I can’t overstate the importance of understand the correct meaning of the Greek word mello in the New Testament. It appears over 100 times and it always, always means some event that is “about to happen” or “about to be at a place”. When used of time, things which were imminent and expected to occur within a short time. Always. I will give a few examples and a site that gives every single usage of the word.

Jesus prophesied his coming crucifixion, he told his disciples that the Son of Man “is about to” [Gk: μέλλει : mellei] suffer at the hands of certain men (Matt 17:12).
Jesus repeated that prophecy, saying that the Son of Man “is about to” [Gk: μέλλει : mellei] be delivered into the hands of men (Matt 17:22).  The same in Luke 9:34. Matt 20:22 – Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am [Gk: μέλλω : mello : I am about to] to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” Luke 9:31 – who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to [Gk: ἤμελλεν : emellen : was about to] accomplish at Jerusalem. Luke 10:1 – After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to [Gk: ἤμελλεν : emellen : was about to] go. Here is the site for more examples. https://parousiafulfilled.com/mello-about-to-happen/index.php

Why is this word so important? B/c it helps us understand the New Testament in its original context and its relevance to those it was written to. But here’s the catch. The translators of the New Testament from the Greek have no trouble correctly translating the word mello as “about to” when it is used of an event about to happen or about to be at a place except when the word is used with the imminent 2nd coming of Jesus or the judgement that was “about to come” on that first century generation of Jews. They will usually translate the word as “certainly” going to happen, etc, but not “about to happen”. That totally destroys the context of the verse! They do not translate it correctly as “about to” b/c that would go against traditional church dogma that said that Jesus’ 2nd coming is still in the future (going on 2000 years and counting). Here are some examples. The usual incorrect translations of the word will be crossed out in these verses along with the correct translation. Only translations like Young’s Literal Translation translate mello correctly as “about to”.

Matthew 16:27 – the Son of Man is going to i [Gk: μέλλει : mellei : is about to] come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. The imminency of the 2nd coming is obvious when you read the next verse: 16:²⁸ “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.” This is imminent 2nd coming and not the transfiguration that would shortly happen b/c there was no judgment involved in the transfiguration but there was to be a judgement in Matthew 16:27. The only predictions Jesus made of his 2nd coming all say that he was coming back within the lifetime of those he was speaking to: Matthew 10:²³ “But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you (i.e. the apostles that he is talking to)will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.” Matthew 24:³⁰ 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. ³⁴ Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (the Greek word genea in the New Testament always means a 40 year period or the people living in a 40 year period). Matthew 26:⁶⁴ Jesus *said to him, “You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you (at least some of those he was speaking to) will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” There are no other predictions of Jesus coming again at any time after the generation that he was speaking to. None.

Matthew 3:7 – But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to [Gk: μελλούσης : mellouses : which is about to] come? John the Baptist was predicting the judgment on the Jews that was about to come on the nation in 70 AD. The same in Luke 3:7. Acts 17:31 – because he has fixed a day on which he will i [Gk: μέλλει : mellei : is about to] judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” 2 Timothy 4:1 – I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is [Gk: μέλλοντος : mellontos : is about to] to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom. Luke 21:36 – But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to i [Gk: μέλλοντα : mellonta : are about to] take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” In Luke 21 (also Matthew 24 and Mark 13) Jesus was predicting the destruction of Jerusalem that was “about to happen” in 70 AD.

Revelation 1:19 YLT – Write the things that thou hast seen, and the things that are, and the things that are about to [Gk: μέλλει : mellei : is (are) about to] iii ) come after these things.” The events predicted in Revelation were about to happen, not things to happen thousands of years later. The same in Revelation 2:10; 3:10,16; 6:11; 8:13; 12:5. The 2nd coming of Jesus was imminent when John wrote this letter, as seen from “I am coming quickly” (Revelation 22:7,12,20). Revelation 1:⁷ Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. Revelation begins and ends sayin that the events it is predicting will “shortly take place” for “the time is near” (Revelation 1:1,3; 22:6,10). To make the events predicted in Revelation to be things that haven’t even happened 2,000 years later (and counting) is to say that the predictions in Revelation failed to come to pass and that the book is false prophecy.

Hebrews 6:5 – and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to [Gk: μέλλοντος : mellontos : which is about to] come. That would be the Messianic Age about to come in its fullness in 70 AD when the Mosaic Age would end and the Law was about to “disappear” in 70 AD. Hebrews 8:¹³ When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is about to disappear (eggus: Near, close, at hand: a different Greek word than mello but same idea of “about to”. The book of Hebrews is all about the judgement to come on the Jews in 70 AD, trying to keep Jewish Christians from leaving faith in Christ and going back to trusting in the old covenant which would lead to them suffering the same judgment in 70 AD as the evil unbelieving Jews whom the Romans killed in the siege of the city (one million killed).

Romans 8:18,38 YLT ii – 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory about to [Gk: μέλλουσαν : mellousan : about to] be revealed in us; … 38 for I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor messengers, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things about to be [Gk: μέλλοντα : mellonta : about to (be)]. This is an important passage b/c Romans 8:18-24 predicts that the “creation” will be released from its suffering which many interpret to be the earth being re-created to its Garden of Eden form at Jesus’ 2nd coming. But notice that 8:18 says that whatever is about to happen with the creation is “about to” happen in the time frame of those Paul is writing to. Several opinions on whether the creation being released from its slavery is referring to people (which is what I believe) or the physical creation, but either way it had to happen in the first century and not at least 2000 years later (and counting). It makes sense that he is talking about people being glorified in 70 AD when it would be shown that the Chistians, not Jews, were the true people of God. Again, the word mello in 8:18 changes the whole way we look at the fulfillment of this prediction. 1 Peter 5:1 – So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to i [Gk: μελλούσης : mellouses : which is about to] be revealed (at 70 AD) . The same idea as in Romans 8:18. In 70 AD God would show world, once for all time, that Christians are His chosen people, not the Jews. Jesus predicted that he was going to take away the kingdom from the Jews and give it to a people who would produce fruit for him Matthew 21:⁴³ Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruit.” That “people” would be Jew and Gentile Christians. 1 Peter 2:⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰ for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 

I’m sure that many readers aren’t very interested in the study of Greek words or eschatology, but I urge you to do a serious study of the word mello. It changes the way you interpret many doctrines concerning the 2nd coming or the judgement. But it also shows you that the predictions of the New Testament came true in the time frame of the people they were made to. Otherwise someone could say that the New Testament made many predictions that were to be fulfilled in the first century that never came true, and thus that the New Testament is full of false prophecies (which is exactly what atheists say). Keep studying