Dear Glyn:
I will COMMENT in your email......
Dear Ray,
I have every much enjoyed reading through your website and the emails that you answer with such grace and patience and/or impatience where appropriate. Firstly, I'd like to apologise on behalf of certain aspects of the church - the entirety of which I believe I belong to - who have given you such a hard time here. I'm no theologian and so dont know if its scriptural to ask for forgiveness on behalf of others but I do know my precious Jesus enough to know that he never tried to silence anybody other than the people who deliberately sought to put burdens and instruments of control onto people - something I think you try to be the complete antithesis of. In my humble opinion (by this I mean I am no theologian as mentioned previously) I think open discussion about doctrine is fantastic and to be welcomed. Lets bring it all into the light and weigh it all against the knowledge of the love of God we have in our heart s. I doubt very much that God is intimidated by it - the rock of Christ is a solid foundation and cannot be shaken, but the constructs of man are built on sand and easily collapse so its not surprising that many people panic that anybody should challenge any idea that they have not challenged themselves. I believe that God gave us minds to think, explore, question, analyse and wonder - to not do so is to bury one's talent!
Anyway, I do have a quick question if you find the time to answer it I'd be very grateful:
Jesus says 2 things in the NT that I cannot explain to myself.
Matt16:28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. (repeated in Mark)
COMMENT: "Very I say unto you, There be some standing here [Peter, James & John] which shall not taste of death, till they seee the Son of man coming in His kingdom. AND AFTER SIX DAYS Jesus takes Peter, James, & John his brother, and brings them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them, and His face DID SHINE AS THE SUN, and His raiment was white as the light" (Matt. 16:28-17:1). That's when, where, and how they saw Jesus and what He will be like when "coming in His kingdom."
Mark13:28 Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.
Its as if he suggests that the generation of which he was a part of would see the end times. Of course this wasnt the case and I believe Jesus was infallible so I cannot find any other interpretation that I find credible (and have never been offered one in response to my questions to others). What do you think Jesus meant by these statements?
COMMENT: Jesus said in verse 27, "And then shall He send His angels, and shalll gather together His elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven."
Now then, that THOSE disciples of THAT generation see Jesus coming and gathering His elect? No, no they didn't. But which ever generation DOES SEE "ALL these things" (Matt. 24:33), this [the generation, not THAT generation, which sees ALL THESE THINGS] THIS generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."
God be with you,
Ray
May God bless you richly, or better still, may you come to an ever increasing understanding of how he already has.
Peace be with you.
Glyn (PS my apologies if the question was answered elsewhere but I cannot find it on your site)
