EBW, those coming in His Name don't nessesarily pretend to be Christ, imo. They are saying that "JESUS" is the Christ, like Mo did, or like you/we do even. "Many shall come in MY Name saying that I, Jesus, am the Christ in other words." And it's true, He is the Christ, imo, and millions believe that. Ravenning wolves capitalize on that, even if in their delusions they don't realize it.

Nevertheless, your argument here makes good sense - that the end is for a time in the future. I'll keep that in mind in my re-research of the scriptures. I just started re-reading Revelations last night. I'm not going to jump on the bandwagon of 1993 is the day though - ha! I like the, 'watch and see' approach. Maybe it could happen in our lifetime - it certainly seems possible now that the gospel has been preached in all the world and the world is full of nation states. A nuke-war breaking out sounds pretty Armageddon-ish to me.

I've sometimes wondered what some in the third world are wondering about the first world raining down fire from heaven on them - there's a lot of firepower in those missles and who can make war with that beast?

> OK sorry, I did interpret the
> "age" mention in a
> dispensationalist light.

> But I still hold that Jesus was indeed
> speaking of the end of the world and not
> some vague passing from one age to another.

> It's true that Jewish culture was totally
> dominated by Moses and the Law.

> Or more correctly, it was dominated by
> extremely conservative Pharisee
> fundamentalists who used "Moses and the
> Law" as means to impose stifling
> control over their fellow Jews.

> And yes Christ did represent a changing of
> the ages in the sense that he brought the
> new Covenant.

> But still, the question was about 'the time
> of (Christ's) return and the end of the
> world'.

> Clearly both Jesus and the disciples viewed
> this as a future event. Not a part of the
> already begun, rather gradual shift from
> legalism to grace but a catostrophic endtime
> event marking the end of history as they
> knew it.

> Let's look at the whole passage.

> Mt 24:5 For many shall come in my name,
> saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

> ---------------
> Could we really say that "many"
> came in Christ's name in the period between
> Mt 24 and the destruction of Jerusalem. I
> don't know of any who came pretending to be
> Christ during that time. Heretics yes,
> plenty of them,
> but false Christs????
> ---------------

> 6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of
> wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all
> these things must come to pass, but the end
> is not yet.
> 7 For nation shall rise against nation, and
> kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be
> famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes,
> in divers places.

> -------
> At the time the Roman empire ruled the
> entire "civilized" world. The
> various wars and battles that did occur were
> minor Iraq-style colonialist invasions. No
> "nation" rose up against Rome.
> --------

> 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
> 9 Then shall they deliver you up to be
> afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall
> be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

> -----------
> This did not happen in the period between
> Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem. It
> happpened after.
> -----------

> 10 And then shall many be offended, and
> shall betray one another, and shall hate one
> another.
> 11 And many false prophets shall rise, and
> shall deceive many.
> 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the
> love of many shall wax cold.
> 13 But he that shall endure unto the end,
> the same shall be saved.
> ----------------
> Here's the great falling away also described
> in 2nd Ths 2. An apostacy affecting many
> supposed Christians who because of events
> lose their faith.

> It didn't happen in the period between
> Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem. It
> is happening now.
> -----------------------
> 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be
> preached in all the world for a witness unto
> all nations; and then shall the end come.
> -----------------------

> Pretty clear that the gospel was not
> preached to all nations before the
> destruction of the temple.
> It was barely getting started. Most of the
> world wasn't even discovered yet.
> ----------------------
> 15 When ye therefore shall see the
> abomination of desolation, spoken of by
> Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place,
> (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
> 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee
> into the mountains: ...
> 21 For then shall be great tribulation, such
> as was not since the beginning of the world
> to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
> ---------------

> As bad as the conquest of Jerusalem may have
> been, it doesn't even come close to WW2 for
> "great tribulation".
> ------------------

> When the real thing comes along we will know
> it.