Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site burdvax.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!akgua!psuvax!burdvax!cng From: cng@burdvax.UUCP (Tom Albrecht) Newsgroups: net.religion Subject: Re: Wandering Jew and the Second Coming Message-ID: <1552@burdvax.UUCP> Date: Sat, 17-Mar-84 22:57:00 EST Article-I.D.: burdvax.1552 Posted: Sat Mar 17 22:57:00 1984 Date-Received: Sun, 18-Mar-84 08:40:32 EST References: <1048@uw-june> Organization: Burroughs Corp. - SDG/Devon (nee Downingtown) Lines: 47> Jesus said that the Apocalypse would come before all of the people > living at that time were dead. Since the Apocalypse has, apparently, > not come, it would be consistent to assume that there is at least one > person now living who was living when Jesus made that pronouncement. ... > Have any churches (and if so, which?) made the Wandering Jew part of > their theology in order to reconcile Jesus' words with the long > Apocalypse-free period? Is there any other theological explanation? > (e.g. Many of those who were alive at that time accepted Jesus and > gained eternal life, G*d decided to give the world more time to get its > act together, etc.) An alternate explanation: The assumption you make that the apocalypse has not yet come is false. It can be shown from scripture that the tribulation period spoken of in Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 coincided with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple which occurred in 70AD. Jesus spoke of the events in those passages as coming upon 'this generation' (Mt 24:34). That same phrase is used elsewhere by Christ as referring to those living at that particular time in Israel (see Mt 11:16, 12:41) Jesus is warning in these passages of the impending destruction of the Jewish nation and the dissolution of the Old Covenant. It was necessary that all this should occur so that the church would be established. The problem that most people get into when interpreting these verses is that they reply on their concept of what the words mean rather than allowing scripture speak for itself. There are those today that look for a yet future revival of the Roman empire, a rebuilding of the Jewish temple coupled with the reestablishment of the Jewish nation as signs that Christ is returning to judge the world. What they fail to realize is that this is exactly what happened in 70AD. God used the Roman army to punish Israel for their centuries of disobedience and their ultimate rejection of the Messiah. Tom Albrecht -- Burroughs Corp. ...{presby|psuvax|sdcrdcf|bpa}!burdvax!cng P.O. Box 235 (215) 269-1100 Downingtown, PA 19335