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Jesus' Four Failed Prophecies About Him Returning In The Lifetimes Of His Apostles

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
SZ, you would not recognize a reasonable debate if you were a spectator, so there's really not much hope that you may ever be invited to participate.

Now, listen carefully, SZ. Ready?.....
No one, absolutely no one in this forum is afraid of you. Honestly, they are not.
Your constant repetition of this phrase is a bit worrying, actually. You are out of synchrony with the way things are in the real world. Why do you think that I, or anyone else, would ever be afraid of you? :grin:

I forgot to ask; when will you prove beyond reasonable doubt that the Bible is a book of myths?
You are obviously afraid of me. Maybe not anyone else. I don't see anyone else running away from me.

And I like how you almost always have to try to distort the claims of others.
 

samtonga43

Well-Known Member
You are obviously afraid of me. Maybe not anyone else. I don't see anyone else running away from me.
LOL! You don't see me running away from you either, outside your twisted imagination, of course. You are inventing in your mind an SZ-self of whom I should be 'afraid'. That is quite a delusion.

However, I shall pluck up all of my courage :rolleyes: and ask you again. Where /when / in what way have I ever 'run away from you'?
I shall look out for your repetitive non-answer.

And I like how you almost always have to try to distort the claims of others.

No use asking you to show me where I have tried to distort the claims of others, I suppose?
Go on, surprise me! Please (note the politeness) provide the evidence for this claim.
 

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
LOL! You don't see me running away from you either, outside your twisted imagination, of course. You are inventing in your mind an SZ-self of whom I should be 'afraid'. That is quite a delusion.

However, I shall pluck up all of my courage :rolleyes: and ask you again. Where /when / in what way have I ever 'run away from you'?
I shall look out for your repetitive non-answer.



No use asking you to show me where I have tried to distort the claims of others, I suppose?
Go on, surprise me! Please (note the politeness) provide the evidence for this claim.
You constantly run away. Every time I try to start a discussion your only reactions are avoidance and personal attacks. You can never deal with the subject at hand.

By the way, the one thing I won't do, and have explained to you many times is to pull up your past errors. That would be an exercise in futility since you only have denial as a weapon then.
 

samtonga43

Well-Known Member
I would say the same thing that Jesus said about those who could not understand His parables.
But didn’t you say earlier that Jesus should have been more straight-talking, and should not have concealed the truth and left readers confused about what He meant?
8 reasons Jesus preached in parables | Daily Mountain Eagle
That is true, but the caveat is that God’s message is renewed in every age in a manner that is suited to the circumstances of that age.
Spiritual circumstances do not change. There is no need for what you call ‘renewal’. The Triune God and the Scriptures say everything we need to hear, from the 1st Century and for every age thereafter. The light of God never dims. How could it? If it did, God would be non-omnipotent, which is logically impossible.
Humanity already got the message that Jesus died for our sins, so we do not have to hear it over and over again.
His death and resurrection are for all people of every age. At His Death, the curtain in the Temple tore in two; it stayed torn..
This is a new age and God has revealed a new message through Baha’u’llah, a message that was needed for this age.
No need whatsoever. As I said, the Triune God and the Scriptures are all that people of every age need. The Christian message does not wear out like a pair of old socks.
Your gift might have been given freely but mine wasn’t.
One does not earn the amazing gift of salvation. God is omni-benevolent and omnipotent. He loves each one of us as though there was only one of us to love.
****
Got to go - I hear a child crying...
Will finish later.
 

samtonga43

Well-Known Member
You constantly run away. Every time I try to start a discussion your only reactions are avoidance and personal attacks. You can never deal with the subject at hand.

By the way, the one thing I won't do, and have explained to you many times is to pull up your past errors. That would be an exercise in futility since you only have denial as a weapon then.
Excuses, excuses! You are SO transparent, SZ.
 

samtonga43

Well-Known Member
The parables are embedded in that book so I cannot just grab a parable as you would grab one from the Bible, but here is a parable from Gleanings that can stand alone:
Not sure what you mean by ‘embedded’. The parables in the Bible are part of the lesson being taught by Jesus. They don’t stand by themselves, and will be remembered by those with ears to hear.
Build ye for yourselves such houses as the rain and floods can never destroy, which shall protect you from the changes and chances of this life. This is the instruction of Him Whom the world hath wronged and forsaken.”
Gleanings From the Writings of Bahá’u’lláh, p. 261
That is very similar to what Jesus said, as the eternal spiritual truths such as Truth about God, never change.
It certainly is – almost as if it had been copied…
***

I wonder when SZ is going to show us his proof that the Bible is a book of myths? Will it be hours, days, years?:grinning:
 
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samtonga43

Well-Known Member
I know. It is transparent that you are simply not worth the effort. If you were not afraid of me perhaps you could earn some respect.
Respect from someone like you, SZ, is not something for which one wishes. So stop with the trolling. You think that I am not worth the effort? There is a solution: don't try so hard.
 

Alex22

Member
The Gospels are filled with verses saying Jesus would be back in the writers lifetime, never happened. So yes it is clearly a failed prophecy.
 
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Trailblazer

Veteran Member
The Gospels are filled with verses saying Jesus would back in the writers lifetime, never happened. SO yes it is clearly a failed prophecy.
Do they say "Jesus" or do they say Christ?
There are no verses where Jesus says "He" is going to return to earth, and many verses that show that He isn't going to.

John 14:19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

John 17:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

John 17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.


And no, the Son of man coming in the clouds is not Jesus.

Who is the Son of man who will come in the clouds of heaven?
 

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
Do they say "Jesus" or do they say Christ?
There are no verses where Jesus says "He" is going to return to earth, and many verses that show that He isn't going to.

John 14:19 Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.

John 17:11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.

John 17:4 I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.


And no, the Son of man coming in the clouds is not Jesus.

Who is the Son of man who will come in the clouds of heaven?
The "Son of man" was one of the ways that Jesus would refer to himself. You have to use proper context when you interpret the Bible. And that is one of the problems with the Bible. When it comes to Jesus predicting that he would return during the disciples' lifetimes and that would be the beginning of the end time the prophecy is there.

WHAT JESUS SAID
“For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds. Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.“ (Matthew 16: 27, 28)

“Behold, I have told you in advance. So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.“ (Matthew 24: 25-34)

Jesus’ Failed Prophecy About His Return

Other believers at that time seemed to believe the same thing:

WHAT NEW TESTAMENT WRITERS BELIEVED
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…” (Hebrews 1:1-2)

“Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.” (1 Corinthians 10:11)

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

“Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.” (1 John 2:18)

“Do not seek a wife. This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.” (1 Corinthians 7:27,29-31)

“The end of all things is near…” (1 Peter 4:7)

Same sources as above.
 

We Never Know

No Slack
You constantly run away. Every time I try to start a discussion your only reactions are avoidance and personal attacks. You can never deal with the subject at hand.

By the way, the one thing I won't do, and have explained to you many times is to pull up your past errors. That would be an exercise in futility since you only have denial as a weapon then.
If this is your claim.. From your post #1721 "And I like how you almost always have to try to distort the claims of others."

Shouldn't you have to support it especially being you claim it against an individual person?
 

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
If this is your claim.. From your post #1721 "And I like how you almost always have to try to distort the claims of others."

Shouldn't you have to support it especially being you claim it against an individual person?
She long ago lost the ability to demand evidence. And I explained why. She began our conversations with false personal attacks that she could not justify. I explained to her more than once if she decided to get serious and enter into a polite conversation I would support everything from then on. It is fruitless task to go back and quote to a denier the posts where they went wrong. Debating her is not worth the effort to do so. When she made demands in the past I was able to show how she just made a demand and she still denied it. It is simply not worth my time.

I even tried to start a conversation more than once on my own. She was more interested in her past errors which again I had told her I was not going to go back to. The time to challenge them was when her errors were first pointed out. Not pages and pages later.
 

We Never Know

No Slack
She long ago lost the ability to demand evidence. And I explained why. She began our conversations with false personal attacks that she could not justify. I explained to her more than once if she decided to get serious and enter into a polite conversation I would support everything from then on. It is fruitless task to go back and quote to a denier the posts where they went wrong. Debating her is not worth the effort to do so. When she made demands in the past I was able to show how she just made a demand and she still denied it. It is simply not worth my time.

I even tried to start a conversation more than once on my own. She was more interested in her past errors which again I had told her I was not going to go back to. The time to challenge them was when her errors were first pointed out. Not pages and pages later.

Well then it would be nice if you two would come to an agreement and both support your claims instead of saying "You should! No you should!"
 

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
The "Son of man" was one of the ways that Jesus would refer to himself. You have to use proper context when you interpret the Bible. And that is one of the problems with the Bible. When it comes to Jesus predicting that he would return during the disciples' lifetimes and that would be the beginning of the end time the prophecy is there.

WHAT JESUS SAID
“For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds. Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.“ (Matthew 16: 27, 28)

“Behold, I have told you in advance. So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.

Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.“ (Matthew 24: 25-34)

Jesus’ Failed Prophecy About His Return

Other believers at that time seemed to believe the same thing:

WHAT NEW TESTAMENT WRITERS BELIEVED
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son…” (Hebrews 1:1-2)

“Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.” (1 Corinthians 10:11)

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

“Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.” (1 John 2:18)

“Do not seek a wife. This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.” (1 Corinthians 7:27,29-31)

“The end of all things is near…” (1 Peter 4:7)

Same sources as above.
You and I had this conversation before and I saved the post in a Word document in a folder entitled 'Son of man in the clouds.' I always save any long posts that contain important information, as that saves a lot of time since invariably this subject will come up again with a Christian (see post #1199 below).

"One" of the biggest mistakes Christians made was 'believing' that the same Jesus in the same body He had when He resurrected and ascended ti heaven in the clouds (Acts 1:9-11) will return someday in the clouds, as it left! The whole idea is completely absurd, first because Jesus never rose from the dead, and second because Jesus never ascended into the clouds in a physical body, thus defying gravity. :rolleyes:

I know you have no dog in this fight but I do, because the primary reason Christians have rejected Baha'u'llah is because He is not the same Jesus they want so much to return; but the return of the same man Jesus in the clouds is a complete fabrication if Christianity and a complete fantasy because Jesus never promised to return, not even once in the entire New Testament.

Baha’u’llah explained the meaning of clouds in The Kitáb-i-Íqán. The term “clouds” as used in the Bible means those things that cloud our judgment and prevent us from seeing what is really there. Just like the physical clouds prevent the eyes of men from beholding the sun, the desires of men hindered men from recognizing the return of Christ.

* * * * * * * * * * * *
Subduction Zone said:
Does he had to do that every time? Quite often he referred to himself that way. It is only a reasonable conclusion that when he uses that phrase without claiming that he is the "Son of man" that he is referring to himself.


In some instances Jesus was referring to himself as the Son of Man and we know that because of the context of those verses where the title is connected with the earthly life of Jesus we know about from cross verification (reading other verses). For example, we know from other verses that Jesus did the following when he came to earth:

But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins - he said to the paralytic (Mark 2:10).

So the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath (Mark 2:28).

And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head (Matthew 8:20)

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost (Luke 19:10).

And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again (Mark 8:31).

It is not a reasonable conclusion to assume that Jesus was referring to Himself as the Son of Man who would come in the clouds with great power and glory because:

(a) Great power and glory is not consistent with the personality of Jesus. Jesus was meek and lowly.

(b) Son of man is not a title that belongs exclusively to Jesus, so there is no reason to believe that Jesus was the only Son of Man: 37 Bible verses about Son Of Man

"Son of man", "son of Adam", or "like a man", are phrases used in the Hebrew Bible, various apocalyptic works of the intertestamental period, and in the Greek New Testament. In the indefinite form ("son of Adam", "son of man", "like a man") used in the Hebrew Bible it is a form of address, or it contrasts human beings against God and the angels, or contrasts foreign nations (like Persia and Babylon), which are often represented as animals in apocalyptic writings (bear, goat, or ram), with Israel which is represented as human (a "son of man"), or it signifies an eschatological human figure.

In its indefinite form it is used in the Greek Old Testament, Biblical apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha. The Greek New Testament uses the earlier indefinite form while introducing a novel definite form, "the son of man."

Son of man - Wikipedia

(c) Jesus could not come back to earth in the same body because His body died on the cross. Jesus did not come back to life walk around and then ascend into the clouds to heaven and live there for 2000 years planning to return at some future date. This is all a belief that came into being from a misinterpretation and thus a misunderstanding of Bible verses, a grave misunderstanding.

(d) There are no verses wherein Jesus says He is coming back to earth and many verses where Jesus says He is not coming back to earth because His work is finished here: (John 14:19, John 17:11, John 17:4, John 19:30)

The logical conclusion we can draw is that the second coming was slated to be another man. Since truth from God is revealed progressively, Jesus promised to send the Comforter and the Spirit of truth to reveal more truth in the future, but Christians did not understand what Jesus was referring to and believed that was a reference ton the Holy Spirit that was sent to the disciples at Pentecost when on fact those were titles for the man who would be the second coming of Christ who was the return of the Spirit of Christ.

#1199 Trailblazer
 

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
Well then it would be nice if you two would come to an agreement and both support your claims instead of saying "You should! No you should!"
I have a MA in Counseling Psychology, so I offered to help them resolve the dispute a while back, but you know what they say about 'couples counseling' -- both parties have to really want to make it work. ;)

Thanks for stopping by though. :)
 

Trailblazer

Veteran Member
Thanks, that is a good website. I am putting it in my back pocket, I mean I am stashing it in a Word doc in a folder where I will be able to retrieve it later! Meanwhile I could not help myself from posting the list of rationalizations.

Jesus’ Failed Prophecy About His Return

CHRISTIAN APOLOGETIC RATIONALIZATIONS

To anyone not already indoctrinated into Christianity reading the above passages it is crystal clear that according to the Bible Jesus was supposed to return in the first century of the Christian Era. That has not happened. Yet the Christian religion persists with the majority of its adherents still awaiting the return of their savior. How have they reconciled their scriptures to reality? There are several lines of thought in Christendom about this.

Rationalization #1: Matthew 16:28 refers to Jesus’ transfiguration, not his second coming.

Rationalization #2: The word translated “generation” can mean “race”. So, Jesus meant the Jewish race would not die out before he returns.

Rationalization #3: When Jesus said “this generation shall not pass away” he meant the generation living at the time of the end times tribulation.

Rationalization #4: When Jesus said that some of his listeners would be alive to see him return, he was talking about the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the church.

Rationalization #5: When it was revealed to John in his visions that Jesus would come quickly, it is to happen on God’s time scale, not a human time scale. “The time is near” and “coming quickly” are not to be taken literally. To God a thousand years is a day.

Rationalization #6: In Matthew 16 when Jesus said some of his listeners would see him “coming in his kingdom”, he was talking about his coming into his kingdom in Heaven after his resurrection when he went back to Heaven. Many saw this event through visions.

Rationalization #7: Maybe in our human understanding we don’t know what Jesus meant when he said “this general would not pass away” and that “some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom”. He couldn’t have meant he was coming in the first century because he hasn’t come back yet and that would make him a false prophet.
 
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