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Hi Sinless,
Thanks for writing and asking your question.
The reason I did not respond to the challenge (?) that the author of the Anti-Preterist site posed, was because I have dealt with this person before, and he really was not interested in an answer from me as much as he just wanted to do a little "superiority posturing". However, i will be happy to answer your question as to this subject.
The brief and most driect answer is found in following the context that leads to the Olivette Discourse in Mtt. 23:34 through ch. 24. In Mtt. 23:37-38, Jesus tells the Pharisees that their "house" is going to left desolate. This is understood by the disciples as a refernce to the temple, as they begin to show him the buldings of the temple as it was still under construction by Herod, in Mtt. 24:1. In V. 2, Jesus affirms that not one stone of the temple would be left upon another til it all is thrown down. Having understood clearly what Jesus was saying, they then ask him in V. 3, "when shall this happen", "and what shall be the sign of your coming (parousia) and the (consequential) end of the age?" Notice that the disciples tie in the destruction of the temple, (which meant the end of Mosaic Jewish ceremonialism), with the second coming and the consequential end of the age of Law. (A common Hebrew idiom stated by the phrase, "end of the age." Jesus then tells his disciples that they themselves would see all the events that lead up to and include the destruction of the temple which corresponds with the second coming. In Mtt. 24:15 he says that they would see the abomination of desolation, which Lk. 21:20 says is the armies (of Rome) that would surround and enter Jerusalem and abominate it by the presence of the pagan sacrifices and their idols inscribed on the Roman Standards. Moving quickly here, Jesus wraps it up in V. 35, where he states that "Heaven and Earth would pass away..." The phrase Heaven and Earth is used biblically as a reference in this context, to the temple and it's ceremonies. This was a common Jewish idiom for the Temple. They called it their "heavens and Earth." See Josephus as well many other Jewish scholars that use this phrase openly, both modern and ancient.
This is a quick answer that will no doubt lead you to more questions. The best thing I can offer you is my recommendation for you to listen to my CD series called, "The Second Coming Series. You can download and listen to it for free on charlescoty.com
Or, you can order the series through our ministry here on this website.
The real question that has to be answered by all who still are holding a yet- future- to- us second coming, is , why is it that in every place where the second coming is spoken of, is it either stated directly or clearly implied that it would happen in the first century? Conversely, there exists no passage of scripture that teaches that it would happen at any time outside of the first century.
Dr. B...
Thanks for writing and asking your question.
The reason I did not respond to the challenge (?) that the author of the Anti-Preterist site posed, was because I have dealt with this person before, and he really was not interested in an answer from me as much as he just wanted to do a little "superiority posturing". However, i will be happy to answer your question as to this subject.
The brief and most driect answer is found in following the context that leads to the Olivette Discourse in Mtt. 23:34 through ch. 24. In Mtt. 23:37-38, Jesus tells the Pharisees that their "house" is going to left desolate. This is understood by the disciples as a refernce to the temple, as they begin to show him the buldings of the temple as it was still under construction by Herod, in Mtt. 24:1. In V. 2, Jesus affirms that not one stone of the temple would be left upon another til it all is thrown down. Having understood clearly what Jesus was saying, they then ask him in V. 3, "when shall this happen", "and what shall be the sign of your coming (parousia) and the (consequential) end of the age?" Notice that the disciples tie in the destruction of the temple, (which meant the end of Mosaic Jewish ceremonialism), with the second coming and the consequential end of the age of Law. (A common Hebrew idiom stated by the phrase, "end of the age." Jesus then tells his disciples that they themselves would see all the events that lead up to and include the destruction of the temple which corresponds with the second coming. In Mtt. 24:15 he says that they would see the abomination of desolation, which Lk. 21:20 says is the armies (of Rome) that would surround and enter Jerusalem and abominate it by the presence of the pagan sacrifices and their idols inscribed on the Roman Standards. Moving quickly here, Jesus wraps it up in V. 35, where he states that "Heaven and Earth would pass away..." The phrase Heaven and Earth is used biblically as a reference in this context, to the temple and it's ceremonies. This was a common Jewish idiom for the Temple. They called it their "heavens and Earth." See Josephus as well many other Jewish scholars that use this phrase openly, both modern and ancient.
This is a quick answer that will no doubt lead you to more questions. The best thing I can offer you is my recommendation for you to listen to my CD series called, "The Second Coming Series. You can download and listen to it for free on charlescoty.com
Or, you can order the series through our ministry here on this website.
The real question that has to be answered by all who still are holding a yet- future- to- us second coming, is , why is it that in every place where the second coming is spoken of, is it either stated directly or clearly implied that it would happen in the first century? Conversely, there exists no passage of scripture that teaches that it would happen at any time outside of the first century.
Dr. B...
