By Daymond Duck, Prophecy Plus Ministries
Those who believe all prophecy has been fulfilled are called Preterists. Not all Preterists agree with each other. There are partial Preterists and full Preterists. The partial Preterists are divided into historicists and futurists. Some of the partial Preterists believe the full Preterists are pagans, etc.
The word “preterist” means past. Generally speaking, it means most Preterists believe most prophecy was fulfilled in the past, specifically, by 70 A.D. Partial Preterists say most but not all of it was fulfilled in the past.
After giving the Parable of the Fig Tree Jesus said, “When ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled” (Matthew 24:34). The problem centers around the identity of “this generation.” Preterists believe “this generation” means the generation that Jesus was talking to. Many non-Preterists believe “this generation” means the generation that sees the fulfillment of all the prophecies Jesus was talking about.
For many, the problem with Preterists is the fact that they spiritualize and explain away many prophecies, especially the Book of Revelation. Instead of studying the Book of Revelation they dismiss it as nothing more than a book of symbols. The prophecies say one thing, but they say the prophecies mean something else. They attach private interpretations to the prophecies instead of letting the Bible interpret itself. When they do this, they not only change what the Bible says, they dismiss, explain away or spiritualize hundreds of other verses in Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Zechariah, Matthew, II Thessalonians, etc. Everything those prophets said about the first coming of Jesus literally happened. It’s a mistake to say that none of what they said about the Second Coming of Jesus is going to literally happen.
Many Preterists say Nero was the Antichrist. But Nero wasn’t the Antichrist because he committed suicide instead of being cast alive into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 19:20). Nero didn’t track all buying and selling. And Nero didn’t force people to take the Mark of the Beast.
Many Preterists say Israel’s religious leaders were the False Prophet. But Israel’s religious leaders didn’t build a statue of the Antichrist. Israel’s religious leaders didn’t make that statue speak. Israel’s religious leaders didn’t make the Jews commit idolatry by worshipping the statue. And Israel’s religious leaders didn’t get thrown alive into the Lake of Fire with the Antichrist.
Many Preterists say the final world government was the Roman Empire. But the Roman Empire was the legs of iron on Nebuchadnezzar’s statue not the feet of iron mixed with clay (Daniel 2). The Second Coming of Jesus will be in the days of the feet of iron mixed with clay not in the day of the legs of iron.
Many Preterists say the Second Coming of Jesus was a spiritual coming that took place in 70 A.D. and no one could see it. But the Bible says every eye will see Jesus when He comes back (Revelation 1:7). Two angels said Jesus will come back the same way He went away which was visibly because people could see Him (Acts 1:9-11). Over and over again, Jesus and others told us to watch for the Second Coming, but watching for the Second Coming of Jesus is meaningless, if Jesus has already come back. Watching for the Second Coming is meaningless if is a spiritual return that no one can see. The Bible says so many people will be killed at the Battle of Armageddon when Jesus comes back the blood will flow up to the horses bridles for almost 200 miles. That doesn’t fit with an invisible return that no one can see. Jesus said the sun will be darkened, the moon won’t shine, the stars will fall from heaven, everyone on earth will mourn, the lost will be removed from the earth, the sheep and goat nations will be judged, etc., but none of that happened in 70 A.D. (Matt. 24:29-30; 13:41-42, 49-50; 25:31-46).
Many Preterists say the destruction of Jerusalem and the persecution of the Church in 70 A.D. was the Tribulation Period. The Church won’t be here during the Tribulation Period. There was no seven-year covenant in 70 A.D. There weren’t enough people on earth for a 200 million man army to invade Israel in 70 A.D. The Euphrates River didn’t dry up. The Two Witnesses didn’t lie in the street for three and one-half days while the whole world watched. Babylon wasn’t destroyed by fire in one hour. Jesus didn’t rescue Israel at a Second Coming in 70 A.D., etc. (Rev. 9:16; 16:12; 13:11-18; 11:9).
Many Preterists say the Church is the New Jerusalem. The Bible says the New Jerusalem will be about 1500 miles square, it won’t need the sun or moon, it will have twelve gates of pearls, twelve foundations of precious stones, streets of gold, and the tree of life. The Church still needs the sun and moon, we still have pain, death, suffering, we’re a spiritual building not a physical building with walls, streets, etc. (Rev. 21-22).
Many Preterists say the Millennium is a long period of time not a 1,000 years and we’re living in the Millennium right now. But the Bible says we will have peace on earth during the Millennium. Instead of peace on earth, we have wars and rumors of wars. Instead of thanking God because His kingdom has already come to the earth, we are praying that His kingdom will come to the earth.
To believe Preterism people have to ignore the differences between the Church and Israel, ignore current events, reject the most widely accepted date for the writing of the Book of Revelation, explain away hundreds of verses of Scriptures all over the Bible, etc.
A good question to ask is, “When was the Rapture?” This is actually why some Preterists shove the Rapture over to the Second Coming. If the destruction of Jerusalem and the persecution of the Church is the Tribulation Period, they have to move everything between the Rapture and the Second Coming to the period before 70 A.D.
If the prophecies aren’t literally fulfilled, it’s impossible to know when anything is fulfilled. If the prophecies aren’t literally fulfilled, there is no need to watch for anything. If the prophecies aren’t literally fulfilled, there are no signs of anything. If prophecies aren’t literally fulfilled, we need to forget about heaven, rewards, the resurrection of the dead, etc. because those things won’t literally happen.
Christians should not want to lead anyone wrong. But those who say all prophecy has been fulfilled, the Book of Revelation is nothing but a book of symbols, no one understands it, and the like are leading people wrong. The Bible says study those symbols, search the Scriptures, let Scripture interpret Scripture, blessed is the person who reads, hears and keeps the things in the Book of Revelation, don’t take anything out of the Book of Revelation, the Holy Spirit can help you understand it, etc.
I pray that all who are Preterists and those that believe in Replacement Theology alow God to remove the scales from their eyes. I’m amazed that some professing Christians could be as confused about Christs second coming. So many of the High Priests and religious leaders of Christs first coming were blinded and missed it. They refused to see the signs of the times so the Angle’s proclaimed the “Good News” to the shepheards. The same seems to prevail throughout history, … leaders get it wrong while laymen have their hearts touched in very profound ways. Praise The LORD, Amen.
To quote my brother or sister; I’m amazed that those who are NOT preterists are so blinded that they have missed the fact that they are the ones who have to make Revelation a confusing book. Preterists do not teach that no one understands it. If fact, just the opposite we teach that the very word “revelation” means to make clear and plain. All of the scorpions being helicopters etc nonsense comes from the other camp. We teach that much is literal and much isn’t. You don’t teach that the scorpions that sting etc are literal. They are symbolic. But the 1,000 year reign is literal. What about the cattle on a thousand hills? Does God not own the cattle on billions of hills? In fact all of them? Very controversial at best and quite contradicting. The widest accepted date for Revelation doesn’t make it the right one, especially since one church father quoted another, quoted another, quoted another etc all the way back to Irenaeus who didn’t say that John was seen during the reign of Domitian. He said “it” or “he” was seen. It is not definite. It could be the book of revelation itself was seen, John was seen or the revelation was seen by john. Most people don’t know that Irenaeus also said that Jesus was 50 years old when he died and Mary was the second eve and a whole lot of other bunk that the Catholic church has used to make her the “immaculate conception.” But, what is definite is that the concept of a church falling away and only a remnant remaining has produced a crippled church looking for Jesus to come and bail them out in the rapture and the world keeps crying out for the sons of God and are presented a gospel of destruction and where all is great in the sweet by and by. That is not the gospel of the kingdom and I will always put the kingdom advancing and being victorious today AND in the future against any other message. We are facing the changes in government today because of prayer and abortion and other laws that were inacted by people who believe they can change the world they live in and there is no hereafter. While the church was looking ahead into the future, we watched the world steal much from us. It will continue to happen if we don’t think we are to build here for a long time to come. If the early church believed that Jesus was coming any day, hour, second etc, why did they build churches that would last for centuries and took more than one generation to build? That is the true blindness of the rapture Christians. They don’t build long term. I sell insurance and often have people tell me they won’t need it because Jesus is coming. Even our dear and beloved Billy Graham promised that Jesus would return in no more than 2 years and that was in 1949. Hmm. Who is realy blind here?
“Many non-Preterists believe “this generation” means the generation that sees the fulfillment of all the prophecies Jesus was talking about.” This article made me real sad. Just this little quote that many. . .believe “this generation” means the generation that sees the fulfillment of all the prophecies Jesus was talking about is a intentional or unintentionally artful way of escaping from what Jesus was plainly telling Peter, James, John and Andrew about the circumstances surrounding the Destruction of Herod’s Temple. If you follow YOU in Matthew 24, it is clear that our Lord intends the Apostles to understand events in THEIR lifetime will lead to such a culmination, such a zenith. And what do rank and file Christians do to this? Play games and cut down billions of trees, sacruficing them to make books that LIE to the world and the Jewish People that the stuff hasn’t even happened yet! Yet both Josephus and Tacitus report that chariots and troops of soldiers showed up over Herod’s Temple in full battle array. With super human voices making announcements and the spirits of multitudes flying out through the suddenly opened doors of that marvelous facility. And this was a PUBLIC incident, and not private. And some of the Jews, according to Josephus, wounded their right hands in reverence for their leader (who was Jewish). And when one hundred pound boulders colored white came flying into the city, the people cried, The SON cometh! Why would they say that??? Why they put a man in the holy of hoiies and put a counterfeit face on him? That was definately not part of the Law. Yet, Josephus says the Zealot committed abominations in the Temple by just the fact that they had IMPURE FEET and stood “where they ought not.” Again, when Jesus said, “Whereunto shall I liken this generation? (Matthew 11:16) he definitly was not refering to some other generation besides his contemporaries. And the same is doubly true in the Olivet Discourse. In your article there are numerous PURE assumptions that space will not even allow me to deal with. And, moreover, the Preterist have their share of FALSE claims that helps complicate matters even worse.
Enough. I know this is an old post but I have become tired of seeing Preterists play games with the scriptures. IN EVERY other passage relating the phrase “this generation” the context is tied to a present rejection of Christ. So of course those instances refer to a contemporary generation.
In Matthew 23 the passage is emphatic that the generation is incapable of saving itself from Hell because of its continued rejection or Christ. There are no two ways around it. The chapter before 24 closes with a statement that can only mean that Jesus knew he WOULD NOT be returning in their life time. IF they were the generation that would accept Jesus then he would not have stated that they could not be saved from Hell and then he stated that Inhabitants of Jerusalem WOULD MOST DEFINITELY NOT SEE HIM until they were accepting of the one (Him) that was coming in the name of the Lord.
In the Matthew 12 discourse AGAIN the context is that they were rejecting Christ and therefore the generation was contemporary. Here it is reiterated that they would be condemned not for accepting Christ in their generation but by rejecting him in their generation (hence they would not repent).
In MARK 8 The reference AGAIN is to the pharisees justifying their rejection of him based on not getting a sign from Heaven. In this discourse the Lord point blank indicates that THEY WOULD GET NO SUCH SIGN (which would include the sign of him returning in Matt 24)
Finally in Luke 7:31 discourse the passage AGAIN is about their present rejection of the messiah and of John the Baptist.
So what can we soundly hermeneutically conclude? ONLY THIS – That every time the passage is talking about a present rejection of Christ the term “This generation” refers to a contemporary rejecting group. Thats all we can conclude. that is the context of ALL the discourses outside of Matthew 24.
Does Matthew 24:32 reference a rejection off the Christ that is contemporary? NO. IT DOES NOT. In fact since they are about to see Jesus again in Matt 24:32 it can be concluded from Matthew 23 that they will finally be ready to say “blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord”
SO THE CONTEXT IS ENTIRELY DIFFERENT. The Preterist and skeptics claim that every time outside of Matt 24 the phrase “this generation” is used it applies to a contemporary generation alive at the time of Christ is a truism hardly worth noting because the context of ALL OF those were in reference to a present rejection. As soon as the context changes there is no basis for claiming that despite that change the phrase should be interpreted the same. It makes no logical, grammatical or biblical sense whatsoever. You cannot apply a rule that exists in one context and then insist that it applies even ib the absence of that context. It Tom foolery mishandling of ANY text.
FURTHER. two of these four discourses outside of Matthew 24 when taken without logic gymnastics concludes FIRMLY that that generation would NOT see any Sign in Heaven like the son of man coming in Glory or See any appearance of Christ at all again in that generation. Its as if the Lord knew that the passages would be used to teach false doctrine and embedded the very proof of it being wrong in half of the verses referencing “this generation” outside of Matt 24 thereby proving that Jesus was FULLY aware that he would not be returning in that generations lifetime.
Lastly can we skip the nonsense of claiming that the language of Matt 24 should not be taken literally and then trying to line them up with some alleged anomalies that Josephus references? IF the anomalies can be taken to be literal fulfillments of Matt 24 then the passage is literal and once that is conceded it is hard to line up those weak references to the entire power of the heavens being shaken the sun going black thee star falling away and all the world seeing the son of man coming with great glory. Just does not work.
Also, here is a section of scripture that the Preterists ignore that blatantly proves that Jesus wasn’t coming back in their time:
Matthew 37-39: “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be”.
That means that the fallen angels that were mating with the Adamic women in Genesis will come back to try to create the Giants again. That didn’t happen in 70 A.D. That will happen in the future, possibly in the very near future.
sorry to say but not one of you guys is even remotely correct in your beliefs regarding revelation.
Rev ch1:9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, this verse clearly states that John knew he was in the tribulation and he was in the kingdom, which is a spiritual Kingdom. Jesus said the Kingdom Of God is at hand. The tribulation is 7 church ages, not seven years. we are in the last church age now called Laodicea. If you would like more info just ask the Holy Spirit to reveal truth to you but you must turn from sin in order to get truth.
Jesus established his Kingdom in the Spiritual realm. The battle we fight today is a spiritual warfare of principalities and dark forces that are attacking the Church. The true Church. False Christianity has the whole world decieved. that is why Christ said be not of this world.
Sometimes it simply amazes me how ‘Christians’ sometime hide behind the skirts of delusional labels to hide their prideful jealousies against God’s choices.
As ‘Christians’ we want God to sovereignly choose us, but when it comes to God’s sovereign choice; He has sworn by no one greater than Himself to uphold; His irrevocable promises He has made to Israel as a Nation; which He has promised to love, and restore as a nation above all nations, because He has set His Son, (by the way; who was, and who will reign to sit upon the Jewish Davidic throne, forever and ever, Amen) who will rule from the King’s Headquarters; Jerusalem! Isaiah 41:11-12; 49:14-16;
Reading Isaiah 60 especially verses 9-12; I truly believe stirs up jealousy in some preterists heart, all of the wonderful promises God has made to ‘His’ chosen remnants, arouses the flesh of men who choose to doubt God’s sovereign choices?
Preterist, beware, many of you preterist sound more like our Arminian brothers, who refuse to believe God sovereingly chooses whom He pleases for salvation, and God must play by man’s rules, ignoring His established decision. Jeremiah 31:1-40; Jeremiah 33:19-25;Ezekiel 36;37, Zechariah 1;2;4;12 a plethora of scriptures do substantiate God’s restorative promises to Israel!
Maybe the parable of the virgins whose lamposts went out and they couldnt enter the bridegrooms chamber are the preterists.
Not a whole lot of “Catholic Friendly” believers posting here,,,I see,
Here is undeniable proof the entirety of Revelation took place in 70AD:
Revelation 15:3 Survivors of the Apocalypse were singing the Song of Moses
The Song of Moses (Deut 32) prophesies the destruction of Jerusalem. Why would they be singing this if the apocalypse was not the destruction of Jerusalem?