Being convinced is an inner manifestation of an outward action, conviction is an outward manifestation of an inner action. Jerry Wm Bowers Jr.

My Theological Oath to all:

     The phrase “to come” in many verses in the New Testament is translated from the Greek word mello and is defined as something that is: about to happen, or to be on the point of doing or suffering something.

     This word appears 110 times in the New Testament; but as an exhaustive investigation would require its own book, I’ll attempt to focus on the verses related to the subject of this article. I’ll include a list of all verses at the end of the article.

Matthew 17:22-23 “And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them, The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men and they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry”

     We know how soon this event occurred, so we can easily understand how “shall be betrayed” is transformed to “about to be betrayed”

Matthew 20:22 “But Jesus answered and said, you know not what ye ask. Are you able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They say unto him, we are able”

     The cup that Christ “shall drink of” refers to the death that he was “about to drink of”

Mark 10:32 “And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them: and they were amazed; and as they followed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him”

     As evidenced through the next verse “Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles” Christ informs the disciples of things that were “about to happen” to him.

Luke 7:2 “And a certain centurion's servant, who was dear unto him, was sick, and ready to die”

     The proper use & understanding of mello in this verse show that this “centurion's servant” was “about to die”

Luke 9:31 “Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem”

     This is from the story of the Transfiguration, where Moses & Elias had informed Jesus of the death he was “about to accomplish” in Jerusalem.

Luke 9:44 “Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men”

     The next day, Jesus reminds the disciples that he was “about to be delivered” through what we know was the betrayal by Judas Iscariot.

 Luke 19:4 “And he ran before, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him: for he was to pass that way”

     This is the story of Zacchhaeus; who hurried up a tree to see Jesus, because he (Jesus) was “about to pass” whom when Jesus saw him up in the tree, called out to him.

John 6:6 “And this he said to prove him: for he knew what he would do”

     This is the story of the 2 fish, 5 loaves of bread, and the great multitude of people who had gathered; where Jesus asked Phillip where they could buy enough bread, because Jesus knew what he “was about to do”

John 11:51 “And this spake he not of himself: but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation”

     This is where Caiaphas prophesied that Jesus was “about to die” as Caiaphas knew what his plans & intentions were. As Caiaphas was not speaking of himself, but prophesying; this shows the imminent fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies regarding the death of Jesus.

Acts 3:3 “Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms”

     This is one of the rare occasions where most Bible translations have actually interpreted mello correctly.

Acts 12:6 “And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison”

     Shortly after having James killed, Peter is miraculously released from prison; because in this part of the story, Herod was “about to” have him brought forth.

Acts 21:37 “And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek?”

     This is shortly after Paul was nearly beaten to death by false accusers; whom the Roman soldiers had rescued and were “about to” take him into the castle/fortress of Antonia.

Hebrews 6:5 “And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come”

     Here again, we find Paul referring to an age that was “about to come”

Hebrews 10:27 “But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries”

     This should simply read “which is about to devour” and again simply demonstrates something that was imminent and not something that we should be grabbing onto in our own day.

James 2:12 “So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty”

     James also writes about those that were “about to be” judged by the law of liberty.

     As you can see, there are many occasions where this word mello is translated into various contexts, where the method of translation is often portrayed as something that was about to come; but as often is the case in much scriptural translation, words are also often disguised with translations that lead the reader to believe these things have not yet transpired.

     Let us view some of these translations, where it seems the translators themselves took the liberty of creating this illusion, by & through improper or misleading translation.

Matthew 3:7 “but when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who has warned you to flee from the wrath to come?”

     This “wrath” is supposedly the wrath of God that mainstream Christianity has been teaching for nearly 2,000 years, is still to come. Why would John the Baptist ask these Pharisees & Sadducees why they were attempting to flee from a wrath 2,000 years in the future?

     The last part of this verse should then be translated as “who has warned you to flee from the wrath about to come” which certainly changes the context.

Matthew 12:32 “And whoever speaks a word against the Son of man, it will be forgiven of him: but whoever speaks against the Holy Ghost, it will not be forgiven of him, not in this age, nor in the age to come”

     Most Bible versions have this verse showing “it shall not be forgiven of him, not in this world, and not in the world to come” but the word “world” is from the Greek word aion; which is defined as an age, or period of time.

     By properly translating “world to come” to “age about to come” we can also see a change in the context and timing of when it was to come to pass; clearly demonstrating something that was about to happen, and not something that hasn’t occurred in the 2,000 years since.

Matthew 16:27 “For the Son of man will come in the glory of his Father and with his angels; and then he will reward everyone according to their works”

     Rather than seeing this as something inevitable, but certain to happen one day; the phrase “the Son of man will come” becomes “the son of man is about to come” and again changes the context, expectation and timing of when this event was to occur.

Matthew 24:6 “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that you are not troubled: for all these things must happen, but the end is not yet”

     This verse comes from the Olivet discourse; which we’ve discussed a few times so far. In the beginning of this verse, Christ tells them that they are “about to hear of wars”

Luke 21:7 “And they asked him, saying, Master, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things will come to pass”

     We find ourselves at the Olivet Discourse again, where the disciples asked their questions; because they wanted to know what sign to look for, to know when these things were “about to come to pass”

     Just 29 verses later (Luke 21:36) in the same chapter, we read this “Watch you therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man”

    Again, Christ reminds them that these things were “about to” come to pass. How does something that is about to happen, occurs some 2,000 years later?

     And what do we find in between these verses? (Luke 21:22)” For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled”

Acts 17:31 “Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he has given assurance unto all men, in that he has raised him from the dead”

     Can you see a difference (in timing and/or expectation) between “he will judge the world” and “he is about to judge the world”? This is one more area where the translators have altered the expectation, and changed it from its 1^st century context, to a vague futuristic expectation.

Acts 24:14-15 “But this I confess unto you, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets: And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust”

     “That there shall be” simply demonstrates something that will take place at some future point in time; but what happens when we translate this properly to “that there is about to be a resurrection”? Does this sound like something a distant 2,000 years into Paul’s future, or does it sound like something that was about to happen in the 1^st century?

Romans 8:18 “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us”

     Which shall be is certainly indicative of something that will take place, but it also is too vague; but what happens when to the Romans expectation when they’re told that this was “about to be” revealed?

Galatians 3:23 “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed”

     Paul is exhorting & instructing the Galatians that the promises of faith were about to be revealed, and when it would be revealed; they would know for certain that they were no longer under the law – schoolmaster.

Ephesians 1:21 “Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come”

     When we view “not only in this age, but also in that which is to come” there is no imminence, no immediate expectation; but what about when it is properly translated to “not only in this age, but also in that which is about to come”? Do you see a change in expectation, imminence, and timing?

Colossians 2:16-17 “Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of a holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath: Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ”

     Paul is reminding the Colossians that their old system was only a shadow of things that were “about to come” and does not do so in any manner or using any words that are vague, or could be misconstrued to his present day audience; they knew something was “about to” happen in a big way.

2^nd Timothy 4:1 “charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom”

     Again we find that a phrase such as “shall judge” is vague and gives no immediate context, timing or expectation; but if we render the word “mello” to its proper translation, we see that Paul is telling Timothy that Christ is “about to judge” which would be better understood to the average reader if the proper translation existed in today’s Bibles.

     How was Christ “about to” do this at his appearing, nearly 2,000 years ago; if it has not come to pass yet?

Hebrews 2:5 “For unto the angels has he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak”

     The writer of Hebrews is also presenting the same message in relation to the age/world that was “about to come” and creates the same imminence in their message to the Hebrews.

     As we’ll see, this consistency flows throughout the letter to the Hebrews; where they are again reminded of an age that was “about to come” and would have been under no delusion that the expectation of such is something that would have taken place some 2,000 years into their own future.

Hebrews 9:11 “ But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building”

     The same imminent and immediate expectation is given once more in this letter to the Hebrews, as they are again reminded that these “good things” were in fact “about to come” and once again destroys the notion that this expectation should be catapulted from its 1^st century context, into our own time frame and/or generation.

Hebrews 10:1 “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect”

     This is nearly a word for word repetition of what Paul has told the Colossians in our earlier verse (Colossians 2:16-17) about how their law was only a shadow of good things that were “about to come” again showing the urgency and imminent expectation.

1^st Peter 5:1 “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed”

     This glory that was “about to be revealed” is also mentioned by Peter in 1^st Peter 4:1 and was also demonstrated earlier in Paul’s letter to the Romans (Romans 8:18)

     As always, when words are translated into their proper meaning, context and timing; the message becomes clearer for the reader, as well as those that are taught by others through these scriptures. Rather than always adhering to long established doctrines, or listening to Preachers & Teachers simply parroting those that have come before; once we begin to see scriptures in their proper place, we no longer look to force them into our own time frame.

     It’s one thing to recognize & appreciate the timelessness of the principles, ethics, morals & values in scripture, and rightly apply them to our lives today; it’s quite different altogether to grab specific prophecies that were promised 1^st century fulfillment, and look for that fulfillment around every corner, and in current events.

     The Greek word “mello” is like so many other words in scripture that have not only been translated wrong, but are not given their due in regards to recognizing when these things were meant to take place.

     Here is the complete list of the New Testament verses where the word mello is used. Take some time & compare what you see in your given Bible translation; but rather than allowing tradition to completely misrepresent these scriptures, allow them their proper setting, explanation, implication, expectation & timing.