Quest of the Historical Jesus | Albert Schweitzer | *Non-fiction, Philos...

[Schweitzer wrote that Jesus and his followers expected the imminent end of the world.[6][7] He became very focused on the study and cross referencing of the many Biblical verses promising the return of the Son of Man and the exact details of this urgent event, as it was originally believed that it would unfold. He noted that in the Gospel of St Mark, Jesus speaks of a "tribulation," with nation rising against nation, false prophets, earthquakes, stars falling from the sky, and the coming of the Son of Man "in the clouds with great power and glory." Jesus even tells his disciples when all this will happen: "Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done." (Mark 13:30) The same story is told in the Gospel of St Matthew, with Jesus promising his rapid return as the Son of Man, and again saying: "Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled." Even St Paul believed these things, Schweitzer observes (e.g. 1 Thessalonians 4), and Schweitzer concludes that Christians of the first-century theology literally believed in the imminent fulfilment of Jesus's promise.] Excerpt above from the WIKIPEDIA article on Albert Schweitzer