You keep posting the same verses like a recording WITHOUT addressing my rebuttals. I offer different additional pieces of evidence and remind the reader of what those verses like 2 Peter 3 you continually offer actually convey - the opposite of what you claim. You ignore my rebuttals, not addressing my arguments. Your assertions prove nothing. You keep missing many obvious indicators that confirm that Jesus did come as His promised, such as neglecting to understand what "coming in the Father's glory" meant. You keep neglecting that the signs Jesus said would happen happened as He said they would, every one of them, and they can be demonstrated as happening in many cases via Scripture.
I explained that to you because the comparison between the OT generation in the wilderness (out of Egypt) is being compared to the NT one Jesus referred to as 'this generation.' Specifically, the reader is told how long a generation was in both Hebrews and the OT. If you or anyone, Stephen, cannot identify the generation Jesus was speaking to and how long a generation is, it can fit any generation unjustifiably. But it is justifiably forty years and coincides with the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.
Hebrews 3:7-11
7 Therefore, just as the Holy Spirit says,
“Today if you hear His voice,
8 Do not harden your hearts as [d]when they provoked Me,
As on the day of trial in the wilderness,
9 Where your fathers put Me to the test,
And saw My works for forty years.
10 Therefore I was angry with this generation,
And said, ‘They always go astray in their heart,
And they did not know My ways’;
11 As I swore in My anger,
‘They certainly shall not enter My rest.’”
17 And with whom was He angry for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose dead bodies fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who were disobedient? 19 And so we see that they were not able to enter because of unbelief.
Next, Jesus said His coming would be at the end of the age. Jesus only makes mention of two ages, "this age" and "the age to come." Jesus includes Himself and the disciples in "this age."
And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.
And his master complimented the unrighteous manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the sons of this age are more shrewd in relation to their own kind than the sons of light.
who will not receive many times as much at this time, and in the age to come, eternal life.”
Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and the women are given in marriage,
If that is not enough, the NT writers also make the age clear:
Where is the wise person? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has God not made foolish the wisdom of the world?
Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away;
the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory;
who gave Himself for our sins so that He might rescue us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
***
Let us take a sample of all these things to happen from 10 verses of the Olivet Discourse as Matthew records it:
Matthew 24:4-14 (NASB)
4 And Jesus answered and said to them, “See to it that no one [a]misleads you. 5 [1] For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the [b]Christ,’ and [2] they will [c]mislead many people. 6 [3] And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 [4] For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and [5] there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains. 9 [6] “Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and [7] you will be hated by all nations because of My name. 10 [8] And at that time many will [d]fall away, and [9] they will [e]betray one another and hate one another. 11 [10] And many false prophets will rise up and [f]mislead many people. 12 And because [11] lawlessness is increased, [g]most people’s love will become cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved. 14 [12] This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole [h]world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
[1] Many false Messiahs and prophets of which not only the NT writers mention but also people such as Josephus, Eusebius, and Irenaeus.
For, some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and a group of about four hundred men joined him. But he was killed, and all who followed him were dispersed and came to nothing.
Josephus reiterates that Theudas drew a great number to him (
The Antiquities of the Jews,
20:5:1). He also speaks of
false prophets.
After this man, Judas of Galilee appeared in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he also perished, and all those who followed him were scattered.
Now a man named Simon had previously been practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great;
10 and all the people, from small to great, were paying attention to him, saying, “This man is the Power of God that is called Great.” 11 And they were paying attention to him because for a long time he had astounded them with his magic arts.
Gary DeMar notes that Eusebius, The Ecclesiastical History of Eusebius Pamphilus, 2:13, 62 also discusses how some considered him a god.
When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos, they found a magician, a Jewish false prophet whose name was Bar-Jesus,
[2] They misled many people, also recorded by the NT writers and Josephus. (see above)
[3] Wars and rumours of wars --> Josephus records the Jewish wars.
[4] Josephus records nations and kingdoms clashing.
[5]
Josephus as well as the NT writers mention earthquakes and famines, none greater than what took place during the surrounding of Jerusalem in AD 70.
The NT also records some of these things.
“Now a famine came over all Egypt and Canaan, and great affliction with it, and our fathers could find no food.
One of them, named Agabus, stood up and indicated by the Spirit that there would definitely be a severe famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius.
Gary DeMar lists secular historians recording earthquakes in "Crete, Smyrna, Miletus, Chios, Samos, Laodicea, Hierapolis, Colosse, Campania, Rome, and Judea." Last Days Madness, p80-81
[6] Church fathers as well as NT writers describe the disciples handed over to persecution and tribulation.
NT writers:
But Paul said to them, “After beating us in public without due process—men who are Romans—they threw us into prison; and now they are releasing us secretly? No indeed! On the contrary, let them come in person and lead us out.”
And when a great dissension occurred, the commander was afraid that Paul would be torn to pieces by them, and he ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force, and bring him into the barracks.
[ A Conspiracy to Kill Paul ] When it was day, the Jews formed a conspiracy and put themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.
They came to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have put ourselves under an oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.
After Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many, and serious, charges against him which they could not prove,
But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, replied to Paul and said, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me on these charges?”
and we labor, working with our own hands; when we are verbally abused, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it;
2 Corinthians 4:8-10 (NASB)
8 we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying around in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
For even when we came into Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were afflicted on every side: conflicts on the outside, fears inside.
But as for me, brothers and sisters, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? Then the stumbling block of the cross has been eliminated.
And not only this, but we also celebrate in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance;
Therefore I ask you not to become discouraged about my tribulations in your behalf, since they are your glory.
[7] Hated --> There was a lot of hatred by the Jews towards the Christians.
