Interplanner
Well-known member
NT eschatology is either about the 1st century situation in Judea OR about a distant future final day of judgement.
At first, the two parts were not separated at all. In Luke (chronicling and compiling for Paul) ch 21 allows no separation. Everything I find in Paul makes it sound quite soon (ex., I Cor 7). But Mk 13's parable of the attentive servants, and Mt24B's "only the Father knows" and 2 Peter 3's explanation and defense of a delay before the final judgement all allow a separation.
Church historian Lattourrette records that accounting for the delay between Mt24A and B was the first thing the remaining apostles had to sort out, Vol 1, p43. It became as clear as historic fact that Christ meant a delay would take place between the destruction of Israel in 70AD and the 2nd coming. It was about 75 years later when the idea occurred to Irenaeus that there might be another round of events in Israel in that future that replicated what had happened back in the 6th decade. It's not a strong case, but I see why he did. Since then, people have either anchored things in the past or the future instead of letting the delay be a factor when it was.
There is nothing but confusion if the two kinds of events are mixed. God does not cause confusion.
At first, the two parts were not separated at all. In Luke (chronicling and compiling for Paul) ch 21 allows no separation. Everything I find in Paul makes it sound quite soon (ex., I Cor 7). But Mk 13's parable of the attentive servants, and Mt24B's "only the Father knows" and 2 Peter 3's explanation and defense of a delay before the final judgement all allow a separation.
Church historian Lattourrette records that accounting for the delay between Mt24A and B was the first thing the remaining apostles had to sort out, Vol 1, p43. It became as clear as historic fact that Christ meant a delay would take place between the destruction of Israel in 70AD and the 2nd coming. It was about 75 years later when the idea occurred to Irenaeus that there might be another round of events in Israel in that future that replicated what had happened back in the 6th decade. It's not a strong case, but I see why he did. Since then, people have either anchored things in the past or the future instead of letting the delay be a factor when it was.
There is nothing but confusion if the two kinds of events are mixed. God does not cause confusion.