Do You Agree?
C. S. Lewis was an atheist who set out to prove the Bible was a myth and that there was no God. God won. In spite of Lewis' intellectual prowess, the supposed non-fulfillment of Christ’s words regarding His soon coming haunted him. The following quote comes from his 1960 essay titled "The World's Last Night":
"‘Say what you like,’ we shall be told by the skeptic, ‘the apocalyptic beliefs of the first Christians have been proved to be false. It is clear from the New Testament that they all expected the Second Coming in their own lifetime. And, worse still, they had a reason, and one which you will find very embarrassing. Their Master had told them so. He shared, and indeed created, their delusion. He said in so many words, "this generation shall not pass away till all these things be done." And He was wrong. He clearly knew no more about the end of the world than anyone else.’"
"It is certainly the most embarrassing verse in the Bible. Yet how teasing, also, that within fourteen words of it should come the statement, ‘but of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.’ The one exhibition of error and the one confession of ignorance grow side by side."
Unlike many contemporary pastors and scholars, Lewis had the intellectual integrity to admit what the scripture clearly teaches - that Jesus and the first disciples absolutely believed that the coming of the kingdom, resurrection, judgment, and His appearing would all happen in their generation.
Do You Agree With Lewis' Conclusion?
(NOTE: The series of questions and teaching which follows will take you to a link that is really the main page for this site. There we will continue to develop more thoroughly the ideas you find here. My purpose in these pages is to help you understand how some Christians who diligently study this subject arrive at conclusions very different from the conventional wisdom. Space and time limits how much can be presented: too much detail and most people won't invest the time to read it - too little detail and the site won't be helpful. Trying to balance those extremes to maximize readership is a real challenge. While these initial pages may seem lacking to more advanced students, they may be a real struggle for believers who are just beginning to study this important topic.)
© Copyright 2003 ~ Jim Wade
Updated 07/23/03