WAS MARK 16:9-20 IN THE ORIGINAL TEXT OF MARK’S GOSPE? THE MANUSCRIPT EVIDENCE Here is a good article that I suggest you read on this topic https://www.gotquestions.org/Mark-16-9-20.html I am not a Greek scholar, but a couple of key points stand out. “Two of the oldest and most respected manuscripts, the Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, do not contain the longer ending to the Gospel of Mark. Both of those ancient Greek manuscripts end at Mark 16:8. They are given credence because, the older the manuscript, the closer it is to the original autographs. The fewer generations of copies, the fewer opportunities for deviation, and thus an older manuscript can be assumed to be more accurate than a newer one. Since the oldest manuscripts do not contain Mark 16:9–20, many scholars doubt that these verses were in the original Gospel of Mark.” There are also 2 shorter endings to Mark 16 that appear in some ancient manuscripts, which to me suggests that some copyists thought that the book ended abruptly and sought to add something to the ending. That would support the idea that it ended with 16:8.  However, the Long Ending is present in over 95% of other Greek manuscripts, That makes you wonder how so many other manuscripts would have it if it was not in any of the oldest manuscripts. That would be strong support for the long ending. So the question is whether to rely on its absence in two of the very oldest manuscripts versus its presence in the vast majority of manuscripts. Almost all scholars reject the long ending of Mark.

EVIDENCE FOR AND AGAINST THE LONG ENDING FROM THE EARLY CHURCH FATHERS: The evidence from the early church fathers is mixed. “Evidence from the church fathers in favor of Mark 16:9–20 is even earlier than the oldest manuscript evidence. Irenaeus wrote book three of Against Heresies when Eleutherius was bishop of Rome (174–189)—at least a century before Vaticanus was produced. There Irenaeus wrote, “Also, towards the conclusion of his Gospel, Mark says, ‘So then, after the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sits on the right hand of God” (3.10.5). Irenaeus’s copy of Mark obviously included Mark 16:9–20, since he is quoting here from Mark 16:19.” (James Snapp, Jr) Also, Tatian’s Diatessaron (c. 170) (a harmony of the 4 gospels) also included it.So that is strong 2nd century proof in support of the long ending. However, “both (church fathers) Eusebius of Caesarea and Jerome specifically commented on the long ending of Mark (16:9-20), noting that it was absent from the majority of Greek manuscripts available to them in the 4th and 5th centuries. They recognized that the most accurate copies ended at Mark 16:8.” (AI) Jerome did include it in his 4th century Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible, which is interesting. That is strong proof against the long ending since it shows that many of the early church fathers rejected the long ending. On the other hand, “some arguments suggest that while only a few very early fathers (2nd century) explicitly cite it, over 40 patristic sources across the early church period use material from Mark 16:9-20 in some form.” (AI) As I said, the. evidence from the early church fathers is mixed.

DOES THE CONTENT OF THE LONG ENDING SUPPORT OR REJECT ITS AUTHENTICITY? Those refuting the long ending also say that the long ending introduced questionable new doctrines like baptism before a believer is saved, drinking of poison, and handling of snakes. That argument doesn’t help decide if the text is genuine or not, which must be determined by manuscript evidence alone. The rest of the New Testament supports baptism before salvation (Acts 2:38) so that is not an issue. The healing of the sick, speaking in tongues, and casting out demons are signs in the book of Acts. The drinking of poison and handling of snakes as signs following the conversion of believers does seem unusual. The only mention in the New Testament of snakes is Paul being bitten by a poisonous snake in Malta and not being harmed. But there is none of the “snake handlng” practiced by some groups in church history. “Snake handling churches are independent, fundamentalist Pentecostal congregations, primarily located in the rural Appalachian region of the United States, that incorporate the handling of venomous snakes into their worship services. Based on a literal interpretation of Mark 16:17-18, followers believe that taking up snakes serves as a test of faith, a demonstration of the Holy Spirit’s power, and a sign of protection for true believers.” (AI) There is no mention of drinking poison in the New Testament. Some of the same snake handling groups also practice the drinking of poison. “While many participants claim to be unharmed, there have been documented cases of illness and death resulting from both snakebites and poison consumption. Adherents generally refuse medical attention, believing that if they are harmed or die, it was God’s will or a sign of insufficient faith.” (AI) The introduction of these two unusual new doctrines doesn’t support or refute the authenticity of the long ending, but it is an interesting discussion. If the long ending was not in the original text of Mark but added later, it makes me wonder why the person(s) adding the long ending would add these 2 unusual doctrines about snakes handling and drinking poison as signs. If the long ending was added after the first century, then the person(s) adding it would have access to the New Testament books (all of which were written before 70 AD) and would know that those 2 signs were not mentioned in the book of Acts or the letters (other than Paul being randomly bitten by a snake).

CONCLUSION I lean toward rejecting the long ending based on the evidence discussed above. But one of thee points sticks out to me in support of the long ending. If 95% of the other Greek manuscripts have the identical long endings, how could that be if it was not in any of the oldest manuscripts. At what point in time would someone have added the long ending and then almost all copyists after that started including the long ending in their copies? If the long ending was not in the original Mark text, that takes away a great verse on baptism being essential to salvation that we Church of Christ like to use (“he that believes and is baptized shall be saved”, Mark 16:16), but, as I said, the rest of the New Testament supports that doctrine of baptism before salvation. Acts 2:³⁸ Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” In that verse, baptism comes before the remission of sins. In Acts 22, Saul was told ¹⁶ Now why do you delay? Get up and be baptized, and wash away your sins by calling on His name.” In that verse, baptism comes before the washing away of sins. Many say that baptism is an outward sign to show that your sins have been washed away, but that’s not what Acts 22:16 says. Paul says in Romans 6:3-5 that we rise from baptism to walk in newness of life (thus new spiritual life after baptism). 1 Peter 3:²¹ Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ.” Peter is comparing Noah being saved by (not “from” although that would also be true) the flood waters from the sinful environment on the e Peter says that in like manner baptism saves and the obvious comparison is to water baptism that saves us from sin, not fleshly dirt. Often I’ve heard preachers boldly teach “baptism does not save” and I wonder if they’ve read 1 Peter 3:16. Now if they mean that baptism alone does not save, I agree. If they mean that baptism is not a work to earn salvation, I agree. But in the new Testament salvation is by grace through faith but baptism is an essential part of faith that saves, so Peter is correct to say that “baptism saves you”. So, we don’t need Mark 16:16 to support baptism before salvation.

SHOULD IT BOTHER US IF THE LONG ENDING WAS NOT IN THE ORIGINAL MARK TEXT? So should it bother us that so many verses in 95% of the manuscripts might not even be in the original Mark text? It doesn’t bother me. We don’t have the originals and we know there are many variants in the over 5,000 copies. Those variants are almost always minor and of no consequence or impact on major doctrines. Some say we have over 99% of the originals in our best translations. The early church fathers quoted or cited all but 11 verses of the New Testament. So if the long ending in Mark is just a longer variant that might not be in the original Mark, that doesn’t bother me. The same goes for the story in John 8 of the woman caught in the act of adutery which almost everyone believes was not in the original text of the gospel of John.

ZECHARIAH 6:11-15 Haggai and Zechariah were the two prophets sent by God to get the people back to work on rebuilding the temple. The fist return from Babylonian exile was to rebuild the temple, but the work stopped for 16 years due to opposition of the surrounding Samaritans. This study is about Zechariah 6:11-15. ¹¹ Also take silver and gold, make an ornate crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest. ¹² Then say to him, ‘The Lord of armies says this: “Behold, there is a Man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the Lord. ¹³ Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the Lord, and He who will bear the majesty and sit and rule on His throne. So He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices.”’ ¹⁴ Now the crown will become a reminder in the temple of the Lord to Helem, Tobijah, Jedaiah, and Hen the son of Zephaniah. ¹⁵ Those who are far away will come and build the temple of the Lord.” Then you will know that the Lord of armies has sent me to you. And it will take place if you completely obey the Lord your God.”

JESUS, HIGH PRIEST AND KING AT THE SAME TIME AND HE WOULD BUILD HIS CHURCH TEMPLE: This is an amazing Messianic prediction. It starts with God telling Zechariah to put a king’s crown on the high priest Joshua, which would be very unusual since a high priest could not also be a king. Kings came from the tribe of Judah and high priests from the tribe of Levi. But the next verses explain why God told him to do that. It was a symbol of Jesus (called the Branch as in Zechaariah 3:8; Isaiah 4:2;11:1; Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15) one day being both king and high priest at the same time. The book of Hebrews shows that Jesus is our high priest after the order of Melchizadek, replacing the high priesthood of Levi. Revelation 19:16: Explicitly states, “On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS”. Revelation 17:14: Mentions that the Lamb (Jesus) will conquer, as He is “Lord of lords and King of kings”. Revelation 11:“The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.” Zechariah 6:13 adds that the “counsel of peace will be between the two offices”. “The “counsel of peace” refers to the harmonious union of the kingly and priestly offices within one person, the Messianic “Branch” (Jesus Christ). This signifies a divine, eternal plan to reconcile humanity with God, uniting the atonement of the Priest with the ruling power of the King.” (AI) Zechariah adds that the Branch Jesus will “build the temple of the Lord”. This is a prediction of Jesus building His chuch, a spiritual temple. Ephesians 2:¹⁹ So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, ²⁰ having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, ²¹ in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, ²² in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” He did not come to build a physical temple, as discussed in the next paragraph. The church is Jesus’ temple.Zechariah 6:15 also adds that “those who are far away will come and build the temple of the Lord.” That would either be Jews who were scattered over the Roman Empire who would preach the gospel in the book of Acts, thus helping build the church temple that Jesus would build (6:12-13), or maybe even the Gentiles who were far off (Ephessians 2:12ff) who would help build the church temple. I lean toward the first interpretation.

JESUS DID BUILD HIS CHUCH TEMPLE AND ESTABLISH A SPIRITUAL KINGDOM IN THE FIRST CENTURY: Jesus is both our high priest and king at the same time. The Hebrews letter says that Jesus is our high priest in heaven, having entered the Holy of Holies in heaven into the very presence of God to offer his blood for the sins of the world once for all time. No one would dispute that. But did He establish His kingdom already and is He reigning as King over that kingdom already, or is He coming back some day to. set up an earthly kingdom? This is where the nature of Jesus’ kingdom comes in. Jesus taught “the kingdom is at hand” (Mark 1:15). “At hand” means soon, shortly in. the time frame of those Jesus was talking to. Jesus said in Matthew 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.” Jesus is a false prophet if he did not return in His established kingdom while some of those he was talking to were still alive. Paul wrote in Colossians 1:¹³ For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. Paul is saying that the Colossian Christians were in Jesus’ kingdom. Jesus told Peter, Matthew 16:¹⁸ And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” This verse shows that the church is the kingdom that Jesus planned to build. When did Peter use those keys to allow saved sinners to enter that church kingdom? When he preached the first “gospel” sermon in Acts 2 and 3,000 were baptized and became Jesus’ first church of the saved. Peter used those keys to the kingdom to open the doors into the kingdom. Jesus said in John 18:³⁶ Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.” Jesus did not come to establish a physical earthly kingdom. He established a spiritual kingdom, the church. He is not coming back to establish an earthly kingdom some day as most teach.

HEBREWS 8: JESUS CANNOT BE A KING ON EARTH Next I want to go to Hebrews 8 to show that Jesus cannot be a king on earth. Hebrews 8:1 Now the main point in what has been said is this: we have such a high priest, who has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, ² a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord set up, not man. ³ For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices; so it is necessary that this high priest also have something to offer. ⁴ Now if He were on earth, He would not be a priest at all, since there are those who offer the gifts according to the Law.” Now remember from Zechariah 6 that Jesus is both high priest and king at the same time. He is high priest in heaven, so he must be king in heaven also. If he were on earth, he could not be high priest (at the time of writing of Hebrews when the high priest was still active in the Holy of Holies) b/c He was not of the tribe of Levi (at the time of writing a high priest on earth would have to be from the tribe of Levi but Jesus was from the tribe of Judah). So, since he must be king and high priest at the same time, and since He can’t be high priest on earth, then He can’t be king on earth of some earthly kingdom. So, those who teach that Jesus will one day come back and establish an earthly kingdom over which He will be king will have a major problem: i.e. if he did that, He could no longer be our high priest. This is one of those syllogistic logic arguments. a) Jesus could not be our high priest on earth (Hebrews 8) b) Jesus is both king and high priest at the same time (Zechariah 6) in heaven c) Therefore, Jesus cannot be both high priest and king on earth.

WHY I THIS SO OFTEN MISUNDERSTOOD? I really don’t know why this concept of Jesus’ kingdom being a spiritual kingdom, not physical, is so misunderstood by Bible teachers who say that Jesus is going to come back some day to set up an earthly kingdom. That false expectation of Jesus returning to set up an earthly kingdom is the basis of many other false teachings. The spiritual kingdom of Jesus was set up during the transition period from the beginning of the church in AD 30 to the confirmation and final consummation of the kingdom in 70 AD after the destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish temple.Very similar to our change of government when we elect a new president. There is the election and then a transition period until the inauguration a few months later. That is why you will find passages like Colossians 1:13 where the Christians are “already” in the kingdom, the church, but also passages like Acts 14:22 which talks about the Christians entering the kingdom in their future; so “already, not yet”. Are people just so bent on getting physical blessings that they can’t accept the spiritual blessings?

If you are old enough, you remember getting up every day to tune in the the latest in the 51 day siege of the Mt Carmel compound where David Koresh and his followers were hold up. You also probably saw on TV the fire brake out on the compound.

WHO WAS DAVID KORESH AND WHAT HAPPENED AT WACO, TEXAS IN 1993? : “The Branch Davidians were a group that spit off the 7th Day Adventists in the 1950s. David Koresh took control in the late 1980s, claiming to be the final prophet before the 2nd coming of Jesus and the only one who could interpret the “Seven Seals” of the Book of Revelation. They believed they were preparing for the end of the world (Armageddon) and adhered to strict rules, including communal living on the Mt. Carmel compound in Waco, Texas. Koresh, who considered himself the “Lamb” of the Book of Revelation, preached an imminent apocalypse, arguing his followers had to fight “Babylon” (the US government). He required members to surrender all personal assets, dictated strict diets, and, despite his claims to be married to one woman, took multiple, including underage (some as young as 12), “spiritual wives. The group was investigated for stockpiling illegal weapons. Following reports of illegal weapons manufacturing, including machine guns, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF) attempted to raid the Mount Carmel compound on February 28, 1993. A shootout resulted in the deaths of four agents and six Davidians. A 51-day standoff with the FBI ensued, marked by psychological warfare, including blasting loud music and screams of slaughtered animals to deprive the residents of sleep.On April 19, 1993, a fire destroyed the compound. While some survivors escaped, 76 people, including at least 26 children, died. David Koresh was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head. The siege brought a lot of public scrutiiny to the tactics of the FBI.” Today, small groups of survivors and new followers still exist; a new chapel stands at the original Mount Carmel site, though the remaining members are split between those who still revere Koresh and those who believe he corrupted the original faith. Branch Davidian survivors today are scattered, with some, like Clive Doyle, maintaining faith and community in Waco, expecting Koresh’s resurrection, Kiri Jewell, a former child member survivor, has spoken out about abuse in the cult, highlighting the lasting impact on children.” (AI)

DID YOU KNOW THAT THE OKLAHOMA CITY BOMBING OF 1995 WAS CONNECTED TO THE WACO SIEGE? “The tragedy became a rallying cry for anti-government groups and was cited by Timothy McVeigh as the primary motivation for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing in which 168 souls lost, including 19 children, with several hundred more injured.. Timothy McVeigh was executed by lethal injection on June 11, 2001, at the Federal Correctional Complex in Terre Haute, Indiana, for the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Today, small groups of survivors and new followers still exist; a new chapel stands at the original Mount Carmel site, though the remaining members are split between those who still revere Koresh and those who believe he corrupted the original faith.” (AI)

THE NEED TO TEACH FULL PRETERISM: As I continue to study and teach about cults like this and cult leaders like Koresh, I am constantly amazed at how corrupt men like Koresh could lead so many people into his heresy and their final deaths at Mt. Carmel.. You would think that all would realize how perverted this man was when he announced to all the husbands that their wives were no longer their wives, but his wives. You would think they would all leave the cult immediately, but they didn’t, which just shows the power of religious brainwashing. No doubt, most of them were probably good people who thought that Koresh was leading them into the fulfillment of the book of Revelation, the opening of the 7 seals, and the end time Armageddon Apocalypse. People seem to always get excited when they think someone is supposedly accurately tying the predictions of Revelation to current events or events about to happen in their lifetimes. This is one of the reasons I teach so much on full preterism, showing that all Bible predictions, including those of Revelation, were fulfilled by the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. According to full preterism, there are no Bible predictions of any events to be fulfilled after 70 AD. All the events predicted in Revelation were fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. I just did a blog on Revelation that I hope you will read. So many good people have been led astray by false prophets who teach otherwise. I encourage you to study some of my blogs on full preterism. Full preterism doesn’t change the way we live by faith in Jesus, but it stops all the end time false prophets and false Apocalyptic predictions about the 2nd coming. It keeps people from being led astray and distracted from simple faith in Jesus and Christian living.

Please watch this excellent 5 minute news video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zI9ub9AgF0

JIM JONES AND THE PEOPLE’S TEMPLE HISTORY: That tells you much of the story of Jim Jones that started in Indianapolis, moved to California, moved to Guyana, South America, and ended up in a mass suicide of over 900 people (270 of them children) in the agricultural farm called Jonestown. As Jeff Guinn says in the video, “The saddest part is that good, decent people died who were well intentioned”. Jones started with breaking down racial barriers, helping the poor, and had a multi racial congregation. Only God knows if his heart was right to begin with, but over time he changed. “He devolved into a narcissistic, paranoid, drug addicted, and abusive dictator. Jones was a sexual predator who was unfaithful to his wife and had sexual relationships with both men and women in his congregation. He demanded that members turn over all their assets, including homes and Social Security checks, creating complete economic dependency on him. Jim Jones regarded the Bible as a “paper idol” and a tool of oppression used to manipulate people, ultimately rejecting it in favor of his own ideology. While initially utilizing religious themes, he grew to criticize the Bible, eventually promoting atheism and Marxism, claiming to be a divine figure himself. He taught that traditional religion was an “opiate” and used it to manipulate followers, later admitting in 1976 to being an atheist and agnostic. ones preached that the United States was a racist, fascist society (“Babylon”) that was destined to be destroyed. He warned of a coming genocide against black people and racial minorities, telling his followers they would be sent to concentration camps in “gas ovens”. Jim Jones believed a nuclear apocalypse destroying the U.S. was imminent, which he used to justify moving his followers to California and eventually to the Jonestown commune in Guyana. He framed this apocalyptic event as a way to escape US government oppression and to establish a socialist utopia. Jones was heavily influenced by Father M. J. Divine, a charismatic African American preacher who claimed to be God and built a multi-racial, communal, and economically independent society. Jones visited Divine in Philadelphia and adopted the concept of creating a “Promised Land” (eventually Jonestown) that would be a haven for his followers during the end times. He framed the mass suicide/murder in Jonestown as a “revolutionary suicide” against capitalist oppression” (AI)

THE GUYANA TRAGEDY MOVIE: The movie “Guyana Tragedy” is long and graphic, but tells the Jim Jones story completely, even from the time of his childhood. “Much of what is known about Jones’ early life came from his own later recollections. He described being a young hellion in his Indiana hometown: “I was considered the trash of the neighborhood.” He identified with the underdog, fighting off kids who bullied other children, rescuing stray pets, and taking home beggars. He explored every church in town — Quaker, Nazarene, Methodist, Apostolic and the Church of Christ — throwing himself into their particular rituals before becoming disillusioned and moving on to the next. (That interested me since I come from a Church of Christ background. Jim Jones most likely once attended a Church of Christ service!) As a young man, while working as a hospital orderly, Jones met Marceline Baldwin, a nursing student, and they married in 1949. In Indianapolis, he served as a student pastor in the Methodist Church in 1952 but chose to found his own church, Peoples Temple, in 1956. The Temple joined the Disciples of Christ in 1960 and Jones was ordained in 1964. A major source of Jones’ unhappiness with various mainstream churches was segregation. During the 1950s and early 1960s, segregation was widespread across the country, and many religious congregations followed the practice of keeping the races separate. Having grown up an outsider, Jones empathized with the downtrodden, the poor, the non-whites in society. In 1961 he and his wife were the first white couple in Indianapolis to adopt a black child, Peoples Temple participated directly in the social shifts of the emerging civil rights movement. As the head of the Indianapolis Human Rights Commission, Jones desegregated movie theaters, restaurants, the telephone company, hospitals and the city police department. The Temple ran a free restaurant, and homes for the elderly and mentally ill.” (from PBS American Experience article https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/jonestown-bio-jones/?scrlybrkr=f2f8117f

FALSE PROPHETS AND CULT LEADERS: What caused a man who was doing a lot of good for poor people oppressed by racism to become a dangerous, perverted cult leader? Read 2 Peter 2 as Peter talks about false prophets. Some of his description of false prophets: ² Many will follow their indecent behavior, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; ³ and in their greed they will exploit you with false words. 13 “They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions as they feast with you, ¹⁴ having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having hearts trained in greed, accursed children; ¹⁸ For, while speaking out arrogant words of no value they entice by fleshly desires, by indecent behavior, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, ¹⁹ promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption.” Power, pride, sex, money, drugs. Back to what Jeff Guinn said, “The saddest part is that good, decent people died who were well intentioned”. They were “exploited with false words. They were promised freedom by a perverse man who was himself “a slave of corruption”.

PUT YOUR FAITH IN JESUS, NOT MEN: Most false prophets and cult leaders start out with some Biblical concept, like love, and then corrupt that. Often they prey on people looking for love and community. David Berg (Children of God, free love and flirty fishing); Charles Manson (The Manson Family and the LaBiana murders); David Koresh (The Branch Davidians and the 51 day Waco siege; all the women in his cult were his wives, including the married women); Warren Jeffs (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and his multiple wives, including young girls); Marshall Applewhite (Heaven’s Gate cult, mass suicides). The list goes on, even including very popular Christian church leaders of modern day churches. Good people looking for love and family are hurt and disillusioned. Their faith in God and in the Bible is often destroyed. Bottom line, don’t put your faith in men. Put your faith in Jesus.

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

WHO ARE THE INTERNATIONAL CHURCHES OF CHRIST? Have you ever heard of these churches? “First known as the Crossroads Movement and later the Boston Movement, the ICOC traces its roots to the late 1960s. The movement developed in the campus ministry of Chuck Lucas at the Crossroads Church of Christ in Gainesville, Fla., as that ministry began baptizing many college students. Lucas later converted McKean, who called 30 disciples to be totally committed to Christ. In 1979, McKean’s group planted the fast-growing Boston Church of Christ, which became the center of the discipling movement. In 1988, the Crossroads church disassociated itself from the movement.In the early 1990s, the ICOC formally split from the mainline Churches of Christ. The ICOC’s reported membership hit a high of 135,000 in 2002 — the same year worldwide leader Kip McKean stepped aside. Long-simmering concerns over the movement’s top-down hierarchy (i.e. everyone answering to McKean), aggressive discipling techniques and sectarianism seemed to threaten the ICOC’s future. By 2006, worldwide membership plummeted to less than 89,000 — a 34 percent decline. In the past, discipling partners sometimes exerted too much control and influence over converts. For example, controlling how they spent their time, who they date, pressure to convert others, pressure to attend Bible study groups, pressure to attend all church events, how much to give to the church, prying into your secret moral thoughts and activities, not to help you, but to get their hooks in you to stop you from leaving the church, manipulating you, using your secrets to shame you into obedience; forcing you to live with roommates instead of alone so a church member is usually around to keep an eye on you, being re-baptized b/c you didn’t make Jesus your “Lord” fully when you were first baptized even if you were baptized correctly the first time (I experienced that pressure when I was in college), pressure to cut yourself off from your family and stay around fellow members all the time instead, the music you listen to, the work and career you pursue. Some of its leaders did not consider members of mainline Churches of Christ to be Christians. I thnk one could say that the ICOC was definitely a cult! I have read of several who had to undergo counseling to overcome the stressful time they spent in the ICOC.

THE ICOC TODAY: (The Christian Chronicle, 9/1/2012). As of 2024–2025, the International Churches of Christ (ICOC) is a global movement with approximately 112,000 members across roughly 700 congregations in 148 countries. The fellowship is organized into 34–36 regional families of churches and maintains a focus on international evangelism and missions. They have acknowledged a lot of their errors from the past and seem to be doing better in their disciping methods. They are growing.

THE GREAT COMMISSION: MAKE DISCIPLES AND BAPTIZE The Church of Christ put a lot of emphasis on people being baptized by the right method (immersion), being baptized when old enough to believe, and being baptized for the remission of sins (not saved before baptism). This led to a lot of baptisms and re-baptisms of those who were not baptized “correctly”, but perhaps not enough emphasis on “making disciples” Matthew 28:¹⁹ Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” I was in college when the Crossroads Movement began in Gainesville, Fla. At first, it just seemed like an effort to make baptized believers become more committed disciples of Jesus. It spread to the Boston Movement and to other large cities. It spread to international cities. But many churches left the movement for reasons given in the paragraph above. There was a congregation in my city that went fully into the movement but left it many years later.

WHAT DOES MAKING A DISCIPLE OF JESUS MEAN? AI: “To disciple a believer in Jesus means engaging in an intentional, relational process of helping them follow, learn from, and become more like Jesus Christ. It involves mentoring a believer to obey Jesus’s teachings, grow in faith, and fulfill the mission of making other disciples, transforming them into a devoted follower.” The Greek word for “disciple” in Matthew 28:19 is mathéteuó: To make a disciple, to teach, to instruct: to disciple, i.e. helping someone to progressively learn the Word of God to become a matured, growing disciple (literally, “a learner,” a true Christ-follower); to train (develop) in the truths of Scripture and the lifestyle required, i.e. helping a believer learn to be a disciple of Christ in belief and practice.” (Biblehub.com) So in the Crossroads Movement, a discipling partner was assigned to a new baptized believer. That’s good. But the problem arose when the discipling partner began controlling and pressuring the would be disciple. I had a friend who had a mental and physical breakdown b/c of the pressure he was getting from his discipling partner while in college. The movement took a good thing and made it a cultish, control thing.

THE 3 ESSENTIALS OF DISCIPLESHIP IN LUKE’S GOSPEL There are many baptized believers who are not fully committed to following Jesus, being true disciples. Jesus gave 3 requirements for being a true disciple in Luke 14:²⁵ Now large crowds were going along with Him, and He turned and said to them, ²⁶ “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. ²⁷ Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. ²⁸ For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? ²⁹ Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who are watching it will begin to ridicule him, ³⁰ saying, ‘This person began to build, and was not able to finish!’ ³¹ Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to face the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² Otherwise, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and requests terms of peace. ³³ So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.” Thus 3 essentials of discipleship in Luke’s gospel: 1) Love Jesus even if it means leaving your family (not literally hating your family). 2) Be willing to suffer for Jesus, to carry your “cross” as Jesus did his. 3) Count the costs of being a disciple and be willing to do whatever it costs you to be a disciple.

THE 3 PROOFS OF DISCIPLESHIP IN JOHN’S GOSPEL In the Gospel of John, Jesus gives 3 tests or proofs of true discipleship. 1) Continue studying and obeying the Words of Jesus. John 8:³¹ So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples.” 2) Love one another. John 13:³⁴ I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.” 3) Bear much fruit. John 15:⁸ My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” In all 3 verses, the Greek word for “disciple” is mathétés: Disciple, learner, pupil: properly, a learner; a disciple, a follower of Christ who learns the doctrines of Scripture and the lifestyle they require; someone catechized with proper instruction from the Bible with its necessary follow-through (life-applications). Μαθητής designates a learner who binds himself to a teacher in order to embrace that teacher’s worldview and way of life. (Bibehub.com)

DON’T MAKE DISCIPLING A “LEGAL SYSTEM” OF WORKS It is obvious from these verses that Jesus demands full commitment from his followers. But we must be careful not to make that a legal system. How much fruit must a Christian bear in order to be a true disciple? Jesus said that some produce 30, some 60, some 100 (Matthew 13:23). How much time must a Christian spend in the Word to be a true disciple? How much must a Christian suffer to be a true disciple? We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus’s death. We can’t make the tests and proofs of discipleship a system whereby we demand certain amounts of all these things. We can’t pressure new baptized believers into a strict, authoritarian, controlling system of doing these things. Which is what the Crossroads Movement, the Boston Movement, and the ICOC did.. We should help new believers become more like Christ in their everyday lives, but always assure them that they are saved even if they aren’t perfect disciples.

I think so. Of course that means that I am going to tell you what I think the book is about and when it was written so as to clear up all confusion about the book! I know that means that I think I have the book figured out, but bear with me as I try to condense a summary as briefly as possible. Please look up all the verses that I cite. 4 basic points:

WHEN WOULD THE EVENTS PREDICTED IN THE BOOK HAPPEN? Revelation was the prediction of events that “must soon take place” for “the time is near” (1:1-3; 22:6,10). Many interpreters say that “soon” can be in God’s time frame and could be thousands of years. But notice that the letter was written to the 7 churches in Asia, telling them they needed to “read, heed, and keep” the words in the book (1:3) b/c the predictions applied directly to their imminent future. The Greek word mello (μέλλω), meaning “about to,” “going to,” or “ready to,” appears in Revelation 2:10 and Revelation 3:10. In Rev. 2:10, it signifies the imminent suffering of the church in Smyrna, while in Rev. 3:10, it refers to the “hour of trial” that is “about to” come upon the whole world. The phrase “I am coming quickly” is used several times to stress the need for immediate action by those reading the prophetcy. The phrase is used in 22:7,12,20 right after repeating the warning that the predictions in the book are going to happen “soon” for “the time is near”. These time statements “soon” and “near” obviously are in the time frame of the 1st century Christians in the 7 churches and not in God’s time frame. This same logic applies when Jesus said “the kingdom is at hand” (Mark 1:15). He was talking about the establishment of His spiritual kingdom, the church: “at hand” in the time frame of those he was speaking to and not God’s time frame that could be thousands of years. He did establish that spiritual kingdom, the church, within that generation. If that isn’t clear, Jesus also said, “Matthew 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.” Jesus predicted 4 times in the synoptic gospels that His 2nd coming would be within the lifetime of those he was speaking to (Matthew 10:23; 16:27-28; 24:30-34; 26:64). If He did not come within that generation as he predicted then he is a false prophet, which is what the atheists and unbelieving Jews say about him. But He did come within that generation in judgment on the Jews in 70 AD, so that just proves that He was “The Prophet”. There are no other predictions of another “coming” in the synoptics that was not to be within that generation. In Matthew 24, Jesus predicted the end of the Jewish Age (Matthew 24:14), the abomination of desolation of the temple as predicted by Daniel 9, 11, and 12 (Matthew 24:15), a tribulation of suffering of the Jewish people such as had never happened before (Matthew 24:21; Daniel 12:1-2), and the coming of the Son of Man “immediately” after the tribulation (Matthew 24:30) with stars falling from the sky. He then said, “³⁴ Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (Matthew 24:34). The Greek word for generation is genea, which in the New Testament always refers to a 40 year period or the people living in a 40 year period. Of course, that means that the stars falling is figurative language and not literally stars falling from the sky. Such figurative apocalyptic language was used regularly in the Od Testament of judgments of nations like Babylon, and is not meant to be taken literally. Since Matthew 24 and Revelation are both predicting the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, some have said that Matthew 24 is a mini-Revelation.

WHEN WAS THE BOOK WRITTEN? Revelation was written before 70 AD while Nero was emperor (17:9-10). At the time of writing, 5 kings (rulers or emperors of Rome) had “fallen” (were dead). Those 5 were Julius Caesar, then Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, The 1st century Jewish historian Josephus considered Julius Caesar to be the first ruler of Rome b/c he states that Augustus was the 2nd and Tiberius was the 3rd. Modern historians might not want to start with Julius, but it is obvious who was considered the 1st ruler when the book was written. Also the Gentile historian Seutonius in his Lives of the 12 Caesars starts with Julius as the first. So “5 have fallen, one is”. The emperor ruling at the time the book was written was the 6th ruler, Nero (54-68 AD). Thus the book was written before Nero died in 68 AD. Those who date the book as 96 AD rely exclusively on a single comment by the church father Irenaeus in the late 2nd century, saying that either the prophecy of Revelation was seen or even possibly that John was seen in the reign of Domitian (81-96 AD). But Revelation 17:9-10 gives us internal dating of the book that is far more valuable than a comment by an uninspired church father, especially one who said that Jesus died at the age of 50 which is what Irenaeus said. Irenaeus said that John was exiled to the aisle of Patmos by Domitian but other sources say that he was exiled in the reign of Nero. The “Muratorian Fragment,” dating back to 170-190 A.D., states that this work of John was written during the reign of Nero. The “Syriac version” of the New Testament, which dates back to the second century A.D., states that Revelation was written during the reign of Nero making a date of 64-68 A.D. The “Aramaic Peshitta” version has a remark that places its date prior to 70 A.D. The title page of Revelation states this work of John was written right after the reign of Nero.The “Monarchian Prologues,” that dates back to 250-350 A.D., claims that Paul also wrote to seven churches following the pattern of John’s Book writing to the 7 churches of Asia, thus placing the book even before some of the other Pauline epistles. That’s a lot of external evidence that says that the book was written during the reign of Nero, not Domitian.
 Also, some tradition says that John lived to the age of 100 and died a peaceful death, but that contradicts what Jesus predicted in Mark 10:35-40 that the brothers James and John would die a martyr’s death. James was martyred in Acts 12. Papias (60-120 AD) said that John died at the hands of the Jews just as Jesus predicted. Papias doesn’t say when that happened, but it could only have happened before 70 AD. After 70 AD and by the year 100 AD, the Jews would not have had the ability to martyr anyone. The conclusion is that John died before 70 AD, so he must have written Revelation (and his gospel and letters) before 70 AD. That explains why we don’t have any inspired writings from John talking about the fulfillment of the predictions of Revelation as an event that had already happened. That would have been nice, and surely John would have written something discussing the destruction of the temple at some point after 70 AD if he had lived to the year 100 AD. But he couldn’t b/c he died before 70 AD. BTW the temple was still standing when Revelation was written (11:2) so that is another argument that shows that the letter was written before 70 AD.

WHAT IS THE MAIN EVENT PREDICTED IN THE BOOK? Revelation is about the judgment of the harlot Jerusalem (17:1,5,15,16; 19:2) which would happen when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD, killing one million Jews. We know this harlot was Jerusalem b/c “this woman (harlot) you (John) saw is the great city” (17:18). The “great city” is identified as the city “where the Lord (Jesus) was crucified (11:8) which of course is Jerusalem. Many interpreters have tried to make Rome to be the “great city” but 11:8 clearly states that the great city is Jerusalem. The harlot has the name “Babylon” written on her forehead (17:5) so the harlot and the great city and Babylon all refer to the same thing, i.e. Jerusalem. The harlot is riding on a beast with 10 horns (17:3). That beast, arising out of the sea, was introduced in 13:1-2) and was like a leopard, bear, and lion. This imagery is the same as in Daniel 7:1-8 where Daniel is predicting the 4 empires to come: Babylon (lion), Medo-Persia (bear), Greece, (leopard), and Rome (the iron beast, Daniel 2:40; 7:7). So the beast in Revelation 13:1-2 and chapter 17 is Rome. The sea beast Rome would “will hate the prostitute and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire. (17:16).” That is clearly a prediction that Rome will destroy the city of Jerusalem soon after the book was written. That happened in 70 AD when Titus sieged the city for 5 months and then destroyed the city and the temple in 70 AD. This was the judgment of the harlot Jerusalem (17:1). Revelation 18 is about the destruction of “Babylon, the great city” (18:10,21) which again is Jerusalem, the harlot. Again, many interpreters have tried to make Babylon to be Rome, but it is clearly identified as Jerusalem. Why was Jerusalem called a “harlot or prostitute” in Revelation? B/c she was the wife or bride of God in the Old Testament (Isaiah 54:5,6; Jeremiah 3:14; Ezekiel 16:8) and she for most of her history had become an “adulteress wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband!” (Ezekiel 16:32). She had worshipped and served the pagan gods of other nations (Baal, Asherah, Molech, Chemosh, Dagon, Tammuz, the “queen of heaven” Astarte or Ishtar). This is called spiritual adultery or harlotry by the prophets (Isaiah 1:21; Jeremiah 2:20; Ezekiel 16:14-15); Hosea 9:1). Revelation 17:2 calls it “sexual immorality” of the wife of God turned harlot, Jerusalem. God sent the Romans to destroy his harlot wife Jerusalem in 70 AD. It was God who 17:¹⁷ has put it in their hearts (the Romans) to execute His purpose by having a common purpose (i.e. Rome’s purpose to put down the Jewish rebellion called the Wars of the Jews and God’s purpose to destroy his adulterous wife giving God and the Romans a “common purpose”), and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled.” The nations (Rome) would trample the holy city Jerusalem for 42 months (11:2) which is the length of the Wars of the Jews (66-70 AD) in killing over one million Jews. Rome was given “authority by God to act (on His behalf) for forty-two months” (13:5) to put down the Jewish rebellion and destroy the city and temple.The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD is the main topic of Revelation.

WHAT IS THE MAIN THEME OF THE BOOK? Revelation is the “avenging of the blood of the “saints, apostles, and prophets” (18:20,24; 19:2) The harlot was “drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus” (17:6). Those were the martyrs under the altar in 6:9-11 who died for their faith and cried out for God to avenge their blood. They were those who “because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death” (12:11). The history of Jerusalem and Israel was filled with the killing of God’s prophets that he sent to rebuke them for their harlotry. Jesus had said that generation of Jews living when he spoke were the “sons of those who killed the prophets (in the past history of Israel) and that the cup of God’s wrath against the Jews was “full”, i.e. no more time given the nation before destroying it in 70 AD (Matthew 23:29-36). The judgment of Jerusalem would come upon “that generation” living when Jesus spoke. The destruction of the temple would be within that generation (Matthew 24:1-2,34). Over one million Jews were killed by the Romans to avenge the blood of the saints, apostles, and prophets. The unbelieving Jews were the ones who killed the Jewish Christians (the “saints”) right up till the wars of the Jews started in 66 AD. 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16) says that the unbelieving Jews had persecuted the Jewish Christians, killed Jesus and the prophets, and drove the apostles out. Paul said that generation of evil Jews would “reach the limit of their sins. But wrath has come upon them fully” (which refers to their judgment in 70 AD). That’s the cup full of God’s wrath against the Jews that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 23.

I hope this is all a correct interpretation of the book of Revelation.

I do believe that all 27 New Testament books were written before 70 AD. Here is my analysis.

THE GOSPELS: Many claim that the gospels were: 1) Not written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. 2) Were written late first century after those 4 men died. This teaching has caused many to leave their faith in the Bible, especially the New Testament. If the gospels were written decades after these 4 inspired men died, then they have no authority on doctrines and teaching for us today. We don’t have the gospels originals or even copies before the year 100 AD. The oldest manuscript of the New Testament has been the John Rylands’ Fragment P52, a small fragment (John 18:31-33, 37-38) from John’s Gospel, dated to the first half of the second century. Manuscript P66 part of the Bodmer Papyri, is a crucial, early 3rd-century (c. 175–225 AD) Greek manuscript containing a significant, nearly complete portion of the Gospel of John. So what is the one main proof that the gospels were written before 70 AD and written by those 4 authors? Here is my take. The synoptic gospels (Mt, Mk, and Lk) all record Jesus’ prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD (Mt 24, Mk 13, and Lk 21). None of the 3 state that event had already happened at the time of writing of each gospel. If the gospels were written decades after 70 AD, then surely each gospel would say that the 70 AD predictions of Jesus had already happened, confirming that Jesus was a true prophet. Matthew directly states that prophecies were fulfilled or uses “fulfillment citations” approximately 11 to 13 times in his Gospel to establish Jesus as the Messiah, often using the formula, “This occurred in order to fulfill what was spoken of by the prophet”. Surely Matthew would have done the same with Jesus’ 70 AD predictions if they had already been fulfilled when he wrote his gospel. Why is it so important that we show that the gospels were written before 70 AD? 1) It tells us that the 4 authors were either eyewitnesses (the apostles Matthew and John), or were associated with an eyewitness (according to Papias of Hierapolis (c. 60–130 AD) Mark based his gospel on the recollections of the apostle Peter) or used eyewitness testimony to gather his material (Luke 1:1-4). That gives much more credibility to the gospels than if they were written anonymously in the late 1st century by writers who did not witness Jesus’ miracles and resurrection. 2) If the gospels were written around 50-60 AD, that is only 20-30 years after Jesus’ miracles and resurrection. That would have given opportunity for people to question or reject the anthenticity of these gospels. They would have known if Mt, Mk, Lk, and John really wrote the gospels. The early church fathers (100-325 AD) cite the gospels over 19,300 times. That shows that accepted the 4 gospels as authentic. They never quote or cite the gnostic gospels like the Gospel of Thomas, or Gospel of Judas, or Gospel of Philip, or Gospel of Mary Magdelene. Writing around 185 CE in Adversus Haereses, Irenaeus of Lyons established that there are exactly four canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) — no more, no less — calling them the four pillars of the Church.

PAUL’S WRITINGS (13 LETTERS): Paul died from 64-67 AD, beheaded by the cruel emperor Nero. That obviously means that he wrote all his letters before 70 AD. He also predicted the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. 1 Thessalonians 2:15-16: Paul writes that those who killed Jesus and the prophets are “filling up the measure of their sins” and that “wrath has come upon them at last”. This is interpreted as a reference to the impending judgment of 70 AD. In 2 Thessalonians 2 he predicts that the man of sin would arise and do false miracles before the 2nd coming of Jesus. He said that the man of sin would sit in the temple and claim to be God. He said that “mystery” was “already at work” at the time he wrote. That means that the man of sin had to be living when he wrote 2 Thess. That man of sin would have to be the emperor Titus who did enter the temple, claiming to be god, and who destroyed the temple in 70 AD. Obviously, that means that 2 Thess was written before 70 AD. In 1 Corinthians 15 Pau is predicting the resurrection in which believers, dead or alive, would be given immortality. Paul then stated that some of those he was writing to in Corinth would still be alive when that resurrection occurred: 15:⁵¹ Behold, I am telling you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.” That resurrection was the resurrection predicted in Daniel 12:2 to happen at the end of the Jewish Age in 70 AD. It was the one that Paul said was “about to happen” in Acts 24:15. “While the early Church Fathers (Apostolic Fathers and later Ante-Nicene Fathers) did not quote every single verse from Paul’s letters immediately, they collectively quoted or alluded to all 13 epistles attributed to him in the New Testament over the 2nd and 3rd centuries. Major Pauline letters like Romans, 1 Corinthians, and Ephesians were quoted frequently, while minor letters were cited less often but still recognized, strengthening the evidence for the Pauline canon.” Bart Ehrman says that Paul only wrote 7 of the letters attributed to him, but I think that I will trust the early church fathers that he wrote all of his letters more than I trust Ehrman’s liberal teaching.

PETER’S WRITINGS (1,2 PETER): Peter, like Paul, also died from 64-67 AD, crucified upside down according to tradition, at the hands of Nero. Obviously that means his writings had to be written before 70 AD. Early church fathers quoted or cited 1 Peter frequently, but 2 Peter was rarely cited and often disputed until the 3rd or 4th century. 1 Peter was accepted early, cited by Polycarp (c. 130) and Irenaeus. 2 Peter is generally absent in early, undisputed writing, with its first clear mentions appearing in Origen (c. 250) and Eusebius (c. 325). It was disputed due to style differences from 1 Peter, repetition of Jude in chapter 2 (did Peter copy Jude or did Jude copy Peter or neither), and questions about who wrote it. But eventually it was accepted. I wonder if 2 Peter 3 predicting the destruction of the old heavens and earth to be replace with a new heavens and earth didn’t cause many to question the authenticity of 2 Peter. If you were a chiliast and expected Jesus to return soon back then to establish an earthly kingdom and it didn’t happen like you thought it would, then even 2nd century church fathers might have been reluctant to cite 2 Peter. Of course, if you believe that 2 Peter 3 is predicting the destruction of the old Jewish system and replacing it with the new Messianic system in 70 AD, then 2 Peter actually proves that it was authentic b/c he is predicting an event that happened in 70 AD just a few years after he wrote 2 Peter. That makes sense also since 1 Peter 4 predicted ⁷ The end of all things is near.” The end of all things had to happen soon or else Peter is a false prophet. 2 Peter 3 is predicting the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, which was indeed “near”. The “end of all things” would surely include the end of the old heavens and earth, and that had to be “near” in 2 Peter 3 since the end of “all things” was near. So 2 Peter 3 is not talking about the physical destruction of the earth to be replaced with a newly re-created earth, which is what many teach. 2 Peter 3 had to be predicting something that was going to happen soon, and the destruction of the earth did not happen soon. BTW, the Greek word for the “elements” in 2 Peter 3 that were predicted to be burned never refers to the physical elements of the universe, like hydrogen, oxygen, etc. It is used 7 times and always refer to the basic rudimentary principles of the Law of the Jews or of pagan law. So we do conclude that Peter’s writings, including 2 Peter, were written before 70 AD.

James (the Lord’s brother): We don’t know when James died, but Josephus says he died in 62 AD. If so, his letter was written before 70 AD. But internal evidence shows that it was written before 70 AD. James 5:1 Come now, you rich people, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. ² Your riches have rotted and your garments have become moth-eaten. ³ Your gold and your silver have corroded, and their corrosion will serve as a testimony against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!” That was written to scattered Jewish Christians who were oppressing the poor. That “last days” are the last days of the Jewish Age which ended in 70 AD. The miseries coming upon them would be the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD during which one million evil Jews suffered and died. James 5:⁸ You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.” There is only one predicted 2nd coming in the gospels and the letters, and it had to happen within that generation of Jews. It did happen in 70 AD. So this coming of the Lord in James 5:8 would be the 2nd coming in 70 AD. So the letter of James was written before 70 AD.

Jude (the Lord’s brother): the Book of Jude was cited, used, and recognized as canonical by several early Church Fathers despite being considered a “disputed” book by some. Despite that it quoted the book of Enoch and the Assumption of Moses (two apocryphal books not accepted into the NT canon). It was accepted by prominent leaders such as Clement of Alexandria, Tertullian, and Origen, and included in the early Muratorian Canon. (180-200 AD). It appears in the third-century Bodmer Papyrus (p72) (dated 3rd and 4th centuries) alongside 1 & 2 Peter, indicating it was part of the early “General Epistles” collection. The only indication that it was written before 70 AD is Jude ¹⁷ But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁸ that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” That has to be synonymous with “the last days” which is 30-70 AD, the last days of the Jewish Age. If so, Jude must also have been written before 70 AD. One tradition says that he died around 65 AD.

John’s gospel, letters, and Revelation: The main reason we know all of John’s writings were written before 70 AD is that John was dead before 70 AD. Tradition says that he lived to the age of 100 in Ephesus and died a peaceful death. But that contradicts Jesus’ predictiong that the brother James and John would die a marty’s death. Mark 10:³⁹ They said to Him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you shall drink; and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized.” The most plausible tradition regarding John’s death states that John was arrested in Ephesus and faced martyrdom when his enemies threw him in a huge basin of boiling oil. That tradition, arguing that he was not martyred but rescued, would contradict Jesus’ prediction. The early church father Papias (60-130 AD) said that John the theologian and James his brother were killed by Jews”. That could have only happened while the Jews had the ability to kill someone, which had to be before 70 AD. They would not have had that ability in the year 100 AD. Some dispute the what Papias said, but the fact remains that Jesus said they would be martyred and that martyrdom would have to be before 70 AD. James had already been martyred in Acts 12. John’s gospel says that the pool of Bethesda was still intact when he wrote his gospel: John 5:² Now in Jerusalem, by the Sheep Gate, there is a pool which in Hebrew is called Bethesda, having five porticoes.” The present tense verb “is” is a comment by John that the pool was still intact when he wrote his gospel. That had to be before 70 AD b/c there would be no usable pool after 70 AD. Also John does not mention the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. Surely he would have done so if that had already happened at the time he wrote the gospel. So the gospel of John was written before 70 AD. His letters (1,2,3 John): early church fathers recognized and cited 1, 2, and 3 John, though 1 John was cited more frequently than the shorter 2 and 3 John. Key figures such as Irenaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Eusebius cited these epistles and attributed them to the Apostle John. 1 John 2 says that it was the “last hour” at the time of writing. 1 John 2:¹⁸ Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour.” The last hour of what? That has to be the last hour of the last days of the Jewish Age which ended in 70 AD. While the phrase may not mean the last 60 minutes before the end of the last days, it surely indicates a time very close to the end of the last days. It definitely indicates that 1 John was written before 70 AD. We assume that he wrote 1,2,3 John b/c he died and he died before 70 AD. Obviously Revelation would have to be written before 70 AD since John died before 70 AD. Many have said that, based on a statement by Irenaeus in 180 AD, Revelation was written in 96 AD in the reign of Domitian. But the internal evidence shows that Revelation was written during the reign of emperor Nero (54-68 AD) so it had to be written before 68 AD. Revelation 17:⁹ Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains upon which the woman sits, ¹⁰ and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.” These kings are the kings or emperors of the sea beast Rome. Nero was the 6th king or emperor and living at the time John wrote Revelation (5 have fallen, died and one “is”). We start with Julius Caesar as the first of those 6 kings. In Antiquities book xvii second chapter, Josephus states that Augustus was the second Emperor. Two sentences later he states that Tiberius was the third.  Josephus (37-100 AD) lived in the first century and surely would have known who everyone considered to be the first ruler of Rome. The Gentile historian Seutonius, in his book The Twelve Caesars in 121 AD, started his list of caesars with Julius, not Augustus. Also Revelation predicts the 2nd coming as a future yet to be fulfilled event at the time of writing (Revelation 22:7,12,20 Jesus says “I am coming quickly”. That had to be coming of Jesus that was soon after the time of writing of Revelation b/c Revelation 1 and 22 state that the predictions given in Revelation would “soon take place”, be “near”. So that coming had to be soon or near, and that could only fit Jesus’ coming in 70 AD to judge the Jews. That means Revelation was written before 70 AD. Also Revelation predicts the destruction of the “great city” in Revelation 17:15-18. That great city was “where our Lord was crucified” (Revelation 11:8) which means it is Jerusalem. So the book of Revelation makes a prediction of the destruction of Jerusalem as a future event at the time of writing, so the book had to be written before 70 AD. So all of John’s writings, including Revelation, were written before 70 AD.

Hebrews: If Paul wrote the letter, then Hebrews would have to be written before 68 AD when Paul was beheaded by Nero. The early church in the East thought Paul wrote it but the church in the West did not think he wrote it and disputed the authenticity of the book. I don’t believe that Paul wrote it. Paul never would have said that the salvation first spoken through the Lord “was confirmed to us by those who heard.” (Hebrews 2:3) In Galations 1 he argues that he got his gospel directly from Jesus and not from any humans or even the apostles. So if Paul wasn’t the author, how can we know that Hebrews was written before 70 AD. There are severa proofs that it was written before 70 AD. 1) The temple was still standing and priest ministering in the temple at the time of writing: Hebrews 9:⁶ Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle, performing the divine worship, ⁷ but into the second, only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance. ⁸ The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing.” These are present tense verbs: “priests are continually entering the tabernacle” and “the outer tabernacle is still standing”. Unfortunately the NIV translates those verbs as past tense, “was”. The priests are still ministering in the temple at the time of writing: Hebrews 10:¹¹ Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins (again, a present tense verb “stands”). The temple was destroyed in 70 AD, so this means that the letter was written before 70 AD. 2) Hebrews predicts a coming of Jesus that will be soon with no delay. Hebrews 10:37 For yet in a very little while; He who is coming will come, and will not delay.” That coming had to be Jesus coming soon in the judgment of the Jews in 70 AD. 3) Hebrews predicts an imminent judgment of the evil Jews. Hebrews 10:²⁶ For we — willfully sinning after the receiving the full knowledge of the truth — no more for sins doth there remain a sacrifice, ²⁷ but a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery zeal, about to devour the opposers”. (Young’s Literal Translation). I cite YLT b/c it accurately translates the word “mello” as “about to” The word mello in the NT always means “about to”. So there was a judgment of the Jews that was “about to happen” at the time of writing, and that could only be the judgment of the Jews in 70 AD and the letter had to be written before that. For these 3 reasons we conclude that Hebrews was written before 70 AD regardless of whole wrote the letter. Whoever wrote it was inspired or he/she could not have made such accurate predictions.

My prayer is that someone who has questioned the authenticity of the NT books will read this article closely. This is a critical study b/c the implications are serious. I hope this helps.

AI: “The Shakers, or United Society of Believers in Christ’s Second Appearing, are a 18th-century Christian sect founded in England and known for communal, celibate, and pacifist lifestyles, along with ecstatic, trembling worship. Founded by Mother Ann Lee, they aimed to create heaven on earth through gender equality, communal ownership, and simple, industrious living. Founded in 1747 in Manchester, England, as a branch of Quakers, they moved to America in 1774. They believed that God is both male and female and that Mother Ann Lee was the female embodiment of Jesus’ 2nd appearing. They believed the Second Coming was not a physical, apocalyptic return of Jesus, but a spiritual rebirth that already occurred in the person of Mother Ann Lee. Practiced strict celibacy, requiring members to be unmarried and adopt children or gain converts, and held all property in common. Known as “Shaking Quakers” for their emotional, chaotic, and physical worship services involving dancing, whirling, and trembling to “shake off” sin. Emphasized gender and racial equality, with men and women sharing leadership roles. Famous for their simple, functional furniture design, architecture, and agricultural success. At their peak in 1840, they had over 6,000 members in 19 communal villages across the United States. Today, the faith has nearly disappeared, but their legacy lives on through their furniture, music, and simple design philosophy.As of late 2025, there are three active Shakers remaining in the world, all living at the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in New Gloucester, Maine, the last active Shaker community. This small community relies heavily on volunteers and visitors to maintain its historic site museum, which draws thousands annually.”

Shakers believed Jesus was the male manifestation of the “Christ spirit,” representing the first Christian Church, but not divine in the traditional Trinity sense. They viewed him as a celibate example, whose incarnation marked the beginning of a new spiritual, non-carnal life, with the Second Coming fulfilled in their leader, Mother Ann Lee. Shakers did not believe Jesus was God, but rather a human infused with the divine Christ spirit. Jesus established the first Christian church, which Shakers believed apostatized (fell away) shortly after his death. Shakers taught that Jesus lived a life of absolute purity and celibacy, establishing a model for overcoming the “original sin” of sexual intercourse. Shakers viewed themselves as the “Second Church” or the “Millennial Church” that continued the work begun by Jesus. The Shakers (United Society of Believers) generally did not subscribe to the traditional Christian doctrine that Jesus’ death on the cross atoned for the sins of mankind. Instead, they emphasized that salvation was achieved through personal, daily effort, confession of sins, and following the celibate, sinless example of Jesus. Shakers believed in working out their own salvation through confession, confession, celibacy, and rigorous, holy, daily living. They focused on the idea that each individual must walk the same path of self-denial and perfection that Jesus did. Shakers believed that the original sin was sexual, and therefore, overcoming “lust” through absolute celibacy was a key part of the path to salvation. Therefore, while they revered Jesus, their theology focused more on spiritual resurrection and behavioral transformation than on the substitutionary atonement of his death.”

In. other words, they don’t believe in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus’ death on the cross It is basically a salvation by works system. That and their belief that Mother Ann was an embodiment of Jesus definitely makes them a cult. Cults like the Shakers are fascinating. Their synchronized line type dancing in their worship assemblies is just he opposite of the Quakers sitting silently meditation, waiting for the Spirit to move someone to give a word or sing a song. They split off the Quakers and wer basically “Shaking Quakers”. I guess they wanted more emotion in their assembies!

Which could bring up another discussion: the role of emotion in worship assemblies today. The 16 day Asbury Revival in Wilmore, Ky in February, 2023 at Asbury University is estimated to have drawn 50,000–70,000 visitors to a town of 6,000 people, with over 200 other institutions represented. There have been studies about the lasting effects of the revival, some very good that led to transformed lived and service, and some emotion that died out quickly even leaving many disillusioned. Megachurches rely on emotional, band led singing but they follow up with conversions and community service. Some churches practice tongue speaking, which would surely stir up emotion but are they really speaking in the same tongues as found in the early church? I personally do not think so. Those tongues were actual human languages and tongue speaking today is not languages. It is also interesting that often many are speaking in tongues at the same time even though 1 Corinthians 14 gave instructions to only have 2 or 3 tongue speakers at the most in an assembly, and those only speaking one at a time.

I thought this was great from AI (from some articles somewhere!). “Emotions in worship assemblies serve as a natural, authentic response to encountering God, engaging the heart, mind, and spirit rather than just the intellect. While encouraging sincere expression of joy, gratitude, and contrition, they should not be manufactured or manipulated to “create an atmosphere”, serving instead as a means of deepening understanding of divine truth. Music plays a significant role in drawing out emotional responses on a visceral level, often making singing a high point of emotional engagement. While emotions are important, they must not become the primary goal (emotionalism) or replace the need for theological understanding. Emotions in worship are meant to follow facts and be rooted in God’s character and actions, rather than being fickle or self-focused. In essence, emotions are a vital, God-designed component of worship that, when authentic, enhance a person’s engagement with the divine, making them a necessary, but not the ultimate, part of the worship experience.”

I hope you don’t mind me pulling so much from AI but why re-invent the wheel. AI scans many great articles and seems to usually come up with great material, so I use it and add my own thoughts.

Does your worship assembly stir up your emotions?