The Bible has a number of
prophecies of things which the prophets said would happen "soon" but
which did not, in fact, occur for a century or more. E.g., Isaiah, in his
prophecy concerning the destruction of Babylon (Isa. 13:1, 19-20) wrote that
"the day of the Lord is at hand" (Isa. 13:6). Yet Babylon was
not even conquered until 539 BC, a century and a half after Isaiah, while its
destruction came even later.
Isaiah had also prophesied
concerning the actions of Assyria against Israel and Judah: "Be not afraid
of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff
against thee, after the manner of Egypt. For yet a little while, and the
indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction." (Isa.
10:24-25) Israel was taken captive by Assyria in 722 BC and the Assyrian king
Sennacherib attacked Judah in 701 BC. But it was not until 605 BC - a century
later - that Assyria was defeated by a coalition of the Babylonians and Medes.
I.e., the prophet's "little while" meant more than a century!
Zephaniah, writing of the
destruction of Judah, wrote that "the day of the Lord is at hand"
(1:7) and that "the great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and it
hasteth greatly" (1:14). This was written in the days of King Josiah
(1:1), nearly a century before Judah was taken captive by the Babylonians. Joel
used similar words, saying, "the day of the Lord is at hand" (1:15)
and "the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand" (2:1).
The New Testament Apostles used
similar terminology. Jesus showed John "things which must shortly come
to pass" (Rev. 1:1; cf. 22:6 and note 22:7 which says, "Behold, I
come quickly."). After nearly two millennia, most of the things
which John saw in the vision have not come to pass despite the fact that Jesus
said they would occur "shortly." (Note also Rev. 12:12, where John
wrote that the devil has "but a short time" until he is bound when
the millennium begins: cf. Rom. 16:20.)
James wrote, "Be patient
therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord... Be ye also patient...for
the coming of the Lord draweth nigh...behold, the judge standeth before the
door." (James 5:7-9) Yet Jesus has not yet come to judge and reign.
Peter was even stronger than James when he wrote, "But the end of all
things is at hand." (1 Pet. 4:7) Obviously, "all things"
have not yet ended, despite the two millennia which have passed since these
words were written. . . . 148 years is not "a little season" according
to Mr. Baer. But it is a very little season by the Lord's reckoning of time.
Moreover, the term is actually a quote from the Bible, specifically from Rev.
6:11, where the martyrs are told that they will "rest yet for a little
season." The statement is made after the opening of the fifth seal and
prior to the occurrence of the many events scheduled for the sixth and seventh
seals before the promise is fulfilled. (John A. Tvedtnes, A Reply to Dick
Baer)
Further Reading:
