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"Full Preterist" material is being archived for balanced representation of all Preterist views, but is classified under the theological term hyper (as in beyond the acceptable range of tolerable doctrines) at this website. The classification of all Full Preterism as Hyper Preterism is built upon well over a decade of intense research at PreteristArchive.com, and the convictions of the website curator (a former full preterist pastor). Beginning in 2006, it was recognized that the "spiritual resurrection past" view is toxic and cancerous, and also that it has been explicitly prosecuted since at least the days of Paul. This theology of resurrection with its dispensational line in AD70 (end of old age, start of new age) has never been according to the teachings found in Christianity throughout its entire history leading up to 1845, when the earliest known Full Preterist book was written. Even though there may be many secondary points of agreement between Historical/Modern Preterism and Hyper Preterism, the premises between them are undeniably and fundamentally different. On AD70 dispensational line: According to full preterism, AD70 was the end of the old age ('this age') and the start of the 'age to come'. The world which followed AD70 was fundamentally changed, according to the power and glory of the coming of Christ at the fall of Jerusalem. Accordingly, AD70 was not only the end of Old Testament Judaism, but it was also the end of the revelation of Christianity as seen in the New Testament. Those who lived before AD70 could only 'see in part' and such, lacking the resurrection and redemptive blessings which supposedly came only when Herod's Temple in Jerusalem fell. This is contrary to John's recording of Jesus seeing that 'all things had been fulfilled' and "It is finished" at the cross (Jn. 19) - not 40 years later.. |
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Preterism is an interpretive system that is locked on the events of 66-70 A.D."
Hyper Preterism: Defining "Hyper Preterism" | Criticisms from the Outside / Criticisms from the Inside || Progressive Pret | Regressive Pret | Pret Universalism | Former Full Preterists |
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The Term "Hyper Preterism" Defined and Self Applied by Full Preterist Book: "It may surprise students of Biblical theology: When we combine the eschatological teachings of the great theologians of the Reformed church throughout the centuries, we arrive at "HYPER PRETERISM." (A House Divided Back Book Cover)
Brian Simmons - Why Hyper Preterism Teaches a Different Gospel (2009) " Firstly, the concept of “salvation” endorsed by Hyper-Preterism is radically different from that which Futurists espouse. Historically, Christians have always believed that salvation involves redemption from the consequences of Adam’s fall. These include moral and physical death as well as indwelling sin. That is, we see the results of Adam’s fall as being not simply moral in nature, but physical and anthropological as well. Paul writes, again and again, that the “entire man” is covered by Christ’s redemptive plan (see 1 Thessalonians 5: 23; Romans 8: 11; 1 Corinthians 6: 13-20; Ephesians 1: 14)."
Gary DeMar: Is Gary DeMar Secretly a Friend to Hyperpreterists? (2009) "The tendency of full preterists is to fit everything into an A.D. 70 matrix. They do this with 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18, 1 Corinthians 15, and Revelation 20. A similar approach is followed with a number of Old Testament prophecies (e.g., Ezek 38–39 and Zech 12). I am willing to listen to their arguments since preterism in its present form is only now coming to its own as we shake off the dust of dispensationalism that has so distorted our interpretation of prophecy." Discussion at American Vision
Jason Bradfield, Keith Mathison (2009) "If the debate here is whether or not John Noyes was a hyper-preterist, then obviously our first and most important task is to define what is meant by hyper-preterist. We certainly can’t answer our question if we don’t know what we are looking for. So what is hyper-preterism according to Mathison? Mathison tells us: While differing among themselves on numerous details, proponents of this doctrine are united in teaching the most basic thesis of hyper-preterism, namely that the Second Coming of Christ and the events associated with it (e.g. the general resurrection and the final judgment) occurred during the first century The next obvious step is to then examine the writings of Noyes and find out if he taught the above, namely, that the Second Coming of Christ, the general resurrection, and the final judgment occurred during the first century. With that clear definition before us, let us now examine quotes that Mathison provided and ask if it fits that definition" (The Oneida Community and Hyper Preterism)
Larry Siegle - New Wine, Old Wineskins (2009) "I do believe that some statement must be made to provide a sense of balance to the recent departure from (full) Preterism of some, back from whence they came. These actions are neither new, nor are they surprising as often is the case when the strongholds of “tradition” are neither broken, nor forsaken. . The greatest error of Preterism is in our reluctance to “kill the beast” of allegiance in the hearts and minds of the people to their vain “traditions” and obsessions with conformity to the doctrines and practices of those who created the corpses of denominations that are dying all around us today... When I heard of the recent departure of some within the community my honest reaction was a deep sense of sadness in the very depth of my being." (Don't forget that a good percentage of former full preterists did not "go back" at all, but went forward by using a preterist approach to both historical futurism and idealism)
Alexander Brown: The Great Day of the Lord: A Survey of New Testament Teaching on Christ's Coming in His Kingdom, the Resurrection, and the Judgement of the Living and the Dead (1890)
William Bell:
Bill at Covenant Radio has guts for tearing down the idols of hyper preterism at his site and on his show. Consider supporting him somehow. Covenant Radio has released a 7 minute audio statement on the eschatological paradigm known as Hyper-Preterism. You can listen to the .mp3 by clicking here or by visiting CovenantRadio.ning
William F. Hill, Jr. -- born and raised a dispensational baptist for many years, Mr. Hill came to the Reformed faith in 1995 and has never looked back. He is currently the host of the Reformed Theology Resource Center, one of the busiest and most visited Reformed sites on the web.
Upon realizing the fundamental error of "Full Preterism" in 2006 (which is 'mistaking the shadows of prophecy for the substance of prophecy'), I began a study into whether the view of totally fulfilled eschatology was simply mistaken, or if it was indeed a critical departure from acceptable Christian doctrine. I say "acceptable" because there comes a point where the doctrinal departure is large enough to create a message different from that originally received and delivered... and one that corrupts and/or distorts the "present gospel" of Jesus Christ. Certainly, the view of the resurrection of the living and the dead having happening in the calendar year AD70 is worthy of designation as "Hyper", which is a technical term meaning "going beyond the original foundations of" and has been used as such for hundreds of years.
The fact that full preterism arose out of American Preterist Universalism is beside the point... unless we consider how both pervert the gospel of Jesus Christ as given in the New Testament.
By declaring that the New Covenant didn't really come into maturity until AD70 (despite the fact that Christians had already been given access to the holiest of all 40 years prior -- cf. Hebrews 10:19-22) Hyper Preterism clearly teaches a different gospel message than that originally received from the pen of Inspiration recording Jesus as saying "It is finished" (attended by the tearing of the veil of separation). To teach that this access into the holiest of all is based on something other than the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is an egregious error. There are many other examples of AD70 becoming a primary focal point, outshining the glory revealed in the Sacrifice of the Lamb. However, that is just an example of how the AD70 Storyline is Fundamentally Different from Historical Christianity's Old Rugged Cross. [Full Preterist Response: "I categorically state that the physical object of the cross, wood and fiber, is not worthy of the love and adoration of Christians."]
Because the doctrines of Universalists and the Church of Christ have played such an overwhelming role in the shaping of Full Preterism.
Because few really believe that every wind of preterist doctrine is just "another legitimate alternative."
Because denying hyper preterism exists (or belittling its investigation) encourages the accumulation of error.
Because denying hyper preterism exists (or belittling its investigation) discourages Futurists, etc., from studying preterism.
Because denying (or tolerating those who deny) the necessity for faith, hope and expectation (and the work of the Holy Spirit) in the Christian life today, might be working an overthrow of people's faith and/or Christianity.
Because if it isn't true that AD30 was insufficient, or that so much ceased in AD70, then an idolatrous error is being spread.
Because a growing number of reasonable former full preterists are saying that the system is fundamentally flawed and dangerous.
Because if eschatology and salvation are so closely linked, grievous errors in one would result in grievous errors in the other:
"Preterism changes certain aspects of certain other doctrines." Sam Frost, 8/17/09
"Having previously, by an inductive method, drawn from Scripture an Eschatology which placed its subjects at the end of the Mosaic age, and not as generally understood at the end of time; I was led, in this series of discourses, to present the evidences for a conclusion, so different from what has been, and is now, held in Christendom." Thomas Rattray, 1878
"The system of eschatology which this work presents requires that certain changes be made not only in the current thought of the day concerning the second coming of Christ, but in creeds, articles of faith, rituals, and hymns, where they refer to this and kindred eschatological subjects." William S. Urmy, 1900
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WHAT IS "HYPER" PRETERISM?
"Hearken unto me now therefore, O ye children, and attend to the words of my mouth. Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths. For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her." |
SOME DISTINCTIVE DOCTRINES OF
DISTINCTIVE DOCTRINES TAUGHT BY STANDARD FULL PRETERISM
DISTINCTIVE DOCTRINES TAUGHT BY VARIOUS FORMS
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Initially this was a very painful and lonely
endeavor (due to the private and public stonings that have been
consistently given since
my rejection of Full Preterism). After a while,
however, the significant number of former full preterists began
to emerge -- including some who had previously thrown stones.
Also discovered was that the two earliest known full preterists
-- Robert Townley and P.S. Desprez -- had also wised up and
forsaken the mistaken view of complete biblical fulfillment by
AD70. These two, as well as the others, were as convinced of the AD70 message in their day as
the contemporary hyper preterists are today. With
time and study, however, many of us have matured to the point of
recognizing the many horrible mistakes of that view.
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Hyper Preterist Propaganda of Sameness |
The Reality of Just How Different HyP Actually Is |
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Sam Frost: "We [hyperpreterists] try to draw off of as much Evangelical theology as possible. There is so much good stuff from first rate scholars like Joel B. Green, J. Christian Beker, N.T. Wright, James Dunn, F. F, Bruce, etc. None of these men are full preterists, but their eschatology is so close it is scary." |
N.T. Wright "You may be allowed to eat meat offered to idols, but you cannot deny the future bodily resurrection and claim that denial as an allowable Christian option." (The Resurrection of the Son of God, pg 331) |
| WRITINGS IN SUPPORT OF HYPER PRETERISM |
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"hyper-preterism"
Defined... |
From the back cover - "hyper-preterism"
is what is arrived at: |
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Universalism in America, Volume II : Bibliography "And having satisfied our minds respecting the time of the coming of the Son of man to judge and reward men according to their works, and being assured that that event took place when Jerusalem was destroyed, and the Jews dispersed; it remains an easy task to settle the question respecting the meaning and fulfillment of all the passages in the New Testament which speak of that judgment, and the awful calamities which fell on the people. But we must always keep in mind the fact that all those scriptures were fulfilled in that generation in which Jesus and his disciples lived." (Hosea Ballou, 1805 - Treatise on the Atonement) | Tentmaker Books | Online Bible Books: Ed Stevens' "What Happened in AD70?" - List Preterist Universalists
1804 : Hosea Ballou - Notes on the Parables "Will the reader now say that all this may be, and that both Daniel and the Saviour were speaking of the resurrection of mankind to a state of immortal happiness and misery in a future world? To this we reply, when Jesus spoke to his disciples of the destruction of Jerusalem and of the calamities which should shortly come on the Jews, he uses the words of Daniel nearly verbatim, when he speaks of the time of trouble. By this circumstance we are instructed that both Daniel and the Saviour spake of the same time and of the same events, and that time was, when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans."
1805 : Hosea Ballou - Treatise on the Atonement "And having satisfied our minds respecting the time of the coming of the Son of man to judge and reward men according to their works, and being assured that that event took place when Jerusalem was destroyed, and the Jews dispersed; it remains an easy task to settle the question respecting the meaning and fulfillment of all the passages in the New Testament which speak of that judgment, and the awful calamities which fell on the people. But we must always keep in mind the fact that all those scriptures were fulfilled in that generation in which Jesus and his disciples lived."
1819: Hosea Ballou - Select Sermons Delivered on Various Occasions "In his account of the destruction of the Jews, and of the vengeance of God upon them, Jesus was particular in his reference to what had been written on the subject ; he says, "For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.. the whole is confined to that generation ; and not the least intimation of punishment in a future state of existence."
1824 : John Samuel Thompson - Prophecy Fulfilled. Or, Destruction of Jerusalem and Dispersion of the Jewish People
1826 : Thomas Brown - A History of the Origin and Progress of the Doctrine of Universal Salvation "I shall now prove, and prove only from the scriptures, that this was the end of the world, the end of the age, the day of judgment, and "the days of vengeance, that all things which are written by Moses and the prophets might be fulfilled." And the hell that people have so long been talking about was in Jerusalem." "Now the whole just amounts to this, that the only way to prove a hell of endless punishment, must be to prove that what is said by the prophets.. means endless punishment. If that can be done, then we must, to our great grief and sorrow, and to the sorrow of all good men, give up Universal Salvation. .. I conclude that no man of sense and learning will ever undertake it, nor to find a law that ever threatened such punishment for sin, then we have gained the victory, the great and long controversy is decided."
1832: Thomas Whittemore: Notes and Illustrations of the Parables of the New Testament "Some recent authors have expressed much surprise, that Universalists of the present day should apply so many passages of the New Testament to the destruction of Jerusalem. To name no other, Rev. Parsons Cooke speaks 'of the credulity of those who embrace the system of Universalism,' in believing 'that so large a part of the Bible should relate to the destruction of Jerusalem.' 'If ever I succeeded,' says he,' in digesting the monstrous absurdity, I would be honest enough to call things by right names, and label the New Testament, "JERUSALEM'S DESTRUCTION FORETOLD."
1839 : Josiah Priest -
1843 : Adin Ballou - The True Scriptural Doctrine of the Second Advent, an Effectual Antidote to Millerism "The "second coming," "appearing," or "revelation," of Christ, in his regal and judicial glory, took place about the time of the final dispersion of the Jews, at the end of the Mosaic age. The general resurrection and day or age of judgment, then commenced in the invisible world, denoted to mortals only by the remarkable signs, terrors, and dreadful events, attendant on the destruction of Jerusalem. Then all departed souls in Hades came forth, clothed with immortality, before the judgment seat of Christ, they that had done good to the resurrection of life, and they that had done evil unto the resurrection of condemnation. The patriarchs, prophets, apostles and saints, who had previously finished their course on earth, and were resting in hope, then entered into their glory in the resurrection of the just." (p.3)
1843 : Thomas B. Thayer - Universalist Miscellany The "Coming" "Appearing" "Revelation" &c. in Scriptural Usage - "These passages show that the revelation of Christ in judgment was, very near, on the eve of opening when the revelator wrote, which, as we have said, was immediately preceding the event, about A. D. 69; and the destruction of Jerusalem took place about two years after, A. D. 70, so fulfilling all the predictions of Christ and his apostles."
1845 : Dr. David Thom - Three Grand Expositions of Man's Enmity to God Thom's Response to Robert Townley (earliest known Full Preterist), who converted to Universalism shortly thereafter. "Professor Bush is, I perceive, a favourite writer with him. He is also a favourite with the American Universalists, a body which boasts of numbering among its adherents above 600,000 individuals, and which happens to agree with my friend in his notion of Christ's second coming being past."
1845: Robert Townley - The Second Advent of Jesus Christ: A Past Event (1845) Earliest Known Full Preterist Book
1845 : Robert Townley Converted to Universalism Shortly Thereafter - PDF File Excerpt from "Carlsbad Eschatology Conference" Notes
1848: Thomas Whittemore: A Commentary on the Revelation of St. John, the Divine "For our part, we are willing to confess, that if a man believes the Apocalypse was not written until after the destruction of Jerusalem, and if he believes in the common notions concerning the day of God's wrath, the judgment of the dead, the great dragon, the bottomless pit, &c., &c., he cannot understand the book. He will be continually hampered by his pre-conceived system ; and, in harmony with such a system, no probable interpretation can be given. Although Professor Stuart has produced an excellent work upon the Apocalypse, — the most consistent and valuable, we think of any we've have ever seen, — yet he was manifestly troubled and warped in his judgment in interpreting certain parts by his theological system, or creed, especially his belief in endless misery, and the popular notions of a future judgment. "
1848: Dr. David Thom: The Number and Names of the Apocalyptic Beasts: with an Explanation and Application (1848) "For many years I have rejected unhesitatingly, and on what seem to myself to be most valid and satisfactory grounds, the notion,— might I not even be justified in calling it the fable ? — of this Book having been composed towards the close of the first century, A. D. 95 or 96, or thereabouts. Evidence to substantiate this, which is the common opinion, is, it appears to me, totally a-wanting. Events connected with the destruction of Jerusalem, and the passing away, at that era, of the Old Testament economy, are in more than one part of it clearly and strikingly spoken of, as matters of future occurrence : and if so, it must have proceeded from the pen of inspiration before A. D. 69 or 70 ; unless we feel disposed to impute to the Holy Ghost the uttering of prophecies subsequently to their accomplishment. Can it be shewn satisfactorily, indeed, that any of the New Testament records were composed at a later period than the one which has just been indicated ? I believe not."
1849: I. Darling - A New Commentary or Explanation of What is Commonly Called the Revelations of St. John the Divine - Adapted to Ordinary Minds; Showing the Fulfillment of Prophecies, in Establishing the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, and Destroying the Idol Kingly Government of Men "The Writer is of the opinion that all prophesy has been fulfilled, and that the visions of St John was a Revelation of the fulfillment of what was before written by the Prophets."
1850: Alpheus Crosby
1854
1858: Lucius Paige: Selections from Eminent Commentators (1858) "Of course, it is not pretended that any one orthodox commentator explains every disputed text in accordance with the views entertained by Universalists. But among them ah, some have furnished us authority on every text of this description, with a very few exceptions; some furnishing authority on one text, some on another. The quotations are introduced, on each text, with reference to a single point; to wit, does this text teach or imply a state of misery in the future life, or does it not ? When any commentator allows that it does not, I consider him to be proper authority to quote in confirmation of the exposition given by Universalists, even though they do not agree with him in regard to what the text does mean. I will illustrate my meaning by a single example. By referring to the notes on Rev. vi. 12—17, it will be seen that Hammond and Lightfoot interpret the passage as descriptive of the ' destruction of Jerusalem and the whole Jewish state"
1869: Richard Metcalf - Letter and Spirit (1869) "This was the second coming of Christ, which he foretold so vividly that its literal fulfilment must have given his disciples a still clearer proof of his Messiahship. The judgment with which he threatened the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, came, as he said it would, in the lifetime of that generation. The judgment which Paul said was impending came within five years of the time when Felix trembled in view of it. The disciple whom Jesus loved did tarry till the coming of his Master; and all the Gospel predictions upon the subject were realized in that spiritual coming at the end of the Jewish age, between A.D. 65 and A.D. 70. Not the slightest hint is given of still another coming to be looked for in or after our day; for all that was meant by the second coming of Christ, the great day of judgment and the end of the world, took place eighteen centuries ago."
1971: Max R. King The Spirit of Prophecy (Warren, OH: by the author, 1971). ; The Cross and The Parousia of Christ. (Parkman Road Church of Christ, 1987). ; Old Testament Israel and New Testament Salvation (Warren OH, 1990).
1987:
1998: Ward Fenley - The Second Coming of Christ Already Happened!
2003:
2003: Tom and Steve Kloske - The Second Coming: Mission Accomplished
2004
2004: Kelly Nelson Birks - The End of Sin
2003: Kurt M. Simmons - The Consummation of the Ages
BEING EDITED AND CLASSIFIED WITH GREATER SCRUTINY
PRIOR TO ADDITION ABOVE
Preston
The Ashes of the Red Heifer - "If Christ has not completely fulfilled the prophetic aspect of the red heifer sacrifice the old law is still in effect. If he has fulfilled the prophetic element of that offering the old law has passed---and death has been abolished."
Every Eye Shall See Him - "It is strange indeed that such a literalistic interpretation has been imposed on Revelation 1:7 when this violates the inspired interpretation (Matthew 24:30-34) of the source of the verse (Zechariah 12:10.)"
A Critical Text - "We conclude that Matthew 16:27-28 is a prediction by Jesus to return in judgment, in his kingdom glory, in the lifetime of his disciples."
With The Sound of the Trumpet - "The trumpet was to be blown for the gathering of God's elect from the "death" of separation from God's presence and fellowship."
The World That Perished - "Peter foresaw the coming dissolution of another society, the Jewish world. This is exactly what happened in a.d. 70 in the conflagration of the capital, heart, and soul of the Theocracy of Israel."
How Heaven & Earth Passed Away! - "If you believe that the Old Covenant has passed away then you must believe that Heaven and Earth have passed away!"
More On Heaven And Earth - "Many passages in the New Testament speak of the "heavens and earth" with no reference to the physical heaven and earth"
How Is This Possible? - "Since the Thessalonican concept of the day of the Lord was the Old Covenant concept, and their concept was CORRECT then it follows that the day of the Lord for which they were looking was not the end of time but was instead a time when God would judge his people."
A Local Judgment? - "We find untenable the contention that the fall of Jerusalem was a localized judgment. It was in fact the universal judgment of the living and the dead!"
More On No Death, No Sorrow, No Pain - "To literalize means that the Old Covenant prophecies have not yet been fulfilled and Jesus taught that all prophecy had to be fulfilled before the Old Covenant could pass."
World Without End - "The Bible does not speak of the end of time, but of the time of the end."
Can God Tell Time? - "If "at hand" time statements mean nothing at all, then God cannot tell time."
Babylon The Great of Revelation - "In Revelation the coming of Christ, the New Creation, judgment and resurrection are associated with the fall of Babylon. To mistakenly identify Babylon is to incorrectly interpret these issues."
When All Things Written... - "When we mistakenly believe the Bible is concerned about the "end of time" instead of the "time of the end" we cannot allow Jesus' words in Luke 21:22 to speak for themselves."
Hebrews 9:28 - The Second Coming - "Since Christ's coming in 70 was the coming for redemption, and since he was to return only once for salvation per Hebrews 9:28, then Christ's return in 70 was the final coming of Christ."
Thessalonians & The Olivet Discourse - "Context and consistency demands the identical subject matter of the Olivet Discourse and II Thessalonians 2--the end of the Old World of Judaism at the coming of Jesus Christ in 70 AD."
The Time Has Come - "1 Peter 4:17 has revealed very powerful evidence that Peter was anticipating the consummative judgment coming of Jesus."
Nature of the Parousia - "In his discussion of the transition from the "outer man" to the inner, from the temporal to the eternal, Paul says "we do not look on the things that are seen, but on the things that are unseen" (2 Corinthians 4:16f). He patently cannot be saying that the resurrection change would be unperceived! It would be seen (perceptual) but unseen (not optical!)."
The New Heaven and New Earth, Millennium, New Jerusalem - Explained! - "Making fragile human Christians living between A.D.30 to A.D. 70 to be reigning with Christ as Kings and Priests is stretching the words too much."
"They who pierced Him" and the Horrible Death of Jesus - MS Cheo "This association comes to me as my belief in preterism increases. I hope the above analysis will bring forth further harmony of the Bible, and (finally) identify the real “they who pierced Him” to be, or at least, the real reason behind. Though I am a preterist, it may not necessary reflect the view and belief of other preterists. Nevertheless, please share with me your thoughts, reasons and arguments if you think I am going onto a loony path."
Just who is the Elijah-to-come - Singapore "I believe the crux of the problem in identifying this prophesied Elijah is that we had been taught (or led) to associate the Messenger of Mal 3:1 and the Elijah-to-come of Mal 4:5 to be one and the same person! In the flash of a moment, it occurred to me that they could be two distinct persons. Further studies show me that these two distinct persons did come and faithfully complete their missions during the lifetime of Jesus! "
David Chilton - Former Reconstructionist Partial Pret
Foreword to "What Happened in AD70?" (1997) "In this slim volume, Edward E. Stevens clearly and convincingly demonstrates that our Lord Jesus Christ predicted His Return within the lifetime of His first-century hearers."
Looking For New Heavens and a New Earth (1996) - "Because of what may be called the 'collapsing-universe' terminology used in this passage [2 Peter 3], many have mistakenly assumed that St. Peter is speaking of the final end of the physical heaven and earth, rather than the dissolution of the Old Covenant world order."
David B. Curtis - Reformed
The Law is Fulfilled "The Mosaic Law is a unit. It exists as a unit or not at all. This notion that the Mosaic Law can be sliced and diced into ceremonial, civil, and moral is not one that you will find anywhere in the Bible. "
Preterism and the Lord's Supper - "Redemption is complete, we are now dwelling in the promise land of the New heaven and earth, in the very presence of God. As we observe the Lord's Supper, we celebrate a completed redemption."
The Theme of Revelation - "Revelation was written before Nero's death in 68AD. The book is largely fulfilled."
The Resurrection from the Dead - "The Scriptures testify that the time of the resurrection was to be at the end of the Old Covenant age. We know this to have happened in AD 70 with the destruction of the Jewish Temple. The disciples knew that the fall of the temple and the destruction of the city meant the end of the Old Covenant age and the inauguration of a new age."
Kenneth Davies - Evangelical
An Answer to the Article By Dr. Larry Spargimino - "The "blessed hope" of the New Testament is that Christ would return within the lifetime of at least SOME of those to whom Jesus spoke (Matt. 16:27-28; 24:34, etc.). Dr. Spargimino should deal with the verses cited in the article, "An Air of Expectancy," by Terry Siverd. If that hope was delayed or never occurred (as critics of Christianity, such as the atheist Bertrand Russell allege), then Jesus and His apostles either lied or were mistaken, and Christians truly do have a "blasted hope"!
Dan Delagrave
The Times of the Gentiles - "Jerusalem's first century desolation represented the time when Christ put his enemies – read I Thessalonians 2:15-16 – under his feet. This was accomplished during a forty two month period which Jesus called "the times of the Gentiles".
Gene Fadeley
What Happened to the Rapture? - " How little has the expectations of 21st century people changed from the expectations of first century Jews. People are still determined to have the physical king and kingdom that the first century Jews did not receive. However, the words of Jesus still ring true, "my kingdom is not of this world" and "the kingdom is within you. The root of the problem has been the failure of seeing the difference between the physical and the spiritual."
Who is the Antichrist? -"The word "antichrist" is only used four times in the scriptures, all by the apostle John. Surprisingly, the word "antichrist" never appears in the book of Revelation."
Michael Fenemore
Ward Fenley
- Sovereign GraceThe General Beliefs of Preterists - "I cannot fault the general heading of preterism.. just because a few have chosen to follow a rabbit trail leading to one of these beliefs with which I disagree. For example, I strongly disagree with any belief that teaches that none of the NT blessings of eternal life are applicable today. But that doesn't mean it is a result of preterism."
Rapture Light and Glory - "Though the reception of a physical body is defended as being the fundamental principle of the resurrection, Paul declares the following, clearly outlining the nature of the resurrection:"
Seeing God - "Many are still waiting for some physical sight of Christ or the tree of life, but to those whom God has given sight, our vision is clear and it is sweet Proverbs 13:19 The desire accomplished is sweet to the soul..."
Why are People Still Given in Marriage? - "the fact that there is still marriage in this physical life does not negate the fact that there is NOT marriage in the kingdom anymore than the fact that there are males and females in this physical life does not negate the fact that there are NOT males or females in the kingdom."
Absent From the "Body" (An Analysis of II Cor. 5) - "transformation texts go untouched because they deal with the change from death to life and the progressive salvation that was taking place upon those first century believers. This is why there is such confusion with the imagined "already but not yet" doctrine."
Seed of Satan, Seed of Christ, and Riches - "Children are counted as the SEED. They are counted as Christ. We are recipients of EVERY spiritual blessing in heavenly places and execute the reign and rule AS God in the kingdom. Just as Israel entering into the promised land was the executor of the reign of God on the physical earth, so also the NC Israel is the executor of the reign of God on the spiritual earth."
Glory, the Face of Christ, and Marriage - "Certainly Christ was faithful and the believers appeared with Him in glory as the marital relationship was consummated. What a blessed kingdom we have with a glorious King who owns His glorious bride."
Psalm 22:22-31: An Exposition - "God shows the immediate punishment coming upon Israel by the Babylonians (Chaldeans), but then gives the glorious prophetic outlook concerning the messianic kingdom. God says He would bring His people health and cure and reveal the abundance of peace and truth to them."
The Resurrection of the Dead Already Happened! - "True believers in Jesus Christ are completely resurrected in the fullness of the spiritual body mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15."
The Timing of Regeneration - "Resurrection life and light in the face of Jesus Christ are spiritual realities now for the one who believes on His name."
A Harmony of the Synoptics Concerning the Destruction of Jerusalem and the Coming of the Lord
Moses, House, Rest, and the Presence of God - "The seventh day of God's rest represents His union with His people in His rest in causing them to rest and inherit the land."
The Signal of John the Baptist - "John’s joy was fulfilled in knowing that she was now safe with her Husband-to-be. Why would there be any reason for John to joy in a betrothal that would not be consummated for thousands of years to come? Implicit in John’s announcement that his joy was fulfilled in hearing the voice of the Bridegroom is the manifest indication that the Husband was near."
Kingdom Of God & The Kingdom of Heaven: Is There A Difference? - "There was one kingdom predicted in the prophets. There was one kingdom of which our Lord spoke. And there was one kingdom that began at Pentecost and was brought to its fulness at the Parousia."
Heaven, Earth and Sea - "In Revelation Israel (i.e. Jerusalem) was that great harlot who trusted nations rather than God. She forsook her Husband. The Bible describes Israel as the harlot sitting upon many waters. These waters were the seas or the nations in whom she trusted"
The Last Days - "With the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple, Jesus Christ brought to complete establishment the eternal Jerusalem from above. The last days concerned Israel and its covenant and nation. We are now in the age that was about to come"
The Husband Who Draws His Wife - "Forgiveness is the result of the drawing love of God for His bride. Though His bride was once a vile and adulterous woman."
Resurrection, the Hope of Israel, and the Song of Moses - "The Song of Moses has strong elements of prophecy. This section was particularly striking as it pertains to the resurrection we now have in Christ. The fullness of resurrection comes from the OC Israelite hope of being planted in their land. To them that was resurrection. And we as Gentiles are grafted into that reality through our life with Christ."
To This End Was I Born (The Reason for the Season) - "During this season we call the Christmas season, we hear many carols that so joyfully proclaim Christ as King: "Come and worship, Come and worship, Worship Christ the newborn King;" "Hark the herald angels sing, 'Glory to the newborn King;'" "Joy to the world, the Lord is come. Let earth receive her King."
A Letter to My Dad (1996)
Bryan Forgy
Elton Foster - Comprehensive Grace
The New Man - "the "Resurrection" and the "Spiritual body" cannot and should not be separated. The scriptures are clear, that the two co-inside with each other."
Samuel Frost - "Preterism is an interpretive system that is locked on the events of 66-70 A.D. It views this as the decisive eschatological event. The Second Coming, Resurrection of the Dead and Great Judgment are seen as having taken place in and around these years. This is a contradiction to Christian orthodoxy and its Creeds, Councils and all the Reformed, Baptist, and Methodist Standards (and we wonder why preterists are called "heretics"!)."
Todd Dennis and Preteristic Idealism (2007) "Just because some universalists are using preterism for a framework that they think helps there case does not make Dennis' accusations here true. Dennis should be above such types of obvious fallacies. "
Hosean Allusions in First Corinthians (2006) - "One has to do forensic work in I Cor 15. The oft repeated analogy is that of listening to one end of a phone conversation and trying to figure out the other end. Deductions, clues, hints, implications and inferences can be drawn so that a fairly accurate construction can be had. It was “made known” (vdhlw,qh) to Paul from "the ones of Chloe" that "selfish rivalries" (;ridej) had broken out among the Corinthians (1.11). No doubt, those rivalries were theologically driven at bottom, manifesting ethical and practical differences which began to wreak havoc in the way the Corinthian households gathered together for worship and fellowship."
Saint Athanasius and Preterism (2005) "The Church must receive what is incontrovertible, but reject what raises serious problems in order to work out a solution within its own traditions that best resolves these problems for the sake of maintaining biblical truth (even if this means eliminating older paradigms which have created the problems in the first place). There will be, and always have been, cries of “heresy” from self-proclaimed “purists” and “keepers of the traditions”. This is to be expected. But, the ever faithful, and, in Luther’s case, the faithful few, keep raising the issues and pointing out the hypocrisy, arbitrariness, and inconsistency until such a voice is raised within the holy church that the “few” become the “many.”
Propositions of Preterism (2005) "as our dear saint has noted, we are without “vision and prophet.” We are not guided by burning bushes, splitting Red Seas, clouds by day and fire by night. These are things seen. Yet, because redemption had not yet come, the children of Israel needed a schoolmaster." "the church is perfect according to the word of God, and not according to what we SEE. That is judging the church as a child, wanting to go back to Egypt. Modern day yearning for the good old days sound like this: “wouldn’t it be easier if Jesus just came back and did some really cool miracles? Wouldn’t it be easier if we just discovered the ark of Noah? Wouldn’t it be easier if we could have incontrovertible proof that Jesus returned in A.D. 70?"
A Critical Response to Kurt Simmons' Bi-Millennialism (2004) "The question is, when were these given authority to judge? It must be when they came to life (both are aorist aspects). Thus, when they came to life, they were given thrones and authority to judge, being that they were ‘with Christ.’ This is closely akin to ‘being seated with Him in heavenly places.’ It is this that John is picturing here. When did any ‘come to life’ in Christ?"
A Critical Response to the Kloskes' Exegesis of I Corinthians 15 (2004) "The “transformation” happens to both the living and the dead at the same time. KK appear to agree with this as the quote above shows, but the “change” given to the “dead” is different from the “change” given to the living, who go on living and eventually die. At the moment of their death they are “changed” by being given a “spiritual body.” However, as the quote above shows, KK believe that they have already, “spiritually speaking” or “internally” been changed with an added dimension of not yet being changed, finally (thus, leaving them to the charge of futurism of some sort). "
Eric Fugett, Author of A Personal Revelation
The Second Coming of Jesus Was Not in A.D.70 (2004) "Josephus believed it was an act of God that Gallus did not end the war at that time (Josephus, The Wars, Book II, Chapter 19, Sections 4-6). "
The Birth of Jesus (2004) "Is it just a coincidence that when the one true High Priest comes into the world, that for the first and only time, a temporary High Priest is appointed to perform the important duties for the Day of Atonement? Not if you believe, as I do, that the exact date for Jesus' birthday is the Day of Atonement or September 11, 5 BCE. "
Matthew 24: Before the Second Coming of Jesus (2004) "In this article, "A Personal Revelation" author, Eric Fugett explains the signs of Matthew 24 that describe the events that were to occur before Jesus returned.
The Seven Heads and Ten Horns (2004) "David Chilton makes a case for the number "eight" being the number that represents resurrection in his book, Days of Vengeance (pp. 434-437). He sites the eight survivors of the flood, and Jesus’ resurrection on the eighth day (since it was a Sunday) as his reasoning. Therefore, since Rome had struggled through the reigns of Galba, Otho, and Vitellus, Vespasian’s reign represented a resurrection of the Roman Empire’s power. Vespasian defeated most of Judea and sent his son Titus to destroy Jerusalem. Titus is the prince (NKJV) who was prophesied to come and destroy the city and the sanctuary in Daniel 9:26."
A Personal Revelation (2003) Chapter 1: The Quest Begins "In the first three verses John uses the words "soon take place" and "time is near" to describe the events that he will be writing about. We are told in verse seven that Jesus is coming. If we combine that with the time frame that has already been discussed, then the 1st Century Church must have been relieved, excited, and alarmed as well."
The Resurrection of the Dead - "1 Corinthians 15:52 tells us that the last trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised. Seven Feasts of Trumpets passed from the time that John was given The Revelation (September 11 63 CE (AD)), to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE (AD). Remember that eight is the number that represents resurrection. The eighth Feast of Trumpets occurred on September 24, 70 CE (AD) shortly after the destruction of Jerusalem. This was the day that the dead were resurrected."
Joseph E. Gautier, Jr.
Preterist ApoLOGICetic (1998) - "All over the world, on a daily basis, traditional-thinking Christians are being converted to partial preterism. Likewise, all over the world, partial preterists are studying themselves right into full preterism, shedding futurism along the way. The direction is towards the truth."
David Chilton - "How is it that David Chilton went towards heresy? Is that what we do? We just wake up one morning, and decide to embrace what we know is heresy? Could it be that David Chilton got it ?"
The Domino Effect of Matthew 16:27 - "Everything that the Old Testament Prophets had prophesied were fulfilled in that first-century generation of Christians. Just as Jesus said they would."
Charles Geiser - Church of Christ
New Testament Eschatology: Jude - Jude wrote of the end time, at least in part of his letter, of the Jewish estate just prior to A.D. 70.
A Survey: Eschatology In Hebrews - Contains fulfillment, prophecy, promises, and the blessings of the new heaven and new earth.
Greek Word Studies: Time Substantives - "There are at least five Greek terms denoting relative time factors in regards to "near future" events prophesied to take place within the first century milieu or genea (see Matthew 24:34)."
The Advent of Christ & Acts 2 - "The establishment of the eternal kingdom is equated with the time of Christ's coming in His kingdom with power, which is commonly assigned to Pentecost Day. But this is an assumption lacking scriptural proof."
The Sermon on the Mount - "Traditionally in churches of Christ many future references in God's Word have been interpreted for individual Christians in each succeeding generation through time."
Are Christians Today "Strangers and Pilgrims?" - "Would you rather "hope" (as a pilgrim) or "have" as a Christian enjoying and realizing eternal life and the forgiveness of sins?"
Hebrews 1:14 in Realized Eschatology - "We shall subscribe some concepts to this passage in this writing which we believe are consistent with a realized fulfillment of Bible prophecies concerning salvation in the new heavens and new earth of God which we believe exists today as the eternal kingdom of God."
Heaven & Earth: OT Studies, Parts I-III - To materialize stars, moon, sun, etc., in Bible prophecy is to step out of the true redemptive history and goal of the promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - If one stays with the Biblical definition of 'earth' in eschatology, then II Peter 3:10-13 will not be saying that this physical planet we call earth is what is meant."
Gabor Gombor - Reformed
More on the Man of Sin (2003) "If the iniquity refers to the Jewish priesthood and the Man of Lawlessness was probably a leader of a rebellious Jewish party how the two are connected? According to Josephus, neither John Gischala, nor Simon of Gioras were not priests, but simply plunderers, wicked men. How the biblical ignorance of Law can be applied to criminals?"
Word Games on the Rapture (2002) "The critic who stands against the physical rapture fights against a picture of saints flying into the space. It is the next word game with the “air”. Why did not use the author the world “ouranos” here? Let us realize that a rapture does not require flying into sky. The spiritual-physical rapture does not require for a body to fly up. The body can simply disappear and the invisible new uncorrupted body emanates to the Lord. "
Danny Green
Answering Hank, the 'Bible Answer Man' (1996) "we're having a problem here.. because now we're not talking about acceptable differences among Christians with regard to the timing of the end, but we're now discussing something that has to do with the Gospel itself"
David A. Green - Reformed
The Arbitrary Principle of Hyper-Creedalism (2004) "response to Ken Gentry's chapter in Keith Mathison's multi-authored book When Shall These Things Be? The main purpose of Gentry's chapter is to show that because (full) preterism deviates from the Ecumenical Creeds of the historic Church, we must conclude that (full) preterists are teaching a corrupt form of Christianity."
101 Preterist Time-Indicators in the New Testament (2002) "The incredible eschatological confusion that has plagued the Christian world since the days of the Reformation is a testimony to (the power of denial)."
Preterism and the Ecumenical Creeds - "A time is coming when preterism must be answered with the Scriptures in an ecumenical council in order to authoritatively find whether it is damnable, erroneous or true. History has never seen such a council on prophecy, much less on preterism. We preterists look forward to that council. Until that time, our creedalist brothers who refuse to prove or disprove us from the Scriptures should wisely withhold their fiery indignation until and unless such a time comes as it may be appropriate. "
Baptism Now Saves You - "As Noah and his family endured patiently in the ark, so were the first-century Christians patiently enduring a spiritual baptism, sharing the sufferings of Christ. Old-Covenant baptisms were a fading and ceremonial removal of the filth of the flesh, but New-Covenant, Spiritual baptism in Christ became the appeal of a good conscience toward God (Heb. 10:2). "- "As Noah and his family endured patiently in the ark, so were the first-century Christians patiently enduring a spiritual baptism, sharing the sufferings of Christ. Old-Covenant baptisms were a fading and ceremonial removal of the filth of the flesh, but New-Covenant, Spiritual baptism in Christ became the appeal of a good conscience toward God (Heb. 10:2). "
The Great and Terrible Day of the Lord - The "Day of the Lord", The "Day of Christ", and the "Day of Jesus Christ" are one and the same day, which serves as a proof of Preterism.
New Covenant Salvation - "We must not say that the Old Covenant was a covenant intended to save man through obedience and that the New Covenant is a covenant of grace. "
The Gift of Tongues and That Which is Perfect - "The condemning, old (covenant) things passed away long ago. All (covenant) things were made new. Since the old-testament temple fell, Christ in the heart is forever the true "Tabernacle of God among men."
And it Came To Pass - A Review - "the people of the first century actually saw Jesus physically coming on the clouds with the angels. He says this because of the account of Josephus in The Wars of the Jews, Book VI, Ch. V, Sec. 3, where it is written that "chariots and troops of soldiers in their armor were seen running about among the clouds, and surrounding the cities."
A Response to With Unveiled Face - "I believe that it is scripturally demonstrable that the cessation of the gifts at the Coming of Christ (in A.D. 70) is a biblical doctrine. There is biblical basis to say that for a preterist to be a charismatic he must bring the charismatic view to the Bible and give up the meaning of certain passages as unsolved mysteries. In contrast, the cessationist view is explicitly taught in various places which taken together produce an exegetically solid, systematic doctrine."
Jim Gunter
Prophetic Apocalyptic Language (2006) "when we read this type of prophecy in the "new testament," whether by Jesus, or by one of the inspired writers, I personally believe that it is imperative that we go to the original source of such language if we are to arrive at its true meaning! This is important, because, as we just learned, Jesus' use of that awesome, colorful, celestial imagery in Mt. 24:29 was not the first time that those words were uttered in prophecy. As we have seen, it had its roots in the old covenant Scriptures - the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms."
The New Heavens and Earth (2006) "I just can’t see but one way to interpret those words of the Lord, and that is: If “heaven and earth” have not yet “passed away,” then that old covenant, the law of Moses, is still in effect today! I just don’t see any other possible way to understand that passage. Therefore, if we take the position that the law of Moses has indeed been fulfilled and removed, which we all do, then it would naturally follow that “heaven and earth,” whatever they were, have also “passed away.” Beloved, if this is not the case, then Jesus’ words here have no meaning at all, but are contradictory in themselves!"
The Hope of Israel (2006)
Little Verse -- Big Controversy! (2006) "There is one particular verse in the New Covenant Scriptures which, although relatively short in content, is of enormous significance as it relates to our eschatological thinking in the 21st century Christian community . This is because of the fact that it has much to do with how we think regarding the "Parousia" (coming, presence, arrival), which is most often spoken of as the "Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." This little verse is from a statement made by our Master in Mat.24:36 in His "Olivet Discourse," and reads: "But of that DAY and HOUR no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone."
"Heaven and Earth Must First Pass Away" (2004) Matthew 5:17,18 "I am fully persuaded by these words of Jesus, that if "heaven and earth" have indeed NOT "passed away," then we today would of necessity still be held sway under the Old Covenant or Law of Moses. If in fact "heaven and earth" have not "passed away," then it would mean that not ONE "stroke or the smallest letter" found in the Law has passed away!"
"The Last Days" (2004) "Beloved is there any wonder why Peter on Pentecost pleaded with them to "Be saved from THIS PERVERSE GENERATION?" (Ax.2:40). Yes, folks, as an inspired apostle, Peter knew what was about to befall THAT GENERATION."
The Apostle That Remained: John 21:23 (2004) "From a careful study of the Word, one would also have to conclude that if His "coming or presence" has already occurred, then it would have been accompanied by "The Resurrection and The Judgment," seeing that all of these events all are inextricably linked together. The following are just a very few of the passages that, when all considered, are so persuasive to me that John did indeed "remain till the coming or Parousia of Jesus"
"And Thus, All Israel Will Be Saved" Romans 11:26 (2004) "In its simplest terms, this verse is saying, "And in this manner (in this way), all Israel will be saved."
Terry Hall
Then The End Will Come "I turned my television on the other day and as the screen came to clarity, there it was, as big as life. An announcement. A declaration. THE END. I wasn’t sure how to react to the news that The end had come. Surely this was a sad and frightening time. But I didn’t feel all that bad. "
Daniel Harden - Reformed
Dan Harden's Response to Walt Hibbard's Support of Ian Harding's Book (2006) "..(O)ur spiritual condition is drastically different from those of the pre-Parousial saints, based solely on the fact that our High Priest returned and brought back with Him our completed atonement. Christ has made us whiter than snow, blameless before the Lord, despite our shortcomings. What was a promise / deposit for the pre-Parousial saints is a reality for us today -- even while living on Earth. Our going to Heaven when we die is BECAUSE of these fulfilled promises. We don't look forward to them being fulfilled in fullness when we die, or else we would never be qualified to make it on our own, for we are unable to do so on our own. Indeed, if we didn't have glory in fullness already, we couldn't go to Heaven at all, for God cannot abide anything less than perfection. But our entrance into Heaven is assured because we already have Eternal Life in fullness NOW!"
James B. Hartline
Why I Became a Preterist - "Even when I was a futurist, that scripture troubled me. I could never find any authority for the long "gap" that futurists place between the generation contemporary with Jesus and some nebulous future generation. Jesus said it would ALL take place in that generation. He said He did not know the day or hour, but He did announce the generation, and most Bible scholars have overlooked it."
Walt Hibbard - Reformed
Hibbard Replies to Sam Frost's Analysis and Critique of Taken to Heaven in AD70: Blessings Expected a the Parousia By Ian D. Harding (2006) "At this point I think it is only fair, open and honest to urge the “heaven now” preterists to return to sanity in their eschatological studies. If they choose not to do so, they are laying themselves wide open for ridicule and laughter from the entire futurist community and many preterists as well – and even worse will do insurmountable damage to the preterist cause, and to the credibility and honor of the Lord Jesus Christ, the very One whom preterists strive to honor in virtue of their adopting the preterist viewpoint! "
A Response to Ken Gentry's "A Brief Theological Analysis of Hyper-Preterism" (2004) "Having been a covenant theologian for many years now, it must seem odd to Ken to now find himself in a debate opposing a viewpoint which, more than any other, deserves the name of covenant eschatology, the full preterist position! "
An Open Letter to Harold Camping of Family Radio (2003)"As a Bible teacher heard on Family Radio around the world, you carry an enormous responsibility before our Sovereign God to proclaim the Word of God faithfully in His sight. Millions of people around the world are looking to you as a reliable Bible teacher. Because it is a very serious matter to be a teacher of God’s Word, James records under inspiration in the first verse of his third chapter that "teachers…will receive greater judgment." It behooves those who teach, therefore, to be absolutely certain that they accurately and honorably reflect God’s message to their hearers."
Our Presuppositions Are What Makes A Difference - "Only Jesus Christ was resurrected in His sinless earthly body. Only to Jesus was it promised that His body would not suffer decay (Acts 2:31; 13:37). He was sinless and born of the Virgin Mary. He did not inherit Adam's sin unto Himself, but was sinless and undefiled. "
The Context Trap "Puzzling prophetic passages, regardless of whether certain "key words" are found in the immediate context of a passage or not, can not be postponed or re-assigned to an "end of history" because there is no Biblical proof that there is such a thing at all! The scholar who insists on creating a future-to-us fulfillment focal point enters into a "no man’s land" of prophetic speculation, which is pure fantasy! "
The Resurrected Body of Jesus Christ (2004) "I am not denying that Christ has a body. I am affirming that it is a “body of glory” that He did not possess before His crucifixion and ascension. Neither am I affirming that our resurrection will be bodiless! I believe that the resurrection does indeed involve the saints receiving new bodies (1 Cor. 15:37-38) – new, immortal, imperishable, spiritual bodies (vs. 42-49) – changed in nature from the bodies we now have."
The Bridge from Futurism to Preterism (2004) "Perhaps the logic of it all ought to be turned back upon the opponents of preterism. How can they dare to suggest that Jesus really did not fulfill His promises that He said He would and in the way that He said He would? If it is scary to 21st century ears that the second coming has already happened, how much more scary should it be to suggest that the second coming has not yet taken place?"
Five Views of the AD70 Rapture "..Mr. Ian Harding of Australia. I see his refinement of "The Literal Rapture Expectation" view, which I have called simply "The Perfect Is Heaven" view, as the only preterist view of the rapture and related events that meets the full requirements of scripture."
You Have Made the Commandment of God of No Effect by Your Tradition
A Courteous Response to Dr. Gary North's Vitriolic Essay: "'Full Preterism': Manichean or Perfectionist-Pelagian? - "No early ecumenical creed, or confession that emanated from the Protestant Reformation has ever interpreted Christ's Olivet Discourse, or any part of it, from even a pseudo-preterist perspective."
Hibbard Responds to Sandlin's Response - "While being careful to distance Ken Gentry from the more consistent “full preterists,” Sandlin seems to defend the “partial preterist” view as thoroughly orthodox. Yet in spite of this, Sandlin pounces on Sproul’s statement that “the preterist is a sentinel standing against frivolous and superficial attempts to downplay or explain away the force of these [eschatological time] references”.
Introduction of Sandlin and Hibbard | David Chilton, Leading RpP, Turned Preterist
Matthew Hocker
70 Questions for Pre-Tribulational, Pre-Millennial Dispensationalists (2005) "Why was Daniel told to seal the words of his prophecy for the time of the end (Daniel 12:4,9) , but John was told to NOT seal his prophecy, because the time was at hand (Revelation 22:10) ?"
Jim Hopkins
The Martyrs of Jesus - "The existance of these witnesses also does something else; it gives credibility to the early date of the book of Revelation. The persecution that befell the witnesses was all about their having seen Jesus and they were still alive to tell it."
The Day Drawing near - To place the end of the Jewish age at the cross, rather than at Israel's judgment, leads one into conclusions which tend to make void the prophecies of the Old and New Testaments and promote a false expectation and hope"
Dating the Book of Revelation - "The date of the Apocalypse I now assign, with the majority of modern critics, to the year 68 or 69 instead of 95, as before."
The Consummation (End) of the Age - "In the first century, the earnest of the Spirit was consummated in the receiving of the kingdom."
Using the Old Testament - "Ending the Jewish age at the cross and inserting a Christian age in between 'the coming age' is not handling aright the word of truth."
The Binding of Satan - "In the spiritual realm Satan has been removed from between man and his maker. "
Redating the First Deportation of Judah - Redating the First Deportation of Judah From 606 B.C. to 597 B.C.
Tom Huber
Letter to Some Brethren on 2 Peter 3 Regarding the Destruction of the Heavens and the Earth (2004) "Due to the recent discussion on 2 Peter 3, I felt I should present my understandings in a verse by verse format. I believe this will present my opinions in a clearer manner. I hope that what I have presented below is received as a reasonable understanding of these texts. I just want to show that there is a credible basis for what I believe to be true, and that nothing in what follows is against sound doctrine. Thank you for your time, and patience."
Timothy James
A Rejection of the Non-Occurrance Theory - "The fact that they believed the Lord had come before A.D. 70 shows that they interpreted His return as a spiritual coming in the early church. Even though they were premature, it only supports our early research that they expected His return just as He said, in that generation."
Preterist Eschatology in the Sixteenth Through Eighteenth Centuries
Timothy James' Compilation of "Return of Christ in Religions" (2004)
David Johnson
Max R. King - Transmillennial (TM)
Greg Kiser
The Thousand Years Happened in the First Century - "Since all of these 7 churches are no longer in existence today, and they were real churches that John wrote to in the first century, wouldn’t all these promises have to be fulfilled to them before they ceased to exist? Or are we to believe that they are still awaiting their specific promises from Jesus to yet be fulfilled?"
Peter was referring to Jerusalem as Babylon in 1 Peter 5:13 - "In the scripture in question (1 Peter 5:13), who is Marcus? If it is a reference to John Mark then we presumably know that his original residence was in Jerusalem in the house of his mother. So if Marcus is John Mark, then the "church" would also be at Jerusalem (Acts 12:12)."
Revelation was written before 70 AD - "There were "other apostles" still around according to Revelation 2:2. Tradition has it that all the apostles were dead before 70 AD and John was the only original surviving past that time."
The "Babylon" of Revelation is referring to Jerusalem - "It is being held responsible for the "blood of the saints" and the "blood of the martyrs of Jesus (Revelation 17:6; 18:24) just as Jerusalem was (Matthew 23:29-39; 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16, see references in #2 above also)."
Michael Krall - Pristine Grace
The Law Fulfilled - When? (2006) "Now here is the dilemma. If these fall feasts are still waiting to be fulfilled then according to our Lord’s words in Matt 5 we are still obligated to keep the whole of the law. There is no getting around that. They are either all fulfilled or are all still binding."
The Sting of Death (2006) "Most people apply the verses in Charles Wesley’s “Easter” hymn, as referring to Christ’s resurrection. After all is that not what the whole song is about? Yes it is, but are those verses quoted in 1Cor 15:54ff, which are taken from two Old Testament passages, fulfilled at the resurrection of Christ or at some time future to that resurrection? Paul is quite clear when he says “So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written…”
The Receiving of the Kingdom (2006) "When was the kingdom of God received by Christ and the saints of the Most High? There are several passages that show us exactly when and how the kingdom was received."
A Look at Who Babylon is in the Book of Revelation (2005) "Note that in both these sections of Scripture the city is burned and then comes the marriage feast. Is there any doubt now as to the reality of whom the great city is? The comparison of Matthew 22 with Revelation 18-19 is very striking."
The PALTALK Adversaries of Preterism: What Are They Afraid Of? (2004) "It is obvious that the reason they are afraid to debate on neutral ground -- and some even hide behind the false statement that they don't debate heresy -- is because they cannot respond to the timing texts and the issue of audience relevance. They think the nature of the resurrection is the big issue but none of them have as of yet taken the time to respond to any articles or answer questions that deal with the nature of the resurrection from a Preterist perspective. "
The Shoehorn Theology of Manata's TAAHP Argument (2004) "when asked point blank in a discussion group if there are any liars or unclean people in the internal (to use his term) New Covenant he said "deal with progressive sanctification.” Implying by that statement that truthfulness and cleanness come progressively in the life of Christian and before the believer dies he MUST be fully delivered from what is unclean and lying (false doctrine) through this progressive sanctification, or else how can he enter that city described in Rev 21:27?"
The Nature of the Resurrection (2004) "the kingdom comes without observation when Jesus comes in power and great glory in the glory of the Father whose comings in the Old Testament were also not with observation."
More Refutation of Paul Manata's TAAHP Argument Regarding Liars in the New Heavens and Earth (2004)
The Promise of a New Heavens and New Earth - When? (2003) "claiming a double fulfillment does not solve this problem as to who this is that preceded the coming in of the new heavens and new earth. Timing has been established and claiming double fulfillment is mere speculation resulting from a preconceived notion that there must be a literal destroying and recreating of the cosmos."
Refuting the Transcendental Argument Against Preterism (2003) "So what are we left with if this is a description of heaven? We are left with either some intermediate state of the dead in Christ or soul sleep neither of which would be a place where these blessings can and will be realized."
The Manifestations of the Sons of God (2003) "The New Covenant is a fulfilled hope where the believer is living in the light of the full and complete redemption of our blessed Redeemer."
What if Fulfilled Eschatology is Proved False? (2003) "Those holding to fulfilled eschatology take the time factors in the New Testament such as "there are some standing here that will not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom" in Matthew 16:28 to be literal."
Israel's Hope (2003) Compiled by Mike Krall "the hope of Israel was indeed the resurrection of the dead."
A Better Resurrection - "So if he is yet to return at the end of the age of everlasting covenant instead of the end of the old covenant then these hopes are not fulfilled and we are not in possession of eternal life, do not have righteousness by faith nor do we have salvation. That is what we are left with if Christ has not returned and he is then an absent king and the New Covenant is still a time of unfulfillment."
Brian L. Martin
Behind the Veil of Moses (2004)
All These Things... (2002) "This is God speaking to Moses at the burning bush. He is going to deliver the Israelites out of Egypt, and bring them into Canaan. More importantly, here we have presented in face value scripture that the Lord came down. It wasn’t physical, although much happened in the physical realm as evidence of His coming down. This is exactly what Preterists believe happened in 70 AD. Christ returned, delivered His saints, and judged His enemies. How can we believe the scriptures when they tell us that the Lord came down in deliverance/judgment in the first generation, and yet not believe them when they tell us that He would do the very same to the last (His) generation – especially when we see virtually identical events taking place?"
Vern Mason
How to See Him Now - "He was then with them physically, but was to soon be in them. "The world seeth me no more, but..." They were to soon see Him in a infinitely greater dimension, one which had no end. And they did. "
Idolatry in the Doctrine of the Second Coming? - "We have no need for a physical presence, for the Spiritual is infinitely superior to the physical. It was the spiritual aspect of the Kingdom that was central to Christ's teachings."
Richard McPherson
What Kind of "God" Do We Know? (2003) "Thomas Ice states that Daniel 9:24-27 supports a gap and that Daniel knew there was a gap between the 69th and 70th week. He also believes that Jesus did not know about the gap when He quoted Daniel. Daniel knew about and not Jesus. God the Father must have forgotten to tell Jesus about this little gap. Not only that, Jesus lied to His disciples and to the people when He taught to about the "Kingdom of God" being "near" or "at hand". If Jesus lied about this, what other things did He lie about?"
If Christ Has Not Come "The Futurist needs to rethink everything, because under their belief we should be living under the Law of Moses still, to be consistent with scripture."
Does Satan Exist Today? - "The Bible says NOTHING on the origin of the Devil. Personally, I really do not wonder about his origin. The big thing is that he is defeated, destroyed and is no more. Where did the devil start? Who really cares, because he is no more."
Arthur Melanson - Reformed
What About the First Century Rapture? - "About this time Ed Stevens, after long study, wrote and published a book, Expectations Demand a Rapture. Walt Hibbard wrote one foreword for Ed’s book, we wrote the other. The book has met with intense opposition. Nevertheless, it is a breakthrough of major proportions. It’s not that Ed has discovered the rapture; that knowledge is as old as Scripture, but it is a major breakthrough in seeing and understanding what the first century Christians knew and understood. It’s a breakthrough that has the power to give fresh, accurate insight to the preterist movement."
The Rapture - "If Jesus came back in 70 A.D. then what about the rapture? Fair question. In this study we will look at some Biblical answers."
II Corinthians 5:4 - Are we in heaven today? Some Preterists think so.
Isaac Came Back From the Dead - "When the Bible says Abraham received Isaac from the dead in a figurative sense it is telling us.. in a figurative sense, Abraham represents God the Father as Isaac represents Christ the only begotten Son."
Annihilation? Heaven Now? Universalism? |
The Promise to the Fathers |
The Appearing of the High Priest |
You're a Preterist? What do you have to look forward to?
Jack C. Scott Jr. - Church of Christ
A Troublesome Thorn, But For Whom? - "No one should ever be intimidated by someone who has "assumed" a particular theological view to be correct, who then sets up some tidy little questions, that if not answered correctly (according to his view), would theoretically prove one's own view incorrect. Starting with an "assumption" or a "this is the way we have always believed it" mentality has no place in the realm of valid exegesis and hermeneutical science."
But What Will They Do Will Luke 17? - "A warning to the intrepid! Daring to rise up and question some of the issues of eschatology that have been so readily believed and taught, or more accurately, the "way" they have been believed and taught, can result in vilification and one being treated as a pariah. This is not an area of study for the easily frightened. "
Larry Siegle - Church of Christ
On the Resurrection (2004) "The IBD view steps backwards and seeks to find a physical application to that which God intended to be spiritual in nature."
Salvation Surgery - "From a physical standpoint, Adam and Eve did not experience death "in the day" of their transgression. Therefore, the "death" Adam and Eve would face "in the day" of their transgression must have had reference to something other than biological cessation."
Daniel T. Silvestri
All Jewish Festivals Are Fulfilled - "I agree that Jesus’ "appearing a second time" is wrapped up in the Judaic law, but to think we continue to wait for atonement of sin and to be in the presence and tabernacle with God is simply not Biblical."
Questions for Dispensationalists, Premillennialists, and other Futurists - "a brief exposition challenging the Biblical legitimacy of the currently popular "end times" prophetic scenarios surrounding the "second coming" of the Lord Jesus Christ."
Perspectives in New Testament Eschatology - "A brief exposition of the general presuppositions which guide Biblical interpretation. Special emphasis is placed on the Spiritual nature of the Biblical scriptures and how intellectual understanding guides eschatological perception."
Kurt M. Simmons - Bimillennial
Kurt M. Simmons - Four Errors Current Among Preterists (2007) "The idea that the heavens and earth destroyed at the eschaton were the old law, naturally led to the idea that the new heavens and earth are the New Testament. King taught it; I taught it; many of us taught it. Unfortunately, it just is not true."
Urgent Corrections Preterism Must Make : Part Two (2007) "A common interpretation among Preterists is the notion that the heavens and earth and their elements that passed away at the eschaton were symbols of the Old Testament and that the new heavens and earth are the New Testament. This is wrong. The city, the new Jerusalem, is covenantal – it is the covenantal habitation of the saints; the heavens and earth are not covenantal.. Unless we are prepared to subscribe to some form of Universalism, or can otherwise explain their presence, the fact that unregenerate men inhabit the new heavens and earth outside the city proves conclusively that the heavens and earth are not symbols of the New Testament."
Urgent Corrections Preterism Must Make (2007) "Did Christ come in the events marking the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70? Unquestionably, but it is equally clear that his coming was not limited to Palestine. The Psalms, Daniel, the prophets, Revelation, the epistles, language, and history all combine in one united voice to declare Christ’s coming was world wide. Admitting all this evidence into our paradigm is one of the chief challenges Preterism faces in coming years."
Four Errors Current Among Preterists (2007) "The idea that the heavens and earth destroyed at the eschaton were the old law, naturally led to the idea that the new heavens and earth are the New Testament. King taught it; I taught it; many of us taught it. Unfortunately, it just is not true."
Christ's Eschatological Coming: Jewish or Universal? (2006) "In the almost 25 years I have been a Preterist, my understanding of the eschaton has grown and changed. In the early years, it was natural to view Christ’s eschatological coming almost exclusively in terms of God’s judgment upon the Jews and the end of the temple service and Mosaic law. With time, I began to widen my study to take account of troublesome passages that seemed outside the scope of Jerusalem’s fall "
The New Heavens and Earth (2006) "The new heavens and earth were symbols for the prevailing conditions and changed fortunes of God’s people in the world under the reigning Christ following the tribulation of the last days; they look to New Testament times, but are not the New Testament itself. "
Rethinking II Peter III: Toward a More Expansive Understanding of the Eschaton (2006) "In this article we examine II Peter 3:7-13 and decide that the heavens and earth that were marked for destruction involved considerably more than merely Old Testament Judaism, Jerusalem, and the temple."
The Road Back to Preterism: A Brief History of Eschatology and the Church (2006) - "Origen states that Daniel’s seventy weeks were fulfilled in the coming of Christ; But what is more astonishing by far, Origen indicates that the eschatological “coming” of the Lord with “fire” is to be understood figuratively of the destruction of Jerusalem, as maintained by Preterists: "We do not deny, then, that the purificatory fire and the destruction of the world took place in order that evil might be swept away, and all things be renewed; for we assert that we have learned these things from the sacred books of the prophets…And anyone who likes may convict this statement of falsehood, if it be not the case that the whole Jewish nation was overthrown within one single generation after Jesus had undergone these sufferings at their hands. For forty and two years, I think after the date of the crucifixion of Jesus, did the destruction of Jerusalem take place.”
Transmillennialism™ A Critical Review of "The Millennium" of Max King (2004) "The vicarious redemption of the Old Testament saints is not limited baptism, vicarious suffering is also taught. “The suffering of the first-fruits (New Testament saints) is overcoming that present world (age) led, not only to their own perfection, but also to the perfection of all true spiritual Israel.” Thus, according to Max King, Old Testament saints could approach Jesus only indirectly through the suffering and obedience of others!"
Restored Israel and the Kingdom of the Messiah (2004) - "The union of men from every race and language under the kingship of Christ bespeaks a reversal of the division made at Babel. Hence, we may expect language pointing to a time when a common tongue would be restored to mankind."
Why the Single Millennium Model Forces a Futurist Eschatology (2004) - "The single millennium model forces the reader to adopt a futurist eschatology because the reign of the martyrs who die under the beast is followed by yet another contest prior to the second coming of Christ. ..the images of Rev. 20:1-10 are not progressive, but are a recapitulation. There were not three end-time battles, but one; the battle of Gog and Magog is the same battle described elsewhere in Revelation under different symbols."
The Eschatological Change (2004) - "bearing in mind that Paul spoke in a mystery and that the eschaton came and went in A.D. 70 without the actual or personal translation of believers to heaven, we are compelled to give an explanation of what the language really means. What “change” did believers experience in A.D. 70, how was mortality swallowed up by life, and in what sense were they translated to meet the Lord in the air?"
The Angels of the Bottomless Pit (2004) - "In a previous article discussed the identity of Revelation’s great red dragon. There we concluded that the dragon had a duel identity first, as a metaphor for the prince of this world - sin and death - and, second, the embodiment of sin and death in the world civil power as the enemy of God and his people (viz., Egypt, Assyria, Babylon) or, more specifically for purposes of Revelation – Imperial Rome. "
The Great Red Dragon (2004) - "the binding of the Dragon is central to the imagery of Revelation twenty, perhaps the most difficult and elusive chapter in the whole Bible. Whole schools of interpretation have grown up around the imagery of Revelation twenty and the binding of the Dragon; Pre-, Post-, and A-millennialism define the "millennial reign" of Christ and the saints by Dragon’s binding."
The Consummation of the Ages (2003) - (30% discount on purchases of three or more copies; 40% discount on purchases of five or more) Over 15 pages of charts and timelines detailing historical fulfillment of Israel's Last Days and Revelation's imagery
The Resurrection of the Flesh (2003) - "Since physical bodies are no part of the first resurrection, what basis is there to believe they will be part of the second resurrection of the soul in heaven? To the contrary, “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” (I Cor. 15:50)"
What is Bimillennial Preterism? (2003) - "Bimillennial Preterism is a school of Biblical eschatology that advocates there are two millennial periods contemplated by the text of Rev. 20:1-6, rather than the traditional single millennium advanced by other schools and commentators.
What is Preterism? (2002)
Terry Siverd - Church of Christ
The End of All Things - "When Peter said "all things" he was referring to the fulfillment of ALL Biblical prophecy."
An Air of Expectancy - "If it is true, that the early (pre-70 A.D.) Christians behaved like an expectant church, eagerly anticipating the consummation of all things in their life time, one must ask why did not the apostles correct such a distorted vision?"
Identifying Babylon in the New Testament, Part 1 - "His letters declare the imminent destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem. Peter's "Babylon" was none other than Jerusalem! "
Identifying Babylon in the New Testament, Part 2 - "The hermeneutical key that will open up new perspectives and insights is the realization that the book of Revelation follows in the tradition of Christ, the prophets and the apostles by speaking out against `Jerusalem' and covenant apostasy."
Edward Stevens - Reformed
Regarding "Annihilationism" (2003) "Now I wish there was some hermeneutical or exegetical way to physicalize or spiritualize this text out of existence, but the stark reality of a real eternal torment in a spiritual place called the Lake of Fire is too clear in this text. Hell exists forever and ever, and the wicked and demons who go there will consciously experience the torment day and night forever and ever. Scary, isn't it? It should be."
Silence Demands a Rapture (2000) "A rapture easily explains why no Christian after AD 70 mentioned the occurrence of the parousia (they weren't around to document it). So when a non-rapture preterist asserts that the rapture preterist has a "documentation problem," it leaves three fingers pointing back at him. The non-rapture preterist has three other events to find documentation for (parousia, resurrection and judgment). "
A Servant's View (1997) "we are not theological liberals or theistic evolutionists! And, in regard to our similarity to the Reconstructionist position? I see nothing wrong with their desire to reconstruct our nation and world around a Biblical-Christian world view. I do not agree with their Post-mil futurist eschatology, but I do appreciate their very conservative and timely approach to malting our world a more Godly place for future generations to live in."
A Response to "The A.D.70 Doctrine" (1997) "I have heard many people assert that there is an "abundance' of evidence to support the 96 AD date of Revelation. All of it I have seen is based on a poorly-translated statement by Irenaeus. This is the guy who said Christ lived until the age of fifty."
Bruce Terry
Daniel Thompson
Romans 11:11-32 - A Commentary - 56 pp. Booklet by "we have no hint of such a blindness followed by an “apocalyptic” doctrine of national conversion in the whole of Paul's argument to this point in Romans 11. Even Paul's “how much more their (Jews) fullness” in verse 12 is stated to secure the truth that assuredly if Gentiles who turn in faith are saved through Jewish unbelief “how much more” sure is Jewish acceptance guaranteed if they turn in faith."
A Commentary - Romans 7:13-25 - "Romans chapter seven has been the subject of unending debate since St. Augustine saw a different man portrayed in Romans 7:14-25 than the previous three centuries. For three hundred years, the Christian expositors had seen this section of Scripture as depicting an unconverted man and his struggles with sin and the law - apart from the life of God."
Tracy D. VanWynGaarden
Dualistic Eschatology: An Extensive Refutation of Partial Preterism "I find it interesting that Gentry criticizes Dispensationalism for their eschatological dualism saying, “In multiplying eschatological coming, resurrections, and judgments, premillennialism suffers from what Jay Adams calls eschatological ‘diplopia’ (Three Views on The Millennium and Beyond p. 243). How is this any different than Gentry’s eschatological dualism? His system multiplies the one end time, one second coming, one passing of heaven and earth, one new creation, one resurrection, one judgment and one hope. Doesn’t this qualify as “eschatological diplopia? Gentry’s views apparently have much in common with dispensationalism."
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