David in NJ
Well-Known Member
I'm reading a book right now, written a couple of years ago by two well-seasoned scholars. They had both been Pretrib early in their Christian lives, but as students of the Scriptures could not remain Pretrib. The authors say that there is no teaching in the Scriptures that say Jesus can come today. "Not Afraid of the Antichrist," by Michael L. Brown and Craig S. Keener.
I can certify that. Nowhere did Jesus say he would come before the last day of the age. Nowhere did he say he could come "at any time." His sense of the imminence of the Kingdom had to do with the tension man has in getting ready for eternal judgment and nothing to do with any expectation that Christ could return at any time.
In fact, Jesus made it clear that we are *not* to expect any secret coming before his appearance from heaven, but only to always be ready for judgment by living righteous lives. In other words, we're to be righteous all the time, and not because Christ might suddenly come today and catch us doing something wrong!
Matt 24.26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.
29 “Immediately after the distress of those days
“‘the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven.
If you have a biblical statement that says Christ can come today, please present it. Otherwise, don't say such unbiblical things!
Randy, thank you for the encouragement.