Was Jesus Wrong About the End of the Age? (Revised)
Channel: Galen Currah
Date: 20/11/2017

Was Jesus Wrong About the End of the Age? (Revised)

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Words of Jesus from a combination of the synoptic Gospels, taken from the the book Life of Christ in Stereo (J.M. Cheney, 1969), translated from the Greek New Testament.

Atheists have accused Jesus of foretelling a soon end of the world that did not happen, putting both Jesus and the Bible in doubt. For Jesus indeed said, “This generation will by no means pass away before all these things will have been fulfilled.”

Lets us read Jesus’ words in their context, and make some observations on his discourse. Doing so might allow us to form our own opinion of the prediction that Jesus pronounced.

Quite clearly, Jesus was predicting the destruction of the Jerusalem temple, which occurred in 70 CE, fewer than 40 years later. Thus, some of those who heard him would still have been alive. 

Jesus’ disciples asked him three questions:
1. When would “these things” happen, that is, the destruction of the temple.
2. The sign that would precede “these things.”
3. The sign of Jesus’ coming at the end of the age [grec αἰῶν, aeon].
Jesus will reply to each of these queries. This allows us to trace in Jesus’ discourse two lines of prediction, a near future and a far future.

In summary, the events that Jesus predicted include the following.

In the near future (till round 70 CE)

1. False messiahs
2. Civil and religious persecution
3. Help from the Holy Spirit
4. Jerusalem surrounded
5. The temple destroyed
6. The people taken captive
7. Some of those present would survive to see these things happen

In the far future

1. False messiahs and false prophets
2. Growth of false religion and wickedness
3. The entire world will hear the Good News.
4. The abomination of desolation
5. Lying signs and wonders
6. Intense persecution
7. Jesus’ followers will flee between cities
8. Frightening phenomena in the sky and the earth
9. Jesus will appear in the sky
10. Angels will gather to Jesus all who are his