Is Jesus's "this generation will certainly not pass" valid grounds for scepticism?

Poem said:
Soz - should have written: I have never seen an apologist take that angle.
Click to expand...
? That's what you said the first time. I'm saying interpretation is not apologism. You can interpret any fictional work without 'apologizing' or defending it.
Poem said:
I have seen apologists suggesting that this is a reference to Jesus's transfiguration - especially because it occurs in the very next chapter....Matthew 17.
Click to expand...
I wasnt thinking Matty. John was the one harping on it, and a clean up hitter by Paul in Romans:

  • John 3:16:
    "For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."


  • John 3:36:
    "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever does not obey the Son will not see life; for the wrath of God remains on him."

    • John 5:24:
      "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my words and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and will not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life."
    • John 10:28:
      "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand."
    • John 17:3:
      "And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."
    • John 6:40:
      "And this is the will of him who sent me, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."
    • 1 John 5:13:
      "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life."
    • Romans 6:23:
      "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
 
Oh, btw Poem? That post #1042 just above can be applied to your OP question. The hommies that were told they would not taste death means something a little different in the context of those verses, yeah? Like, that the followers who would not "die" being not "eternally" dead?
 
Thermal said:
Oh, btw Poem? That post #1042 just above can be applied to your OP question. The hommies that were told they would not taste death means something a little different in the context of those verses, yeah? Like, that the followers who would not "die" being not "eternally" dead?
Click to expand...
Thermal said:
? That's what you said the first time. I'm saying interpretation is not apologism. You can interpret any fictional work without 'apologizing' or defending it.

I wasnt thinking Matty. John was the one harping on it, and a clean up hitter by Paul in Romans:

  • John 3:16:
    "For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."


  • John 3:36:
    "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever does not obey the Son will not see life; for the wrath of God remains on him."

    • John 5:24:
      "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my words and believes him who sent me has eternal life, and will not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life."
    • John 10:28:
      "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand."
    • John 17:3:
      "And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."
    • John 6:40:
      "And this is the will of him who sent me, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."
    • 1 John 5:13:
      "I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life."
    • Romans 6:23:
      "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Click to expand...
Regarding my typo - I removed the 's' - so 'apologists' became 'apologist'.

I think that what you are referring to and the verses I have been citing (the OP's Matthew 24:34, Matthew 1023, Mathew 16:28) are just two different teachings. I used the word 'apologist' because I had in mind Bertrand Russell's 'Why I am not a Christian' essay. Under the heading: 'Defects in Christ's teaching' he quotes Mat. 10:23 and Mat. 16:28:

For one thing, He certainly thought that His second coming would occur in clouds of glory before the death of all the people who were living at that time. There are a great many texts that prove that. He says, for instance: ‘Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of Man be come.’ Then He says: ‘There are some standing here which shall not taste death till the Son of Man comes into His kingdom’; and there are a lot of places where it is quite clear that He believed that His second coming would happen during the lifetime of many then living.

I cannot see how Jesus could have had in mind the idea of eternal life when he declared that 'this generation shall certainly not pass away until all these things have happened'.
 
theprestige said:
You're conflating the activity with the role/rank/status.

Christianity makes a distinction between mere mortals who have the gift of prophesy, and God Incarnate (who of course also has the gift of prophesy).

That's why it's important that Islam retcons Jesus as being *only* a prophet, so they can wedge Mohammed's cult into the "Abrahamic religions".
Click to expand...
I'm not sure we are disagreeing. Jesus believed he was one with the Father ("I and the Father are one") and he also prophesied.

I do not know if Deut. 18:15 was fulfilled in the person of Jesus but Peter certainly thought so.
 
Matthew 21:10,11
When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?” The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top Bottom