Preterism is a belief system that teaches that either partially or in full, the prophecies concerning the Great Tribulation and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ have already come to pass.
We know that God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, He does not change. The time frame that God gave to fulfill His prophecies was in hundreds of years into the future, not in the first century of the people whom the prophecies were told.
Let’s start at the very beginning.
Genesis 3:14-15
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent:
Because you have done this, you are cursed more than any livestock and more than any wild animal. You will move on your belly and eat dust all the days of your life. 15 I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.
The author of the Book of Genesis was Moses who lived 1600 B.C. before the Son of God came in human form. But the prophecy was given to the serpent/Satan which was in the time of Adam’s fall. If Abraham was born in 2166 B.C. then Adam would be close to 4000 years before the prophecy would be fulfilled of the coming Messiah.
The prophecy was about Satan’s defeat with the cross of Calvary, Jesus’ death and resurrection (30 A.D.).
Let’s see another prophecy.
Genesis 12:1-2
The Lord said to Abram:
Go out from your land, your relatives, and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
We know that the promise that God gave Abraham would take 400 years according to Genesis 15:13-14 which says, 13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know this for certain: Your offspring will be resident aliens for four hundred years in a land that does not belong to them and will be enslaved and oppressed. 14 However, I will judge the nation they serve, and afterward they will go out with many possessions.
We see that this prophecy took four generations to be accomplished not one hundred years. The reason why God fulfills His prophecies way into the future is to give time for people either to repent of their sins or have the generation that He has chosen to exist go through it or see it.
For examples:
Genesis 15:16
In the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.”
2 Peter 3:9
The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.
Luke 2:25-26
25 There was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon. This man was righteous and devout, looking forward to Israel’s consolation, and the Holy Spirit was on him. 26 It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he saw the Lord’s Messiah.
Let’s rewind and go back to the prophet Isaiah who prophesied the first coming of Jesus Christ and His sacrifice on the cross for all humanity.
Isaiah 52:13-15
13 See, my servant will be successful; he will be raised and lifted up and greatly exalted.
14 Just as many were appalled at you— his appearance was so disfigured that he did not look like a man, and his form did not resemble a human being—
15 so he will sprinkle many nations. Kings will shut their mouths because of him, for they will see what had not been told them, and they will understand what they had not heard.
Isaiah 53:1-6
Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
2 He grew up before him like a young plant and like a root out of dry ground. He didn’t have an impressive form or majesty that we should look at him, no appearance that we should desire him.
3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering who knew what sickness was. He was like someone people turned away from; he was despised, and we didn’t value him.
4 Yet he himself bore our sicknesses, and he carried our pains; but we in turn regarded him stricken, struck down by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced because of our rebellion, crushed because of our iniquities; punishment for our peace was on him, and we are healed by his wounds.
6 We all went astray like sheep; we all have turned to our own way; and the LORD has punished him for the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah lived in the 8th century B.C. which the prophecies above were written. Around 700 years before what he wrote about the Messiah would be fulfilled, take place, which detailed Jesus’ scourging, nails on His body, and His death on the cross.
As you can see, the prophecies of the Old Testament was always for the future.
That is how God timed the prophecies that He gave. Remember, God does not change.
Malachi 3:6
“Because I, the Lord, have not changed, you descendants of Jacob have not been destroyed.
Hebrews 13:8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
If that is the timeline of prophecies being fulfilled in the Old Testament, what makes a Preterist or any other group similar think that God would do differently in the New Testament prophecies?
This will end Part 1. In Part 2, I will tackle some of the N.T. prophecies.
Spiritual Minefield 
Thank you so much for the reference! I genuinely appreciate it 🙂
I will attempt to answer your question: “If that is the timeline of prophecies being fulfilled in the Old Testament, what makes a Preterist or any other group similar think that God would do differently in the New Testament prophecies?”
I concede that many of the important Old Testament prophecies were long-term. But I would also argue that the New Testament was different. What had been long foretold was finally being fulfilled, and “the time was now.” Consider Matthew 23:36. All blood from Abel to Zecheriah was to fall on that generation (which I would argue was fulfilled by the siege of Jerusalem, as Revelation depicted). There was something special about the times Jesus was living in. Those were the days of vengeance, to fulfill all that was written (Luke 21:22), including Daniel 12:2.
Nowhere is this more clearly laid out than Daniel 12:4: “But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end.” Daniel was to seal up the book, because the end was a long ways away (roughly 500 years). But in Revelation, the angel tells John the opposite: “And he said to me, ‘Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.’” If Revelation was not to be fulfilled for 2000 years, then why not seal it up as well? Is this not God’s way of contrasting the fulfillment timeframes of Daniel and Revelation?
P.S. As a side note, I would point out that not all of the OT prophecies were long-term in nature. Consider Genesis 18:10 and Jeremiah’s many warnings of destruction for Judah and Jerusalem.
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Hey Graham, thanks for your comment. If you look closely at my post, I purposely centered at the first advent of Jesus Christ. His prophecy was for thousands of years into the future [Genesis 3]. The Book of Revelation is about the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ. The O.T. regarding His 1st coming was way in the future so is His 2nd coming. If you look at what Jesus said in Matthew 24 that the Great Tribulation, when the image of the Antichrist is placed at the corner of the temple will be so terrible that not even the flood can compare with it. Another thing is that after 40 years of Jesus’ ascension into heaven Jerusalem was completely destroyed and the Jews despersed. How do you explain, the Jews coming back to their land in 1948 and the Hebrew language revived again? Now, they are wanting to build the third temple and in Daniel chapter 9 talks about a man that will make a peace treaty for 7 years. If like you say, everything is fulfilled then why did Jerusalem come back from the dead so to speak?
Regarding Revelation not being sealed. The time of the end in Daniel was referring to the Messiah’s arrival. Once Jesus came, died, and rose from the grave that is when the clock started for the end times. Daniel wrote in chapter 9 about the Messiah’s death and the Antichrist but it was written before the first advent of Jesus. You see, Jesus was the one to reveal to John what was going to take place before His 2nd coming. It was not for Daniel to reveal or for him to know because Jesus was going to do that.
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Great questions!
You may be surprised to discover that I’m actually a premillennialist. I believe in a literal millennial kingdom, which will most likely arrive in the next 100 years. If you’re wondering how that’s possible, it’s because it turns out one doesn’t need Revelation to be in our future to derive that outcome. Please see here:
As mentioned in the article, I believe the re-establishment of Israel in 1948 was the beginning of the fulfillment of Romans 11:25-26 and Acts 1:6-7. The so-called “Church Age” is the time of the worldwide conversion of all Gentile nations, followed by the final conversion of the Jews, just like Paul said. We are seeing it unfold before our eyes.
As for the week of Daniel 9, I really don’t want to link too many articles, but this is the one I might be most proud of in all my blog:
Here’s the passage:
“And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”
I believe the “covenant” is actually the New Covenant, and Jesus is the prince that shall come. The week in question is the “week” of the Jewish-Roman War, the seventieth week (AD 66-73). Jesus “confirmed” His covenant with His people while simultaneously judging and destroying Israel. Note that in AD 70, right in the middle of the week of the war, the Temple was destroyed, putting an end to sacrifice and oblation (“and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease”). It’s very strong evidence for preterism (and, in fact, for Christianity in general, since we can point to this as a prophecy that was objectively historically fulfilled).
I do agree with you that an “end times” started for Israel with Jesus’ resurrection, the “Last Days” (which according to Acts 2:16-17 and Hebrews 1:2 was the time of the apostles), but I believe it was “one generation” (40 years) long. As discussed in the second article I referenced, I believe Jesus’ ministry was from AD 26-33 (baptism in AD 30), which was exactly 40 years before the Jewish-Roman War, or exactly one generation.
Also, I believe the Great Tribulation was the Neronian persecution of AD 64-68, which I think killed Peter and Paul and possibly John. John called himself a partner in the tribulation (Revelation 1:9), possibly implying that he was to live through the Great Tribulation, which would align with Matthew 24:34, which said the generation He was speaking to would not pass away until it occurred. And indeed, if Jesus returned during the siege of Jerusalem, that would have been pretty much immediately after the end of the Neronian persecution in AD 68.
By the way, I am very much enjoying this discussion! It is wonderful to discuss these issues with fellow Christians who are passionate about them and wish to debate them.
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I’m enjoying our debate as well.
“I believe in a literal millennial kingdom, which will most likely arrive in the next 100 years.”
According to Matthew 24, Jesus return will be based upon the third temple being already erected and the Antichrist walking inside of it, claiming to be God (2 Thess. 2). Also, He said in verse 33 of Matthew, “In the same way, when you see all these things, recognize that he is near—at the door.”
In that same chapter you have the image of the Antichrist being set upon the third temple which is called “the abomination of desolation” which today as we speak, the Jewish people want to build the temple.
“If the weeks are literal “weeks” of seven years apiece, then the 70 weeks Gabriel is describing is 490 years. Based on just this verse alone, one might assume that these are 490 contiguous years. However, later verses make this impossible, as I shall show.”
The reason that the weeks are years is that of this verse:
Daniel 9:26
26 After those sixty-two weeks
the Anointed One will be cut off
and will have nothing.
The people of the coming ruler
will destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end will come with a flood,
and until the end there will be war;
desolations are decreed.
Historically, 483 (69 weeks) years matches to the “T” Jesus’ death (30-33 A.D.) so it has to be years or else the wrong Jesus came. But, we both know that He was the coming Christ.
In that same verse (26) shows that the 2nd temple was going to be destroyed by the Romans. If you notice what the 2nd half of verse 26 says, “The end will come with a flood,
and until the end there will be war;
desolations are decreed.”
It clearly says that the end is not immediately because there will be a continuous war and etc. And also, there is no temple since it is being destroyed by the Romans and according to Jesus in Matthew 24, there has to be a third temple for the Antichrist to be here which corresponds with 2 Thess. 2.
“I believe the “covenant” is actually the New Covenant, and Jesus is the prince that shall come.”
I would disagree with that interpretation and here is why.
Daniel 9:27
27 He will make a firm covenant
with many for one week,
but in the middle of the week
he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering.
And the abomination of desolation
will be on a wing of the temple
until the decreed destruction
is poured out on the desolator.”
Remember, the number 70, it is very significant in Scripture. In verse 25 it says, 7 weeks (7 years) and 62 weeks (62 years) which equals 69 years, right? In verse 27, the Antichrist confirms a convent which in the Hebrew has the meaning “treaty” for 7 years. This 7 year is called, one week which added to the 69 weeks (years) would make it 70 which fulfills verse 24, 70 weeks are decreed. In the 70th year or the last week (7 years) is when God judges (The Great Tribulation) the world for rejecting Jesus Christ and ends up sending the Antichrist and his false prophet to the Lake of Fire and He (Jesus) will reign for 1000 years on earth before the final battle between Jesus and the red dragon, Satan.
What am I trying to say with all this, there will be an Antichrist that will chip everybody on this world and those who do get the chip (666) will not be able to make into heaven.
Revelation 14:9-11
9 And another, a third angel, followed them and spoke with a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he will also drink the wine of God’s wrath, which is poured full strength into the cup of his anger. He will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the sight of the holy angels and in the sight of the Lamb, 11 and the smoke of their torment will go up forever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and its image, or anyone who receives the mark of its name.
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What is the justification for this notion of a “Third Temple”?
The context of Matthew 24 is the destruction of the Second Temple:
‘Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”’
Jesus responds to this question with a description of a series of events. At no point does He indicate that He is completely ignoring their question and referencing a different future Temple that He has never explicitly referenced before. I don’t understand.
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Jesus spoke about two temples. The temple of His time and the one that He quoted from Daniel, in reference to the image of the beast in the corner of the third temple which corresponds to Revelation 13
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OK… but how do you know that Daniel was speaking about a Third Temple? It seems to me like Daniel 9 is all about the time span from the command of Cyrus to the destruction of the Second Temple. I don’t see any mention of anything future after that.
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Because Jesus interpreted what Daniel said. Jesus spoke of the image of the beast being in a temple and we know that the temple in His time was destroyed 40 years later so He mentioned another one being in the future which we are seeing it unfold in Israel today. So you have Daniel talking about a third temple, Jesus reaffirms it in Matthew 24 and Paul agrees in 2 Thess. 2 then Jesus again shows John what the image is going to do while on the corner of the third temple. A demonic spirit is going to enter the image and start to talk, it will command everybody to worship it if not the image will put them to death.
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I guess the difference between our approaches is that I err on the side of the time statements (such as Matthew 24:34) that throughout the New Testament are universally near-term when taken at face value. I readily admit that I don’t know who the beasts were, who the abomination of desolation was, or what the deal with the talking image was. But I have faith that there is some first-century fulfillment of these things that I just don’t know yet, and will hopefully one day discover (perhaps in the writings of Josephus?).
I would like to reproduce a comment I made in response to one of your comments on my article on John, regarding 2 Thessalonians:
2 Thessalonians 2 is explicitly preterist. Consider this:
“And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming.”
The mystery of lawlessness was already at work at the time Paul wrote. The man of lawlessness was actively being restrained. The one who was restraining it was doing it “now.” Therefore, the coming of the man of lawlessness was imminent.
I look forward to seeing you address this in Part 2!
One last note. I thought of one more answer to your question at the bottom of your article, regarding the timeline of prophecies:
Consider Isaiah 43:18-19:
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”
So God, who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, fully intended to do something “new” in regards to the coming of the Messiah. Something to consider.
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“I readily admit that I don’t know who the beasts were, who the abomination of desolation was, or what the deal with the talking image was. But I have faith that there is some first-century fulfillment of these things that I just don’t know yet, and will hopefully one day discover (perhaps in the writings of Josephus?).”
If you truly want to know the Scriptures, ask the Lord with sincerity and He will give you understanding concerning the end times because when the Antichrist comes and you think that he has nothing to do with the Antichrist of Revelation, thinking it is fulfilled already and you take the mark of the beast, it will be a devastation to your soul.
Concerning Josephus or any other that are not Christians, I would not recommend for you to look at extra-biblical sources as wisdom only comes from the Holy Spirit otherwise, you may be deceived.
“The mystery of lawlessness was already at work at the time Paul wrote. The man of lawlessness was actively being restrained. The one who was restraining it was doing it “now.” Therefore, the coming of the man of lawlessness was imminent.”
We have to read the full context to get what Paul is saying. In verse 1-2 it says, Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him: We ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to be easily upset or troubled, either by a prophecy or by a message or by a letter supposedly from us, alleging that the day of the Lord has come.
The believers in Thessalonica were being told that the rapture of the church had occurred already which made them afraid thinking that they were left behind. Paul said, before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, these events must first take place so don’t worry, he was telling the believers.
One day, all believers will be caught up in the clouds to be with Christ. We are still here meaning that Jesus hs not come yet and the things that must take place for Jesus to return have not happened.
2 Thess. 2:7a
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work…
The mystery of lawlessness does not refer to the actual man who is coming but the influence of Satan who will work through the man of lawlessness a.k.a the Antichrist when he arrives.
2 Thess. 2:7b, 8
7b but the one now restraining will do so until he is out of the way, 8 and then the lawless one will be revealed. The Lord Jesus will destroy him with the breath of his mouth and will bring him to nothing at the appearance of his coming.
Once the Holy Spirit steps out of the way, the man of lawlessness (Antichrist) will step onto the stage (end times) who in the second coming of Jesus Christ, He will destroy him with His Word.
All those events have not occurred yet but when they do, you will know about it because it will be worldwide events.
Questions to ask yourself
If Revelation was completed then why are we still on earth? Where is the great judgment day of the Lord Jesus Christ that takes place in the Book of Revelation? Why is Satan and his fallen angels still loose and not cast into the Lake of Fire if Revelation is completed? Where is the new heaven and earth?
“Consider Isaiah 43:18-19:
“Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?”
So God, who is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow, fully intended to do something “new” in regards to the coming of the Messiah. Something to consider.”
If you start reading in verse 14, it talks about, God rescuing His people from Babylon captivity of 70 years. God was going to send an army the Medes and the Persians to destroy their captors Babylon). The new thing that the Lord was going to do was make a way for His people not seen before back to Jerusalem. That was fulfilled through Cyrus the Great in:
Ezra 1:1-7
In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah, the Lord roused the spirit of King Cyrus to issue a proclamation throughout his entire kingdom and to put it in writing:
2 This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of the heavens, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build him a house at Jerusalem in Judah. 3 Any of his people among you, may his God be with him, and may he go to Jerusalem in Judah and build the house of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. 4 Let every survivor, wherever he resides, be assisted by the men of that region with silver, gold, goods, and livestock, along with a freewill offering for the house of God in Jerusalem.”
5 So the family heads of Judah and Benjamin, along with the priests and Levites—everyone whose spirit God had roused—prepared to go up and rebuild the Lord’s house in Jerusalem. 6 All their neighbors supported them with silver articles, gold, goods, livestock, and valuables, in addition to all that was given as a freewill offering. 7 King Cyrus also brought out the articles of the Lord’s house that Nebuchadnezzar had taken from Jerusalem and had placed in the house of his gods.
God does not change. God is consistent. His character and what makes Him God will always be the same. The same way the prophecies (for the future) was foretold in the O.T. is the same in the N.T. because the author of the O.T. is the same author of the N.T.
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With all due respect, my salvation is assured. There are hundreds of millions of Christians who don’t share your particular interpretation of the Mark of the Beast, and I don’t think they’re all at risk of worshipping a false idol as a result. A true Christian is able to differentiate between God and God’s enemies. Do not forget Matthew 24:24: Jesus qualifies the concept of leading the elect astray with “if possible.” It’s not possible. That’s why He said that.
I disagree with your position on Josephus. For example, if I understand correctly, the male goat in Daniel 8 is Alexander the Great. But the Bible does not explicitly name Alexander the Great. So without secular historians, how can we hope to interpret Scripture properly? They provide details that the Bible only provides in prophetic imagery. The same is true for Revelation.
If the Thessalonians were so worried that they were going to miss the Rapture, then why didn’t Paul just clarify for them that their bones would have long since disintegrated by the time Christ returned? Why give them signs to look for? That makes little sense.
Why are we still on Earth? For the same reason Adam didn’t sire the savior directly. God works through ages and symbolism. He had important work to do after His Second Coming. He didn’t desire to instantly fix everything. He wanted to heal the world via the Holy Spirit.
We are living in the New Earth. But how was the first Earth created? Without form and void (Genesis 1:2). Similarly, the current Earth was established in chaotic form, but has been slowly crafted by the Holy Spirit over 2000 years in anticipation of Christ’s rule.
Where in Revelation 21-22 do we see God’s resurrected saints living on the Earth? Nowhere. They live in the New Jerusalem. Do we believe honestly that the end of history is us all living in one city? What about the New Earth? What about the galaxies even?
I see the New Jerusalem as a new Garden for a new Creation, the third Garden (Garden of Eden, Noah’s vineyard, New Jerusalem, each corresponding to a new Heavens and a New Earth). Revelation 21-22 is a beginning, not an ending. The New Jerusalem does not represent the pinnacle of Biblical cosmology, but rather a home base for Christ to work His magic for the next 2000 years.
As far as Satan is concerned, I believe he is already in the Lake of Fire (Romans 16:20). Revelation doesn’t depict the demons going into the Lake, so maybe that’s a future event. I’m sure they have done their best to pretend that their leader is still around, but Christ’s victory would not have been complete if He hadn’t been able to slay His own personal Goliath at the time of His return. He had to free the world from Satan’s power to enable the worldwide spread of the gospel that has happened in the last two millennia.
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“We are living in the New Earth. But how was the first Earth created? Without form and void (Genesis 1:2). Similarly, the current Earth was established in chaotic form, but has been slowly crafted by the Holy Spirit over 2000 years in anticipation of Christ’s rule.”
Sorry man but, we are NOT living in the new earth. I have no clue who taught you this doctrine because it is false.
Philippians 3:20-21
20 but our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. 21 He will transform the body of our humble condition into the likeness of his glorious body, by the power that enables him to subject everything to himself.
John 17:14-17
14 I have given them your word. The world hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I am not praying that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
“Do we believe honestly that the end of history is us all living in one city? What about the New Earth? What about the galaxies even?”
The reason Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17, was not to take them out of the world yet was so that the Gospel of Jesus Christ can be preached to all people but our home is in heaven with Jesus who after the end times will create a New Heaven and a New Earth according to Revelation 21:1-2, “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband.”
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.
Jesus is not of this world neither are true believers in Jesus Christ.
“Where in Revelation 21-22 do we see God’s resurrected saints living on the Earth?”
Revelation 20:4-6
4 Then I saw thrones, and people seated on them who were given authority to judge. I also saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and who had not accepted the mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed.
This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.
There you go Graham, the resurrection of the saints especially those who died in the great tribulation. And in Revelation 19, it talks about the saints coming with Jesus at His second coming.
Graham, don’t take this the wrong way but I have great concerns about your soul. According to how you are interpreting Scripture, it is telling me that there is a void in your heart of the Holy Spirit. I say this because a person who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit will not get this understanding of Scripture which is in deep error. When I read your comment, I took a deep gasp in horror in what you believe. I actually prayed for you this morning because of my deep concern for you.
You even admitted in one of the comments that you were not too familiar with certain passages concerning the end times, so I don’t know where you are getting your material from because it is not biblical. You are learning false doctrine that is so dangerous that whoever believes what you are believing in will end up receiving the mark of the beast and will end up in the Lake of Fire. Your belief will send people to hell. I beg of you, stop reading Preterist material and just read God’s Word and ask the Holy Spirit for understanding before it is too late.
Graham, I’m very shocked by everything you wrote.
This is written with care and concern for you. May the Lord Jesus Christ reveal to you the Truth of the Gospel.
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Well, I guess we’ve reached the end of the discussion. I think it’s bizarre you’re conjecturing a Third Temple and ignoring all the clear time statements, but I’m not going to judge your salvation over it. I think it’s blasphemous to deny Romans 8:28 and believe that those who love God can be deceived and marked by a beast, when their salvation is secure. It is better to stop focusing on some theoretical Beast and instead simply encourage people to fear God and do what is right (Acts 10:35). Eschatology is a field of extreme permutation, so believing that only those who adhere to your doctrine are safe is dangerous. What about postmillennialists who believe we are living in the millennium? I think they are fine.
We will have to agree to disagree.
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This is the thing, Graham, you are reading the Bible through the lenses of Preterism. What Preterism does is prepares the person to accept the man of lawlessness’s government. When that time comes, the Antichrist and with Satan, they will institute the mark of the beast system, all Preterists will get it. You said, “A true Christian is able to differentiate between God and God’s enemies. Do not forget Matthew 24:24: Jesus qualifies the concept of leading the elect astray with “if possible.” It’s not possible. That’s why He said that.” But, Jesus is warning you in Scripture right now that the Antichrist is coming and you are ignoring what the Bible is plainly warning you about.
2 Thessalonians 2:2-3
2 not to be easily upset or troubled, either by a prophecy or by a message or by a letter supposedly from us, alleging that the day of the Lord has come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way. For that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.
The Bible clearly is teaching that Preterism is a lie, a deception. Scripture in 2 Thessalonians 2:2 is warning believers not to believe that Jesus already has come because the Antichrist has to come first. In verse 3, it is telling you not to be deceived about that and Preterism is a theology that is preparing the hearts of people to accept the Antichrist when he comes. Now, when the Antichrist comes, he is not going to say, “Hi everybody, I’m the Antichrist mentioned in the Bible.” Revelation 13, tells you how to identify him.
I’m telling you right now, your gospel (Preterism) is not the gospel of Jesus Christ but another gospel. It is another message. Why do I feel so strongly about this? Why don’t I take it as just a different understanding between two Christians Because the theology of Preterism will condemn people to hell if they receive the mark of the beast and it also takes away their hope in the return of Jesus Christ. Read the verses below.
Romans 8:23-25
23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.
As Christians, we hope for our new bodies that we will get that will be without sin. This takes place in the 2nd coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:12-19
12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, “There is no resurrection of the dead”? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith. 15 Moreover, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified wrongly about God that he raised up Christ—whom he did not raise up, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. 19 If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.
1 Corinthians 8:50-55
50 What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor can corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Listen, I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. 53 For this corruptible body must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body must be clothed with immortality. 54 When this corruptible body is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place:
Death has been swallowed up in victory.
55 Where, death, is your victory?
Where, death, is your sting?
Our hope is in the resurrection of our bodies because like Scripture says, our earthly body cannot inherit the kingdom of heaven so we will be transformed, sinless spirit and body to be with Jesus forever. When Jesus comes down all believers will rule with Him for 1000 years than afterward go up with Him to heaven. Comes back and defeats the devil who has deceived the world and throws him into the Lake of Fire. After Satan is defeated, Jesus creates a new earth that will be a paradise not like the one we live in now.
Preterism loves the world we live in now but true Christians are waiting for the perfect earth that Jesus is going to create.
Graham, you have no hope and no expectation because you have bought into this theology, Preterism that is not from Jesus and is unbiblical. I cannot sit by and tell you, “you are safe in your belief, Graham.”
Preterism’s interpretation of the Bible is weird, bizarre at best and unbiblical which deceives those who accept’s it.
If our differences were a matter on non-essentials doctrines than it would have been fine but our differences are so dangerous that when the Antichrist comes, a Preterist won’t believe what the Bible said about him and that Preterist will give himself to the Antichrist’s government and be lost forever.
Your blog and message, Graham, is doing the opposite of the Bible, pushing people away from Christ and into the hands of the Antichrist.
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No offense, but you’re kind of a weirdo. If you ever want to debate the merits of our respective systems based on the weight of Scripture, feel free to reach out to me again on my blog. But if you’re only interested in pontificating on your system and demanding that other people accept it uncritically, please leave me alone.
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Wow, the truth comes out, right Graham. I’m a weirdo because I’m telling you that if you receive the mark of the beast you will go to the Lake of Fire? Your response to the truth of the gospel has shown that you have not been saved yet. This will be my last reply to you but I will keep you in my prayers for your salvation. May the Lord bless you and keep you safe.
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At the end of the day, this Preterist view is really about fear of the judgment that is to come upon the whole world. It is terrifying to think about it especially when in Luke 21:26 it states, “Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.”
To deny the alignment of events we are now witnessing in our generation concerning the mark of the beast, the global trend in moving to a cashless society which is spoken of in Revelation 13 that no one can transact unless they have it embedded on the right hand or forehead (How can someone even symbolize this when it is so obvious buying and selling is a tangible aspect in daily life, plus, I don’t recall ever reading anything in History the time of Nero mandated the WHOLE WORLD to have this mark). People can think Futurists are “weird” for believing this, which pretty much when you look at it, mirrors the world’s reaction when it comes to Scriptural views so they can scoff all they want.
People cannot accept that God’s judgment is just and they invoke grace and love omitting the fact that in order for God to be righteous, the punishment must be executed. Our legal system is not just unless someone pays time for the crime. This being said, Jesus died for all those who accept His gift of salvation so that we would not have to be condemned and that we will be spared at the hour of testing (Revelation 3:10).
To assert that we are living in the New Earth is quite lofty especially when it is supposed to be a place of bliss after the first earth had passed away (Revelation 21:1). That’s pretty much far from what’s going on right now. Actually, I see the first earth in the heart of passing away.
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Great comment!
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Woah, I am dizzy from reading and rereading this Mr. Marks arguments. I am still confused as to where he got all this. Is there some way to put these comments and relog on my page? This is one tremendous blog on its own. Thank you. Love in our Christ Jesus.:)
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Thank you for spending the time to read such a long exchange. I posted the debate that I had with Mark.
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I have posted both blogs on Preterism. It said share and I did. Maybe I am doing something wrong Who knows. :))
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It is okay
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:))
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Reblogged this on Logos Speaks.
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Thank you, hawk2017, I appreciate that :)…glory to the Lord Jesus Christ
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Amen. He is our only Glory.
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How can Graham believe Satan is already in the lake of fire?.It was hard for me to understand his interpretation of Scripture. Very confusing.
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That’s Preterism theology for you. If a person cannot understand the Bible, the basics, and they call themselves a Christian than that tells me, that maybe the Holy Spirit hasn’t taken root in their heart. You and I can agree that it is very clear in Holy Scripture that Jesus is coming again. As a Christian that is my hope, my desires, and my expectation to be with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Thank you Crissy, for your comment and visit.
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Thank you for this post. Full Perterism is a heresy straight up.
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What’s up Slim, I posted a debate that I had with a Preterist, you should check it out
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It is in the same comment section where you commented, really.
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Totally agree.
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Excellent post! GM’s comments are rather upsetting. Great defence of the Truth Of God’s Word from you.
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Hello Sonrisa, thank you for reading the post and for your encouragment. Graham’s comments at the end got even worse and weird at best. Preterism’s theology is so bad that it is like a guy who claims that he can fix your car for a price, but has never trained or studied to be a mechanic.
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May God continue to bless and enlarge all you do for His Glory.
Blessings in Christ Spaniard.
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Amen, Sonrisa
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>The time frame that God gave to fulfill His prophecies were in hundreds of years into the future, not in the first century of the people whom the prophecies were told to.
John of Revelation repeatedly says what he depicts will happen soon. Jesus likewise speaks of the imminence of his coming.
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That word “soon” was not that century. But, it was into the future. Remember, 1000 years is but a day for the Lord. The first coming of Jesus didn’t happen in Moses time when he said, “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.”-Deuteronomy 18:18.
That was a reference to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Other prophecies in reference to Jesus didn’t happen when it was mentioned. His arrival happened way into the future of those prophecies.
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But do those prophecies of Jesus say he will come “soon” or “within this generation”?
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One clue which is found in Matthew 24 is the third temple which the antichrist will not only set up his image/statue in the corner of the temple but will claim to be God. That has not occurred yet. To be honest, the strongest statement that Jesus said in Matthew 24:21 will show that the end times has not yet come to pass-“21 For at that time there will be great distress, the kind that hasn’t taken place from the beginning of the world until now and never will again.”-Matthew 24:21
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