The establishment of the doctrine of Preterism comes at the end of the Second Great Awakening right after the Great Disappointment. This is when William Miller predicted the Second Coming of Christ in 1844 and it did not happen. Up until this time the second coming of Jesus was always viewed by orthodox Christianity as a future event. All of the creeds agree with this doctrine. This disappointment also spawned Seventh Day Adventism claiming that Jesus came back spiritually in 1844. In addition, many began to teach that we were now in a post advent world. As a result, Universalism and Unitarianism movements which had been around for several years teaching there was no more hell or salvation, grew in popularity as they quickly adopted this doctrine. The doctrine of preterism, chiefly the idea that Jesus returned in AD70 was born at this time. Robert Townley wrote the first book outlining the doctrine completely “The Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. A Past Event.” in 1845. (Note: Robert Townley later recanted his belief in preterism and universalism and called it heresy). Dr. Samuel Lee was a universalist and partial preterist who studied a lost manuscript, “Theophany” by Eusebius determined erroneously that Eusebius believed all prophecy was fulfilled. It is true that Theophany does not contain any futuristic language but other works by Eusebius do. And he stated clearly that he was looking forward to the second coming of Jesus.
Note: Seventh-Day Adventism was also preterist but their date for Jesus’ return was 1844, whereas the current group calling itself “full preterists” are consistent with Jesus returning in 70AD. Jehova Witnesses also believe that Jesus returned in October 1914.
Another early preterist was John Noyes (1811–86) He developed this as part of perfectionism in the commune called Oneida that he lead. In reaction to the Millerites movement, he declared that the idea of coming return of Christ is heresy. He proposed that Jesus came back in AD 70 in Judgement on Isreal when Rome sacked the city of Jerusalem after a belonged siege and destroyed the temple. We live in the end times. And even then we see the problems of this view in application. Since Jesus taught that after his coming there would be no more marriage then Noyes taught that Christians should no longer marry. He did decide that consenting sexual relationships were fine but no marriage and no male ejaculation unless the sex was specifically for procreation. Noyes fled to Canada ahead of statuary rape charges. Not a good beginning for preterism. Two things survived after Noyes’s abandonment of his commune. One was their silverware company, Oneida and the other was his teaching of preterism.
Although full preterism remained an obscure doctrine of the Universal Church until Max R. King leader of the Church of Christ began to revive it in the 1970s as he developed “Covenant Theology” and “Transmillennialism”. Not only does Max King deny a bodily resurrection of the church but he also denies the bodily resurrection of Christ. Now it is Don Peterson who is the main person who leads the doctrine.
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