Forty verses that show imminent expectation of the end of the age in the first century

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Below I have listed forty verses that show that the apostles and Jesus expected an imminent fulfillment of the incoming kingdom of God and the end of the age. This list is not exhaustive but it shows a preponderance of evidence for this view. In future posts we will examine some of the verses in their greater context. I realize that this post is longer than 500 – 600 words but I wanted to list these verses in one place.

Verses that show imminence:

1. (Mat 3:2 ESV)  "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
2. (Mat 3:7 ESV)  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
3. (Mat 3:10 ESV)  Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
4. (Mat 3:12 ESV)  His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
5. (Mat 4:17 ESV)  From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
6. (Mat 10:7 ESV)  And proclaim as you go, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
7. (Mat 10:23 ESV)  When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
8. (Mat 12:32 ESV)  And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
9. Mat 16:27-28 ESV  For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.  (28)  Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
10. Mat 21:40-45 ESV  When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?"  (41)  They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons."  (42)  Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?  (43)  Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.  (44)  And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him."  (45)  When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them.
11. Mat 24:34 ESV  Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
12. Mat 26:63-64 ESV  But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, "I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."  (64)  Jesus said to him, "You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven."
13. Mar 12:9-12 ESV  What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.  (10)  Have you not read this Scripture: "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;  (11)  this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"  (12)  And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.
14. Mar 13:30 ESV  Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
15. Luk 3:7 ESV  He said therefore to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
16. Luk 3:9 ESV  Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
17. Luk 20:15-19 ESV  And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  (16)  He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others." When they heard this, they said, "Surely not!"  (17)  But he looked directly at them and said, "What then is this that is written: "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'?  (18)  Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him."  (19)  The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people.
18. Luk 21:22 ESV  for these are days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.
19. Joh 21:22 ESV  Jesus said to him, "If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!"
20. Rom 13:11-12 ESV  Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.  (12)  The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.
21. Rom 16:20 ESV  The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
22. 1Co 7:29 ESV  This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none,
23. 1Co 7:31 ESV  and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away.
24. 1Co 10:11 ESV  Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come.
25. 1Co 16:22 ESV  If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!
26. Heb 1:1-2 ESV  Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,  (2)  but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
27. Heb 6:5 ESV  and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come,
28. Heb 9:26 ESV  for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.
29. Jam 5:1-8 ESV  Come now, you rich, weep and howl for the miseries that are coming upon you.  (2)  Your riches have rotted and your garments are moth-eaten.  (3)  Your gold and silver have corroded, and their corrosion will be evidence against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have laid up treasure in the last days.  (4)  Behold, the wages of the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, are crying out against you, and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts.  (5)  You have lived on the earth in luxury and in self-indulgence. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter.  (6)  You have condemned; you have murdered the righteous person. He does not resist you.  (7)  Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient about it, until it receives the early and the late rains.  (8)  You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
30. 1Pe 1:5 ESV  who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
31. 1Pe 1:20 ESV  He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for your sake,
32. 1Pe 4:7 ESV  The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.
33. 1Pe 4:17 ESV  For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
34. 1Pe 5:1 ESV  So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed:
35. 1Jo 2:8 ESV  At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.
36. 1Jo 2:18 ESV  Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.
37. Rev 1:1 ESV  The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
38. Rev 3:10-11 ESV  Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.  (11)  I am coming soon. Hold fast what you have, so that no one may seize your crown.
39. Rev 22:6 ESV  And he said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place."
40. Rev 22:7 ESV  "And behold, I am coming soon. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book."