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Difficult Questions For Futurists To Answer


By Virgil - Posted on 30 March 2002

I do not know who compiled this list of questions that are impossible to be answered by futurists, but these questions are great, and further illustrate how un-scriptural the theory of a future coming of Christ is: "Jesus came to fulfil the law. He specifically stated WHEN the Mosaic Law would pass. It would pass when "heaven and earth pass" and when "all (prophesy) be fulfilled." If heaven and earth did not pass, and if all prophesy has not been fulfilled, why, dear reader, are you not keeping the Mosaic law? Jesus said it would not pass, and must be obeyed, until these things happen."QUESTION #1
Assuming the earth will be destroyed with fire, and all the nations of the earth will be destroyed along with it, why, when the "New Earth" or "New Jerusalem" comes, will the nations need healing? (Revelation 22:2)? How can you heal something that is already dead and burned? They have entered eternity; sin, death, Hades and Satan have all been cast into the lake of fire. Remember that all evil has been disposed of, God has healed the Church of her ills, sin has been finally purged. Why would they need healing if they are now in eternal bliss?


QUESTION #2
Why would the gates of this city be left open if everything outside this city is destroyed (Revelation.21:25)? If everyone outside these gates were burned up, and there is nobody left alive outside these gates, why are there people still entering through the gates into the city after the New Jerusalem comes down from Heaven (Revelation 21:24)?


QUESTION #3
If, in the New Heaven and New Earth, there will be no more death, why does the Bible say there WILL still be physical death in the New Heaven and New Earth (Isaiah 65:20, 66:24)?


QUESTION #4
If, after the New Heaven and New Earth come, there will be no more sin, why does Isaiah say there WILL still be sin (Isaiah 65:20)? Even Jesus Christ said there would still be sin in the next age (Matthew 12:32, Revelation 22:15). And Revelation says that, after the New Jerusalem comes, there will still be sinners (Revelation 21:27).


QUESTION #5
If the New Jerusalem is a physical place, and it will physically come down to earth, why did Jesus say it would not come with observation, and that people would not say "look here or look there" (Luke 17:20-21)? Why not say "look" if it will come with observation? Can it possibly be because it will be a spiritual kingdom and not a physical one?

Return of Christ
This next question is concerning the question the disciples asked in Matthew 24:3: "And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" Here are a few facts first.


Jesus talked to his disciples about his death but the apostles did not understand it at all (Matthew 16:21-22, Mark 8:31-32; 9:31-32, Luke 9:44-45; 18:31-34, John 13:33-14:6; 16:16-18). This last account in the Gospel of John takes place after Jesus had given them the Olivet discourse (Matthew 24) and they still did not understand that Jesus was going to leave them and die. After all, he was God...how can God die? They had no idea of Jesus leaving, then coming again (John 12:34).


The disciples expected Jesus to be their physical King and set up a worldly Kingdom at his First Coming (John 6:15, Luke 24:21), not at his Second Coming. So did others (Luke 17:20-21; 19:11). Even after the crucifixion, they still had no concept about his Second Coming, because they still thought he was going to give them a physical Kingdom at that time (Acts 1:6).


QUESTION #6
If the apostles had no idea that Jesus was going to leave them, why would they ask Him about His return (Matthew 24:3)? How could the disciples have asked a question about something they knew nothing about?


QUESTION #7
If Jesus is going to come down physically on the Mount of Olives, why did Christ warn "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not" (Matthew 24:23)? Why can't we believe someone who would say, "Lo there is Christ descending on the Mount of Olives!"? Can it possibly be because it will be a spiritual coming and not a physical one?

Passing of Mosaic Law


Matthew 5:17-18, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled."


QUESTION #8
Jesus came to fulfil the law. He specifically stated WHEN the Mosaic Law would pass. It would pass when "heaven and earth pass" and when "all (prophesy) be fulfilled." If heaven and earth did not pass, and if all prophesy has not been fulfilled, why, dear reader, are you not keeping the Mosaic law? Jesus said it would not pass, and must be obeyed, until these things happen.


Resurrected Body


QUESTION #9
If Christ was actually in His eternal physical resurrection body, will we be raised with the same physical body and likeness as Christ was raised with (1 John 3:2)?


a) Was He physical? Will we have that same physical body?


b) Was he any age? What age? Will we be the same age as Christ?


c) Will we too have scars that we had previously? Christ did.


d) Will we all be raised male? Christ was.


e) What about babies? Will they be raised as babies? Or will all people suddenly be raised at the prime age of 30 like Christ?


f) What about the food Christ ate? Obviously it took teeth to chew. Did the food get caught in His teeth? Did it have to go into His colon and out His anus? Did Christ take that into heaven?


g) Will we have genitalia? Christ did. If you believe that Christ was raised with the exact same physical body (just eternal now), then you must believe He still has genitalia.

Joel's picture

You said: "QUESTION #2 Why would the gates of this city be left open if everything outside this city is destroyed (Revelation.21:25)? If everyone outside these gates were burned up, and there is nobody left alive outside these gates, why are there people still entering through the gates into the city after the New Jerusalem comes down from Heaven (Revelation 21:24)?" A) You do realize that with the new heavens AND new earth, we will probably (pure presupposition, so don't say I am adding an extra-Biblical idea. This is a logical assumption)be able to go to and fro and seeing hows New Jerusalem will come down onto the new earth, they are probably left open so we can walk about. Again, PURE PRESUPPOSITION, but it is a logical presupposition.

You said: "QUESTION #3 If, in the New Heaven and New Earth, there will be no more death, why does the Bible say there WILL still be physical death in the New Heaven and New Earth (Isaiah 65:20, 66:24)?" Dr. Fruchtenbaum says that this is most likely a reference to the Millenial Kingdom, seeing hows death is not possible in heaven (we both agree on this). It actually has to be the Millenial Kingdom because in the New Heavens and New Earth of Revelation, DEATH WILL BE NO MORE!!!!!! And as I recall, we still have death today, so I present you a question: How can the New Heavens and New Earth not be futuristic if there is no more death, and we still have death today? We also have pain, crying etc. all of which will be removed in the the New HEavens and New Earth. How is this possible?

You said: "QUESTION #4 If, after the New Heaven and New Earth come, there will be no more sin, why does Isaiah say there WILL still be sin (Isaiah 65:20)? Even Jesus Christ said there would still be sin in the next age (Matthew 12:32, Revelation 22:15). And Revelation says that, after the New Jerusalem comes, there will still be sinners (Revelation 21:27)." My guess would be the "without" in this verse of Revelation is talking about the Lake of Fire. In Isaiah 65:20, this is talking about the millenial kingdom, because it says that people will die, which cannot be possible in the New Heaven and Earth. Also, do you take the idea of the Lake of Fire symbolic just because it is in Revelation?

You said: "QUESTION #7 If Jesus is going to come down physically on the Mount of Olives, why did Christ warn "Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not" (Matthew 24:23)? Why can't we believe someone who would say, "Lo there is Christ descending on the Mount of Olives!"? Can it possibly be because it will be a spiritual coming and not a physical one?" This is a pretty foolish question. In the context of Matthew, he is talking about false Christs, like Rev. Sun Yung Moon, and the Japanese cult leader etc. that are claiming to be the Christ on the earth. He is not saying, "I can't come back literally because I would be a false Christ then because people might say 'Lo, there is Christ'." Let us also not forget that the JEws wil cry because of the one they pierced and ALL the nations of the earth will SEE Him, not FEEL Him.

You said: "QUESTION #9 If Christ was actually in His eternal physical resurrection body, will we be raised with the same physical body and likeness as Christ was raised with (1 John 3:2)?" Yes, because after all, we will be changed from corruption to incorruption (I Corinthians 15).

You said: "a) Was He physical? Will we have that same physical body?

b) Was he any age? What age? Will we be the same age as Christ?

c) Will we too have scars that we had previously? Christ did.

d) Will we all be raised male? Christ was.

e) What about babies? Will they be raised as babies? Or will all people suddenly be raised at the prime age of 30 like Christ?

f) What about the food Christ ate? Obviously it took teeth to chew. Did the food get caught in His teeth? Did it have to go into His colon and out His anus? Did Christ take that into heaven?

g) Will we have genitalia? Christ did. If you believe that Christ was raised with the exact same physical body (just eternal now), then you must believe He still has genitalia." This all can be answered by the Bible: We will be raised IN HIS LIKENESS. You are in my likeness because we are both human and we both have same physical characteristics (ears, eyes, nose teeth, mouth, fingers etc.). The same with Christ. I believe that he has male characteristics still, but I believe that women will still be women in heaven. We just won't need the parts. Just like God doesn't need eyes to see, we won't need genitalia and ovaries(although, we wont be reproducing so we won't need them anyway, but that is my two cents).

Joel's picture

You said: "What about babies? Will they be raised as babies? Or will all people suddenly be raised at the prime age of 30 like Christ?"

This has to do with Soteriology and the idea of an age of accountability. I do not even believe that babies will be raised, so I cannot answer that.

Also, with question 9, you used a pretty bad straw man argument with it. Please, give us a little tougher challenge. View this as a constructive criticism. Alright? God Bless You,

-Joel

Joel's picture

The joke says: "Christians are combatants in a conflict between good and evil, light and darkness, God and the devil."

How is this funny? We are in a combat with satan. Ephesians 6 says so. Do preterists believe we aren't or something?

Virgil's picture

Joel, preterists generally believe that Christ defeated Satan ultimately and finally at the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70, so NO, we do not believe that we are in a conflict with Satan because we are saved already, and continually through Christ's blood, so Satan is in fact irrelevant today.

Joel's picture

So basically you can say that because Paul said that Satan still was the prince of this earth BEFORE 70 AD, then Satan is no longer the prince of this earth? So basically, we should be living in a perfect age. We should stop putting on the armor of God then, right? Alright, well God Bless,

-Joel

Virgil's picture

Yes, that is exactly what I am saying. This is a perfect age for Christians, not for non-believers. Even if you think Revelation talks about future events, read revelation 21 and 20. Evil still still exist, except it will not exist in the new Jerusalem, just outside the "new city". How do you explain that? I thought Christ's return will destroy all evil and put an end to all suffering!

Joel's picture

Virgil,

Please sight for me where it says that ther will even be poeple outside the new city. Oh also, what is our future hope? We have none, correct. The figurative judgment has already happened, we are living in the last recorded prophecy of the Bible, so what are we to look forward to? Eternal, sinful earth? How horrible!!!!!

I find your statement contrary to Scripture. In this quote, unquote, "perfect age", we will not die, we won't cry and we won't feel pain, and the sun will either be destroyed or obselete because the Shecinah, or visible, glory of God will replace it.

Virgil's picture

First, I did not say that "there are people outside the city". I said "Evil still still exist, except it will not exist in the new Jerusalem, just outside the new city". And to "sight" (sic) where it says that, read Revelation 21:27.

You find my statement contrary to exactly what scripture? Please "sight" some so I can know exactly what scripture i am disagreeing with. :)

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