I recently came across a booklet that declared that all prophecy is now only a thing of the past. This booklet stated that the book of Revelation is only a historic account of things long ago fulfilled. We will discuss a few of the points that this booklet in vain tried to make.
Perusing thru the booklet we note the following:
The heart of this error is based around Jesus’ statement that, "this generation shall not pass, till all things be fulfilled" (Mat 24:34). It seems easy enough to claim Jesus was speaking about a first century generation; however, logic ends there when one contemplates the fulfillment of all Bible prophecy.
In order to make 70 AD the magic year, you would have to delete dozens of prophecies that were never fulfilled. When was the Gospel preached to all the nations, when was the Mark of the Beast implemented, what about China’s 200 million man army, when did 100 pound hailstones fall from the sky, and what date was it when the Euphrates River dried up? The questions are endless.
Why did we have the rebirth of Israel? If Jerusalem was forever removed from being the burdensome stone, why has it now returned to that status? When did all the Jews shout, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," as Jesus said they would?
1) If the Rapture "has already taken place", then the resurrection has already taken place. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15 writes of the day when the final "trumpet" for believers will be blown and mortality will put on immortality. In this passage, he links the Rapture with the resurrection of believers. In other words, when the Rapture takes place, the resurrection occurs.
Those who insist that the events of Matthew 24 are history and say that the "generation that sees these things" was the generation concurrent with Jesus nearly 2,000 years ago, must of necessity show that the resurrection has also taken place. The only way that is possible is to spiritualize the text by saying that the resurrection was a spiritual one and not a physical one. After being so strict in interpretation of Matthew 24:34, and then run rough-shod over many clear statements of scripture.
2) If the Rapture took place in AD 70, then certainly that generation witnessed the fulfillment of "all the things" Jesus addressed in Matthew 24:33.
There are three parallel passages in the Gospels where Jesus lays out for His disciples the signs indicating that the end of the age is at hand. To list the signs:
• A rise in false religion, including an epidemic of persons or systems claiming to be Jesus Himself.
• An unprecedented increase in the number of wars.
• An unprecedented increase in natural disasters, including famines, pestilences, and earthquakes.
• Unprecedented tribulation and mass martyrdom, and universal hatred of Christians.
• Mass betrayal, and General Apostasy.
• The Gospel shall be preached to all nations.
• The Abomination of Desolation will be set up in the reconstructed Tribulation Temple.
• Tribulation so great that there has been none like it before, nor none since; in fact, if the days had not been shortened, no flesh would survive.
• An increase in false signs and lying wonders.
• Immediately after the Tribulation of those days, there will be great atmospheric/astronomic disturbances.
• Coincident with this, the "sign of the Son of Man" will appear in the heavens, and "all tribes of the earth" will see Jesus’ mighty Second Advent.
• Coincident with this, the saints of God will be gathered together from the four corners of the earth.
3) If by the word "generation" Jesus was referring to those who heard Him the day He gave the teaching, He would have in effect been saying that His coming would be before the last man of the generation who heard Him that day, died.
Indeed, to hear that "Christ really did come in A.D. 70" reminds one of those against whom Jesus warned (Mat.24:26-27) (to paraphrase) "if they have to tell you I have come, rest assured that I haven’t. Like the lightening, you won’t be able to miss it." Those who try to convince us that Christ has come, announce by that very action that they are false teachers.
AD70 was not the Second Coming of Jesus for the following reasons:
a) The Second Coming will come unexpectedly. Luke 12:22-40
b) At the Second Coming all of humanity will be judged. 2 Peter 3:3-7; Revelation 20:12-15
Jesus speaks a parable about the end in Matthew 25 in which there are ten virgins. Five kept oil in vessels, five were foolish. Five were prepared for the Bridegroom’s return, five were not. Now, note Jesus’ words at the end of the parable:
"Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming."
We are commanded to watch. To watch with expectancy, for the Bridegroom’s coming is imminent (that is, it can occur at any time). Smith falsely assumes that all the signs of the end have already been fulfilled, so there is no need to "watch”.
NOTE PLEASE: THE BOOK OF REVELATION (Written 30+ years AFTER 70 A.D.)
The book of Revelation was written by John late in the first century. Why did he write the following?
Rev 1
1: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
Why would John write about things which must shortly come to pass if they already happened in A.D. 70? It really doesn’t make any sense for John, under inspiration of the Holy Ghost, to write in such a way. If Jesus had already returned and set up His kingdom and the earth was now a spiritual Eden, why did John write such things? It sounds to me like John was a futurist!! The events he was to write about were still in the future! They were not in the past occurring in A.D. 70, but were yet to happen!
The foundation of Smith’s doctrine is his use of the allegorical method of Bible interpretation. This basically means that he will spiritualize any piece of Scripture that does not fit within his belief system. There are many ways to dismiss Scripture. You could take a pair of scissors and simply cut out the verses you don’t like or that don’t fit within your belief system. Or, you can use the allegorical method to interpret the Bible (making it say whatever one wishes to make it say—read how this was done in the days of King Henry VIII to make both his political and lifestyle confirmed by scripture). Both methods essentially do the same thing. The end result is the Word of God is nullified as literal Scripture is spiritualized and then dismissed (just as we see also in “spiritual communion” doctrines).
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