In the most basic terms, a Preterist believes
that most or all of Biblical prophecy was fulfilled by the end of the
first century AD (usually by AD 70). If he is consistent with
what Scripture says, the Preterist will say that all prophecy is
fulfilled. There are several reasons why you may want to become a
Preterist:
First, your eschatological
(prophetic) view will be consistent with Scripture. When Jesus
says something such as, "This generation shall certainly not
pass away before all these things are fulfilled" (Mt
24:34), you can say, "Amen! He was telling the truth!" without
having to go through various hermeneutical (interpretive) gymnastics in
order to deny the plain sense of the Master's words.
Second, you can know the joy of
having received all the promises the OT saints were eagerly
awaiting. You can acknowledge the fact that you are a full-fledged
child of God living in His eternal kingdom right now, and
enjoying the benefits of a fully-accomplished salvation! Never again
will you have to say that you are only a second-class citizen
because you weren't born Jewish or live in the modern-day state called
"Israel." No more will you be required to impugn the foresight
of your heavenly Father by sheepishly explaining that the so-called
"Church age" is merely a parenthesis (a "hiccup," if
you will) in the plan of God. Nay, you can know for sure that you are a citizen
of the true Israel with full rights and privileges, a true
child of Abraham, whether you are Jew or Gentile.
You can also have the confidence of knowing
that you are living in the Kingdom age (you can call it the "Church
age" if you like), and that it is everlasting in its
duration!
Thirdly, you can live your life
productively! No pessimism is necessary in this view. You won't have to
be discouraged from working to change society because you will know that
the things you do can make a difference! You will discover that the
"ship" is not sinking, and it is therefore a good idea not
only to "polish the brass," but also to swab the decks (you
could even turn on the bilge pump)! You can live your life free from the
fear of imminent disaster and tribulation. Nor more do you need to fear
being "left behind" in an allegedly future
"rapture." The energy you formerly wasted worrying needlessly
about these things can be used positively now to further the spread of
God's wonderful kingdom!
Fourth, when you share the gospel
with someone, you can offer them truly good news. All is not
lost! The heathen are not destined to take over, and never
were! (The only reason they have the position they do now of apparent
superiority is because the Church has been poisoned with the false
notion that the Bible prophesies her defeat). You can have the
confidence of knowing that you belong to one of the greatest and most
powerful "fighting machines" in the universe and you are destined
to win!
Now, the question is: Do you have the
courage to take Jesus at His word? Can you believe Him when He
says that His second coming would take place before the generation of
people He spoke to during His earthly ministry had passed away? Are you
able to trust Him enough to believe what He said when He assured some of
His first century audience members that they would not die before they
saw His return and the full establishment of the New Covenant kingdom of
God?
Yes, it takes courage to become a
Preterist. I have been called a heretic and been yelled at by those
holding to differing views of Bible prophecy (who cite their favorite
teacher, not the Scriptures, as their authority). My troubles
have been minor compared to others. Some have been ousted from their
church homes and slandered. They have been accused of teaching
"dangerous and destructive heresies" and had their names run
through the mud publicly and throughout the churches in their community.
Jesus warned us that if we were to truly follow Him, it would cost us,
sometimes dearly (Lk 14:26-33). Certainly it is nothing to be entered
into lightly!
So, here is the challenge: Examine
the following Scripture passages and see if you can accept what they say
at face value. The problem with most people is that when they come
across verses such as these, and understand the obvious implication of
them, they immediately begin looking for an alternate explanation.
Not because the text demands it, but because the system
they have been taught requires it!
"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" (Matt
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" (Matt 16:27-28).
The transfiguration that took place a few
days after Jesus made this statement cannot be the fulfillment of this
prophecy. Note that during the transfiguration there were no angels
present, and no rewards given in accordance to anyone's
deeds. It would also have been an odd thing to say that only "some"
of those listening to Him would live long enough to witness this event!
(Perhaps His audience was composed of octogenarians).
"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" (Matt 24:33-34).
Compare this to the NEB translation: "I
tell you this: the present generation will live to see it all."
For those who may be tempted to interpret the word "generation"
(Greek: genea) as meaning "race" (Greek: genos),
compare the use of the same word by the same author, just one
chapter earlier :
"And so upon you will come all the
righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous
Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered
between the temple and the altar. I tell you the truth, all this will
come upon this generation" (Matt 23:35-36).
"But Jesus remained silent. The high
priest said to him, 'I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us
if you are the Christ, the Son of God.' 'Yes, it is as you say,' Jesus
replied. 'But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of
Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds
of heaven'" (Matt 26:63-64).
Please note that the high priest Jesus was
addressing died during the AD 70 siege of Jerusalem. If he did not
see the coming of Christ in the events that took place at that time,
Jesus was mistaken!
Throughout the NT, salvation is equated with
the second coming of Christ, and it is spoken of as being yet future:
"And do this, understanding the
present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber,
because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed"
(Rom 13:11).
"And do not grieve the Holy Spirit
of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption"
(Eph 4:30).
"...who through faith are shielded
by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be
revealed in the last time" (1 Pet 1:5).
If Christ has not yet
returned as He said He would, we are still waiting for salvation!
There is a principle in scientific research
that can be applied to a case such as this. When a theory has a number
of apparent anomalies that cannot be explained without complicated
"exceptions to the rules," it usually indicates that it is
time to come up with a new theory—one that explains all the data. If
you find yourself having to apply "special" rules of
interpretation to certain passages of Scripture (e.g., redefining words
in order to escape their primary meanings), perhaps you need to
re-examine your basic assumptions. In the scientific community this is
known as a "paradigm shift." 1
The data (all the data) is
re-examined and new theories are proposed that take into account and
explain those things that were previously thought to be anomalies. For
example, in the study of the universe, Ptolemy's theory of a geocentric
(earth-centered) universe reigned supreme for over one thousand years.
However, it could not explain certain planetary actions, such as their
periodic "retrograde" (backward) movement, without the use of
a series of complicated calculations, all designed to explain these
apparent exceptions to the rule. When Copernicus finally appeared on the
scene, he postulated a new theory, one that took into account all the
observable data. He suggested that the universe was heliocentric
(Sun-centered) and that the Earth turned on its axis every 24 hours. As
we know, his theory was much closer to the truth than that of Ptolemy.
This is what must take place in the
subject of eschatology. Under the current schemes, there are many
"anomalies" that these views fail to adequately explain with
their rules of interpretation. A paradigm shift must take place
and a "new" theory has to replace the old ones. I say
"new" because the view that takes all the data into
account is not really new. It has been around since the first century
(Jesus and His apostles were Preterists). It has merely been forgotten
or overlooked by most people today. The time has come, however,
to take another look at this view in light of the Scriptures!
Many other Scripture passages could be cited
that demonstrate the fact that Jesus taught His disciples to look for
His return within their lifetimes. They wrote down what He taught
and passed it on to the Church. Many people forget that the Bible was
written to communicate God's truth to man. It is not written in a
special "God code" that only He can understand. True, it may
be difficult to accept, but this is due to the presuppositions we bring
to the text of Scripture, not because of any ambiguity in the Word.
There comes a time when we must admit that we don't know everything and
simply believe what the Word of God says.
That is why I became a
Preterist. That is why you should become one, too!
1 Cf. Thomas S. Kuhn, The
Structure of Scientific Revolutions (2d ed., enl.; Chicago: University
of Chicago Press, 1970).
