What is Preterism, and why you should care?
Preterism is a widely held view in the study of Bible prophecy. Those who hold that view aren’t demonic spawns of the devil just because they dare to interpret the Bible differently. Actually, in most cases, 🙂 they are God-fearing Christians with different points of view.
That being said, it’s wise to consider what they believe. Because, if you only hear one side, you could be tempted to think these other interpretations of scripture actually do come from demon-spawn mutations of Christianity.
Of course, I’m making light of the intense debate that takes place among Christians who don’t see the world the same way.
Let’s take a brief look at the two interpretations, and hopefully try to understand why each side believes what it does. At the end of this post, I include a few verses that encourage a love for one another.
That contrasts with what we usually see in these exchanges of ideas.
Futurism as opposed to Preterism
In contrast to the view of the preterist, many of today’s Bible prophecy “so-called experts” hold the view known as futurism. Obviously, after reading a few of my posts, it’s clear that is the position I lean toward.
Some suggested articles:
Finally a future we can live with?
But, I take what I will call a loose futurist point of view. What I mean by that, is that I object to many of the things the common futurist teachers assert to be true. For example, I don’t believe the Lord can return at any moment. And I don’t believe Russia is the leader known as “Gog” who will attack Israel in the future. Also, the infamous ‘fig-tree prophecy,’ is poorly interpreted by many futurism teachers.
I look to the biblical text, not the popular books or teachers of the futurist point of view.
So, I do see Bible prophecy pointing to many future fulfilments but don’t agree with many points that are made by well-known authors and teachers.
Now, the preterist interprets Bible prophecy almost completely differently than how a futurist does.
Debunking Preterism
“Debunking Preterism,” by Dr. Brock Hollet was recently published and is available in bookstores. In the book, the author discusses his change from a preterist point of view. He now stands firmly in the futurist camp.
This video interview between Joel Richardson and the author Dr. Brock Hollet will give the reader an introduction to this often tense debate between opposing points of view.
So set aside your cat videos, open your Bible, and enjoy the following conversation between two well-respected scholars as they discuss this important debate.
The doctrine of Preterism as defined by those who teach it:
Full Preterism is properly defined (and has developed) in three areas: 1) time of fulfillment (NT imminence pointing to AD 70), 2) spiritual nature of fulfillment (kingdom being “in” or “within” and that of apocalyptic/prophetic language being metaphoric/symbolic), and 3) is the organic development or synthesis of the historic Church (classic Amillennial view and Partial Preterist view – “Reformed and always reforming”).
How the futurist interprets the book of Revelation and Bible prophecy
Answer: The futurist interpretation of the book of Revelation is one of four approaches to understanding the prophecies of Revelation. The other three systems are the historicist, the preterist, and the spiritual (or idealist).
The basic premise of the futurist viewpoint is that the majority of the prophecies in Revelation still await a future, literal fulfillment. This view of interpreting Revelation is very popular today, particularly among dispensationalists. It is the method used by the authors of the bestselling Left Behind series. Those who hold this view generally believe that everything after Revelation 3 will be fulfilled in the future.
Comparing verses in the Olivet Discourse:
| Matthew 16:27-28 & Parallels | The Olivet Discourse |
| 1. Christ comes in glory (Luke 9:26) | 1. Christ comes in glory (Matt. 24:30) |
| 2. Christ comes with angels (Matt. 16:27) | 2. Christ comes with angels (Matt. 24:31) |
| 3. Christ comes in judgment (Matt. 16:27) | 3. Christ comes in judgment (Matt. 24:28-31;25:31-34) |
| 4. Christ and the kingdom come in power (Mark 8:38) | 4. Christ and the kingdom come in power (Luke 21:27-32) |
| 5. Some of the disciples would live (Matt. 16:28) | 5. Some of the disciples would live (Luke 21:16-18) |
| 6. Some of the disciples would die (Matt. 16:28) | 6. Some of the disciples would die (Luke 21:16) |
| 7. Christ would be ashamed of some in His generation (Mark 8:38) | 7. All of this would occur in His generation (Matt. 24:34) |
Taken from an article at “Full preterism.”
This chart can help us understand what full and partial Preterism teaches
Full Preterists | ||||
A.D. 70 | At the end of history | A.D. 70 | At the end of history | |
| Coming (parousia) of Christ | No | Yes | ||
| Resurrection and rapture | Yes | No | No | Yes |
Day of the Lord | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Judgment | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
A brief summary of Preterism versus Futurism.
The argument between the two sides will not be won until someone, Jesus, breaks through the clouds at the end of days and settles the matter once and for all. 🙂 Of course, the Preterist will tell you that will never happen.
But we shall see.
John 13:34
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
Philippians 2:5
In your relationships with one another, have the same attitude of mind Christ Jesus had:
1 John 4:7
Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
Walk a mile in a person’s Preterism shoes
The admonition to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes means before judging someone, you must understand his experiences, challenges, thought processes, etc. The full idiom is: Before you judge a man, walk a mile in his shoes. In effect, it is a reminder to practice empathy. While long credited as a Native American aphorism, replacing the word shoes with moccasins, the saying almost certainly is derived from a Mary T. Lathrap poem published in 1895. The original title of the poem was Judge Softly, later titled Walk a Mile in His Moccasins. There are many variations on the phrase such as walk a mile in his, her or my shoes. A plea for empathy is phrased put yourself in my shoes, as well as put yourself in his or her shoes.
Let me know what you think.