“What do you think about the supposed any-minute coming of the Lord?”

Why do you ask?

“Someone was questioning it the other day.”

Well, there’s good reason to do so.

“Give me one.”

How about two?

“Sure—even better.”

Jesus told Peter what sort of death he would die—right?

“Right.”

Well, no one could look for Jesus’ return until after Peter died, then, could he?

“Uh . . . I guess not. The other reason?”

Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem. He couldn’t have taught people to look for His second coming at any time, because the destruction—which He predicted—did not come until 40 years later. An entire generation of people were to look for that event. We were not to do so since it happened in 70AD.

“Yes, but . . . “

May I add one more piece of data?

If you look carefully, you’ll see that the warnings that Christ’s kingdom could come at any time, day or night, in their lifetime had to do with the Destruction of Jerusalem rather than the second coming. And, of course, it happened in that Generation, as Jesus said it would. They were to look for it—but would not be told the exact time it would occur.

However, they were told that a whole passel of things would have to happen before the destruction (see the Olivet Discourse). The preaching of the Gospel to the entire Roman world, for instance, had to take place first. It finally was so preached by the apostles (to whom the commission was given) as Paul said in Colossians 1:6, 23; Romans 16:26.

So, among other things-there are two. Let them sink in before chucking them—please?