Comments on 1 Corinthians 7:26, 29—31

It is understandable when individuals and groups forgive or overlook the perceived mistakes and shortcomings of their past heroes and current leaders.  We want to trust and have faith in the people we admire, rely on, and need. This applies not only to political constituents but also to religious groups, churches, and entire denominations.

Nobody wants to accept the fact that a bold promise of a political candidate or a prophetic message from Divine inspiration didn't come true, particularly when it carries significant consequences.

This statement holds true when it comes to the New Testament, especially if we consider the possibility that the promises, warnings, and reassurances found in the Gospels, epistles, and the Book of Revelation were merely the creations of peculiar yet misguided individuals.  What if countless billions, spanning over centuries, mistakenly placed their hopes where they should not have?

Furthermore, what if the things that many people believed and continue to believe will occur may never actually come to pass?  After waiting their entire lives, the chances of facing disappointment at the time of death may be even greater than ever before.

This leads us to the focus of this essay: 1 Corinthians 7:26, 29-31, in which the Apostle Paul provides cautionary advice to Christians,

“Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.  I suppose therefore that this is good for the present distress, I say, that it is good for a man so to be.  Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.  But and if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she hath not sinned. Nevertheless such shall have trouble in the flesh: but I spare you.

But this I say, brethren, the time is short: it remaineth, that both they that have wives be as though they had none;  and they that weep, as though they wept not; and they that rejoice, as though they rejoiced not; and they that buy, as though they possessed not;  And they that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away.”

Paul seems to be saying, abandon attachment, sell belongings, refrain from marriage—the Apostle Paul’s startling guidance to the Corinthian church signals an intense focus on renouncing worldliness. His repeated insistence they live as though untouched by common joys and griefs implies a radical reorientation seems necessary.

Clearly an imminent expectation permeates Paul’s words - “the time is short.” For why else press believers to essentially relinquish ordinary experience? Some unknown distress appears poised to redefine their most basic human bonds and meanings.  While parts of Paul’s advice may sound extreme, he grounds it in an unquestioned consensus: “the fashion of this world is passing away.”  All around, the Corinthians see signs their age rushes headlong toward long-prophesied dissolution. The present order bleeds legitimacy daily.

But one statement still perplexes us across the centuries: “those using this world as though not using it to excess.” What renders this fading realm suddenly so hazardous that even basic enjoyment risks excess?  Our analysis begins here - what misconduct, specifically, so threats this vanishing age that Paul presses suspension of normalcy itself?

The answer, we shall see, spotlights just how profoundly first century believers anchored present conduct to imminent eschatological still points.  Paul’s words expose their moment as extraordinary, requiring extraordinary disregard - a pivot from mundane existence to watch for a swift, decisive, irreversible resolution.  The end was no longer coming - indications mounted it had very nearly arrived.

Let’s step together through Paul’s open window into this watershed mentality gripped by promised completion. For within lays key insight into early Christian anticipation and orientation.  Their expectations decode our creed’s deepest DNA.  Ellicott’s commentary examines this statement and provides clarification for us. . . 

(31) Not abusing it.—We can scarcely find a better word in English than “abusing” by which to render the Greek of this passage. But this word implies, in modern language, an abuse arising from misuse, and not, as in the original here, an abuse arising from over-much use. All the things mentioned in this series by the Apostle are right things; and the warning is against being in bondage to those things which are in themselves right and good, and not against any criminal use of them. Though they are not wrong in themselves, we are not to become slaves of them; we are to renounce them, “so as not to follow nor be led by them.”

For the fashion of this world passeth away.—Better, for the outward form of this world is passing away (the word translated “fashion” occurs only here and in Philippians 2:8). The allusion is not a merely general reference to the ephemeral nature of things temporal, but arises from the Apostle’s conviction that the last days were already commencing when the outward temporal form of things was being superseded (Romans 8:19; Revelation 21:1).

The word “for” does not introduce a reason for the immediately preceding injunction, but carries us back to the previous statement in 1 Corinthians 7:29: “the time is short,” the intervening series of illustrative exhortations being parenthetical.¹  

To put it differently, Paul wrote 1 Corinthians in AD 53-56 gripped by the conviction that the end was imminent - a mere 14-17 years before the Temple’s destruction, though over a millennium before the Roman Empire's own dissolution.

This stark timeline discrepancy fuels much debate around whether New Testament prophecies carried restricted first century fulfillment expectations or allowed massive scope for distant application. Certainly the successive failures of groups like the Watchtower to consistently predict the consummation's arrival gives credence to those claiming its prophecies lack specific timeframe limitations.

Yet what did Jesus and the early church understand about the intended timeframe of apocalyptic visions stemming from Daniel and Revelation? Exploring the Tanakh backdrop and influences embedded in New Testament theology yields critical insights. For if Jesus and the apostlesprove deeply rooted in Daniel's eschatological sequence, incorporated its symbols into their teachings, and duplicated its urgent language warning contemporary audiences of imminent upheaval, the case strengthens dramatically that they eyed specific impending events to complete Daniel's visions within proximity to their era.

In other words, evidence of specific fulfillment expectations and claims of first century climax depend greatly on illuminating the degree of cosmic significance Jesus and the apostolic circle attributed to catastrophes soon historically devastating Jerusalem and the Temple.

Tracing Daniel’s impact through a Second Temple period lens tests whether early Christian leaders pointed to those particular events as actualizing the Tanakh’s foretold shattering of former eras for new spiritual worlds waiting to be birthed.  Our analysis begins here - what expectations created this intense transitional focus that Paul presses believers in Corinth to effectively suspend ordinary experience itself? Powerful eschatological undercurrents flood these conceptual channels, flowing from prior prophecy into present realization.

Daniel 2 presents four kingdoms as a prophetic sequence embodied in a statue - Babylon's gold head followed by a silver-armed chest for Medo-Persia and bronze belly for Alexander’s Greeks. This array culminates with unnamed iron legs transitioning into a final mixed clay-iron phase depicted in the feet.

Clearly this mysterious fourth kingdom underwent key transformations across its history. Babylon and Persia’s identities become unquestionable as Daniel personally experiences each regime. Alexander even appears to embrace Daniel's forecast of Persian subjugation when visiting Jerusalem, finding his invasion’s success validating scriptural prophecies.

Yet the fourth empire lacks direct name or clear referent in Daniel's era, spanning from legs of iron to feet mixed with iron and clay.  Scholarly analysis illuminates critical identification details and parallels with other prophecies in Daniel 7, 8 and 11.  This consistent yet anonymized fourth power clearly exercised dominance and underwent attempts at unstable reconstitution as part temporal conclusion fulfills forecasted sequences.

Exploring Daniel’s eschatological architecture and tracing the New Testament’s incorporation of existing symbolic visions proves vital for assessing early Christian prophetic orientation.  Their ancestral scriptures etched profound hunger for long-promised messianic arrival amidst turmoil uniquely attributable to that anonymous fourth kingdom’s dissolution.  Prophetic foundations hold the keys for history’s climactic unfolding^.3  Referring to Daniel 2, the fourth kingdom is described as having three distinct phases:

(1) shins made of iron,

(2) feet made of iron and clay, and

(3) toes made of iron and clay.

Clearly Daniel’s visions build inexorable momentum - from four earthly kingdoms to an annihilating stone inaugurating new messianic reign. The fourth empire’s toes and feet shattering paves the way.  Hence identifying this terminating, transformed power proves pivotal.  Clues emerge in the dominated yet defiant Jewish response to each occupying force. Redemption expectations surged with Babylonian overthrow and Persian alliance. But Hebrew resiliance eroded under Greek fusion; the Hasmonean rededication succumbed to Roman expansion which in turned was plagued by Zealot ambition, suspicion and violence.

Josephus records Jewish certainty that Daniel’s prophecies predestined Roman eviction and eternal Jewish dominance.⁴ Hence nationalism collided catastrophically with Rome’s territorial hegemony.  Accordingly, it was believed that a certain individual from Judæa would eventually assume the position of governor over the entire inhabited world, as stated by Josephus,

“The Jews took this prediction to belong to themselves in particular and many of the wise men were thereby deceived in their determination.”⁵

Furthermore, the passage in Daniel 9:24-27 presents a prophetic storyline spanning seventy weeks. It commences with the command to rebuild the Temple. This significant text, much like Isaiah 53, has been prohibited from interpretation by the Rabbis. It encompasses the Messiah’s death and progresses until it reaches the point of the abomination of desolation and the destruction of the Second Temple, an event that occurred in A.D. 70.⁶

But whose interpretations aligned with history’s final verdict?

Further Danielic architecture reinforces events inexorably escalating toward an unprecedented tribulation.  Inexplicable weeks cascade from commanded Temple restoration toward a climactic abomination of desolation.  The worst tribulation, the resurrection of the dead and judgment punctuate the finish.⁷  Jesus explicitly incorporates these culminations into teachings that stunned audiences by demanding their generation undergo history’s worst suffering to catalyze new creation.

Was early Christian eschatology fundamentally continuous with Daniel’s expectations of shattering judgement on the fourth power before God’s kingdom descends?  Our journey toward resolving this question navigates a suspenseful yet consequential terrain.  One where focused study and open-minded analysis offer hope of illuminating truth long-shrouded in theological smoke and mirrors on prophetic horizons past versus yet ahead. But glimpsing answers requires shared commitment to an exegetical quest seeking originally intended meaning - not modern favored assumption.

The paths await. Who will travel together with courage to uncover Christianity’s consummation orientation awakened by exploring Judaism’s precedents and yearnings?  Significant possibilities hinge upon asking the right sequence of questions - and daring to challenge reflexive replies. Onward!

Background in the New Testament Biographies

Jesus’ biography across the Gospels spotlights a consistent eschatological expectation - his foretold return in glory amidst catastrophic turmoil ending the Second Temple era. While each author captures key aspects, Matthew’s account proves most explicit regarding the intended timeframe (Matthew 10:1-23; Matthew 11:16-24; Matthew 12:38-45; Matthew 13:38-50; Matthew 16:24-28; Matthew 19:27-30; Matthew 21:33-46; Matthew 22:1-14; Matthew 23:2-39, and Matthew 24:1-25:1-46).⁸ 

Mark 13:1-37, (Mark 8:38-91 cf. Mark 14:60-62)⁹

Luke chapter 21:5-36, (Luke 17:20-37 cf. Luke 23:27-31).¹⁰

John 21:21-24, (John 16:1-22).^{11  12}

Matthew 24-25 renders Christ’s Mount Olivet discourse explicitly linking prophesied desolation to the contemporary Second Temple complex. This localized language occurs amidst warnings of false messiahs, warfare, and immense suffering predicted before ongoing generation passes. Hence the text presents Jesus cautioning listeners about events potential audiences would personally experience in Judea, not some unknown future civilization.

Mark and Luke reiterate this discourse without directly embedding words within Second Temple events. Yet in Mark 14:60-62, Jesus diverges from purely spiritualized prophecy by confirming to the Sanhedrin that they will witness judgment activation. This further roots the predictions to events accessible to proximate audiences.

While largely omitting end times prophecy, John 16 shows Jesus warning the disciples that they will soon face intense persecution, positioning suffering events in proximity to those hearers rather than distant generations.  So again the timeline stays confined to them rather than distant figures.

In totality, the Gospels present Jesus consistently prophesying catastrophic turmoil and judgment as destined to strip away contemporary Jewish privilege for new spiritual access - a transition affecting them rather than remote generations. This alignment of expectations argues for Christ envisioning Olivet Discourse-type events fulfilling within decades of utterance.

Paul’s Teachings Were Not Different

From the Other Apostles and Scribes

Paul’s expectations of imminent climax cohered with other New Testament voices consistently framing their era as final days when long-promised messianic arrival would transpire amidst great turmoil.  Peter proclaimed the very Pentecost phenomena as enacting Joel’s foretold last days signaling impending cosmic realignment. His urgent call to repent before their generation faced imminent judgment mirrors Jesus positioning contemporary audiences as undergoing profoundly impactful unfolding events soon transforming access to God’s kingdom.

The letter to the Hebrews overflows with last days language, warning hearers to endure hardship before existing institutions melt away and the new inaugurates. Through Scripture, the Son speaks dissolution to the aging heavens and earth to usher his enduring reign. Judgment day approaches; they must assemble expectantly not shrinking back from transition pains promising imperishable future realities drawing inexorably nearer (e.g., Hebrews 2:1-3, 3:6; 3:14-19; 4:1ff; 6:4-8; 7:12; 8:13; 9:28*and 10:9.  Indeed, the Hebrew Writer believed the Second Coming could be seen approaching (Hebrews 10:25); would be soon and not delayed - Hebrews 10:37).

Indeed, the consistent New Testament wide expectation of imminent climax rebuts claims around distant application as revisionism decontextualizing urgent meaning evident to initial hearers. Imperial political turmoil shrinks beside sectarian violence and budding religious persecution indicating inevitable verdict on the conditional extension of previous eras. The curtain was being drawn on the age of types and shadows.

The End Was Near in the Epistle of James, Too!

James’ radical teachings interrogate wealth’s legitimacy as the end draws near.  His critiques imply economic justice awaits imminent restoration.  This expectation fueled his bold challenges to a corrupt, entitled priesthood culminating in execution.

Josephus dates James’ death to AD, positioning him as an final sign before apocalyptic realization. His letter warns the callous wealthy that stored treasures and feeling secure in luxury which exploited the poor would soon give way to howling misery as divinely-inverted social conditions arrive.  For late harvests indeed came. James centered the struggling righteous to endure injustice as the Lord suddenly appears for their vindication. This refrain echoed in fellow apostolic voices unanimously positioning their generation as experiencing unprecedented signs and global realignments.  However, the Sadducean authorities were eager to silence James’ insistant voice as Josephus in Antiquities of the Jews 20.9.1:197-203 writes,

“Now the report goes, that this elder Ananus proved a most fortunate man; for he had five sons, who had all performed the office of high priest to God, and had himself enjoyed that dignity a long time formerly, which had never happened to any other of our high priests: but this younger Ananus, who, as we told you already, took the high priesthood, was a bold man in his temper, and very insolent; he was also of the sect of the Sadducees, who are very rigid in judging offenders, above all of the rest of the Jews, as we have already observed; when, therefore, Ananus was of this disposition, he thought he had now the proper opportunity [to exercise his authority].  

Festus was now dead, and Albinus was but upon the road; so he assembled the Sanhedrin of judges, and brought before them the brother of Jesus, who was called Christ, whose name was James, and some others, [or some of his companions]; and when he had formed an accusation against them as breakers of the Law, he delivered them to be stoned; but as for those who seemed the most equitable of the citizens, and as such were the most uneasy at the breach of the laws, they disliked what was done; they also sent to the king [Agrippa], desiring him to send to Ananus that he should act so no more, for that what he had already done was not to be justified; nay, some of them went also to meet Albinus, as he was upon his journey from Alexandria, and informed him that it was not lawful for him to assemble a Sanhedrin without his consent;—whereupon Albinus complied with what they said, and wrote in anger to Ananus, and threatened that he would bring him to punishment for what he had done; on which king Agrippa took the high priesthood from him, when he had ruled but  three months, and made Jesus, the son of Damneus, high priest.”¹³

And what does James 5:1-9 tell us about James’ beliefs regarding the last days, the Second Coming, and the judgment?  His tone directly suggests that these events were close at hand, urgent, and imminent.

He wrote,

“Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth eaten.  Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as if it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days.  Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth.¹⁴

Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter.¹⁵  Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he does not resist you.

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receives the early and latter rain.

Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the Judge standeth before the door.”

The High Priest Ananus, capitalizing on Roman transitions to flaunt unilateral power, condemned Jesus’ brother for persuading masses from strict Second Temple devotion towards this coming kingdom of equity.  James was martyred for the Lord in early A.D. 62, indicating that his words were connected to injustices, tensions and hostilities and the expectation of the appearance of Jesus to judge the Jewish world, which began, in earnest, only twelve months years later, in A.D. 63. 

Findings in the Epistles of

Silas and the Apostle Peter

We have already discussed what the Apostle Peter said at the beginning of Christianity.  However, now, after approximately thirty years, as he nears the end of his life, has his thinking changed?  Apparently not. 

Based on what Silas wrote in 1 Peter 4:7 and verse 17.  It is evident that as late as the mid-60s of the first century, the Apostle Peter and his associates still believed that the end was approaching very soon.  Similarly, in 2 Peter 2:1, the Apostle Peter predicts that false teachers will bring “swift destruction” upon themselves.  In verse 3 of the same chapter, he clearly states that their judgment will not be delayed or postponed, indicating that it was about to happen.

The Nearness of the End in

the First Epistle of John  

For the same reasons as our other witnesses, John also believed that the Jewish world, functioning as a theocratic civilization, was approaching its final days and its end was imminent.  He writes, 

“Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They left us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” (1 John 2:18-19)

John understood the contemporary apostasy to be the specific sign that the end of the world was at the doors at that time.

The Epistle of Jude

In his one-chapter letter, Jude has a lot to tell us about the upcoming arrival of our Lord Jesus. Similar to 2 Peter chapter 2 in various aspects, it also echoes the same societal problems that the Apostle Paul initially outlined in Romans 1:18-32. However, it even more eerily reiterates what the Apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 2. . .

God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be kept for judgment. . . (2 Peter 2:4), but compare,  And the angels who did not keep their proper position, but left their own dwelling place, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day. (Jude 6)

And by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, they were condemned to destruction, serving as a warning to those who would live ungodly lives in the future. . . (2 Peter 2:6)

but compare, 

Similarly, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, in their indulgence in sexual immorality and pursuing unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. (Jude 7).

Peter and Jude must have the same group of troublemakers in mind . . .

But especially those who live according to their sinful desires, indulging in impurity and disrespecting authority.  They are bold and self-willed, unafraid to speak ill of those in positions of power" (2 Peter 2:10), but compare,  "Likewise, these wicked dreamers defile their bodies, disrespect authority, and speak ill of those in positions of power.  (Jude 8)

The comments that follow show that these were people who enjoyed getting paid to do what they knew was wrong,

They have forsaken the correct path and have gone astray, following the example of Balaam, the son of Bosor, who loved to receive payment for immoral actions" (2 Peter 2:15), but compare,  "Woe to them!  They have followed in the footsteps of Cain, and eagerly pursued the wrongdoing of Balaam in exchange for a reward.  They perished in their rebellion, just like Core. (Jude 11)

The next verses show that they did not hold on to their spiritual commitments, but at the same time they were participating in the Jewish Christian gatherings.

“These are wells that do not have water, clouds that are carried by a storm: to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for eternity" (2 Peter 2:17), but compare,  “These are blemishes in your gatherings of kindness, when they feast with you, nourishing themselves without fear: they are clouds without water, carried by the winds; trees whose fruit withers, without fruit, twice dead, torn from their roots; turbulent waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom the black darkness is reserved forever.” (Jude 12-13)

The next verses indicate that they were braggarts whose words encouraged people who had come out of the filth of the world to turn around and go right back into it, 

“For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error.” (2 Peter 2:18) 

In the 2 Peter 2 passage Peter adverts that their judgment was very near, but in the Jude passage he frankly states that Enoch foretold that the Lord would show up with ten thousands of his saints to confront these very men,

Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these saying,

“Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.  These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouths speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.” (Jude 14-16)

Jude and Peter are discussing the existence of certain immoral men who audaciously participated in Jewish Christian gatherings during the first century.  These men shamelessly engage in sexual immorality and actively rebel against the government.  Despite their insideous actions, Jude assures that the Lord’s return will bring about God’s swift and just judgment upon them.  In fact, he vividly imagines the Parousia in a similar manner as described by Apostle Paul in 2 Thessalonians 1:7,

And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

After explaining how they operate in Jude verses 4-13, Jude goes on to describe their personalities in verses 16-19. It is evident from his writing that these individuals were nuisances and a deceitful and destructive presence within the Jewish Christian congregations during that period. 

The Book of Revelation

Next, and finally, we have the writings of John in the Book of Revelation.  There have been attempts, albeit misguided, to suggest that it was written more than twenty-five years after the tumultuous events that resulted in the destruction of the Second Temple and Jerusalem.  However, the Book of Revelation clearly and vehemently warns against these events.

In just the first chapter of his letter to the seven churches in Asia Minor, John promises the glorious return of our Lord, as if it were imminent for those churches at that particular time.  This can be seen in Revelation 1:1, 3, and 7, which can be compared with the account in Wars of the Jews 6.5.3:296-299.  Remarkably, this promise was fulfilled on 21 Iyar 3824 (8 May, A.D. 63).

Paul’s Representations About

the Nearness of the End

We have examined the writings of the Hebrew Writer James, Peter, John, and Jude, including the Book of Revelation and what we hear in all of these voices are consistent claims about the soon-coming-end.  However, let us now return to the question of the Apostle Paul and his own statements.  Can we trust him?  Are his words reliable and do they provide evidence of Divine inspiration?  Or are they misrepresentations?  When we look at what Paul said and what the other New Testament writers say, we cannot say some are true and some are not because we cannot have it both ways.  In other words, they all stand or fall together. 

Either Paul was telling the truth about the timing of Christ's return, or he and the other Christian leaders were either collectively suffering from a delusion or intentionally lying to give false hope to Christians.  We need to carefully examine the evidence and form our own informed opinions about the true nature of the New Testament and what it represents: Does it represent false promises or does it describe a Divine intervention that was set to cause catastrophic collapse of the civilization that Christianity was derived from?

Now, let’s summarize the Apostle Paul’s direct statements.  In Romans 1:18-32, Paul describes a severe moral decline, similar to what is also depicted in 2 Peter 2:1-22.  It is important to clarify that these passages do not describe the general spiritual and moral condition of the early Roman Empire but specifically  the advanced social deterioration and decay that the Second Jewish Commonwealth, in its 586^th year of existence, was experiencing.  Paul also makes other statements that suggest an immediate fulfillment of events in the following verses:

Romans 13:11-12; Romans 16:20, and 1 Corinthians 1:6-9, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 1 Corinthians 16:22, and 2 Corinthians 11:12-15.*  

Note how in 2 Corinthians 11:12-15 the Apostle Paul describes his competitors in terms of their Semitic lineage (similar to his own), but he warns that their opposing message will lead their followers into disaster.

He states, “Whose end shall be according to their works,” as referenced in 2 Timothy 3:8-10 and Revelation 16:12-14.¹⁶   This suggests that God's estranged relationship with Jerusalem, as foretold in Matthew 23:29-39, was coming to an end, and this helps us understand what Paul expresses with an allegory in Galatians 4:21-31.

The presentation of the Church to Christ, as described in 2 Corinthians 11:1-3 and Ephesians 5:27, should be understood within the context and fulfillment that occurred immediately after the Destruction of Jerusalem (Matthew 22:7-8 cf. Revelation 19:6-9).

Furthermore, the Apostle Paul confidently implores the Philippians that “the Lord is at hand” in Philippians 4:5.  At that time this was the case or Paul was being overly optimistic!

In his statement to the Colossians Paul admittedly uses complex ideas to explain the significance of the coming of the Lord for Christians in Colossians 3:1-3, however, this fact and various other factors combine to establish a boundary around the end of the era they were experiencing as the exact time when unusual events, similar to those mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2:14-19; 3:13; 4:13-5:1-4, and 5:23-24, were supposed to occur.

Looking further into 2 Thessalonians 1:4-10; 2:1-12; 3:5, and 1 Timothy 2:6, 6:13-15 and 2 Timothy 2:16-18 and 4:1, and finally, Titus 2:13, it is important to remember that Paul was the one who cautioned the leaders of the Jewish community,

“Beware therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish: for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you“ (Acts 13:40-41).

After reviewing all of these passages and verses there seems to be ample grounds and good reasons to rethink the basis of believing Paul was inspired and genuine, but otherwise incorrect and disingenuous in his understanding of and proclamations about the imminent arrival of the Second Coming, the judgment, and the end of the world.

What Was Real?

Did Paul's Expectations Fail?  If 1 Corinthians 7:26, and 29-31 are ultimately sincere but false statements that proves, without any doubt, that Paul falsely claimed to have special knowledge about the Second Coming, the resurrection of the dead, the judgment, and the end of the world that he did not have; essentially, he was a deceitful person.¹⁷ 

In spite of these problems many do not want to eject the entire New Testament over what may be perceived as a questionable promise to return shortly that ultimately did not prove to be true.  Instead, rationalizations and disciplinary measures tend toward a defense of at least three aspects of Pauline apocalyptics in his overall corpus:

(1) Admit that Paul's expectations not only failed but failed spectacularly.

(2) Take an ambivalent posture towards New Testament prophecy, overall, so as not to throw the baby out with the apocalyptic bathwater, and

(3) Develop and maintain a robust justification for Futurism (epitomized in the current Four Views) that borrows from failed promises and makes them both primary and mandatory to ‘ordinary’ Christian faith from here on out.

If Paul eagerly or mistakenly “thought” events would or could have happened a long time ago, and the New Testament is supposed to be true in spite of these catastrophic failures, how is that for a logical, honest, and rational defense of the Christian faith!?   Because of this outlook 99.99% of Christians churches steadfastly believe the end is still near, we believe the only option would be to acknowledge the promise and try to understand them in their contemporary context―not ours.¹⁸  

We strongly believe that a careful analysis of the evidence clearly indicates that the end was imminent.  However, it is important to acknowledge that Christians who have differing perspectives on these sensitive, contentious, and volatile matters cannot be imposed upon to adopt this viewpoint.  And this means that  the weight of Paul’s words will continue to be used to shore up a belief that our Lord will return apart from any background, facts, or contexts envisioned anywhere in either the Tanakh or the New Testament.  These attitudes and teachings, attitudes and policies, will allow escape from accountability and maintain a holding pattern and indirection that begins by eluding a strict 33-year inspiration period and cleanly dodges not one but two massive failed Hebrew revolts that caused a great epoch in salvation history to disappear forever.

Conclusion

The current consensus regarding Paul's beliefs about the end times and prophecies in the New Testament ultimately removes any responsibility from God for keeping his promises and declarations. It characterizes apocalypticism as unreliable and subjective, making it impossible or undesirable to tie it to any specific historical period or time.

Interestingly, this interpretation conveniently avoids acknowledging the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the second-century State of Israel, both of which had significant implications for Christians, their adversaries, and the outcomes that resulted in the years A.D. 70 and A.D. 136 and uncontrolled Christian expansion across more than 19 centuries.¹⁹

By disregarding the specific generation of Jesus's time, which was believed to be the last, a potential future possibility emerges that is not mentioned in the New Testament. This possibility ultimately prohibits things that the New Testament permits, and permits things that the New Testament never anticipates.

It also diminishes the extraordinary credibility, certainty, and validation of faith that New Testament prophecies and the Jewish history connect to it openly and generously provide for Christians.   It tends to lead to self-doubt, suspicion, and shame and disgrace for any Christians who do speak up or defend against concepts that contradict the teachings of the Apostle and God's purpose for those who follow Jesus: John 8:12. 

The main conclusion from all of this is that if we accept that Paul was mistaken about the end, there is no requirement to believe that Jesus had to or did indeed come back during the severe chaos that affected the Hebrew world from A.D.63 onwards. This period concluded with astronomical casualties and brutal actions but also the triumph of a small group of people nobody guessed would be left standing, the Church.

Endnotes

1 Bible Hub reference and commentary on 1 Corinthians 7:31, see here.

2 On this dual kingdom beginning of the Persian Empire, which is in great doubt and dispute by modern scholars, see Antiquities of the Jews 10.11.4.245-249.

3 Antiquities of the Jews 11.8.5:336-338.

4 It should be noted that both here in Daniel 7:7-27 and also what was said about the fourth kingdom in Daniel 2:33-34; 40-44 was very early on, at the very least since the waning days of the Hasmonean State, supposed by the Jews to stand for the Roman conquest of the Mediterranean basin.  From this fatal assumption arose the steadfast Jewish idea that the Romans would be suddenly conquered by direct intervention by God and the Hebrew people would enjoy everlasting glory and renown far surpassing that which flowered under the reigns of David and Solomon

5 See, Wars of the Jews 6.5.4:312-313.  In this same quote, Josephus makes an equally erroneous mistake by assuming the prophecy spoke of the government of Vespasian when it really spoke of Jesus of Nazareth taking his kingdom power as noted in Revelation 11:15 and 12:10.

6 The command to restore and build Jerusalem; foretold in Daniel 9 but implemented and realized in Ezra, produced not a Third Temple, but the famed Second Temple which was initially built during the era of Haggai and Ezra, Nehemiah and Zerubbabel.

The Tanakh states,

“Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,

2“Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him a house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.  3 Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.  4 And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.”

5 Then rose up the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised, to go up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.  6 And all that was about them strengthened their hands with vessels of silver, with gold, with goods, and with beasts, and with precious things, beside all that was willingly offered.

7 Also Cyrus the king brought forth the vessels of the house of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought forth out of Jerusalem, and had put them in the house of his gods; 8 Even those did Cyrus king of Persia bring forth by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and numbered them unto Sheshbazzar, the prince of Judah.

9 And this is the number of them: thirty chargers of gold, a thousand chargers of silver, nine and twenty knives,  10 Thirty basons of gold, silver basons of a second sort four hundred and ten, and other vessels a thousand.  11 All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred. All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem” (Ezra 1:1-11 cf. 2 Chronicles 36:20-23).

The return from the Babylonian Captivity, the edict of King Cyrus, and the building of the Second Temple marked the end of the Exilic Period and the beginning of the Second Jewish Commonwealth almost half a millennium before the first century.

Elder J.N. Andrews writes,

“The decree of Cyrus being proclaimed we learn what the Jewish people understood to authorize them to do. “They rose up,” says the sacred historian, "the chief of the fathers of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests, and the Levites, with all them whose spirit God had raised to go up to build the HOUSE OF THE LORD which is in Jerusalem.”

Ezra 1:5 The whole congregation that returned under this edict, was 42,360. 

Ezra 2:63  When the seventh month came, the children of Israel “gathered themselves together as one man to Jerusalem;” but the foundation of the temple of the Lord was not yet laid.

[Verse 64  When they reached the house of God, i.e., its ruins, some of the chief of the fathers “offered freely for the house of God to set it up in his place.”]

Ezra 3:1-6  Then they sent to Lebanon for cedar trees “according to the grant that they had of Cyrus.” And in the second year of their coming to the house of God at Jerusalem, they laid the foundation of the temple, and there set forward the work of the house of God.

Ezra 3:7-10 Observe that it was not the rebuilding of the city, nor the restoration of its walls that they were engaged in but the work of the house of God.  Next, we read that the report of these things was carried to the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin. But the report did not affirm that they were building the city, or setting up its walls, but it was “that the children of the captivity building THE TEMPLE unto the Lord God of Israel.”

Ezra 4:1 Then they came to Zerubbabel and offered to help in the work. But he replied-and it shows just what they were doing, and just what Cyrus had commanded them to do-  “Ye have nothing to do with us to build AN HOUSE unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord God of Israel, as king Cyrus, the king of Persia hath commanded us.”

Verse 3  “Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building.”

Verse 4 As the Jews were few in number, and had no walls of defense, it was not difficult for their enemies to do this. Moreover, they hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the remaining days of Cyrus even to the reign of Darius.  The prophet Daniel, the prime minister of Cyrus, was now dead; and these wicked men gaining the ear of Cyrus, he would not interfere to punish the adversaries of the Jews who were forcibly hindering them from proceeding in the work of the house of God. The foundation of the temple was laid according to the prophecy of Isaiah; this was all that took place during the life of Cyrus.” The Command to Restore and Rebuild Jerusalem, pp. 23-25.

This same Second Temple was the facility that was later abominated but not destroyed by King Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 167 B.C.  That same structure was cleansed and rededicated by Judas the Maccabee and continued to exist into New Testament times where it formed the background of the Olivet Discourse accounts in the Synoptics.

7 Note how our Lord locks events surrounding the Destruction of the Second Temple to the same pinnacle of troubles for ancient Jerusalem and Judæa in Matthew 24:1-21 and Mark 13:1-19.  The abomination of desolation started in the autumn of A.D.66, which means it was only 106 years after the end of the Hasmonean State, and this comports well with the string of events that ties the rise of the Hasmoneans in Daniel 11:32-35 with the events that mark the resurrection of the dead in Daniel 12:1-3.

8 The litany of nine passages in Matthew should be studied prayerfully and patiently in order to gain a sense of context and perspective on the events in Jesus’ earthly that lead up to what he ends up saying in Matthew chapters 24 and 25.

9 What Jesus said to the crowd at Caesarea Philippi and what he said to Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin at his trial are not two different events nor empty threats but founded on the timetable set in motion in the Babylonian Captivity, the Post-Exilic period, and the sketch of Jewish salvation history provided in Daniel chapters 2 and 7, etc.

10 Luke chapters 17:20-37, 21:5-36, and 23:27-31* triangulate and tie nicely into the opening events of the unleashing of the Seven Seals and demonstrate that what happens at the beginning of the woes in the Book of Revelation of necessity has to be in the lifetime of those who saw, with their own two eyes, our Lord carry his cross to Calvary (Revelation 6:12-17).

11 What Jesus told Peter about John living to see his coming in John 21:21 is informed by what he foretold in John 16:1-22, which was their persecution and brutalization by deluded loyalists in the Second Jewish Commonwealth, who supposed that by killing Christians they were doing God's service.

12 The Johannine corpus in the New Testament strongly assumes the Second Temple as the backdrop of the dynamic and destructive actions intrinsically tied up with the apocalypse and the return of our Lord; this is not as obvious in the Gospel of John as it is in the Book of Revelation, see, e.g., Revelation 6:9 (cf. Wars of the Jews 6.5.3:299-300); Revelation 11:1-2 (cf. Wars of the Jews 2.20:3:562-4:568); Revelation 13:13 (cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-9), and Revelation 18:16-19. 

13 Porcius Festus was the 5th Roman procurator of Judæa, from about A.D. 59 to 62, succeeding Antonius Felix (Acts 24:24).  The Epistle of James was obviously written shortly before James’ execution in the same year that Festus died, but why would James believe the coming of the Lord Jesus as a judge was “at the doors” if it was not?

14 Animosity and tensions between Jewish Christians and their wealthy Aristocratic bosses were so fraught and heightened that they refused to pay them for their labor in the fields.  But God heard their cries and was about to respond to the situation and what happened next was nothing short of an unimaginable debacle and calamity!

15 See Revelation where the Zealot faction leaders are said to hate Jerusalem, make her desolate and naked, and eat her flesh and burn her with fire. (Revelation 17:16)

16 “Whose end shall be according to their works.”  Just as the magicians of Pharaoh were able to duplicate the miracles of Moses and Aaron so the charismatic charlatans of the late Second Temple period were able by Solomonic, Babylonian, Egyptian, and Kabbalistic divination able to capture the trust of the majority and secure their allegiance to fatal Bible prophecy interpretations and ambitions that proved to be disastrous, deadly, and damnable.

17  The criterion of Deuteronomy 18:21-22 applies to Paul as much as to anyone else, without fear or favor.  If all of Paul’s predictions about the Lord returning before everyone in the first churches died failed (and Futurism claims that all of them did), then Paul is a false prophet without any question!

18 TEISN meaning “the end is still near churches”—churches (which are now the majority at 99.99% of Christians), that continue to maintain that the Second Coming and end of the world failed to transpire and insist that somehow in the future God will make those promises good, finally and at last.

19 The spectacular destruction of the Second Temple happened in the summer of the Jewish year 3831 which is the 9th and 10th of Av, or Saturday and Sunday, August 4th and 5th in A.D.70.

Chronology of Ezra & the building of the Second Temple adapted from: https://www.esv.org/resources/esv-global-study-bible/chart-15-03/ 

In our second Bible study notes, Christians should be aware that the Jewish priests always offered God two daily sacrifices, one in the evening, and one in the morning.  Therefore, the 2,300 evenings and mornings together do not equal more than 6 years but half that time, making the restoration of services in the Second Temple in 164 B.C. correct.

**In our third Bible study notes it is important for us to take into account that the Jews (not the Romans) seized the Second Temple shortly after their spectacular defeat of Cestius Gallus at the famous Beth Horon Pass on 8 Marcheshvan A.D.66.  From that point on, till the spring of A.D.70, they had total rule, authority, and control of the edifice and turned it into an indescribable scene of chaos, strife, horror, blasphemy, sacrilege, and death.