Why does Jesus not make himself obvious today?

[marco]

Jesus promised to be with us till the end of the world. Many claim they speak to him and he offers guidance. But the lessons they learn seem to be no more substantial than the footnotes in some good advice book and less penetrating than a university course in moral philosophy. No more miracles; no more public displays. It's as if he really did die with no resurrection.


Would we expect a real Jesus to offer clear evidence of himself today?


Even if there is no Jesus around, is it still a good, comforting thing for some to believe he is?

Are there any dangers in believing Christ is around today?

[Zzyzx]

.

Are there any dangers in believing Christ is around today?

There are disadvantages (and perhaps dangers) in basing life decisions on magical thinking rather than realism. Praying for miracles doesn't seem to work as well as taking appropriate action.

I do not expect Jesus or Superman to materialize -- for much the same reason.

[marco]

CONCLUSION Jesus was using the occassion of his disciple's immediate preaching campaign to illustrate what the situaton would be for future disciples preaching just before the end of the world system.

The problem with your contrived explanation is that it disregards the obvious: Jesus is using "you" when he speaks, not "they" of a future generation. If his words did not apply to his listeners, then the speech would be meaningless.


It is obvious that Jesus is illustrating to his listeners how soon in the future his words will be fulfilled. Explanations to the contrary ignore the fact that they would be incomprehensible to his audience; they were reported in the way they were understood.

[tam]

Peace to you,


I have only skimmed the thread, so I apologize if this has already been covered. But from the OP:

[Replying to post 1 by marco]

Why does [Jesus] not make himself obvious today?

and,

Would we expect a real Jesus to offer clear evidence of himself today?

What people expect Christ (Jaheshua) to do, and what He said He will do are not always the same thing.

My Lord did not promise to reveal Himself to the world; not at this time at least:


"Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him.� John 14:21



Every eye will see Him when He returns. In the meantime, He is calling and training His people (teaching them peace, and love). His people are to reign with Him in His Kingdom as kings and priests for a thousand years; how could this not require training?


Once He returns and establishes His Kingdom and reign upon the earth, there are non-Christians who are invited in to the Kingdom as well (as subjects), such as the sheep from the sheep and the goats parable. See also Romans 2:13-15 (the law being love).





Peace again to you,
your servant and a slave of Christ,
tammy

[William]

[Replying to post 43 by]

tam In the meantime, He is calling and training His people (teaching them peace, and love). His people are to reign with Him in His Kingdom as kings and priests for a thousand years; how could this not require training?


William: So in relation to that, what is your answer to the question I asked you here?

[tam]

[Replying to post 44 by William]

Sorry, William, I'll head over there now...

[Tcg]

My Lord did not promise to reveal Himself to the world; not at this time at least:

What standard can be used to differentiate a hiding Christ from a nonexistent Christ?

Every eye will see Him when He returns.

What verifiable evidence can you present that this claimed future event will take place?

What standard can be used to differentiate this claim from any other prediction of future events?


Tcg