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NASB | 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." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Matthew 16:28 ¶ "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, there are some of those standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." |
Subject: Still not convinced preterism is false |
Bible Note: Mark, You are asking the same types of questions that I've been dealing with for some time now. I just finished writing to BradK and I covered some of the questions you asked. But, I'll answer you questions specifically to best of my ability. 1. What are the "last days" spoken of here, and when did they occur? The writer of the book of Hebrews was very specific in saying that they were living in the "last days". If they were living in the last days, how can any other time be considered the last days unless we re-define the word "last". If one holds that the entire 2000 year church age (up to now) has been the last days, it seems that the term loses all meaning. The last days of the church age would be longer than the entire old covenant age. So, the last days were to be considered by the first century audience the days leading up to Christ's return. Which by the way must have been understood by them to be within their generation, soon, at hand etc. 2. What relevance does your answer to this question have towards how we view "time frames" in Biblical writings? The time-frames are defined by the writers themselves. For example, what did Peter have in mind when he wrote: "The end of all things is near" 1 Pet. 4:7? Unless one re-defines "near" we must take Peter at face value. 3. ...does the text give us that authority to without reservation declare that such-and-such passage is not be be understood as the plain statement it makes, but should be understood as actually referring to something other than what it says? Of course we should understand Scripture in context. Having said that we must determine how to put something into context. We must ask: Who, what, where, why and how. Who was the writer. Who was he writing to. What was he saying to them etc. This is why I'm so focused on the time-frames and audience relevance in Scripture. It is the best way to begin to place the Scripture into its proper context. And, It is more difficult to misinterpret the text by applying something to someone it was not intended to be applied to. 4. Do you believe that any given passage of Scripture has one truth (though there may be several applications), and that this truth is knowable? Yes. Without question. That is why we must begin by placing Scripture into its proper context. Thanks for your excellant questions. Coper |