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The assumption of many Christians that God made the prophecies of the New Testament about the Second Coming of Christ clear, and that they understand the meaning of these prophecies with a certitude that will enable them to recognize and accept Christ when He returns is all too similar to the assumption of the Jewish people that God made the prophecies of the Old Testament clear and that they would understand the meaning of those prophecies with such certitude that they would be able to recognize and accept Christ, the Messiah, at His First Coming. In the First Coming of Christ, the intention and wisdom of God's Will surpassed and confounded the wisdom and understanding of men; why is not the same Pattern likely to repeat itself in the Second Coming of Christ? (88:4) Surely, the approach to scripture is most fruitful and correct when it is informed more by open inquiry and humble seeking than by dogmatic self-assurance and an inflexible refusal to even consider other viewpoints. The Jewish people were singularly dogmatic and inflexible in their refusal to consider the claims of Christ that He fulfilled their prophecies; they preferred their own confident and certain interpretations of the Old Testament prophecies. It is one thing to examine, patiently and conscientiously, all the evidence in a disputed case before reaching a decision, and quite another matter to cling to a preconceived interpretation, and then refuse to hear, or otherwise dismiss, in cursory fashion, all contrary evidence
(88:5)
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