Grace Junkies

Preterism is the Christian eschatological view, which claims that all prophecies of the Bible as events have already happened. There are several camps within the view. Most people who call themselves Preterists consider themselves to be “Partial Preterists”. This group believes that some or most of the biblical prophecies have been fulfilled but not all. “Full Preterists” claim that all prophecy has been fulfilled [1]. This article will focus on the Preterist argument that Jesus returned in 70AD which almost all preterists agree is the central point.

Expectant  or  Immediate 

Does the Bible teach that we should be expectant of the Lord’s return or does it teach he was going to return immediately? The bible never talks about Jesus’s return in the past tense. Revelation was not written until at least 81 AD and most probably about 95 AD [2] but continues to talk about Jesus’ return as though it will happen in the future. R. C. Sproul argued in The Last Days According to Jesus that if the authorship of Revelation was after 70 AD then preterism cannot be true. Let’s take a look at some of the frequently used passages to try and argue that Jesus had to have returned by 70 AD:

• “This generation will not pass away until all things take place.” (Lk. 21:32)
• “This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Matt. 24:34)
• “This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Mk. 13:30)

Was Jesus making a prediction about the timing of his return? No. Absolutely positively not. How do I know that so emphatically? Because Jesus stated very clearly that no one but the Father knows when he is returning. Jesus said specifically that he, himself did not know. (Mt: 24:36) Therefore, if Jesus did know when he was going to return then I do not know. You do not know. We do not know. So if Jesus was not limiting the time that he would return then what does the passage mean?

• • First, what is “all these things” that Jesus is referring to?(Mt 24:29-31) :
    • Sun Darkened
    • Moon not giving light
    • Stars falling from heaven
    • The sign of the Son of Man in the sky
    • All the tribes morning
    • The elect gathered from the four winds

Has any of this happened? Not that anyone is aware of. Even if we spiritualize the sun moon and stars to be judgement on Jerusalem, we still have to deal with others and the fact that  none of the church fathers wrote that these things had happened. No historian recorded these events. The early church fathers continued to write as though these events were still to come.

• • Second, what will we know when we see all these things?
    • That it is NEAR. (Mt 24:33) not happening but near. What is near? The coming of the Son of Man (Mt 24:27). Why did Jesus take another opportunity to be vague and say “near”. The bible again makes the point that we are to understand that “the coming of the Son of Man” can happen immediately.
  • Third, what is meant by pass away? 
    • Jesus did not say “die” he said “pass away” or disappear. The greek is parelth: “to pass by or pass out of sight, disappear”. Keep in mind that Stephen’s death is recorded after this and there are many references to others dying so he could not have meant everyone alive at the time would see it. (Acts 8:2) Jesus also predicted the disciples’ death (Luke 21:16) implying this would happen before his return. 
  • Finally, who or what is “this generation”?
    • Again Jesus is using a broader term than “standing here” as we will see in another prophecy. He cannot be putting a time table to when he would return because he states in the next verse that he does not know (Mt 24:33, Mark 13:32). Jesus’ last words on the subject were that we would NOT know something (Acts 1:6-7)
      • What is it not for us to know?  the times or season
      • Of what? The restoration of Israel 
      • Why? The Father has put it in His own Authority

Therefore we can’t or shouldn’t conflate all that Jesus said to be about his second coming. So what could “this generation” mean then? The greek is he genea (a) race; (b) kind. 

• • • • Generation can also mean a people or a family (1 peter 2:9)
      • offspring: Acts 17:28f (from the poet Aratus); Revelation 22:16.
      • family: [Acts 4:6, 2 at the end]; Acts 7:13 [others refer this to c.]; Acts 13:26.
      • stock, race: Acts 7:19; 2 Corinthians 11:26; Philippians 3:5; Galatians 1:14; 1 Peter 2:9; (Genesis 11:6; Genesis 17:14, etc.; nation (i. e. nationality or descent from a particular people): Mark 7:26; Acts 4:36; Acts 18:2, 24.
      • concrete, the aggregate of many individuals of the same nature, kind, sort, species: Matthew 13:47; Matthew 17:21 [T WH omit; Tr brackets the verse]; Mark 9:29; 1 Corinthians 12:10, 28; 1 Corinthians 14:10.

-Souter, A. (1917). A Pocket Lexicon to the Greek New Testament (p. 55). Oxford: Clarendon Press.

The point is that the word has many meanings and Jesus has ruled out one definition. We cannot define it as a time limit on when Jesus will return because he states in the very next verse that he does not know. Also, the point has been made by other scholars that it could be the generation that “sees all these things” that will not disappear before they all take place. Meaning that they will all take place in a very short period of time after we see the signs.
The ONE thing we know for sure is that he is NOT predicting the time of his return. 

Lets look at another scripture that is much more concise and very specific in its prophetic statement:

• “there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. (Mt 16:27-28)
• “there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power” (Mark 9:1)
• “there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of God.” (Luke 9:27)

Directly after these prophecies were recorded the fulfillment of them is also recorded in all three gospels. Mt 17:1-5, Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9:28-36. How do we know that this was the fulfillment of the prophecy? The bible tells us so in 2 Peter 1:16-21: 

16 For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 18 And we heard this voice which came from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.19 And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; 20 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”

Here we have a concise prophecy and full fulfillment (redundancy intended). Some of those standing there did see exactly what they were promised.  The Bible teaches that the time of Christ’s return is soon, that we should live as though it could happen at any moment.  I will admit that it is possible that 70 AD could have been a partial fulfillment of some of Christ’s prophecies. Specifically, the destruction of the temple referenced in Mt 24:2 and referenced in Daniel 9:26. The instructions warnings and prophetic word of the bible are obviously stated in a way that makes them relative to the reader regardless of when you are reading it.  

Let us lay aside all these man made doctrines and stop trying to fit the bible into them. Ask yourself: if I forget everything others have taught me and just read the bible what does it mean? I think we need to return to a biblical church model. There was an apostolic church prior to Augustine, Pelagian, Calvin, and Quimby. Let us go back before preterism, and dispensationalism and all the other isms.   Let us as a church stop bringing man-made doctrines to the bible and let the Word of God lead and teach us.

To be Continued…

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