WHO or WHICH is most important?

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bill4long
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Re: WHO or WHICH is most important?

Post by bill4long »

Limnor wrote:
Thu Jun 25, 2026 12:01 pm
I agree that “this generation” refers to Jesus’ contemporaries, and I don’t dispute that. Where we differ is over what “all these things” includes and whether biblical prophecy can have more than one horizon of fulfillment...

Another consideration is Matthew 24:14:

“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
Let's not forget this delimiting statement:

Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. --Mat 10:23

There is no other "horizon of fulfillment" beyond the lifetime and ministry of the apostles.
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Re: WHO or WHICH is most important?

Post by Shulem »

bill4long wrote:
Thu Jun 25, 2026 1:56 pm
Limnor wrote:
Thu Jun 25, 2026 12:01 pm
I agree that “this generation” refers to Jesus’ contemporaries, and I don’t dispute that. Where we differ is over what “all these things” includes and whether biblical prophecy can have more than one horizon of fulfillment...

Another consideration is Matthew 24:14:

“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
Let's not forget this delimiting statement:

Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. --Mat 10:23

There is no other "horizon of fulfillment" beyond the lifetime and ministry of the apostles.

Amen, bro!

The timeline and events described by Jesus in Matthew 24 indicate the destruction of the temple AND the Second Coming was suppose to occur during the lifetime of those then living:
Matt 24:34 Amplified Bible wrote:I assure you and most solemnly say to you, this generation [the people living when these signs and events begin] will not pass away until all these things take place.
Matt 24:34 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition wrote:Truly I tell you, this generation (the whole multitude of people living at the same time, in a definite, given period) will not pass away till all these things taken together take place.
Led Zeppelin - In My Time Of Dying wrote: Meet me, Jesus, meet me
Ooh, meet me in the middle of the air
If my wings should fail me, Lord
Oh, please meet me with another pair
:D
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Shulem
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Re: WHO or WHICH is most important?

Post by Shulem »

Limnor wrote:
Thu Jun 25, 2026 12:01 pm
I agree that “this generation” refers to Jesus’ contemporaries, and I don’t dispute that. Where we differ is over what “all these things” includes and whether biblical prophecy can have more than one horizon of fulfillment.

The operative word being, “can”.

On this caveat, u can believe and interpret the Old & New Testaments however you want but are left wondering and asking questions that have already been answered. Christians have been doing that for 2,000 years and I suppose the next generations will do more of the same.

Imagine getting into a time machine and going back to the hillsides of Jerusalem where Jesus preached and asking him specifically if he said what he meant and meant what he said.

And there you have it.
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Re: WHO or WHICH is most important?

Post by Shulem »

bill4long wrote:
Thu Jun 25, 2026 1:56 pm
Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. --Mat 10:23

Jesus was speaking to living people during his day and time -- *that* generation (LittleNipper not included). The Christians took their message all throughout Israel and then turned to the Gentiles including the lands of: Samaria, Syria, Asia Minor, Cyprus, Crete, Greece, Macedonia, Italy, Egypt, Mesopotamia, etc.

But Jesus never came back. The stories of post-mortal appearances are utter lies -- pure faith promoting fiction. The Mormons did the exact same thing! That is why I said earlier that (Christianity & Mormonism) are two peas in a pod. Religious lies.
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Re: WHO or WHICH is most important?

Post by LittleNipper »

bill4long wrote:
Wed Jun 24, 2026 10:21 pm
LittleNipper wrote:
Wed Jun 24, 2026 7:12 pm
Daniel 9:24-27: The prophecy outlines "seventy weeks" and mentions an anointed one being cut off. Implying the reinstatement of sacrifices and offerings, which requires a physical Temple structure at Jerusalem.
Matthew 24:15: Jesus refers to the "abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place". This implies a physical, functioning Temple will exist in the end times where an anti-God figure will desecrate the sanctuary.
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4: The Apostle Paul speaks of the "man of lawlessness" who will oppose God and "sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God."Revelation 11:1-2: The Apostle John is told to measure the temple of God and the altar, suggesting a physical structure will exist during the first half of the seven-year tribulation period.
You show over and over that you don't have a deep handle on the topics in this thread. You're just regurgitating worn out and debunked Christian apologetics. Rabbi Tovia Singer has handily demolished this particular Christian apologetic:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSWpSEyh2zU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p57CiVtdHFY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrTTymgETn8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjKLYEo2AMk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjF3fW9mSmY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=96RgQLeOS0Q
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0Sq6qvlmeM
And many more

Moreover, while the New Testament writers referred to Daniel 9, where they have Jesus warn about the Abomination that Makes Desolate, what they never do is refer to Daniel 9:24-27 and apply it to Jesus. (They don't cite Daniel 9:24-27 at all for anything.) This is a glaring omission if this is a prophecy about Jesus. When considering the Hebrew of this text, it is patently obvious that it cannot be about Jesus.

by the way, Tovia Singer is a master of the Hebrew Bible, Christian New Testament, and the Patristic Fathers. It is worth watching his videos on this topic and other Christian apologetic topics and giving them serious consideration from the standpoint of a very capable Jewish scholar and debunker of Christian apologetics.

Proverbs 18:17
Please regard the following: Daniel 9:24-27 is a key biblical passage. It is the only Old Testament passage which refers to the Messiah as “Messiah.” Elsewhere He is called “Shiloh” (Genesis 49:10), the “Root of Jesse” (Isaiah 11:10), the “Righteous Branch” (Jeremiah 23:5), the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6), etc. But the name by which He is known best, “Messiah,” appears in only one passage: Daniel 9:24-27. Here is an excerpt from that passage:

“Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people. . . . So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary” (NASB 1995).

Exactly what is meant by “seventy weeks”? The phrase by itself is ambiguous, but taken in context the meaning is clear. Daniel’s prayer in Daniel 9:3–19 refers to the fulfillment of a specific seventy-year period, the seventy years of the Babylonian captivity (as prophesied by Jeremiah). Daniel received the seventy weeks prophecy in response to his prayer. The “weeks” are sets of seven years. The prophecy foretells a period of seven times seventy weeks yet to come, or seventy seven-year periods. Seventy seven-year periods are 490 years.

The prophecy specifies that “from the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks [49 years] and sixty-two weeks [434 years]. . . . Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing” (Daniel 9:25-26, BSB).

Nebuchadnezzar had Jerusalem dismantled around 587 BC after having to put down two rebellions there in less than 10 years. At the time this prophecy was given, Jerusalem still lay in ruins. According to the prophecy, from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem there would be seven seven-year periods and sixty-two more seven-year periods—or 483 years—until the Messiah would show up. After the culmination of the 62 seven-year periods, or after 483rd year, the Messiah would be cut off.

Both the ancient Hebrews to whom Daniel was writing and the ancient Babylonians to whom he was subservient (the Book of Daniel having been written in Babylon during the latter half of the 6th century BC) used a 360-day year.

So, 483 years x 360 days = 173,880 days. This is the equivalent of 476 years and 25 days, using our modern Gregorian calendar’s 365-day year.

As for our starting point, the Persian emperor Artaxerxes Longimanus (who ruled from 464—424 BC) issued the edict to rebuild Jerusalem sometime during the Hebrew month of Nisan in the 20th year of his reign, or c. 444 BC (Nehemiah 2:1-8). From c. 444 BC, 173,880 days brings us to c. AD 33.

According to this prophecy, the Messiah would show up, present Himself as Messiah to the nation and then be “cut off” some time near AD 33. This was fulfilled as Jesus Christ presented Himself to the nation of Israel on Palm Sunday, was crucified on Preparation Day (the annual day on which the Passover Lamb was slain), and rose from the dead on Sunday.

The prophecy then goes on to say that, subsequent to the Messiah’s death, “the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary” (NASB 1995). Within one generation of Christ’s crucifixion, the Romans, under the command of Titus Flavius Vespasianus, razed Jerusalem and destroyed the temple.

There is some debate about the exact date of the decree that began the 483 years. There is also debate as to whether the days should be counted on our modern 365-day calendars or the 360-day lunar calendar. Regardless, Daniel’s prophecy lays out an amazingly accurate time line. If we knew all the exact dates of Daniel’s prophecy and timing, we would find it predicted the very day of Christ’s death—over 600 years before it occurred.

This article is found here: https://www.gotquestions.org/seventy-sevens.html
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bill4long
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Re: WHO or WHICH is most important?

Post by bill4long »

LittleNipper wrote:
Thu Jun 25, 2026 4:09 pm
Please regard the following: Daniel 9:24-27 is a key biblical passage. It is the only Old Testament passage which refers to the Messiah as “Messiah.” ...
That's because Daniel 9:24-27 is not referring to the one commonly called "the Messiah", but simply a high priest who was murdered.

You didn't address the fact of glaring omission that none of the New Testament writers cited Daniel 9:24-27 with respect to Jesus.
Exactly what is meant by “seventy weeks”?
Did you watch any of Tovia Singer's videos?

If so, prove it by providing a synopsis of his handling of Daniel 9:24-27 to demonstrate that you actually understand his position. If not, you're not a serious interlocutor; you're just parroting apologia like you always do.

If you understand Tovia's position, and "your" view is right, you should be able to tell me why he's wrong, point by point. Thanks in advance.
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Re: WHO or WHICH is most important?

Post by Shulem »

bill4long wrote:
Thu Jun 25, 2026 7:19 pm
LittleNipper wrote:
Thu Jun 25, 2026 4:09 pm
Please regard the following: Daniel 9:24-27 is a key biblical passage. It is the only Old Testament passage which refers to the Messiah as “Messiah.” ...
That's because Daniel 9:24-27 is not referring to the one commonly called "the Messiah", but simply a high priest who was murdered.

There is an infinite difference between Book of Mormon Messianic prophecy and Old Testament prophecy interpreted through the lens of Christian apologia. The Book of Mormon spells things out word for word (perfectly) but the latter uses an inventive imagination in order to make it fit their paradigm. So, the Book of Mormon is far superior in telling a story that reflects actual circumstances involving Christ but Christian apologia is vague -- like an empty bag containing a single potato chip.

:lol:

PS. I love potato chips. They tempt me!
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Re: WHO or WHICH is most important?

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bill4long wrote:
Thu Jun 25, 2026 1:56 pm
Limnor wrote:
Thu Jun 25, 2026 12:01 pm
I agree that “this generation” refers to Jesus’ contemporaries, and I don’t dispute that. Where we differ is over what “all these things” includes and whether biblical prophecy can have more than one horizon of fulfillment...

Another consideration is Matthew 24:14:

“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.”
Let's not forget this delimiting statement:

Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. --Mat 10:23

There is no other "horizon of fulfillment" beyond the lifetime and ministry of the apostles.
I agree Matthew 10:23 is an important passage. But I’m not sure how it delimits Matthew 24:14.

Are you saying Matthew 10:23 proves every reference to Christ’s coming in the Gospels refers to the same event? If so, what’s the textual basis for that conclusion?
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bill4long
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Re: WHO or WHICH is most important?

Post by bill4long »

Limnor wrote:
Thu Jun 25, 2026 9:54 pm
bill4long wrote:
Thu Jun 25, 2026 1:56 pm

Let's not forget this delimiting statement:

Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. --Mat 10:23

There is no other "horizon of fulfillment" beyond the lifetime and ministry of the apostles.
I agree Matthew 10:23 is an important passage. But I’m not sure how it delimits Matthew 24:14.

Are you saying Matthew 10:23 proves every reference to Christ’s coming in the Gospels refers to the same event? If so, what’s the textual basis for that conclusion?
Stick to Matthew first. How many "comings" does Matthew mention? 24:14, 24:50, 25:6 clearly refer to the single end of the age coming where Jesus shows up in power to rule the world. What other "coming" could 10:23 be referring to? Whatever coming it is, it had to happen before the apostles would complete their commission to the "towns of Israel" and this is in the context of "enduring to the end". Cf Mat 24:13.

And preach as you go, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'...And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved... Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel, before the Son of man comes. --Mat 10

Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people... the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. --Mat 24

Both texts put a limitation to the fulfillment of their commission to Israel. Mat 10 says they won't finish the job. Mat 24 explains why: persecution and/or and death.

What internal textual evidence indicates that two comings were intended? I can't find any. can you?
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Re: WHO or WHICH is most important?

Post by Limnor »

bill4long wrote:
Thu Jun 25, 2026 10:32 pm

Limnor wrote:
Thu Jun 25, 2026 9:54 pm


I agree Matthew 10:23 is an important passage. But I’m not sure how it delimits Matthew 24:14.

Are you saying Matthew 10:23 proves every reference to Christ’s coming in the Gospels refers to the same event? If so, what’s the textual basis for that conclusion?
Stick to Matthew first. How many "comings" does Matthew mention? 24:14, 24:50, 25:6 clearly refer to the single end of the age coming where Jesus shows up in power to rule the world. What other "coming" could 10:23 be referring to? Whatever coming it is, it had to happen before the apostles would complete their commission to the "towns of Israel" and this is in the context of "enduring to the end". Cf Mat 24:13.

And preach as you go, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'...And you will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved... Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next; for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel, before the Son of man comes. --Mat 10

Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people... the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. --Mat 24

Both texts put a limitation to the fulfillment of their commission to Israel. Mat 10 says they won't finish the job. Mat 24 explains why: persecution and/or and death.

What internal textual evidence indicates that two comings were intended? I can't find any. can you?
The blunt answer is no, I can’t point to a verse that states that outright.

But I’m not quite ready to go full preterist because there are still passages that mention the resurrection of the dead, a final judgment, and the renewal of creation. I can’t argue that Matthew proves two distinct comings, but I’m not persuaded it proves there is only one.

Also, for shulem, this isn’t quite the same caliber as the king’s name proving Joseph couldn’t translate.
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