Where Is the Promise of His Coming? The Delay of the Parousia in the New Testament

The New Testament contains numerous statements by Jesus and New Testament authors that seem to suggest that Jesus was coming back soon, in their lifetime! But two thousand years later here we still are. How do we handle this apparent “failed prophecy”? Did Jesus and his followers get it wrong? Did they miscalculate the timing of Jesus’ return? Or were Jesus and the authors of the New Testament anticipating something else? The purpose of this book is to examine this issue by looking in detail at the New Testament texts that seem to promise that Christ is coming back right away. It will provide a possible answer to these questions in light of the tension between the promised imminent return of Christ and its delay. “Why did Jesus say that some of those standing with him would not taste of death until they had seen the Son of Man coming in his kingdom? Why did the early apostles record that Christ was coming back soon, yet embed in those same biblical texts hints that there would be a delay? Mathewson beautifully balances the blessed hope of Christ’s imminent return with the delay of the kingdom’s final consummation.” —Ted Hildebrandt, Gordon College. David L. Mathewson is associate professor of New Testament at Denver Seminary in Littleton, CO, and the author of a number of books and articles on the book of Revelation.