From: gordon brown (gbrown@euclid.colorado.edu)
Date: Thu Oct 09 2003 - 11:25:38 EDT
On Thu, 9 Oct 2003, allenroy wrote:
> gordon brown wrote:
>
> > On Fri, 26 Sep 2003, allenroy wrote:
> > > How did Jesus present it? He compared it to his Second Coming.
> > > If the Flood was a local event, is his Second Coming to be merely a local event too?
> >
> > The comparison between the Second Coming and the Flood concerns the
> > unexpectedness of both events. Read the context. You can reach some pretty
> > ridiculous conclusions when you try to make comparisons beyond those that
> > are intended.
>
> Matt 24:36 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but
> only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of
> Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving
> in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would
> happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the
> Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women
> will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
>
> Yes. Verses 36, 37 and 39 talk of the unexpectedness of both events. But, we know more about
> the second coming that what is given in just this verse.
>
> Matt. 24:23 At that time if anyone says to you, `Look, here is the Christ!' or, `There he is!'
> do not believe it. ... 26 "So if anyone tells you, `There he is, out in the desert,' do not go
> out; or, `Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes
> from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. ... 30 "At
> that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth
> will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great
> glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect
> from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
>
> So, on one hand we have 1) "all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of
> Man coming on the clouds of the sky," "as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in
> the west" and on the other 2) "the flood came and took them all away." Since we are told "As
> it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man," then the flood took
> them ALL AWAY just as ALL NATIONS will see the coming like lighting is visible from east to
> west.
>
> We are told that Jesus will not appear here or there on the earth to a few, but rather that ALL
> NATIONS will see Him come. If you claim that the Flood did not take them all away, then you have
> no reason to believe that all nations will see Him come but rather that Jesus will appear hear
> or there to just a few.
>
> Allen
Of course the Second Coming is global, but that is not the point of
comparison in Matthew. If that isn't clear, look at a parallel passsage in
Luke beginning in Luke 17:26. After comparing the Second Coming with the
days of Noah, Jesus then compares it with the events in Lot's time, i.e.
the destruction of Sodom. If we follow your reasoning, then the
destruction of Sodom was a global event! Surely you don't believe that.
Gordon Brown
Department of Mathematics
University of Colorado
Boulder, CO 80309-0395
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