Bulletized

• Jesus predicted his second coming would occur in the first century, but it has not happened yet. This raises the question of whether Jesus was a false prophet.
• Tim O'Neill, an atheist and founder of "History for Atheists," debunks historical myths and misconceptions, including those used by some atheists and Christians.
• The concept of Jesus as an "apocalyptic prophet" is explored, meaning he predicted a coming change in the world where evil would be destroyed and good would live forever.
• The intertestamental period (between the Old and New Testaments) saw the development of ideas integral to Christian faith, such as the Messiah, angels and demons, hell, and the apocalypse.
• In the 1st century, Galilean peasants, oppressed by Roman rule, would have found the message of an imminent "Kingdom of God" to be "good news."
• Troublesome passages in the Gospels, particularly Mark 9:1 and Mark 13:30, suggest Jesus believed the apocalypse would occur within the lifetime of his audience, which did not happen.
• Conservative interpretations, like futurism (events are still to happen) and preterism (events partially or fully fulfilled in the past), are used to reconcile these prophecies.
• Mark 13, the "Olivet discourse," describes signs leading up to the apocalypse, with the "abomination of desolation" being the key sign.
• The "abomination of desolation" refers to the desecration of the Jewish temple in 167 BC by Antiochus Epiphanes, and in 70 AD by the Romans.
• Mike Winger argues the abomination of desolation is a future event, requiring a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem, and dismisses the 70 AD interpretation.
• Winger also reinterprets "this generation" in Mark 13:30 to refer to a future generation, not the one Jesus was speaking to.
• Luke's gospel softens and generalizes the reference to 70 AD, replacing the "abomination of desolation" with "Jerusalem surrounded by armies," suggesting a later writing date for Luke.
• Michael Jones, another apologist, employs arguments of "contingent prophecy" and "partial fulfillment."
• Jones argues that biblical prophecies were often conditional, dependent on people's actions, and not deterministic. However, apocalyptic literature, like Daniel, tended to be more deterministic.
• Jones selectively quotes Dale Allison to support the idea of contingent apocalyptic texts, omitting Allison's assertion that most are deterministic.
• Jones uses New Testament parables (Mustard Seed, Sower, 10 Virgins) to suggest expected delays in the coming of the Kingdom, but these are reinterpreted as dealing with the fact that the apocalypse had not yet happened.
• Jones interprets Mark 13:10 ("gospel must first be proclaimed to all nations") as a geographical requirement for the apocalypse, delaying its fulfillment. However, "nations" in this context likely referred to non-Jewish peoples, which was considered fulfilled in the 1st century.
• The interpretation of Mark 9:1 as fulfilled by the Transfiguration is discussed, with the argument that while all three synoptic gospels place the Transfiguration next, it doesn't necessarily mean Mark intended it as a fulfillment.
• The overall conclusion is that the earliest material (Paul's writings and Mark's gospel) reflects Jesus as an apocalyptic prophet who believed the Kingdom of God and the apocalypse were coming very soon, and the later evolution of interpretations reflects the delay in these events.