The discussion and promise of the Advocate/Comforter in John 16 makes clear that Jesus would be with all his disciples throughout the rest of the Christian era. If this were not true then none of Jesus promises make any sense.
For example, the promise of the Holy Spirit in Rom 8:9 says that without the Holy Spirit we cannot be Christian. Therefore, if the Holy Spirit was only given to the apostles of the 1st century, then the Christian era died with them and we have been pagans ever since!
The "end of the age" simply means throughout the rest of the Christian era. The same phrase appears in other contexts and denotes the second coming of Jesus:
- Matt 13:39, 40 - and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. “So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.
- Matt 13:49 - So it will be at the end of the age; the angels will come forth and take out the wicked from among the righteous
The "age" or "era" that Jesus refers to was inaugurated by Jesus Himself - see appendix below.
- Heb 9:26 - Otherwise, Christ would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
APPENDIX - "Last days" is the Christian era
- Acts 2:17 – Peter calls the day of Pentecost the “last day” in fulfilment of the prophecy of Joel. Compare v29-32.
- 2 Tim 3:1 – perilous times in the “last day” which Paul discusses as already at his time.
- Heb 1:2 – “These last days” God is revealed in Jesus.
- James 5:3 – warning against rampant materialism and worship of money in the “last day”, that is, the time of James himself.
- 1 Peter 1:5 – Christians reveal God and are miraculously preserved in the “last time”.
- 1 Peter 1:20 – Jesus revealed in these “last times”.
- 2 Peter 3:3 – Peter writes about his time as the fulfillment of that spoken by the ancient prophets about the “last days”.
- John 2:18 – Twice, John calls his time the “last hour”.
- Jude 18 – Jude describes his time as the fulfillment of ancient prophecies about the “last time”.
- Rev 2:16, 3:11, 22:7, 12, 20 – Jesus says, “I am coming soon/quickly”.
- Even in a passage like John 6:39, 40, 54 where Jesus refers to the resurrection at the “last day” that time began with His death, Matt 27:50-53.
The New Testament writers looked forward to a future day when Jesus would return, Matt 16:27, 24:30, 31, 38, 39, 42, 26:64, Mark 8:38, 13:26, 27, Luke 21:25-28, John 14:3, Acts 1:11, 1 Cor 1:7, 4:5, 11:26, Phil 3:4, 20, 1 Thess 1:9, 10, 3:13, 4:16, 17, 5:23, 2 Thess 2:1, 2, 8, Titus 2:12-14, 2 Tim 4:8, Heb 9:28, 10:25, 37, James 5:7-9, 1 Peter 2;12, 2 Peter 3:8-10, 1 John 2:28, 3:2, 3, Rev 1:7, 3:11, 22:12, 13, 20, 21, etc. See also 1 Peter 1:3-5, 13.
The important phrase, “Day of the Lord” (Acts 2:20, 1 Cor 3:13, 5:5, 2 Cor 1:14, 1 Thess 5:2, 4, 2 Thess 2:2, Heb 10:25, 2 Peter 3:10, 12) all remind us that final judgement and the Lord’s return will occur on the “Day of the Lord”. The wicked greatly fear the time of Jesus return: 1 Cor 3:13, 2 Thess 2:8, Rev 6:15-17, 11:18, see 1 Cor 4:5, 2 Cor 5:10, Acts 17:31, John 12:48, Ps 68:2. By contrast the righteous are elated: Isa 25:9. See also Isa 13:6, Jer 46:10, Eze 7:19, 30:3, Joel 1:15, 2:1, 11, 31, 3:14, Amos 5:20, Obad 1:15, Zech 1:7, 8, 14, 2:2, Zeph 1:18, 2:3, 14:1, Mal 4:5.
