Jesus Is NOT Coming Soon!

"What do you mean, 'Jesus isn't coming soon?' Doesn't the Bible say
Jesus is coming soon?"

Yes, the Bible clearly says Jesus was coming soon, and either He came
when the Bible said He would come, or the Bible is mistaken and
untrustworthy.

There isn't a single verse in the Bible that can be reasonably translated
"Jesus is not coming soon, but He will come in about one thousand
nine hundred and seventy-five years."

There are at least 101 verses in the New Testament that claim that
“Jesus is Coming Soon” –– not exactly those words, but clearly
teaching that Christ’s Second Coming is “at hand,” “near,” or ready to
happen. These verses are tied with the bold declaration that the
destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and consummation of the Old
Covenant is just around the corner. This is one of the most
important themes in the entire New Testament. It is part of the
thinking of all New Testament authors. It must be dealt with. Here’s
what happens when we don’t:

Atheist Bertrand Russell, in his book Why I Am Not A Christian,

discredits the inspiration of the New Testament based on the failed
prediction of Christ and the Apostles:

I am concerned with Christ as He appears in the Gospels

. . . and there one does find some things that do not
seem to be very wise. For one thing, 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 that. He
says, for instance, “Ye shall not have gone over the cities
of Israel till the Son of Man be come.” Then He says,
“There are some standing here which shall not taste
death till the Son of Man comes into His kingdom”; and
there are a lot of places where it is quite clear that He
believed that His second 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.
 Bertrand Russell, Why I Am Not A Christian (New York: A Touchtone
Book by Simon & Schuster, 1957), 16.

Russell is mistaken when he starts with the premise that Christ and
the Apostles were predicting the end of the physical world. We’ll see
that in a minute.

Russell is correct when he says that much of the New Testament was
based on this belief: that the “coming of the Son of Man in His
Kingdom” and the “end of the world” were “at hand.”

But if Christ and the Apostles were teaching the imminent destruction
of planet earth and the inauguration of the “eternal state” or some
kind of "millennial kingdom" like the Jehovah's Witnesses talk about,
then the authors of the Bible were clearly mistaken.

The interpretation offered on this website avoids this objection by

agreeing that Christ “came” in some sense, and the end of the “world”
was really the end of the “age” of the temple and the Old Covenant.

There are two issues in this debate: (1) the timing of the Second
Coming and (2) the nature of the Second Coming. The timing verses
are clear; conclusions about the nature of the Second Coming come
from verses which are not as clear. Preterists interpret the nature
verses in light of the timing verses, and not the other way around.
The overwhelming testimony of the New Testament is that the Second
Coming would occur in the first century A.D., that is, before the death
of the generation in which Christ lived.

Let’s look at some of the timing verses.

Ideally, you could read the following verses in their context and see
how the idea of the imminent first-century return of Christ and great
Day of Judgment thoroughly dominates the pages of the New
Testament.

1. “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2)

2. “Who warned you to flee from the wrath about to come?” (Matthew
3:7)

3. “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees.” (Matthew 3:10)
4. “His winnowing fork is in His hand.” (Matthew 3:12)

5. “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)

6. “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 10:7)

7. “You shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until
the Son of Man comes.” (Matthew 10:23)

8. “....the age about to come.” (Matthew 12:32)

9. “The Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father

with His angels; and will then recompense every man according
to his deeds.” (Matthew 16:27; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26)

10. “Verily I say unto you, there are some of those who are
standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son
of Man coming in His Kingdom.” (Matthew 16:28; cf. Mark 9:1;
Luke 9:27)

11. “‘When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those
vine-growers?’ ‘....He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and
will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers, who will pay him the
proceeds at the proper seasons.’ ‘....Therefore I say to you, the
kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation
producing the fruit of it.’ ....When the chief priests and the Pharisees
heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about
them.” (Matthew 21:40-41,43,45)

12. “This generation will not pass away until all these things
take place.” (Matthew 24:34)

13. “Hereafter, you [Caiaphas, the chief priests, the scribes, the
elders, the whole Sanhedrin] shall be seeing the Son of Man sitting
at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of
heaven.” (Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62; Luke 22:69)

14. “The kingdom of God is at hand.” (Mark 1:15)

15. “What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy
the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others. ....They [the
chief priests, scribes and elders] understood that He spoke the parable
against them.” (Mark 12:9,12)
16. “This generation will not pass away until all these things take
place.” (Mark 13:30)

17. “Who warned you to flee from the wrath about to come?” (Luke
3:7)

18. “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees. “ (Luke 3:9)

19. “His winnowing fork is in His hand.” (Luke 3:17)

20. “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” (Luke 10:9)

21. “The kingdom of God has come near.” (Luke 10:11)

22. “What, therefore, will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He

will come and destroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to
others.” The scribes and the chief priests understood that He spoke
this parable against them.” (Luke 20:15-16,19)

23. “These are days of vengeance, in order that all things which are
written may be fulfilled.” (Luke 21:22)

24. “This generation will not pass away until all things take
place.” (Luke 21:32)

25. “Daughters of Jerusalem , stop weeping for Me, but weep for
yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming
when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never
bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ Then they will begin to say to
the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’” (Luke 23:28-
30; Compare Rev. 6:14-17)

26. “We were hoping that He was the One who is about to redeem
Israel .” (Luke 24:21)

27. “I will come to you. In that Day you shall know that I am in My
Father, and you in Me, and I in you.’ ‘Lord, what then has happened
that You are about to disclose Yourself to us, and not to the world?’”
(John 14:18,20,22)

28. “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?”
(John 21:22)
29. “This is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall
be in the last days’” (Acts 2:16 -17)

30. “He has fixed a day in which He is about to judge the world in
righteousness” (Acts 17:31 )

31. “There is about to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the

wicked.” (Acts 24:15)

32. “As he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment

about to come” (Acts 24:25)

33. “Not for [Abraham’s] sake only was it written, that [faith] was
reckoned to him [as righteousness], but for our sake also, to whom it
is about to be reckoned.” ( Rom. 4:23-24)

34. “If you are living according to the flesh, you are about to die.”
(Romans 8:13 )

35. “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy
to be compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us.”
(Romans 8:18 )

36. “It is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now
salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost
gone, and the day is at hand.” ( Romans 13:11-12)

37. “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” (Romans
16:20 )

38. “The time has been shortened.” (I Corinthians 7:29)

39. “The form of this world is passing away.” (I Corinthians 7:31)

40. “Now these things were written for our instruction, upon
whom the ends of the ages have come.” (I Corinthians 10:11)

41. “We shall not all fall sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a
moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the
trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we
shall be changed.” (I Corinthians 15:51-52)

42. “Maranatha!” [The Lord comes!] (I Corinthians 16:22)

43. “...not only in this age, but also in the one about to come.”
(Ephesians 1:21)

44. “The Lord is near.” (Phil. 4:5)

45. “The gospel was proclaimed in all creation under heaven.”

(Colossians 1:23; Compare Matthew 24:14; Romans 10:18 ; 16:26 ;
Colossians 1:5-6; II Timothy 4:17 ; Rev. 14:6-7; cf. I Clement 5,7)

46. “things which are a shadow of what is about to come.” (Colossians

2:16-17)

47. “we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord We
who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds You, brethren, are not in darkness, that the Day should
overtake you like a thief.” (I Thessalonians 4:15,17; 5:4)

48. “May your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without
blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Thessalonians 5:23)

49. “It is only just for God to repay with affliction those who
afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us
as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with
His mighty angels in flaming fire.” (II Thessalonians 1:6-7)

50. “Godliness holds promise for the present life and that which is
about to come.” (I Timothy 4:8)

51. “I charge you that you keep the commandment without stain or
reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (I Timothy
6:14)

52. “storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for

that which is about to come, so that they may take hold of that which
is life indeed.” (I Timothy 6:19)

53. “In the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of
self Avoid these men. For of these are those who enter into households
and captivate weak women These also oppose the truth But they will
not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all” (II
Timothy 3:1-2,5-6,8-9)

54. “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus,
who is about to judge the living and the dead” (II Timothy 4:1)
55. “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in
many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us
in His Son.” (Heb. 1:1-2)

56. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for
the sake of those who are about to inherit salvation” (Heb. 1:14 )

57. “He did not subject to angels the world about to come.” (Heb. 2:5)

58. “and have tasted the powers of the age about to come.” (Heb. 6:5)

59. “For ground that drinks the rain which often falls upon it and
brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled,
receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is
worthless and near a curse, and it’s end is for burning.” (Heb. 6:7-8)

60. “When He said, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first

obsolete. But what is becoming obsolete and growing old is
ready to disappear.” (Heb. 8:13)

61. “The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way of the [heavenly]
Holy Places has not yet been revealed, while the outer tabernacle is
still standing, which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both
gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper
perfect in conscience, since they relate only to food and drink and
various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of
reformation.” (Heb. 9:8-10; Compare Galatians 4:19; Ephesians 2:21-
22; 3:17; 4:13)

62. “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things
about to come” (Hebrews 9:11 )

63. “Now once at the consummation of the ages He has been

manifested to put away sin.” (Hebrews 9:26)

64. “For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things about
to come” (Hebrews 10:1)

65. “as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25)

66. “the fury of a fire which is about to consume the

adversaries.” (Hebrews 10:27)
67. “For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will
not delay.” (Hebrews 10:37)

68. “For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the one
that is about to come.” (Hebrews 13:14)

69. “Speak and so act, as those who are about to be judged by the law
of liberty.” (James 2:12)

70. “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are
coming upon you. It is in the last days that you have stored up your
treasure!” (James 5:1,3)

71. “Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.”
(James 5:7)

72. “You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of
the Lord is at hand.” (James 5:8)

73. “salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (I Peter 1:5)

74. “He has appeared in these last times for the sake of you.” (I
Peter 1:20)

75. “They shall give account to Him who is ready to judge the
living and the dead.” (I Peter 4:5)

76. “The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be of sound

judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.” (I Peter
4:7)

77. “For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God.” (I
Peter 4:17)

78. “as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a
partaker also of the glory that is about to be revealed.” (I Peter 5:1)

79. “We have the prophetic word which you do well to pay attention as
to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the Day dawns and the morning
star arises in your hearts.” (II Peter 1:19)

80. “Their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is
not asleep.” (II Peter 2:3)
81. “In the last days mockers will come. For this they willingly are
ignorant of” (II Peter 3:3,5)

82. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the
heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed
with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since
all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people
ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and
hastening the coming of the day of God.” (II Peter 3:10-12)

83. “The darkness is passing away, and the true light is already
shining.” (I John 2:8)

84. “The world is passing away, and its desires.” (I John 2:17)

85. “It is the last hour.” (I John 2:18)

86. “Even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it
is the last hour.” (I John 2:18; Compare Matthew 24:23-34)

87. “This is that of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is
coming, and now it is already in the world.” (I John 4:3; Compare II
Thessalonians 2:7)

88. “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long
beforehand marked out for this condemnation. About these also Enoch
prophesied, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of
His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the
ungodly’” (Jude 1:4,14-15)

89. “But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken
beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were
saying to you, ‘In the last time there shall be mockers, following after
their own ungodly lusts.’ These are the ones who cause divisions”
(Jude 1:17-19)

90. “to show to His bond-servants, the things which must shortly
take place.” (Revelation 1:1)

91. “The time is near.” (Revelation 1:3)

92. “Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come.” (Revelation
2:25)
93. “I also will keep you from the hour of testing which is about to
come upon the whole land.” (Revelation 3:10; cf. Matthew 2:6,20,21)

94. “I am coming quickly.” (Revelation 3:11)

95. “And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is about to rule all
the nations with a rod of iron.” (Revelation 12:5)

96. “And in her [the Great City Babylon] was found the blood of
prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.”
(Revelation 18:24; Compare Matthew 23:35-36; Luke 11:50-51)

97. “to show to His bond-servants the things which must

shortly take place.” (Revelation 22:6)

98. “Behold, I am coming quickly. “ (Revelation 22:7)

99. “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for
the time is near.” (Revelation 22:10; Compare Dan. 8:26)

100. “Behold, I am coming quickly.” (Revelation 22:12)

101. “Yes, I am coming quickly.” (Revelation 22:20)

All of these verses concerned those who lived in the first century, not
those who would live thousands of years later (though we can certainly
learn some general principles from every verse of Scripture, even ones
that weren't intended directly for us). The imminent destruction of the
temple and judgment of those who rejected the Messiah is a
dominant theme of the New Testament, and was a top priority in the
minds of Christians in those days.

It is important to see the many verses above that are talking about
the destruction of the temple. This was the subject of Jesus’
important “Olivet Discourse,” a major prophecy. Please read Matthew
chapters 23-24 to review this subject. Note especially Matthew 23:34-
36. Chapter 24 is an elaboration on this prophetic curse, which Jesus
places on those anti-christs (cf. 1 John 2:22; Acts 2:36). We’ll examine
Matthew 24 below.

“The End of the World”

Every occurrence of the phrase “end of the world” (in the King James
Version) is mistranslated. The literal rendering is “end of the age”
(Greek: aion). The idea of "the end of the world" has confused many
people. The stereotypical "prophecy nut" carries the sign saying "THE
END IS NEAR," and he is always wrong.

1. Matthew 13:39 The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the
harvest is the end of the world age; and the reapers are the angels.

2. Matthew 13:40 As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in

the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world age.

3. Matthew 13:49 So shall it be at the end of the world age: the

angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just,

4. Matthew 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the

disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these
things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of
the world age?

5. Matthew 28:20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I

have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the
end of the world age. Amen.

6. 1 Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened unto them for
examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the
ends of the world age are come.

7. Hebrews 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the
foundation of the world [Gk: kosmos]: but now once in the end of the
world age hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

8. Extra credit: Ephesians 3:21 (cf. Isa. 45:17)

Unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages,
world without end. Amen. (Lit., “to all the generations of the age of
the ages”)

These verses signify the end of the Old Covenant, not the
destruction of the planet. A proper understanding of Christ’s
“Olivet Discourse” (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21) will aid our
understanding of the “end of the age.” Christ predicted the
destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, which happened 40
years later, in A.D. 70.
Matthew 23:29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!
Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the
monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days
of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the
blood of the prophets.’
31 “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons
of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of
your fathers’ guilt. 33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape
the condemnation of hell? 34 Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets,
wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and
some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from
city to city, 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on
the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah,
son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the
altar. 36 Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this
generation. 38 Behold! Your house is left to you desolate;

After making this prediction, His disciples asked for signs of

this event, so they would know when it would happen.

Matthew 24:1 Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and
His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. 2 And
Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say
to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be
thrown down.” 3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples
came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And
what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the world?”

Jesus then proceeds to spell out the signs that would precede His
coming and “the end of the world,” which, as we’ve seen, really means
the end of the Old Testament age. Let’s read Luke’s account of Jesus
spelling out the signs of His coming and the “end of the age,” as it
brings out the immediacy of Christ’s coming in judgment against
Jerusalem:

Luke 21:20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then
know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea
flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart,
and let not those who are in the country enter her. 22 For these are
the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be
fulfilled. 23 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are
nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the
land and wrath upon this people. 24 And they will fall by the edge of
the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will
be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. 25
“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and
on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves
roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of
those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the
heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man
coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Verse 27 takes us back to one of the critical “any moment” verses we

began with:

“The Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father with His
angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds.
There are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste
death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” (Matthew
16:27-28; cf. Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27)

This is clearly an event that was about to happen to that generation,

and did in fact happen: Jerusalem was laid waste. It was a time of
tribulation greater than any Israel had ever experienced, and greater
than any that Israel would ever experience again.

Let’s connect the context of the “New Heavens/New Earth” in 2 Peter 3

with the heavenly terminology found in Matthew 24:[1]

But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be
darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall
from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, and then
will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and all of the tribes
of the land will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the
clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send forth
His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect
from the four winds, from one end of the heaven to another (Matthew
24:29-31).

The Preterist says Matthew 24 –– the entire chapter –– was fulfilled in

the first century. The “Great Tribulation” was the complex of events
that occurred prior to and during the siege of Jerusalem, culminating
in its destruction in A.D. 70. Jesus seems to be saying that the Second
Coming will occur immediately after the Tribulation. Did the Second
Coming occur in A.D. 70? Have we missed it?

First, let us be clear about one thing at the outset: there is just no
getting around that word immediately. It means immediately.
Acknowledging that the tribulation took place during the then-living
generation, we must also face the clear teaching of Scripture that
whatever Jesus is talking about in these verses happened immediately
afterward. In other words, these verses describe what is to take place
at the end of the Tribulation—what forms its climax.

In order to understand the meaning of Jesus’ expressions in this

passage, we need to understand the Old Testament much more than
most people do today. Jesus was speaking to an audience that was
intimately familiar with the most obscure details of Old Testament
literature. They had heard the Old Testament read and expounded
countless times throughout their lives, and had memorized lengthy
passages. Biblical imagery and forms of expression had formed their
culture, environment, and vocabulary from earliest infancy, and this
had been true for generations. There was no Oprah, no Fox News, no
ESPN, no Britney Spears. (Recall, for a modern parallel, the influence
of the Puritan Pulpit in colonial America.[2])

The fact is that when Jesus spoke to His disciples about the fall of
Jerusalem, He used prophetic (Biblical) vocabulary. There was a
“language” of prophecy, instantly recognizable to those familiar with
the Old Testament. As Jesus foretold the complete end of the Old
Covenant system—which was, in a sense, the end of a whole world—
He spoke of it as any of the prophets would have, in the stirring
language of covenantal judgment. We will consider each element in the
prophecy, seeing how its previous use in the Old Testament prophets
determined its meaning in the context of Jesus’ discourse on the fall of
Jerusalem. Remember that our ultimate standard of truth is the Bible,
and the Bible alone.

The Sun, Moon, and Stars

At the end of the Tribulation, Jesus said, the universe will collapse: the
light of the sun and the moon will be extinguished, the stars will fall,
the powers of the heavens will be shaken. The basis for this symbolism
is in Genesis 1:14-16, where the sun, moon, and stars (“the powers of
the heavens”) are spoken of as “signs” which “govern” the world. Later
in Scripture, these heavenly lights are used to speak of earthly
authorities and governors; and when God threatens to come against
them in judgment, the same collapsing-universe terminology is used to
describe it. Prophesying the fall of Babylon to the Medes in 539 B.C.,
Isaiah wrote:

Behold, the Day of the LORD is coming,

 Cruel, with fury and burning anger,
To make the land a desolation;
And He will exterminate its sinners from it.
For the stars of heaven and their constellations
Will not flash forth with their light;
The sun will be dark when it rises,
And the moon will not shed its light. (Isaiah 13:9-10)

Significantly, Isaiah later prophesied the fall of Edom in terms of de-

creation:

And all the host of heaven will wear away,

And the sky will be rolled up like a scroll;
All their hosts will also wither away
As a leaf withers from the vine,
Or as one withers from the fig tree. (Isaiah 34:4)

Isaiah’s contemporary, the prophet Amos, foretold the doom of

Samaria (722 B.C.) in much the same way:

“And it will come about in that day,”

Declares the Lord GOD,
“That I shall make the sun go down at noon
And make the earth dark in broad daylight.” (Amos 8:9)

Another example is from the prophet Ezekiel, who predicted the

destruction of Egypt. God said this through Ezekiel:

“And when I extinguish you,

I will cover the heavens, and darken their stars;
I will cover the sun with a cloud,
And the moon shall not give its light.
All the shining lights in the heavens
I will darken over you
And will set darkness on your land,”
Declares the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 32:7-8)

It must be stressed that none of these astronomical events literally

took place. God did not intend anyone to place a literalist construction
on these statements. Poetically, however, all these things did happen:
as far as these wicked nations were concerned, “the lights went out.”
This is simply figurative language, which would not surprise us at all if
we were more familiar with the Bible and appreciative of its literary
character.
What Jesus is saying in Matthew 24, therefore, in prophetic
terminology immediately recognizable by his disciples, is that the light
of Israel is going to be extinguished; the covenant nation will cease to
exist. When the Tribulation is over, old Israel––the old heavens and
earth –– will be gone.

Why Does it Matter?

Last year in America, over 10,000 people were murdered. During the
20th century, around the world, about that same number were
murdered each and every single day. Even more astonishing, these
murders were all "legal." In fact, they were all carried out by various
governments around the world. This number does not include
abortions, legal or otherwise. Last year around the world, there were
about 135,000 abortions each and every single day. These murders
are not necessary. There are about 200,000,000 Americans who call
themselves Christians. These are, by and large, the most powerful
people in the world. They have enough money to end poverty and
illiteracy around the world simply by tithing 10% of their income to
groups committed to Christian Reconstruction. But 200,000,000
Christians are not investing in the future of the planet because they
believe "Jesus is coming soon."

Notes

Much of the following is taken from David Chilton, Paradise

[1]
Restored, Tyler, Texas: Dominion Press, 1985.

Harry Stout, The New England Soul: Preaching and Religious

[2]
Culture in Colonial New England, Oxford University Press, 1986.