Chapter 8. 9
70 AD Doctrine
Realized
Eschatology - Covenant Eschatology
Preterism
– Trans-Millennialism
Setting the
stage
The
70 AD Doctrine or Preterism is a Christian Belief System of the “End of Times”. It is
also known as Realized Eschatology, Covenant Eschatology and Trans-Millennialism. It is the belief
that the Book of Daniel is referring to events that happened from the
7th century BC until the first century AD.
From 30-70 AD, a 40 year transitional
period of time occurred where the “End of Times” prophecies about Christ's second
coming were ALL
or mostly fulfilled. It interprets the prophecies and
events in the Book of Revelation as
events which HAVE ALREADY
TAKEN PLACE in
the first century AD. (Wikipedia)
The Mosaic Law passed away when Jesus
came and fulfilled it in 30-70 AD. [1]
Jesus taught the disciples that THE KINGDOM OF GOD CAN’T BE DETECTED BY VISIBLE
SIGNS you won’t be
able to say, ‘here it is!’ or ‘it’s over there!’ for THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS ALREADY AMONG YOU.” [2]
Out of the
decay of Judaism arose the spiritual body of Christianity;
we are now in the eternal days, world without end that which was to come. So
their Belief System
is; the
actual bodily, personal return of Jesus will not happen and we cannot expect
our bodies to be raised to immortality.[3]
The term preterism comes from the
Latin prefix “praeter”, which Webster's 1913 dictionary
defines as denoting that something is "PAST" or "BEYOND". Preterism holds that at the destruction
of Jerusalem in 70 AD, Ancient Israel finds itself
as the Christian Church either in its continuation
(Partial Preterism) or in its fulfillment (Full
Preterism). Wikipedia
Partial Preterism;
the belief that the majority of the “End of Time”
events have been fulfilled.
Full Preterism; the belief that ALL of
the “End of Time”
prophecies have been fulfilled.
The basic doctrine is the promised
final return of
Christ and the resurrection of bodies actually
already occurred in 70 AD.
If
this Doctrine is TRUE, then
everyone who hopes for an actual bodily return of Christ; the actual
resurrection of bodies both good and evil DECEIVE
THEMSELVES.
If
this Doctrine is FALSE, then
those who embrace it are in error and if they teach it, they are guilty of
perverting the faith as were Hymenaeus and Philetus as
spoken of in the Book.[4]
There is no
neutral ground here, you can’t just say you don’t care either way.
This study is to prove with scriptures that the 70 AD Doctrine is TRUE as well as provide
scriptures that prove it as FALSE and therefore heresy. Many
good and righteous Believers embrace this doctrine as true and it is clearly
worthy of discussion;
YOU CAN DECIDE FOR YOURSELF.
Partial
Preterism
Partial
preterism holds that MOST eschatological prophecies, such as the destruction
of Jerusalem, the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, and
the advent of the Day of the Lord as a "judgment-coming"
of Christ, were
fulfilled either in AD 70 or during the persecution of Christians
under the Emperor Nero.
Most interpretations identify Nero as the Beast, while HIS MARK is often interpreted as the stamped
image of the emperor's head on every coin of the Roman Empire: the stamp on the
hand or in the mind of all; without which no one could buy or sell. (Wikipedia)
Note; there is some
disagreement on the identity of "Babylon
the Great" (Revelation
17–18). Some identify it as the pagan Roman Empire, while
others clearly identify it as the city of Jerusalem.
In the partial preterist Belief System, the Second
Coming, the resurrection of the dead, and the Final Judgment HAVE NOT yet occurred.
Some partial preterists
believe that the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, and the advent
of the Day of the Lord as a "Judgment Coming"
of Christ, WERE NOT historically fulfilled.
Full
Preterism
Full
Preterism differs from Partial
Preterism in that full
preterists believe that the destruction of Jerusalem FULFILLED ALL eschatological "End Time" events
including the Resurrection of the Dead, the Second Coming Jesus
Christ, and the Final Judgment.
Full
preterists argue that a literal reading of Matthew 16:28 is
taken rather than focusing on the Book of Revelation. This is where
Jesus tells the disciples; I tell you the truth, some standing here right
now will not die before they see the son of man coming in his
kingdom. This places the second coming in the first century and
precludes a physical second coming of Christ.
The second coming is only symbolic of
a "judgment" against
Jerusalem, said to have taken place with the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem
in 70 AD and it’s for this reason that some
people call full preterism "the 70 AD Doctrine”. If this is
the case, the traditional idea of the resurrection must be replaced with a metaphorical idea
of the resurrection.
THE
TRIBULATION PERIOD in the preterist view, took place entirely in
the past and was divine judgment that was visited upon the Jews for their sins,
including the rejection of Jesus the Christ as the
promised Messiah. It happened in 70 AD during
the end stages of the First Jewish–Roman War when the armed Roman
legion forces destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple and
it affected ONLY the Jewish people rather than all
mankind.
Jesus told His disciples; some of you standing here right now will not
die before you will see the SON
OF MAN COMING IN HIS KINGDOM;[5] then in just a few more verses the Book warns the Scribes
and Pharisees
that; Judgment will fall on this very generation.[6]
The destruction of Jerusalem and the
Temple by the Romans took place during the first century in 70 AD rather than at some future time after the
Scribes and Pharisees had died;[7]
the destruction occurred within a 40-year generation from the time Jesus spoke
His OLIVET DISCOURSE
PROPHECY. The Romans thus fulfilled
what was spoken of in Daniel’s prophecy about being the Abomination of
Desolation that was set up in
the Temple.[8]
When Jesus visited the Temple in
Jerusalem, He told the disciples; “do you see all these buildings? I tell you
the truth, they will be completely demolished; not one stone will be left on
top of another”. In saying this, in the preterists
Belief System,
they see nothing in scripture to indicate that another Jewish temple will ever
be built;[9]
the prophecies
were all fulfilled in the then-existing Temple.
Mount of
Olives
The Olivet
Discourse (Teaching on
the mountain of Olives) is known
as the Little Apocalypse because
of the apocalyptic language used by Jesus as He gave warnings to His
Disciples that they would all suffer tribulations, earthquakes, famines, pestilence, false
prophets, persecution and a falling away of fellow Believers before the
ultimate triumph of the KINGDOM OF
GOD.
The Olivet Prophecy is found in three
of the Gospels; Matthew 24-25,
Mark 13 & Luke 21. Mark was NOT one
of the original 12 disciples, but was Peter’s scribe and a true Believer and
follower of THE WAY. I am including the Discourse from the New Living
Translation of the Bible instead of footnotes.
Matthew 24:1-51 – The Olivet
Discourse; The Olivet Prophecy
1 As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to
him the various Temple buildings.
2 But he responded, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the
truth, they will be completely demolished.
Not
one stone will be left on top of another!”
3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him
privately and said, “TELL US,
WHEN WILL ALL THIS HAPPEN?
What SIGN will
signal your return and the end of the world?”
4 Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you,
5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They
will deceive many.
6 And you will hear of WARS and threats of wars, but don’t
panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow
immediately.
7 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There
will be FAMINES and EARTHQUAKES in many parts of the world.
8 But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to
come.
9 Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my
followers.
10 and many will turn away from me and betray and hate each
other.
11 many FALSE
PROPHETS will appear and will deceive many
people.
12 Sin
will be rampant everywhere; the love of many will grow cold.
13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
14 And the GOOD NEWS about the Kingdom will be
PREACHED
THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE WORLD,
so that all nations will hear it; and THEN THE END WILL COME.
15 The day is coming when
YOU
WILL SEE WHAT DANIEL THE PROPHET SPOKE ABOUT
the sacrilegious
object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!)
16 Then those in Judea must flee to the hills.
17 A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to
pack.
18 A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat.
19 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in
those days.
20 And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the
Sabbath.
21 For THERE WILL BE GREATER
ANGUISH
THAN
AT ANY TIME SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN.
And
it will never be so great again.
22 In fact, unless that TIME OF
CALAMITY is shortened, not a single person will
survive. But
it WILL BE
SHORTENED
FOR
THE SAKE OF GOD’S CHOSEN ONES.
Then if anyone tells you,
23 ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it.
24 For FALSE MESSIAHS AND FALSE PROPHETS WILL RISE UP
and perform great
signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen
ones.
25 See, I HAVE WARNED YOU
ABOUT THIS AHEAD OF TIME.
26 if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t
bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it!
27 FOR AS THE LIGHTNING FLASHES IN THE EAST
AND
SHINES TO THE WEST,
SO
IT WILL BE WHEN THE SON OF MAN COMES.
28 Just as the gathering of vultures’ shows there is a carcass nearby, so these SIGNS indicate that the end is near.
29 Immediately after the anguish of those
days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no
light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in
the heavens will be shaken.
30 And then at last, THE SIGN that the SON
OF MAN is coming will appear in the heavens, and
there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And THEY WILL SEE
THE
SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN with power and great glory.
31 And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a
trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the
world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
32 Now learn a lesson from THE FIG
TREE (the nation of Israel). When its branches bud and its leaves begin to
sprout (Israel re-established), you know that summer (the end) is near.
33 In the same way, WHEN YOU SEE
ALL THESE THINGS,
YOU
CAN KNOW HIS RETURN IS VERY NEAR,
right at the door.
34 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass from the scene
until all these things take place.
35 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never
disappear.
36 However, NO ONE KNOWS THE DAY OR HOUR when these things will happen, not even the
angels in heaven or the Son himself. ONLY THE FATHER KNOWS.
37 When the Son of Man returns, it
will be like it was in Noah’s day.
38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and
parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat.
39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and
swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man
comes.
40 Two
men will be working together in
the field;
ONE
WILL BE TAKEN, the other
left.
41 Two
women will be grinding flour at
the mill;
ONE
WILL BE TAKEN, the other
left.
42 So
you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is
coming. Understand this:
43 If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep
watch and not permit his house to be broken into.
44 You also must be ready all the time, for
THE
SON OF MAN WILL COME WHEN LEAST EXPECTED.
45 A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the
responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.
46 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job,
there will be a reward.
47 I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all
he owns.
48 But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back
for a while,’
49 and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting
drunk?
50 THE MASTER WILL RETURN
UNANNOUNCED AND UNEXPECTED,
51 and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the
hypocrites. In that place
THERE WILL BE WEEPING AND GNASHING OF TEETH.
(NLT)
Setting
the stage
Realized Eschatology is defined as the doctrine that the
last things to happen on earth before “THE END OF
TIME“ has already been realized or completed at the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans with the fall
of Judaism in 70 AD.
Israel was warned that if they did not
repent, that God would remove their lampstand. The Romans came
with POWER and burned and destroyed the city of
Jerusalem
Preterist: The
second coming has happened, Jesus returned in POWER.
Jesus said He would
return in POWER and glory; in a sense that happened
to the folks on the Day of Pentecost with
the outpouring of the Holy Spirit that
filled every Believer present with His Spirit.
The Book says Jesus
promised that He would not leave them as orphans, but would send the third
person of the
Trinity, the Holy Spirit, sent in POWER to fill every believer present.
Most students of the Book disagree
that this was His second coming and see Pentecost as only a shadow of Christ’s
second coming and not His literal return. Jesus
will return the same way as He
left; as He ascended into Heaven, He will return the
same way with His mighty
angels.
Note: the supporting scripture for the Preterist is
in GREEN and for the Book is in CRIMSON.
Revelation
2:5 – Jesus came at the destruction of the Temple
5 Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent, and do the works
you did at first. If not,
I
WILL COME TO YOU AND REMOVE YOUR LAMPSTAND
from
its place, unless you repent.
(ESV)
Matthew
22:7 – God sent His forces to destroy Jerusalem
7 THE KING WAS ANGRY, and he SENT
HIS TROOPS and DESTROYED those murderers and BURNED THEIR CITY.
(ESV)
Mark 9:1 –
He returned in Great POWER the day of Pentecost
1 Jesus went on to say, “I tell you the truth,
some standing here
right now WILL not die before they
SEE the KINGDOM OF
GOD arrive in great POWER!”
(NLT)
Matthew
24:1-2 – Jesus predicts the POWER of Second Coming
1 As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out
to him the various Temple buildings.
2 But he responded, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth,
THEY WILL BE COMPLETELY DEMOLISHED.
NOT
ONE STONE WILL BE LEFT ON TOP OF ANOTHER!”
(NLT)
Acts
1:8 – You will receive POWER when the Holy Spirit comes
8 YOU WILL RECEIVE POWER WHEN THE
HOLY SPIRIT COMES upon
you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere
throughout Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
(NLT)
Matthew
16:28 – The Second Coming will be in your generation
28 And I tell you the truth,
SOME
STANDING HERE RIGHT NOW WILL NOT DIE
before
they see the Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”
(NLT)
John
14:18 – I will come to you as the Spirit of Truth
18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—
I
WILL COME TO YOU.
(NLT)
John
15:26 –Jesus returned as represented by the Holy Spirit
26 But I will send you the advocate— THE
SPIRIT OF TRUTH.
HE
WILL COME TO YOU FROM THE FATHER
and
will testify all about me.
(NLT)
John
14:18 – Jesus said, I will come to you
18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans,
I
WILL COME TO YOU.
(NLT)
Acts
1:4-5 – The Return with the POWER of the Holy Spirit
4 Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them,
DO
NOT LEAVE JERUSALEM UNTIL
THE
FATHER SENDS YOU THE GIFT
He promised,
as I told you before.
5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be BAPTIZED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT.”
(NLT)
Acts
1:8 – You will receive POWER when the Holy Spirit comes
8 YOU WILL RECEIVE POWER WHEN THE
HOLY SPIRIT COMES upon
you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—throughout
Judea, Samaria, to the ends of the earth.”
(NLT)
Acts
2:1-4 – Second Coming on the Day of Pentecost
1 On THE DAY OF
PENTECOST all the believers were meeting together in
one place.
2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty
windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting.
3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire appeared and settled on
each of them.
4 EVERYONE PRESENT WAS FILLED WITH
THE HOLY SPIRIT and began speaking in other languages, as
the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
(NLT)
Acts
2:33 – Jesus; the Holy Spirit returned in Power as promised
33 Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s
right hand. And the Father, AS HE HAD
PROMISED,
GAVE
HIM THE HOLY SPIRIT TO POUR OUT UPON US,
just
as you see and hear today.
(NLT)
Matthew
24:29-30 – Christ will be SEEN at His second coming
29 Immediately after the anguish of those
days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will
give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the
powers in the heavens will be shaken.
30 And then at last, THE SIGN THAT THE
SON OF MAN
IS
COMING WILL APPEAR IN THE HEAVENS, and
there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And
THEY
WILL SEE THE SON OF MAN coming on
the
clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
(NLT)
Matthew
24:34 – Jesus will be bodily present as He was then
34 I tell you the truth, THIS GENERATION will
not pass from the scene until all these things take place.
(NLT)
Acts
1:11 – Jesus will return the same way He left
11 Men of Galilee,” “why are you standing here staring into heaven?
JESUS
HAS BEEN TAKEN FROM YOU INTO HEAVEN,
but someday HE WILL RETURN
FROM HEAVEN
IN
THE SAME WAY YOU SAW HIM GO!”
(NLT)
2
Thessalonians 1:7 – Jesus returns with angels from heaven
7 And God will provide rest for you who are being persecuted and also for
us
WHEN THE LORD
JESUS APPEARS FROM HEAVEN.
HE WILL COME WITH
HIS MIGHTY ANGELS.
(NLT)
2 Timothy
4:1 – Jesus will judge everyone when He returns
1 I solemnly urge you in the presence of God and
CHRIST
JESUS, who will
someday JUDGE the living and the dead WHEN HE APPEARS TO SET UP HIS KINGDOM:
(NLT)
Hebrews
9:28 – When Christ comes again He brings salvation
28 so also CHRIST died once for all time as a
sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. HE WILL COME AGAIN, not to deal with our sins, but TO BRING SALVATION to all who are eagerly waiting for him. (NLT)
Second
Coming
Preterist: The Second Coming was considered soon. James
the brother of Jesus said; THE
DAY OF THE LORD IS NEAR and
in the Book of Matthew it says the SIGN of the return of Christ is when there is DEEP MOURNING. (Presumably
from the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.)
The Book; when you combine these two
scriptures I can see where Preterist get that the Lord came in 70AD with
the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple.
It was common for a prophet to use language that spoke of future events
as being near to emphasize the urgency and certainty of the
Lord’s prophecy being fulfilled.
In
the OT Obadiah used the expression the Day of the Lord is near and
so did James in the NT.[10]
The actual knowledge of the Lord’s return
was not known to any prophet, disciple, angel or even the Son of God; the
Book says that only God
the Father knows and they understood that too.
Note: the supporting scripture for the Preterist is
in GREEN and for the Book is in CRIMSON.
Matthew
24:30 – The Sign is deep mourning over Jerusalem
30 And then at last, THE SIGN that
THE
SON OF MAN IS COMING will
appear in the heavens, and there will be DEEP
MOURNING (over the destruction of Jerusalem and the
Temple) among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of
Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power
(NLT)
Matthew
16:28 – The Second Coming will be in your generation
28 And I tell you the truth,
SOME STANDING HERE RIGHT NOW
WILL NOT DIE BEFORE THEY SEE
the
Son of Man coming in his Kingdom.”
(NLT)
Acts
2:1-4 – Second Coming was on the Day of Pentecost
1 On THE DAY OF PENTECOST all the believers were meeting together in
one place.
2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roaring of a mighty
windstorm, and it filled the house where they were sitting.
4 EVERYONE PRESENT WAS FILLED WITH
THE HOLY SPIRIT and
began speaking in other languages, as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.
(NLT)
Acts
2:33 – Jesus returned in Power as promised; the Holy Spirit
33 Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s
right hand. And the Father, AS HE HAD
PROMISED,
GAVE HIM THE HOLY SPIRIT TO POUR OUT UPON US,
just
as you see and hear today.
(NLT)
Matthew
24:36 – Only God knows when Jesus will return
36 However, NO ONE
KNOWS THE DAY OR HOUR when
these things will happen,
NOT
EVEN THE ANGELS IN HEAVEN OR THE SON HIMSELF, ONLY THE FATHER KNOWS.
(NLT)
Return
Spiritually
Preterist: Jesus
returned in the form of the Holy Spirit. When He promised He would
come to us, He did not say He would return bodily. He returned as the Holy Spirit sent from God the Father.
The Book says Jesus
Himself describes that the generation that saw all these things would
SEE Him at His second coming and that
did not happen at the destruction of Jerusalem. Jesus was NOT seen
bodily at the 70 AD destruction. Supporting scriptures for the Preterist do not
prevent a future coming of Jesus Christ in a bodily form.
Isaiah the
Prophet spoke of the Lord coming; he used language that said LOOK, implying we would SEE Him
advancing. John the Revelator said in no uncertain terms;
EVERYONE
WILL SEE HIM.
Luke
as a doctor describes Jesus in His resurrected glorified body as being seen bodily,
so much so as He could be handled and touched, not
as a ghost or spirit, but physically.
Doctor
Luke the companion of Paul, wrote in the Book of Acts
that Jesus’ return would happen the same way as He left. He visually bodily ascended into Heaven and He will visually bodily
return that same way.
Note: the supporting scripture for the Preterist is
in GREEN and for the Book is in CRIMSON.
John
14:18 – I will come to you as the Spirit of Truth
18 No, I will not abandon you as orphans—
I WILL COME TO YOU.
(NLT)
John
15:26 – Jesus returned as represented by the Holy Spirit
26 But I will send you the advocate— THE
SPIRIT OF TRUTH.
HE WILL COME TO YOU FROM THE FATHER
and
will testify all about me.
(NLT)
Matthew
16:28 – Jesus Was NOT seen at the 70 AD destruction
28 And I tell you the truth, some standing here right now
will not die
before THEY SEE THE SON OF MAN COMING
in his Kingdom.”
(NLT)
Isaiah
19:1 – They will SEE and discern the Lord’s presence
1 This message came to me concerning Egypt:
LOOK! THE LORD IS
ADVANCING against Egypt, riding on a
swift CLOUD. The idols of Egypt tremble. The
hearts of the Egyptians melt with fear.
(NLT)
Luke
24:39 – Christ can be physically seen and touched
39 LOOK at my hands. LOOK at my feet. You can see that it’s really
me. TOUCH ME and make sure that I AM NOT A GHOST, because
ghosts don’t
have bodies, as you
see that I do.”
(NLT)
Revelation
1:7 – They will SEE His presence with the clouds
7 LOOK! He comes with the clouds of
heaven. And
EVERYONE
WILL SEE HIM— even
those who pierced him. And all the nations of the world will mourn
for him. Yes! Amen!
(NLT)
Acts
1:9-11 – You will SEE Him return as when He left
9 After saying this, He was taken up into a cloud
while they
were WATCHING,
and they
could no longer SEE him.
10 As they strained to SEE him rising into
heaven, two white-robed
11 said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This JESUS,
who was taken up from you into heaven,
WILL COME IN THE SAME WAY
AS YOU SAW HIM GO INTO HEAVEN.
(NLT)
Return
Already Happened
Preterist
Belief System is the disciples would see the second coming; Jesus
said; truly I say to you, THIS GENERATION will not pass away until all
these things take place.
The Book says that
all these eschatology events will START TO HAPPEN with
this generation of Believers, but it does not mean that the end time
events WILL END WITH THEM. SELAH ponder that.
Note: the supporting scripture for the Preterist is
in GREEN and for the Book is in CRIMSON.
John
14:18 – Jesus told THEM He would come to THEM
18 I will not leave you as orphans;
I WILL COME TO YOU. (ESV)
Matthew
24:34 – These things will take place in your generation
34 Truly, I say to you, THIS GENERATION
WILL NOT PASS AWAY
UNTIL
ALL THESE THINGS TAKE PLACE.
(ESV)
Matthew
16:28 – Jesus Was NOT seen at the 70 AD destruction
28 And I tell you the
truth, some
standing here right now
will not die
before THEY SEE THE SON OF MAN COMING
in
his Kingdom.”
(NLT)
1
Thessalonians 4:16-17 – Jesus Himself will physically return
16 For THE
LORD HIMSELF will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of
the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have
died will rise from their graves.
17 Then, together with them, WE
WHO ARE STILL ALIVE and
remain on the earth WILL BE
CAUGHT UP IN THE CLOUDS
TO
MEET THE LORD in the air. Then we will be with the Lord
forever.
(NLT)
Resurrection
Preterist Belief System; the
resurrection is not physical, but spiritual;
Full Preterism, the realized
eschatology doctrine embraces the concept that the resurrection is the bodily
raising of the Church from the era
of Christian persecution.
IT’S
THE RESURRECTION OF A CAUSE.
Every spiritual blessing was thereby made
complete and looking beyond 70 AD for a
personal coming of Jesus Christ or the resurrection of bodies from the grave is
a miss-interpretation of
scripture.
The Book; No resurrection of the body is
the same thing that the Sadducees taught during the time of Jesus. Paul writes a letter to the church at Corinth
telling them that if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not
been raised either and if Christ has not been raised, then all
Note: the supporting scripture for the Preterist is
in GREEN and for the Book is in CRIMSON.
OUR
PREACHING IS USELESS, and YOUR FAITH IS USELESS.
Acts 23:8 – Sadducees
say there is no resurrection
8 for THE SADDUCEES
SAY THERE IS NO RESURRECTION or angels or
spirits, but the Pharisees believe in all of these.
(NLT)
1 Corinthians
15:12-14 – No resurrection then faith useless
12 But tell me this—since we preach that Christ rose from the dead, why
are some of you saying there will be no resurrection of the dead?
13 For IF THERE IS
NO RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD,
then
Christ has not been raised either.
14 And if Christ has not been raised, then all
OUR PREACHING
IS USELESS, and YOUR FAITH IS USELESS.
(NLT)
2 Timothy 2:16-18 -
Claiming resurrection has already occurred
16 AVOID WORTHLESS, FOOLISH
TALK that only leads to more godless
behavior.
17 This kind of talk spreads like cancer, as in the case of Hymenaeus
and Philetus. They have left the path of truth,
18 CLAIMING THAT THE RESURRECTION
OF THE DEAD HAS
ALREADY OCCURRED; in this
way, they have turned some people away from the faith.
(NLT)
John 5:28-29 – The Dead
will rise at the voice of Jesus
28 Don’t be so surprised! Indeed, the time is coming when all
THE DEAD IN
THEIR GRAVES WILL HEAR THE VOICE OF GOD’S SON,
29 AND THEY WILL RISE AGAIN. Those who have done good will rise
to experience eternal life, and those who have continued in
evil will rise to experience judgment.
(NLT)
Judgment
Completed
Preterist: The coming Judgment has ALREADY HAPPENED with
the prophecy of Revelation that said; I will come to you and remove your lampstand from
its place unless you repent.
Preterist believe that happened when the Temple was destroyed.
The Book says at
Christ’s return, He will set up His kingdom, Judge the Living and
the Dead
and bring
Salvation to those who are
awaiting His return.
Preterists: Judgment was limited to the Jews with the devastation and destruction of
Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 AD.
The Book says;
the final Day of Judgment will include the entire pagan human race;
past and present and that would
include Nineveh and Sheba which were not present at the
destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, even Felix the Roman Governor thought that
the Day of
Judgement would include him too, not
just his enemy the Jews.
Note: the supporting scripture for the Preterist is
in GREEN and for the Book is in CRIMSON.
Acts 17:31 – There is a
day of judgment for all mankind
31 For
He (God) has set A
DAY FOR JUDGING THE WORLD with justice
by the man (Jesus) He
has appointed, and He (God) proved
to everyone who this is by raising Him (Jesus) from the dead.”
(NLT)
Matthew 11:22 – Pagan
non-Jews will be judged
22 I
tell you, TYRE and SIDON will be better off on
JUDGMENT DAY than you (NINEVEH).
(NLT)
Matthew 12:41-42 – The
People of Nineveh & Sheba will stand
41 THE PEOPLE OF NINEVEH will stand up against this generation
on JUDGMENT DAY and condemn it, for they repented of their
sins at the preaching of Jonah. Now someone greater than Jonah is here—but you
refuse to repent.
42 THE QUEEN OF SHEBA will also stand up against this
generation on JUDGMENT DAY and condemn it, for she came from a
distant land to hear the Wisdom of Solomon. Now someone greater than Solomon is
here—but you refuse to listen.
(NLT)
Acts 24:25 - Felix
believe Judgment included him, not just Jews
25 As he reasoned
with them about righteousness and self-control and the coming DAY OF JUDGMENT,
FELIX
BECAME FRIGHTENED. “Go
away for now,” he replied. “When it is more convenient, I’ll call for you
again.”
(NLT)
End of the
World
Preterist: The End of the World is limited to the Jewish world. The End of the World is not about the
destruction of the entire planet, but about the end of the Jewish age and that
occurred in 70 AD when the Jews were scattered at the destruction of
Jerusalem and of the Jewish Temple.
The Book says that
at the End of
the World, the weeds (the non-believers), will be separated from the
wheat (the
believers). The non-believers will be burned with fire and that did not
happen in 70
AD. Jesus had already given the Great Commission to go out into the world and
preach the Good News of the Gospel and make disciples of all mankind. If
the Jewish age ended in 70 AD, then the Great Commission would no longer be a valid commandment and
the Church would be teaching it in error.
Note: the supporting scripture for the Preterist is
in GREEN and for the Book is in CRIMSON.
Matthew 13:39-40 – Evil
doers burned at the End of the World
39 THE ENEMY who planted the weeds among the
wheat is the Devil. THE HARVEST
IS THE END OF THE WORLD,
and the harvesters are the angels.
40 Just as THE WEEDS are sorted out and
BURNED IN THE
FIRE, so it will be
AT THE END
OF THE WORLD.
(NLT)
Matthew 28:18-20 – Go
and make disciples of all nations
18 Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all
authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore
19 GO AND MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL THE
NATIONS, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
20 Teach
these new disciples to obey
all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this:
I AM WITH
YOU ALWAYS, EVEN TO THE END OF THE AGE.”
(NLT)
Fiery End
Preterist: the fiery end to the heavens and earth is symbolic of the Jewish
economy being destroyed. The end of
Judaism; the destruction of the Jewish nation was the second coming of Christ,
when Christ’s prophecy that all the buildings would not have one
stone left standing upon another was realized; His prophecy is now completed:
prophecy is closed.
They were able to discern the second
coming and presence of Jesus Christ in the destruction and judgment that was
brought to pass as decreed by God.
The Book says that at
His second coming on the Day of Judgment, this present world will
be destroyed by fire and everything else around us. If
that had happened in 70 AD I would
not be here to write about it.
Note: the supporting scripture for the Preterist is
in GREEN and for the Book is in CRIMSON.
2 Peter 3:5-11 – The
Heavens and Earth will be destroyed
5 THEY DELIBERATELY FORGET that God made the heavens by the word of
his command, and he brought the earth out from the water and surrounded it with
water.
6 Then he used the water to destroy the ancient world with a mighty
flood. And by the same word,
7 THE PRESENT HEAVENS AND EARTH
HAVE BEEN STORED UP FOR FIRE.
They are being kept for the DAY OF
JUDGMENT,
when ungodly people will be destroyed, since
11 EVERYTHING AROUND US IS GOING TO
BE DESTROYED like
this, what holy and godly lives you should live. (NLT)
Revelation 19:11-21 –
The Beast & False Prophet thrown in fire
11 Then I SAW heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. ITS RIDER WAS NAMED FAITHFUL AND TRUE, for he judges fairly and wages a
righteous war.
12 His eyes were like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A
name was written on him that no one understood except himself.
13 He wore a robe dipped in blood,
His title was THE WORD OF
GOD.
14 The armies of heaven, dressed in the finest of pure white linen,
followed him on white horses.
15 From his mouth came a sharp sword (His Word)
to
strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron rod. He will
release the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty, like juice flowing from a
winepress.
16 On his robe at his thigh was written: this title
KING OF ALL
KINGS AND LORD OF ALL LORDS.
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, shouting to the vultures
flying high in the sky: “Come! Gather together for the great banquet God has
prepared.
18 Come and eat the flesh of kings, generals, and strong warriors;
of horses and their riders; and of all humanity, both free and slave, small and
great.”
19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies
gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his
army.
20 And the beast was captured, and with him the false
prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that
deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshiped his
statue. Both the Beast and his False Prophet were
THROWN ALIVE
INTO THE FIERY LAKE OF BURNING SULFUR.
21 Their
entire army was killed by the sharp sword (HIS WORD)
that came from THE MOUTH of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves
on the dead bodies.
(NLT)
In Defense
of the Faith
It
is always right to expose ERROR and protect the body from PREVISION of
the scriptures. Paul in his letter to the Galatians said that He
was shocked that they were turning away so quickly from “The Way”
that the
Book teaches and were
following a “Different
Way”[11]
that PRETENDED to be the GOOD NEWS.[12] (“The Way” was the name of the sect that
followed Christ.)
There is a phrase; “Rightly
Dividing the Word” and its focus is; FIRST interpret
the scriptures literally then SECONDLY symbolically with respect to the
intended audience whether past, present or future, as students of
the Word, we are charged with defending the faith.[13]
The Book is without error (The original manuscripts) and are the final unchanging authority
and calls for two or three scriptures to witness or establish a doctrine;[14]
proving scripture with scripture, line upon line, precept upon precept, reading
the scripture here a little and there a little.[15]
It’s
in the Book
The Take
Away
Realized Eschatology brings together all the “End Time Events”
in both the Old Testament and the New Testaments as have already been
accomplished. They were realized and
accomplished in 70 AD with the
destruction of the city of Jerusalem and the Temple. On the surface
this is a doctrine where good men can honestly discuss and debate the issue
with one another without harm, especially Partial
Preterism, but HARM comes when TEACHING Full Preterism; that there is NO future "Second Coming" of
Jesus Christ, therefore there is NO future resurrection of the body.
Voices
rejecting Full Preterism say TEACHING the Belief System
that the End
of Times and Final Judgment occurred in 70 AD with
the destructions of the city of Jerusalem and the Temple is heretical.
The Book says that the Lord Himself
will come unexpectedly down from heaven and everyone will see Him[16]
and the first to rise will be the believers who will share in His Glory.[17] He
will separate the sheep from the goats; the wheat from the weeds.[18]
The heavens will pass away and the earth
and everything on it will be destroyed; then we get a new heaven and a new
earth.[19]
The wicked will go into eternal damnation and the righteous into eternal life with the Father.
NONE
OF THIS HAPPENED IN 70 AD.
The Book says that there are some
who are IGNORANT and UNSTABLE who have TWISTED
Paul’s letters to mean something quite
different, just as they do with other parts of scripture and this will
lead to their destruction. We are advised to avoid worthless and
foolish debates that only leads to more godless behavior. This kind
of talk spreads like cancer, as in the case of some who have already left
the path of TRUTH by claiming
that the RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD HAS ALREADY OCCURRED. It’s very sad and even
mournful that in this way, they have caused SOME FOLLOWERS
TO BE TURNED AWAY FROM THE FAITH.
There
comes a warning in the Book of Romans; to watch out for
people who cause divisions and upset people’s faith by TEACHING THINGS CONTRARY to what they have been taught;[20]
stay away from them.[21]
As a student of the Word, I find MYSELF in
this very category, because I only study the things that are CONTROVERSIAL and CONTRARY to our Belief System. For
me it gets folk’s mind out of PAUSE and forces them to read the Book for themselves to see if what they have
always heard is actually TRUE; my BS is continually getting a course correction.
The Bereans were commended for
being OPEN
MINDED and for looking up the
scriptures in the Book to see if what Paul was saying was really TRUE.[22]
It’s
in the Book
[1] Matthew 5:17 – Jesus did
not abolish the Law, He fulfilled the Law
-- Romans 6:15 - WE ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW of Moses but UNDER THE
GRACE of God
-- Matthew 5:18 – Not an iota, not a dot, will
pass from THE LAW UNTIL ALL IS ACCOMPLISHED
[2] Luke 17:20-21 – THE KINGDOM
OF GOD CAN’T BE DETECTED BY VISIBLE SIGNS; THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS
ALREADY AMONG YOU.”
[3] 1 Thessalonians 4:16 – THE
CHRISTIANS WHO HAVE DIED WILL RISE FROM THEIR GRAVES. -- 1
Corinthians 15:51-54 – THOSE WHO HAVE DIED WILL BE RAISED TO LIVE FOREVER; Mortal bodies will be
transformed into Immortal bodies -- 1 Corinthians 15:22-23 – At His return ALL WHO BELONG
TO CHRIST WILL BE RAISED
[4] 2 Timothy 2:14-18 - Hymenaeus and Philetus strayed from the truth with profane and idle babblings
that spread like cancer
[5] Matthew
16:28 – Some Disciples
standing here now WILL NOT DIE
before they see SON OF MAN COMING IN HIS KINGDOM
[6] Matthew 23:36 – JUDGMENT will fall on THIS VERY GENERATION.
[7] Luke 21:20 – The Romans
surrounded Jerusalem; Desolation happened
[8] Daniel 9:27 –The Roman
Legions SET UP AN ABOMINATION THAT CAUSES DESOLATION,
[9] Matthew 24:1-2 – Temple
destroyed; No new Temple; “DO YOU SEE ALL THESE BUILDINGS?
NOT ONE STONE WILL BE LEFT ON TOP OF ANOTHER!”
[10] Obadiah 1:15 – Urgent expression: Day
of the Lord is near -- James 5:8 - Urgent expression – Day of the Lord is
near
[11] 1 Corinthians 15:1 –
Stand firm in the Faith of the Good News
that you were taught -- 2 Timothy 4:3-5 - For teachers who will TELL THEM
WHATEVER THEIR ITCHING EARS WANT TO HEAR; they reject the truth and CHASE AFTER
MYTHS.
[12] Galatians 1:6 –Some left
“The Way” for a “Different Way” that PRETENDED to be the Good News
-- Romans 16:17-18 – Watch out for people who cause divisions with TEACHING THINGS
CONTRARY to
what you have been taught -- 2 Timothy 2:16-18 – Avoid worthless Foolish
doctrines that spread like cancer
[13] Jude 1:3 – We are urged
to defend the Faith -- 2 Timothy 4:1-2 – Be prepared to patiently correct, rebuke and encourage -- 2 Timothy 2:24-26 – Gently, kindly instruct the difficult people THEN THEY WILL
COME TO THEIR SENSES
[14] Deuteronomy 19:15 – Prove
your Belief System
with two or three other scriptures
[15] Isaiah 28:10 –Prove your Belief System; Precept
upon precept line upon, line little by little
[16] 1 Thessalonians 4:16 –
Resurrecting of Saints is at the return when THE LORD HIMSELF WILL COME
DOWN FROM HEAVEN
-- Revelation 1:7 – Everyone will see Him when He return
[17] Colossians 3:4 – We will
share in His glory when He returns
[18] Matthew 25:31-46 –
Judgement begins at the Second Coming, He will place the Blessed SHEEP AT
HIS RIGHT HAND, THE RIGHTEOUS WILL GO INTO ETERNAL LIFE. “and the cursed GOATS AT HIS LEFT, THEY WILL GO AWAY INTO ETERNAL PUNISHMENT
[19] 2 Peter 3:10-13 – EVERYTHING
AROUND US IS GOING TO BE DESTROYED then we get a NEW HEAVEN
AND A NEW EARTH
[20] 2 Peter 3:15-16 – THOSE WHO
ARE IGNORANT AND UNSTABLE HAVE TWISTED HIS LETTERS TO MEAN SOMETHING QUITE DIFFERENT
[21] Romans 16:17 – WATCH OUT FOR
PEOPLE WHO CAUSE DIVISIONS and
upset people’s faith BY TEACHING THINGS CONTRARY TO WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN TAUGHT
[22] Acts 17:11 – The people
of BEREA were more OPEN-MINDED and SEARCHED THE
SCRIPTURES day
after day
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