Summary5 min read

Defenders Podcast: Doctrine of the Last Things (Part 11) — Delay of the Parousia Continued

Host: Dr. William Lane Craig
Date: June 2, 2021

Episode Overview

In this episode, Dr. William Lane Craig continues his series on Christian eschatology by addressing the controversial and much-debated issue of the "delay of the Parousia"—the second coming of Christ. He critically examines several Gospel passages that deal with the timing of Christ's return, particularly focusing on how they have been interpreted in different contexts and by different biblical authors. Craig explores how editorial decisions by the Gospel writers could influence our understanding of Jesus' own statements about the coming of the kingdom and the return of the Son of Man.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Context of Jesus’ Sayings and Editorial Freedom

Dr. Craig emphasizes the importance of recognizing the editorial freedom exercised by the Gospel writers, which can affect how Jesus’ sayings are read and understood (00:20–02:00).
He suggests that purported predictions about the Son of Man’s return during the lifetime of Jesus’ audience (e.g., Mark 13:30) may not mean what some assume, depending on the original context—a context that may be lost or unknown to us.

“Given the editorial freedom that the evangelists exercise, I'm suggesting that we can't know for sure that the sayings like Mark 13:30 meant that the Son of Man would return before everyone listening to Jesus would pass away.” – Dr. Craig (00:30)

2. Comparing Gospel Accounts: Matthew 16:28 vs. Mark 9:1

Matthew 16:28: “Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
- This appears to directly refer to the second coming.
Mark 9:1: “There are some standing here who will not taste death before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power.”
- Dr. Craig notes the important shift: Mark employs a perfect tense, alluding to looking back on the coming of the kingdom as a completed event rather than “seeing the Son of Man coming.”

“What Mark says is that they will see that the kingdom of God has already come with power… That’s very different from what Matthew says.” – Dr. Craig (02:30)

Insight: Matthew paraphrases Mark but changes the nuance considerably, perhaps giving the impression of an imminent physical return in Matthew, while Mark’s wording could be about witnessing the effects of the kingdom’s arrival, possibly through Jesus’ resurrection (03:00–05:10).

3. The Potential Reference to Resurrection, Not Second Coming

Dr. Craig proposes that Mark 9:1 could be referencing Jesus’ resurrection, which fits the immediate context of Mark 8:31–33, where Jesus predicts his suffering, death, and resurrection.

“The kingdom’s coming with power may not be a reference to the second coming of the Son of Man, but rather to his resurrection.” – Dr. Craig (05:00)

He explains that after the resurrection, the disciples can look back and affirm that Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom was true and fulfilled.

4. Examining Mark 13:30: “This Generation Will Not Pass Away”

In Mark 13:30, Jesus says, “this generation will not pass away before all these things take place.”
Craig urges careful consideration of what “all these things” refers to in the original context.
He tracks the usage of “all these things” in Mark 13 (vv. 4, 23, 29) and argues that it likely refers to the events surrounding the destruction of Jerusalem and preceding tribulations, not the Parousia itself.

“The things that he is talking about are the events prior to the second coming of Christ… what was being discussed is the destruction of Jerusalem and the trials and signs that will occur prior to the Son of Man’s return.” – Dr. Craig (09:40)

The confusion arises because Mark positions a passage about the Son of Man’s return immediately before verse 30, potentially leading readers to misinterpret the sequence.

5. Jesus’ Acknowledgement of the Unknown Hour

Dr. Craig points out Jesus’ admission in Mark 13:32: “But of that day or that hour, no one knows... not even the Son, but only the Father.”
This implies Jesus could not have been predicting his own return to occur within a set generation, since he professed ignorance of the timing.

“How could Jesus have been predicting that his return would occur before this generation is dead when he himself says that even the Son does not know when the return of the Son of Man will take place?” – Dr. Craig (11:00)

6. Parallels in Other Passages

Dr. Craig draws a parallel to Matthew 10:23, where Jesus tells the Twelve that they will not have finished going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes—again, suggesting the need for careful contextual reading and not taking the surface meaning as a direct timetable for the second coming.

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

On interpretive risks:

“We may well not know the original context in which they were uttered, just as a reader of Matthew's Gospel wouldn't know the original context...” (01:00)
On editorial shaping:

“Matthew gives back the words of Jesus in a somewhat different way that gives a different impression.” (05:20)

Important Timestamps

00:30 — Editorial freedom and uncertainty about original context
02:30 — Contrast between Matthew 16:28 and Mark 9:1
05:00–06:00 — Possible reference to resurrection, not Parousia
08:15–09:55 — Analysis of “all these things” in Mark 13
11:00 — Jesus’ ignorance of the timing of the second coming

Conclusion and Next Steps

Dr. Craig concludes by indicating that many supposed predictions of the imminent return of the Son of Man can be more plausibly understood as references to the coming of the kingdom experienced through the resurrection or to events like the destruction of Jerusalem. He emphasizes the importance of careful textual and contextual analysis to avoid misinterpreting Jesus’ eschatological teachings.

He teases the next session, where he will examine parables about the delay of the Parousia.

For more resources from Dr. Craig, visit reasonablefaith.org.

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[00:01]
A
Welcome to Defenders, the teaching class of Dr. William Lane Craig. For more information and resources from Dr. Craig, go to reasonablefaith.org Last time I argued that a saying about the return of the Son of Man can look as if it means different things when it's read in different contexts. Given the editorial freedom that the evangelists exercise, I'm suggesting that we can't know for sure that the sayings like Mark 13:30 meant that the Son of Man would return before everyone listening to Jesus would pass away. So let's look again at this pair of verses that constitute the problem we're dealing with. I want to suggest that these two could appear to take on different meanings when moved from the original context in which they were uttered. We may well not know the original context in which they were uttered, just as a reader of Matthew's Gospel wouldn't know the original context of the material that Matthew inserted into Jesus. Jesus charge to the 12 disciples before their mission to the cities of Israel. Look first, then at Matthew 16:28. Here is Matthew's version of this saying. Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. Well, that looks pretty clear, doesn't it? But now turn over to Mark, chapter 8, verses 38 to 9 1, which is the passage that Matthew has adapted and then gives back in somewhat different words. Jesus says, for whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation of him, will the Son of man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels? And he said to them, truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death. And before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power. Now that is a very different rendering of these words. Mark's passage uses the perfect tense. There are some standing here who will see that the kingdom of God has come. Perfect tense that looks back to to the past. So what will those people who are standing there see? They will see that the kingdom of God has come with power. That's very different from what Matthew says. Matthew says they will see the Son of man coming in power. He is paraphrasing Mark's words in a way that gives them a very different sort of meaning. What Mark says is that they will see that the kingdom of God has already come with power. Notice that in Mark there is a break between 8:38 and 9:1. There is the end of the saying he will come in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. And then Mark breaks in and he said to them, and then here comes this saying of Jesus. Has Mark appended the saying here as the break might suggest? What was the original context of that saying? We don't know. But look at the wider context. What is Jesus talking about in Mark 8:31 and following? And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed and after three days rise again. Jesus is predicting his death and resurrection from. From the dead. Mark adds, and he said this plainly, just to make it clear. Mark proceeds and Peter took him and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, get behind me, Satan, for you are not on the side of God, but of men. Now suppose Jesus then said, there are some standing here who. Who will not die before they see that the kingdom of God has come with power. Jesus could be talking about his resurrection from the dead. That is the context more broadly. So the kingdom's coming with power may not be a reference to the second coming of the Son of Man, but rather to his resurrection. What Jesus is saying is that after the resurrection, Peter and the others will look back and say, yes, the kingdom of God proclaimed by Jesus really has come with power. But Matthew gives back the words of Jesus in a somewhat different way that gives a different impression. So I'm suggesting that it may well have been that Mark 9:1 wasn't really about the second coming. It could have been about the resurrection. Similarly, look at Mark 13:30 in the Olivet discourse. Jesus says, truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away before all these things take place. What was he referring to in the original context when he said all these things? This saying comes in Mark after the prophecy of the return of the Son of man in verses 24 to 27. So in this context, you think that he's talking about the return of the Son of Man when he says, all these things will take place before this generation passes away. But look at the broader context of Mark 13. The phrase all these things occurs in Mark 13 in verses 4, 23 and 29 before Jesus uses this phrase. And in verse 30, look at Mark 13 and verse 4, tell us, when will this be and what will be the sign when these things are all to be accomplished. Then in verse 23, after describing the destruction of Jerusalem and the false Christs that will come, Jesus says, but take heed of I have told you all things beforehand, then in verse 29. So also when you see these things taking place, you will know that he is near at the very gates. Here again we ask, what are these things, the things that he has been talking about with respect to the destruction of Jerusalem? These things will happen before the return of the Son of Man. The things that he is talking about are the events prior to the second coming of Christ. Then he says, I say to you, this generation will not pass away before all these things take place. So in the original context, this saying could well have been about the destruction of Jerusalem and the tribulation that will happen at that time. But because Mark has in verses 24:27, a passage about the return of the Son of Man, one gets the impression, reading verse 30, that Jesus is saying that the Son of Man is going to return before this generation dies off. But it may well have been that in the original context, what was being discussed is the destruction of Jerusalem and the trials and signs that will occur prior to the Son of Man's return. In fact, Jesus then goes on in verse 32 to say, but of that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. How could Jesus have been predicting that his return would occur before this generation is dead when he himself says that even the Son does not know when the return of the Son of Man will take place? So I think that it may well have been the case that in the original context, what you have here are prophecies about the things that will take place before that generation dies off, but not a prophecy predicting the return of the Son of Man before that generation passes away. Any more than Matthew thought that the return of the Son of Man would occur before the 12 had completed their mission to Israel, despite Jesus saying in Matthew 10:23 that before they have gone through all the towns of Israel, they will see the Son of Man. Come next time, we'll have a look at certain interesting parables about the delay of the Parousia. Join us next week.