That is because since that time the Lord's return has always been imminent. The disciples and the 1st century church were looking for the Lord's return at any time, just as every generation has since then. Jesus didn't give them a specific date of when he was going to return. In fact, they asked the Lord this question before He ascended saying "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. Restoring the kingdom to Israel would of course be speaking about the Lord's return to end the age and establish his millennial kingdom. Therefore, according to what Jesus told them, they only knew that he would return, but not when. And we are still waiting for him to gather the church, which takes place before Jesus returns to the earth to end the age.
The coming of the Lord is near, doses not specify a date or specific time. In addition, there are many events listed in scripture that must take place prior to the Lord's return, none of which have been fulfilled. Your claiming fulfillment without any literal fulfillment!
The term "is near, is soon to come" means "on the horizon, in the working, looming, imminent." We have the OT prophets using the same terms, regarding the day of the Lord, the time of God's wrath:
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Isaiah 13:6-8 Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. Because of this, all hands will go limp; every man’s heart will melt. Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame.
Isaiah 13:9-13 See, the day of the Lord is coming -a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger--to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. (Rev.6:12-16)
The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.
I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.
I will make man scarcer than pure gold, rarer than the gold of Ophir.
Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the Lord Almighty, in the day of His burning anger.
Joel 1:15 - Alas for that day! For the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.
Joel 2:1-2 - Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on My holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand--A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness
Zephaniah 1:14-18 - The great day of the Lord is near- near and coming quickly.
Malachi 4:1-3 "Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace.
All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire." says the Lord Almighty. "Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things," says the Lord Almighty.
Revelation 1:1 This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon come to pass.
Revelation 1:3 - Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and obey what is written in it, because the time is near.
All of the above are prophesies claiming that the day of the Lord is near and is coming soon, yet the day of the Lord, which is the time of God's wrath, has not yet taken place. Those prophesies regarding the nearness of the day of the Lord were prophesied as much as 3000 years ago, which has still not taken place. Therefore, you must interpret "is near and is coming soon" to mean that it is always imminent until it happens. Regarding this and for the sake of your preterist belief are claiming fulfillment without any actual fulfillment.
"we (they)" = all believers until the Lord's coming. This is what you do to scripture, you changed "we" to refer to only those of that time. What John says, he says to all believers until the Lord appears, which has not yet taken place.
Again, you have erroneously defined "the end" as being the "end of the Jewish temple, covenant." Yet there is nothing int he scripture that would support this. Then end of all things is referring to the literal return of the Lord, not the end of the Jewish temple and covenant. This is implied by you and preterism.
Paul is simply saying that that his and other present sufferings, as well as the sufferings of every believer since then, does not compare to the glory of when believers will be made immortal and glorified. Again, you are defining things according to preterism.
And it is even nearer now from the time when Paul said the above and that because we are the generation that is seeing the stage being set for the day of the Lord, the time of God's wrath. Once again, imminency.
Regarding the above, all Paul was saying to Timothy was that his time of death "departure" was drawing near, where at that that time his spirit would depart from his body and go to be in the presence of the Lord. That's all that is saying. This has to do with Paul's death, which also did not have a specific date attached to it, but would be fulfilled when it took place. Same with the day of the Lord, you can't claim it's fulfillment until it actually happens. Preterism on the hand, attempts to find fulfillment without the actual event taking place.
The coming of the Lord is near, doses not specify a date or specific time. In addition, there are many events listed in scripture that must take place prior to the Lord's return, none of which have been fulfilled. Your claiming fulfillment without any literal fulfillment!
The term "is near, is soon to come" means "on the horizon, in the working, looming, imminent." We have the OT prophets using the same terms, regarding the day of the Lord, the time of God's wrath:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Isaiah 13:6-8 Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty. Because of this, all hands will go limp; every man’s heart will melt. Terror will seize them, pain and anguish will grip them; they will writhe like a woman in labor. They will look aghast at each other, their faces aflame.
Isaiah 13:9-13 See, the day of the Lord is coming -a cruel day, with wrath and fierce anger--to make the land desolate and destroy the sinners within it. The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. (Rev.6:12-16)
The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light.
I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless.
I will make man scarcer than pure gold, rarer than the gold of Ophir.
Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the Lord Almighty, in the day of His burning anger.
Joel 1:15 - Alas for that day! For the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty.
Joel 2:1-2 - Blow the trumpet in Zion; sound the alarm on My holy hill. Let all who live in the land tremble, for the day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand--A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness
Zephaniah 1:14-18 - The great day of the Lord is near- near and coming quickly.
Malachi 4:1-3 "Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace.
All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire." says the Lord Almighty. "Not a root or a branch will be left to them. But for you who revere My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go out and leap like calves released from the stall. Then you will trample down the wicked; they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day when I do these things," says the Lord Almighty.
Revelation 1:1 This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon come to pass.
Revelation 1:3 - Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and obey what is written in it, because the time is near.
All of the above are prophesies claiming that the day of the Lord is near and is coming soon, yet the day of the Lord, which is the time of God's wrath, has not yet taken place. Those prophesies regarding the nearness of the day of the Lord were prophesied as much as 3000 years ago, which has still not taken place. Therefore, you must interpret "is near and is coming soon" to mean that it is always imminent until it happens. Regarding this and for the sake of your preterist belief are claiming fulfillment without any actual fulfillment.
"we (they)" = all believers until the Lord's coming. This is what you do to scripture, you changed "we" to refer to only those of that time. What John says, he says to all believers until the Lord appears, which has not yet taken place.
Again, you have erroneously defined "the end" as being the "end of the Jewish temple, covenant." Yet there is nothing int he scripture that would support this. Then end of all things is referring to the literal return of the Lord, not the end of the Jewish temple and covenant. This is implied by you and preterism.
Paul is simply saying that that his and other present sufferings, as well as the sufferings of every believer since then, does not compare to the glory of when believers will be made immortal and glorified. Again, you are defining things according to preterism.
And it is even nearer now from the time when Paul said the above and that because we are the generation that is seeing the stage being set for the day of the Lord, the time of God's wrath. Once again, imminency.
Regarding the above, all Paul was saying to Timothy was that his time of death "departure" was drawing near, where at that that time his spirit would depart from his body and go to be in the presence of the Lord. That's all that is saying. This has to do with Paul's death, which also did not have a specific date attached to it, but would be fulfilled when it took place. Same with the day of the Lord, you can't claim it's fulfillment until it actually happens. Preterism on the hand, attempts to find fulfillment without the actual event taking place.
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