Matthew 10:23
“But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.”
King James Version
Jesus' debated saying that the disciples would not finish the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes — a crux in the timing of His coming.
Fulfillment References
Matthew 16:28 Matthew 24:34 Mark 13:10 Acts 8:1
How Traditions Read This Prophecy
Apostolic (Oneness) PentecostalApostolic readers take the 'coming' as Christ's vindication and judgment-comings, not a failed forecast; the final return of the one Lord remains sure.
JewishCited in debates over whether Jesus expected an imminent end; Judaism sees no fulfilled coming and reads the non-arrival as telling against the claim.
CatholicRead variously — a near 'coming' in judgment on Jerusalem, or the ongoing mission until the final Parousia; not a failed prediction.
ProtestantInterpreted as the coming in judgment (AD 70), the resurrection-vindication, or the final return — guarding against a 'failed prophecy' reading.
OrthodoxUnderstood within the Church's ongoing mission and the Lord's manifold 'comings,' not a datable failed forecast.
DispensationalApplied to the future tribulation mission to Israel: the end-time Jewish witness will not finish before Christ returns.
AcademicA celebrated crux in the 'consistent eschatology' debate (Schweitzer): did Jesus expect an imminent end? Readings range from imminent expectation to a judgment-coming.
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Cross-references, Hebrew/Greek, Dead Sea Scrolls notes, study tools and multi-tradition analysis in the interactive explorer.
Bible Prophecy Explorer · based on J. Barton Payne’s Encyclopedia of Biblical Prophecy catalogue · an openly Apostolic (Oneness) Pentecostal study resource — all traditions presented fairly. Pastor: C. Myles Young, PhD · Bishop: Nathaniel J. Wilson, Ed.D.