Eschatology

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{{See also|Historical Jesus#Apocalyptic prophet}}
[[Christianity in the 1st century|First-century Christians]] believed Jesus would return during their lifetime. When the converts of Paul in [[Thessalonica]] were persecuted by the [[Roman Empire]], they believed the end of days to be imminent.<ref>See [[Second Epistle to the Thessalonians|2 Thessalonians]] chapter {{bibleverse-nb|2|Thess|2}} and [[Son of perdition]].</ref> Most of the scholars participating in the [[Quest for the historical Jesus#Third quest|third quest]] hold that Jesus was an eschatological prophet who believed the "[[Kingdom of God]]" was coming within his own lifetime or within the lifetime of his contemporaries.<ref name = "TM1998 1">Theissen, Gerd and Annette Merz. The historical Jesus: a comprehensive guide. Fortress Press. 1998. translated from German (1996 edition). Chapter 1. The quest of the historical Jesus. pp. 1–15.</ref><ref>[[Bart Ehrman|Ehrman, Bart]]. ''Jesus: Apocalyptic Prophet of the New Millennium.'' Oxford. 1999. p. 127.</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Meier |first=John P. |date=1999 |title=The Present State of the 'Third Quest' for the Historical Jesus: Loss and Gain |url=https://www.bsw.org/biblica/vol-80-1999/the-present-state-of-the-145-third-quest-146-for-the-historical-jesus-loss-and-gain/333/article-p482.html |access-date=2018-09-20 |journal=[[Biblica (journal)|Biblica]] |volume=80 |page=482 }}</ref> This view, generally known as "consistent eschatology," was influential during the early to the mid—twentieth century and continues to be influential today in proposed portraits of the [[Historical Jesus]]. However, [[C. H. Dodd]] and others have insisted on a "realized eschatology" that says Jesus' own ministry fulfilled prophetic hopes. Many conservative scholars have adopted the paradoxical position the [[Kingdom of God]] passages describes a kingdom that is both "present" and "still to come" claiming Pauline eschatology as support.<ref name="Geddert">{{cite book |last1=Geddert |first1=T. J. |editor1-last=Green |editor1-first=Joel B. |editor2-last=McKnight |editor2-first=Scot |editor3-last=Marshall |editor3-first=I. Howard |title=Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels: A Compendium of Contemporary Biblical Scholarship |date=1992 |publisher=InterVarsity Press |location=Downers Grove, Illinois |isbn=978-0-8308-1777-1 |chapter=Apocalyptic Teaching}}</ref>{{rp|208–209}}   [[R. T. France]] and [[N. T. Wright]] among others have taken Jesus' apocalyptic statements of an imminent end, historically, as referring to the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE.<ref>R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002), 541–543</ref><ref>N. T. Wright, Jesus and the Victory of God (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1996), pp. 329–365</ref><ref>N.T. Wright Hope Deferred? Against the Dogma of Delay. Early Christianity 2018. Oft-cited are examples in the [[Old Testament]] where language of cosmic destruction is used for political catastrophes, such as in Ezek. 32:8; Amos 8:9; Zeph. 1:15.</ref><ref name="Albert Hogeterp">{{cite book |last1=Hogeterp |first1=Albert L. A. |title=Expectations of the End: A Comparative Traditio-Historical Study of Eschatological, Apocalyptic, and Messianic Ideas in the Dead Sea Scrolls and the New Testament |date=2009 |publisher=Brill |location=Boston, Massachusetts |isbn=978-90-04-17177-0}}</ref>{{rp|143–152}} A number of interpretations of the term "Kingdom of God" have thus appeared in its [[Eschatology|eschatological]] context, e.g., [[apocalypticism|apocalyptic]], [[realized eschatology|realized]] or [[Inaugurated eschatology|Inaugurated]] eschatologies, yet no consensus has emerged among scholars.<ref> ''Familiar Stranger: An Introduction to Jesus of Nazareth'' by Michael James McClymond (2004) pp. 77-79 </ref><ref> Studying the Historical Jesus: Evaluations of the State of Current Research by Bruce Chilton and Craig A. Evans (1998) pp. 255-257 </ref>

While some who believe in the literal interpretation of the Bible insist the prediction of dates or times is futile, others believe Jesus foretold signs of the end of days. The precise time, however, will come like a "thief in the night" ({{bibleref2|1 Thess.|5:2}}). They may also refer to {{bibleref2|Matthew|24:36}} in which Jesus is quoted as saying:
{{blockquote|
"But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only."}}
{{further|Predictions and claims for the Second Coming}}
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