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Fri, 11 Oct 2024 11:54:09 -0000 (UTC)
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BIBLE GENERAL <***@general.invalid>
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Post by BIBLE GENERALRevelation 14 & 'The Winepress' (Part 2 of 2)
http://youtu.be/cBLH5JuM2G0
In this video we discuss how Revelation 14 mirrors all the events that happened in the First Century that resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and The Temple ushering in the Christian Age.
Save your time. This person is a preterist. Anyone remember Pastor Dave?
Inconsistent Hermeneutics
Preterists insist on taking the phrase “Truly, I say to you, this
generation will not pass away until all these things take place”
(Matthew 24:34, ESV), in its strictest, most literal sense, applying it
solely to the generation alive during Jesus' ministry. However, in order
to make this interpretation work, they are then forced to spiritualize
nearly every other aspect of future prophecy. For example, descriptions
of cosmic disturbances, the resurrection of the dead, and Christ’s
visible return in glory are reduced to symbolic or allegorical events.
This inconsistency in how they handle biblical prophecy undermines their
interpretative method. They demand a literal reading of "this
generation," yet approach the rest of Jesus’ prophetic words with a
figurative lens to fit their timeline.
Correct Understanding of Matthew 24:34
In Matthew 24:34, the phrase "this generation" refers to the people
alive during Jesus' ministry. The events described in Matthew 24:4-28,
such as wars, false prophets, persecution, and the destruction of
Jerusalem, were fulfilled within their lifetime, particularly with the
fall of the temple in AD 70. These events served as signs marking the
beginning of the eschatological distress that Jesus predicted. However,
this does not mean that the second coming (Parousia) would necessarily
occur within that generation.
The signs Jesus described act as prerequisites for His return, but the
exact timing of the Parousia remains unknown, as only the Father knows
the day and hour (Matthew 24:36). The distress could continue
indefinitely, with no set end date until the second coming. The
destruction of Jerusalem and other initial signs were meant to show that
the Parousia could happen at any time afterward. Jesus was not
predicting His return within the lifetime of His hearers, but instead,
He was saying that the distressing events leading up to the end would
occur in their time, leaving open the possibility of His return at any
point after that.
The preterist viewpoint, which argues that most or all of the prophecies
in Revelation were fulfilled in the first century, particularly in the
destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, presents several serious problems
when examined in light of Scripture. Below are some of the most
compelling reasons this view falls short of what the Bible teaches about
the return of Christ and the fulfillment of end-time prophecy.
1. The Global Nature of Christ’s Return and Judgment
The preterist view confines much of the Book of Revelation to local
events in Israel, specifically the destruction of the temple and
Jerusalem by the Romans. However, the Bible describes the return of
Christ and the final judgment as global events, affecting "every eye"
and involving "all nations."
Bible: Revelation 1:7 says, “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and
every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of
the earth will wail on account of him” (ESV). The scope of this verse
goes far beyond a regional judgment on Jerusalem. It clearly refers to a
universal event that all people will witness. Similarly, Matthew 24:30
declares that “all the tribes of the earth” will mourn at Christ’s
coming, pointing to a global impact that far exceeds the destruction of
one city.
Matthew 25:31-32 also speaks of Christ returning in glory to sit on His
throne and judge all nations, not just Israel: “Before him will be
gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” The universal
judgment described here is unmistakable.
2. The Literal and Bodily Return of Christ
Preterism often downplays or allegorizes key biblical texts that speak
of the literal, bodily return of Jesus. By claiming that Christ’s
"coming" was fulfilled in a symbolic or spiritual sense with the fall of
Jerusalem, the preterist view undermines clear biblical teachings on the
physical return of Christ to earth.
Bible: In Acts 1:11, after Jesus’ ascension, angels told the disciples,
“This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the
same way as you saw him go into heaven.” This passage leaves no room for
a merely symbolic return. The same Jesus who ascended visibly and bodily
into heaven will return visibly and bodily, not in a spiritual sense.
Additionally, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 says, “For the Lord himself will
descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an
archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in
Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be
caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air,
and so we will always be with the Lord.” This describes a clear,
physical event—the resurrection of the dead and the catching up of
believers—which has not yet occurred.
3. The Resurrection and Final Judgment Have Not Yet Occurred
One of the central claims of preterism is that the prophecies of
Revelation were largely fulfilled in the first century. However, this
view struggles to account for key aspects of biblical prophecy that
clearly have not yet taken place, such as the resurrection of the dead
and the final judgment of all people.
Bible: The Bible consistently teaches that the resurrection and final
judgment are future events that will occur when Christ returns. In John
5:28-29, Jesus says, “Do not marvel at this, for an hour is coming when
all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and come out, those who
have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil
to the resurrection of judgment.” This has not yet happened, as we still
await the resurrection of the dead.
Similarly, Revelation 20:11-15 speaks of a future final judgment where
the dead, great and small, stand before the throne of God to be judged
according to their works, and those not found in the Book of Life are
cast into the lake of fire. This final judgment of all people has
clearly not yet occurred and cannot be relegated to AD 70.
4. Christ’s Kingdom Has Not Yet Reached Fullness
Preterism suggests that Christ's kingdom was fully established after the
destruction of the temple and the institution of the New Covenant.
However, the Bible indicates that the full realization of Christ's reign
on earth will not occur until His return.
Bible: Revelation 11:15 declares, “The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever
and ever.” While Christ reigns now from heaven, this passage speaks of a
future consummation where His reign will be fully established on earth.
This is also described in Revelation 19, where Christ returns in power
to defeat His enemies and establish His reign, a sequence of events that
preterism does not adequately address.
Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:24-25, also teaches that Christ will "deliver
the kingdom to God the Father" after "destroying every rule and every
authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies
under his feet." This final triumph over all enemies, including death
itself, has not yet happened, pointing to a future fulfillment.
5. The Timing of Prophecies
Preterists frequently argue that phrases like "soon" or "the time is
near" in Revelation mean the events must have taken place shortly after
the book was written. However, this understanding does not account for
the broader biblical teaching on God’s timing and the imminence of
Christ’s return.
Bible: In 2 Peter 3:8-9, Peter reminds believers, “With the Lord one day
is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not
slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient
toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should
reach repentance.” The concept of imminence means that Christ’s return
could happen at any moment, but it does not require it to have happened
within the first century. The consistent teaching of Scripture is that
believers should always be ready, regardless of how much time has passed
(Matthew 24:42-44).
6. Lack of Fulfillment of Key Events
Many of the events described in Revelation, such as the Great
Tribulation, the mark of the beast, the rise of the Antichrist, and the
battle of Armageddon, cannot be fully accounted for by preterism. These
events are described as catastrophic and far-reaching, extending beyond
the scope of the first-century Roman-Jewish war.
Bible: Revelation 13 describes a global system of the beast, where all
people, small and great, rich and poor, must receive the mark of the
beast to buy or sell. There is no historical record of such a system
existing in the first century. The events described here have a global
significance and align with other prophetic warnings of a future world
ruler (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4) who will exalt himself above all gods and
demand to be worshiped.
Conclusion:
The preterist interpretation of Scripture does not adequately address
the global, literal, and future aspects of Christ’s return, the
resurrection of the dead, and the final judgment as laid out in the
Bible. While the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 was a significant
event, it does not fulfill the full scope of the prophecies in
Revelation, which point toward a future, physical return of Christ and
the ultimate establishment of His kingdom on earth. We should await that
blessed hope with expectation, knowing that all of God’s promises will
come to pass in His perfect timing.
--
Have you heard the good news Christ died for our sins (†), and God
raised Him from the dead?
That Christ died for our sins shows we're sinners who deserve the death
penalty. That God raised Him from the dead shows Christ's death
satisfied God's righteous demands against our sin (Romans 3:25; 1 John
2:1-2). This means God can now remain just, while forgiving you of your
sins, and saving you from eternal damnation.
On the basis of Christ's death and resurrection for our sins, call on
the name of the Lord to save you: "For 'everyone who calls on the name
of the Lord will be saved.'" (Romans 10:13, ESV)
https://christrose.news/salvation