James Tracy

"(Cont.) You can not look at all of this and simply conclude that Jesus was preaching a washed-down message about changing men's hearts and characters. No - the whole gospel is apocalyptic in tone and message. Joseph was literally waiting for the Kingdom of God because he thought it must be very soon now that the son of man had been killed (as predicted). Near the end Jesus notes that the Son of Man is heading towards this appointed fate and that he would "never again" drink wine with his disciples until he "drink[s] it new in the Kingdom of God" (14:21, 25). That is, when he returns and the Son of Man is "seated at the right hand of God and coming with the clouds of heaven" (14:62-63). The language here is unmistakable. Just look at the Mark's version of the parable of the Householder's Return (Mark 13:33-37). Mark makes Jesus' departure analogous to a master leaving his house. None of the servants know for sure the exact hour when the master will return, so they better not be caught..." - James Tracy

"I have heard these things and I don't find them particularly persuasive. First of all, let's look at the Gospel of Mark, which most believe to be the earliest. Mark's gospel is filled with eschatological urgency and messages that the end of days is near - Mark 9:1 is just one piece of this puzzle. For the Jesus in Mark's gospel, it seems that the Kingdom of God is exactly that - God's reign on Earth. Furthermore, the coming of the Kingdom is imminent, or at hand, and Jesus is a part of it. Mark presents Jesus almost right away as preaching the urgent coming of the kingdom of God. After being declared God's son during his baptism: "1:14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news.’" According to Malachi 4:5, "Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes," the reappearance of the ancient..." - James Tracy

"If he claims to be Jewish and incited terror then he is a Jewish terrorist." - James Tracy