In this chapter l will tackle one of the most difficult facts for many Christians to accept. We will review some of the many passages that prove Jesus promised to physically come back to Earth within a generation of His ministry.
Your church, pastor, maybe your parents, and most of your Christian friends, probably believe and repeat that Jesus’ second coming has not happened yet. According to them, Jesus gave us clues and prophesied about when he would return, which would take place some 2000 years after His ministry. Christians imply that a person needs superior biblical knowledge and wisdom to understand what Jesus meant when he told the disciples that the “end times” were imminent. Here, we will dispel some of those incorrect doctrines and dogmas. The fact is that Jesus taught his disciples that the end of the age and Biblical Tribulation were coming very soon. He told them dozens of times that his “Second Coming” and the “end of the age” would happen in their lifetimes. These were not esoteric or cryptic sayings; He was as clear as crystal. Jesus did not know the day or the hour, but He did know that it was imminent.
Any discussion about what Jesus actually said and taught about his second coming is nearly censored in most American churches and seminaries, or it is blatantly taken out of context. Regarding the Tribulation and “end times” the great majority of Western churches today, teach doctrines that are not Biblical, and in many cases, are in direct contradiction to Jesus’ own words. These churches teach that Christ was talking to us, who would read the Bible thousands of years later, and not to those people who he was actually speaking to. This is false and is a perfect example of “taking the Lord’s name in vain”. Even His own Apostles and disciples, namely Peter, James, John, and Paul, repeated Jesus’ prophesies concerning an imminent Second Coming in their own books. Most of them were brutally martyred for their testimony. If Christ was wrong, misunderstood, or lying to his disciples, how cruel must he have been?
In Matthew 24 and Luke 21, Jesus discussed the “Tribulation”, “End Times” “End of the Age” with his apostles, in what’s known as the Olivet Discourse. Context is key. It is critical that the reader comes to the text without a presupposed paradigm.
In the chapters preceding the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 23 and Luke 20), we read about Jesus rebuking the scribes and pharisees in the Temple in Jerusalem. Jesus finishes his lesson, and they are walking out of the city, and the Olivet Discourse begins. During the walk, some of the apostles were discussing the beauty and majesty of the temple. Jesus turns to them and says “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” (Matt 24:2). This was the first of many prophesies He made in that conversation. Few Christians know the historic details about the destruction of Jerusalem, or the events preceding and shortly after that hyper-violent event. In the historical document “The Jewish War” Flavius Josephus described in detail how the Roman soldiers, after killing every living person left in Jerusalem, disassembled every stone of the temple because so much gold had melted into the spaces between the stones when the building was burned. I will discuss those events in more detail in Chapter 2 of this book.
Back to Matthew 24. Immediately after Jesus told them the temple will be completely destroyed, the apostles asked him “when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”. Without hesitation or changing subjects or context, Jesus said “Take heed that no one deceives YOU. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 And YOU will hear of wars and rumors of wars.” Jesus is clearly talking about something they would experience. There is no break in context or conversation when Jesus tells them about the destruction of the temple and the “end of the age” that did happen forty years later. Next Jesus tells them:
They will deliver YOU up to tribulation and kill you, and YOU will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
Matt 24:9-13
This is conversation was not written to us in the 21st century. He was speaking to the immediate audience, and this all came true in their lifetimes during the Jewish-Roman wars and the Roman persecution of the Jesus’ followers.
Jesus was not talking about an event 2000 years in the future. He was telling THEM right then, what to watch for. The Bible was written for people in all times, but it was not written to or about Christians of today. It is a historical document, that accurately tells us what happened. Context, especially in prophesy, is vital!
In Matthew 24:15, Jesus mentions the “abomination of desolation” or more accurately translated the “abomination that causes desolation”. This also happened in 70 AD. The Roman Emperor Vespasian had a documented record of sacrificing a pig on in the center of a city or temple after they had conquered it. Then, the Roman statue of their god Apollo (who is also Lucifer) was set up in the temple. The Roman emperors, starting with Caligula, and including Nero and Vespasian, claimed they were gods, or Apollo specifically, who is Lucifer, and was an incarnate Anti-Christ. In the next verse, Jesus said;
“then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. 18 And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. 19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! 20 And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Matt 24:16
Does that sound like a warning to a distant generation in a distant land? Of course not! He specifically said “Judea” and “pray that your flight may not be…on the Sabbath”! Why would it matter to a Bob in Kansas if this happened on the Sabbath? Bob and Sandy don’t keep Shabbat or live in Judea. Jesus was speaking to the very people who were with Him, at that time.
Later in this book, I will deal with some objections that might already be popping into your mind. Maybe you are thinking of the following prophesy. In this chapter we are focusing on scripture and its context, and I will show evidence of historical fulfillment in the next chapter. Just listen to Jesus’ words and ask yourself who He was speaking to.
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His [d]elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 32 “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So you also, when you see all these things, know that [e]it is near—at the doors! 34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.
Matt 24:29
This is where modern revisionist Christians like to say that Jesus meant “that” generation, not “this” generation. Well, that is just unbiblical and made up. The apostles asked Jesus “How will WE know?” and he told them, in no uncertain terms.
Let us move out of Matthew 24 for now. Consider the following verses; do they sound like they were addressing Bob, in Kansas, in 2026?
Jesus’ Apostles all Believed He Would Return Soon
Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels. Assuredly, I say to you that there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power.
Mark 8:38 – 9:1
Notice the citation, how this quote from Jesus spans the end of chapter 8 and the beginning of chapter 9. Translators have broken this statement up into two chapters, but are the verses two separate thoughts? No. Jesus is clearly saying that there were some standing there who would see Him come back with His holy angels.
The book of Luke is absolutely loaded with examples of an imminent tribulation and Second Coming, and I recommend you reread chapter 21 now. Does it sound like Jesus was talking to the apostles who are there on the mountain with him, or does it sound like He was addressing a completely different “church” who would read Luke’s book 2000 years later?
“So when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then understand that its devastation is approaching. 21 Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains, those inside the city must leave it, and those in the countryside must not go into it, 22 because these are the days of vengeance when all that is written will be fulfilled. 23 “How terrible it will be for those women who are pregnant or who are nursing babies in those days!—because there will be great distress in the land[f] and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the edge of the sword and be carried off as captives among all the nations, and Jerusalem will be trampled on by unbelievers[g] until the times of the unbelievers[h] are fulfilled.” 25 “There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and there will be distress on earth among the nations that are confused by the roaring of the sea and its waves. 26 People will faint from fear and apprehension because of what’s to be coming to the inhabited world, because the powers of the heavens will be disrupted. 27 Then people[i] will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’[j] with power and great glory. 28 “Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your deliverance is approaching.”
Luke 21:20-28 20
Clearly, He is addressing His contemporary audience. He could not have been more direct and obvious that the warning for was for them. If you are still in doubt, you can find at least 100 verses that indicate an imminent fulfillment, but below are just a few. I encourage you to read them all in context.
- 1 Peter 1:20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you 21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
- 1 Peter 4:7 But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers.
- 1 Peter 4:17 For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?
- 1 Cor 7:29 But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, 30 those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, 31 and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away.
- James 5:1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. 3 Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days. 4 Indeed the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth (Sabbath). 5 You have lived on the earth in pleasure and luxury; you have fattened your hearts as in a day of slaughter.
- 1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the[d] Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.
- Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near
- Rev 1:7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.
Not to be repetitive, but do these prophesies and declarations sound like imminent events, or something that might happen two thousand years in the future?
I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, [f]and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name. 9 Indeed I will make those of the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but lie—indeed I will make them come and worship before your feet, and to know that I have loved you. 10 Because you have kept [g]My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
Rev 3:8
Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” 8 Now I, John, [c]saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 9 Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. [d]For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” 10 And he said to me, “Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. 11 He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him [e]be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.”
Rev 22:7
From a logical perspective, consider the 70-week prophesies of Daniel. After being told the prophesy by the angel, Daniel was distressed by the things he was shown about the of destruction of the SECOND temple. Seeing his distress, the angel told Daniel not to worry, because these things are a long way off. In fact, they were about 500 years in the future from Daniel’s time. Because of this, the angel told Daniel to “seal up the book” until it is time. Now, if 500 years is too soon to reveal his prophesy or be concerned about it, why did the angel who visited John the Revelator tell him NOT TO SEAL the words of the Revelation prophesy, and that the reader should worry? Because these things were “at hand” and to come to pass very soon, obviously! Did you know that the razing of Jerusalem and destruction of the second temple took three-and-a-half years, according to the Roman historians, Tacitus and Josephus? Daniels 1,290 prophesy is three-and-a-half years, plus 12 days. I am willing to bet your pastor did not teach you that, most likely because he did not know it himself. Did he teach you that before the 20th century, most Christians believed the events of Revelation chapters 1-19 were fulfilled between 66 AD and 73 AD?
Dispensationalists have invented the “gap-theory”, which claims there is a 2000-year “gap” between the 69th week of Daniel, and the 70th week, but that is TOTALLY UNBIBLICAL. That theory is MADE UP, whole cloth, by modern dispensationalists.
The truth is that the Tribulation, Second Coming and the Millenium Reign happened, and have been systematically and professionally covered up for centuries. A well-funded and well-organized effort has been coordinated by the Enemy and his minions, to erase our true history. Through the use of banking cartels, academic societies, and secret societies, like the Masons, Illuminati, and others, the enemy has successfully “deceived the whole world” (Revelation 20).
If you have investigated conspiracies in politics, banking, science, culture, etc, you have undoubtedly scratched your head and wondered: 1. How did they pull it off? 2. Who are “they”? The answers are out there, and this community will help you discover them.
C.S. Lewis and Your Pastor
The following quote by C.S. Lewis, (1898-1963) the famous “Christian” author of “The Chronicles of Narnia”, “The Screwtape Letters” and “Mere Christianity” is fascinating.
It is clear from the New Testament that they all (Jesus’ disciples and followers) expected the Second Coming in their own lifetime. And worse still, they had a reason, and one which you will find very embarrassing. Their Master had told them so. He shared, and indeed created, their Delusion. He said in so many words, ‘this generation shall not pass till all these things be done.,, And he was wrong. He clearly knew no more about the end of the world than anyone else.” It is certainly the most embarrassing verse in the Bible.
This quote is disturbing and revealing, considering that when he wrote this, C.S. Lewis was already famous and considered a respected Christian apologist. But this quote shows that he was either deceived himself, or he was one of the enemy’s own agents. There are no other possibilities. If your pastor has actually read the Bible, and not merely repeated the dogmas he was taught in seminary, then he also, must be one of the former. What about yourself? Just a few years ago, I had to admit that I was ignorant, deluded, and had believed the teachings of men over the words of Christ! Well, no more. I have taken responsibility for my ignorance of scriptures and lack of knowledge about our true history. I also had to repent for my former spiritual cowardice. I had read the words of Christ for decades, but I did not believe Him, either because I was deceived, or because I was afraid to contradict the doctrines of modern man. With His grace, many of us have rediscovered the truth, and have received the courage to speak out.
In Little Season Eschatology, we believe Jesus Christ at his word. Jesus claimed to be the Son of God, and that he was one with the Father. He said “if you knew me, you would know my Father also” (John 8:19).
“My time is at hand”: A quick study of “at hand”.
There will probably always be futurist and dispensationalist Christians reading this who still doubt the scriptural truths I have documented. They are adept and well-trained in the art of performing intellectual backflips, while juggling. They purposely misinterpret the Bible to create and teach “strange doctrines”. For them, let us take a look at what “at hand” meant to a first-century Judean.
Now on the first day of the Feast of the Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover? And He said, “Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is at hand; I will keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.”
Matthew 26:17-18
In this example, Jesus was referring to his imminent capture and crucifixion. So here, “at hand” meant that very day, or the next day.
Then He came to His disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.”
Matthew 26:45-46
Here, Jesus again tells us what this phrase means, twice, and he is not referring to an event that will happen years or millennia later, but things that would take place in that very hour.
Then Jesus said to them, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always ready. 7 The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil. 8 You go up to this feast. I am not [b]yet going up to this feast, for My time has not yet fully come.” 9 When He had said these things to them, He remained in Galilee.
John 7:6
This example takes us back to the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, and the language is not the exact phrase “at hand”, though some versions do use that phrase in their translation. The statement, though, gives us an understanding of what it does not mean. When referring to an event that would happen roughly three years later, he says “my time has not yet fully come”. How then would he refer to an event that is 2000 years in the future?
And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. 12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk [c]properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
Romans 13:11-13
Here, Paul uses the phrase “at hand” to refer to an imminent sunrise, so in this case it means hours, or a very short time.
For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
2 Timothy 4:6
In this example, Paul is referring to his death, which he believes will be soon, maybe weeks or months in the future, but certainly not 2000 years later.
The above five passages are the only times in the Bible the phrase “at hand” used, that are not openly discussing the “End Times” and Tribulation.
Take Him at His Word!
Yeshua clearly and repeatedly said he would return “soon”. When he said “soon” it meant just that, not in 2000 years. The word “quickly” does not mean it will all happen fast, it means soon! The phrase “some standing here” means just that. Finally, “this generation” does not mean “that generation”.
Before concluding this chapter, we need to briefly return to the Gospel of Matthew. Let’s recall who Matthew was. He was a mid-to-high-ranking tax collection official, ethnically an Israelite, employed and paid by the Roman government. We can deduce that he was well-educated, meticulous, and terribly unpopular among his own people. Yet, he did his job. He was willing to do and say the most unpopular things in society, possibly because he believed he was on the winning side. He was a pragmatist and probably not very emotional. This made his radical conversion and calling by Christ particularly miraculous and interesting. Maybe his conscience had been nagging at him for a while, or maybe he changed all at once. Either way, it’s interesting to think about who this man was. He was the only one of the original Twelve Apostles who gave us a written gospel. For these reasons, and others, we can take his words seriously. I don’t think Matthew was prone to making mistakes, exaggerating, or repeating something he heard second hand without verifying it. He was a meticulous accountant by trade, and his account of Jesus’ words and deeds was his most important work.
- Matthew 3:1-2 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”
- Matthew 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
- Matthew 10:22-23 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
- Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. 25 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. 26 For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. 28 Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”
- Matthew 23 37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”
Can you see that the modern American “Christian” church is just as proud and bullheaded as ancient Jerusalem, and many modern “pastors” are the equivalent of the ancient scribes and pharisees? I wonder if God is just as sickened by most of the Western churches as he was by the hypocrites in ancient Jerusalem?
And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” 4 Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Matthew 26:63-64
People Make Mistakes and Lie, Jesus Does Not!
You do not need a “Christian” pastor to explain to you that Jesus did not mean what he said. You don’t need a doctor of theology to decode Jesus plain and simple words. One or two verses of scripture do not constitute a doctrine, especially if the context or meaning are nebulous. But, you just read over thirty examples, many of them Jesus’ own words, that all communicate the same message.
I challenge you to reread, or read the four Gospels from this perspective. If you do, you will find that it all makes perfect sense now. I promise you will gain a new understanding of the times of the disciples, and the times we are in now.
Conclusion
Have you ever wondered why we only have two of the twelve apostles accounts of Jesus’ ministry? Why don’t we have many more volumes and testimonies? I believe it is because the Apostles and disciples were busy spreading the gospel and message to repent to all who would listen, because there was very little time left.
The facts and perspective laid out in this book, and by many other researchers, will disrupt the status quo, the power structures, and invigorate the true Church. Is it any wonder that many churches (I call them “god-stores”) barely teach the words of Jesus? Many are in fact, gatekeepers, leading their flocks to the doctrines of men, not the words of God. Anyone, including your pastor, favorite author, parents or friends, who hides Jesus’ words and still teach that Jesus was wrong, is either: 1. lying to you, 2. do not have basic knowledge of the New Testament, or 3. are strongly deluded.
If initially, you find these simple facts difficult to accept, I understand. I was like you not long ago, as I was brought up in a futurist/dispensationalist home and church. I was taught that any deviation from their belief system would result in loss of faith and eternity in hell. It was not easy to change my paradigm, and I struggled with it for over a year. But alas, the Biblical and physical evidence that they were wrong became overwhelming. Now, the proof is in front of you, and you must decide whether to accept or reject it.
Finally, here are a few more verses to look up and some great videos to watch.
- Matthew 4:7
- 1 Thess 5:2
- 2 Thess 2:2
- Rev 1:3
- Rev 22:10
- Malacai 4
- Daniel 12:4
LS overview by Understanding Conspiracy
Joe Telford on Geisinger Unfiltered
All material herein, which is not identified as a quote from scripture or another source, is written by, and is the intellectual property of David Real. All material may be shared copied or quoted, as long the author is credited.