Smoodock's Blog

Peter claims that just as there had been false prophets among the children of God in the days of the prophets of the Lord, so there would be false teachers among Jesus’ disciples, and they would secretly introduce destructive heresies into the Body of Christ, heresies that would even deny the Lord, Jesus. Moreover, not only would lies be introduced and be attached to the Gospel, but many within the Body of Christ would believe them and follow their destructive teaching (2Peter 2:1-2). In other words, if their doctrines are taught today, the majority of believers would be following their heresies. Peter implies that their destructive doctrines would be popular. The teachers that Peter prophesied would come, did come in the first century AD. They were the scoffers both Peter and Jude mentioned in their epistles (2Peter 3:3; Jude 1:18). Nevertheless, although the Lord destroyed and punished those men cir. 70 AD, this doesn’t mean their erroneous teachings don’t exist today, and, if they do, it doesn’t mean they wouldn’t be believed by many Christians. The fact that they were popular in the first century AD, alludes to the idea they would also be popular today.

Notice that Peter claimed the trust of the scoffers’ teaching would concern the coming of the Lord (2Peter 3:4). Now, I have been demonstrating in these recent studies that the Lord did, in fact, return in 70 AD and judged Jerusalem, burning up its Temple. In doing so, Jesus brought the Jews’ covenant to an end, i.e. the Mosaic Covenant no longer exists. The last days spoken of in the New Covenant text, as is also true of the Prophets who mentioned those days, referred to the end of the Old Covenant, which was prophesied to end (Hebrews 8:8-9, 13; cp. Jeremiah 30:31-33). Even from the very beginning it was prophesied that that covenant would be brought to an end in the latter days (Deuteronomy 31:29). This is the end of the age that the Apostles inquired about, just after Jesus predicted the destruction of the Temple in Matthew 23:37-38 (cp. Matthew 24:3).

My point is Jesus did what he said he would do. There is no question that he spoke of judgment upon the Jewish nation in the first century AD (cp. Matthew 26:64). That very generation, which crucified him and persecuted and killed those, who preached the Gospel after him, would be judged and dispersed among the nations (Matthew 23:33-36; 24:30-34). That’s what actually occurred, but there are those today who try to make a point, saying Jesus hasn’t returned. Jesus, they claim will return sometime soon or, perhaps, thousands of years into our future. They claim that Jesus wanted every generation to expect him and express their faith in his words. Nevertheless, Jesus actually said: “Don’t believe me, if I don’t do the works my Father gave me to do” (John 10:37). “Believe me, only if I do the works” (John 10:38). You see, the claim that Jesus wanted each generation to expect his return is a lie that makes the heart sick (Proverbs 13:12).

I have come to believe in the past few years (cir. 2017), that Jesus returned, just as he said he would, in the first century AD, before that generation passed away (cp. Matthew 16:27-28). Many of my brethren say, however, Jesus did not return when he claimed he would. It is probably THE most popular teaching of our day. Even unbelievers believe that about Jesus! Atheists don’t believe Jesus returned in the first century, as he said he would. In fact, some of them use that understanding as a reason why they aren’t Christian! Agnostics don’t believe Jesus returned. Even the Jews, who rejected Jesus as their Messiah and who were judged for doing so, the Lord ending his covenant with them, even they don’t believe Jesus returned in the first century AD. In fact, they say the Mosaic Covenant is still valid. I have to wonder about the company my futurist brethren keep.