Why has Jesus delayed his coming?

[PRW]

He didn't speak as if he would come back during the lifetime of his contemporaries, he promised it.

 

“And he said to them, "Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.” (Mark 9:1). Almost identical versions occur in Luke 9:27 and Matthew 16:28 (Mark being the first gospel written, so Luke and Matthew were undoubtedly copied from Mark.)

 

So, we have a choice to make:

 

• Jesus didn't really exist and the entire story is metaphorical
  

 

• Jesus did exist, but he didn't say that
  

 

• Jesus did exist, and he did say that, but he was wrong
  

 

• Jesus said something like that, but it was remembered/copied incorrectly
  

Whichever choice is made, it casts doubt on the entire foundation of the religion. So choose wisely.

None of the above.

 

 

He spoke of John who saw it happen in the revelation given to him by which the book of Revelation was written. He was the last surviving Disciple.

[pureinheart]

Question for christians. Why has it been 2000 years and still no Jesus?

 

Jesus spoke as if he would come back during the lifetime of his contemporaries.

 

This is one of the best explanations I could find concerning your question:

 

 

It Won't Be Much Longer - By Daniel Payne -

https://www.raptureready.com/2018/11/04/rapture-wont-much-longer-daniel-payne/

 

THE RAPTURE

 

We all know that God does what He does, no matter what we mere mortals may think of what He does.

 

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,' says the LORD. 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9).

 

He can even shroud what should be obvious to us within a mystery and hide it in plain sight. God clearly says in His Word that after He created the earth He rested on the SEVENTH day (Genesis 2:2)... and one day with the Lord is as a thousand years (2 Peter 3:8).

 

"For a thousand years in Your sight are like yesterday when it is past, and like a watch in the night" (Psalm 90:4).

 

"But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" (2 Peter 3:8).

 

God calls the millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ His rest:

 

"For we which have believed do enter into rest, as He said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into My rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For He spoke in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all His works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into My rest. Seeing therefore it remains that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief" (Hebrews 4:3-6).

 

For reasons known only to God, He pre-determined 7,000 years of earthly human history - the first 6,000 years being current human history as we know it, and the last 1,000 years being the blessed kingdom of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, during which He will physically rule here on earth with a rod of iron from Jerusalem:

 

"Judah is a lion's whelp; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He bows down, he lies down as a lion; and as a lion, who shall rouse him? The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people. Binding his donkey to the vine, and his donkey's colt to the choice vine, He washed his garments in wine, and his clothes in the blood of grapes. His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk" (Genesis 49:9-12).

 

God held the world's population in check from the time of Christ until approximately the 19th century. However, from the 1800s until today, God has allowed world population to soar exponentially, as shown by the following statistics:

 

.2 billion in A.D. 40

.3 billion in 1000, (960 years later)

.5 billion in 1500, (500 years later)

1 billion in 1804, (304 years later)

2 billion in 1927, (123 years later)

3 billion in 1960, (33 years later)

4 billion in 1974, (14 years later)

5 billion in 1987, (13 years later)

6 billion in 1999, (12 years later)

7 billion in 2011, (12 years later)

Likely closer to 8 billion in 2019

 

Today, the world's population is approximately 35 times greater than it was at the time of Christ. It was not until the technological means were firmly in place to propagate the gospel around the globe that God allowed world population to rocket skyward.

 

Well, I'm sure you smart people have come to the logical conclusion by now: There will be 6 days of work (6 thousand years) before the final day (one thousand years) of rest takes place during the millennial kingdom.

 

Here's an excerpt from "In what year did Jesus die?" - from Got Questions.org

 

Much has happened on the world stage since the time of Christ, but nothing has ever eclipsed the magnitude and meaning of what happened in AD 30-the death and resurrection of the Savior of the world.

 

As concluded in the excellent article from Got Questions, the Lord Jesus was crucified in approximately AD 30. As such, the approximate year of 2030 will mark 2,000 years from the time of Christ's death and resurrection (until the year 2030).

 

Based upon God's Word, that means that His rest (millennial kingdom) will begin sometime around 2030. Since the Tribulation is 7 years long (Daniel 9:27; Revelation 11:2-3; Daniel 12:11-12) and... 2030 minus 7 is 2023... that means that the Rapture will very likely take place by 2023.

 

If the Lord chooses to add the seven years remaining years onto the end of the 2,000 years (Age of Grace), then the Rapture would likely happen no later than 2030. Either way, it's likely no more than 4-11 years until we meet the Lord in the air.

 

Side note: Evidence exists that shows that approximately 200 years are missing from the Hebrew calendar currently in use.

 

Another interesting point is that it may well be that God chose 2,000 years to elapse from the time of Christ's death until His glorious return and rule in order to represent the fact that Jesus rose from the grave on the third day!

 

God clearly says that no one knows the day or the hour of His return (Matthew 24:36). However, He did tell us that we could know the season, and a season clearly takes place once a year:

 

The Parable of the Fig Tree (Luke 21:29-32)

 

"Then He spoke to them a parable: 'Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place.'"

 

Likewise, we should be able to discern the approximate year (all complete by 2030) of the Lord's return and His judgment upon the earth:

 

Discern the Time (Luke 12:54-56)

 

"Then He also said to the multitudes, 'Whenever you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is. And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is. Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?'"

 

It won't be long until we who believe are finally at rest from this weary earth!

 

"For we who have believed do enter that rest. There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. For he who has entered His rest has himself also ceased from his works as God did from His" (Hebrews 4:3a, 9-10)

[Ronni_W]

Question for christians. Why has it been 2000 years and still no Jesus?

 

Jesus spoke as if he would come back during the lifetime of his contemporaries.

youngskywalker,

 

Thanks to another thread, I've come to realize that your question should be directed at Jews, because Jesus' contemporaries were Jewish.

(Christianity was not invented until some time after Jesus was crucified.)

 

As I see it, this also profoundly impacts the truth of what we can logically-reasonably believe about Jesus and his Mission in that lifetime.

For instance, he could not possibly have come to redeem and save Christians (there were no Christians at that time), meaning also that he did not die for their sins,

or 'give up his body and shed his blood' for them.

 

However, Jesus, speaking as a [Jewish] Christed Being, did say, "I have come into the world as a Light, ... I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world."

 

"The world"...meaning, one can hardly argue, all of humankind; not only the peoples of one or another religion, be it a then-existing religion or one that would spring up in the future.

There is no exclusivity or discrimination that can properly be assigned to any of Jesus' words and promises -- the only requirement is to obey the Will of God and the Laws of God; that is,

to believe on and accept Christ or Christ Consciousness...whether you're Jewish or something else. It doesn't say that a new religion was needed,

and it doesn't put any restrictions on which earthly religion one 'should' or is allowed to practice; nor does it make one earthly religion superior over any other,

or give the members of any earthly religion the spiritual right or authority to judge or condemn the rest of the world.

 

So, perhaps we cannot yet see Christ manifest on Earth because of all the earthly judgment and condemnation that is going on.

[Fugu]

You don't know that Jesus delayed his coming. He will come back in God's time. Your Q is posed on humanity's timeline.

 

Think about it. The Bible states that the world was created in 6 days. Evolution proves that it was more like 6 millennium. What that tells me is that God's time is different then ours.

 

Continue to be patient. The Bible also encourages us to be vigilant as we await the Second Coming. Matthew 25:13

 

Uh, evolution proves it was a little more than six millennia.

[Fugu]

Maybe Jesus did come back, looked around, did a double-Godzilla facepalm, and left again.

 

I don't believe in a humanistic type God, but my firm belief is that if one exists, he or she's shouting at his/her big screen TV in the sky like a guy who's losing a Super Bowl - and badly.

 

Human guy: Let's see, I'm a married father of 2, but my secretary's lookin' kinda sweet. I think I'll hit just once to see what she's like. Just once, I say. What could go wrong?

 

God: No, no, don't -- Whaddya doin?! <face palm>

[Normm]

The bible is FULL of contradictions and outright factual errors. But that's to be expected from a collection of bronze- and iron-age legends and myths, passed down through generations, gathered together by committee, copied and modified countless times (with all the attendant errors that come from such a process) and used by innumerable petty tyrants to further their own particular political, economic, military and theological aims.

 

Consider this: there are more sects of Christianity (something like 33,000 - Source: World Christian Encyclopedia by Barrett, Kurian, Johnson [Oxford Univ Press, 2nd edition, 2001]) than there are sentences in the bible (just over 30,000).

 

One would think that a divine superintelligence would be able to keep the story straight.

 

Apparently not.

 

 

I wish I could write like this. The best I can come up with is "because the rock in front of the cave was too heavy for Jesus to move".

[Ronni_W]

One would think that a divine superintelligence would be able to keep the story straight.

That is exactly right...a Divine Super-Intelligence would be able to do exactly that!

 

It's just another example of why it's not reasonable-logical to believe that God has directly dictated The Bible.

But. If people don't want to use their own intellects to sort the wheat from the chaff, or to try to fix the contradictions, then God is also okay with that -

- it is why we have free will and are subject to the Cosmic-Universal Law of Cause and Effect (Consequences).

 

If your beliefs cause you to be judgmental and condemning, then you will experience the effect at some point. (The majority of Christians don't want to believe in reincarnation or Karma, even though

four passages in The New Testament point directly to it: Matthew 16:13-14, Matthew 11:14, Mark 9:12, and Matthew 17:13.)

 

Consider this: there are more sects of Christianity

That isn't really a negative; it just points out how many people have recognized the contradictions and falsities, and tried to put a bit more truth into their own spiritual/religious teachings and practice.

[alphamale]

Question for christians. Why has it been 2000 years and still no Jesus?

 

Jesus spoke as if he would come back during the lifetime of his contemporaries.

 

well, maybe he is busy doing other stuff?

[Ronni_W]

alpha,

 

You have fallen for the same nonsense that too many other Christians have also fallen for! Or, are you really also waiting for the human Being, Jesus, to stop being busy with whatever else he is doing,

so that he can attend to spiritual matters on Earth? (Which, if there isn't reincarnation, how is he coming back?)

[Osho]

Had a discussion today about how most books of religion most specifically the Bible are currently being interpreted incorrectly. From outdated translation to specific directions to influence the masses.

 

But when one truly reads through with an open mind and knowledge from all religions it’s clear that the coming of Christ was not referring to a person or soul at all but a mass of people and their awareness.

 

Christ consciousness is what’s known as a higher consciousness. Referred in other religious texts and beliefs. When interpreted from a unbiased perspective it’s easy to see that Christ has risen and will continue to do so.

 

Someone once said that the only difference between Jesus and Buddha is that one was the son of a carpenter and the other the son of a prince. In the context of the discussion he was referring to how all religions are saying the same things. And to believe one is any different than the other or offers truth while the other doesn’t is foolish. At their core they all encourage the same things. A little jem hidden by all of those doing the translations.

[Justanaverageguy]

Someone once said that the only difference between Jesus and Buddha is that one was the son of a carpenter and the other the son of a prince. In the context of the discussion he was referring to how all religions are saying the same things. And to believe one is any different than the other or offers truth while the other doesn’t is foolish. At their core they all encourage the same things. A little jem hidden by all of those doing the translations.

 

But also the whole miracle thing too right ? You know the walking on water, instantaneously healing and countless miracles he performed including raising himself from the dead. Quite the party trick that last one and really Buddha didn't do anything in his life that was even remotely in the same ball park.

 

So for me comparing Jesus to Buddha is just not a fair fight. One spoke of raising consciousness the other raising the dead to life. If you believe what both books say who's teaching would you follow ? The miracle worker who could bend the very laws of nature to his will or the meditator ?

 

I do value Buddha's teachings but see them more as a man's backward engineered explanation of how to remove suffering based on one individuals personal experience. Jesus on the other hand I see as God - the one who created it all and knows how everything works because he created it - explaining the rules to life and making a powerful promise to those who follow his teaching.

Edited February 6, 2019 by Justanaverageguy

[brigit87]

. Jesus on the other hand I see as God - the one who created it all and knows how everything works because he created it - explaining the rules to life and making a powerful promise to those who follow his teaching.

 

I don't see Jesus as that. I see him as a nice man who wanted to figure life out just like everyone else. And he was probably very charming one of the very first celebrities. But instead of TMZ humiliating him on video he got nailed to a cross.

 

God is energy that makes everything work. God doesn't care what happens, just orchestrates without judging.

[Ronni_W]

Someone once said that the only difference between Jesus and Buddha is that one was the son of a carpenter and the other the son of a prince.

That is not the only difference between the two, but the main similarity is that each one came to teach us how to attain our individual permanent ascension, even if by different paths.

 

So-called 'miracles' of the type that Jesus performed are also recorded as being done by others, in ancient Hindu and Zoroastrian texts, even before Jesus. If people are interested enough,

they can go and find these texts, which are now freely available over the Internet.

 

We are all meant to learn how to 'have dominion over the earth', (which is meant to be understood to include all levels, forces and agents of the material world of form). This is what Jesus knew,

which allowed him to perform all of the so-called 'miracles'.

 

We cannot - or, at least, should not ignore that Jesus said, "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me—or at least believe on account of the works themselves. Truly, truly, I tell you,

whoever believes in Me will also do the works that I am doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."

 

"I am in the Father" <-- not, "I am the Father". Jesus was always clear that 'the works' are to glorify God, the Father; Jesus didn't do it to glorify himself. He came to teach us how to glorify God.

[Osho]

But also the whole miracle thing too right ? You know the walking on water, instantaneously healing and countless miracles he performed including raising himself from the dead. Quite the party trick that last one and really Buddha didn't do anything in his life that was even remotely in the same ball park.

 

So for me comparing Jesus to Buddha is just not a fair fight. One spoke of raising consciousness the other raising the dead to life. If you believe what both books say who's teaching would you follow ? The miracle worker who could bend the very laws of nature to his will or the meditator ?

 

I do value Buddha's teachings but see them more as a man's backward engineered explanation of how to remove suffering based on one individuals personal experience. Jesus on the other hand I see as God - the one who created it all and knows how everything works because he created it - explaining the rules to life and making a powerful promise to those who follow his teaching.

 

Lotus flowers were said to bloom at his footsteps as a newborn. The forest he was born in was said to conspire to help his mother give birth to him. Wise priests came searching to meet him at his birth as they knew of his importance at his birth.

Many miracles surrounded his life. Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of people that attained enlightenment from only using his breathing techniques. Let alone millions that his teachings affected.

 

There’s countless stories of the miracles he preformed including the ones his students were scorned for performing in public to help others. He actually made it a rule that none of his students were allowed to preform any to encourage bringing in more followers as he wanted any people coming in to be there because they sought inner enlightenment not the ability to levitate or read minds or heal others.

 

I was raised catholic. Baptized went through communion and everything and still have in depth talks with many leaders of churches. Please do a little research about siddartha before claiming he was any less a ascended master as Jesus was.

 

And even to tickle what you know of Jesus research where he went when he disappeared for 12 years? Most speculate he learned from the same teachings that were laid fourth by siddartha. Some say he trained with the monks in Tibet. Where you can travel to today and stay long enough and you will see them perform “miracles” that Jesus preformed. Most truly enlightened souls won’t perform miracles to prove who they are to you. As they all know it’s not who they are to you. It’s who you are to you. The goal is to realize you’re as much a god as you see Jesus to be.

[Justanaverageguy]

I don't see Jesus as that. I see him as a nice man who wanted to figure life out just like everyone else. And he was probably very charming one of the very first celebrities. But instead of TMZ humiliating him on video he got nailed to a cross.

 

God is energy that makes everything work. God doesn't care what happens, just orchestrates without judging.

 

I politely but also wholeheartedly disagree. God is energy yes on that we agree - he is spirit - but he is also at the same time a living being. A personal god that emerges from the totality of that energy and he cares greatly for man and intervenes for those who follow his teachings.

 

See Jesus taught in parables. Metaphors. He used stories about earthly things people were familiar with to explain spiritual things they weren't familiar with. Example: The relationship between God and man ... Is akin to a shepherd and a flock of sheep. The shepherd watches over the flock and tries to guide and protect it.

 

Jesus life itself was also a parable. He was "God's physical stand in". A representative in human form who symbolized God the greater spirit. So his life is also metaphorical like the story of the shepherd and the sheep.

 

What Jesus did physically - represents what God does spiritually. That was the idea with all the prophets who were sent.

 

Jesus blood - his life force - is metaphorically equivalent to God's spirit. Thus Jesus giving his blood - Sacrificing his life - is symbolic of God doing the same. Giving his spirit.

 

This is the point of his death. He sacrificed himself - to represent the sacrifice God makes to heal sinners and those affected by others sin. He breaks of his own spirit to heal them. But he also set terms and conditions to be able to receive this.

 

This is the "blood" of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Yes I agree his death sounds odd if you don't understand what it represented and made available to man. But if you understand .... You also realize how much God is willing to sacrifice and intervene for man.

[OpenBook]

This is the point of his death. He sacrificed himself - to represent the sacrifice God makes to heal sinners and those affected by others sin. He breaks of his own spirit to heal them. But he also set terms and conditions to be able to receive this.

 

This is the "blood" of the covenant which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. Yes I agree his death sounds odd if you don't understand what it represented and made available to man. But if you understand .... You also realize how much God is willing to sacrifice and intervene for man.

 

He came to save us (from ourselves). And we killed Him. We KILLED Him. But we were designed & created by God, in His image. Does. Not. Compute. If I were God I'd be scratching my head saying, "What the hell did I do, creating these people?" Maybe that's why Jesus has delayed His second coming (if He indeed has) - He's not too keen on repeating that experience, being rejected by His own creation?

[Justanaverageguy]

a

He came to save us (from ourselves). And we killed Him. We KILLED Him. But we were designed & created by God, in His image. Does. Not. Compute. If I were God I'd be scratching my head saying, "What the hell did I do, creating these people?" Maybe that's why Jesus has delayed His second coming (if He indeed has) - He's not too keen on repeating that experience, being rejected by His own creation?

 

Not according to Jesus.

 

John 10:18 - No man takes my life from me, but instead I lay it down and sacrifice it of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

 

The death was orchestrated directly by god and symbolic of the greater voluntary sacrifice being made spiritually by god under the new covenant.

 

Also Jesus didn't delay his second coming. As stated previously it is what the "born again" Christian movement is. Many Christian's have received his spirit and it dwells within them and many more will continue to do so.

 

The question should be: Why has Jesus delayed his second coming to me ?

Edited February 8, 2019 by Justanaverageguy

[Woggle]

If I were Jesus and saw the state of the world and looked at the realistic chances of people actually changing their ways even if I came back I would just stay in heaven living the good life. A lot of us on earth are beyond salvation.

[brigit87]

He sacrificed himself - to represent the sacrifice God makes to heal sinners and those affected by others sin. He breaks of his own spirit to heal them. But he also set terms and conditions to be able to receive this.

 

 

Sin is personal perception. What I feel is sinful someone else might not. The human race has yet to agree upon sin. And what is sin this year may not be sin next.

 

Man is animal. God is energy. We might contain some energy that permeates the universe after death but our awareness dies with the brain.

[Ronni_W]

Man is animal. God is energy.

Humankind's physical body is earth/flesh, but our consciousness is Energy. It is this consciousness that we need to elevate to the level of Christ Consciousness,

which is the highest level of God Consciousness that can be attained in the material world of form.

Sin is personal perception. <snip> The human race has yet to agree upon sin. And what is sin this year may not be sin next.

It is not up to the human race to decide what spiritual sin is or isn't. Spiritual sins are transgressions against the Nature of God and/or the Laws of God.

 

Transgressions against God were defined before God granted spiritual Free Will; they have not changed since then, and they will not change.

The clearest listing of spiritual transgressions that I have come across is in 'Pistis Sophia', which is an esoteric work so requires personal insight to properly interpret.

(I found that some knowledge of the more-recent Ascended Master teachings is helpful with interpretation.)

 

A spiritual transgression that comes with the most severe spiritual consequences is to take on and worship a false god. It does not matter if done innocently and with good intentions, or because

one got duped by someone else or one's own ego. Thinking that God can ever be fully captured and expressed in or through any human Being on Earth, and then worshiping that human Being as God,

speaks to a lack of true spiritual understanding of God. This spiritual mistake can be easily remedied, but requires humility enough to admit that one made the mistake in the first place.

 

Jesus, through his life and teachings and crucifixion and ascension, did not make available to the human race anything new that was not already available to all the races of Earth at that time.

The Bhudda had already done it, and all the true prophets before the Bhudda. If one truly understands the teachings of both Jesus and Gautama, then one can clearly see that this is so.

[alphamale]

maybe joel osteen and his wife would know the answer?

[Haydn]

I saw him in Croydon today at Mr Patel`s spice emporium.

 

He only popped in for Madras powder but crafty Mr Patel, collared him into buying Garam masala as well.

 

Seriously though how many people claim to be Jesus?

 

Millions, maybe one of them is him......

[alphamale]

Seriously though how many people claim to be Jesus?

 

Millions, maybe one of them is him......

 

If Jesus were to come back today he'd be gunned down by the CIA

[Timshel]

You're both misguided, it would be a random nut with an AK...silly billy.

Mr. Patel is too busy to sell spice.

 

 

A person asking why Jesus hasn't visited is a person that isn't looking around. All the suffering is a direct result of self absorption. Me this, me that, me, me, did I say me yet? I'm not happy, let's talk about me. Me, me..lol.

 

 

If I were Jesus, I'd say, we ain't cooked yet...

[Garcon1986]

Look up "Kevin Bridges on God" on youtube. The real reason is because Jesus is Scottish, and he made an empty [a college frat party], and then he effed off.