A Critical Examination of the Battleground of
the Interpretive and Linguistic Discord Behind
the Antithetical Message of Hymenaeus and Philetus
by Mark Mountjoy
Introductory Remarks
Long ago, the Apostle Paul warned about false teachings from Hymenaeus and Philetus. They claimed the resurrection already happened, causing doubts in people's faith (2 Timothy 2:16-18). So, if someone says, "Jesus already came back, and the dead were raised long ago," it alarms those who know their Bible well.
At first, it seems like both claims should be rejected right away! But in this essay, we'll show that using Paul's words to reject past fulfillment but accept future events is a mistake, just like what Hymenaeus and Philetus did. Can a strong warning against past fulfillment also apply to a belief that Jesus' Second Coming happened only in the last seventy years of Jewish history be made? That's what we'll explore.
We believe we can show that the common understanding of 2 Timothy 2:17 is wrong. We have six reasons for this:
First, the commands in the Old Testament; second, what Jesus predicted; third, what Peter taught; fourth, what other apostles said; fifth, the Greek words used; and sixth, unusual events in Jewish history. These all suggest that 2 Timothy 2 doesn't just talk about past events or only future ones.
By looking closely at the text, we want to understand what Hymenaeus and Philetus were saying back then; why it was wrong, and how it's used today to say anything different from expecting future events is also wrong. In simple terms, if Paul meant Jesus' return was objectively soon during the time of the last days of the Second Jewish Commonwealth, then any teaching saying it failed to transpire and will happen much later is also wrong.
What Does the Tanakh Teach
and What Does It Demand?
Let's break down what the Tanakh teaches and what it requires. In Daniel chapters 7 and 12, there are clear instructions and limits on the resurrection and judgment. These parts of the Bible don't leave any room for other ideas or beliefs. Daniel's prophecies about the end of times have two important conditions that can't be ignored. Some people might try to separate these events or forget their significance over time, but they're crucial to understanding the Bible's timeline.
The fourth beast, described in Daniel, has specific actions it takes during its reign:
First, in Daniel 7:11, the fourth beast speaks against God and attacks God's people. It tries to destroy them.
Second, Daniel 7:25 talks about introducing unauthorized practices into the Jewish religion, possibly through occult means.
Third, Daniel 7:11 suggests the fourth beast rejects the coming of the Son of man, believing it has the right to rule instead. If the little horn thought it was the Son of man, it was seriously mistaken! The events in Daniel 7:7-27 are described as getting ready to happen soon in Paul's letters to the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 5:1-4, 5:23-24 cf. 2 Thess. 1:6-10 and 2:1-12). So, Hymenaeus and Philetus' claim about the resurrection being in the past doesn't make sense when the Jewish revolt and the invasion and desecration of the Second Temple hadn't happened, and the challenges described in Daniel 7 hadn't occurred yet.
The Resurrection of the Dead is
Entangled in the Troubles Israel Had to Face
The idea of the resurrection of the dead is mixed up with the troubles ancient Israel faced. In Daniel 11:45 cf. 12:1-2, we see the resurrection happening around the same time as the great troubles Daniel foretold would overtake Judaea near the era of the Hasmoneans (see Daniel 11:33-35; 12:1-4* cf. 1 Maccabees 3:23-25). Over in the New Testament the Olivet Discourse suggests that the righteous dead will rise, and it's tied to the desecration of the Second Jewish Temple (Matthew 24:15-34). But that specific Temple stood from 514 BC till 4 August AD 70.
Revelation adds more to the story. It talks about four resurrections, the first when God's two slain witnesses came back to life again (Rev. 11:7-13), the next resurrection occurred at the time when the church fled from Jerusalem (Rev. 12:5), the one happened at the time Satan was bound (Rev. 12:1-4) and the last one after he's released (Rev. 20:7-15). In Daniel chapters 9 and 12 there are also two desecrations mentioned in prophecy: one resulting in the destruction of the Second Temple (Dan. 9:26-27) and the other foretold to happen at the time of the scattering of the power of the holy people (Dan. 12:11-13). So, what does this all mean? It means Jewish temples would be desecrated, but that can't happen today since in any case neither the Second Temple or any other Jewish temple exist. In Jewish history two things are certain, the Second Temple existed and Bar Kokhba built a Temple which is shown commemorated on coins he minted. According to authorities the minting of coins would not happen to underscore aspirations, but to celebrate achievements. However, due to Hadrian's victory over the Jews, the facility Bar Kokhba no longer remains: these facts point to past fulfillment of Daniel and Paul's prophecies because the Apostles Paul and John combine the events from Daniel 7 and 12 into an approaching climax that was then on the horizon of first and second century Jewish history.
But usually, people are unaware that these events happened, which makes it hard to have clear discussions. That's why we need to research, rethink, and talk about these things to understand what we believe and why we disagree.
What Circumstances Agree
With the Prophecies of Our Lord?
Let's see what fits with what Jesus predicted. Many people have ideas about when the world will end, and each generation thinks their challenges match up with what's needed for the prophecies about the end times to come true. This was true in the 10th century, the 16th century, the late 19th century, throughout the 20th century, and even today. But according to Jesus, the specific events include the destruction of the Second Jewish Temple, which was in the middle of ancient Jerusalem from 514 B.C. to A.D. 70.
Jesus said the trumpet would sound and the chosen ones would gather during the destruction of the Second Temple and Jerusalem. You can find three versions of his talk about this in the New Testament: Matthew 24-25, Mark 13, and Luke 21.
We Call the Apostle Peter Our ‘Star Witness’
We consider the Apostle Peter as our main witness. Peter, in the Gospel According to Mark, talks about the time when Jesus was alive, especially in chapter 13. But that's not all: Peter's speeches in Acts chapters 2 and 3, and in his letters—1 Peter 1 through 5, and 2 Peter 1 through 3—clearly show that they believed a new era was starting. They thought that not only fallen angels but also wicked people in the Jewish world were about to face God very soon, in tough and unpleasant circumstances, and in a short time.
The Apocalyptic Emphasis of the
Teachings of the Other Apostles
The firm belief we talk about has its roots in specific details rather than general ideas, and this is supported by what the other Apostles wrote about their main concerns. The writings of Paul, James, Jude, and John create a framework around this topic that cannot be ignored without great effort and complete disregard.
For instance, in James 5:1-9, Jude 3-14, 1 John 2:19, and Revelation 6:17-20:1-15, there's a clear connection about the nearness of the end that can't just be dismissed as a coincidence. In John's book of Revelation, instances of resurrection occur within the story, not just once, but throughout a set context already described in Daniel 2, 7, and 12. (See four different resurrections in the Book of Revelation, Rev. 11:7-12; 12:5, 20:4, and 20:11-15).
Moreover, John sees extreme evil embodied in what he calls "the beast" which seems to correspond exactly to a nationalist movement Josephus identified as the Fourth Philosophic Movement, founded by Judas of Galilee, are the hooligans responsible for bringing on the destruction of Jerusalem (Revelation 13:1 cf. Wars 2.17.8:433-440). Their 'freedom movement' efforts combines traits from the first three kingdoms the Jews faced—from Babylon to the Greek kingdoms—with a focus on the most recent one that manifested as a dangerous sedition that would stop at nothing before the pro-Roman Jerusalem Aristocracy was utterly destroyed by their madness and chaos. But their temporary victories did not translate into any lasting successes.
The Greek Language Speaks to Us About the
Nearness of the End in the Strongest Possible Terms
Investigating the original Koine Greek language in the New Testament sheds a strong light on a subject that might seem more uncertain in English. From a philological and linguistic standpoint, certain terms contribute to clarifying what's at stake. Consider the following terms: Apokalupsis and enggoos, epiphaneia and episkopé, eutheós and melló, parousia and prosdokaó, and speudó, and tacheós and telos speak clearly and convincingly about the earliest Christians' attitude, perspective, and expectations that the end of the world was objectively near. They believed that the Second Coming, judgment, and end of the world were very close and expected, without any doubt, that these things would happen in their own lifetime. So, when considered together, these ideas cannot easily be challenged or denied without casting doubt on and suggesting a reason to disbelieve, denounce, and defame the New Testament itself.
Unusual Events in Ancient Jewish History
A star shaped like a sword hovered over Jerusalem, heavenly armies, and voices of an unseen multitude were heard speaking in the Temple, and a brilliant light illuminated Jerusalem like daytime at three in the morning, surprising onlookers.
Furthermore, seven years before the end of the war, the Temple doors opened by themselves, and at the beginning of the war in 66 AD Simon Bar Giora's fighters received a wound on their right hand as a sign of their commitment to his cause. Inside the Second Jewish Temple, sacrilege occurred on a large scale: blood pooled on the Temple floor, the Temple became a military fortress, thousands of pilgrims were trapped and killed because of false promises by a prophet, and the Qumran sect left the Dead Sea region to fight a "holy war" in Jerusalem. Jews gathered on the Temple esplanade and formed a government with seven regions and ten leaders, which was later replaced by a more radical Jewish government as the end approached. At the same time, the spirits of saints ascended into the clouds while Michael and Satan battled, and the living Church fled to the Roman-protected region of Pella.
Three years later, as the Romans approached Jerusalem, they hurled massive stones weighing a hundred pounds at the walls using powerful catapults. Interestingly, the Babylon mentioned in the Book of Revelation shares all the characteristics of Jerusalem in the Synoptic Gospels, John, Acts, and the Pauline writings. Jerusalem also coincidentally fell due to the actions of the Zealots and Sicarii, and both groups were later punished for their crimes by the victorious Romans.
The Implications of the Claims
of Hymenaeus and Philetus
Now, if Hymenaeus and Philetus were correct, then the downfall of Jerusalem would have no significance for any end-time prophecies of Jesus, Paul, or those events found in the Book of Revelation. According to them, the resurrection was "past already" even though the Jewish war had not begun and nothing had befallen Jerusalem. In other words, the teachings of Hymenaeus and Philetus leave out the desecration of the Second Temple, the Jewish war, and the destruction of Jerusalem. For them the resurrection of the dead had nothing to do with the end of the Second Temple era. And so, in their view, the resurrection occurred and that was that! But that was contrary to all teachings in the New Testament that foretold that the Levitical priesthood and everything associated with it would be dissolved at the time of the resurrection of the dead. If Hymenaeus and Philetus were right, then Jesus, the twelve Apostles, and Paul would have been completely wrong about the disappearance of late Second Temple sectarian Judaism. In other words, Hymenaeus and Philetus' portrayal directly challenged the teachings of Jesus, Peter, and Paul.
While Hymenaeus and Philetus suggested a resurrection before Jerusalem's fall, Jesus and the Apostles envisioned it happening during the fall of Jerusalem. Futurists, on the other hand, believe it will occur after the city's end. Understanding this timing—before, during, or after—is crucial when determining the position supported by the Word of God and how Rabbinic Talmudic denial of realized eschatology and modern futurism differ from what the New Testament predicts and attests in important ways.
Conclusion
Futurists interpret 2 Timothy 2:17 based on their own misunderstandings, traditions, and fears. They see things in it that aren't there, things it doesn't support. The text doesn't back a single Four View version of eschatology because the situations surrounding the end of the world of the Bible and what Amillennialism, Historicism, Postmillennialism, and Dispensationalism are describing are completely different from anything conceived in the New Testament. In the New Testament the focus is on the the resurrection and judgment of the dead in connection to a series of crises facing the ancient Jewish nation, the Second Temple, and the capital city, all of these factors were being left out by Hymenaeus and Philetus in their errant teachings.
Now, either John the Baptist, Jesus, Peter, Paul, the Hebrew Writer, Jude, and John believed the end of history was quickly approaching in the first century, as Futurists claim, or they saw the end of the Jewish priestly era coming swiftly as the Destruction of Jerusalem loomed, fulfilling Old Testament prophecy. It is this latter scenario, inspired by the Holy Spirit, that must be true, or else Paul would contradict and erase his own teachings. We don't believe 2 Timothy 2:17 was meant to refute or erase everything Paul taught and nothing in his claims, taken as a whole, supports Futurism in any way.
In the end, the fate of the Second Jewish Commonwealth aligns with what was expected in the Tanakh and the teachings of John the Baptist, Jesus, and the Apostles. Futurists, are similar to Hymenaeus and Philetus,but they err in a different direction. They see New Testament eschatology as a crisis of delay, focusing on the end of time and the physical universe, rather than the first century destruction of Jerusalem and the seccond century end of the Hebrew State. This view fails to recognize the importance of the people, the holy city, the Temple and the Hebrew State in fulfilling biblical hopes and promises God made in both the Old Testament and in the New. Ultimately, this means that some in today's Church believe they understand the apocalypse and end-times better than Jesus, the Apostles, and early Christians did. It also means that many Christians today interpret these issues contrary to all first and second century Christian expectations because they are not following the logic or the narrative of the Word of God.