The Second Coming's Imminence to the Disciples' Lifetime; the Uncertainty of the Event's Precise "Day and Hour"

THE SECOND COMING'S IMMINENCE TO THE DISCIPLES' LIFETIME; THE UNCERTAINTY OF THE EVENT'S PRECISE "DAY AND HOUR"

Below is the 41st of multiple excerpts from The Parousia, the late 19th-century masterpiece on the Second Coming by James Stuart Russell. "Certainty of the consummation, yet uncertainty of its precise date. [Matt. 24:36: 'But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.' [Mark 13:32: 'But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.'] "Although our Lord has defined the limits of the time within which the predicted consummation would take place [see verses below this excerpt], yet a certain amount of indefiniteness remains respecting the moment of its arrival. He does not specify the exact date, the 'hour, or the day,' or even the month or the year. This does not mean that the whole question of time is left unsettled: it refers merely to the precise date. The consummation [i.e., the Second Coming and its accompanying events] was to fall within the term of the existing generation, but the particular hour when the knell of doom should sound [over 1st-century Israel, as foreshadowed in Matt. 23:34-36, 23:37-39, 24:1-3; Mark 13:1-4; Luke 11:49-51, 13:34-35, 19:41-44, 21:5-7, 21:20] was not revealed to man, nor angel, nor (what is stranger still) to the Son of man Himself. It was the secret which the Father kept 'in His own power.' There were doubtless sufficient reasons for this reserve. To have specified 'the day and the hour'---to have said, 'In the seven-and-thirtieth year, in the sixth month and the eighth day of the month, the city shall be taken and the temple burnt with fire' [which the 1st-century Jewish historian Josephus records occurred in A.D. 70]---would not only have been inconsistent with the manner of prophecy [of the New Testament, which was completed before A.D. 70], but would have taken away one of the strongest inducements to constant watchfulness and prayer---the uncertainty of the precise time." ----- Prophecies that the Second Coming Would Occur Within the Disciples' Lifetime and Within that of Jesus’ Own Generation Matthew 10:23 [Jesus to the disciples] “...truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” Matt 16:28 [Jesus to the disciples] “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.” (Parallels at Mark 9:1 and Luke 9:27) Matt 24:34 [Jesus to the disciples]“Truly, I say to you, this generation [Greek: genea haute] will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Parallels at Mark 13:30 and Luke 21:32) Matt 26:64 [Jesus to Caiaphas the high priest and the Sanhedrin] “...you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Parallels at Mark 14:62 and Luke 22:69) Revelation 1:7 [John to the seven churches in Asia] “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him…” (English Standard Version) Other relevant verses: "END OF THE [OLD COVENANT] AGE": Matt 13:40, 13:49, 24:3, 28:20; 1 Corin 10:11; Hebrews 9:26 "THE END" [OF THE OLD COVENANT AGE]: Matt 10:22, 24:6, 24:13, 24:14; Mark 13:7, 13:13; Luke 21:9; 1 Corin 1:8, 15:24; Hebrews 3:14, 6:11; 1 Peter 4:7; Rev 2:26
For further reading: Rethinking the Dates of the New Testament by Jonathan Bernier (2022)

Redating the New Testament by John A.T. Robinson (1976)

Before Jerusalem Fell: Dating the Book of Revelation by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr. (1989)

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