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Why Jesus Can’t Return “Soon” and Wasn’t Wrong About It

Why Jesus Can’t Return “Soon” and Wasn’t Wrong About It

Last updated on: August 7, 2015 at 10:07 am by Kermit Zarley

Why Jesus Can’t Return “Soon” and Wasn’t Wrong About It 2015-08-07T10:07:07-07:00 Kermit Zarley

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Most distinguished, New Testament scholars in the twentieth century alleged that Jesus and his disciples believed that after Jesus’ heavenly ascension he would return “soon” to earth with his glorious kingdom. These scholars include Rudolf Bultmann, Werner G. Kummel, Joachim Jeremias, E. P. Sanders, Hans Kung, Geza Vermes, John P. Meier, G. R. Beasley-Murray, James D. G. Dunn, and Dale C. Allison. It is almost as if no outstanding NT scholar disagrees with this. Some of these men even admitted that Jesus was “wrong” about it. All have been influenced in this thinking by H. S. Reimarus and Albert Schweitzer.

H. S. Reimarus (1694-1768) was a skeptical, German theologian in the German Lutheran Church who embraced deism. Thus, he denied that Jesus performed miracles, asserted he was a disillusioned messianic figure, and alleged that he disciples stole his body from the tomb to enhance belief in his resurrection. Reimarus also contended that Jesus wrongly believed he would return soon to establish his eschatological kingdom. But some of these beliefs Reimarus did not reveal during his lifetime. His book entitled Fragments, published posthumously in 1774-1777, had much influence with later scholars. His alleged that Jesus and his disciples believed he would return soon, and early Christians who wrongly date-set Jesus’ return embarrassed the church and led to its de-emphasis of Jesus’ second coming.

Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) was a German medical doctor who earned degrees in philosophy and theology. He popularized these assertions by Reimarus in Schweitzer’s The Quest of the Historical Jesus (1906). It is regarded as the most significant book on the historical Jesus written in the twentieth century.

The New Testament says John the Baptist and Jesus came preaching, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matt. 3.2; 4.17; Mark 1.15). The word “near” translates engus in the Greek text. It does not mean the kingdom would appear “soon.” Rather, God had determined that for this time, through the ministry of especially Jesus, the kingdom was near, at hand, and that if the Jews repented the kingdom would appear in all of its glory.

The main NT text that Reimarus and many of these scholars have cited for their belief that Jesus thought he would return soon is in his Olivet Discourse. He said, “this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place,” which things he had just predicted (Mt 24.34/Mk 13.30). (A generation was forty years.) But Jesus also said of his return, “about that day and/or hour no one knows, neither the angels of/in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mt 24.36/Mk 13.32 NRSV). Jesus would not have contradicted himself by saying he didn’t know when he would return and then adding he did know.

Now, Jesus didn’t mean he only didn’t know the day or hour, as if he knew the week, month, year, or generation. Rather, he didn’t have a clue. For, in this discourse he also said, “Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the ownder of the house had known in what part of the night the theif was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour” (Mt 24.42-44). Jesus often referred to himself as “the Son of Man.”

Jesus indicated the same on another occasion when he taught his disciples a parable about his return, saying, “Be dressed and ready for service … like men waiting for their master to return … even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night” (Lk 12.35-38 NIV). He meant that the servants couldn’t know even approximately when their master would arrive. Thus, Jesus didn’t know if he would return within that generation, a century, or a millennium or more later.

What did Jesus mean by “this generation”? He meant the generation that will see all the things happening that he had predicted, primarily the abomination of desolation being placed in Jerusalem’s rebuilt temple. That generation will not pass away but will live to see Jesus return. The books of Daniel and Revelation often state that when that wicked deed occurs, it will be 3.5 years until the end.

Another saying of Jesus which these scholars have seized upon to support their skeptical hypothesis is what Jesus said to his disciples a few days before his Transfiguration. He said, “Truly I tell you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see that the kingdom of God has come with power” (Mk 9.1 NRSV). Since the kingdom did not come in all of its outward glory before any of Jesus’ disciples died, these scholars have concluded that Jesus was mistaken. On the contrary, the very next incident recorded in the synoptic gospels is Jesus’ Transfiguration, and that’s what he meant as a preview of the future coming of the eschatological kingdom (Mk 9.2-8).

But some made the mistake in failing to recognize the situation in which Jesus was speaking. Israel was a nation with a temple at Jerusalem. Many biblical prophecies reveal that since 70 CE, Jesus could not have returned soon and still can’t return soon even now because there is no temple at Jerusalem and no animals being sacrificed on an altar there. Before reading some of these prophecies, we need to examine a word in the Greek NT that is sometimes translated in English Bibles to say that Jesus will return “soon.”

Three times in the last chapter of the Bible, the NRSV, NIV, and ESV quote the heavenly Jesus as saying, “I am coming soon” (Rev 22.7, 12, 20). But the KJV and NASB have, “I am coming quickly.” That is a big difference. “Soon” or “quickly” translates tachu in the Greek NT. Its primary meaning is “quickly, at a rapid rate, without delay, at once,” and its secondary meaning is “in a short time, soon.”[1] It is surprising that translators would here choose the secondary meaning of tachu since it has been almost 2,000 years that Jesus has not returned. Also, Jesus said of his return, “as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Mt 24.27; cf. Lk 17.24). That is, when he returns to earth from heaven, Jesus will come very quickly, the primary meaning of tachu.

Furthermore, the book of Revelation begins, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place” (Rev 1.1 in NRSV, NIV; similarly ESV). The words “soon take place” translate genesthai en tachei in the Greek NT. The KJV renders them “shortly come to pass,” and the NASB has “shortly take place.” The same phrase occurs in the Greek NT in Rev 22.6. All five of these major English versions translate both passages alike. But tachei can also mean “quickly,” “rapidly,” or “speedily,” all of which do not mean happening soon. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words (p. 242) says of en tachei in Rev 1.1 and 22.6, “’with speed’ is probably the meaning.” So, Rev 1.1 and 22.6 likely mean that when this book’s prophecies begin to occur, they will happen quickly.

The book of Revelation also says at its beginning and ending, “for the time is near” for its many prophecies to occur (Rev 1.3; 22.10). Since they haven’t happened yet, has history proved this wrong? Hardly! Revelation probably was written in the mid-60s, not the 90s as scholars generally have assumed. There are many reasons for this. One is that the book provides no evidence the author knew the temple at Jerusalem had been destroyed (in 70 CE). Rather, Rev 11.1-2 indicates the temple still existed when he wrote this book. Many conditions existed in the late 60s that were similar to this book’s predictions. So, all of its prophecies, including Jesus’ return, could have happened soon after the book was written. The reason they didn’t was Israel did not repent and accept Jesus as the Messiah (Mt 4.17; Ac 3.19-21).

Due to some ambiguity in determining the author’s intended meaning for en tachei in Rev 1.1 and tachu in Rev 22.7, 12, 20, it should be decided partly by considering other endtimes Bible prophecies. This author would have known these prophecies and not taught something important that conflicted with them.

The following endtimes Bible prophecies show that after 70 CE Jesus couldn’t return soon and still can’t:

The Past

The temple at Jerusalem had to be destroyed before Jesus could return (Mt 24.2; Mk 13.2).
When Jerusalem’s temple was destroyed, in 70 ce, Jesus could not return thereafter until the temple was rebuilt (Dan 8.13-14; 9.27; 11.31; 12.11; Mal 3.1-2; Mt 24.15; Mk 13.14; 2 Th 2.4; Rev 11.1).
After the temple was destroyed, the worldwide Jewish Diaspora had to occur (Lk 21.24a).
Due to the Diaspora, Israel’s farmland had to become a wasteland for a long time (Eze 38.8).
Some Diaspora Jews had to return to their ancestral land and restore it to productivity (Eze 38.8).
During the Diaspora, Jerusalem had to be trampled by the Gentiles until Jesus’ return (Lk 21.24b).

The Future

The world must disarm all modern armaments and in the latter days use only primitive weapons, e.g., swords, bows and arrows, and horses in warfare (Eze 38.4-5, 15, 21; 39.3, 9-10, 20).
The apostasy must occur. Paul writes, “with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,… it will not come unless the apostasy comes first” (2 Thes 2.1, 3).
The Antichrist will appear. Paul adds in 2 Thes 2.3, “and the lawlessness one is revealed.”
The Antichrist “will make a strong covenant with many for one week,” i.e., seven years (Dan 9.27).
A third temple will be built at Jerusalem. Paul says of the Antichrist, “he takes his seat in the temple of God, declaring himself to be God” (2 Thes 2.4; cf. Dan 11.36).
The Antichrist will have something to do with 2,300 days involving animal sacrifices and stopping them at Jerusalem’s third temple (Dan 11.13-14).
The Antichrist will have the “sanctuary” at Jerusalem’s third temple thrown down (Dan 8.11).
The Antichrist will “make sacrifice and offering cease” at Jerusalem’s temple 3.5 years (Dan 9.27).
The Antichrist will stop sacrifice on the altar in Jerusalem’s temple and put on it “the abomination that desolates” (Dan 9.27; 11.31; 12.11; cf. Mt 24.15/Mk 13.14).
For 3.5 years until Jesus returns “the tribulation” will occur, which is the Antichrist’s persecution of God’s people (Mt 24.21, 29; Mk 13.19, 24) in which he declares war on them (Dan 7.21; 8.24; 12.7; Rev 12.17; 13.7; ).
Jesus’ “gospel of the kingdom must be preached in the whole world” (Mt 24.14 niv).
Many prophecies in the book of Revelation must occur, especially during the tribulation.

[1] BAGD, 807. BAGD says “it is not always possible to make a clear distinction” between these two meanings.

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