Thousands of generations

[Peairtach]

Jesus is coming soon if, by "soon," you mean no sooner than 100,000 years in the future - Kuyperian Commentary

Is this a valid way of arguing from the Second Commandment, or is, "but showing steadfast love to thousands of generations of those who love me and keep my commandments", a figure of speech?

 

[Bill The Baptist]

I think this goes along with the fact that God owns the cattle "on a thousand hills." Obviously God's sovereignty does not end at hill number 1001, which shows that numbers in the Bible are often not intended to be interpreted literally.

 

[JoannaV]

I haven't read the article you linked to, but just thinking...couldn't you add all the generations of my family to all the generations of your family to get a number greater than the actual time there has been? Does that make sense?

 

[Mr. Bultitude]

I think this goes along with the fact that God owns the cattle "on a thousand hills." Obviously God's sovereignty does not end at hill number 1001, which shows that numbers in the Bible are often not intended to be interpreted literally.

I agree with your conclusion, but I'm not sure if this reasoning is the best evidence of it. Taking "a thousand hills" literally wouldn't mean "no more than a thousand hills," it just would necessarily mean not less. Minor quibble I know. I just think a better approach would be pointing to other ways the Bible clearly uses numbers in symbolic ways.

 

[Mr. Bultitude]

I haven't read the article you linked to, but just thinking...couldn't you add all the generations of my family to all the generations of your family to get a number greater than the actual time there has been? Does that make sense?

Technically yes. Just as you could say that every second that passes, the people of earth experience more than one second: 7 billion people experiencing one second each totals 222 years. So the answer to your question is yes, but I don't think it's what the passage has in mind - more along the lines of "an untold number of generations."

 

[Peairtach]

If the thousands of generations is to be taken metaphorically, it would mean that thevthird and fourth generation is to be taken metaphorically, non?

As a postmil, I'm open to the thousands of generations being taken literally, but I don't want to abuse Scripture, if that is what Mr Horne is doing?

Sent from my HTC Wildfire using Tapatalk 2

 

[One Little Nail]

Jesus is coming soon if, by "soon," you mean no sooner than 100,000 years in the future - Kuyperian Commentary

Is this a valid way of arguing from the Second Commandment, or is, "but showing steadfast love to thousands of generations of those who love me and keep my commandments", a figure of speech?

I would say no it is not, that is to say the 1000's of generation is a figure of speech, God will indeed bless his Lover's seed generationaly.

To apply this verse prophetically is to stretch the context a little, According to The Book of Revelation we are currently in the sixth vial judgment
the river Euphrates has dried up ie The Ottoman Empires has ceased, the 3 Unclean Frog Spirits are working Frantically ie Roman Beast, Papacy & Jesuitry
the False prophet could be a figure for a resurgent Muhammadan Caliphate) are working to institute a worldwide or European Inquisition against the Saints
& True Church resulting in their own Downfall & the Supernatural Deliverance of The Saints & True Church ie Battle of Armageddon' just as had been done
previously in the Old Testament at the Valley of Megiddo the O.Test Type.

That is were we are at in regards to the Prophetic timetable, & at the completion of the pouring out of the Seventh Vial The Mystery of God will have finished
which is in the days of the Seventh Angel Rev 10:7 which pours out the seven vial's so we may have several centuries left at best.

P.S. my apologies sir but i can't give you a more specific day or year.

 

[Mushroom]

P.S. my apologies sir but i can't give you a more specific day or year.

Well, please get to work on that so that we may arrange our affairs accordingly...

 

[THE W]

figure of speech,

the moon doesn't generate it's own light..

 

[py3ak]

Jesus is coming soon if, by "soon," you mean no sooner than 100,000 years in the future - Kuyperian Commentary

Is this a valid way of arguing from the Second Commandment, or is, "but showing steadfast love to thousands of generations of those who love me and keep my commandments", a figure of speech?

It sounds like Mark Horne's trademark unreliability. I don't understand the concern to defer the return of Christ indefinitely, anymore than the concern to settle its date in the very near future. But the argument from the 2nd Commandment is absurd. Take the flip side - the third and fourth generations. Have no more than four generations ever gone by in a family, all under the wrath of God? Clearly this is not the case. Or look at it another way: from the form of the statement, you could restart the count in each generation. So from Noah you could count a thousand; but you could count a thousand from the thousandth after Noah, and on, ad infinitum. Or you could could count 4 from Ham - but you could also count 4 from Canaan; or 4 from Og, King of Bashan.

From Psalm 105:8 it seems fairly clear that a thousand generations is simply equivalent to "forever". Saying that Christ will not return for a thousand generations is either based on a misconception (as in this case) or is equivalent to denying that he will ever return.