First of all, who is Bart Ehrman. (AI) “Bart Ehrman is an American New Testament scholar who studies the historical Jesus, the origins of Christianity, and the New Testament’s textual criticism. He is a James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.”

According to Bart Ehrman, Jesus was a false prophet. ” Historical scholars for over a century have maintained that Jesus predicted that the end of history as we know it was to come in his own generation. Conservative Christians — laypeople and scholars alike — have insisted that this is a complete misportrayal of Jesus. And many people — possibly most? — believe that if Jesus really did preach this message, not only was he obviously wrong but also Christianity cannot possibly be true. A Jesus who was *demonstrably* mistaken about a central element of his preaching could not be a prophet of God, let alone the Savior of the world.” (Bart Ehrman Blog, May 1, 2023).

“But then God would intervene in an act of cosmic judgment in which he destroyed the forces of evil and set up a good kingdom here on earth, an actual physical kingdom ruled by his representative. This cataclysmic judgment would affect all people. Those who had sided with evil (and prospered as a result) would be destroyed, and those who had sided with God (and been persecuted and harmed as a result) would be rewarded.Moreover, this future judgment applied not only to the living but also to the dead. At the end of this age, God would raise everyone from the dead to face either eternal reward or eternal punishment. And so, no one should think they could side with the forces of evil, prosper, as a result, become rich, powerful, and influential, and then die and get away with it. No one could get away with it. God would raise everyone from the dead for judgment, and there was not a sweet thing anyone could do to stop him.And when would this happen? When would the judgment come? When would this new rule, the Kingdom of God, begin? “Truly I tell you, some of you standing here will not taste before you see the kingdom of God come in power.” The words of Jesus (Mark 9:1). Jesus was not talking about a kingdom you would enter when you died and went to heaven: he was referring to a kingdom here on earth, to be ruled by God. Or as he says later, when asked when the end of the age would come, “Truly I tell you, This generation will not pass away before all these things take place.”” (Bart Ehrman blog, April 2,2022).

Of course, the test for a false prophet is found in Deuteronomy: “When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously….that prophet shall die” (Deuteronomy 18:22, 20). So, Bart Ehrman would be correct in saying that Jesus is a false prophet and certainly not the Savior of the world. Christianity would fall also since it is built on Jesus Christ.

The Quest for the Historical Jesus was written by Albert Schweitzer (Lutheran theologian, 1875-1965 AD). He believed that Jesus and his followers expected the world to end soon and that Jesus believed he was living at the end of time. Schweitzer’s book The Quest of the Historical Jesus summarizes his views on the subject: Schweitzer studied and cross-referenced many Bible verses that promised the Son of Man’s return. For example, he noted that Jesus told his disciples that the world would end before their generation passed. First-century Christian: Schweitzer believed that first-century Christians literally believed that Jesus’s promise would be fulfilled soon. Modern Christianity: Schweitzer believed that modern versions of Christianity ignore the urgency of Jesus’s message.

Schweitzer’s views on Jesus were different from those of his liberal contemporaries. He believed that Jesus was a heroic figure driven by an apocalyptic vision.” But, of course, Schweitzer believed that Jesus and the apostles were mistaken about their predictions of an imminent 2nd coming. Schweitzer would conclude that Jesus was a “heroic figure” but a false prophet nonetheless.

Schweitzer is technically correct when the says that “modern versions of Christianity ignore the urgency of Jesus’s message.” Allow me to explain why I say that.

Jesus only made 4 predictions about a “2nd coming” or “coming again”.

Matthew 10:²³ `And whenever they may persecute you in this city, flee to the other, for verily I say to you, ye may not have completed the cities of Israel till the Son of Man may come.” This states that the “2nd coming” must occur within the generation of the apostles and their commission to preach the gospel to all of Israel and to the whole world.

Matthew 16:²⁷ `For, the Son of Man is about to come in the glory of his Father, with his messengers, and then he will reward each, according to his work.” The Greek for “about to” is mello and it always means something about to happen or about to be in a certain place.” https://parousiafulfilled.com/mello-about-tohappen/index.php#:~:text=Clearly%20the%20authors%20of%20the,very%20SOON%E2%80%A6%20in%20their%20lifetime. Jesus clearly predicted that He was “about to come” back in judgment. BTW only Young’s LIteral Translation and a few others translate mello consistently as “about to”, including its usage in “end of time” eschatological passages like this one. Most translatations just translate it as “certainly will come” when it is used with eschatological passages although they translate it as “agout to” in non-eschatological passages. Why would they do that? Probably because the translators realize the implications if Jesus falsely predicted an imminent 2nd coming that did not happen soon.

Matthew 24:³⁰ and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in the heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth smite the breast, and they shall see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of the heaven, with power and much glory; ³⁴ Verily I say to you, this generation may not pass away till all these may come to pass.” The Greek word for generation is genea and it always means a period of about 40 years or the people living in a period of about 40 years. Thayer explains it, giving Matthew 24:34 and Mark 13:30 as examples, “the whole multitude of men living at the time . . . used especially of the Jewish race living at one and the same period” (Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Publishing House, 1979, p. 112). G. Abbott-Smith writes that the Greek word genea means “race, stock, family,” but in the New Testament always “generation” (G. Abbott-Smith, Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament, 2nd ed., Edinburgh: T.&T. Clarke, 1923, p. 89). Arndt and Gingrich note that the term means “literally, those descended from a common ancestor,” but “basically, the sum total of those born at the same time, expanded to include all those living at a given time, generation, contemporaries” (W.F. Arndt and F.W. Gingrich, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1957, p. 153). (From Thayer explains it, giving Matthew 24:34 and Mark 13:30 as examples, “the whole multitude of men living at the time . . . used especially of the Jewish race living at one and the same period“. From Jews for Judaism, which is not a Jewish Christian site. Here Jewish non Christians are saying that Jesus definitely predicted that his 2nd coming would be within the next 40 or so years and that Jesus was mistaken. It also says that any attempt to make the word generation mean simply “race” is wrong and goes against reputable Greek lexicons.

Mark 8: ³⁸ for whoever may be ashamed of me, and of my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also shall be ashamed of him, when he may come in the glory of his Father, with the holy messengers.’ Mark 9:1  And he said to them, `Verily I say to you, That there are certain of those standing here, who may not taste of death till they see the reign of God having come in power.'” Jesus clearly predicted that some of those he was speaking to would still be alive when he came back (his “2nd coming”). If someone still wants to say that generation just means “race”, and that Jesus is only predicting that the Jewish race will still exist at his 2nd coming, this verse is a killer. It says that some would still be alive. Period. That is either true of Jesus is a false prophet.

Matthew 26:⁶⁴ Jesus saith to him, `Thou hast said; nevertheless I say to you (i.e. Caiaphas the high priest), hereafter ye shall see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of the power, and coming upon the clouds, of the heaven.'” We don’t know for sure how long Caiaphas lived, but I believe Jesus that he lived long enough to at least see the beginning of the events of the 2nd coming. Or else Jesus is a false prophet.

There are no other predictions (other than the parallel passages in Mark and Luke which read the same) from Jesus about his 2nd coming or the time of his 2nd coming. That’s it. Any doctrine about the 2nd coming must be taken from these passages. Period.

Schweitzer is right that “modern versions of Christianity ignore the urgency of Jesus’s message.” In other words, most Christians and Christian scholars simply read these predictions and ignore the fact that Jesus is clearly saying that his 2nd coming will be within the next 40 or so years. They might try to use the “generation” is “the Jewish race” but we see that isn’t the Greek meaning, and that doesn’t explain Mark 8:38-9:1 “some will still be alive”. Or they may say, “yes, Jesus predicted an imminent 2nd coming but postponed it due to his rejection by the Jews”. But Hebrews refutes that idea: Hebrews 10:³⁵ Ye may not cast away, then, your boldness, which hath great recompense of reward, ³⁶ for of patience ye have need, that the will of God having done, ye may receive the promise, ³⁷ for yet a very very little, He who is coming will come, and will not tarry (chronizó: To delay, to tarry, to take time); ³⁸ and `the righteous by faith shall live,’ and `if he may draw back, My soul hath no pleasure in him,’ ³⁹ and we are not of those drawing back to destruction, but of those believing to a preserving of soul.”

Some might be so bold to say that “Jesus did predict an imminent 2nd coming but was “mistaken”. The classic on this is from C.S.Lewis who claimed that Mattew 10:23 and 24:34 were the most embarrassing verses in the Bible b/c Jesus was mistaken, thinking that his 2nd coming was imminent and within the generation of those he was speaking to. So, even though Lewis became a Christian, here is how he tried to explain Jesus’ mistaken beliefs: …” But there is worse to come. ‘Say what you like,’ we shall be told, ‘the apocalyptic beliefs of the first Christians have been proved to be false. It is clear from the New Testament that they all expected the Second Coming in their own lifetime. And, worse still, they had a reason, and one which you will find very embarrassing. Their Master had told them so. He shared, and indeed created, their delusion. He said in so many words, “this generation shall not pass till all these things be done.” And He was wrong. He clearly knew no more about the end of the world than anyone else.’

It is certainly the most embarrassing verse in the Bible. Yet how teasing, also, that within fourteen words of it should come the statement ‘But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.’ The one exhibition of error and the one confession of ignorance grow side by side. That they stood thus in the mouth of Jesus Himself, and were not merely placed thus by the reporter, we surely need not doubt. Unless the reporter were perfectly honest he would never have recorded the confession of ignorance at all; he could have had no motive for doing so except a desire to tell the whole truth. And unless later copyists were equally honest they would never have preserved the (apparently) mistaken prediction about ‘this generation’ after the passage of time had shown the (apparent) mistake. This passage (Mark 13:30–32) and the cry ‘Why hast thou forsaken me?’ (Mark 15:34) together make up the strongest proof that the New Testament is historically reliable. The evangelists have the first great characteristic of honest witnesses: they mention facts which are, at first sight, damaging to their main contention.

The facts, then, are these: that Jesus professed Himself (in some sense) ignorant, and within a moment showed that He really was so. To believe in the Incarnation, to believe that He is God, makes it hard to understand how He could be ignorant; but also makes it certain that, if He said He could be ignorant, then ignorant He could really be. For a God who can be ignorant is less baffling than a God who falsely professes ignorance. The answer of theologians is that the God-Man was omniscient as God, and ignorant as Man. This, no doubt, is true, though it cannot be imagined. Nor indeed can the unconsciousness of Christ in sleep be imagined, nor the twilight of reason in His infancy; still less His merely organic life in His mother’s womb. But the physical sciences, no less than theology, propose for our belief much that cannot be imagined.”

Wow! Lewis says that Jesus was mistaken in his belief in an imminent 2nd coming, but that’s okay b/c he then said that Jesus admitted his ignorance since “no man, not even the Son, knew the exact day of his 2nd coming. That is not an acceptable explanation! Jesus did not say that he “might be coming back soon”. He said that he was coming back soon. The test for a false prophet is Deuteronomy 18:“When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously….that prophet shall die” Jesus would be a false prophet to be stoned to death if his prediction did not come true. Period. William Miller predicted that Jesus was coming back on March 23, 1843 and it didn’t happen. He will go down in history as a false prophet. Why would our assessmenet of Jesus be any different? Jesus added that he did not know the exact day, but that doesn’t take away his prediction about the 2nd coming to happen within that generation whild some were still alive. Jesus gave signs to look for the 2nd coming, but he never gave the exact date of it. If he gave the exact date, most would wait till that day to repent! I’m glad C.S.Lewis became a Christian in spite of his questioning of Jesus’ predictions, but he was wrong, and any atheist, Muslim, Jew, or agnostic can see the fallacy of his reasoning.

So, Jesus predicted he would come back (his 2nd coming) within that generation (Matthew 24:30,34)that he was speaking to (within the next 40 years or so), while some listening to him were still alive (Mark 9;1). Well did he? Yes. He came in judgment on the wicked Jewish nation in 70 AD when He sent the Romans to destroy the temple and the city of Jerusalem, which they did under Titus.

That coming is described with a lot of figurative language similar to judgments on nations in the Old Testament. For example, Matthew 24:²⁹ “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. ³⁰ 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.” That had to occur within that generation (24:30), within the next 40 years or so. But did the “stars fall from the sky” withiin the next 40 years? Not literally. But Isaiah 13 predicted the fall of Babylon, which happened in 539 BC, using similar language. Isaiah 19:10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash their light; The sun will be dark when it rises And the moon will not shed its light.” Did the stars quit shining (there are billions of stars) when that predicttion was fulfilled? No. That is tyypical apocalyptic figurative language, a way of saying a big catastrophic event was going to occur, a change in the way things were governed on earth. Isaiah 34:4 is another example: “For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not flash their light; The sun will be dark when it rises And the moon will not shed its light.” This again was a judgment on nations back in Isaiah’s time. So the stars did not have to fall in 70 AD for Matthew 24:30-34 to be fulfilled in 70 AD.

I hope this challenges you to study this topic if you haven’t already done so. Too many Christians just ignore the seriousness of this topic. We must defend Jesus as a true prophet. The alternative is that he was just another false prophet and our faith in Christianity is void and He is not the Savior of the world.