When the disciples asked Jesus about His 'coming', they didn't at that time have a concept that Jesus was ever going to go away in the first place, did they?
I know Jesus told them He was going away. But Phillip asked "Where?" Did they know He meant, Go to heaven? Maybe, or maybe not.
If not, then 'coming', in their minds, maybe didn't necessarily mean only that He must descend to planet earth. He was already on the earth! And they may or may not have known He was going to leave the planet.
So could what they were in effect really asking have been something like:
"When are you going to take this to the next level".
"When are you going to gear this up."
"When are you going to show this for what it really is".
"When are you going to really show yourself up".
"When are you going to wrap this up".
"What actions or events will mark the occasion".
"What can we expect in the lead-up".
And they knew what it would ultimately involve: the end of this present world, and the start of the new.
They also knew the righteous-dead would be resurrected, to participate in the new world. That was a given (only the Sadducees didn't believe that, but pretty-much everyone else did). The disciples also saw no need to later redefine what was meant by 'resurrection' either.
But now they were being told that the Temple was going to be destroyed too. And Jerusalem was going to fall. That meant, not all Jews were going to enter the new world just because they were Jewish. That was sobering, but not entirely a new idea - the Qumran community, and the Pharisees, and probably the Essenes warned of the same. As did John the Baptist, who was from a priestly family.
After Jesus' ascension the disciples more clearly understood that the heavens must receive Jesus until the time of the end of all things - until the time of the restitution of all things - then He would come back again the second time.
But for now, in the disciples minds, might they have been basically just asking Him:
"When are you really going to hit your straps?"
"What events will happen in the lead-up?"
So Jesus mentioned a number of things, so they wouldn't be alarmed when they happened. All of which, even their own generation would see, Jesus said. Not necessarily His immediate audience (Peter, James, Andrew and John), but their general generation.
These things were all 'the beginning of sorrow', early contractions, 'signs' - not the 'birth' itself, Jesus said (of 'that day and hour' knoweth no man) - these were still all lead-up things to that ultimate Day.
That generation saw all of those lead-up signs. And many of the same things kept occurring in subsequent generations. And still do. But the final end - when death shall be swallowed up in victory - when the resurrection will occur - and all enemies political shall finally be put down - and all things end, and all things are made new - that's still to culminate in future, and no-one knows when.
I know Jesus told them He was going away. But Phillip asked "Where?" Did they know He meant, Go to heaven? Maybe, or maybe not.
If not, then 'coming', in their minds, maybe didn't necessarily mean only that He must descend to planet earth. He was already on the earth! And they may or may not have known He was going to leave the planet.
So could what they were in effect really asking have been something like:
"When are you going to take this to the next level".
"When are you going to gear this up."
"When are you going to show this for what it really is".
"When are you going to really show yourself up".
"When are you going to wrap this up".
"What actions or events will mark the occasion".
"What can we expect in the lead-up".
And they knew what it would ultimately involve: the end of this present world, and the start of the new.
They also knew the righteous-dead would be resurrected, to participate in the new world. That was a given (only the Sadducees didn't believe that, but pretty-much everyone else did). The disciples also saw no need to later redefine what was meant by 'resurrection' either.
But now they were being told that the Temple was going to be destroyed too. And Jerusalem was going to fall. That meant, not all Jews were going to enter the new world just because they were Jewish. That was sobering, but not entirely a new idea - the Qumran community, and the Pharisees, and probably the Essenes warned of the same. As did John the Baptist, who was from a priestly family.
After Jesus' ascension the disciples more clearly understood that the heavens must receive Jesus until the time of the end of all things - until the time of the restitution of all things - then He would come back again the second time.
But for now, in the disciples minds, might they have been basically just asking Him:
"When are you really going to hit your straps?"
"What events will happen in the lead-up?"
So Jesus mentioned a number of things, so they wouldn't be alarmed when they happened. All of which, even their own generation would see, Jesus said. Not necessarily His immediate audience (Peter, James, Andrew and John), but their general generation.
These things were all 'the beginning of sorrow', early contractions, 'signs' - not the 'birth' itself, Jesus said (of 'that day and hour' knoweth no man) - these were still all lead-up things to that ultimate Day.
That generation saw all of those lead-up signs. And many of the same things kept occurring in subsequent generations. And still do. But the final end - when death shall be swallowed up in victory - when the resurrection will occur - and all enemies political shall finally be put down - and all things end, and all things are made new - that's still to culminate in future, and no-one knows when.
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