7-9-23 How do Christians explain these false prophecies?
The Muslim Challenge:
How do Christians explain these false prophecies?
Mark 13
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?”
. . .
24 “But in those days, following that distress,
“‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; 25 the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’
26 “At that time people will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.
28 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 29 Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. 30 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
Pay attention to verse 30. THIS GENERATION.. referring to the generation that was living at that time.
My Response:
Always PAY ATTENTION to the context and in the four Gospel accounts the parallel contexts involved.
Always PAY ATTENTION to the grammar involved.
As to the grammar, Young’s Literal Translation is often the most accurate representation in English of the underlying Greek text, as in Matthew 24:34,
Mat 24:34 Verily I say to you, this generation may not pass away till all these may come to pass. (YLT)
Notice the wording: “this generation MAY NOT PASS AWAY TILL all these MAY come to pass.”
“MAY” marks the subjunctive mood in Greek, a mood which marks a contingency in order to be fulfilled. The contingency involved and still involves (Acts 3:19-21) and marks the uncertainty, which was conditional upon the repentance of the nation.
AS TO THE CONTEXT: Note carefully what is stated in Matthew 16:28,
Mat 16:28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. (KJV)
The immediate context which follows this statement is the account of the Transfiguration, where the “some standing here”–Peter, James, and John–did see the Son of man coming in his kingdom:
Mat 17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart,
Mat 17:2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light.
Mat 17:3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
Mat 17:4 Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.
Mat 17:5 While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him. (KJV)
TK replied (7-10-23):
//As to the grammar, Young’s Literal Translation is often the most accurate representation in English of the underlying Greek text,//
Which Greek text?
//Young’s Literal Translation is often the most accurate representation in English //
hmm.. then why do you quote from KJV?
Mat 16:28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. (KJV)
What does YLT say?
“Verily I say to you, there are certain of those standing here who shall not taste of death till they may see the Son of Man coming in his reign.'”
What did Paul believe with regards to the prophecy that Jesus would come back during his lifetime?
1 Thessalonians 4:15-18
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
“I mean, brethren, the appointed time has grown very short; from now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none.” (1 Corinthians 7:29)
My reply (7-12-23):
You asked:
“Which Greek text?”
Young followed the received text of the Greek NT. This has no effect upon the verses in question.
“hmm.. then why do you quote from KJV?”
I quote from the KJV most often because it is the better known public domain English translation which has a stable text more suitable for reference purposes.
I quote from the YLT when it better conveys in English a point of grammar evident in the original Greek text that is not represented in most English translations.
“What did Paul believe with regards to the prophecy that Jesus would come back during his lifetime?”
1Th 4:15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord shall by no means precede those who are dead. (EMTV, English Majority Text Version)
Some have mistakenly drawn the inference that Paul here asserts he expected the return of Jesus in his own lifetime.
This, of course, is an unwarranted inference which fails to take into account Paul’s own inspired prediction regarding the great apostasy and the coming of Antichrist given in 2 Thessalonians 2, events which Paul certainly did not suppose were to be compressed into his own lifespan.
The fact that Christ revealed to Peter certain events which would transpire in his life (Joh 21:18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23), as well as to Paul (Act 9:15; Act 20:23, 24; Act 27:24), must not be understood to deny the doctrine of the imminency of the return of Christ.
Robertson notes Paul “was alive, not dead, when he wrote” (Word Pictures, vol. 4, p. 32). Paul sometimes associates himself with the living (as here, and Php 3:20, Tit 2:12, 13), and sometimes with the dead, (as **1Co 6:14, **2Co 4:14; 2Co 5:8, Php 1:21, 22, 23, 24; Php 2:17, 2Ti 4:6, 7, 8). By such words Paul simply associates himself with the class of the living to which he then belonged, as opposed to the dead, and was not making a statement about how soon Jesus would return, a secret which God has kept in his own counsel (+*Deut 29:29, Mat 24:36, +*Mar 13:32, +*Act 1:7), as Hogg and Vine well observe (Comm. on 1 Thessalonians, p. 138).
Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:29 foresaw that the time was short before the onset of coming persecution, and he gives directions for what the Christians should do in preparation for them. Paul was answering questions that the Corinthians had asked him about. This is not, in context, a reference to the then nearness of the second coming of Christ.
Thank you, Tamara Kudaibergen, for asking such good questions, and for your gracious patience in awaiting my response.