The early church did believe they were living in the end times. They expected the imminent desolation of Jerusalem at the hands of their eschatological arch-enemy and enemies (Daniel 9:24-27, Matthew 24:15-22, Luke 21:20-24) but were not yet aware of the outworking of the redemptive plan that was to occur in the interim between the two advents of the Messiah.
20 - "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is at hand.
21 - "Then let those who are in Judea flea to the mountains, and let those who are in the midst of the city depart, and let not those who are in the country enter the city;
22 - because these are days of vengance, in order that all things which are written may be fulfilled.
23 - "Woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land, and wrath to this people,
24 - and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. (Luke 21:20-24)
Likely no one foresaw or understood fully in the early church that because of its ultimate act of covenant disobedience of rejecting its Messiah that Israel would be judged and taken captive and led into the nations thereby causing the nation itself to cease to exist while approximately at the same time God would begin opening the door of faith to the Gentiles (Deut 32:21, Isaiah 65:1, Acts 10;17, Romans 11:19-21). For nearly two thousand years Israel lounged in captivity in the nations and the end time scenario that requires a Jewish presence in the holy land for its fulfillment was on the shelf so to speak. Yet now against the longest of all odds, Israel has returned and is established again in the land. I believe that to focus on Israel's present unbelief ONLY is to miss or miniminze a very important prophetic sign fulfilled in its reappearance as a nation. Against the most incredible long shot of daunting and seemingly impossible odds, there is a Jewish presence and nation again in the place it once occupied during the days of Christ's appearance and ministry. We have come full circle and Jerusalem is once again surrounded by hostile nations and armies intent on its desolation and the eradication of its Jewish inhabitants from the earth. This "controversy of Zion" continues to inexoriably grow and draw many nations into the conflict as the issue of Jerusalem and its ownership will continue to grow as the epicenter of events that will increasingly threaten world peace. The escjhatological end time scenario attested to by even Christ cannot be fulfilled without a Jewish presence in the land. So all things are not as they always have been because Israel has not always been in the land over the approximate past two thousand years. As far as believing that we are living in the end times, those evangelicals of the 70s, 80s and 90s etc. are likely correct because these days are very unique as far as prophetic events are concerned.
Food for thought,
"The church’s failure to grasp the theological significance of the Holocaust is not stranger than its reluctance to recognize the most prophetically loaded event to occur since the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, specifically, the repossession of Eretz Yisrael, and the formation on its soil of a Jewish state. The reticence of the church concerning the importance of this modern sign is at once spiritually obtuse and a statement of the church’s costly ignorance of the very mystery that is calculated to save it from the boastfulness of humanism (Ro.11:25). It is more than vincible ignorance; it betrays a disposition that sees no incongruity in the divine character if Israel’s failure is final. But, "have they stumbled that they should fall?” "God forbid!” is the apostolic riposte that the larger part of that which calls itself the church has ignored to its eternal loss (Ro.11:11)."
"While the church waits to recover her original consciousness of Israel’s role in world redemption, the nations are condemned to languish under demonic domination until Israel comes to understand Yom Kippur in the light of the cross (Zech.12:10). The sudden and powerful in-breaking of the revelation of this mystery will finally answer the prophet’s question "shall a nation be brought forth in a day?” (Is.66:8)."
(From article "The National Hope In Context" - Jan 2002 - R. Kelly - taken from a larger piece titled "The Historical Impasse Between Church and Synagogue")
I realize my thoughts are mine and may not represent the views of the sermonindex moderator who began this thread.
Thank you and blessings.
