certainly the most embarrassing verse in the Bible."1
  
  As we shall see, the embarrassment belongs to C.S. Lewis.
  
  

• Funeral Eschatology. Christian preachers who don’t believe that Jesus has already returned and has received his first disciples into heaven (Jn. 14:1-3; also 3:13; 13:33, 36), assure the family and friends at a Christian funeral that the departed believer is in heaven with Jesus, right now. Call it “funeral eschatology,” but while comforting, it’s totally inconsistent. Many educated Christians rightly recognize this no-one-in-heaven-yet dilemma in the classroom. Yet they conveniently choose to ignore it at the funeral home. Which is it? Do believers today immediately go to heaven upon physical death? Or, do they still have to wait in Hades or somewhere else until Jesus finishes preparing a place and returns to receive them?

Are we so blind to the implications of nonoccurrence? These attacks from informed critics should stir some sober reflections (1 Pe. 3:15; 2 Ti. 4:2-4).

First and foremost, let us affirm that the foundational doctrine of the return of Jesus Christ is non-negotiable. The very credibility of Jesus and the authority of Scripture are at stake. But we must come to grips with the inspired time-frame parameters and Jesus’ inclusion of his parousia return within the context of his “all these things.” Only one time in human history is, was, or will be the correct time, and only one generation is, was, or will be the generation to experience the return of Jesus.

Is it possible that there is a relatively simple and greatly overlooked solution to the discrediting enigma and dilemma of nonoccurrence? Perhaps the most obvious has been staring us in the face all these centuries. In our next chapter, we’ll examine seven demanding, scriptural evidences why Jesus did return within the generation which was alive during his earthly ministry, just as and when He said He would, and as and when every New Testament writer and his first followers expected—under the guiding of the Holy Spirit (Jn. 16:13). Is this too frightening to consider? Truth is often frightening. But again, the divinity of Jesus and the trustworthiness of Scripture hang in the balance. So, “Come now, let us reason together” (Isa. 1:18). As we do, we implore you not to dismiss any of this evidence prematurely. Read through it all. Ponder it. Test it thoroughly (1 Th. 5:21). As we reexamine what the Bible actually says and teaches, be prepared to unlearn anything you’ve received by tradition which won’t stand up to the test of sola scriptura, or “only the Scriptures.”

1. Essay "The World's Last Night" (1960), found in The Essential C.S. Lewis, p-385.

| Table of Contents |
| Foreword | Introduction | Chapter 1 | Chapter 11 |