Introduction

† Most Christians were taught to believe the Kingdom was still future, the resurrection was still future, the coming of Christ was still future, and the New Heavens and New Earth were still future. But when many believers finally read the time statements of Jesus and His apostles honestly, they discovered something shocking. The Bible never pushed these things thousands of years into the future. Religion did.

† The great discovery is realizing Jesus meant exactly what He said when He spoke about His coming, judgment, and kingdom being near in His generation. The apostles preached urgency because the end of the Old Covenant age was approaching in the first century.

† Once we stop filtering scripture through modern traditions, the entire Bible begins to connect perfectly. The Kingdom wasn't delayed. It arrived exactly when Jesus said it would.

† Many believers spent years waiting for signs, antichrists, rebuilt temples, future tribulations, and the end of the world, only to discover the apostles said these things were already near in their generation.

Matthew 24:34

34 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

† Jesus directly tied all the events of Matthew 24 to the generation standing before Him. He didn't say a future race, future nation, or future people. He said this generation.

† The destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 perfectly fulfilled the judgment language of Matthew 24. The temple fell, the city burned, and the Old Covenant world came to its end. (Hebrews 8:13)

† The great discovery is realizing Jesus told the truth exactly as spoken. It was tradition that changed the timing, not scripture.

Revelation 1:1

1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John,

† Revelation opens with a clear time statement. The events were about to happen shortly. God wasn't warning people about events thousands of years later.

† The word signified shows Revelation was written in symbolic covenant language. The imagery pointed to real judgment coming upon Old Covenant Israel and persecuting powers. (Revelation 17:18)

† The great discovery is understanding Revelation wasn't written to entertain future prophecy speculation. It was written to warn first century believers about the judgment that was approaching their world.

Revelation 22:10

10 And he said to me, Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.

† Daniel was told to seal prophecy because fulfillment was far away. John was told not to seal Revelation because the time was near. (Daniel 12:4)

† If the events of Revelation are still future today, then the angel gave false timing statements repeatedly throughout the book.

† The great discovery is seeing that God meant what He said about timing. Near means near.

Luke 21:20-22

20 But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. 21 Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are inside the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; 22 because these are days of punishment, so that all things which have been written will be fulfilled.

† Jesus connected the destruction of Jerusalem with the fulfillment of all things written concerning covenant judgment.

† The Roman armies surrounded Jerusalem exactly as Jesus warned. History confirms believers fled before the destruction came.

† The great discovery is understanding the last days were the last days of the Old Covenant system centered around Jerusalem and the temple.

Hebrews 1:1-2

1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom He also made the world.

† The writer of Hebrews said they were already living in the end of those days.

† The last days were not about the end of planet earth. They were the closing days of the Old Covenant age.

† The great discovery is realizing the apostles believed they were living in the covenant transition period leading up to AD 70.

Acts 2:16-17

16 but this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel:

17 'And it shall be in the last days,' God says,
'That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind;
And your sons and your daughters will prophesy,
And your young men will see visions,
And your old men will have dreams;

† Peter said Joel's prophecy was being fulfilled in his own lifetime.

† The outpouring of the Spirit marked the beginning of the final transition from Old Covenant to New Covenant.

† The great discovery is that the New Testament writers consistently identified their own time as the last days.

1 Peter 4:7

7 The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer.

† Peter wasn't warning about events thousands of years away.

† The end of all things referred to the end of the covenant world tied to the temple, sacrifices, and Old Covenant order.

† The destruction of Jerusalem ended that Old Covenant system forever.

Hebrews 8:13

13 When He said, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is about to disappear.

† The Old Covenant was already passing away while Hebrews was being written. The temple still stood, but its destruction was near.

† AD 70 completed the transition between covenants publicly and historically.

† The great discovery is realizing the Bible speaks about covenantal transition, not the end of planet earth.

Ephesians 2:1

1 And you were dead in your offenses and sins,

† These believers were physically alive while Paul said they were dead.

† Biblical death often referred to separation from God and covenant alienation, not biological death.

† The great discovery is understanding Adam died covenantally the day he sinned, just as God said he would. (Genesis 2:17)

Luke 15:24

24 for this son of mine was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.' And they began to celebrate.

† The prodigal son wasn't physically dead. He was separated and alienated from his father.

† Jesus used death and life covenantally throughout His teachings.

† The great discovery is that resurrection language centered on restoration to covenant life in Christ.

John 5:24-25

24 Truly, truly, I say to you, the one who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.

25 Truly, truly, I say to you, a time is coming and even now has arrived, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.

† Jesus said the resurrection hour was already present in His ministry.

† Those hearing His voice were passing from death into life spiritually and covenantally.

† The great discovery is that resurrection wasn't merely about corpses leaving graves. It was about entrance into covenant life through Christ.

1 Corinthians 15:42-44

42 So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; 43 it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44 it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

† Paul described the resurrection as transformation into a spiritual body.

† The resurrection fulfilled the transition from the Old Covenant order into the spiritual life of Christ.

† The great discovery is that the resurrection was the raising of a covenant people into the life of the New Covenant kingdom.

2 Corinthians 5:17

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

† The New Creation began in Christ, not at the destruction of the physical universe.

† Believers already entered the New Heavens and New Earth through the completed work of Christ.

† The great discovery is that the New Creation is covenantal and spiritual, not the replacement of planet earth.

Hebrews 12:22-24

22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, 24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.

† Believers had already come to the heavenly Jerusalem.

† The New Covenant kingdom was already a present reality for first century believers.

† The great discovery is that the New Jerusalem wasn't postponed into the distant future.

Revelation 21:1-3

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is among the people, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them,

† The New Jerusalem is identified as the bride of Christ, the New Covenant people of God. (Revelation 21:9-10)

† The passing away of the old heaven and earth represented the passing of the Old Covenant world centered around Jerusalem and the temple.

† The great discovery is that the New Heavens and New Earth are the fully established New Covenant kingdom.

Revelation 11:8

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

† The great city where the Lord was crucified was Jerusalem.

† Revelation identified Jerusalem with covenant judgment names like Sodom and Egypt because of her rebellion.

† The great discovery is that Babylon the Great was apostate Jerusalem, not a future world empire.

Revelation 18:24

24 And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all who have been slaughtered on the earth.

† Jesus said Jerusalem was guilty of the blood of the prophets. (Matthew 23:35-37)

† Revelation places that same guilt upon Babylon.

† The great discovery is that Revelation's judgment targeted the city that rejected and killed the prophets and Messiah.

1 Corinthians 10:11

11 Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.

† Paul said the ends of the ages had already come upon the first century believers.

† He didn't teach that the end was thousands of years away. The consummation of the covenant ages was happening in their lifetime.

† The great discovery is that the apostles lived in the time of fulfillment, not in the beginning of a 2,000 year delay.

Romans 13:11-12

11 Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer to us than when we first believed. 12 The night is almost gone, and the day is near. Therefore let's rid ourselves of the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

† Paul believed the climactic salvation and covenant transition was near to his audience.

† The day at hand matches the coming judgment language throughout the New Testament. (James 5:8-9)

† The great discovery is realizing the apostles consistently preached imminence because fulfillment was approaching rapidly.

Historical References

† Eusebius recorded that Christians fled Jerusalem before its destruction because they remembered the warnings of Jesus concerning the coming desolation of the city.

† Josephus described famine, civil war, false prophets, signs, and massive destruction during the Jewish War, matching the warnings Jesus gave in Matthew 24 and Luke 21.

† Tacitus recorded the terrifying events surrounding Jerusalem's fall and the collapse of the Jewish nation during the Roman siege.

† Clement of Alexandria spoke of the passing away of the Old Covenant order and the establishment of the spiritual kingdom of Christ.

How It Applies To Us Today

† We don't need to fear failed future predictions because Christ already fulfilled His covenant promises exactly as He said.

† We can trust the timing statements of scripture instead of religious systems that continually move fulfillment into the future.

† We now live in the fully established Kingdom of Christ, with direct access to God through the finished work of Jesus Christ.

† The great discovery changes everything because it restores confidence in the words of Jesus and His apostles.

† Instead of living in fear of future destruction, believers can live in confidence, peace, and covenant life in Christ now.

Q & A Appendix

Q: If all prophecy was fulfilled, does that mean nothing matters anymore?

A: No. Fulfillment means Christ completed His covenant promises and established His Kingdom exactly as foretold. Believers now live in the reality of that completed Kingdom. (Luke 17:20-21; Hebrews 12:28)

Q: What were the last days?

A: The last days were the final days of the Old Covenant system before the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70. (Hebrews 1:1-2; 1 Corinthians 10:11)

Q: Why do most churches still teach futurism?

A: Many traditions ignore or redefine the clear time statements of scripture because they inherited systems that postpone fulfillment into the distant future. (Matthew 24:34; Revelation 1:1; Revelation 22:10)

Q: Did Jesus really return in that generation?

A: Yes. Jesus promised His coming would happen before that generation passed away, and the judgment upon Jerusalem fulfilled His covenant coming exactly as prophesied. (Matthew 16:27-28; Matthew 24:34)

Q: Has the resurrection already happened?

A: Yes. Jesus said the hour now is when the dead would hear His voice and live. The resurrection was the raising of God's covenant people into spiritual life in Christ. (John 5:24-25; Ephesians 2:1; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44)

Q: What are the New Heavens and New Earth?

A: The New Heavens and New Earth are the fully established New Covenant kingdom in Christ, replacing the Old Covenant world that passed away in AD 70. (Revelation 21:1-3; Hebrews 12:22-28; 2 Corinthians 5:17)

† This is the fulfilled perspective we proclaim at Fulfilled Prophecies †
© Fulfilled Prophecies - Dan Maines.

Source Index

† Matthew 24:34; Revelation 1:1; Revelation 22:10; Luke 21:20-22; Hebrews 1:1-2; Acts 2:16-17; 1 Peter 4:7; Hebrews 8:13; Ephesians 2:1; Luke 15:24; John 5:24-25; 1 Corinthians 15:42-44; 2 Corinthians 5:17; Hebrews 12:22-24; Revelation 21:1-3; Revelation 11:8; Revelation 18:24; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Romans 13:11-12

† Josephus, Wars of the Jews, Book 6; Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, Book 3; Tacitus, Histories, Book 5; Clement of Alexandria, Stromata