WHAT IS PRETERISM AND IS IT BIBLICAL? A PRETERIST GIVES HIS VIEW
Preterism essentially means "past in fulfillment." The Preterist sees that while the prophecies of the New Testament concerning our Lord's Return were future to that first-century generation of Christians, they, nevertheless, are not future to us. The Preterist believes that when Christ spoke of the nearness of His Return, He did so in clear, plain, easy to understand language -
When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. (Mtt.10:23)
For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. (Mtt.16:27-28)
Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. (Mtt.24:33-34)
It's really not that hard. The only thing that may be standing in your way is how you read your Bible. Do you apply the most basic rule of interpreting the Scriptures - Audience Relevance? Do you seek to understand the meaning of a particular verse or passage through the mind of the original audience? Put yourself in their sandals; because if you don't, you can make Christ's words mean anything you want; and many interpreters have.
"If the Scripture has more than one meaning, it has no meaning at all."
- Dr. John Owen
What would His words have meant TO YOU BACK THEN?If you were a member of the Church in Corinth or Thessalonica, what do you think Paul meant in his epistles written TO YOU BACK THEN?
Behold, I tell YOU a mystery: WE will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.
(I Cor.15:51)
According to the Lord's own word, we tell YOU that WE who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord. (I Thess.4:15)
Or the book of Revelation, written TO the seven churches in Asia?
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show unto his servants, even the things which must shortly come to pass....for the time is at hand. (Rev.1:1, 3)
Preterism is the only interpretive method that consistently maintains audience relevance throughout; and by so doing, it is the ONLY method that can stand on the Scriptures Alone.
Below are some of the main questions given to a preterist.
QUESTION: 1 Thess. 4:16-18 says “the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” How could this be fulfilled already?
ANSWER: One thing that needs to be mentioned right up front is that there is a tremendous similarity between the language here in this context (1 Thess. 4, 5) and Matt. 23-25 (esp. Matt. 24:29-31). There was a great article on this similarity in the Nov. 1989 issue of our newsletter. It was written by Joseph Canfield, and entetled "Matt. 24 and 1 Thess. 4 Compared." Look for this article in the "Articles and Reviews" section of this website, under the heading "Articles from Past Issues of our newsletter." The angels, trumpet and gathering are mentioned in Matt. 24. The angels, trumpet and catching-up are mentioned in 1 Thess. 4. We should always use the easier passages on a subject to help interpret the more difficult ones. In this case, Matt. 24 is the easier one. It is a matter of historical record (Josephus, Eusebius, Tacitus and the Talmud) that the trumpets, voices of angels and angelic activity were seen and heard in the time leading up to and during the destruction of Jerusalem. Unfortunately many Christians are just not aware of this. They are not being taught this by current (predominantly-futurist) clergy. The “catching-up” (1 Thess. 4:17) or “gathering” (Matt. 24:31) occurred at this very time (AD 66) when Josephus says they saw the angels and heard the voices and trumpets. Here are a few quotes from the writings of Josephus, Eusebius, Tacitus, and Yosippon to document the fulfillment of these things.
QUESTION: Did the signs of his second coming (Mt. 24:27-30) already take place and nobody noticed them?
ANSWER: I would hardly describe the voluminous accounts of Josephus, Tacitus, and Eusebius as "nobody noticed them." Plus the "deafening silence" and mysterious absence of any Christian writings and missionary activity for almost a whole generation after AD 70 tells us that something very significant happened to remove the Christians. Their absence left a big "black hole" in church history about which patristic historians are still scratching their heads. Eusebius and other historians mention that the Christians definitely saw the signs and left Jerusalem. The Jews saw the signs too (acc. to Josephus and Tacitus), but they refused to heed them. They stubbornly believed that God was about to establish a literal, physical Golden Age of the Messiah. So, the Jews stayed in Jerusalem and Judea to fight the war, believing God would somehow miraculously deliver them and give them their physical kingdom over Rome and the whole world. But God had a "better" heavenly kingdom in store for His saints. -Edward E. Stevens
QUESTION: Does Matthew 24 refer only to the period of 40 years from the cross to the destruction of Jerusalem?
ANSWER: Yes. Let’s look at some of the factors in the Olivet discourse that definitely point to the conclusion that Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 were all fulfilled by A.D. 70.
First, when Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “What is the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matt. 24:3), they must have had in mind the destruction of the temple; Jesus had just told them that the temple was going to be completely destroyed (Matthew 24:2). For the disciples, the destruction of the Holy Temple would have been viewed as nothing less than a massive upheaval or end of their entire religious/political world. So it’s not surprising they would connect the destruction of the temple with the final coming of the King and with the end of the age (cf. Isa. 66:6).
Jesus said, “Many false christs will rise up, and false prophets” (Matt. 24:24). The rising up of many impostors was a sign that the last days had arrived. The apostle John understood that this was being fulfilled in the first century A.D. when he said, “...it is the last hour, and as you heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have risen up; by this you know that it is the last hour” (I John 2:18). John told his readers in this verse that they could know it was “the last hour” (the last hour of Biblical Judaism) because “many antichrists” had risen up. In other words, since Jesus said that many false christs and false prophets would appear in the last days, John and the other Christians knew the end was indeed near for them because many of the deceivers had already appeared.
Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matt. 24:14). The good news had been preached to all the world by the time the book of Romans and the book of Colossians were written in the first century. (Romans 10:18) “Their voice (the voice of those preaching the good news) has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world”. (Col. 1:23) “This...gospel...has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven”. And shortly after the good news was preached in the whole world in the first century, the end of the Old Testament world came in fiery judgment in A.D. 70, at the destruction of Christ’s enemies.
Finally, in Matthew 24, Jesus said, “This generation will in no wise pass away until all these things have happened.” “This generation” means the same thing here as it does in all other places in the NT. It speaks of those living at that time. So all of Matthew 24 was indeed fulfilled within the forty year period between the cross and the destruction of Jerusalem, including the parousia and the end of the age.
QUESTION: Matt 24:29 “But immediately after the tribulation...” In this passage it is clearly said that Christ would come immediately after the tribulation, but in 2 Thess. 1:6-8 it is shown that it is his coming “from heaven with his angels” that is causing the tribulation! How can this be explained?
ANSWER: You are correct in pointing out that the word “tribulation” (Gr. thlipsis) is found in both passages. Both passages harmonize well. In Matthew 24, there is a great tribulation (persecution) of the saints which is followed immediately by the coming of Christ, which causes the heavens & earth to be shaken and all the tribes of the earth to mourn (Matt. 24:30). In 2 Thess. 1:6-10, we see the same scenario. The saints were being persecuted. Christ would come and give them relief (AD 66), and at the same time give tribulation to their persecutors. We are talking about two different phases of the tribulation, with Christ’s return in the middle (the first against the saints in AD 62 - 66, and the second against their persecutors in AD 66-70). Both passages (in their contexts) deal with both phases.
When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes. (Mtt.10:23)
For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. (Mtt.16:27-28)
Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. (Mtt.24:33-34)
It's really not that hard. The only thing that may be standing in your way is how you read your Bible. Do you apply the most basic rule of interpreting the Scriptures - Audience Relevance? Do you seek to understand the meaning of a particular verse or passage through the mind of the original audience? Put yourself in their sandals; because if you don't, you can make Christ's words mean anything you want; and many interpreters have.
"If the Scripture has more than one meaning, it has no meaning at all."
- Dr. John Owen
What would His words have meant TO YOU BACK THEN?If you were a member of the Church in Corinth or Thessalonica, what do you think Paul meant in his epistles written TO YOU BACK THEN?
Behold, I tell YOU a mystery: WE will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.
(I Cor.15:51)
According to the Lord's own word, we tell YOU that WE who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord. (I Thess.4:15)
Or the book of Revelation, written TO the seven churches in Asia?
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show unto his servants, even the things which must shortly come to pass....for the time is at hand. (Rev.1:1, 3)
Preterism is the only interpretive method that consistently maintains audience relevance throughout; and by so doing, it is the ONLY method that can stand on the Scriptures Alone.
Below are some of the main questions given to a preterist.
QUESTION: 1 Thess. 4:16-18 says “the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” How could this be fulfilled already?
ANSWER: One thing that needs to be mentioned right up front is that there is a tremendous similarity between the language here in this context (1 Thess. 4, 5) and Matt. 23-25 (esp. Matt. 24:29-31). There was a great article on this similarity in the Nov. 1989 issue of our newsletter. It was written by Joseph Canfield, and entetled "Matt. 24 and 1 Thess. 4 Compared." Look for this article in the "Articles and Reviews" section of this website, under the heading "Articles from Past Issues of our newsletter." The angels, trumpet and gathering are mentioned in Matt. 24. The angels, trumpet and catching-up are mentioned in 1 Thess. 4. We should always use the easier passages on a subject to help interpret the more difficult ones. In this case, Matt. 24 is the easier one. It is a matter of historical record (Josephus, Eusebius, Tacitus and the Talmud) that the trumpets, voices of angels and angelic activity were seen and heard in the time leading up to and during the destruction of Jerusalem. Unfortunately many Christians are just not aware of this. They are not being taught this by current (predominantly-futurist) clergy. The “catching-up” (1 Thess. 4:17) or “gathering” (Matt. 24:31) occurred at this very time (AD 66) when Josephus says they saw the angels and heard the voices and trumpets. Here are a few quotes from the writings of Josephus, Eusebius, Tacitus, and Yosippon to document the fulfillment of these things.
QUESTION: Did the signs of his second coming (Mt. 24:27-30) already take place and nobody noticed them?
ANSWER: I would hardly describe the voluminous accounts of Josephus, Tacitus, and Eusebius as "nobody noticed them." Plus the "deafening silence" and mysterious absence of any Christian writings and missionary activity for almost a whole generation after AD 70 tells us that something very significant happened to remove the Christians. Their absence left a big "black hole" in church history about which patristic historians are still scratching their heads. Eusebius and other historians mention that the Christians definitely saw the signs and left Jerusalem. The Jews saw the signs too (acc. to Josephus and Tacitus), but they refused to heed them. They stubbornly believed that God was about to establish a literal, physical Golden Age of the Messiah. So, the Jews stayed in Jerusalem and Judea to fight the war, believing God would somehow miraculously deliver them and give them their physical kingdom over Rome and the whole world. But God had a "better" heavenly kingdom in store for His saints. -Edward E. Stevens
QUESTION: Does Matthew 24 refer only to the period of 40 years from the cross to the destruction of Jerusalem?
ANSWER: Yes. Let’s look at some of the factors in the Olivet discourse that definitely point to the conclusion that Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 were all fulfilled by A.D. 70.
First, when Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “What is the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?” (Matt. 24:3), they must have had in mind the destruction of the temple; Jesus had just told them that the temple was going to be completely destroyed (Matthew 24:2). For the disciples, the destruction of the Holy Temple would have been viewed as nothing less than a massive upheaval or end of their entire religious/political world. So it’s not surprising they would connect the destruction of the temple with the final coming of the King and with the end of the age (cf. Isa. 66:6).
Jesus said, “Many false christs will rise up, and false prophets” (Matt. 24:24). The rising up of many impostors was a sign that the last days had arrived. The apostle John understood that this was being fulfilled in the first century A.D. when he said, “...it is the last hour, and as you heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have risen up; by this you know that it is the last hour” (I John 2:18). John told his readers in this verse that they could know it was “the last hour” (the last hour of Biblical Judaism) because “many antichrists” had risen up. In other words, since Jesus said that many false christs and false prophets would appear in the last days, John and the other Christians knew the end was indeed near for them because many of the deceivers had already appeared.
Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matt. 24:14). The good news had been preached to all the world by the time the book of Romans and the book of Colossians were written in the first century. (Romans 10:18) “Their voice (the voice of those preaching the good news) has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world”. (Col. 1:23) “This...gospel...has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven”. And shortly after the good news was preached in the whole world in the first century, the end of the Old Testament world came in fiery judgment in A.D. 70, at the destruction of Christ’s enemies.
Finally, in Matthew 24, Jesus said, “This generation will in no wise pass away until all these things have happened.” “This generation” means the same thing here as it does in all other places in the NT. It speaks of those living at that time. So all of Matthew 24 was indeed fulfilled within the forty year period between the cross and the destruction of Jerusalem, including the parousia and the end of the age.
QUESTION: Matt 24:29 “But immediately after the tribulation...” In this passage it is clearly said that Christ would come immediately after the tribulation, but in 2 Thess. 1:6-8 it is shown that it is his coming “from heaven with his angels” that is causing the tribulation! How can this be explained?
ANSWER: You are correct in pointing out that the word “tribulation” (Gr. thlipsis) is found in both passages. Both passages harmonize well. In Matthew 24, there is a great tribulation (persecution) of the saints which is followed immediately by the coming of Christ, which causes the heavens & earth to be shaken and all the tribes of the earth to mourn (Matt. 24:30). In 2 Thess. 1:6-10, we see the same scenario. The saints were being persecuted. Christ would come and give them relief (AD 66), and at the same time give tribulation to their persecutors. We are talking about two different phases of the tribulation, with Christ’s return in the middle (the first against the saints in AD 62 - 66, and the second against their persecutors in AD 66-70). Both passages (in their contexts) deal with both phases.
posted by Stacy at 11:42 AM
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