Five side-stepping devices.

Traditionalists assure us that when Jesus “returns” at his so-called “Second Coming” at some point in the future, He will fulfill the rest of his prophecy and destroy this physical world. But is this really what Jesus taught? For those raised in postponement traditions, most have never considered that Jesus might have been speaking of events (note the plural) which were all to transpire during the lives of his 1st-century hearers. Consequently, to cover up for Jesus’ apparent failure to produce what He promised, and to defend their futuristic-deferment positions, they have employed one or more of five side-stepping devices.

These interpretative techniques usually fall under the guise of “traditional explanations.” And many of us have naively accepted one or more of them as orthodox. Each device, however, is a ploy born of theological necessity—this is what they want to believe and are required to believe despite what the text plainly says. Yet none of these devices is textually, exegetically, or grammatically justifiable. They are simply “necessary” to evade, finesse around, distort, or neutralize the plain, face-value meaning and clear relevance of Jesus’ prophetic words and time restriction. In other words, they are tied to agendas, and therefore “absolutely demanded.” Here are the five, most-widely used, side-stepping devices to wrestle away Jesus’ intended meaning from the text:

• Device 1: “Generation” must refer to a future generation.
• Device 2: “Generation” must mean “race,” “nation,” or “a kind of people.”
• Device 3: Dividing Jesus’ prophecy into two sections—one past, one future.
• Device 4: Change the meaning of the apocalyptic language.
• Device 5: Jesus was mistaken or never said these words.

But to the contrary, the imminence of Jesus’ “this generation,” and whom He meant by “you,” lie at the heart of his message on the Mount of Olives. These two chronological and relevancy keys are indispensable to the proper understanding of his prophecy, and all New Testament “last days” and end-time statements as well. His words were not vague or ambiguous. They were clear and time-sensitive. They qualified the time context and nature of fulfillment, and therefore absolutely demanded a 1st-century fulfillment. It’s the most natural way of reading and understanding the text.

Sources:

1 The Perfect Ending for the World by John Noe

2 The Last Days According to Jesus by R.C. Sproul

3 Last Days Madness by Gary DeMar

4 The Works of Josephus translated by William Whiston

5 Josephus the Essential Writings by Paul L. Maier