[Michael]

What an awesome question! I think you hit the nail on the head when you said,

“I think Christ thought his return was eminent, based on his teachings, however he was clear he did not know the exact time frame: “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man… Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.” Matthew 24:36-44

I would add that it is evident that there is and has been tension between the “already” and “not yet” concept of Jesus return. I believe this is one of the major issues the Apostle Paul struggled with during his ministry. Many of his disciples had the impression they were “already” living in the time of the parousia (or the return of Jesus from Heaven to earth). This misinterpretation led to a great deal of headaches for Paul and sinful actions on behalf of his apostles. However, Paul continuously reminded the church that those who have asked for and been given granted grace will be taken by surprise “like a thief in the night”.

"...we who are alive and remaining at the parousia of the Lord will by no means precede those who are have fallen asleep [died], because the Lord himself, with the vocal command of an the archangel, and with a trumpet of God, will descend from Heaven and the dead in Christ will be arisen first, and then we who are living and remaining shall be raptured together with them into the clouds to a meeting of the Lord in the air...But concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you do not need to be written to, for you yourselves accurately know that the Day of the LORD comes as a thief in the night. Whenever they say, 'Peace and safety,' then sudden [imminent] destruction comes on them..." (1 Thessalonians 4:15- 5:3).

I believe that it is true that Jesus Christ’s parables point to something already begun, already planted and already hidden. But what has “already” appeared is the words and deeds of Jesus and should be clear to those who truly seek to follow Jesus. Nonetheless, we are human. We make mistakes – the Lord knows that I certainly have done so in my life. There was even a point when John the Baptist doubted. Matthew 11:2 points it out when John said, “Are you he is to come or shall we look for another?” Jesus’ response was the same to John as it is for us today.

“Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.”(Matthew 11:4-6)

In essence, Jesus’ deeds and words should be answer enough for us just as it was for John. So, I personally sit with the belief that the kingdom (this place here and now) contains both true heirs and heirs of the evil one and this state must persist until the “close of the age”.

“The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,” (Matthew 13:38) “When it was full, the fishermen pulled it up on the shore. Then they sat down and collected the good fish in baskets, but threw the bad away.” (Matthew 13:48).

So the crux of the issue, for me, is that obedience is the major factor, and it involves more than simply keeping the Law or even living in darkness. The issue revolves around following Jesus Christ. However, following Jesus does not simply mean that we should only identify with him. Is it not possible for those who preached and worked miracles in Jesus’ name to be turned away at the Last Judgment? I would have to say, certainly. I believe it is possible to fail unless the Law that Jesus revealed is followed, not the law that is based on an interpretation of an interpretation of Scripture that someone fed to us as baby Christians. “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.” (Matthew 24:35). There is a choice and I think it is up to us to determine whether we will do the work of the kingdom until the appropriate time or sit on our hands and contemplate the “not yet” or “already” concept of the parousia. So the question remains, will we fail because we refuse to recognize the true heir in the vineyard?

"Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. "The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. 'They will respect my son,' he said. "But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him and take his inheritance.' So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. "Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end," they replied, "and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time." (Matthew 21:33-41)