Michael Morrison: The “truth” not good news!
Morrison and the Worldwide Church of God believe that the second coming of Christ has still not occurred after almost 2,000 years even though, as Morrison admits, “Jesus preached a soon-coming kingdom, something that was near in time to their audiences” (see link to article below). Morrison points out that preaching an extended delay would not have generated much excitement in the first century. In fact, he plainly states that including such a message as a component of the gospel would not have been good news and suggests that Jesus simply could not afford to teach the truth:
“Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.” John the Baptist and Jesus proclaimed the nearness of God’s kingdom (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; Mark 1:15). A literal translation is “has come near.” The long-awaited rule of God was near. This message was called the gospel, the good news. Thousands were eager to hear and respond to this message of John and Jesus.
But consider for a moment what the response would have been like if they had preached, “The kingdom of God is 2,000 years away.” The message would have been disappointing, and public response would also have been disappointing. Jesus may not have been popular, Jewish religious leaders might not have been jealous, and Jesus might not have been crucified. “The kingdom of God is far away” would have been neither news nor good.
So if Jesus had preached an extended delay — which is the truth as far as Morrison is concerned — the message would have been bad news. The truth would have been bad news even though Christ’s message was called the gospel which means good news.
Jesus did more than just tease people with the suggestion the Kingdom of God might arrive within his generation; he predicted it clearly and unequivocally (e.g. Matt. 16:27-28; Mark 13:29-30). Was he just using these plain statements as a deceptive ploy to make himself popular? To get himself crucified? Is that how we are to understand the sacred words of Jesus? Did he withhold information regarding the general timing of the second coming and arrival of the kingdom — actually lie! — because revealing the truth would have sabotaged his efforts to get Christianity going? That assessment is impossible to reconcile with scripture:
…To you has been given the mystery of the kingdom of God, but those who are outside get everything in parables (Mark 4:11, NASB throughout unless otherwise noted.)
…privately to his own disciples he explained everything. (Mark 4:34, ESV)
…the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things (John 14:26)
No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. (John 15:15)
…when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth…and He will disclose to you what is to come. (John 16:13)
Jesus wasn’t hiding anything from his “friends.”
False prophecy is serious business. If Christ’s predictions failed, the Jews were duty bound to execute him:
20‘…the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name which I have not commanded him to speak…that prophet shall die.’ 21“You may say in your heart, ‘How will we know the word which the Lord has not spoken?’ 22“When a prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, if the thing does not come about or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you shall not be afraid of him. (Deut. 18:20-22)
Must we conclude that ultimately, Christ’s crucifixion was justified? Even today, Jews point to the perceived failure of Christ’s predictions to declare him a false prophet. And if Jesus misled his disciples, then he spawned many more false prophets because the apostles all taught a first-century second coming and arrival of the Kingdom of God throughout their entire ministries. They based their gospel on Christ’s teachings.
Morrison’s article presents the kingdom as a combination of present reality and future consummation. That concept would have been valid in the first century; however, it is now woefully out-of-date. Something very big was supposed to take place in the latter half of the first century: the final consummation of the Kingdom of God. Morrison completely ignores this issue and says, “the completion of the kingdom is still future” — more than 19 centuries beyond the generation specified by Jesus!
Morrison is right about one thing: if Jesus had taught “The kingdom of God is far away,” it certainly would have been bad news. However, the real reason Jesus didn’t teach it was because the Kingdom wasn’t far away. It was supposed to arrive about the time of the temple’s destruction (Luke 21:28, 31). That occurred on schedule in a.d. 70.
The only bad news here is that futurists like Morrison refuse to believe Jesus and are comfortable portraying him as a lying false prophet.
If you disagree with Michael Morrison’s interpretation, why not let him know? You can send him an e-mail message using the link below. Please mention that you read his remarks at Preterism.info under the link More Outrageous Statements.
Joseph Tkach, Pastor General of the Worldwide Church of God: The last days cover 2,000 years!
In the first century, the Old Covenant age was coming to an end. Jesus came at the end of that age — in the “last days” of that age:
1God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2in these last days has spoken to us in His Son (Heb. 1:1-2, NASB throughout unless otherwise noted.)
…he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages (Heb 9:26, ESV).
Tkach says, “We are living in the last days! — and we have been for almost 2,000 years.”
In the first century, the history of the Old Covenant went back only about 1,300 years to the time of Moses and the exodus from Egypt. Even if we generously add another 500 years or so to extend Israel’s history back to the time of Abraham, it still totals only about 1,800 years.
The Old Covenant which was “obsolete” and “ready to disappear” (Heb. 8:13) ended when the temple was destroyed in a.d. 70. The Jews could no longer sacrifice, which meant forgiveness for their national sins was not possible. They were cut off from God forever. That was it: the end! The Old Covenant age is over, and the last days of that age are over too. Yet Tkach wants us to believe that the last “days” of that 1,870-year age constitute a period longer than the entire age; the last days of Israel are longer than the entire history of Israel. If the end of the age covers thousands of years, we must wonder why it was continually referred to as days. Tkach continues:
God can end the world whenever he wants to, and I will be happy for the great day to come, but I do not see any biblical proof that it will be very soon.
Evidently, Tkach is unaware of the following biblical passages:
11…it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep… 12The night is almost gone, and the day is near (Rom. 13:11-12)
8…strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. 9…behold, the Judge is standing right at the door. (Jas. 5:8b, 9b)
The end of all things is near (1 Pet. 4:7)
Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have appeared; from this we know that it is the last hour. (1 John 2:18)
Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. (Rev. 22:10)
Actually, Tkach is right. The “end of the world [age]” will not be “soon” because it was supposed to be “near” in the first century. Therefore, it must have been fulfilled back then, or the Bible is a sham. Tkach is musing over the future fulfillment of something that has been fulfilled for well over 1,900 years. Tkach says, “I do not see any biblical proof that it will be very soon.” So Tkach is teaching the very thing Morrison says is bad news: an extended delay.
If you disagree with the Worldwide Church of God doctrine above, you can send an e-mail message to Paul Kroll using the link below. Please mention that you read Tkach’s remarks at Preterism.info under the link More Outrageous Statements.