Is Jesus 2000 Years Late?
Some skeptics have claimed that Jesus was a false apocalyptic prophet based on a couple of statements He made in the gospels. As a younger Christian, these verses troubled me and caused me to wonder the same thing. But a careful reading of the passages in question is sufficient to show why they should not be of concern to believers.
The passage we will handle in this article is found in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. You are likely familiar with this event: the transfiguration of Jesus. But what skeptics focus on is what precedes it in the gospels. Here is what I’m referring to:
Matthew 16:28 “’Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.’” [NIV]
Luke 9:27 “‘But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.’” [NIV]
Mark 9:1 “‘Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.’” [NIV]
Skeptics such as Aron Ra have claimed that this statement of Jesus indicates that He predicted His second coming to be within the lifetimes of some of His followers, and thus, was a false prophet, or He is 2000 years late to the party. But this interpretation of Jesus’ statement has a couple problems with it.
The first problem with this interpretation is brought to light by another one of Jesus’ statements found in Mark 13:32 in which He says, “ “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.“
Now, this statement raises another question, but we’ll come back to that. For now, Jesus’ statement in Mark 13 tells us that He (in His humanity) didn’t know the day or hour in which He was to return. So why then would he tell the disciples that He would be coming again within some of their lifetimes? This makes no sense. That’s strike one against the quick return theory. Before I move on to the second problem, I’d like to take a brief look at the question I mentioned that may be raised in response to Jesus’ statement in Mark 13.
How is it, if Jesus is God, that He didn’t know the day or the hour of His own second coming? After all, God is supposed to be omniscient (all knowing).
This question has been used to attack the deity of Jesus. However, upon further investigation of the incarnation, we will find that Jesus’ divine nature is not threatened by this statement of His. In His incarnation, God the Son took on human nature while still remaining fully God. Trinitarians call this the “Truly Man, Truly God.” In the human nature of Jesus, Luke 2:52 tells us when it says, “And Jesus increased in wisdom and in stature[i ] and in favor with God and man,” that there were things Jesus didn’t know, and indeed learned as He aged. This of course is only to be taken in light of His human nature. Numerous accounts of Jesus exhibiting His divine nature are spread throughout the gospels such as when He saw Nathaniel under a fig tree despite not having been there (John 1:48), and when He told the pharisees what they were thinking (Luke 5:22). Also, the question of the timing of the second coming is asked of Jesus again in Acts 1:6, but instead of responding to the disciples, “I already told you; I don’t know when it will happen,” He simply replies, “ It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.” (v.7) It could be the case that after His resurrection, Jesus did in fact know the day and the hour of His coming. Now we can get back to the main topic of the article.
The second problem with the quick return theory is that what immediately follows Jesus’ statement that some will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God come with power is the Transfiguration. This happens in all three gospels where it is mentioned. Mark seems to link these two events (the statement and the transfiguration of Jesus) when he follows the statement and precedes the transfiguration with “six days later.” Likewise, Luke seems to do the same when he writes in between the two instances, “Now about eight days after these sayings.” Matthew as well writes, “And after six days.” This has caused many theologians to confidently infer that the transfiguration is what was in the authors’ minds when they wrote of Jesus’ prediction that some of His followers would not die until they saw the kingdom coming in power.
I will end this article with another, perhaps more controversial observation that has been made linking the “kingdom coming in power,” and the event of the transfiguration. We are told that along with Jesus’ glory being revealed, Moses and Elijah appeared alongside Him. Some have wondered, “Why those two? Why Moses and Elijah?” and one very interesting theory is that Moses represents the Law and Elijah the prophets; the two together representing, in a way, the kingdom of God. If you wish to know more on this theory, you will have to read more from someone more knowledgeable about it than I am. All you need to know is that Jesus is not “late to the party,” as some skeptics will say. Peter tells us “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9 [NIV]) And just think of how many people have been saved in the meantime!
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