Jesus intended to return within the lifetimes of his peers

To start, I will defend my opening statement was founded in scripture. And will go on to reinforce it with more. "Christians are called to walk by faith, we are told to watch for Jesus as we do not know when he will return. " You say that I did not back up what I said with Scripture, I quote "This entire section doesn’t actually present any proof. Just saying ‘we are called to do x or y” is not adequate proof. "Now I know you only directly quoted the first part of my opening point for that round, but the first and second half of my sentence are not separate points, but are interconnected. didn't I reference (Luke 12:35-48)? The very first paragraph backs up what I said, here are the first three verses. “Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. " Look at the words used there, "stay dressed for action", "keep your lamps burning" "like men who are waiting" These figures of speech all point to a state of being prepared, a state of vigilance. Jesus is calling the believers to watch for him. He is telling them to believe he is coming, to have faith in him. Now, could I have backed up what I said with more black and white verses regarding Christians walking in faith? Yes, and I am sorry Pro, I was trying to use verses from Jesus directly. here are some of the many verses that back up the part you specifically mentioned. Hebrews 10:37-38 "37 For,“In just a little while, he who is coming will comeand will not delay. ” 38 And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasurein the one who shrinks back. ” Hebrews chapter 11 deals with living by faith almost exclusively, but here are some verses that are very clear. 5-6, 7,8-10Habakkuk 2:4 Romans 1:17 "For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith. ”Romans 5:1 "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. " Now what does it mean to live in faith? It means to believe Jesus is who he says he is, To back that upRomans 3:21-22 21 But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile,Romans 4:33 What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness. ”On to your next point,“Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not. ” in no way helps your case. I argue that it in fact helps my case. Jesus is telling people he knows and loves that they should be ready – the hour comes near – not the ‘century’ comes near. "God is beyond time,as psalm 90:4 statesA thousand years in your sightare like a day that has just gone by,or like a watch in the night. or 2 Peter 3:88 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. God is beyond time, he doesn't view it the way we do. Jesus is not trying to tell them he is returning in their lifetime, he never gives a date, he had already said he doesn't know when he is coming back, but only God knows. "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. " (Matthew 24:36)He is asking his followers, to live "dressed for action" because they do not know when he will return, only that he will return. This is not a message just for the disciples, but for all of his believers. Why would Jesus tell his followers of that time to "be dressed for action, ready for his return" with one breath, and in the next say "Oh by the way, I wont be back for at least another 2,000 years so you all will be long gone before I return. "? Jesus never gave us all of the details, he asks us to trust him, to put some faith in him. By not revealing the day of his return, he left us with two options. "Either trust he is Messiah, and wait on his return, or not. We can either live as though he will return to the Earth at any day, and will judge the inhabitants of the Earth based on their actions, or we can ignore him. Just as the wicked servant in Luke 12:35-49 did, 43 Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. 44 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 45 But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, 46 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or actaccording to his will, will receive a severe beating. That is why Jesus never mentioned a date, we are called to put our faith to action. Jesus has made his will pretty clear, throughout all his teaching, we are to follow him and live as he did. This is summed up in the Great Commission, "18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. ” Next point"On a side note, at no point did Jesus mention starting a Church or a hierarchy for his teachings,"Matthew 16:18Jesus is talking directly to Simon Peter here, the name Peter means "rock" he says "on this rock I will build my church" 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. ” Final pointYou seem to think that because Jesus said he didn’t know, he had no intentions, and that’s just false. He consistently hints at an immediate return, within the lifetime I semi-answered this point,I am going to start by asking you, can you show me a single verse in the bible where Jesus had intentions of doing anything on his own? Here are some against that theoryFor I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me. (John 6:38)Jesus gave them this answer: "Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. (John 5:19)My food," said Jesus, "is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. (John 4:34)If he can only do what the father wills, and if the Father hadn't let him know when he is coming, then why would you say Jesus had intentions of doing anything? In summaryJesus states that he will return, and that his return will be soon. But as God, his definition of "soon" is completely different than ours. You look at "soon" as within your lifetime, and have therefore forced your definition of "soon" into your interpretation of the scripture. But if you consider God is outside of time, and look at his words through his perspective, suddenly you realize that he could come tomorrow or 1,000,000 years from now. For a believer, that can be discouraging. This is why I believe he says "I am coming soon", to encourage us. We want to be assured that he hasn't forgotten us, and that he will come back soon. Those verses are not there to tell us what time he is coming or should have come. But that he is coming, and for us that serves as both encouragement and warning.