musterion
Well-known member
Preterism is a system of Bible interpretation with two main forks. One fork teaches that some or most Bible prophecy - including prophecies regarding the return of Christ - have been fulfilled. The other says all Bible prophecy has been fulfilled. This is the main identifying feature of preterism. As far as Bible believers are concerned, it should also be seen as preterism's fatal weakness.
The writers of the Bible are held by Bible believers to have spoken the very Words of God. Israel's prophets spoke as they were moved by the Spirit of God (Luke 1:70; 2 Pet 1:21). The disciples were eyewitnesses who attested to Christ's ministry, His death and His resurrection (1 Jn 1:2-3; Acts 1:1-2; 4:20). The apostle Paul was singularly chosen by the ascended Christ as the administrator of the dispensation of grace (Gal 1:11-12; 1 Cor 9:1; Eph 3:2). John was taken in the Spirit to see and describe the events of the Day of the Lord (Rev 1:10). The Bible believer is convinced the Bible is trustworthy because its writers spoke the Word of God by the Spirit of God, the God who cannot lie (Titus 1:2). He has adequately covered in Scripture the entire span of human history by the mouths and pens of His inspired prophets and apostles. From beginning to end, everything He saw fit to reveal to us He has revealed. So we believe it.
However, preterism's main distinguishing feature and doctrinal pillar is that one of the most important events in prophesied world history -- the return of Christ -- came and went in 70 AD with no inspired witness to attest to the fact. Indeed, there is no contemporary source writing of the events of 70 AD that suggests the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome was in reality the wrathful return of Christ, as preterists claim it was. Yet this is a preterist article of faith -- because it IS taken on faith -- that was superimposed upon 70 AD centuries later by both Catholic and protestant theologians who back-read the prophecies of Christ's return into Jerusalem's destruction.
Unlike consistent dispensationalism, no convincing case for preterism can be made from the Bible alone because preterism's key event lacks inspired witness. The few contemporary witnesses preterists do call to testify on preterism's behalf make no direct connection whatsoever between the destruction of Jerusalem and the prophecies regarding the return of Christ. Instead, such connections are purely speculative, provided solely by preterists relying on eisegesis and appeals to mere human writers, many of whom did not know Christ as Savior.
Preterism's complete absence of inspired witness also forces them to resort to desperate speculations. The worst offense is when preterists present their proof-quotes mined from uninspired, nonbiblical sources as being just as authoritative as Scripture itself, and then berate those who refuse to accept these sources as such (a common feature among all cults where the Bible is forced to harmonize with unbiblical sources to prove a false but unquestioned assumptions).
Preterism is a vain philosophy, unsupported and unsupportable by Scripture and indeed doing violence to the Scripture by equating it with uninspired, often lost writers. Preterism is fundamentally false and should be rejected as such.
The writers of the Bible are held by Bible believers to have spoken the very Words of God. Israel's prophets spoke as they were moved by the Spirit of God (Luke 1:70; 2 Pet 1:21). The disciples were eyewitnesses who attested to Christ's ministry, His death and His resurrection (1 Jn 1:2-3; Acts 1:1-2; 4:20). The apostle Paul was singularly chosen by the ascended Christ as the administrator of the dispensation of grace (Gal 1:11-12; 1 Cor 9:1; Eph 3:2). John was taken in the Spirit to see and describe the events of the Day of the Lord (Rev 1:10). The Bible believer is convinced the Bible is trustworthy because its writers spoke the Word of God by the Spirit of God, the God who cannot lie (Titus 1:2). He has adequately covered in Scripture the entire span of human history by the mouths and pens of His inspired prophets and apostles. From beginning to end, everything He saw fit to reveal to us He has revealed. So we believe it.
However, preterism's main distinguishing feature and doctrinal pillar is that one of the most important events in prophesied world history -- the return of Christ -- came and went in 70 AD with no inspired witness to attest to the fact. Indeed, there is no contemporary source writing of the events of 70 AD that suggests the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome was in reality the wrathful return of Christ, as preterists claim it was. Yet this is a preterist article of faith -- because it IS taken on faith -- that was superimposed upon 70 AD centuries later by both Catholic and protestant theologians who back-read the prophecies of Christ's return into Jerusalem's destruction.
Unlike consistent dispensationalism, no convincing case for preterism can be made from the Bible alone because preterism's key event lacks inspired witness. The few contemporary witnesses preterists do call to testify on preterism's behalf make no direct connection whatsoever between the destruction of Jerusalem and the prophecies regarding the return of Christ. Instead, such connections are purely speculative, provided solely by preterists relying on eisegesis and appeals to mere human writers, many of whom did not know Christ as Savior.
Preterism's complete absence of inspired witness also forces them to resort to desperate speculations. The worst offense is when preterists present their proof-quotes mined from uninspired, nonbiblical sources as being just as authoritative as Scripture itself, and then berate those who refuse to accept these sources as such (a common feature among all cults where the Bible is forced to harmonize with unbiblical sources to prove a false but unquestioned assumptions).
Preterism is a vain philosophy, unsupported and unsupportable by Scripture and indeed doing violence to the Scripture by equating it with uninspired, often lost writers. Preterism is fundamentally false and should be rejected as such.
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