This Generation
Hi Friends,
Today I am in beautiful Naples, Florida enjoying the weather away from the northern cold. I have a vision to share with you today. The Lord is faithful and when I pray He gives me its interpretation. God is good. He knows all things and when he shares his thoughts with us, it is for our benefit, whether it is to comfort us or to lead us to repentance, to warn us or to ask us to pray in alignment with his will. We are to take notice and act in obedience and fulfill the task he gives us. He said:
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and wonderful things that you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3
The Vision
The Manilla Envelope
In this vision, I saw a 9 x 12 manilla envelope in my hand. I was standing in the church vestibule when I saw a pastor walking by. I handed it to him and he took it from me. There were no words exchanged.
In the past I have shared my visions with pastors that I respected and hoped that they would receive its message. Very often visions are given so that we might pray for what God considers important. But visions are not always received, for we are not all on the same page. It is God who gives us the Holy Spirit, so that we can be in unity, but we must choose to do so. It is our responsibility to know the Word of God and to ask the Holy Spirit to help us to interpret His Word and to understand what He is showing us. It is important that we have the Holy Spirit to reveal truth and to recognize what is not truth. Because of our experiences, former teachers and prejudices towards various doctrines, and prophecy, we do not always agree. Depending on the circumstances and the people involved, there may be a resistance to discuss or debate the topic. People can become dogmatic in their personal ideologies to the point that they deem everything that they do not personally believe as heresy.
Only God knows who will receive a message and who will turn away from it or even take offense by it. An example of this I believe is John the Baptist’s reaction to Jesus’ ministry. Jesus said:
John the Baptist
“Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Matthew 11:11
This was a truly great complement of John, but then there was a hint of something else. Jesus said whoever belongs to the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. The question arises - Wasn’t John himself in the kingdom of heaven?
And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” Luke 1:17
How do we enter the kingdom of heaven? The primary requirement is to accept Jesus as God, Lord and Savior, to submit to his will, to confess our sins before him and to acknowledge that his sacrifice on the cross purchased our salvation. When we choose him above all things, repent and surrender to his lordship, we become born again and filled with the Holy Spirit, the third person of the God-head. This was made possible by the cross.
John prophesied to all who came near. And he baptized those who believed his message and repented at his teaching. John was later arrested and beheaded by Herod. This happened before Jesus went to the cross.
John had expectations that Jesus would come to bring judgment on those who belonged to the “brood of vipers.” For he spoke about the day of the Lord, prophesied by many prophets before him. His teaching and preaching was perfectly clear:
But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his place of baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come One more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:7-12
John was preparing the way for the Lord. He was quite aware of Jesus’ mission and familiar with scripture, but the mystery for him was that Jesus was not coming with judgment at that particular moment, even though he pronounced seven judgments upon the Pharisees and the wealthy ruling class, (Matthew 23). Jesus had every intention to bring judgment against “this generation” when he returned in the clouds in AD 70. He spoke often and reminded all that he was coming to bring judgment on “the shepherd’s that feed only themselves.” (Ezekiel 34:2) He spoke of his judgment coming to destroy Jerusalem and the temple, by which they made and sustained their great wealth and luxurious lifestyle. The temple that was to bring the Father honor, became a business and wealth producing economy so that the position of High Priest was awarded to the highest bidder by the governing authorities.
“Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar! I am not pleased with you, “ say the Lord Almighty, “and I will accept no offering from your hands.” Malachi 1:10
But John expected Jesus to execute judgment and call down fire at that time. John began to question Jesus as to whether he was on target, or was there something amiss. So he sent his disciples to Jesus to ask them what concerned him most:
“Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
Jesus replied, ‘Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me.” Matthew 11:3-4
Jesus could see John’s expectations were threatening his faith in him. John believed that Jesus was the Messiah, but in his heart he wanted Jesus to know his frustration, for things were not happening fast enough for him. Jesus even suggested that if he was not careful, his assumptions and offense taken could cause him to fall away.
This Generation
After the Lord’s death and resurrection, the anticipation of his return was immenent. For they all heard and understood the Lord declaring over and over again that his return was within their generation. The disciples and apostles of his day became frustrated wanting the Lord to return immediately, if not sooner. But Jesus did not lie or speak mysteriously to a very candid and real question posed by His disciples. No, he answered them truthfully and fulfilled his promises to them in detail, within that generation. To think or to declare otherwise is to make null and void his very words. Jesus is and has always been faithful. He came and fulfilled his promises, which have been recorded, not by Christians but by non-Christians who had no reason to manipulate the facts. Josephus, a Jewish historian, was commissioned by Vispasian, and Titus to detail every event in the assault and destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple as it happened on a day to day basis. Vispasian and Titus, as a father and son duo, were the Roman generals who laid seige against Jerusalem. They later shared the same office and title as Emperor of Rome. The entire history of this tragic event was recorded in Josephus’ book “The Jewish War.” It is available for all to read as a confirmation that what Jesus foretold actually happened within the disciple’s generation and within the 3.5 years of the tribulation foretold by the prophet Daniel, and again by the Apostle John in the book of Revelation.
One of these conversations and teachings Jesus had with his disciples took place as they left the temple. The topic was picked up again at the Mount of Olives, when they asked to know more.
Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.”
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” Matthew 24:1-3
He answered them speaking of the things that would take place at his coming to bring closure to the age of the Old Covenant, to put an end to the temple worship and the sacrificial system, to destroy his enemies, and to usher in the new age: the New Covenant in the Lord’s blood. Once the physical temple and Jerusalem and its wicked leaders were entirely destroyed, the Church, the body of believers, comes into its own as the Bride of Christ. When the age of the Old Covenant ends all of the objectives that were spelled out in the prophecy given to Daniel are now fulfilled:
Daniel’s Seventy Weeks of Years
“Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.” Daniel 9:24
The seventy weeks of years, or 490 years, are the years between the destruction of the first temple in Jerusalem and the second temple in AD 70. These years are the 10 Sabbatical Jubilee cycles (49/50 year cycles) that the people failed to follow. For they did not set their slaves free; they did not cancel all debts; and they failed to return all leased or mortgaged lands to their original owners.
Jesus initiated the tenth Sabbatical Jubilee cycle when he was handed the scroll and read from the book of Isaiah:
“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then He rolled up the scroll, returned it to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fixed on Him, and He began by saying, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” Luke 4:18-21
The objectives given by the angel Gabriel to Daniel were all fulfilled in this 490 year period. Jesus’ ministry of 3.5 years, and his sacrificial death are followed by a nearly 40 year period, which corresponds to the 40 years that the Hebrews wandered in the wilderness. Then the last 3.5 years is the Coming of the Lord in the clouds to bring judgment against Jerusalem, the end of sacrifices with the desolation and destruction of the temple and its wicked leaders. This accounts for the 10th Jubilee cycle which completes and terminates the Old Covenant age, and begins the New Covenant age, where death is defeated, heaven and earth are made new and where Christ rules and reigns in the hearts of His believers.
Dispensationalism - the Future of Revelation
I am sharing a few thoughts and a few facts to entice you to read and study the historical facts as they have always been, but have been ignored or forgotten by the church at large. Ever since Darby and Scofield came on the scene in the 1800’s, with their futuristic view of “the end of the age” and “the tribulation,” Jesus’ words “this generation,” and AD 70 were no longer important. Jesus’ words, throughout the gospel and his words in Revelation have been reinterpreted to mean some generation in the distant future.
Prior to Darby’s and Scofield’s teachings of eschatology, the fulfillment of Jesus’s prophecies, which can be verified by historians, were used to convince people of the truth of the gospel. It was a clear case, for all the various events described in the Book of Revelation pointed to the accuracy of the prophecies and their fulfillment. But now in our time, philosophers and critics of the gospel, use the very same words of Jesus to undermine the gospel, declaring Jesus to be a liar, and all the things he foretold that would happen in the disciples’ lifetime, never occurred. Where is the “New Heaven and New Earth? That didn’t happen!” They have forgotten what Jesus said:
When asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The kingdom of God will not come with observable signs. Nor will people say, ‘Look, here it is,’ or ‘There it is.’ For you see, the kingdom of God is within you.” Luke 17:20-21
The kingdom of God was never to be a physical kingdom, nor will it be in the future. The new earth will not materialize as a whole new “city or planet.”
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Behold the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:1-4
The new Jerusalem is “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” The Church is the bride of Christ. The church is the new Jerusalem. We are a city without walls. We are seated with Christ in the heavenly realms. We are one with God when we belong to him. As a bride and husband become one in flesh, we become one with our God for he is our bridegroom and we are His bride. We are the new Jerusalem prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
The dwelling place of God is in the believer while we are in the kingdom of God on this earth. But when we pass from this world to the next through natural death, we do not go to the place of death Hades, for it was destroyed as the Lord had foretold.
“The Lord said to my Lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” Psalm 110:1
“Then the end will come, when He hands over the kingdom to God the Father after He has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.” 1 Corinthians 15:24-27
For the believer, death is destroyed. For the very moment we take our last breath we are joined to the Lord forever! We don’t go to Paradise with the Lord as the thief on the cross did, for at the Parousia, Jesus’ coming on clouds in AD 70, He commanded Hades to be thrown into the Lake of Fire. The Lord’s enemies, the temple, and the city were destroyed, Death was the last enemy to be destroyed and it happened at that time. Adam’s sin brought death into the world, and Adam was the first man to die. He did not suffer a natural death at the time of the fall in the Garden of Eden. He died a spiritual death.
And the Lord God commanded him,“You may eat freely from every tree of the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.” Genesis 3:5
Adam did die that day, a death in the spirit. For man is dead in his spirit until he is made alive in Christ.
“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you used to walk when you conformed to the ways of this world and of the ruler of the power of the air, Ephesians 2:1-2
However, the past is gone and all things become new when we enter into the agreement and provision of God: the new Covenant, a covenant with His blood. We are no longer dead spiritually, for our spirits are made alive in Him.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!” 2 Corinthians 5:17
The writer of Hebrews wrote of “a new covenant” that began at the termination of the old covenant. A new age begins as one ends. Revelation is not the end of the world, but the end and closure of an age. Everything is new because death caused by sin, no longer holds the believer.
But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion to look for a second.
For he finds fault with them when he says: “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will establish a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant, and so I showed no concern for them, declares the Lord.
For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. For I will be merciful toward their iniquities, and I will remember their sins no more.”
In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. Hebrews 8:6-13
“What is obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away. Hebrews written before
AD 70, speaks of the covenant as “ready to vanish away.” And it did. To close the chapter on the age of the Old Covenant, and make the fact known to all - both Jew, Gentile and the early Church that the end of the age had come, the temple and Jerusalem had to be destroyed. By their destruction He put an end to the sacrificial system. No longer could the Jews put their faith in animals’ blood as atonement for their sins. The Lord came on the clouds to bring judgment against all the religious leaders who opposed Him, and had used the temple as a wealth producing enterprise. He came on the clouds to establish his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, to fulfill His prophecies and those of Joel, Malachi, Daniel and Zechariah.
Hopefully now, one can appreciate the significance behind the message of Revelation and the Olivet Discourse. It was a message directed to the 1st century church, composed of both Jewish believers and those of Gentile birth who together formed the church the bride of Christ. We are not meant to live in the future, believing that the Lord did not speak clearly, but misled his disciples, his apostles, and his enemies telling them he was coming soon, and within their generation.
It is important to note that both Paul, and Peter were martyred by Nero in 64 AD. Their deaths occured six years before the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. So all their comments regarding the fact that the Lord had not yet come, were absolutely true at that moment they wrote their letters to the churches. Nonetheless just a few short years later Jesus did come. It is imperative to keep these glasses on when reading these passages of scripture.
Paul responded to the impatience of his flock who were going through the fiery trials of persecution by both the Jews and the Romans:
Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you, brothers, not to be easily disconcerted or alarmed by any spirit or message or letter seeming to be from us, alleging that the Day of the Lord has already come. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2
Peter also wrote to the believers who were dying for their faith, hoping that the Lord would come soon.
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. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:8-9
Prophetic Language - A Stumbling Block
A large stumbling block for Christians who are futurists in their eschatological beliefs is the prophetic language. We must look at the similar descriptions that other prophets like Isaiah who described the many times the Lord was to come in the clouds to bring judgement upon the various nations including Israel and Judah.
The prophetic language used in Matthew 24, and Revelation to convey judgment, war, trauma, confusion, despair, turmoil, famine, sickness, disease, and death, are used for events that happened in the Old Testament well before Jerusalem and its temple were destroyed for the second time. The book of Revelation is not declaring the end of the world as many people are led to believe. The actual earth, the sun, the moon or the stars were not destroyed anytime between Genesis and Revelation. The words may suggest this but it is simply prophetic language designed to create terror in the hearts of people who are about to experience judgment.
Even a hundred years ago, there were no televisions, movies, and special effects. They used the written word and heralds to cry out in the streets the messages of warning and impending doom. That was the mission that God gave Jonah: to declare to Nineveh that in 40 days God would totally destroy their nation. God will always send a warning before the day of disaster, to give people an opportunity to repent of their wicked ways and turn to God for his mercy and forgiveness. Fortunately for Nineveh, their king took the message seriously and put on sackcloth and declared a fast among the people. The Lord took notice and saw their sincere humility and relented in sending the disaster. The words and the warning were successful in moving their hearts to repent.
Matthew 24 is full of prophetic language spoken by the Lord and recorded by Matthew.
“For as lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever the corpse is there the vultures will gather.
Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.” Matthew 24:28-29
The following list is a sampling of prophetic language that appears in the Old Testament, you will see that the words paint pictures that bring terror. Notice how the Lord comes in the clouds to bring judgment again and again.
The prophet Jeremiah spoke of the Lord coming in the clouds bringing punishment to Jerusalem, by way of the Babylonian army.
Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled. Jeremiah 4:13
“I looked on the earth, and behold, it was without form and void; and to the heavens, and they had no light on the mountains, and behold, they were quaking, and all the hills moved to and fro. I looked, and behold there was no man and all the birds of the air had fled. I looked, and behold, the fruitful land was a desert, and all its cities were laid in ruins before the Lord, before his fierce anger.” Jeremiah 4:23-26
Notice the “day of the Lord” and a “day of clouds” are used often to represent the Lord’s coming to bring judgment against various nations. From the mouths of different prophets, and from one century to another, these are typical descriptions:
For a day is near, a day belonging to the Lord is near. It will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations. A sword shall come upon Egypt, and anguish shall be in Cush, Ezekiel 30:3
These words shows the Lord bringing judgment against “Zion” again with clouds:
For the day of the Lord is coming; it is near: a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and of thick darkness! Like blackness there is spread upon the mountains a great and powerful people…Fire devours before them, and behind them a flame burns. The land is like the garden of Eden before them, but behind them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them. Joel 2:2-3
The earth quakes before them the heavens tremble. The sun and moon are darkened, and the stars withdraw their shining. The Lord utters his voice before his army, for his camp is exceedingly great; he who executes his word is powerful. For the day of the Lord is great and very awesome; who can endure it? Joel 2:10-11
The Lord Judging Babylon:
Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogance of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.” Isaiah 13:9-13
The sun and the moon and the stars represent kings and rulers of high places, princes and principalities on the earth and in the heavenly realms.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12
Judgment against Egypt:
See, the Lord rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him, and the hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear.” Isaiah 19:1
Judgment against Tyre:
“He stretched out his hand over the sea, he has shaken the kingdoms;” Isaiah 23:11
“The moon will be confounded and the sun will be ashamed; for the LORD of Hosts will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before His elders with great glory.” Isaiah 24:23
Judgment against spiritual authorities and kings of the earth:
For the windows of heaven are opened, and the foundations of the earth tremble. The earth is utterly broken, the earth is split apart, the earth is violently shaken, the earth staggers like a drunken man; it sways like a hut; its transgression lies heavy upon it and it falls, and will not rise again. On that day the Lord will punish the host of heaven, in heaven, and the kings of the earth, on the earth. Isaiah 24:18-21
”For behold, the LORD is coming out of His dwelling to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. The earth will reveal her bloodshed and will no longer conceal her slain.” Isaiah 26:21
Announcement to Exiles:
“And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.” Isaiah 27:13
Notice above, the “great trumpet” sounded to notify the exiles that the Lord would bring them back to their own land to worship in Jerusalem.
Judgment on Ephraim and Jerusalem:
”Behold, the Lord has one who is strong and mighty. Like a hailstorm or destructive tempest, like a driving rain or flooding downpour, he will smash that crown to the ground.” Isaiah 28:2
“The Lord Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire.” Isaiah 29:6
“And the Lord will cause his majestic voice to be heard and the descending blow of his arm to be seen, in furious anger and a flame of a devouring fire, with a cloudburst and storm and hailstones.” Isaiah 30:30
“And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.” Isaiah 34:4
Judgment against Jerusalem:
“Behold, he comes up like clouds; his chariots like the whirlwind; his horses are swifter than eagles– woe unto us, for we are ruined!” Jeremiah 4:13
Description of God:
He lays the beams of his chambers on the waters; he makes the clouds his chariot; he rides the wings of the wind; he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire. Psalm 104:3-4
Mercy of God:
“The light of the moon will be as bright as the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter—like the light of seven days—on the day that the Lord binds up the brokenness of His people and heals the wounds He has inflicted.” Isaiah 30:26
After reading these examples of prophetic language, you can perhaps have new insight into the Lord’s pronouncements of judgment and woe to the religious leaders found in Matthew 23 and the corresponding prophetic language in Matthew 24 and the book of Revelation. This clearly points to the purpose for which Matthew 23 and 24 and Revelation were written. They were to bring warning of the wrath to come against Jerusalem, its wicked leaders and its temple. The Lord’s actions of overturning the tables of the money changers in the temple, was a prophetic act of what was to come: the overturning of every stone of the temple. He had declared that this wicked generation would be accountable for all the sin of their forefathers. The Lord was not going to delay, but after his death on a cross he would return to take care of business to close the age, destroy the temple and burn Jerusalem and its inhabitants to the ground.
“As a result, this generation will be charged with the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the foundation of the world, from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, all of it will be charged to this generation.
Woe to you experts in the law! For you have taken away the key to knowledge, you yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.” Luke 11:50-52
This judgment of Jerusalem against this wicked first century generation was to be far worse than anything that any nation or people had previously experienced. This generation was to be held accountable for the deaths of all the prophets, and the death of the Lord Jesus himself.
The book of Revelation was written to the first century churches to encourage them in their faith to stand strong in spite of the fiery trials, and to repent of any compromise they had made with the pagan values and practices of the day. Jesus’ prophecies were to be fulfilled in their generation. But the exact hour was to be unknown. John’s Revelation was written to notify the churches that the time of judgment was near.
Then the angel said to me, “These words are faithful and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants what must soon take place.”
“Behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of prophecy in this book.” Revelation 22:6-7
Then he told me, “Do not seal up the words of prophecy in this book, because the time is near. Let the unrighteous continue to be unrighteous, and the vile continue to be vile; let the righteous continue to practice righteousness, and the holy continue to be holy.”
“Behold, I am coming soon, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to what he has done. Revelation 22:10-12
He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Revelation 22:20
Revelation has been fulfilled. The parousia, the coming, was fulfilled in the 3.5 years of tribulation from AD 66 to AD 70 which was the Roman siege of Jerusalem.
We should not allow the atheists and the anti-christs of the world to be able to declare that Jesus was a liar and had no power to foretell anything. Because we don’t want to believe the facts recorded in history by eyewitnesses of the events, or believe Jesus’ own words and his itinerary for that generation, we leave the discussion wide open for others to claim that the Lord was a failure.
But I believe with all my heart that what he claimed happened and that all was fulfilled. But it is each person’s responsibility to study history and read and believe the Word of God which speaks for itself.
May I suggest reading the following::
Before Jerusalem Fell by Kenneth Gentry (pdf.)
The Parousia by James Stuart Russell
The Jewish War by Josephus
And explore the websites:
Full Preterism.com Michael J. Sullivan
Revelation Revolution.org Daniel Morais
Preterist Central.com Kurt M. Simmons
We need to understand that unless we seek God and study the Word of God for ourselves, we will be a product of the teachers and leaders with whom we associate or follow. We will only understand from their point of view, and not take in the full counsel of the Lord and his word.
“If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” James 1:5
History and prophecy should come together to validate the word given. True prophecy comes from God, false prophecy comes from the imagination or from the wicked one. So those who hear, must discern truth from falsehood. It is also possible that unknowingly we may declare something as heresy, rather than embrace it as truth.
Scripture should be interpreted by scripture and with an understanding of prophetic language, and the historical context and the historical evidence that is trustworthy. Prophecy and teachings need to be verified with scripture, and confirmed by the Spirit of God, not by our hearts which are deceitful. We should look intently at scripture keeping the speaker and his audience in mind. And like the Bereans, who were not satisfied to merely believe or reject teaching based on their prejudices, they instead searched the scriptures to see if what was being communicated could be verified.
“Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.” Acts 17:11
We do not walk by this world’s light. It is the Lord and His Holy Spirit that illuminates scripture for us. Let’s look for the purpose of God in these prophecies. What is the prophet trying to convey with the words that he selects?
I hope I have enticed you to read more and seek the heart of God in all matters. He is faithful.
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things that you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3
God bless you with a hunger for his presence and a hunger for truth! Please share this with those who are seeking greater understanding. Let’s remain faithful and remain in His love!
God bless you!
