Previously it was pointed out that the promised 2nd coming of Jesus is to be literal, not spiritual in nature, and is yet to happen, not something that spiritually happened in A.D. 70. We also learned that when He returns the graves will be opened and all the dead will be raised. It will be a literal, bodily resurrection of individuals, not of a system as the A.D. 70 doctrine teaches. After this occurs then comes the judgment day and the end of the world. So, we ask the question; Do the expressions “judgment day” and “the end of the world,” as used in the Scriptures, refer to the final day of human history and the end of the material universe, or do these expressions refer to the termination of the Jewish state in A.D. 70 as taught by King and his disciples?

It has already been shown that the A.D. 70 doctrine is false and deceptive when its advocates contend that Jesus’ second coming and the resurrection of the dead has already happened in A.D. 70. The same is true, as we shall show, concerning the judgment day and end of the world. They are still in the future, yet to happen, not things that have already happened in a spiritual way in A.D. 70 when the Roman armies destroyed the Jewish economy. The A.D. 70 position is unstable, resting on a foundation of sand, and like the foolish man of Matthew 7:26-27, it falls, for it cannot withstand the force of truth. What is the truth? The Bible teaches that after Jesus’ 2nd coming, and the dead are raised, this present universe will be destroyed and the judgment day will take place. But the A.D. 70 advocates tell us that the world to be destroyed was the Old Testament Jewish world, not the material world. This is not what the scriptures teach as we shall see in our next article when we study what the Bible actually teaches about the judgment day and the end of the world.

The Bible teaches that after Jesus’ 2nd coming and all the dead in the graves are resurrected, all will then stand before God to be judged (Revelation 20:11-15). Jesus will be the judge (Acts 17:31). The judgment standard will be His word (John 12:48). This day of judgment has not yet happened, it is still in the future. But the doctrine we are examining denies this. They tell us the judgment day is already past. According to Max King it took place in A.D. 70, so there is no need to wait for it in the future. King says: “A future judgment is no more needed than a future cross” (SOP.80). How does he arrive at such a conclusion?

He argues that all the prophecies concerning Jesus 2nd coming centers on the Greek word “mello” which appears in such passages as Matthew 16:27, Acts 17:31, and 2 Timothy 4:1. In these passages “mello” is translated “will” as in “will come,” “will judge”. So King responds by referencing Acts 17:31, where Paul said God was about (“mello”) to judge the world. This word “mello” where found in the present active, indicative tense signifies, not only intention of purpose but also nearness of action, meaning at the point of, or ready to do what had been stated. Had Paul meant to teach judgment of 2000 or more years’ future he certainly would not have used “mello” in any tense, especially in the present sense. “Therefore the judgement (sic) of the habitable world (“oikoumene”) was about to take place in Paul’s day, and in view of other related Scriptures we have every reason to believe Paul’s choice of words conveyed the meaning intended by the Holy Spirit.” (SOP.157).

He tries to use the word “mello” translated “to be about to do, to be on the point of doing” and limits its meaning to mean at the point of happening now, leaving no room for a long extended time. It is true the word can indicate nearness in the sense of a short duration of time, but it is not always true. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament translates “mello” “…to be on the point of doing, or suffering something…to intend, have in mind, think to…of those thing which will come to pass by fixed necessity or divine appointment…in general, of what is sure to happen” (396-397). Considering King’s use of “mello,” he is forcing Paul to say something that is not true. With consideration to Thayer’s definition, Paul is teaching Jesus is on the point of coming. He intends to come, because He is divinely appointed to come. But it is God who made the appointment and it will be God who determines the time when Jesus comes to judge the world.

Notice a couple of scriptures that use the word “mello,” showing that a short duration is not under consideration. In Matthew 4:11 Jesus is pointing out that John the baptist is the prophesied “Elijah that is to come” (Malachi 4:5, literally the about to come one). Yet there is a period of 400 years between the prophecy and its fulfillment. In Romans 5:14 Paul in contrasting Adam (type) with Christ (antitype) writes; “…Adam, who is a type of Him who “was” to come” (was – “mello”). Christ had been about to come for several thousand years, all the way back to the time of Adam. That surely was not just a short duration away. King’s insistence that “mello” means just a short duration away rings hollow. Other scriptures using “mello” could be mentioned, showing just how far wrong King is. But the above should be sufficient for those who want the truth.

There are a number of scriptures that teach a future judgment, and they do not fit the A.D. 70 contention that the judgment was a localized event confined to the Judean area, and was a spiritualized judgment between the Judaism and Christianity. In Matthew 13:24-29 Jesus teaches the parable of the wheat and tares, He then explains it in verses 36-39. The sower is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seeds are sons of the kingdom, and the bad seeds (tares) are sons of the wicked ones. The enemy is the devil and the harvest is the end of the age (world) when the judgment takes place. As the angels (reapers) harvest the field (the whole world) they separate the good from the bad. This separation will be a complete, final separation between all the good and bad of the world, past, present and future. Jesus taught the same thing when He told of the final day of judgment in Matthew 25:31ff. All mankind is assembled and judged. They are separated into two classes, sheep and goats. On that day the sheep (the righteous ones) will be eternally separated from the goats (the wicked ones, Matthew 25:46). The righteous will have an eternal home in heaven and the wicked will live eternally in Hell.

A careful reading and application of these scriptures clearly show the fallacy of the A.D. 70 doctrine. The Bible just does not fit their idea of a localized judgment between Judaism and Christianity. But, as with the other things we have studied in this series, they simply ignore the context and twist the scriptures so they will fit their fanciful ideas. They force the word of God to say that the judgment day was only a spiritual separation between Judaism and Christianity, not a worldwide judgment of a final separation between the good and the bad.. But do the righteous and wicked still co-exist? If so the judgment has not yet happened. Jesus emphasized that on that day punishment and reward will be meted out and a final separation will take place.

The judgment day will be for all men and not a localized event confined to Palestine as they teach. The judgment will be a universal judgment for all men, including Athens (Acts 17:30-31). Think! What interest would Athens have in a judgment that just involved the Jews in Palestine?

Paul, knowing “the terror of the Lord,” sought to persuade all men, mostly Gentiles, about the coming judgment in which all mankind are held accountable, not just the Jews of Palestine (Romans 14:10; 2 Corinthians 5:10-11).

Revelation 20:11-15. Here John describes the final judgment of mankind. All the dead will be raised and assembled before God’s throne to be judged. The text says all mankind, “small and great” to be judged from “the book of life.” Did this happen in A.D. 70? No! Also we are told in verse 10 that the devil, along with the beast and false prophet (19:20) were cast into the lake of fire forever. But, I can assure you the devil is still our adversary, and he is still active (1 Peter 5:8).

So the judgment is still in the future. When the scriptures are carefully studied and kept in context they do not in any way support the contention of the A.D. 70 doctrine. In the next article we will see what the Bible says about the end of the world, which the AD 70 advocates say is past because it occurred when the Romans destroyed the Jewish economy in the 1st century.