What is the Real Meaning of
Easter?

I hope you had a great Easter. Hope you found all the Easter Eggs you were hunting for.

Everybody knows "The Real Meaning of Easter" is not chocolate bunnies and colored eggs.

But what is the REAL meaning of Easter? Most people in church on Easter Sunday will answer, "The resurrection of Jesus. He rose from the dead on the third day."

It is certainly true that Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. But what is the meaning or significance of that historical event? What is the real meaning of the resurrection of some guy from Nazareth named Jesus?

After an atheist faces the historical facts that Jesus actually existed and rose from the dead in history, it would be better for an atheist to say, "Sure, Jesus existed, and yes, he rose from the dead. But perhaps Jesus was just an 'evolutionary pioneer,' and after a few more centuries of evolution, more and more human beings will begin rising from the dead." Or the atheist might say, "Easter is a freak. Freakish things like resurrections just happen every now and then. The universe is a random freak. We are just accidental conglomerations of molecules, and life is meaningless."

But if the authors of the New Testament were to travel through time to our day and join us for lunch, what would they say "the real meaning of Easter" is?

Here's my answer in a nutshell:  

Anarchy!

Christians should work to abolish all governments.

You're thinking "That's nuts." "That's the real meaning of Easter??" You would say to me, "You're joking, right?"

Nope. I'm as serious as a heart attack.

On a scale of 1-10, with "10" being "a really good and true idea," and "1" being "a false and dangerous idea," you would say that abolishing all governments is a "-10 below zero."

I guarantee that if you read this entire presentation, you will rate the claim at "5" or more, where "5" = "Oh dear, this just might be true; I need to study this issue more."

In fact, if you read my entire presentation of the case for abolishing all governments, including the U.S. of A., -- the Real Meaning of Easter -- and you don't raise your rating to "5" or more, I'll pay you $1,000.00. Details here.

Who is the REAL "Bad Guy?"

You've been trained to believe an "anarchist" is a bad guy. A bomb-throwing assassin.

Those who oppose "anarchists" are the good guys.

The word "anarchist" comes from two Greek words meaning "not" an "archist." Those who oppose "an-archists" are "archists."

The obvious question should be: "What is an 'archist?'"

An "archist" is someone who believes he has a right to impose his own will on other people by force or threats of violence.

• When was the last time you read an article or heard a podcast about an "anarchist" imposing his will on others by force or threats of violence?
• When was the last time you read an article or heard a podcast about an "archist" imposing his will on others by force or threats of violence?
• Which one imposed his will on more people? Which one committed more acts of violence? The "anarchist," or the "archist?"

During my lifetime, "my" "government" -- "my" "archists" -- imposed its will on hundreds of millions of human beings around the world. "My" government (the woke/neoconservative regime in Washington D.C.)

• murdered
• maimed
• made homeless

tens of millions of innocent, non-combatant non-white civilians around the world.
Iran, Vietnam, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Guatemala . . . the list is long and bloody.
Forty-some years ago, China abandoned many aspects of Maoist communism and embraced some features of "capitalism," and since then, the United States has become the most evil and most dangerous government on planet earth. You might think North Korea is more evil than the U.S., and that's not entirely false, but "the Democratic People's Republic of Korea" is not more dangerous to more people than the U.S. The U.S. has caused more harm than any other government, terrorist group, drug cartel, or organized crime syndicate.
Statistically speaking, the average human being on planet earth is more likely to be deprived of the rights with which they were "endowed by our creator" -- life, liberty, property, etc. -- by someone on the payroll of the United States than by soldiers or agents of any other government in the world. And U.S. politicians, bureaucrats, soldiers, and police, who have taken an oath to "support the Constitution . . . so help me, God," have taken the Lord's name in vain, and know on some level that the U.S. was intended to be a Christian nation. These people are more evil than their North Korean counterparts, who have  lived all their lives in an atheist nation.

The United States is the enemy of "America" -- once a land of "Liberty Under God" -- and the most dangerous group of "archists" on the planet.

As we will see below, Jesus prohibits His followers from being "archists." We are to serve people, not "govern" them by the sword.

The first premise of my argument for abolishing all governments is almost as controversial as "abolish all governments." It is another way of stating "The Real Meaning of Easter." Are you ready? Here it is:

Jesus is the Christ

That sounds a lot more normal than "abolish all governments." But almost nobody in 2024 believes this if you really think about it for a few minutes.

The Apostle Peter proclaimed the real meaning of Easter to a multitude of "devout Jews" (Acts 2:5) who had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Feast of Pentecost, 50 days after Jesus rose from the dead. Here's what Peter said:

³⁶ “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

Jews certainly don't believe this. But neither do the vast majority of church-goers on Easter Sunday. Most of them believe that Jesus will not actually begin reigning as the Christ until after the "Second Coming." But if the Apostle Peter were with us, he would surely agree that this is the real meaning of Easter.

I asked an Artificial Intelligence bot about this verse: How would those Jews have understood the meaning of the word "Christ" as Peter used it? The AI answer:

The Jews in Peter's audience would have understood the meaning of the word "Christ" as referring to the long-awaited Messiah or Anointed One promised in the Old Testament. The term "Christ" is derived from the Greek word "Christos," which translates the Hebrew word "Messiah." In Jewish tradition, the Messiah was expected to be a divine figure who would deliver the people of Israel, establish God's kingdom, and bring salvation. Therefore, when Peter proclaimed that Jesus was both Lord and Christ, he was declaring that Jesus was the fulfillment of these Messianic prophecies and the promised Savior of Israel

I wondered about the phrase "bring salvation." I asked the AI bot, "How many times do the words "save," "savior" and "salvation" (in their various grammatical forms) occur in the Bible?" AI was not helpful:

In summary, the search results do not provide a definitive answer on the exact number of times the words "save", "savior" and "salvation" appear in the Bible. The articles focus more on the theological meaning and interpretation of these concepts rather than providing comprehensive usage data. To get a precise count, further research would be needed.

Here are the results of my "further research." Here it is in a nutshell: "Save" = "deliver." A "savior" is a "deliverer." The meaning of "save," "savior," and "salvation" in the Bible is "peace," "deliverance," "wholeness," "prosperity," and freedom from pagan emperors.

In the days of Christ, the Roman Emperor claimed to be a "savior," and a bringer of "salvation." Here's how the AI bot expressed this:

Based on the search results provided, the Caesars of Rome, particularly Augustus Caesar, claimed to bring "salvation" to the Roman Empire and the world:

1. The inscription found in Priene, dated to 6 BC, refers to Augustus Caesar as being "sent to us and our descendants as Savior" and declares that he "has put an end to war and has set all things in order". This portrays Augustus as a savior figure who has brought peace and order.
2. The inscription also states that Augustus' "birthday... has been for the whole world the beginning of the gospel (euangelion) concerning him". The term "gospel" was used in the Roman world to refer to proclamations of political or military victories. So this inscription presents Augustus' rule as a kind of "gospel" or good news for the world.
3. The search results indicate that the Caesars, especially Augustus, were portrayed as divine figures and even "sons of god" who had brought salvation and peace through the Pax Romana (Roman Peace). This was a direct challenge to the Christian message of Jesus Christ as the true divine Savior.
4. The Christian Gospels were written in this context, presenting Jesus as the true "Son of God" and bringer of salvation, in contrast to the claims made about the Caesars.

So in summary, the evidence shows that the Roman Caesars, particularly Augustus, did actively claim to be saviors and bringers of a new age of peace and prosperity, which the early Christians saw as a direct challenge to their message about Jesus Christ. This theological and political rivalry is reflected in the language and framing of the biblical Gospels.

I highlighted the word "challenge." When I think of a "challenger," I think of an upstart rookie who challenges the established, reigning champion. Caesar Augustus was born 63 years before Jesus was born. When Jesus was born, Rome had invaded and conquered Israel. Rome was the reigning champion. Caesar was the lord and savior, and Pax Romana was its gospel. Then Christ comes, proclaims Himself Lord and Savior, and teaches a new "Gospel of the Kingdom." Christianity challenged Rome. Christ challenged Caesar. It is not so much that Christians saw Caesar-as-Savior as a challenge to their message about Jesus the Savior-Christ, as that Christians were a threat to Rome.

R.J. Rushdoony writes about the German historian, Ethelbert Stauffer, who wrote about the religious principle of the Roman Empire, from the days of Augustus on: salvation by Caesar. The "preachers" of Rome preached this gospel:

“Salvation is to be found in none other save Augustus, and there is no other name given to men in which they can be saved.”

St. Peter was very bold to proclaim a new Gospel when he said of Jesus Christ, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Rushdoony says:

War between Christ and Caesar, the Christians and Rome, was thus inevitable. The state and its emperors claimed to offer salvation. The church declared only Christ does.

We are again in the age of Caesars, of political saviors. All over the world, politicians proclaim their plans of salvation....

See also these comments by David Chilton, and these comments by N.T. Wright.

Not just the Roman Caesars, but all ancient rulers claimed to be divine saviors. In most cases where those words occur in the Bible, Israel is "delivered" from pagan empires, and everyone dwells peacefully under his vine and under his fig tree, "with no one to make them afraid" (Micah 4:1-7). This is the Bible passage that contains the "real meaning of Easter," and forms the basis for this website. This website is basically just a huge sermon on this passage:

This, then, is the real meaning of "salvation":

“Vine & Fig Tree”

The real meaning of Easter is: Jesus is the King who makes a “Vine & Fig Tree” society possible. In fact, He made it mandatory. Christians have a moral obligation to bring a “Vine & Fig Tree” world into existence.

Most Christians, however, deny that this is possible. So of course they deny that we have any moral obligation to make it happen. I'll explain all this below.

Most "gentiles" in 2024 probably could not explain what Peter the Jew meant, or what those devout Jews understood Peter to be saying, though everyone in church on Easter Sunday morning would nod their heads and say they agreed with Peter's words. It's a simple proposition:

Jesus of Nazareth was murdered but rose from the dead and became the Christ.

"Christ" means "Messiah." "Christ" means "King." It is primarily a political term, not a "religious" term.

What is the real meaning of Easter?

Governments should "go out of business." They should stop trying to do what only Jesus can do. Economist Murray Rothbard spoke of this vision as "anarcho-capitalism." 100% pure laissez-faire capitalism with 0% socialism. That's the Biblical meaning of Easter.

You may not think that, but every government in history eventually concludes that.

Jesus is "the King of kings," "Lord of lords" and "God of gods."

Jesus is the only legitimate God. All others are false gods.

Jesus is the only legitimate Lord. All others are false lords.

Jesus is the only legitimate King. All others are false kings.

Throughout history, kings, Pharaohs, and Caesars all claimed to be gods, but they were false gods and false kings.

I asked the AI bot, Would the Roman Empire perceive a "messiah" or "King of Israel" (John 1:49) as a threat to Roman authority? The bot answered:

Yes, the Roman Empire would likely perceive a "messiah" or "King of Israel," as mentioned in John 1:49, as a threat to Roman authority. The title "King of Israel" implies a claim to kingship over the Jewish people, which could be seen as a challenge to Roman rule in the region. The Romans were known for their strict control and intolerance of any potential rivals to their power, especially those who could incite rebellion or disrupt the established order. Therefore, the proclamation of a messianic figure like the "King of Israel" could have been viewed by the Roman authorities as a political threat and potentially lead to conflict or unrest in the region.

Jesus completely undermined the legitimacy of Pharaohs, Caesars, and Presidents.

In the Gospel of Mark, chapter 10, Jesus discovers His disciples arguing about who is going to be the "greatest" in the coming Kingdom of God.

They didn't understand that Jesus' Kingdom was quite unlike the kingdoms of the world.

The word translated "rulers" comes from the Greek word from which we derive our English word "anarchist."

"Lords," "rulers" and "great ones" are "archists."

Jesus clearly says His followers are not to be "archists." They are to be "servants."

The person who says "I am not an archist" is an an-archist.

You may have heard the saying, "Power corrupts." The man who wrote this, Lord Acton, was a Christian anarchist. (Or pretty close.) (We think he would be if he were here today.) Most people who have heard that "power corrupts" have not heard the rest of the paragraph. Compare what Lord Acton said with what Jesus said:

Experts who oppose anarcho-capitalism think that people are selfish, greedy, short-sighted, and depraved, and archists are needed to keep the masses in line. But where do archists come from? Well, selfish ignorant voters cast votes and elect one of those selfish, greedy, short-sighted, and depraved people to become an archist and hold a political "office." Lord Acton says holding a position of "ruler" or "leader" does not sanctify the holder of that office.

Why does power corrupt? Because "power" is the "right" to hurt other people and take their stuff. "Power" is the "right" to violate the commandments of God.

"Power -- being a legal "archist" -- is a license to do harm to others without doing any time for the crime. With no consequences, there is no reason not to be an archist. From being an archist over one's neighbor (whom you personally know), it becomes easier to become an archist over millions (whom you don't know."

“A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths are a statistic”
— Joseph Stalin

"Great" men want this power.

To repeat:

The archist:

1. initiates force against others
2. engages in punitive retaliatory vengeance
3. does not respect others' rights to private property
4. creates disorder, chaos, instability -- violent overthrow of competing archists;
5. promotes monarchy, oligarchy, socialism, fascism, "the dictatorship of the proletariat," "crony capitalism," democracy, republicanism, etc.

The Biggest Government Lie of All Time is that "anarchists" are bad, while those who oppose "anarchists" are good.

Logically, those who oppose "anarchists" must be "archists."

The mind-boggling reality is, "archists" are the bad guys, and Jesus commanded His followers not to be archists.

The True Christian is not an "archist."

I repeat this in many ways. Repetition is a good teacher, I'm told.

We must face the essential nature of "government." George Washington is reported to have said,

Government is not reason, it is not eloquence — it is force. Like fire it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master. . . .

He believed (wrongly) that "government" could be a "servant." As Lord Acton suggested, "Government" has corrupted every person who has held it. Including Washington himself.

There is a difference between "serving" one's neighbor and "ruling" one's neighbor, or exercising "authority" over one's neighbor, or being an "archist." If I want Jones to help me, I must use reason and eloquence to persuade Jones to enter into a voluntary , consensual contract with me to work within "the private sector." If I cannot persuade Jones, I must leave Jones alone. Jesus the Christ does not allow me to act like a gentile king and "rule" over Jones, "exercise authority" over Jones, or be a "leader" over Jones. These are acts in "the public sector," and they are contrary to the commands of Christ.

Every professor of political science in every university on planet earth will tell you that Government is a monopoly of violence. The State claims the right to hurt people and take their stuff, and denies others the right to compete against the State using the violent tools of the State.

You are not a consistent, faithful Christian if you are an archist.

That's my opinion. What is the opinion of the AI bot? I asked, When Jesus used the Greek word "archein" in Mark 10:42-45, was He prohibiting His followers from being "archists?" The AI bot answered:

Based on the search results provided, when Jesus used the Greek word "archein" in Mark 10:42-45, he was not prohibiting his followers from being "archists" or rulers/authorities. The key points are:

1. The word "archein" means "to rule" or "to have authority over" others. It is the root of words like "monarchy" and "hierarchy" 1 2 3 4     

2. In the passage, Jesus is contrasting the way "rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them" with the servant leadership he expects from his followers 3 4 5  
3. Jesus is not condemning all forms of authority or rulership, but rather the abusive, domineering exercise of power. He is teaching his disciples to lead through humble service, not through coercive control 3 4      
4. There is no indication in the text that Jesus is prohibiting his followers from participating in or holding positions of authority and leadership. Rather, he is instructing them on the proper, servant-hearted way to wield that authority 1 2 3

In summary, the use of "archein" in this passage does not suggest that Jesus was against all forms of rulership or authority for his followers. He was addressing the corrupted, self-serving exercise of power, not the legitimate use of authority itself. The search results do not support the idea that Jesus was prohibiting his followers from being "archists" or rulers. 1 2 3 4 5 

The "sources" are fascinating. Source #1 is an article I wrote. Source #2 is a blog post I participated in. I strongly argued in both sources against the AI bot's position. In point #2, what is "servant leadership?" This is a trendy phrase among "Christian nationalists," "dominionists," and "Christian Reconstructionists," as well as others who oppose "anarchism" and support "political involvement" by Christians. Is there such a thing as "servant archism?" Is that like "servant Pharaohism" or "servant Caesarism?" What is the "humble" way to engage in extortion? The "servant archist" says "Give me your money, or I will "humbly" wield the fasces, "humbly" beat you, shoot your dog, taze you, cuff you, frog march you out to the paddy wagon in a "perp walk" that will leave your neighbors thinking you're a violent, evil person, and in a "proper, servant-hearted way," lock you in my basement with a psychopath to be sodomized. If you resist, I will humbly kill you." Leadership," "rule" and "authority" are the antithesis -- the opposite -- of "service." Contract vs. Authority is the great human struggle.

Two recent books prove this conclusively:

• The Problem of Political Authority by Prof. Michael Huemer (Wikipedia)
• The Most Dangerous Superstition - Book Summary and Analysis (LibertarianInstitute.org)

You cannot have "government," "rule" or "authority" without violating God's commandments against stealing and hurting people -- even if you claim that by hurting and stealing from some, you "serve" or "help" others. If you can't serve or help others by yourself, you must rely on reason and eloquence to persuade others to help you voluntarily and by consent. You must not "rule" over them, or hire a Mafia hit-man to coerce them into helping you, or vote for Politician Pete to force people to achieve your goals.

The real meaning of Easter is

Jesus is the Christ

The two most controversial words in that statement are the words "IS" and "THE."

Most church-going Christians believe that Jesus will become the Messiah at a future Christmas, a future advent, a future "Second Coming." But the word "IS" -- present tense -- is the wrong word to use about Jesus being the Messiah.

To say that Jesus IS the Christ TODAY is to say that He is already fulfilling ALL Messianic prophecies. It is to say that EVERY prophecy will be fulfilled in this present age. It is to say that the prophets themselves would say that their prophecies have already been fulfilled beyond their wildest dreams. We need not wait for a "Second Coming" to see the fulfillment of ANY Messianic prophecy.

This claim completely violates a core belief of "Dispensational Premillennialism," which has been the dominant view of prophecy in America for a century. That view holds that NO Messianic Prophecies are being fulfilled in this "parenthesis" age. The clock of prophecy has "stopped ticking." It won't start ticking again until the Messiah really comes and is seated in Jerusalem, or until something happens to Israel, or something else that hasn't happened yet.

When "the church" is "raptured" off of earth, the "prophecy clock" will start ticking again, because the prophecy clock is not about "the church," it's about Israel. (Although some have claimed it started ticking again with the formation of the State of Israel in 1948, but that view is rapidly dying in the 21st century, because those writers claimed the rapture would certainly occur within 40 years (one "generation") of this event, and it obviously did not. See Gary North's comments here. The fastest-growing view of prophecy today is "preterism," from the Latin word for "past," focusing primarily on the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies in AD 70 -- the "Great Tribulation."

What are your favorite Messianic prophecies? What do you imagine to be the most glorious features of the "millennium?" What wonderful things will be experienced in the "New Heavens and New Earth?" Do you believe Christians should be working to make those prophecies a reality today, ? Should we be praying and working with justified expectation that God's will would be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:10), today? Before the "second coming?" I know of only a handful who would say "yes." The vast majority of Christians believe that the most glorious features of the Messianic Age must wait for the Second Coming of the Christ, when Jesus will truly begin reigning as the Christ.

But Jesus  IS  the Christ, the Messiah, the King, today. Right now.

That means we have a moral obligation to beat "swords into plowshares." American church-goers could end nearly all wars in the world today. Another way of saying that is that church-goers have sat silent as the woke/neo-conservative regime in Washington D.C. has instigated or funded most of the wars taking place today, and has armed dictators and terrorists around the globe.

To say that Jesus "is" the Messiah is to say that He already became the Messiah and began ruling in the past. The word "preterit" is from the Latin word for "past," and the idea that Jesus began ruling as Messiah in the past is called "the heresy of preterism." 

All you have to do is read 101 verses to realize that nobody in the New Testament was thinking about events that would take place 21 centuries in the future. Read more.
 

The word "THE" is also very controversial. Almost nobody believes that Jesus is the ONLY savior we need -- in a political and social sense. They say we must have Caesars and Pharaohs and kings "like all the nations" (1 Samuel 8). The word "Christ" has many meanings. The basic meaning is "anointed," as in "king" (Matthew 21:5 ), e.g., "King of Israel" (John 1:49). Jesus is also called a "Ruler" (Micah 5:2), a "Potentate" (1 Timothy 6:15 ), a "Governor" (Matthew 2:6 ), a "Captain" (Hebrews 2:10 ), a "Prince" (Isaiah 9:6 ), and many other words (some of which we aren't familiar with in our day, like "Horn" [Luke 1:69 ]) which are political in nature.

Many political terms can be inferred:

• Jesus is a "servant," which is another word for "minister," and Jesus is surely the "Prime Minister."
• In his inaugural address, George Washington spoke of "that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides in the councils of nations." The one who "presides" is the "president."
• Jesus is our King, our Lawgiver, and our Judge (Isaiah 33:22). Some see in this verse all three branches of government under the U.S. Constitution.

Our point is that Jesus is the -- THE -- the ONLY -- legitimate king, prince, ruler, president, prime minister, governor, legislator, judge, and potentate. If we simply practice what we preach -- by obeying His commandments -- we will have a peaceful, orderly, and prosperous society. All other earthly kings, princes, rulers, presidents, prime ministers, governors, legislators, judges, and potentates are illegitimate usurpers and anti-Christ.

1 Timothy 6:15

Which in His times He shall shew, who is the blessed and only [monos, μονος] Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;

1 Timothy 6:16

Who only [monos, μονος] hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen , nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.

Matthew 4:10

Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only [monos, μονος] shalt thou serve.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6-7), and He commands us to beat our "swords into plowshares" (Micah 4:1-5). He forbids us to take vengeance against those who wrong us (Romans 12), and forbids us to resist military occupation by foreigners (Matthew 5:41). This means Christians should not "support the trooops" or police (except in the same ways we love other enemies, like jihadists).

I know what you're thinking. "I should stop reading this. I shouldn't be reading anything by an ANARCHIST!"

That's the kind of thing we were all taught in schools run by earthly kings, princes, rulers, presidents, prime ministers, governors, legislators, judges, and potentates. We are never taught what Jesus taught. That would be "unconstitutional," according to atheistic courts.

Jesus taught "pacifism," and pacifism logically leads to a state-less society, a global “Vine & Fig Tree” society.

Some folks will say all this talk about Jesus being THE Ruler -- the only legitimate Ruler -- ruling from the right hand of God in heaven rather than from Jerusalem -- will lead to "anarchy." "Anarchy" (the absence of "archists") is scary because it means we will have to trust God.
1 Samuel 8 teaches us that the desire for a visible, physical king on an earthly throne is a rejection of God.
God is all the government we need (Isaiah 33:22).
Global obedience to Jesus as the Christ will certainly lead to the elimination of bloodthirsty empires and their Caesars, Pharaohs, and Führers. But it will certainly not lead to chaos and lawlessness (which is what most people have been trained to think of when they hear the word "anarchism" or contemplate the absence of "archists" in the swordless Kingdom of Christ).

In the Bible, "the sword" is a symbol for "the State." To advocate beating "swords into plowshares" is to advocate what some call "anarcho-capitalism" -- a "Free Market" society in which all economic activity conducted by families, businesses, charities, churches, and other voluntary associations and is truly "free" from government interference. They are not free, however, from "interference" by Jesus the Christ. We obey His commandments in every area of life (not just in church, and not just in our "personal" or "private" lives).

The vast majority of Christians today do not understand "capitalism." They do not understand why socialism is unBiblical. They do not understand how order can be maintained in society by Jesus reigning as the Christ from the right hand of God, without visible, physical kings, princes, rulers, presidents, prime ministers, governors, legislators, judges, and potentates, and their bureaucrats and fasces-wielding SWAT Teams. They do not understand how "the Invisible Hand of Divine Providence" works in a practical, day-to-day fashion. Most Christians are actually afraid of beating human swords into plowshares and trusting in Jesus to reign as the Christ and bring in "millennial" conditions on earth. In fact, they strongly oppose the idea.

Jesus is  THE  Christ, the only legitimate political Ruler, today.

Taken together, the two words  IS  and  THE  are branded as the heresy of "anarcho-preterism."

This website maintains that "anarcho-preterism" is "the real meaning of Easter."

This website goes further, and maintains that "anarcho-preterism" is "the Gospel." This is the "good news" which was preached to Abraham (Galatians 3:8). This is the central message of the whole Bible. Building the New Jerusalem is the meaning of our lives. It's why we're here.

I don't have to tell you that Jews in 2024 don't believe that. Down below I'll quote a popular Jewish article that explains why modern-day Jews don't believe that Jesus is the Christ. What I do need to point out here is that most people in church on Easter Sunday don't believe it either. Most church-goers are Jesus-ians, but not Christ-ians. For Peter to say "Jesus is the Christ" 2000 years ago is to say something that virtually every church-going Christian today disagrees with. Obviously Jews in 2024 do not believe that the executed Jesus is or was the Christ, that is, the Messiah predicted by the Old Testament prophets. But as we will see below, most people in church on Easter Sunday don't believe "Jesus is the Christ" either. Click here for an overview of that preposterous-sounding claim, or keep reading and I'll tell you about the Real Meaning of Easter -- the meaning of  “Vine & Fig Tree.”

This website is sponsored by a non-profit organization called “Vine & Fig Tree.” That's "the Real Meaning of Easter." But what does “Vine & Fig Tree” mean? It's a phrase found many times in the Bible, and refers to a time of peace and prosperity. Micah describes it as a time when The Messiah has been seated on His throne and all nations are learning His commandments. beating our "swords into plowshares," and soon everyone dwells peacefully under his own “Vine & Fig Tree.” "The Messianic Age" is sometimes called "The Millennium." When Peter says Jesus is the Christ, he's saying that everyone needs to repent and become a citizen of the Messianic Kingdom.

The Patriarch Abraham was his own “Vine & Fig Tree” society. He was not under the rule of any State or Empire. The New Testament describes Christians as "sons of Abraham" the Patriarch.

The desire to have a creaturely king has always been a rejection of God the Creator as King (1 Samuel 8; Romans 1:25). The real meaning of Easter is that Jesus is now -- in 2024 -- the only legitimate King. Every king on planet earth should immediately abdicate, convert into plowshares the swords he uses to rule others, and get a real job in "the Private Sector." This is one reason why every government in the last 2000 years has eventually banned the Bible. Even the United States, where The Supreme Court has ruled that public school teachers cannot tell students that Jesus the King says "Thou shalt not steal" (Matthew 19:18; Exodus 20:15; Deuteronomy 5:17-20; Romans 13:9). Creaturely kings are "false gods" in the Bible, and these false kings correctly view the Bible as a threat to their idolatrous reign: to them, the Bible is an "Anarchist Manifesto." According to the Bible, creaturely government is "The Most Dangerous Idolatry." It will take me a while to convince you that the Real Meaning of Easter is  “Vine & Fig Tree.” I'll have to persuade you to read a lot of Bible verses through new eyes. 

If you ask most people on their way out of a church after services on Easter Sunday morning, they'll tell you the "Real Meaning of Easter" is "Jesus rose from the dead on the third day, and I get to go to heaven when I die."

The Bible has 30,000 verses, and "I get to go to heaven when I die" is all that most church-goers get out of all those verses.

For a Jew to say "The executed Jesus is now the Christ" was a profound and radical thing to say. It says "The whole Bible has been leading up to this." But what is "this?" Here's what I believe "this" is:

The “Vine & Fig Tree” world now begins.

So what does that mean?

The words “Vine & Fig Tree” occur in many passages in the Bible. It's like the word "democracy" for Americans. It sums up everything we stand for, everything we're looking for. The “Vine & Fig Tree” verses used to be the most popular verses in America 300 years ago (and Americans knew their Bibles better than we do today). See more here.

• Biblical References to “Vine & Fig Tree”
• American References to “Vine & Fig Tree”

What Peter and the Apostles preached was shocking, scandalous, treasonous, offensive, and preposterous -- then and now. Many ordinary Jews believed, but the ruling class was offended:

Acts 5:33
When they heard that, they were cut to the heart, and took counsel to slay them.

Acts 7:54
When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

Acts 22:22-24
22 And they listened to him until this word, and then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!” ²³ Then, as they cried out and tore off their clothes and threw dust into the air, ²⁴ the commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and said that he should be examined under scourging, so that he might know why they shouted so against him.

Just as Jews were offended when the first Christians claimed that the executed Jesus was the Messiah, so today's church-goers are outraged to hear the claim that Jesus returned and put an end to the Old Covenant, and we are now in "the millennium" and we should beat our "swords into plowshares" and enjoy "Peace on Earth" in a “Vine & Fig Tree” world.

The New Testament Scriptures are filled with this post-Easter message: Jesus is the Christ, and the first big act of His reign will be to return ("Second Coming") and take vengeance against those who murdered Him at His First Coming. The end of the Old Covenant overlapped the beginning of the New Covenant. The end of the Mosaic Age overlapped the beginning of the "New Heavens and New Earth."

That's an eye-popping, jaw-dropping claim, if you think about it. Most church-goers don't want to think about it. If I offered to pay you $1,000 to think about it, and to read hundreds of Bible verses over the next few weeks, would you think about it?

"Swords into Plowshares?"

On the traditional church calendar, the 50 days following Easter Sunday are known as "Eastertide." It will take us 50 days to explore "The Real Meaning of Easter." The first 21 days will be taken exploring one of the most famous “Vine & Fig Tree” passages: Micah 4:1-7.

Here are the key concepts in Micah's prophecy:

0. Bibliolatry: God speaks, we worship the Word

1: Calvinism/predestination: "It shall come to pass"

2: Preterism: "in the last days"

3: Creationism: The "mountain" = Eden

4. Optimillennialism: "Peoples will stream; nations will come"

5: Theonomy: "the Law of God"

6: Theocracy / Christocracy: "He shall judge"

7: Pacifism: "swords into plowshares"

8: Archistlessness: no violence = no state || Jesus is the One True Archist

Vine & Fig Tree

14. Community/Socialism: caring for the ones "God has afflicted"

15: Eternity: forever

We'll look at these concepts one a day during the first 2 weeks of "Eastertide."

Why is Micah's prophecy "The Real Meaning of Easter?"

Because “Vine & Fig Tree” is what the Christ was going to bring. And Peter says that by His Resurrection and Ascension, Jesus was made the Christ, or Messiah. The Messianic Age is the “Vine & Fig Tree” Age. If Micah could travel 700 years into the future -- from his day about 700 B.C. -- to hear Peter's sermon in Acts 2, and then travel another 2000 years to our day in 2024, Micah would be astonished at how his prophecy had been fulfilled. Our name for the "Messianic Age" is "Western Civilization." Our problem is that we're not as astonished and as grateful as Micah would be for what Jesus has done as the Christ for the last 2000 years. So we need to study the Bible more to see history with new eyes. Take a day to think about each of the Messianic prophecies cited by the Jewish article below. I recommend starting with Micah 4. I created a non-profit tax-exempt organization to promote the fulfillment of this prophecy in our day. America's Founding Fathers quoted this prophecy frequently as a model for America. Read about the original "American Dream" here.

Here's how our 50-day path continues:

The Jews Peter addressed were expecting a Messiah. The Old Testament prophets predicted a Messiah. Peter said Jesus was the guy they were expecting. Peter said God made the executed Jesus the Christ. Pilate ordered a sign to be placed on the cross above Jesus' head which said "King of the Jews." It could have said "Christ of the Jews." Or "Messiah of the Jews."

But the Jewish ruling class murdered their own Messiah and asked Pilate for a robber named Barrabbas instead. Oops.

So Peter warned the Jews that God was going to punish them for killing His Son. That would be the first and most notable act of Jesus as Messiah. (The apostate Jews rejected Jesus as their Messiah, but the Messiah doesn't need anyone's permission to be their Messiah.)

The American Bible Society translates Acts 2:40 this way:

Peter made his appeal to them and with many other words he urged them, saying, “Save yourselves from the punishment coming on this wicked people!” 

During His life, Jesus foretold His death and resurrection. He also foretold His return in vengeance to punish His murderers. The New Testament has a great deal to say about this Day of Vengeance. It is a major theme. Yet most church-goers have never heard of it, and certainly haven't heard about it as often as it is talked about in the pages of the New Testament. Most of them transfer predictions of this event from that generation to a generation in our future.

You should read every verse in the Bible that talks about Christ's coming in vengeance. Verses like these:

Matthew 24:1-3: Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.” 

Luke 21:20 “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. ²¹ Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. ²² For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. ²³ But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. ²⁴ And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.

Matthew 21:40-41,43,45: When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers? '....He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers, who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.' ....Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it.' ....When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them.

Matthew 22:7: But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

Jesus predicted that His Coming in judgment would occur before that generation died out:

Matthew 16:27-28  The Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds. There are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. (cf. Mark. 8:38 - 9:1; Luke 9:26-27)

Matthew 24:34: This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

There are more than 100 verses in the New Testament which say that this Coming of Christ would occur within 40 years (one generation).

These verses are very clear.

This punishment was imposed in AD 70 when Jerusalem and the temple was destroyed by Roman armies. It is one of the most important events in human history.

WARNING!

Every pastor of every organization calling itself a "church," and every professor at every Christian seminary on planet earth -- whether Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox -- will agree that the view being pitched on this website is a "heresy."

How did the multitude of devout Jews receive Peter's message about Jesus being the promised Messiah? While the apostate Jewish ruling class rejected Jesus as their Messiah, most of the man-in-the-street Jews accepted Jesus and His authority:

⁴¹ Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.

It appears from the testimony of the Jews who wrote the documents which make up the "New Testament" that a majority of Jews became Christians. This infuriated the Jewish Establishment. The minority who followed in the steps of the Jewish establishment did not acknowledge Jesus to be the promised Messiah, of course, and those Jews today who follow the Jewish establishment do not believe Jesus is the promised Messiah. (In fact, possibly a majority of Jews who reject Jesus today are atheists.)

Astonishingly, the vast majority of Christians in churches around the world on Easter Sunday do not have the faith of the first believing Jews. Today's Christians don't believe that Jesus is the Christ, and is now reigning as the Messiah, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies. They believe Jesus was prevented from becoming the Christ because the Jewish ruling class rejected Him as their Messiah, so Jesus could only be a "savior." These Christians do not believe that the promised vengeance that Peter spoke about was actually meted out in AD 70 upon the apostate generation that murdered Jesus, believing instead that the prophesied punishment will be meted out to a future generation of Jews during a "Great Tribulation" that will take place after the "Rapture" of Christians. Then, after a "Second Coming" of Christ, Jesus will then begin to reign as the promised Messiah. But only for 1,000 years. Then it's all over. They say that we are now living in a "parenthesis age," and there's no point to beating our "swords into plowshares" and building the City of God. This view of the Real Meaning of Easter is responsible for Christians becoming culturally useless.

After Peter told the multitude of Jews that Jesus was the Messiah they were looking for (Acts 2), Peter learned that Jesus was the Messiah over all the Gentile nations (Acts 10-11). Jesus is the Christ for the whole world.

This website is sponsored by a non-profit organization called “Vine & Fig Tree.” The mission of this organization is to accelerate the continued fulfillment of the "messianic prophecies" of the Old Testament, especially the prophecy in Micah 4:1-7, which speaks of a day when we beat "swords into plowshares" and everyone dwells safely under his own  “Vine & Fig Tree.”

• Micah's “Vine & Fig Tree” vision was the most popular Bible passage in America during her first 200 years (roughly 1620-1820), although the Bible has been progressively banned from the public square in the last two centuries (roughly 1820-2020).
• This was the original "American Dream" -- owning your own “Vine & Fig Tree” -- not paying interest on a 30-year mortgage.
• Public schools were created to promote the “Vine & Fig Tree” vision, along with the rest of the Bible.
• America's laws were based on Biblical Law.
• The U.S. Supreme Court proudly boasted that America was a "Christian nation," but warned in 1892 that America was losing her Christian heritage; looking back, we can now see the transition from a Christian republic to an atheistic empire at that time.
• Micah's “Vine & Fig Tree” vision -- and the Bible as a whole -- made America the most prosperous and admired nation in history.
  Repudiation of the Bible transformed America's prosperity into bankruptcy and admiration into loathing and ridicule.

This website contends that the real meaning of Easter puts the entire human race under a duty to obey Jesus the Messiah and beat our "swords into plowshares" so everyone can live peacefully under his own “Vine & Fig Tree.”  

Here is the real meaning of Easter being promoted on this website:

• Jesus was murdered
• He rose from the dead
• He ascended to heaven to sit at God's right hand and reign as the promised Messiah
• One of His first notable acts as Messiah was to return to take vengeance on His murderers, destroying the temple in AD 70 and inaugurating a "New Heavens and New Earth."
• Jesus is THE Christ. All other politicians are false messiahs, false christs, false lords, false kings, false gods.
• As a "Savior," Jesus promises to deliver us from these false gods.

A fairly complete presentation of this vision is below. Lots of links to individual pages on our website.

WARNING!

Every pastor of every organization calling itself a "church," and every professor at every Christian seminary on planet earth -- whether Catholic, Protestant, or Orthodox -- will agree that this “Vine & Fig Tree” vision is technically a "heresy." Some will say the organization sponsoring this website is a "dangerous" "heretical" "cult."

We repeat our warning:

• your church will consider these ideas to be "heretical."
• Your government will consider these ideas "treasonous" or "insurrectionist." You may be labeled a "domestic terrorist."
• You may lose your job.

The Founder of Vine & Fig Tree studied law and passed the California Bar Exam, but was denied a license to practice law because he believes Jesus is the Christ. While working in a hospital, his website was blocked:

.

Is Easter a Pagan Holiday?

Some people say Easter is "a pagan holiday" which was hijacked by "the Church." If that's true, it's a great thing. The last ten billion human beings who celebrated "Easter" during the last 1,000 years weren't even thinking about any pagan religion. They weren't thinking that a tree was a god and they weren't sacrificing their babies to appease the nymphs. The world before the first Easter was a world of dehumanizing violence, irrational occultism and demonism, and the complete absence of any concept of individual liberty. Here's the "Real Meaning of Easter" in one word: CIVILIZATION. Secularism makes us less civilized.

But that's just the start of "The Real Meaning of Easter."

What this website declares to be "The Real Meaning of Easter" is the most controversial proposition on planet earth today. Nobody believes it.

Nobody.

If I can persuade you that this website accurately and truthfully sets forth "The Real Meaning of Easter," you and I may be the only two people on earth who believe it.

It has been said that the average person uses less than 10% of the human brain's vast potential. Though we should be grateful that we live in a civilized (Christianized) society rather than a paganized (uncivilized) society, it is likely that human beings have implemented less than 1% of the civilizing power of Jesus' teachings.

Many people say Jesus was "a great teacher." But these same people say that what Jesus taught was only "spiritual" truth, and should not be adopted in "real life" situations. It would be "impractical," "unrealistic," or "utopian," for governments and soldiers to "love your enemy" and "turn the other cheek."

OK, so what is the Real Meaning of Easter?

We would like to state "The Real Meaning of Easter" in three propositions. Nobody agrees with these propositions. Here is the first part of "The Real Meaning of Easter."

“Jesus is the Christ”

This is clearly what Peter taught in his sermon on Pentecost (Acts 2). If you don't believe me, read the sermon for yourself. Especially verse 36:

³⁶ “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

But this is the most controversial proposition on planet earth today.

I don't know of a single church on planet earth that believes this.

Maybe "Jesus is the Christ" doesn't sound very controversial to you. You're skeptical. Incredulous. "Oh yeah?"

But nobody agrees with that claim.

Let me prove this to you by beginning with an obvious, non-controversial, uncontested truth:

Jews do not believe this.

Nobody will disagree with this: The Greek word "Christ" is the equivalent of the Hebrew word "Messiah."

Jews do not believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah foretold by the Prophets in the Old Testament.

So Jews do not believe that "Jesus is the Christ."

That was easy. You should have no problem assenting to that.

But here's what's surprising. The vast, overwhelming majority of churches, theologians, and average Joes who attend church and call themselves

Christians do not believe this.

Christians agree with Jews: Jesus of Nazareth is not reigning as the Messiah today, .

First, let's look at a Jewish website and an article called "Why Jews Don't Believe In Jesus." This article has been republished on the internet hundreds of times. It says,

I hope you're willing to agree that Jews do not believe that Jesus is the Christ.

There's a lot of Bible verses cited in that paragraph. It would take as much time to read them as it would to watch a football game on TV. I'm assuming you're one of those people who believe the Bible is the Word of God, and you want to make sure that you are correctly interpreting the Bible. You are willing to look up all the citations and see what the Bible really says. Most others will be bored reading passages from the Bible. [If you don't believe the Bible is the Word of God, you might just be persuaded after you hear an interpretation of that book that isn't goofy and goes out of date every six months depending on who the latest "antichrist" is. Please keep reading.]

The vast, overwhelming majority of church-goers do not believe that Jesus fulfilled all those prophecies. They sympathize totally with the Jews. Jews are not thankful that the carpenter's son, Jesus of Nazareth. brought about "universal peace."

Neither are Christians.

They believe "peace on earth" has been postponed till "the Second Coming."

Let me state the second unbelievable proposition about Easter.

Easter means that the “Vine & Fig Tree” society is possible

My favorite prophecy in the list above is, obviously, Micah 4:1-4. That's the “Vine & Fig Tree” prophecy. Micah (seven centuries before Jesus) looked forward to the day we beat our "swords into plowshares" and everyone dwells safely under his own “Vine & Fig Tree.” Most people who call themselves "Christians" today believe that Micah's prophecy (and Isaiah's prophecy, and all those other prophecies) will not begin to see fulfillment until Jesus returns to earth a second time. Christians claim Jesus was the Messiah, yet He did not fulfill all those glorious Messianic prophecies. Christians reply to the obvious objection, "Oh, but He will . . . someday." The Jewish website understands this Christian "escape clause":

Make a mental note of the word "outright."

Go back to Acts chapter 2. Peter tells all those "devout Jews" that Jesus "whom ye crucified" is the fulfillment of David's prophecies about the Messiah.

What did those Jews think Peter had just said? Did they think Peter had just said that Jesus must come again after about 21 centuries in order to become the Christ and start fulfilling all those prophecies?

Nope. They all trembled in their sandals because they had assassinated the Messiah.

Killing the Messiah is not a good thing.

Peter says their act of murder did not stop the Messiah. He rose from the dead. But He was not just raised from the dead, but raised up to the Throne of David at the Right Hand of Almighty God in heaven. Messiah is coming, Peter says, and to use a crude vulgarity, He is pissed.

And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.
Acts 2:40

Jesus did not pass out syrupy, positive-thinking Hallmark™ Cards to those who tortured Him to death. During His years of public teaching, He constantly threatened "this wicked generation" with judgment.

It is a widely-held belief among Christians that Jesus offered to be the Messiah of Israel, but the Jews rejected Jesus as their King, and so Jesus could only be their "savior," a substitutionary atonement that would secure them a ticket to heaven when they died if they trusted in Jesus as their sacrificial lamb. Even if they rejected Him as their King/Messiah.

Give me five minutes more, and I'll prove this is a completely unBiblical and confused idea.

There is no Biblical support for the idea that the Messiah can only reign over those who give Him their permission. The Old Testament prophets spoke of a Messiah who would

• "break in pieces the oppressor" (Psalm 72:4)
• "shall judge among the nations,
  He shall fill the places with dead bodies,
  He shall execute the heads of many countries." (Psalm 110:6)
• with righteousness He shall judge the poor,
  And decide with equity for the meek of the earth
  He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth
  And with the breath of His lips He shall slay the wicked. (Isaiah 11:4)
• He shall judge between many peoples,
  And rebuke strong nations afar off; (Micah 4:3)
• "Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him;
  All nations shall serve Him." (Psalm 72:11)
• "I will beat down his foes before his face,
  And plague those who hate him." (Psalm 89:23)
• The Lord said to my Lord,
  “Sit at My right hand,
  Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
  The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.
  Rule in the midst of Your enemies! (Psalm 110:1-2)
• There I will make the horn of David grow;
  I will prepare a lamp for My Anointed.
  His enemies I will clothe with shame,
  But upon Himself His crown shall flourish.” (Psalm 132:17-18)

In fact, Jesus destroyed His enemies in A.D. 70, laying waste the city of Jerusalem, while saving the remnant who believed Him. The Jewish historian Josephus recorded the horrifying judgment on unbelieving Jews in his writings on the Jewish wars and destruction of Jerusalem, in which the Jews, under relentless protracted siege by the Roman armies, resorted to cannibalism before Jerusalem was completely destroyed (Deuteronomy 28:52-57). The Jews thought the Messiah would destroy the enemies of the Jews -- the unclean pagan conquering Roman gentiles. It turned out that the Messiah's enemies were the Jews themselves.

Even if Jesus was never described as "Messiah," but only as a "savior," the word "savior" in the Scriptures is virtually synonymous with "messiah."

• The Biblical word for "savior" is also translated "deliverer," and the "judges" are called "deliverers" and "saviors" (example: Nehemiah 9:27).
• The prophet Obadiah (verse 21) said, "Then saviors shall come to Mount Zion, To judge the mountains of Esau, And the kingdom shall be the LORD’s." 
• But the "judges" were also "rulers," who "judged" (governed) Israel very much like "kings," and the word "messiah" means "anointed," as in "king."
• So there really is no Biblical difference between a "savior" and a "messiah-king." A "savior" is also a "governor." Jesus was made messiah and king at His first coming 21 centuries ago, not just "savior."
• More details?

One of the first acts of Jesus' reign as Messiah was destroying Jerusalem. And Jesus the Christ has been reigning as Messiah ever since.

Obviously, unbelieving Jews do not agree with that last sentence -- and with the thousands of Jews in Acts 2 who did.

The vast, overwhelming majority of people who are found in a church building on Easter Sunday agree with the unbelieving Jews.
    Most church-goers do not believe that Jesus is the Christ today.

• They believe Satan is in control; "Alive and Well on Planet Earth" (according to a book that sold millions of copies).
  • Maybe they believe that Jesus has the "right" to be the Christ
  • Maybe they believe that Jesus offered to be the Messiah, but the Jews rejected His offer, so He had to settle for offering them a ticket to heaven when they die. (An offer they also reject, because who wants to spend eternity hanging out with a deluded con-man who falsely claimed to be the Messiah and rejected the Law and the Prophets [held dear by the Jews]?)
    He could only be the "Savior" of the Jews, but not their "King."
  • Most likely the Easter Sunday crowd believes that Jesus will someday ("soon") become the Messiah, when He comes again, a second time. In the future.
• But they all agree that Jesus is not -- today -- reigning as Messiah (exercising His rightful powers at full level, high-octane, on "the throne of David," and bringing all those verses above to fulfillment). The Messianic reign is for tomorrow, not today.
  • (Why do they call themselves CHRISTians instead of JESUSians? Why do they celebrate CHRISTmas instead of JESUSmas?)

I would like to suggest that Jesus is in fact fulfilling those Messianic Prophecies, and understanding why this is true can revolutionize your faith. If you have five minutes more, consider the contrasts:

Most Christians are pessimistic about the future. Up ahead: "The Great Tribulation," "Armageddon," and "One World Government" under "The Antichrist."

Easter is actually a message of tremendous optimism about the future: "Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end" (Isaiah 9:7).

Most Christians are pessimistic about the ability of human beings to live in peace.

Easter is the message that Jesus is "the Savior of all men, especially those that believe" (1 Timothy 4:10). A "savior" is one who brings "salvation," which (in the Bible) is the peaceful “Vine & Fig Tree” society. When we work and pray for peace (1 Timothy 2:1-2; Matthew 6:10; Micah 4:3), Jesus changes the hearts of politicians and generals (Proverbs 21:1; Proverbs 16:7).

Most Christians believe that Jesus must sit on a throne in Jerusalem in order to bring about "millennial" conditions.

Easter is the "good news" that Christ has been creating "millennial" conditions for 2,000 years. Prophets like Isaiah, Micah, and Jeremiah would be astounded at what the Messiah has accomplished thus far. The crucified Jesus was made "Lord and Christ [Messiah]" when He was raised up to the right hand of our heavenly Father (Acts 2:36). Israel was sinfully mistaken when they said they needed a king on an earthly throne like the gentile nations (1 Samuel 8).

"OK, but what about peace? Wasn't the Messiah supposed to bring about "peace on earth" (Luke 2:14)?"

A Harvard Professor recently wrote a controversial article entitled "Why is there Peace?" The controversy is not over his answer ("Why") but over his claim ("There is Peace").

If you have five minutes more, you can begin to see the profound contrast between human life in Old Testament times versus human life in today's New Testament age. The world before Jesus the Christ was a world of savage violence caused by insane rebellion. You have to be insane to be God's Chosen People and still go whoring after golden calves and dumb idols, sacrificing your own children to the political saviors these idols represent. Idols were the political equivalent of a red hat that says "Make Assyria Great Again."

Are you waiting for the Messiah to come, so that He can rule from the Throne of David, so that you can live in a world of amazing beauty and calming peace, with prosperity so unimaginable that you fall to your knees every morning in gratitude to God? Are you unable to see the evidence that Jesus is the Christ today?

How do you see the world?

Is Jesus the Christ? Is He already reigning? Are we now living in "the millennium?" It all depends on the glasses through which you view history and the world around you.

Homosexual activists see a world in which Christians are on "the wrong side of history." By this they mean that homosexuality and transgenderism and atheism are growing in popularity and acceptance, and Christianity is dying in numbers and influence.

But if you look at the world in a different way, through a different pair of glasses, you see that around the world, Christianity is expanding, and homosexuals and transgenders are committing suicide because their lives are totally out of alignment with God's creation purposes. So are the soldiers who did not beat their "swords into plowshares," and allowed themselves to be pawns for the secular imperialism of an atheistic U.S. Empire. Rebelling against the Messiah is tragic.

"History" is "His Story," the story of the Messiah reigning and transforming the world.

That Harvard Professor makes the point that the mainstream media loves reporting on war and violence. The government praises the media for doing this, because public support for war is very profitable for the government.

The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, Micah and the Apostle Peter all lived in the years "B.C." -- "Before Christ." We live in the years "A.D." -- anno domini, "the year of our Lord." The years "B.C." were centuries of savage violence and paganism. The years A.D. are the centuries of the advance of Civilization.

If I had five minutes more, I could begin to show you that what we call "Civilization" is nothing less than the reign of Jesus the Messiah.

The prophets would see the fulfillment of their own prophecies, where we do not. The prophets did not predict that civilization would be created all-at-once with the snap of the Messiah's fingers. That's a Jewish delusion (that most Christians have bought into). The Jewish article above says the prophecies will be fulfilled "outright," that is, all at once.

Most Christians do not really understand what the Prophets predicted, nor do they see how (the way in which) the Messiah has been civilizing the world.

We are all victims of educational malpractice in atheistic schools. We are all victims of propaganda from government and the mainstream media. They have destroyed an accurate view of history, of the present world, and the direction of the future.

Your world will change dramatically when you look at it through the glasses of Scripture rather than through the fun-house mirrors of the mainstream media. The world is not what you are hearing from politicians. History is not what you were taught in atheistic schools. Prophecy is not what the best-selling books on Armageddon are saying it is.

Controversial? Really?

I've had several people tell me that my claim "This ["Jesus is the Christ"] is the most controversial claim on planet earth today" is an exaggeration or overstatement. They tell me that lots of Christians believe that "Jesus is the Christ."

But when I get specific, and turn the claim "Jesus is the Christ" from a vague bumper-sticker slogan into something with more detail and practical application, it becomes clear that this really is the most controversial proposition on the planet.

Here's the third controversial proposition concerning the "Real Meaning of Easter." (Just to re-cap, the first proposition is that "Jesus is the Christ [today]." The second proposition is that the Messiah makes possible the “Vine & Fig Tree” society . . . today. The third controversial proposition is that Jesus is THE Christ. The only legitimate Christ. When I unpack that phrase, you'll see that nobody agrees with it. And I will counter with this:

The greatest obstacle to creating "heaven on earth" is the belief that eliminating all false christs will result in "hell on earth."

Here again is "The Real Meaning of Easter":

Jesus is the Christ.

Many people say Jesus was a "great teacher." But these same people, as well as many others, say the teachings of Jesus are applicable only in a "spiritual" sense. It would be very "impractical," "unrealistic," or even "utopian" to try to apply the teachings of "the Great Teacher" to the day-to-day realities of our workaday world. After all, Jesus taught His followers to be pacifists, and if the government followed Jesus, criminals would "take over" the world.

What would the world look like if criminals "took over?"

• Hundreds of millions of people would be murdered
• Billions of people would be enslaved by large corporate organized crime syndicates
• Trillions of dollars of private property would be confiscated or destroyed.

But this is actually the track record of "governments" in the 20th century.

• hundreds of millions -- nearly half a billion -- human beings have been deliberately murdered by "governments" in famines, pogroms, concentration camps, and wars.
  • This figure does not include "legalized" child-killing (abortion)
• billions of people have lost their most fundamental rights under systems of communism, socialism, and fascism.
• Theft of private property by governments through "nationalization," "taxation," and war amounts to trillions of dollars.

How could it be worse if bumbling crack-headed "criminals" took over? The politicians have already "taken over." They run a global racket.

The most intelligent (Harvard-educated), disciplined, and fanatically motivated cut-throat criminals of the human race are living high on the hog in the lavish palaces of "government." Other criminals are incompetent amateurs by comparison.

And political criminals thrive because Christians say these organized crime syndicates are a "divine institution," "ordained by God." (See our website, Romans13.com.)

In 1994 “criminals” committed 7,885 bank robberies, taking $28 million. That same year, “government agencies” seized $2.1 Billion in “asset forfeiture proceedings,” often without “probable cause,” and often not returned even when innocence was proven. And it has only gotten worse.

• Police Civil Asset Forfeitures Exceed The Value Of All Burglaries In 2014
  "This means that the police are now taking more assets than the criminals."
  The Feds Just Expanded Civil Asset Forfeiture 'Laws' Nationwide

If all Christians, Jews, and like-minded people were to follow the moral implications of Micah 4 ("swords into plowshares"), 1 Samuel 8 (the desire for a king is a rejection of God) and Isaiah 33:22 (God is our Government) and abolish the false god called "the State," and do so not because they didn't want any one to "tell me what to do," but because they are "Theonomists" and God's Law prohibits "archism," we would live in a moral climate in which the initiation of force and threats of violence are frowned upon rather than applauded with flags waving. We would systematically teach this to the next generation, reminding them of the grim history of archism in the Bible, and its decline since the birth of Christ. We would have far less crime and a much higher standard of living.

Sure, there would still be criminals, but they would be marginalized, and the Bible says there would be fewer of them to the degree we obey God's Commandments.

The social costs of crime are much less under the pacifism and anarchism commanded by Jesus than under political "governments" which ostensibly "protect" us from crime.

That's our thesis. Let's explore it.

Theocracy, Patriarchy, and Anarchy

"Theocracy" comes from two Greek words meaning "God Rules."

Theocracy is an inescapable concept. It is not a question of whether a society will be a "theocracy," but which god will rule.

Patriarchy vs. Politics

The God of the Bible created human beings in families ("patriarchy"), with no institutions of "church" or "state." The Family was given the "dominion mandate" (Genesis 1:26-28) to develop the Garden of Eden (Genesis 2:15) into the "New Jerusalem" (Revelation 22:2).

Lazy patriarchs do not want to do this work. They want someone else to do it for them. They create "the State."
Ambitious, power-hungry patriarchs want "to be as god," dominating other people. They reject a family-centered free market and run for political office.
The lazy and the power-hungry thus form a symbiosis.
This is "The City of Man" in opposition to "The City of God."

"Statism" is the belief that "the State" can bring social "salvation." It is a rival religion that competes with the God of the Bible, who is our King, our Lawgiver, and our Judge (Isaiah 33:22), who alone will bring social salvation.

In human history as chronicled in the Bible, "the State" was formed by rebels like Nimrod. God nowhere commanded the formation of "the State." Obedient men like Abraham did not do so. Disobedience is seen in 1 Samuel 8, where Israel demanded an earthly king like Nimrod's gentile descendants. God said the formation of "the State" is a rejection of God as Lord, King, Lawgiver, Judge, and Savior. Jesus told His followers that the kings of the gentiles love to be "archists." An "archist" is someone who believes he has the right to initiate force or threaten violence to compel others to do his own will. Mark 10:42-45 has the Greek word from which we derive our English word "anarchist." Jesus said His followers are not to be archists.

www.How To Become A Christian Anarchist.com

Jesus prohibited His followers from using violence to overcome statism. If lazy statists vote for ambitious statists to confiscate your wealth, Jesus says "Render unto Caesar" and "give to him who demands" (Luke 6:30; Romans 13:7). If statists want to confiscate your labor, give them twice what they ask (Matthew 5:41).

But -- and this is essential -- although Christians are commanded to pay taxes and be subject to enslavement, nobody is authorized by God to levy taxes or conscript laborers. Taxation is theft. Conscription is kidnapping. The fundamental nature of "the State" is immoral. "The State" is legalized crime.

Jesus commands His followers to seek the restoration of those who trespass against them (Matthew 18:15ff), not to seek vengeance (Romans 12.17-21). This patriarchal system of dispute resolution relies on persuasion and conversion by the Holy Spirit rather than vengeance and threats of political violence. Jesus said we are to love our enemy, the criminal (Matthew 5:44) and "resist not evil" (Matthew 5:39), but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:21). Even the most evil entity on the planet: "The State" (Romans 13).

"The State" is a false god and a false savior. "The State" is the most frequently cited form of idolatry in the pages of the Bible. Christians should work to abolish the false god of "the State."

An objection will be raised:

Without the "thin blue line" of institutionalized vengeance and violence, society will collapse into chaos. Without "the State," criminals will "take over."

It is true, and must be conceded, that under both systems -- Patriarchal Theocracy ("Liberty Under God") and Political Theocracy (tyranny under man), there will be criminals. Even the Garden of Eden had Cain. There will always be a thief or a bully in every human society.

But if we abolish "the State," there will be fewer thieves and fewer bullies.

Providence

God promises less crime in a society which obeys God's Law. In one sense, that's a tautology. But there is an active, providential sense in which God increases the costs of crime as a curse upon those who do not trust Him. If we seek to be like the gentiles, and we build a vengeance-taking machine funded by theft, God will send more "archists" our way -- in addition to the ones we voted for. If we follow Christ and love our enemies, God will send fewer of them. In a Christian society, dominated by a moral ethos which eschews "archism," even the unregenerate will pretend to be moral, upstanding Christians.  If we are willing to be enslaved (if that's the price of following Christ), we will not be.

The social costs of crime are lower under Patriarchy than they are under Politics.

In a stateless Christian patriarchal society, criminals will impose costs. There will be burglaries. But the cost of Christ's prescribed system of non-violent dispute resolution is lower than the cost of "the State" and its violent prison industry. The costs of maintaining "the State" (legalized professional criminals in the "public sector") are greater than the costs of amateur criminals in a stateless "private sector." If you pay one dime of federal income tax (more than 40% of Americans do not pay any federal income tax at all), "the State" is confiscating two-thirds of everything you earn. If we abolished that humanistic system in a self-consciously Christian manner, criminals would never take that much. You would triple your income, spend half of that increase on education and roads and charity (and other projects that we've been brainwashed to believe only "the government" can provide), and be left with double your income in a more peaceful society with a higher standard of living.

And a society which is Christianized and has a self-conscious commitment to follow the Prince of Peace produces fewer criminals than a society dominated by corrupt politicians and warmongers. The education systems are radically different under the two competing theocracies (Family vs. State). There is an inherent tendency in polis-based societies to censor and repress the teachings of Christ. The politician, with his institutionalized theft and violence, sets a model for criminals. "Might makes right." The man of the polis experiences "cognitive dissonance" if he claims to be a Christian but ignores Christ's commands by acting like a Gentile king, conscripting and taxing others (Mark 10:42-45). Government schools inevitably become more secular, purging the curriculum of Christ and His influence. It is now "unconstitutional" in this once-Christian nation for a government-employed teacher to teach students that God says "Thou shalt not steal." As a result, theft increases under political theocracy. There is more crime with "the State" than without it. And "the State" itself is the greatest and most-costly criminal on the planet.

In the history of the human race, no political theocracy, with its rejection of Christ's pacifism in favor of institutionalized vengeance, has ever remained "Christian" (if it ever claimed to be so). Those who teach Romans 12 and Matthew 5 must be suppressed under political theocracy.

The social costs of crime are lower even in an ungodly "Free Market:" than they are in the godliest state-dominated society.

Patriagora: A Family-Centered Free Market

Take 50 days to think about the Real Meaning of Easter. Subscribe to our daily study of the controversial claim that "Jesus IS the Christ." Each day you'll receive a new piece of the puzzle, and by spreading it out over 50 days, you'll have a chance to let these controversial ideas percolate in your mind.

Or if you don't want to get a daily email, consider the following subjects to think about during the next 50 days:

If you don't like the 50-day approach, here is an outline of what we're trying to accomplish through  “Vine & Fig Tree”  

This is our all-in-one 2016 version:

I want to consider with you four subjects:

1. The Bible
2. Man and Economy
3. God and Government
4. The Gospel

Within these four subjects are seven steps to prove my thesis:

1. The Bible

• Daily Sharpening

• Principles of Interpreting Prophecy

• The Blessings of Obeying the Bible -- God's Standard (Blueprint)

2. Man and Society

• Purpose of Man (Calling)
         To build the Kingdom of God by working (obeying God, serving others)

• The Fall of Man -- the Desire to "be as gods"
         To build the Kingdom of Man without working (playing God, oppressing others)

3. The Kingdom of God and Salvation

• God saves sinners (archists) from the consequences of their sins (archism)

• God's Kingdom vs. Man's Government

• Salvation = Freedom from archists.

• The Vine & Fig Tree society.

4. The Vine & Fig Tree Gospel

In these seven themes there are 12 key Scripture texts I would like you to consider before we get to the verse which proves that Anarcho-Preterism is the Gospel.

Bible

1. Acts 17:11

2. Proverbs 27:17

Prophecy: Principles of Interpretation

3. Isaiah 9:6-7

4. Daniel 2

5. Isaiah 65:17-20

Man's Purpose

6. Genesis 1:26-28

God's Blueprint

7. Leviticus 26

Government: Man's vs. God's

8. Isaiah 33:22

9. 1 Samuel 8

10. Mark 10:42-45

Salvation as Freedom from Archists

11. Over 300 "Salvation" Verses

12. Habakkuk 2:14 - Salvation and Civilization

Anarcho-Preterism is “the Gospel.”

Now we're ready to start the argument sequence and become Bereans, sharpening our iron.

Even though I truly believe you will love learning about "The REAL Meaning of Easter" -- especially if you embrace the idea and make it the cornerstone of your life -- I must confess that there is a significant down-side to your going any further.

Vine & Fig Tree is known by church leaders (if it is known at all) as a dangerous heretical cult.

Vine & Fig Tree is known by political authorities (if it is known at all) as a seditious, treasonous, un-American "hate group."

Happily, Vine & Fig Tree is still known by the IRS as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and your donations are tax deductible.

But if you come to agree with the worldview and ambition of the Vine & Fig Tree cult, and you make a tax-deductible donation of even one dollar to it, your church pastor will excommunicate you, and all your friends at church will shun you.

You might also lose your job.

Especially if you work for an arm of the government and were required to take an oath to "support the Constitution" as a prerequisite for employment.

I studied law and passed the California Bar Exam, but when the California State Bar learned that I believe in "The REAL Meaning of Easter," they said I could not be permitted to take the oath to "support the Constitution," and must be denied a license to practice law. There are dozens of federal cases that reach this conclusion, going all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States. Details. This really should come as no surprise to any intelligent person, since Jesus Himself was a victim of judicial assassination by the religious and imperial forces of His day. Clearly, your loyalty to Caesar is suspect if you claim a competing allegiance to some guy who calls Himself "the King of kings."

Do you want the approval of the institutions of church or state, or do you want the approval of Jesus the Christ?

Easter is time for Fund Raising! 

Or mail your check to "Vine & Fig Tree" P.O. Box 179 Powersite, MO 65731

Iron Sharpens Iron

Some people shy away from "controversy." Don't be like them. The Bible says "Iron Sharpens Iron" (Proverbs 27:17), and that's a good thing. You will become a better Christian if you face controversy head-on, and when you hear a claim that you think is unBiblical, expend a little energy to refute it Biblically. During the next 50 days of Eastertide, I'll be saying some controversial things. Engage these claims. Stretch your knowledge of the Bible. I'm not going to try to prove you're a bad Christian. I'm not your "opponent." I want to help you sift out unBiblical ideas and replace them with Biblical ideas. I'm just sharing the conclusions I've arrived at through years of Bible study. I'll tell you why I rejected the ideas that most Christians hold today. You decide. In this process together, we can both become sharp.

Appendix A

But whereunto shall I liken this generation?
(Matthew 11:16-24)

(Matthew 3:7-12) But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? {8} Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: {9} And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. {10} And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. {11} I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: {12} Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

(Matthew 11:16-24) But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, {17} And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. {18} For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. {19} The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children. {20} Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: {21} Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. {22} But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. {23} And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. {24} But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee.

(Matthew 12:24-45) But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. {25} And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: {26} And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? {27} And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. {28} But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. {29} Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. {30} He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. {31} Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. {32} And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come. {33} Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. {34} O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. {35} A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. {36} But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. {37} For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. {38} Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. {39} But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: {40} For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. {41} The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here. {42} The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. {43} When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. {44} Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. {45} Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

(Matthew 16:1-12) The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would show them a sign from heaven. {2} He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. {3} And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowering. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times? {4} A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed. {5} And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. {6} Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. {7} And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. {8} Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? {9} Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? {10} Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up? {11} How is it that ye do not understand that I spake it not to you concerning bread, that ye should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees? {12} Then understood they how that he bade them not beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

(Matthew 17:12-23) But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. {13} Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist. {14} And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, {15} Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is a lunatic, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. {16} And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him. {17} Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me. {18} And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. {19} Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? {20} And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. {21} Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. {22} And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: {23} And they shall kill Him, and the third day He shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry.

(Matthew 23:27-39) Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. {28} Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. {29} Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, {30} And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. {31} Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. {32} Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. {33} Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? {34} Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: {35} That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. {36} Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. {37} O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! {38} Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. {39} For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

(Matthew 24:34) Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

(Mark 8:11-12) And the Pharisees came forth, and began to question with him, seeking of him a sign from heaven, tempting him. {12} And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and saith, Why doth this generation seek after a sign? verily I say unto you, There shall no sign be given unto this generation.

(Mark 8:31-38) And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. {32} And he spake that saying openly. And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. {33} But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men. {34} And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. {35} For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel's, the same shall save it. {36} For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? {37} Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? {38} Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. And He said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

(Mark 9:19) He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.

(Mark 13:30) Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done.

(Luke 3:7-9) Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath about to come? {8} Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. {9} And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

(Luke 7:31-35) And the Lord said, Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this generation? and to what are they like? {32} They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept. {33} For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. {34} The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! {35} But wisdom is justified of all her children.

(Luke 9:41) And Jesus answering said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you, and suffer you? Bring thy son hither.

(Luke 11:29-32) And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation: they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet. {30} For as Jonas was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. {31} The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here. {32} The men of Nineveh shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

(Luke 11:39-54) And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. {40} Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also? {41} But rather give alms of such things as ye have; and, behold, all things are clean unto you. {42} But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. {43} Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. {44} Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them. {45} Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproachest us also. {46} And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. {47} Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. {48} Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres. {49} Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: {50} That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; {51} From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation. {52} Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. {53} And as he said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge him vehemently, and to provoke him to speak of many things: {54} Laying wait for him, and seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might accuse him. {12:1) In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

(Luke 17:25) But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.

(Luke 21:32) Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.

(Acts 2:40) And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

Appendix B

The Preterist "Context"

The consistent preterist claims that there isn't a single verse of the New Testament which was intended by its author and understood by its original audience to be speaking of any discontinuous event thousands (or millions) of years in the future.

There are many verses which clearly speak of Christ coming in judgment against His enemies, and this coming is clearly timed as occurring before the generation that rejected Him dies out. This first-century coming is such a dominant theme in the New Testament Scriptures, that a sound application of the “grammatical-historical hermeneutic” would require any verse which is not clear about the timing of Christ's coming in judgment to be interpreted as fitting into that "default" pre-70AD time-frame. Some clear, explicit departure from that dominant context needs to appear in the text before one would conclude that that text breaks the mold and speaks not of an event in "that generation.," but of an event thousands or millions of years in the future.

Here are 101 verses speaking about "that generation."

1. “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2)

2. “Who warned you to flee from the wrath about to come?” (Matthew 3:7)

3. “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees.” (Matthew 3:10)

4. “His winnowing fork is in His hand.” (Matthew 3:12)

5. “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4:17)

6. “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 10:7)

7. “You shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes.” (Matthew 10:23)

8. “....the age about to come.” (Matthew 12:32)

9. “The Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds.” (Matthew 16:27; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26)

10. “Verily I say unto you, there are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom.” (Matthew 16:28; cf. Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27)

11. “‘When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?’ ‘....He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers, who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.’ ‘....Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it.’ ....When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them.” (Matthew 21:40-41,43,45)

12. “This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Matthew 24:34)

13. “Hereafter, you [Caiaphas, the chief priests, the scribes, the elders, the whole Sanhedrin] shall be seeing the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:64; Mark 14:62; Luke 22:69)

14. “The kingdom of God is at hand.” (Mark 1:15)

15. “What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others. ....They [the chief priests, scribes and elders] understood that He spoke the parable against them.” (Mark 12:9,12)

16. “This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Mark 13:30)

17. “Who warned you to flee from the wrath about to come?” (Luke 3:7)

18. “The axe is already laid at the root of the trees. “ (Luke 3:9)

19. “His winnowing fork is in His hand.” (Luke 3:17)

20. “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” (Luke 10:9)

21. “The kingdom of God has come near.” (Luke 10:11)

22. “What, therefore, will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to others.” The scribes and the chief priests understood that He spoke this parable against them.” (Luke 20:15-16,19)

23. “These are days of vengeance, in order that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” (Luke 21:22)

24. “This generation will not pass away until all things take place.” (Luke 21:32)

25. “Daughters of Jerusalem , stop weeping for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’ Then they will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us.’” (Luke 23:28-30; Compare Revelation 6:14-17)

26. “We were hoping that He was the One who is about to redeem Israel .” (Luke 24:21)

27. “I will come to you. In that Day you shall know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.’ ‘Lord, what then has happened that You are about to disclose Yourself to us, and not to the world?’” (John 14:18,20,22)

28. “If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?” (John 21:22)

29. “This is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall be in the last days’” (Acts 2:16 -17)

30. “He has fixed a day in which He is about to judge the world in righteousness” (Acts 17:31 )

31. “There is about to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.” (Acts 24:15)

32. “As he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment about to come” (Acts 24:25)

33. “Not for [Abraham’s] sake only was it written, that [faith] was reckoned to him [as righteousness], but for our sake also, to whom it is about to be reckoned.” ( Rom. 4:23-24)

34. “If you are living according to the flesh, you are about to die.” (Romans 8:13 )

35. “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us.” (Romans 8:18 )

36. “It is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand.” ( Romans 13:11-12)

37. “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” (Romans 16:20 )

38. “The time has been shortened.” (1 Corinthians 7:29)

39. “The form of this world is passing away.” (1 Corinthians 7:31)

40. “Now these things were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.” (1 Corinthians 10:11)

Bonus Verse: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.” (1 Corinthians 10:26) [See below]

41. “We shall not all fall sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed.” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

42. “Maranatha!” [The Lord comes!] (1 Corinthians 16:22)

43. “...not only in this age, but also in the one about to come.” (Ephesians 1:21)

44. “The Lord is near.” (Phil. 4:5)

45. “The gospel was proclaimed in all creation under heaven.” (Colossians 1:23; Compare Matthew 24:14; Romans 10:18 ; 16:26 ; Colossians 1:5-6; 2 Timothy 4:17 ; Revelation 14:6-7; cf. I Clement 5,7)

46. “things which are a shadow of what is about to come.” (Colossians 2:16-17)

47. “we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord We who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds You, brethren, are not in darkness, that the Day should overtake you like a thief.” (1 Thessalonians 4:15,17; 5:4)

48. “May your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

49. “It is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire.” (2 Thessalonians 1:6-7)

50. “Godliness holds promise for the present life and that which is about to come.” (1 Timothy 4:8)

51. “I charge you that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Timothy 6:14)

52. “storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for that which is about to come, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.” (1 Timothy 6:19)

53. “In the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self Avoid these men. For of these are those who enter into households and captivate weak women These also oppose the truth But they will not make further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all” (2 Timothy 3:1-2,5-6,8-9)

54. “I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is about to judge the living and the dead” (2 Timothy 4:1)

55. “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son.” (Hebrews 1:1-2)

56. “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who are about to inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14 )

57. “He did not subject to angels the world about to come.” (Hebrews 2:5)

58. “and have tasted the powers of the age about to come.” (Hebrews 6:5)

59. “For ground that drinks the rain which often falls upon it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near a curse, and it’s end is for burning.” (Hebrews 6:7-8)

60. “When He said, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. But what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.” (Hebrews 8:13)

61. “The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way of the [heavenly] Holy Places has not yet been revealed, while the outer tabernacle is still standing, which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience, since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for the body imposed until a time of reformation.” (Hebrews 9:8-10; Compare Galatians 4:19; Ephesians 2:21-22; 3:17; 4:13)

62. “But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things about to come” (Hebrews 9:11 )

63. “Now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin.” (Hebrews 9:26)

64. “For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things about to come” (Hebrews 10:1)

65. “as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:25)

66. “the fury of a fire which is about to consume the adversaries.” (Hebrews 10:27)

67. “For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will not delay.” (Hebrews 10:37)

68. “For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the one that is about to come.” (Hebrews 13:14)

69. “Speak and so act, as those who are about to be judged by the law of liberty.” (James 2:12)

70. “Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming upon you. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure!” (James 5:1,3)

71. “Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.” (James 5:7)

72. “You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.” (James 5:8)

73. “salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (1 Peter 1:5)

74. “He has appeared in these last times for the sake of you.” (1 Peter 1:20)

75. “They shall give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.” (1 Peter 4:5)

76. “The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.” (1 Peter 4:7)

77. “For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God.” (1 Peter 4:17)

78. “as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a partaker also of the glory that is about to be revealed.” (1 Peter 5:1)

79. “We have the prophetic word which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the Day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.” (2 Peter 1:19)

80. “Their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.” (2 Peter 2:3)

81. “In the last days mockers will come. For this they willingly are ignorant of” (2 Peter 3:3,5)

82. “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God.” (2 Peter 3:10-12)

83. “The darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.” (1 John 2:8)

84. “The world is passing away, and its desires.” (1 John 2:17)

85. “It is the last hour.” (1 John 2:18)

86. “Even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour.” (1 John 2:18; Compare Matthew 24:23-34)

87. “This is that of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.” (1 John 4:3; Compare 2 Thessalonians 2:7)

88. “For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation. About these also Enoch prophesied, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly’” (Jude 1:4,14-15)

89. “But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, ‘In the last time there shall be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.’ These are the ones who cause divisions” (Jude 1:17-19)

90. “to show to His bond-servants, the things which must shortly take place.” (Revelation 1:1)

91. “The time is near.” (Revelation 1:3)

92. “Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come.” (Revelation 2:25)

93. “I also will keep you from the hour of testing which is about to come upon the whole land.” (Revelation 3:10; cf. Matthew 2:6,20,21)

94. “I am coming quickly.” (Revelation 3:11)

95. “And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is about to rule all the nations with a rod of iron.” (Revelation 12:5)

96. “And in her [the Great City Babylon] was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth.” (Revelation 18:24; Compare Matthew 23:35-36; Luke 11:50-51)

97. “to show to His bond-servants the things which must shortly take place.” (Revelation 22:6)

98. “Behold, I am coming quickly. “ (Revelation 22:7)

99. “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.” (Revelation 22:10; Compare Daniel 8:26)

100. “Behold, I am coming quickly.” (Revelation 22:12)

101. “Yes, I am coming quickly.” (Revelation 22:20)

All of these verses concerned those who lived in the first century, not those who would live thousands of years later (though we can certainly learn some general principles from every verse of Scripture, even ones that weren't intended directly for us). The imminent destruction of the temple and judgment of those who rejected the Messiah is a dominant theme of the New Testament, and was a top priority in the minds of Christians in those days.

Thanks to David Green for putting together these verses.

He adds:

There are clearly many verses in the New Testament which inescapably point to an event or events that would occur in the first century. Another question which might be raised is this: is there a single verse in the Bible which inescapably predicts an event that would occur in the 21st century or later, and can be interpreted in no other way?

What's At Stake

There are two things at stake.

First is the trustworthiness of Scripture. Atheists have figured this out. Christian apologists need to deal with it. Here is the issue:

It is the pervasive teaching of the New Testament that Jesus was coming soon. On almost every page, we are told that Jesus would end the old age and begin the new before those who were His eye-witnesses were dead:

The Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds. There are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. (Matthew 16:27-28; cf. Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27)

New Testament readers were anticipating the end of the old and the beginning of "the New Heavens and the New Earth" (2 Peter 3). Incredible, miraculous, unprecedented things

• were "about to" happen.
• To "this generation."
• The end was "at hand."

Either they happened, or the New Testament writers (and those who believed them)

• Were Wrong
• Were Mistaken
• Are Untrustworthy

This is a very serious issue, and many atheists have recognized what's at stake.

Atheist Bertrand Russell, in his book Why I Am Not A Christian, discredits the inspiration of the New Testament based on the failed prediction of Christ and the Apostles:

I am concerned with Christ as He appears in the Gospels . . . and there one does find some things that do not seem to be very wise. For one thing, He certainly thought that His second coming would occur in clouds of glory before the death of all the people who were living at the time. There are a great many texts that prove that. He says, for instance, "Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel till the Son of Man be come." Then He says, "There are some standing here which shall not taste death till the Son of Man comes into His kingdom"; and there are a lot of places where it is quite clear that He believed that His second coming would happen during the lifetime of many then living. That was the belief of his earlier followers, and it was the basis of a good deal of his moral teaching. [1] 

Russell is correct when he says that much of the New Testament was based on the belief that the Kingdom and end of the age were "at hand." If Christ and the Apostles were teaching the imminent destruction of planet earth and the inauguration of the "eternal state," then they were clearly mistaken.

There have been various responses by Christians to this criticism of the Christian faith. Among these, one is particularly striking. We get a profound impression of just what a challenge this argument is to the integrity of the Christian faith when we realize that a great Christian thinker and apologist such as C.S. Lewis despaired at finding a solution to it. Lewis surrendered to the assertion of the skeptics that Jesus was wrong. He attributed this to the limited knowledge Jesus had in His incarnate human form. He correctly pointed out that Jesus himself said, in Matthew 24:36, that He did not know the exact time when He would return:

“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”

Lewis despairingly wrote,

“He said in so many words, 'this generation shall not pass till all these things be done.' And he was wrong. He clearly knew no more about the end of the world than anyone else. This is certainly the most embarrassing verse in the Bible."[2]

To this, the skeptic may reply, “If Jesus incorrectly predicted His return within the contemporaneous generation, but actually did not know that He was going to return within that time frame, then why did He so confidently assert that all of the words He had just spoken would come to pass in Matthew 24:35? He said, ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.’ ”

Recently, Christians like R.C. Sproul have suggested that most -- and maybe even all -- of these "any moment" verses were fulfilled when Jerusalem was destroyed and the age of the Old Covenant terminated. If this is true, then the Bible can be trusted. If not, then Christians need to come up with an answer for people like Bertrand Russell.

Read these verses. Read them in context in your own Bible if you think we're taking them out of context.

Get the big picture.

Take this issue seriously.

Admit that this is a question that needs to be answered.

Once this issue is dealt with, and we admit that the Scriptures were consistently preterist, then we need to ask how this fact changes the way we live out our lives. I suggest here that any claim that Jesus is not fully reigning and fulfilling "Messianic prophecies" in this age -- before any future "Second Coming" --  is "anti-Christ."  I suggest here that preterism means our duty in this life is to build the City of God, the "New Jerusalem."

Preterism and Sacraments

I don't believe in "sacraments." These Old Testament rituals were dug up and mimicked by what we call "The Roman Catholic Church." Most Protestant churches are only partially-reformed Roman churches.

1 Corinthians 5
⁶ Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? ⁷ Therefore  purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.  ⁸ Therefore let us keep the feast,  not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.

Luke 22
¹³ And they went and found it just as He had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
¹⁴ And when the hour came, He reclined at table, and the apostles with Him. ¹⁵ And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. ¹⁶ For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” ¹⁷ And He took a cup, and when He had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. ¹⁸ For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.”

1 Corinthians 10
²³ For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when He was betrayed took bread, ²⁴ and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, “This is My body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” ²⁵ In the same way also He took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” ²⁶ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.

Matthew 16
²⁷ For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. ²⁸ Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”

First-century Christians continued to observe Passover until Christ came in the power of His Kingdom, in the lifetime of those who witnessed His First Advent, to take vengeance against those Israelites who rejected Him as their Passover Lamb. Jesus the Death Angel did not pass over Israel in AD 70. The old Israel was destroyed as the new Egypt:

Revelation 11:8
And their dead bodies will lie in the street of the great city which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

Jesus came in the power of a new Kingdom. The old kingdom -- the new Egypt -- was destroyed so that the New Israel -- God's Kingdom -- could be built.

Why would this brand of Christianity -- believing that I get to go to heaven when I die -- get Christians thrown into the coliseum with the lions? Or crucified? (Crucifixion is a form of lethal torture.) Why would the Roman Empire object to this pie-in-the-sky-by-and-by belief, especially when Jesus commanded His followers to pay their taxes and be good citizens? Answer: there's more to "the Real Meaning of Easter" than a freak event (a resurrection) and going to heaven when you die.

[1] Bertrand Russell, Why I Am Not A Christian (New York: A Touchtone Book by Simon & Schuster, 1957), 16.

[2]. Essay, "The World's Last Night" (1960), found in The Essential C.S. Lewis, p. 385. Lewis' views were pointed out by Marshall "Rusty" Entrekin. http://www.thingstocome.org/whatgen.htm