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Most Christians think of the Second Coming of Jesus as a five-foot-five Jewish man (with long hair and ancient Jewish clothing) literally riding on a cloud down to earth—and walking around the streets of Jerusalem. But is this the correct understanding of what the Bible teaches? Interestingly, of the two dozen passages about the Parousia in the New Testament, only one (Acts 1:9-11) does not have a specific or implied time limitation to occur during the lifetimes of those living in the first century. Many Christians have misunderstood what Jesus meant by his Parousia, because they do not know their...

Some things Christians believe are curious to me. For example, many conservative evangelical Christians, the group which I generally consider myself to be a part, proudly say, “We take the Bible literally.” Indeed, they use this statement as a test for orthodoxy. Well, here are few questions I’d like to ask them: • When Jesus said that He is the vine (John 15:5), did He mean that He is a plant? • Is God literally a rock (2 Samuel 22:3; Psalm 18:2, etc.)? • Should we literally hate our mother and father so that we can be Jesus’ disciple (Luke...

“They will see the Son of Man Coming on clouds of heaven. . . . Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass until all these things take place.” (Matthew 24:30, 34) AMIGO: The Second Coming! Now that will be a glorious day. BIBLIANO: What if I told you that the “Second Coming” already happened? AMIGO: I’d say you were completely nuts. (Under his breath: And I would unfriend you on Facebook.) BIBLIANO: This text certainly seems to say that Jesus taught that He would return in his own generation. Right? AMIGO: Well, “this generation” must mean some...

Former President Jimmy Carter and former first lady Rosalynn Carter’s grandson said the couple is “coming to the end,” but remain together and in love. Carter entered into hospice care earlier this year, his charity, The Carter Center, announced in February. In May, the former first lady was diagnosed with dementia. Jason Carter, his grandson, is the chairman of the Carter Center and told USA Today Thursday that they are happy. “They are together. They are at home. They are in love, and I don’t think anyone gets more than that,” he said. “I mean, it’s a perfect situation for...

Fall is coming.

Economist Ezra Solomon once observed that the “only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable.” Historically, economists have had a terrible track record when it comes to making growth forecasts. The Federal Reserve (Fed) during the 2007-2016 period had a tendency to persistently overestimate future GDP growth. After correcting for this tendency in the recent past, Fed officials found themselves making a new set of costly forecasting errors during the past year. They persistently underestimated inflation.

Former President Obama says while change can't come soon enough for some Americans, for others it might be coming "too rapidly" to feel comfortable. "You end up having, on the one hand, change happening very rapidly, too rapidly for a big portion of the population," Obama said during a "CBS Mornings" interview alongside Bruce Springsteen on Monday. "For another portion of the population, it's like, 'You know, how long are we gonna keep having to defer this dream?'" he said. The ex-commander in chief and the "Born to Run" singer appeared for their first joint sit-down to promote their new...

Move follows hack inspired by Texas abortion ban. The hactivist collective Anonymous says that it has gained access to a massive trove of data from Epik, the web host and domain registrar for a variety of right-wing sites. Epik’s client list has reportedly ranged from more mainstream conservative groups like the Texas Republican Party to Gab and other far-right sites on the fringes of the internet. In a press release, Anonymous says that it has captured “a decade’s worth of data” from Epik. They say the data includes domain registrations, domain transfers, passwords, account credentials for all of Epik’s customers,...

Former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb said it’s possible that the US could turn the corner in the COVID-19 pandemic in the next few weeks — and follow the same trajectory as the United Kingdom, which has started to see cases plunge again. Gottlieb said the US appears to be about three or four weeks behind the United Kingdom in the latest wave of cases, which has been driven by the highly contagious Delta variant. “If you look at the UK, they do in the last seven days appear to be turning a corner. You’re starting to see a downward...

“For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will be the COMING of the Son of Man. . . . 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. . . . and they will see the Son of Man COMING on the CLOUDS of heaven with power and great glory. . . . Truly, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Matthew 24:27-34) If Jesus was to “come”...

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- New York City is not dead; in fact, it's on its way back, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio. The mayor was asked if the city was in a death spiral, and he said that he spoke to someone who is "successful in real estate" and is a proud New Yorker. "He said unquestionably the city is coming back and anyone who doesn't understand that isn't paying attention." He claims that many of the people who lived in the city back in February are still in New York City, despite reports of many people moving...

Searching the Scriptures over many years to understand eschatology, I have become persuaded that there is a major point most modern Christians miss about Bible prophecy. Jesus said that He would COME on “clouds of heaven with power and great glory,” with angels and trumpets, and with cosmic disturbances of the created order (Matthew 24:29-34; etc.). I dare say that not one Christian in a 100 understands the Old Testament context of these statements. Frankly, what most Christians understand about prophecy they have picked up in the echo chamber without having ever checked it against God’s Word. If Jesus was...

There are, of course, many different views among Christians about eschatology. Jesus’ Parousia (“Second Coming”) of Matthew 24:29-34 is a primary text, but highly controversial. The futurist view places this event at the end of history. On the other hand, the preterist view is that Jesus’ Parousia described in Matthew 24 is about Christ’s coming “in judgment” against Old Covenant Israel in AD 70. The context is the prophecy of the destruction of the temple (verse 2) which was fulfilled in AD 70. The parallel passage of Luke 21 confirms that this is about the fall of Jerusalem at that...

Today is the 70th anniversary of the political creation of the State of Israel. This fact is crucial for American fundamentalists. This is because most of them believe in something their pastors call “the clock of prophecy.” It started ticking on May 14, 1948, or so they have been told by a generation of pastors and authors. But there is a problem. It was not supposed to keep ticking longer than 70 years — the normal lifespan of one generation. Before I explain all this, I want you to understand that American fundamentalists are almost all dispensationalists. This is called...

AMIGO: I can hardly wait till Jesus comes in his kingdom. What a glorious day it will be! BIBLIANO: Houston, we have a problem. Jesus clearly taught in Matthew 16:27-28 that SOME OF HIS DISCIPLES WOULD LIVE TO SEE HIM COMING IN HIS KINGDOM. AMIGO: Hmmm. Must be some BIG misunderstanding. That’s not what I’ve been taught by the TV rapture preachers. I watch ‘em all the time. Maybe that passage is about the Transfiguration or Pentecost. BIBLIANO: Matthew 16:27-28 really cannot be the Transfiguration or Pentecost. This passage is about JUDGMENT and there was no judgment at the Transfiguration...

“For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will be the COMING of the Son of Man. . . . 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. . . . and they will see the Son of Man COMING on the CLOUDS of heaven with power and great glory. . . . Truly, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Matthew 24:27-34) Matthew 24 is packed with...

“Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth [land] will mourn because of Him.” This passage from Revelation 1:7 is often read by Christians and simply assumed to be a future event. (“Obviously, this hasn’t happened yet!”) Warning: the interpretation of this passage, read casually out of context, may not be as obvious as most Christians suppose. The context offers strong support for the preterist view, which is that this was fulfilled in AD 70 when Jesus “came in judgment” against apostate Israel. It...

As soon as you perceive that the time for the rapture may be near, please do the following in context with Matthew 24 (since we must maintain our scriptural foundation): 1. Locate the nearest mountain. (If you are in Kansas, sorry, but you are in serious trouble.) — "Let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." 2. Make sure you have a full tank of gas so you can leave your city of residence — "Let those in the city get out." 3. If you are temporarily out of town, think twice about returning home — "Let those...

“And when He had said these things, as they were looking on, He was taken up [Greek EPAIRO], and a CLOUD received Him out of their sight. And while they were gazing into heaven as He went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?’ This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come IN LIKE MANNER [Greek HOS TROPOS] as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:9-11) This passage is one that futurists hold up to preterists to show that the Second...

“Morning Joe” hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough could soon go public as a couple. Page Six has exclusively learned that Brzezinski and her husband of 23 years have quietly divorced. Popular MSNBC stars Scarborough and Brzezinski are widely rumored to be romantically involved — and there’s plenty of on-air chemistry for all to see. But while Scarborough is also divorced — since 2013 — the TV duo have never confirmed they’re romantically involved. An NBC insider told us, “Everybody at 30 Rock knows they are a couple . . . They are constantly together, they arrive and leave events together, even...