by Terry Wane Benton<\/p>\n
Most who get tangled up in the Realized Eschatology heresy get puzzled by the “at hand<\/em>” language found in so many books of the New Testament. All they can conclude is that there was only one thing it could be talking about, and that is the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. While many passages point to that significant event, every passage that speaks of the Lord as “near” or “at hand<\/em>” does not necessarily talk about that event in time.<\/p>\n Not every “at hand<\/em>” statement concerns time. Some concerns the proximity in location. “The Lord is at hand<\/em>” is very comforting to those who love Him. It is frightening to those who prefer sin.<\/p>\n “‘Am I a God near at hand,’ says the LORD, ‘And not a God afar off? Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?’ says the LORD; ‘Do I not fill heaven and earth?’ says the LORD<\/em>” (Jeremiah 23:23 NKJV).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Philippians 4:5 says, “Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.<\/em>” This means He is always nearby to help you and support you, as well as to hold you accountable. Further, even some places where it talks about “the day of the Lord is at hand<\/em>” can also reference the day of our death. Paul spoke of his death as “the time of my departure<\/em>“, saying it was “at hand<\/em>” (II Timothy 4:6-8). In a real sense, this too can be a day of the Lord, a day when He ends our suffering on earth, a day for others when He ends their evil influence on the earth. Further, since God is not bound by time, and time ends for us in death, we soon<\/em> enter a timeless sphere in the spirit world. The clock does not tick for those who enter the spirit realm. They do not know life under the sun anymore!<\/p>\n So, there is more to think about than what is close to happening by the clock, but what is relationally happening in our association or lack of spiritual association with our timeless God. He is always at hand! That can be good or bad depending on your relationship with Him. We can be made “near” to Him through the blood of Christ (Ephesians 2:13).<\/p>\n Do you know that because of the relative nearness of death, judgment is ever at hand for each of us? (Hebrews 9:27). How sobering is that? Are you in a position of dread, or a position of excited expectation of the judgment? That day is at hand. Be wise to make today count toward your readiness!<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Terry Wane Benton Most who get tangled up in the Realized Eschatology heresy get puzzled by the “at hand” language found in so many books of the New Testament. All they can conclude is that there was only one thing it could be talking about, and that is the destruction of Jerusalem in AD…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27],"tags":[745,744,76],"class_list":["post-86501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-a-d-70-theory","tag-preterism","tag-terminology"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":31608,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-can-we-pray-about\/","url_meta":{"origin":86501,"position":0},"title":"What can we pray about?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 4, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: The Bible says to cast all our cares onto the Lord, so what are we allowed to talk to God about? A lot of times, it's easy to pray in times of trouble or in times of need, but I realize that if I only talk to the Lord\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":30322,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/hold-to-gods-unchanging-hand\/","url_meta":{"origin":86501,"position":1},"title":"Hold to God\u2019s Unchanging Hand","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 12, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jefferson David Tant In many of our songbooks, there is a song by the title of this article, and the words were written by Jennie Wilson. The song's first stanza says, Time is filled with swift transition Naught of earth unmoved can stand Build your hopes on things eternal,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/parent-and-child-walking.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":89972,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-hand-a-special-gift-from-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":86501,"position":2},"title":"The Hand: A Special Gift from God","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Charles Box Many times, we enjoy blessings from God and never thank God for those blessings. Have you ever thanked God for the blessings of your \"hands?\" The terms \"hand\" and \"hands\" are used frequently in our King James Bible. The word \"Hand\" is in 1,411 verses, and the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":46320,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/does-deuteronomy-2914-15-teach-that-the-old-covenant-is-still-in-effect\/","url_meta":{"origin":86501,"position":3},"title":"Does Deuteronomy 29:14-15 teach that the old covenant is still in effect?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 25, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Does Deuteronomy 29:14-15 teach that the old covenant is still in effect? Answer: \"I make this covenant and this oath, not with you alone, but with him who stands here with us today before the LORD our God, as well as with him who is not here with us\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":67829,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-does-seated-at-gods-right-hand-mean\/","url_meta":{"origin":86501,"position":4},"title":"What does “seated at God’s right hand” mean?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 29, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Hello Jeffrey, What does the Scriptures mean when it says Christ is seated at God's right hand of the Father? And are there any particularly good commentaries you can recommend in general for Bible study? Answer: For most people, the right hand is their dominant hand. It is stronger\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":88349,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/remembering-jesus-daily\/","url_meta":{"origin":86501,"position":5},"title":"Remembering Jesus Daily","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 2, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Richard Thetford Those of us who understand the authority of the Bible and are guided by it, because we respect what God has said to us, realize that Christians do not celebrate December 25th as the birth date of Christ. 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