Expert: Dr. (Rev.) Miles Bateman, USAF (retired) - 2/6/2008

Question
this generation in matt 24:34 refers to 30-70ad why did scofield change this generation to a race of people so the majority of Christians have changed to a futurist bible prophecy position?  Rev 1:1 "must SHORTLY come to pass"
should obviously put the Book of Revelation in the past
but now the majority of Christians look to the Future
for fulfillment. Jeremiah 29 says the 70yr captivity was
a long time.   why is rev 1:3 AT HAND still future??
Jesus said the day before the crucifixion HIS TIME WAS  AT HAND. Why are so many Christians warping these and many
other time statements??  

Answer
Hi Rodney. I would answer your question this way;
Too often we assign 21st century definitions to words that were written millennia earlier and when they don't match up, we find ourselves frustrated. Time is one of those concepts that had a different meaning to past generations than it does to us (i.e. life-spans are different, seasons are defined differently and time measurement is more accurate now than it was then because of advances in technology).
In the examples you provide (the books of Jeremiah and Revelation), biblical scholars agree that these two books were written by two separate authors at two separate points in time. Both are the divinely inspired word of God, but they were written at two separate points in time.
In your other example, Jesus, Scofield and you are also separated by millennia in time, each assigning definitions to concepts (such as time) relative to their own time period.
An example of this from our own culture is the use of the word "gay", my grandparents might define the word as meaning "happy", I might define it as meaning "homosexual" and my 16 year old son would define as meaning "bad". Three generations interpreting the same word in three different ways. I see the use of the terms "shortly" and "at hand" in the same way, HOW you define them depend largely on WHEN you define them.
When I read scripture or do research I try to keep in mind that my definition and the writers definition of a word or concept may not match up exactly. When this happens, I try to look into the idea the writer is trying to communicate and I do the best I can to understand based on this. Because I am part of the audience, I have to understand that the writers definition takes precedence over my own understanding. I also take great solace in knowing that as a Christian I will one day be able to ask the author face to face, clearing up any confusion I may have.
It sounds like you are doing the same thing and I applaud your efforts. Keep researching, keep looking and thank you for helping to shed light on this. God bless you and keep up the good work.