Tough Questions for Tough Christians

Questions you hoped no one would ever ask about:

I. Salvation
    Is salvation dependent upon your belief in a future end time, tribulation or second advent? (If you are saved by faith in Jesus Christ through His grace, and if you also believe the Second Advent happened in the generation of the disciples [as they believed], then this view will have no effect on personal salvation and hope of eternal life.) 

II. The Second Advent
     1. Did Jesus ever make a mistake? Perhaps a tiny, inconsequential one? Could He even be wrong about the time of His own return?
     Jesus said that no man knows the exact time of My return, only My Father, not even the Son.  But He gave His disciples plenty of signs to look for,  and promised He would return in their generation.
     If Jesus was wrong, or the Bible is wrong in reporting His words, this is no minor mistake!
     Now it's your turn to be right or wrong. Is Jesus coming again? Or did he come when He said?

    2.  If the Bible is the inerrant word of God, why do we insist Jesus and the disciples were mistaken? Jesus consistently maintained He would return a second time within His own generation. As expected, the disciples preached the same throughout the known world. 

    3. If the Second Advent did not occur by the end of the first century, then Jesus was mistaken about His own return. 

    4. If the Bible is the inerrant word of God, and if Jesus was NOT mistaken about His own return, then WE must be mistaken to believe the second advent has not yet occurred. 

    5. If Jesus preached He would return a second time in the first century, perhaps we ought to consider He was right! 

III. The Tribulation
      1. Is biblical Christianity and a future Seven Year Tribulation (7YT) inseparable? 

    2. If the tribulation can be shown to be entirely fulfilled to every minute historic detail in the first century, then predicting a biblical tribulation in OUR future is pure fantasy, right? The first century biblical tribulation is entirely documented in the book PROPHECY PARADOX: The Case for a First Century End Time. 
 

IV. The Law
    If the end time is still future, then all Christians must still be living under the Law as set forth in the Book of the Law of Moses. According to Matthew 5:18, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law, until all is accomplished.

V. Author's Intent vs. Interpretation
    A long time ago authors intent was studied in every English class. But this gave way to individual interpretation. How many ways can we interpret the Bible? As many ways as people who read it. But if the Bible is inspired by God, then the Lord is its author. Oh, we all love to interpret, but what ever happened to authors intent? 
    Jesus preached He would return in His own generation. How many ways can we interpret this? Or should  author's intent matter? 
    How do we determine author's intent? Foremost, intent will be evident in many parts of the work, and not just one. For example, did anyone see Saving Private Ryan? What was the author's intent? This picture oozed the message: "war is hell," wouldn't you say? After seeing that flick, I would not be in favor of any war, unless we had a real good reason. 
    If author's intent matters, check out our dilemma. A first century return oozes from the New Testament. 
 

If you prefer more challenge:

Creative Christianity: New evidence is turning up that Jesus did indeed return for His elect, in power and glory during the first century. In our attempt to place the second coming of our Lord in OUR future, rather than the generation of the Apostles, are we creatively altering the Bible to suit our own preference? 

A Christian Dilemma: time statements: Jesus taught that he would return a second time in the first century. Consequently, His disciples believed and preached He would return again in their generation. Although the first Christians were not informed of the day and hour of the Lord's return, Jesus provided a time frame for His second coming. See A Christian Dilemma: time statements for a partial list of these time statements. 

A Visible Second Coming: This list of New Testament verses shows consistent biblical intent that first century Christians would live to see both a literal and visible return of Christ to gather His elect. 

PROPHECY PARADOX: The Case for a First Century End Time. Read the historic fulfillment of prophecy.

The Seven Year Tribulation Theory: True or False? A reevaluation of the Seven Year Tribulation Theory: Numerous difficulties pose questions to its credibility. 

Bible Prophecy: Faulty Assumptions Faulty assumptions distort accurate assessment of Bible prophecy. Have you made any faulty assumptions? Check out this list! 

Order PROPHECY PARADOX: The Case for a First Century End Time by L.Schuldt  through AMAZON.COM or  the publisher. 

Link to other preterist pages  The Preterist Archive