Important verses for Christians to ponder

Here's a slew of bible verses one would need to ignore in order to remain a Futurist.

Has everything in the Bible already been fulfilled?

Here are a few Time Statements to consider. Note these statements are made to a specific audience in the 1st century about events THEY were going through. The letters were written to THEM.

Jesus said..

THIS GENERATION will not pass away until all these things take place. (Matthew 24:34)

From now on, 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)

“Truly I tell you [disciples in the 1st century], some who are STANDING HERE [right in front of me/Jesus] will NOT TASTE DEATH before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom [New Covenant].”

“Truly I tell you [disciples in front of Jesus], you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. “(Mat10)

In Luke, we see Jesus predicting that “all things which are written may be fulfilled”.

Obviously, this would include all remaining written prophecy in Moses and the Prophets.

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

The THESE days of Luke 21:22 were the first century. The entire context of Luke 21 pertains to the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish temple, which happened in 70AD.

Nevertheless what YOU [first century church of Thyatira] have, hold fast UNTIL I COME. (Revelation 2:25)

Apostle Paul said….

The form of THIS world IS passing away. (1 Corinthians 7:31)

I solemnly charge YOU in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is ABOUT TO judge the living and the dead. (2 Timothy 4:1)

There is ABOUT TO BE a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. (Acts 24:15)

As he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment ABOUT TO COME. (Acts 24:25)

“You know what hour it is, how it is full time NOW for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed; the night is far gone, the day is at hand.” (Rom13:11-12)

“Brethren, the APPOINTED TIME HAS GROWN VERY SHORT; from NOW ON, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the form of this world is passing away.” (1Cor7:29-31)

“On [us] (1st century audience) the ends of the ages have come.” (1Cor10:11)

“The Lord is at hand.” (Phil4:5)

The author of Hebrews said…..

Heb 1:2 Hath in THESE LAST DAYS spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;

For, “In just a little while, he who is coming will come and will not delay.” (Heb10:37)

For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the one that is ABOUT TO COME. (Hebrews 13:14)

Heb 9:26 For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but NOW once IN THE END OF THE WORLD hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

Jesus’ brother James said…

Be patient, therefore, brethren [James’ immediate audience], until the coming of the Lord. (James 5:7)

YOU [James’ first century audience] too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord IS AT HAND (James 5:8)

James 5:8,9 – “The coming of the Lord is at hand. … Behold, the Judge is standing at the door.”

Peter said….

THIS is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: “And it shall be IN THE LAST DAYS. . .” (Acts 2:16-17)

The end of all things IS AT HAND; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. (1 Peter 4:7)

For IT IS TIME for judgment to begin with the household of God. (1 Peter 4:17)

Peter believed that he was in the last days. (Acts 2:16-20, 3:24; 1 Peter 1:7-20, 4:5-17; 2 Peter 3:9-12)

John said….

“IT IS THE LAST HOUR.. we know that it is the last hour.” (1 John 2:18)

There are many more verses that clearly show Jesus and the disciples believed and taught a first century return of Jesus in judgement. Their ‘day of salvation’ arrived in AD70. They were saved from the judgement/wrath of the Old Covenant. The destruction of their city/temple/religion.

The Book of Revelation is written TO a 1st Century audience.

FROM John
TO -> the seven churches in the province of Asia. (Rev1:4)

IN the 1st Century.

Beginning of the book:

Revelation 1:1 – “…things which must SHORTLY take place”

Revelation 1:3 – “The time is NEAR.”

Revelation 1:9 – “I John, your brother AND FELLOW-PARTAKER IN THE TRIBULATION”

Revelation 1:19 – “Write … the things that are ABOUT TO take place.

Revelation 2:10 – “Do not fear any of those things which you(1st century 7 churches) are ABOUT TO suffer.”

Revelation 2:16 – “Repent.. I will come to you QUICKLY”

Revelation 2:25 – “Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come.”

Revelation 3:10 – “… the hour of trial … is ABOUT TO come upon the whole world.” (world=land of Israelites)

Revelation 3:11 – “Behold, I come QUICKLY!”

Revelation 12:5 – “And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who IS ABOUT TO RULE all the nations with a rod of iron.”

End of the book:

Revelation 22:6 – “…things which must SHORTLY take place.”

Revelation 22:7 – “Behold, I am coming QUICKLY!”

Revelation 22:10 – “The time is at hand.”

Revelation 22:12 – “Behold, I am coming QUICKLY.”

Revelation 22:20 – “Yes, I am coming QUICKLY.”

The New Testament letters were written to an immediate audience about immediate events.

The book of Revelation is John’s Olivet Discourse (Mat24).

It’s all been fulfilled.

Even a few of the early church fathers had an idea, but they didn’t fully understand the implications of who the ‘fullness of the gentiles’ were who were being gathered for the end (AD70). They didn’t know fully what ‘the end’ was.

Here’s a short list of some scholars through the centuries that you might know that agree to Matthew 24 being fulfilled in AD70. 

They didn’t understand, however, that ALL had been fulfilled.

-Eusebius. (263-339ad)
-John Chrysostom (347-407ad)
-John Calvin (1509-1564ad)
-John Lightfoot. (1602-1675ad)
-John Gill. (1697-1771ad)
-Phillip Doddridge (1702-1751ad)
-Thomas Newton (1704-1782ad)
-John Wesley. (1703-1791ad)
-Adam Clarke. (1760-1832ad)
-Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892ad)
-R.C. Sproul. (1939-2017ad)
-N.T. Wright (1948-present)
-Dr. Jonathan Welton (1983-present)

Adapted from David King

God coming on the clouds in the Old Testament

GOD COMING ON THE CLOUDS IN THE OT 

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Part 1: Psalm 18 / 2 Sam 22

Saul is jealous.

Saul sets out to kill David.

Saul chases David everywhere to try to kill him.
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Yet none of that literally, physically occurred.

It's very dramatic to create an impact on the heart.

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God came out of heaven.. with flaming fire.. with a shout..

DARK CLOUDS WERE UNDER HIS FEET.

He mounted the cherubim and flew;

he soared[d] on the wings of the wind."

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I did not turn back till they were destroyed.

they fell beneath my feet.

you humbled my adversaries before me.

and I destroyed my foes.

to the Lord, but he did not answer.

I pounded and trampled them like mud in the streets."

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He was writing about YHVH coming on the clouds to protect him.

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It was just poetry from David to give YHVH honor for his victories.

Context

David has been declared the successor of Saul.

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Psalm 18 is David's record of Saul attempting to kill him, David's appeal to God to deliver him, and God's response to David.

Take careful note of the poetic visualizations that David uses.

4 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.

5 The sorrows of hell(Sheol) compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me.

6 In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

7 Then the EARTH SHOOK and TREMBLED; the FOUNDATIONS also of the hills MOVED and were SHAKEN, because he was wroth.

8 There went up a SMOKE OUT OF HIS NOSTRILS, and FIRE OUT OF HIS MOUTH devoured: coals were kindled by it.

9 He bowed the heavens also, AND CAME DOWN: and darkness was under his feet.

10 And HE RODE UPON A CHERUB, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.

11 He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.

12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.

13 The Lord also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.

14 Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them.

15 Then the channels of waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

16 He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.

17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them which hated me: for they were too strong for me.

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Wow, that was super poetic wasn't it?

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You can read 2 Samuel 22, the entire account of Saul chasing David, and you'll find the same poetic visualizations there.

This is just poetic apocalyptic language.

David says..

riding/flying upon a cherub..

and he SHOOK heaven and earth..

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Keep in mind,

David said God CAME down.. and was 'flying upon a cherub'..

2 Sam22:10-11

even says God came down ON THE CLOUDS RIDING A CHERUB:

"He parted the heavens and came down;

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David is speaking about YHVH freeing him from his enemies and from Saul's seeking to kill him.

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That's the entire context of Psalm18 and 2 Sam22:

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"38 I pursued my enemies and crushed them;

39 I crushed them completely, and they could not rise;

40 You armed me with strength for battle;

41 You made my enemies turn their backs in flight,

42 They cried for help, but there was no one to save them—

43 I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth;

49 "from a violent man you rescued me."

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The point is to show poetic apocalyptic language being used to simply describe warfare.

God coming down on the clouds, riding a cherub or whatever, just meant one army would be destroying another army.

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In this case, David was fending off enemies and Saul. 

Adapted from David King

Transition between the Old Covenant to New Covenant

I so wish that every preacher of the gospel, every teacher, and every Christian would understand this:

When was the Old Covenant to New Covenant Transition?

There are two things that most Christians understand about the Old and New Covenants

1. Jesus Started the New Covenant at the Cross

2. Jesus Ended the Old Covenant at the Cross

Yet there is a third aspect which extremely few Christians (even many respected teachers) understand, which is the fact that the Old Covenant didn’t immediately disappear at the Cross, but

(#3) it began a process of disintegration which completed when the Temple was destroyed in 70AD.

To not understand this third aspect is to misread much of the context of the New Testament.

The clearest picture of this fading is in:

Hebrews 8:13: “By calling this covenant “new,” he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.”

Yes the cross made the Mosaic Covenant obsolete and outdated in 30AD, but it was still in the process of disappearing, which was completed in 70AD.

Another picture is in First John:

“For the darkness is disappearing and the true light is already shining.” -1 John 2:8b (NLT)

In the New Testament, the Old Covenant is consistently referred to as a time of darkness and the New Covenant is shown to be an age of light.

Based on that imagery, the New Covenant light was already shining since the cross, but the darkness was still in process of disappearing.

Also the Apostle Paul speaks of that OC Age passing away and the Temple System rulers passing away with it:

“Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away.” 1 Cor. 2:6 ESV

“Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away.” 1 Cor. 2:6 NASB

When a teacher only acknowledges that the OC was made obsolete at 30AD and the NC was established at 30AD, but they ignore that the OC lingered until its removal in 70AD, the whole backdrop of the New Testament will be distorted.

Debates that were raging in the early church such as the following will make no sense: 

who is a true Jew (Rom 9:6-9), 

are genders and races equal (Gal 3:28), 

does circumcision still matter (Gal. 6:15), 

and what of OC celebrations (Col. 2:16)?

These debates only make sense in between 30-70AD, but should not extend beyond that time period. 

70AD settled those debates.

Oh that all good teachers of the Word would begin to understand this simple concept which clarifies so much of the New Testament!

"After reading this, maybe some people will learn to start redefining what the 'kingdom of darkness' and the 'kingdom of light' actually were.

This is also the true meaning of Israel being 'born from above' and the true meaning of 'setting the captives (of the Old Covenant) free'. "

Adapted from David King’s marvelous note.