Every so-often, I come across someone with minimal theological understanding that buys into the absolute crap that is Preterism. Preterism is the doctrine that all end-times prophecy was fulfilled by the year A.D. 70. It sounds plausible to people with poor theology and no understanding of history.
It is my goal to write an essay, which I will publish on my blog, refuting Preterism. The only difficulty will be finding the time to do so.
It will likely go in the “Writings” section, currently near the top of the navigation bar on the right side. I’ll post in the main section when it’s ready.
Meanwhile, before I can get started, if anyone has anything you’d like to offer in favor of Pre-Millenial Dispensationalism (Left-Behind theology as it’s opponents like to call it) please feel free to leave it in the comments or email me – blogcomments at echozoe dot com.
I like your site! I’m subscribing to the RSS feed. 🙂
It may help you to visit http://www.biblicalreader.com
Cool site! Thanks for the tip.
RC Sproul writes a good book about preterism. He seems to be a partial preterist.
Tis is some validity to his arguments though he admits 70 AD was not the fulfillment
of prophecy.
The trouble is, much prophecy seems to have at least double fulfillment. The preterists seem to fail to grasp this, and since there is some veiled fulfillment in the first century, they assume total fulfillment.
I cannot understand preterism. If they are right, then the only hope we have is in the afterlife. There is little to no hope that this world will ever be redeemed.
After looking into preterism, it was hard to excuse some of their points. While I do not
believe the Second Coming of Christ happened in 70 AD, how does one justify some of the
comments made by Christ himself concerning the end of the age? One has to take Christ’s
words for truth or the entire Bible is fallible, which I do not believe. There are several
passages which Christ speaks of the end of the age happening in the lifetime of the disciples.
While I do not agree with all of it’s tenants, it is certainly an eschatological theory
to discuss, if only to disprove it to one’s satisfaction. The thing that speaks to me
the most from this theory are Christ’s word. There are certainly many I have talked to
about this that can back it up with Scripture. Anyways, sorry to ramble, just thought I
would put in my two cents.
One more comment. The only hope IS the afterlife. I do not believe this world will be
redeemed. That seems to point towards some sort of utopia which will NEVER be fulfilled
here on earth.
Concerning the end of the age, Jesus said first and foremost that no one knew the day or the time of his second coming, not even him (I believe he has known since the ascension, but that’s just my belief, I can’t back that up with scripture at the moment.) Christ speaking of his return during the life of the disciples was given as a possibility, and is partly where the idea of his imminent return comes from, it could be at any moment. Regardless of which eschatological view you take, He obviously did not return in the first century, during the live of the disciples. However, the Holy Spirit did come on the believers during their lives.
As for the redemption of the Earth, that is what the whole end-times scenerio is all about. The enemies of God are wiped out, the believers are redeemed and the Earth is restored as it was before the fall. The lion will lie next to the lamb. It is after the 1000 year reign and one last battle with Satan that there is a new Heaven and a new Earth. Utopia IS coming, and it will be here on Earth.
As a superficial look at a particular theology, especially one that wants answers that
man can understand and in the “answers now” mentality, the Pretorist outlook is valid.
But in a world that is hositle to the believer, and truly does not worship the God of
Abraham, Issac, and Jacob, much less acknowledge the divinty of Christ Jesus, is it
another attempt at a “fell good” diversion in searching for the truth. Pesonally, not
only do I distain the Pretorist point of view, but the “Left Behind” mentality leaves
me … disappointed. The anti-christ will make “war on the saints”. Who do we think the
saints are?? And why would God EVERY abandon the field of battle to the enemy in the
hope that removing “good” from the world will save it?? Logically, it does not flow.
I know that I am in the minority in this outlook, but I have no qualms in standing alone.
I know with God, I wont be lonely.
The question is, will we even be here during this “utopia”?
For sure. Most will be here in resurrected form (whether we die first or not). Those who are saved post-rapture will be resurrected at the end of the millenial reign (whether they die first or not).
I’m inclined toward preterism but if you can show me where I’m wrong then I’m interested.
I think, in the Final analysis, we’ll discover all the misconceptions we’ve held to weren’t so important anyway, so long as Christ was preeminent.