I dont know. Can you explain?
I thought you must understand. Otherwise, why would you make such wild claims?
Christian Thought has three main views of the future. There is the pre-millenial view, the Amillenial view, and the post-millenial view.
The fundamentalists primarily take the first view. The evangelicals, are divided between the three. The liberals tend to be the last. The Roman Catholics hover between the second and third.
I hover between being an optimistic Amil - and PostMil. This means that I think Jesus is not returning any time in the near future, but rather is a long time off.
Of course, if I am wrong, then so be it. Not that it matters from a specific salvation issue, since one's view on eschatology is not a salvation issue. It is an issue of course, but not salvation. Most Reformed people tend to hold to the second view, although traditionally, during the Reformation and up until about the Second World War, most Reformed Christians did hold to Post Mill.
The verse I mentioned from 2 Peter talks about the delay of Jesus returning. The reason provided was to ensure that as many people as possible were saved. that clearly contradicts your notion that he's coming back to bring torture and judgment and that Christians love this idea.
Christians do look forward to Jesus returning. They look forward to a day when they don't have to deal with sin anymore. They are not looking forward to judgment day for people to be destroyed and tortured. that's why most of the Christians I know spend much of their time, sharing the gospel. Most Christians want most people to live in Heaven with God. Personally, I hold the view that Jesus' words to his disciples in the Sermon on the Mount about the wide and the narrow gate was a warning. It may be a prophecy, but it's a warning. In other words, like all prophecies, it has a purpose. A purpose to cause people to change the way they are heading and to take the right path. That's what happened in Ninevah with Jonah. He prophesied and the people turned.
Hence, I see Jesus' words primarily as a warning - and one which - I think in history will be heeded by the majority of humanity. Another reason I think we still have a long way to go before Jesus returns.
Now some people will surely point out all the warnings in the NT - of the coming of the Lord. The day of judgment is imminent. And how the NT Christians thought this meant Jesus was returning soon. And I certainly concede there are quite a few views about that - from some saying, it's proof that Jesus was wrong, to others saying the Disciples misunderstood. People will say what they want to say - me included.
I think there are a couple of things going on in the NT. I think Jesus referred to these couple of things in his sermons - that we see in Matthew 24, MArk 13, and Luke 21.
I think he used the word - this and that or these and those to point us to the Different events. And both can be called the Last Day or Judgment Day or the coming of the Lord or the Day of the Lord. Or the Last Days. Or his coming in or with or even on the clouds. But they don't always refer to the same event.
The two things that were going on in Jesus' commentary:
1. The End of Israel's covenant with God; and
2. The End of the World.
The first referred to the specific event within one generation of Jesus' death.
The Second to the physical return of Christ, the Last Day, and judgment day of the world.
Many of the warnings in the NT, referred to the Last Days of Israel. I think this is evident in Paul and Peter's writings in particular.
And some of the warnings are to the Return of Christ.
Hence, the coming of the Lord may mean as it does in the OT on many occasions, to God's judgment on the world. It may also mean - as it does in Ruth 1:6 a visit from the Lord. Not physically, of course, but rather that he fed them - by ending the famine. It doesn't require a LITERAL coming or visitation.
It of course may mean a physical coming. which is what Jesus' first visit was - and his second one will be as well.
In any event, 2 Peter seems to refute your view. But then again, you seem to understand enough. So all the best with you.
