predicting Christ's coming

[Bible2]

Interplanner said in post 79:

If Bible2 will just look at what happens to Amos 9 in Acts 15, he might realize that there is a total change in how prophecy and David's promises and role, are used due to the Gospel and mission of Christ.

Acts 15:14-17 doesn't say or mean Amos 9:11-12 is "fulfilled", only that the basic principle of the salvation of Gentiles "agrees" (Greek "sumphoneo", G4856) with the idea of Amos 9:11-12, & only as it was understood by the (fallible) individual quoted in Acts 15:14-17. A different way of understanding Amos 9:11-12 is by looking at the original Hebrew: Amos 9:11-12 can mean the house of David will be restored to power & will possess Edom & all other nations. This will be fulfilled during the coming millennium, which won't occur until after 2nd coming of Jesus (Rev. 19:7-20:6, Zech. 14:3-21), who is of the house of David (Lk. 1:69, Mt. 1:1), when Jesus will restore the house of David to power by sitting on the throne of David (Lk. 1:32, Isa. 9:7, 16:5) & ruling the earth (Zech. 14:9, Ps. 72:8-11).

Also, with regard to another part of Amos 9, verse 15 could refer to what will happen at Jesus' second coming (Isa. 9:7, Amos 9:11). For Amos 9:14-15 was spoken before the taking of the northern kingdom of Israel into captivity (Amos 8:14, 5:27) by the Assyrians in the eighth century B.C., and was spoken before the southern kingdom of Judah was taken into captivity by the Babylonians in the sixth century B.C. But Amos 9:14-15 didn't apply to the post-Babylonian Captivity restoration of the Jews to their land in 538 B.C., for that restoration was subsequently destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. So Amos 9:14-15 doesn't necessarily apply to the subsequent restoration of the Jews to their land in 1948 A.D. either. This restoration could be destroyed by the Baathists in a future war (Dan. 11:15-17; in verse 17 the original Hebrew word translated as "daughter" is "bath") at the start of the future tribulation of Rev. chs. 6-18/Mt. 24. Jesus will restore the Davidic kingdom of Israel (Lk. 1:32b-33, Isa. 9:7, Amos 9:11) at his second coming (Acts 1:6-7, 3:20-21), which will occur immediately after the tribulation (Mt. 24:29-31).

 

[Interplanner]

What is it about Acts 1:11 that hints of conquering on a white horse?

Why do you jump all over with a "system" of a billion proof texts instead of reading each passage entirely for its own meaning? Why is 1 Cor 15:54 a prooftext of a marriage feast?

Oh I see, your plan is to quote so much stuff that a person wouldn't possibly be able to respond to any one of them.

re Ezek 38,39: I know many people who would not put that at the end of a millenium; they are always speaking of it as about to happen. That's odd because its the city that gets rescued but nearly everyone has die anyway.

The answer about Jesus flitting back and forth in his time frames makes no sense. He is speaking about immediate at-hand dangers in the beginning of Mt 24; the distant future is only after v29. But he spoke of many things the church was going to do (like rule on the twelve thrones of Israel) not as distant future but in that generation and with persecution. It sounds to me like you think every other parable is a 'hidden message' about the millenium?

re atmosphere and surface: you're own your own there, buddy. All of a sudden literalism is not literal! the problem is you are trying to factor in Judaic elements when they actually disappear from the descriptions of the distant future. They are not found in 1 Cor 15; Rom 8; the 2nd half of Mt 24 & //s after 'immediately after'; 2 Pet 3; Heb 9.

--Inter

 

[Interplanner]

re #82
You are as obsessed with the millenium as BethWhite is with the Rapture! Your response is nonsense. The nations faith is the fallen tent being restored; that's exactly what the apostles mean because Davids promises were given to Christ (Acts 13) so that the nations could believe.

The last person who suggested the apostles were fallibly quoting the OT said that Peter was mistaken "just like his 3 denials" when he said that the last days had arrived at Pentecost! You better back off from that one!

There is a thing emedded in the OT that was not seen until the commission to Paul to open it, but it is not the millenium. The 'mystery that is no longer a mystery' is that in Christ and by faith in him the nations recieve all the promises to Israel in very technical terms; yet no where in saying that does Paul hint anything about the land. (Eph 2-3, Col 1, Rom 16, Acts 13's sermon). It is about grace, forgiveness, justification, acceptance by God, fellowship, in this life and the next.

Nothing in the apostles' teaching presents the millenium and the rapture as the 'answer' to unfinished business. With his neck on the line before Judaism, when it would be the most advantage to do so, Paul says nothing about it or a future for Israel in Acts 26's defense. In fact, the issue is that he says all Israel's hopes are already fulfilled in the resurrection. A resurrection can only happen to a perfect man. Israel was driving itself crazy trying to accomplish that when it had already been provided for them in Jesus Christ who was what Israel was supposed to have been (Mt 3:15).

Judaism, futurism and D'ism alike do not accept the authority of the NT. They pursue the OT directly without the declarations of Christ through the apostles. The only thing this can lead to is, like yourself, saying the apostles were mistaken when the spoke about it.

--Inter

 

[eclipsenow]

Even though Lk. 19:17-19 is part of a parable

Apparently you don't get the point of this parable. It seems every 2nd verse you quote is used inappropriately.

Jesus' kingdom is Israel (Jn. 1:49, 12:13-15, 19:19, Lk. 22:30).

No it's not. Romans 4:13
"13 It was not through the law that Abraham and his offspring received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith. "

That's why at his 2nd coming he'll sit on the earthly throne of David (Lk. 1:32-33, Isa. 9:7) & restore the kingdom to Israel (Acts 1:6-7, 3:20-21).

Here you go again. What does Acts 1:8 say? While the DISCIPLES were focussing on a physical Kingdom, Jesus was focussing on a SPIRITUAL kingdom. Read his VERY REAL answer to the Disciples questions and assumptions!

 

[Bible2]

Interplanner said in post 83:

What is it about Acts 1:11 that hints of conquering on a white horse?

Nothing. What Acts 1:11 means was stated in the first paragraph of post 80, which said:

Jesus will return "in like manner" as he ascended (Acts 1:11b), in that just as at the end of his first coming he was seen by literal eyes to ascend physically from the Mount of Olives into a literal cloud & on into heaven (Acts 1:9,12, cf. Lk. 24:39), so at his 2nd coming, he'll be seen in literal clouds by literal eyes (Rev. 1:7, Mt. 24:30) to physically descend from heaven (1 Thes. 4:16) & set his feet on the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14:3-21).

Interplanner said in post 83:

Why is 1 Cor 15:54 a prooftext of a marriage feast?

1 Cor. 15:54b refers back to Isa. 25:8, which refers to what will happen at Jesus' 2nd coming (Isa. 25:9, 1 Cor. 15:21-23,51-54) and the feast which will occur at that time (Isa. 25:6), which is the marriage feast of Rev. 19:9.

Interplanner said in post 83:

re Ezek 38,39: I know many people who would not put that at the end of a millenium; they are always speaking of it as about to happen.

Regarding "they are always speaking of it as about to happen", it can't be because the Gog/Magog attack on Israel (Ezek. chs. 38-39) won't occur until after the future millennium (Rev. 20:7-10), when there will be no defensive walls or fear of attack in Israel whatsoever (Ezek. 38:11), which is the exact opposite of today's situation, when Israel is filled with very high defensive walls and is in constant fear of attack. At the beginning of the millennium, all present-day weapons of war will be destroyed, and they won't be allowed to be remade during the millennium (Mic. 4:3-4). That's why after the millennium, the Gog/Magog armies will employ only rudimentary, wooden weapons like bows and arrows, spears, shields, and clubs (Ezek. 39:9), which, after the defeat of the Gog/Magog armies, will be able to be used as convenient firewood by the people living in Israel at that time, instead of them having to go out and collect or cut down firewood from the forest (Ezek. 39:10).

The Gog in Rev. 20:8 is the same as in Ezek. chs. 38-39: an individual human leader whose personal name is "Gog" (Ezek. 38:3), who could be born near the end of the millennium, and who will be killed and buried at the end of the Gog/Magog attack (Ezek. 39:11). The Gog/Magog armies are defeated by fire from heaven in both accounts of the attack (Ezek. 38:22, Rev. 20:9). While the great white throne judgment (Rev. 20:11-15) will occur subsequent to the defeat of the Gog/Magog attack (Rev. 20:7-15), nothing requires (as is sometimes claimed) that the great white throne judgment has to happen immediately after the defeat of the attack. For there will be at least seven years (Ezek. 39:9b) between the defeat of the Gog/Magog attack and the great white throne judgment.

Also, the Gog/Magog attack won't have to (as is sometimes claimed) involve only the nations listed in Ezek. chs. 38-39. Those nations could be just a sampling. For the "nations" (ethnos), or peoples, who will be involved in the Gog/Magog attack will come from all over the earth (Rev. 20:8). They will still be physically part of Jesus' worldwide kingdom, still legally under his rule, just as they had been during the preceding millennium (Ps. 72:8-11, 66:3, Ps. 2), but after the millennium they will be deceived by Satan into committing the attack (Rev. 20:7-10).

Also, while the Gog/Magog attack on Israel won't occur until after the future millennium (Rev. 20:7-10, Ezek. chs. 38-39), Israel could suffer a different attack at the start of the future tribulation of Rev. chs. 6-18/Mt. 24, which attack could result in Israel's total defeat and occupation (Dan. 11:15-17).

And Jerusalem could be attacked in the future at least three times before the millennium: once near the start of the future tribulation (Dan. 11:22), then again mid-tribulation (Dan. 11:31), and then at the tribulation's end (Dan. 11:45), right before Jesus' 2nd coming and the start of the millennium (Zech. 14:2-21).

Interplanner said in post 83:

He is speaking about immediate at-hand dangers in the beginning of Mt 24 . . .

The end of Herod's temple building (also called the second temple building) in 70 AD didn't fulfill Mt. 24:2, for the stones of the second temple complex's Western Wall (also called the Wailing Wall) still stand today one on top of the other, just as they did when Jesus spoke that prophecy. Mt. 24:2 included the Wailing Wall, for Mt. 24:2 wasn't referring to only the single second temple building in the center of the Temple Mount (the building that contained the holy place and the most holy place), but was referring to "all these things", all the plural "buildings"/structures/oikodome (G3619) of the entire second temple complex (Mt. 24:1). Indeed, Mt. 24:2 could even have been spoken just to the north of the Wailing Wall, for it was spoken just after Jesus had departed from the temple complex (Mt. 24:1), and one of the main temple complex exits (called Wilson's Arch and bridge by archaeologists) was just to the north of the Wailing Wall and at the same level as the top of the Temple Mount (see the temple complex map insert in the Dec. 2008 issue of National Geographic magazine).

Also, Mt. 24:2's "here" included not just the entire second temple complex, but every structure throughout Jerusalem, for the similar statement in Lk. 19:44 applied to the whole city (Lk. 19:41-44). Mt. 24:2 and Lk. 19:44 could be fulfilled at the very end of the future tribulation of Rev. chs. 6-18/Mt. 24, right before and at Jesus' 2nd coming (Zech. 14:2-21, Rev. 19:7-20:6).

Interplanner said in post 83:

But he spoke of many things the church was going to do (like rule on the twelve thrones of Israel) not as distant future but in that generation and with persecution.

Mt. 19:28, Lk. 22:30 refers to the future, physical, millennial kingdom of Jesus on the earth with the bodily resurrected church (Rev. 20:4-6, 5:10, 2:26-29), which won't begin until after his second coming (Rev. 19:7-20:6, Zech. 14:3-21). During the millennium, the twelve apostles will "judge" the twelve tribes of Israel (Mt. 19:28, Lk. 22:30) in the sense of ongoing rule, like the "judges" ruled Israel in the book of Judges in the Old Testament.

*******

Interplanner said in post 84:

The last person who suggested the apostles were fallibly quoting the OT said that Peter was mistaken "just like his 3 denials" when he said that the last days had arrived at Pentecost!

Acts 15:16-17 was a fallible quotation (by one person attending the Acts 15 meeting) insofar as it doesn't match the original Hebrew of Amos 9:
11-12.

Regarding Acts 2:16-17, the truth of Peter's "last days" claim was affirmed in the "Acts 2:16-17" paragraph of post 69, which said:

Regarding the latter or "last" days, they began in the first century A.D. with Jesus' first coming (Heb. 1:2) and the Holy Spirit's pouring out at the Pentecost in Acts 2 (Acts 2:16-17). The last "days" are the last three roughly 1,000-year "days" (2 Pet. 3:8) of the seven roughly 1,000-year "days" from the creation of Adam in roughly 4,000 B.C. to the future end of the present earth and the creation of the new earth (Rev. 21:1) in roughly 3,000 A.D.. So the last "days" are the roughly 3,000 years from Jesus' first coming to sometime after the future millennium (Rev. 20:4-6), which will be part of the last roughly 1,000-year "day".

Interplanner said in post 84:

The 'mystery that is no longer a mystery' is that in Christ and by faith in him the nations recieve all the promises to Israel in very technical terms; yet no where in saying that does Paul hint anything about the land.

The promises to Israel include the land promise.

And if even those who are "strangers" in Israel can inherit the land of Israel (Ezek. 47:21-23), then certainly believing Gentiles, who are "no more strangers" to Israel (Eph. 2:12,19), will inherit the land (during the coming millennium of Rev. 20:4-6), & the other promises given to Israel (Eph. 2:12,19, Eph. 3:6, Gal. 3:29, Gen. 12:7).

God still has regard for the land of Israel, & Jerusalem especially (Isa. 62:6-7, Ps. 122:6). Even during the future, literal, 3.5-year worldwide reign of the Antichrist (Rev. 13:5-18), Jerusalem will still be considered by God to be the holy city (Rev. 11:2, Lk. 21:24), the holy mountain (Dan. 11:45, 9:16). And after the tribulation, at Jesus' 2nd coming, it will be to the Mount of Olives just east of the walled Old City of Jerusalem that Jesus will descend (Zech. 14:4-21, Acts 1:11-12). And then Jesus will rule the whole earth from the earthly Jerusalem during the millennium (Mic. 4:1-4, Zech. 14:8-11,16-21, Rev. 20:4-6).

 

[eclipsenow]

Regarding "they are always speaking of it as about to happen", it can't be because the Gog/Magog attack on Israel (Ezek. chs. 38-39) won't occur until after the future millennium (Rev. 20:7-10), when there will be no defensive walls or fear of attack in Israel whatsoever (Ezek. 38:11), which is the exact opposite of today's situation, when Israel is filled with very high defensive walls and is in constant fear of attack. At the beginning of the millennium, all present-day weapons of war will be destroyed, and they won't be allowed to be remade during the millennium (Mic. 4:3-4). That's why after the millennium, the Gog/Magog armies will employ only rudimentary, wooden weapons like bows and arrows, spears, shields, and clubs (Ezek. 39:9), which, after the defeat of the Gog/Magog armies, will be able to be used as convenient firewood by the people living in Israel at that time, instead of them having to go out and collect or cut down firewood from the forest (Ezek. 39:10).

Ha ha! That's just funny: justifying XYZ microscopic details for your 'end times tables' when you can't see the forest for the trees. Metaphors, symbols, parables, they all just whoosh straight over your head.

 

[Bible2]

eclipsenow said in post 87:

Metaphors, symbols, parables, they all just whoosh straight over your head.

The Gog/Magog attack on Israel (Rev. 20:7-10, Ezek. chs. 38-39) will be a literal, future attack.

See the "Revelation is almost entirely literal" part of post 73.

 

[Keachian]

The Gog/Magog attack on Israel (Rev. 20:7-10, Ezek. chs. 38-39) will be a literal, future attack.

See the "Revelation is almost entirely literal" part of post 73.

I'll say one thing, you certainly make people work to rerefute you

 

[eclipsenow]

The Gog/Magog attack on Israel (Rev. 20:7-10, Ezek. chs. 38-39) will be a literal, future attack.

See the "Revelation is almost entirely literal" part of post 73.

No it won't: See the 'Revelation is not literal' thread we had where you could not prove a thing you claim! Jesus does NOT have a sword tongue, does NOT have 7 eyes and 7 horns, but hey? It's all there in the rich apocalyptic symbolism of Revelation.

Now you'll run along and find some post where you *think* you've answered this but you haven't. The majority of biblical scholars I know would just laugh and shake their heads at your answers because, sadly, you've completely misunderstood the genre of literature you're reading. You really are reading Shakespeare as an engineering manual. It just won't do my friend! You've completely robbed Revelation of any real theological gospel meaning it has. You've missed the point. And no, I'm not going to chase up any previous post of yours where you tell yourself (and yourself only!) that you've answered these issues because you haven't. Your literalistic reading of the creative metaphors and apocalyptic symbols in the bible has already disputed, disproved, and discredited a dozen times already.

In fact, every time you say "See post 54" it's insulting. When are you going to stop being an automaton-troll and become a part of a conversation!

(See my post 777 where I show your posts to be 666 . Ooops, there's a symbol again! ).

 

[Douggg]

No it won't: See the 'Revelation is not literal' thread we had where you could not prove a thing you claim! Jesus does NOT have a sword tongue, does NOT have 7 eyes and 7 horns, but hey? It's all there in the rich apocalyptic symbolism of Revelation.

Jesus called the Pharisees - serpents. Is Matthew literal? The point is you can't take things that are symbolic within a book and say that the entire book is not literal.


Doug

 

[Keachian]

Jesus called the Pharisees - serpents. Is Matthew literal? The point is you can't take things that are symbolic within a book and say that the entire book is not literal.


Doug

There is a difference between metaphor (Jesus calling the Pharisees serpents) and symbolism (Christ being a Lamb, Christ having a sword coming out of his mouth) There is also quite a lot more symbolism in Revelation than any other book in the New Testament, Daniel and Ezekiel possibly give it a run for it's money in regards to the complete canon and one of the longer minor prophet books blows it out of the water according to one of my friends (can't remember which book it was exactly)

 

[eclipsenow]

There is a difference between metaphor (Jesus calling the Pharisees serpents) and symbolism (Christ being a Lamb, Christ having a sword coming out of his mouth) There is also quite a lot more symbolism in Revelation than any other book in the New Testament, Daniel and Ezekiel possibly give it a run for it's money in regards to the complete canon and one of the longer minor prophet books blows it out of the water according to one of my friends (can't remember which book it was exactly)

Doug's really going to agree with these common sense hermeneutic-al basics! He's got a dog in this fight. He wants, no, needs it to be literal to read as his timetable of the future. All futurists do. It's their unprovable presupposition. However I see John calling his generation to hear and obey Revelation. How can they do that if it's not even about them? I see John writing to his generation in apocalyptic symbolism they would have understood as the gospel, and rather than being mystified by it, would have heard and obeyed and been encouraged by its relevance and meaning.

Futurists unintentionally rob John's generation of all that, and just make this book all about them: their special insights into this generation, their amazing story about amazing things that are happening in their lifetimes. But, as the JW's know, these things have a way of not actually turning out the way we thought. No wonder so many of the most eschatological people I used to know have also been the most prone to walking out on the faith. Many are not actually excited about Jesus and what he did to save them at all: they're only excited about spooky ghost stories in their future which 100% of the time turn out to be only in their imaginations. Sorry, but that's just bad hermeneutics and also has quite scary pastoral implications.

 

[Keachian]

He's got a dog in this fight.

All futurists do, heck most people have dogs in the fights that they pick. We want and need to read it symbolically to place it so that it makes sense and have pastoral immediacy for the people to whom it was written and to me that makes the most sense which is why I hold to that.

 

[eclipsenow]

All futurists do, heck most people have dogs in the fights that they pick. We want and need to read it symbolically to place it so that it makes sense and have pastoral immediacy for the people to whom it was written and to me that makes the most sense which is why I hold to that.

Yeah, and the other reason I hold to that is us Westerners. Most of us are just not Jewish enough! We don't get it. We read it wrong. We naturally jump straight to the 'what does this mean about ME?' individualistic self-focussed question before doing the basic groundwork, like, what did this mean to them? How did they read it and understand it?
But I also do blame Darby, who not only made Historical Premillennial futurism popular again, but then went and tinkered with it and utterly changed how we view a lot of the basic Christian covenant! Now that's where eschatology starts to really bite home and change some pretty important Covenant Theology truths! (EG: Their confusion over Israel's role today, and their confused theology about there being multiple kingdom's of God and contracts from God in operation today).

 

[Marantha]

Nope.

God moves after 70 years.

Isa 23:15 At that time Tyre will be forgotten for seventy years, the span of a king's life. But at the end of these seventy years, it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute:

Isa 23:17 At the end of seventy years, the LORD will deal with Tyre. She will return to her hire as a prostitute and will ply her trade with all the kingdoms on the face of the earth.

Jer 25:12 "But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt," declares the LORD, "and will make it desolate forever.

Jer 29:10 This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place.

The timing is too perfect - between 2nd/3rd millennium, 2000 years since Christ, blood moon tetrads in 2014-2015, geopolitical alignment with prophecy - it's all lined up.

All we need is for people to start arguing over Jerusalem.

Those reasons and many more. We are there. Come Lord Jesus. I honestly will not post again online after March if what I have been supporting is wrong. Not because of embarrassment but out of respect.

I would only do so to plead my ignorance and apology to anyone.

I have zero doubt that will not be necessary; The signs are THAT clear.


Marantha

 

[eclipsenow]

Those reasons and many more. We are there. Come Lord Jesus. I honestly will not post again online after March if what I have been supporting is wrong. Not because of embarrassment but out of respect.

I would only do so to plead my ignorance and apology to anyone.

I have zero doubt that will not be necessary; The signs are THAT clear.


Marantha

So, I missed it. Are we talking the Rapture by March this year?

 

[Ronald]

Since the Bible says no man shell know the date or the hour how much is acceptable when it comes to predicting His return? Is it OK to predict He come within your lifetime within the next 100 years or should we not try at all?[/

The day and hour is too specific to predict, but the season, yes. Jesus gave us signs to look for; so when you see these things happening, know the time is near. Wars, rumors of wars, famines, pestilence, earthquakes are all increasing in frequency. These are the birth pangs, but still not yet. What else did He say? ... "and the gospel will be preached unto the entire world and the end would come!" We are close. We can say population is growing fast everyday and we'd never catch up. But the Lord has and exact number written in the book of life and when that number is reached the trumpets will start to blow! Get ready, I think it will be sooner than you may think - a few years. A significant prophecy fulfilled was Israel becoming a nation in 1948 after being scattered throughout the world - God gathered them back home (Jer.16:15; Ezek. 37:21). Seeing the events in the middle east, Muslim Brotherhood uniting, nuclear Iran, major Islamic leaders plucked from their positions, and economies hanging on by a thread and close to collapse, all these add up --not to mention the natural disasters that have increased. They times of the gentiles are about to be fulfilled (Luke 21:24; Dan. 8:23, 24)
Jerusalem is the major stumbling block, that the world will quarrel over and then a major war will erupt. Tis the season, hold unto your faith!

 

[eclipsenow]

The day and hour is too specific to predict, but the season, yes. Jesus gave us signs to look for; so when you see these things happening, know the time is near. Wars, rumors of wars, famines, pestilence, earthquakes are all increasing in frequency. These are the birth pangs, but still not yet. What else did He say? ... "and the gospel will be preached unto the entire world and the end would come!" We are close. We can say population is growing fast everyday and we'd never catch up. But the Lord has and exact number written in the book of life and when that number is reached the trumpets will start to blow! Get ready, I think it will be sooner than you may think - a few years. A significant prophecy fulfilled was Israel becoming a nation in 1948 after being scattered throughout the world - God gathered them back home (Jer.16:15; Ezek. 37:21). Seeing the events in the middle east, Muslim Brotherhood uniting, nuclear Iran, major Islamic leaders plucked from their positions, and economies hanging on by a thread and close to collapse, all these add up --not to mention the natural disasters that have increased. They times of the gentiles are about to be fulfilled (Luke 21:24; Dan. 8:23, 24)
Jerusalem is the major stumbling block, that the world will quarrel over and then a major war will erupt. Tis the season, hold unto your faith!

Israel becoming a nation was fulfilled under the Persians hundreds of years BC.
The generic signs of the times, like wars & earthquakes, are generic for the entire Last Days period (Acts 2 and counting, 2000 years later).
The gospel being preached to all nations was fulfilled by the end of Acts as the kingdom of God exploded out into all nations. See how the prediction of Acts 1:8 is fulfilled by the end of that book.
The Olivet discourse was fulfilled in AD70, probably the last 'prophecy' that had to be fulfilled.

In other words, EVERYTHING has been set for nearly 2000 years. It could happen at any moment or in another 50,000 years. We just don't KNOW!

 

[Interplanner]

I think things were quite a bit scarier in the 17th century when 1/3 of Europe perished from plague, and when Islam nearly captured Vienna. Or it might have been worse in the 12th and the Battle of Tours, because then England would have and would be Muslim from that time on.

 

[Ronald]

Israel becoming a nation was fulfilled under the Persians hundreds of years BC.

I meant again in modern times, a futurists view of prophecy!

The generic signs of the times, like wars & earthquakes, are generic for the entire Last Days period (Acts 2 and counting, 2000 years later).
The gospel being preached to all nations was fulfilled by the end of Acts as the kingdom of God exploded out into all nations. See how the prediction of Acts 1:8 is fulfilled by the end of that book.
The Olivet discourse was fulfilled in AD70, probably the last 'prophecy' that had to be fulfilled.

In other words, EVERYTHING has been set for nearly 2000 years. It could happen at any moment or in another 50,000 years. We just don't KNOW![/

You have an amillenialist view, sit tight, you'll snap out of it when the action starts. No quarrels necessary, just different and mostly irreconcialable views ... until the fat lady sings of course!