PRETERISM 101
July 2002
Following
this brief article are 101 biblical, Preterist "time-indicators."
(Hence the title.) There are many more than 101 to be found in Scripture, but these
are probably the most blunt and obvious of them all. If we were to include
every Preterist time-indicator in Scripture, the number would possibly be in
the hundreds. My purpose in displaying these passages (with some cross
references) is to lay out in a concise, easy-to-read format the overwhelming
testimony that our Lord actually fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, as He said
He would. (Matthew. 5:17)
Now it seems to me that there are only two ways to "get around" these
101 Scriptures and remain a futurist. One of those ways is to dismiss the
spirit of imminence that saturates the New Testament and to say that it only
indicates things that are "soon in God's sight."
There are some major problems with that approach. If the imminence
saturating the New Testament was only an "in-God's-sight" imminence,
then why was the Old Testament not also saturated with an
"in-God's-sight" imminence? Why did God not tell Adam and Eve, "The
Kingdom of Heaven is at hand?" Why did He not tell Abraham, "The
Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and
will then recompense every man according to his deeds?" Why did He
not say to Malachi, "This generation will not pass away until all
these things take place?"
Why is it that a Second Coming in the 21st century was "imminent" in
the 1st century, but was not imminent before the 1st century?
There is no substantive defense against this objection. The fact is that what
God said was near to the Apostles, He said was not near to the earlier
prophets. Perhaps the clearest illustration of this truth is found in a
comparison of Daniel 8:26 and Revelation 22:10:
6th century B.C: "Seal up the vision; for it shall be for
many days." (Daniel 8:26)
1st century A.D.: "Do not seal up the words of the
prophecy of this book, for the time is near." (Revelation 22:10)
What God said was far away in Daniel's time, He said was imminent in the
Apostles' time. The implication is inescapable: The imminence in the New
Testament was real.
Granted, it is not unreasonable to use an expression of imminence or brevity in
reference to a relatively long period of time, (II Corinthians 4:17) but it is
biblically unreasonable to interpret every statement of eschatological
imminence throughout the New Testament as meaning "2,000 years
later." If we are going to claim scriptural support for such a
hermeneutical approach, the only option is to make II Peter 3:8 ("With
the Lord a day is like a thousand years") a "Code Key"
that unlocks the "secret" meaning of the Spirit. But not only is that
method Gnostic-like, it makes eschatology (and ultimately, soteriology) utterly
impossible to understand correctly without the mystical elucidation of II Peter
3:8 (and Ps. 90:4).
The second technique that is employed to "get around" the New
Testament declarations of imminence is to dichotomize the spirit of imminence
(and therefore the unified eschatological theme of Scripture), and to say that some
or most New Testament imminence Scriptures do indeed indicate nearness
in time (such as in references to the Great Tribulation in A.D. 66-70 and to a
"coming" in judgment in A.D. 70.) but that other imminence Scriptures
are in reality not statements of imminence at all. (In this approach, all
references to the Second Coming, the Resurrection of the Dead and the
"final Judgment" are said to contain no indications of imminence
whatsoever.)
The problem with this method is simply this: Denial. The Bible says it.
They deny it. They have thereby been forced to construct a duplicitous,
theological system of "Yes" and "No." They have created a
kind of twilight land of both "shadow" and "substance."
(the land of partial Preterism and historicism) They are rather like Saul of
Tarsus, a man who sincerely and ignorantly "kicked against the goads"
of the plain declarations of Scripture.
Many who have found themselves in this predicament recognize that they are in
abject exegetical poverty, and so they end up appealing strictly and only
to the authority of "the historic Church and her creeds." Not
unrelated to this sad phenomenon is the defection of many protestants to the
Eastern Orthodox Church.
Denial is a complicated and destructive thing indeed. Like deception, it
becomes a tangled web. The incredible eschatological confusion that has plagued
the Christian world since the days of the Reformation is a testimony to that
fact.
But in contrast to the chaos of futurism, the Scriptures (below) have a
straightforward teaching, which is this: The fulfillment of ALL prophecy was "at hand,"
"near," "soon," "about to be," etc. when the New
Testament was written, and it was all to be fulfilled by the time the old
covenant vanished and its temple was destroyed (in A.D. 70).
The prophetic message is so simple, yet it is so profound. In a way it is not
surprising that we missed it for so long.
Now a final note. The Apostle Peter was referring to eschatology when he said
the following:
"...in which are some
things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do
also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction." (II Peter
3:16)
Be careful what you do with the truth. Being in
possession of a true, biblical proposition is by no means an evidence of being
wise, no matter how wonderful the proposition is. There is no denying that some
Preterists are "untaught and unstable," and have used Preterism
to "distort" the Scriptures. (They are Universalists, Arians,
Neo-Gnostics, etc.) They despise the collected teachings of the historic Church
as being little more than the tricks of jugglers, and have blasphemed virtually
every pillar of the Faith. They imagine themselves to be pioneers, but they are
revilers in the tradition of II Peter and Jude. Do not follow them. Avoid them
at all cost. Please see my Q&A #33.
101 Preterist Time-Indicators
1. "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." (Matt. 3:2)
2. "Who warned you to flee from the wrath about to come?"
(Matt. 3:7)
3. "The axe is already laid at the root of the trees." (Matt. 3:10)
4. "His winnowing fork is in His hand." (Matt. 3:12)
5. "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matt. 4:17)
6. "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matt. 10:7)
7. "You shall not finish going through the cities of Israel, until the
Son of Man comes." (Matt. 10:23)
8. "....the age about to come." (Matt. 12:32)
9. "The Son of Man is about to come in the glory of His Father with His
angels; and will then recompense every man according to his deeds."
(Matt. 16:27)
10. "There are some of those who are standing here who shall not taste
death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." (Matt.
16:28; cf. Mk. 9:1; Luke. 9:27)
11. "'When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those
vine-growers?' '....He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and
will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers, who will pay him the proceeds
at the proper seasons.' '....Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God
will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it.'
....When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they
understood that He was speaking about them." (Matt. 21:40-41,43,45)
12. "This generation will not pass away until all these things take
place." (Matt. 24:34)
13. "From now on, you [Caiaphas, the chief priests, the scribes,
the elders, the whole Sanhedrin] shall be seeing the Son of Man sitting at
the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven." (Matt.
26:64; Mk. 14:62; Luke. 22:69)
14. "The kingdom of God is at hand." (Mk. 1:15)
15. "What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy
the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others. ....They [the
chief priests, scribes and elders] understood that He spoke the parable
against them." (Mk. 12:9,12)
16. "This generation will not pass away until all these things take
place. (Mk. 13:30)
17. Who warned you to flee from the wrath about to come? (Luke. 3:7)
18. The axe is already laid at the root of the trees. " (Luke. 3:9)
19. "His winnowing fork is in His hand
." (Luke. 3:17)
20. The kingdom of God has come near to you. (Luke. 10:9)
21. The kingdom of God has come near. (Luke. 10:11)
22. What, therefore, will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will
come and destroy these vine-growers and will give the vineyard to others."
The scribes and the chief priests
understood that He spoke this parable
against them. (Luke. 20:15-16,19)
23. These are days of vengeance, in order that all things which are written
may be fulfilled. (Luke. 21:22)
24. "This generation will not pass away until all things take place.
(Luke. 21:32)
25. "Daughters of Jerusalem, stop weeping for Me, but weep for
yourselves and for your children. For behold, the days are coming when they
will say, 'Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the
breasts that never nursed.' Then they will begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall
on us,' and to the hills, 'Cover us.' (Luke. 23:28-30; Compare Rev. 6:14-17)
26. "We were hoping that He was the One who is about to redeem Israel.
(Luke. 24:21)
27. "I will come to you.
In that Day you shall know that I am in My
Father, and you in Me, and I in you.'
'Lord, what then has happened that You
are about to disclose Yourself to us, and not to the world?'" (John.
14:18,20,22)
28. "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?"
(John. 21:22)
29. This is what was spoken of through the prophet Joel: 'And it shall be
in the last days
' (Acts 2:16-17)
30. He has fixed a day in which He is about to judge the world in
righteousness
(Acts 17:31)
31. There is about to be a resurrection of both the righteous and the
wicked. (Acts 24:15)
32. As he was discussing righteousness, self-control and the judgment about
to come
" (Acts 24:25)
33. Not for [Abraham's] sake only was it written, that [faith] was
reckoned to him [as righteousness], but for our sake also, to whom it is
about to be reckoned. (Rom. 4:23-24)
34. If you are living according to the flesh, you are about to die.
(Rom. 8:13)
35. I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to
be compared with the glory that is about to be revealed to us. (Rom. 8:18)
36. "It is already the hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now
salvation is nearer to us than when we believed. The night is almost gone, and
the day is at hand." (Rom. 13:11-12)
37. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. (Rom.
16:20)
38. The time has been shortened. (I Corinthians. 7:29)
39. The form of this world is passing away. (I Corinthians. 7:31)
40. Now these things
were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends
of the ages have come. (I Corinthians. 10:11)
41. We shall not all fall sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment,
in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound,
and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. (I
Corinthians.
15:51-52)
42. "Maranatha!" [The Lord comes!] (I Corinthians. 16:22)
43. "...not only in this age, but also in the one about to come.
(Eph. 1:21)
44. The Lord is near. (Phil. 4:5)
45. "The gospel
was proclaimed in all creation under heaven."
(Col. 1:23; Compare Matt. 24:14; Rom. 10:18; 16:26; Col. 1:5-6; II Tim. 4:17;
Rev. 14:6-7; cf. I Clement 5,7)
46.
things which are a shadow of what is about to come. (Col.
2:16-17)
47.
we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord
We who are
alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds
You,
brethren, are not in darkness, that the Day should overtake you like a thief.
(I Thessaloians. 4:15,17; 5:4)
48. May your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame
at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (I Thessaloians. 5:23)
49. It is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,
and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord
Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire.
(II Thessaloians. 1:6-7)
50. Godliness
holds promise for the present life and that which is about
to come. (I Tim. 4:8)
51. I charge you
that you keep the commandment without stain or reproach
until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. (I Tim. 6:14)
52.
storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for that
which is about to come, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.
(I Tim. 6:19)
53. In the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of
self
Avoid these men. For of these are those who enter into households and
captivate weak women
These also oppose the truth
But they will not make
further progress; for their folly will be obvious to all
(II Tim.
3:1-2,5-6,8-9)
54. I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who
is about to judge the living and the dead
(II Tim. 4:1)
55. God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many
portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son.
(Heb. 1:1-2)
56. Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for
the sake of those who are about to inherit salvation? (Heb. 1:14)
57. He did not subject to angels the world about to come. (Heb. 2:5)
58.
and have tasted
the powers of the age about to come. (Heb. 6:5)
59. "For ground that drinks the rain which often falls upon it and
brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled,
receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is
worthless and near a curse, and it's end is for burning. (Heb. 6:7-8)
60. When He said, 'A new covenant,' He has made the first obsolete. But
whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear. (Heb.
8:13)
61. The Holy Spirit is signifying this, that the way of the [heavenly]
Holy Places has not yet been revealed, while the outer tabernacle is still
standing, which is a symbol for the present time. Accordingly both gifts and
sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in conscience,
since they relate only to food and drink and various washings, regulations for
the body imposed until a time of reformation. (Heb. 9:8-10; Compare Gal.
4:19; Eph. 2:21-22; 3:17; 4:13)
62. But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things about to
come
(Heb. 9:11)
63. Now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put
away sin. (Heb. 9:26)
64. For the Law, since it has only a shadow of the good things about to
come
(Heb. 10:1)
65.
as you see the Day drawing near. (Heb. 10:25)
66.
the fury of a fire which is about to consume the adversaries.
(Heb. 10:27)
67. For yet in a very little while, He who is coming will come, and will
not delay. (Hebrews 10:37)
68. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the one that
is about to come. (Hebrews 13:14)
69. "Speak and so act, as those who are about to be judged by the law
of liberty." (James 2:12)
70. Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries which are coming
upon you.
It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure! (James.
5:1,3)
71. Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. (James.
5:7)
72. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord
is at hand. (James. 5:8)
73.
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (I Peter
1:6)
74. He
has appeared in these last times for the sake of you. (I
Peter 1:20)
75. They shall give account to Him who is ready to judge the living and the
dead. (I Peter 4:5)
76. The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be of sound judgment and
sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. (I Peter 4:7)
77. "For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God.
(I Peter 4:17)
78.
as your fellow elder and witness of the sufferings of Christ, and a
partaker also of the glory that is about to be revealed. (I Peter 5:1)
79. We have the prophetic word
which you do well to pay attention as to a
lamp shining in a dark place, until the Day dawns and the morning star arises
in your hearts. (II Peter 1:19)
80. Their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not
asleep. (II Peter 2:3)
81. In the last days mockers will come.
For this they willingly are
ignorant of
(I Peter 3:3,5)
82. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens
will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense
heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are
to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy
conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God.
(II Peter 3:10-12)
83. The darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining.
(I John. 2:8)
84. The world is passing away, and its desires. (I John. 2:17)
85. It is the last hour. (I John. 2:18)
86. Even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the
last hour. (I John. 2:18; Compare Matt. 24:23-34)
87. This is that of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is
coming, and now it is already in the world. (I John. 4:3; Compare II Thessalonians
2:7)
88. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long
beforehand marked out for this condemnation.
About these also Enoch
prophesied, saying, 'Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy
ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly
' (Jude
1:4,14-15)
89. But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken
beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, 'In the last time there shall be
mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.' These are the ones who cause
divisions
(Jude 1:17-19)
90.
to show to His bond-servants, the things which must shortly take place.
(Revelation 1:1)
91. The time is near. (Revelation 1:3)
92. Nevertheless what you have, hold fast until I come. (Revelation
2:25)
93. I also will keep you from the hour of testing which is about to come
upon the whole world. (Revelation 3:10)
94. I am coming quickly. (Revelation 3:11)
95. And she gave birth to a son, a male child, who is about to rule all the
nations with a rod of iron. (Revelation 12:5)
96. "And in her [the Great City Babylon] was found the blood of
prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth." (Revelation
18:24; Compare Matthew 23:35-36; Luke. 11:50-51)
97.
to show to His bond-servants the things which must shortly take place.
(Revelation 22:6)
98. "Behold, I am coming quickly. " (Revelation 22:7)
99. "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the
time is near." (Revelation 22:10; Compare Daniel 8:26)
100. "Behold, I am coming quickly. (Rev. 22:12)
101. "Yes, I am coming quickly." (Rev. 22:20)
Comments RKM: After you finish this article, please
read New Testament
Realized Eschatology by Todd Dennis.