It is NOT Apparent That New Testament Writers
Had Our Modern Future in Mind When They
Predicted the Return of Jesus of Nazareth in
the Clouds of Heaven in Their Own Lifetime
by Mark Mountjoy
Preface
Have you ever wondered about the prophecies in the New Testament? Many Christians believe that these predictions are about events that will happen in the future, maybe even in our own time. This way of thinking is called Futurism, and it's a very popular view among many churches and Bible teachers today.
But what if there's a problem with Futurism? What if it doesn’t really fit with what the New Testament actually says? In this essay, we’ll take a closer look at some of the issues with Futurist interpretations of biblical prophecy. We’ll see how Futurists often ignore important details in the text, like time statements, audience relevance, and necessary inferences, in order to make the prophecies fit their own ideas about the end times.
More importantly, we’ll see how the burden of proof is on Futurists to explain why they feel justified in taking such liberties with the Bible. After all, if the New Testament really is the inspired Word of God, shouldn’t we be very careful about imposing our own private interpretations on it, especially when those interpretations don’t match what the text plainly says and predictably end up not coming to pass at all? It’s one thing to have a different understanding of biblical prophecy, but it’s another thing entirely to make bold predictions based on those interpretations that repeatedly fail to materialize.
By the end of this essay, you’ll have a better understanding of why it’s so important for Christians to examine Futurism more critically and objectively. You’ll see why we need to take the New Testament seriously on its own terms, rather than just going along with popular end-times predictions that may not be grounded in the actual meaning of the text.
So if you’re ready to dive deeper into this important topic, let’s get started! Together, we’ll explore what the New Testament really says about prophecy, and how we can approach these sacred texts with humility, integrity, and a commitment to understanding their true significance for our lives and our world.
The New Testament is a sacred text that holds a special place in the hearts of Christians worldwide. It contains stories, teachings, and prophecies that have shaped the beliefs and practices of the Church for nearly two thousand years. However, when we take a closer look at the claims made in the New Testament, we find that they are intrinsically connected to specific time statements, audience relevance, and necessary inferences (ts, ar, and ni). These essential elements cannot be carelessly dismissed or ignored without consequence.
On the other hand, Futurism, a popular interpretive approach to biblical prophecy, often makes assertions about New Testament predictions that seem to disregard or override these crucial contextual factors. Futurists tend to impose a "private" interpretation based on "current events" rather than adhering to the original context and intended meaning of the text. This raises serious questions about the validity and reliability of their prophetic interpretations.
Moreover, the burden of proof lies squarely on the shoulders of Futurists to justify why they choose to bypass the clear time statements, audience relevance, and necessary inferences in favor of their own speculative readings. This is particularly important given the fact that Futurist prophecies consistently lead to non-events and failed predictions, time and time again. The track record of Futurism's prophetic accuracy is, to put it mildly, less than stellar.
One of the most troubling aspects of Futurist interpretation is the tendency to treat PESHER prophecies in the New Testament as if they were PESHAT instances, and conversely, to interpret PESHAT prophecies as if they were PESHER. PESHER prophecies are typically symbolic, allegorical, or figurative in nature, while PESHAT prophecies are more literal and straightforward. By swapping these two types of prophecy, Futurists often violate the context and even the explicit declarations of specific texts.
For example, in Matthew 24:1, Jesus clearly has the Second Temple in mind when he discusses the signs of his coming and the end of the age. Later, in Matthew 24:34, he emphasizes that "this generation" will witness all these things. However, Futurists frequently disregard both the Temple context and the generational time frame in order to arrive at their preferred "cause célèbre" - a future, end-times scenario that has little to do with the original meaning of the text.
This raises a serious question: On what grounds do Futurists feel justified in taking such liberties with a book they claim to be the inspired Word of God, directly from the Holy Spirit? If the New Testament is indeed divinely inspired, shouldn't we be extremely cautious about imposing our own private interpretations on the text, especially when those interpretations contradict the plain meaning and context of the passages in question?
In light of these concerns, it is crucial for Christians to start examining Futurism more critically and objectively. Rather than simply going along with popular prophecy teachers and their latest "end-times" predictions, we need to take a step back and evaluate their claims in light of the actual content and context of the New Testament. This may require us to challenge long-held assumptions and to be open to alternative interpretations that may better align with the original meaning and intent of the biblical authors.
By doing so, we can begin to move in a better direction - one that takes seriously the time statements, audience relevance, and necessary inferences of the New Testament, while also recognizing the limitations and potential pitfalls of Futurist speculation. Only by approaching biblical prophecy with humility, integrity, and a commitment to sound hermeneutical principles can we hope to discern the true meaning and significance of these sacred texts for our lives and for the world in which we live.
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