ReformedBaptist
Well-Known Member
Rather than derail another thread with a bunny trail, I thought to start this one because the ugly head of hyper-preterism seemed to pop up. I briefly rebuked the doctrine laying its condemnation under the authority of Scripture in 2 Timothy 2 of the heresy of Hymenaeus and Philetus.
For the record, modern hyper-preterism teaching that the Second Coming of Christ, the general ressurection, and the Great White Throne Judgment are past. What could be called preterism, and what is today styled as partial-preterism, is that some prophetic events described in the Scriptures have been fulfilled. This would be different from the futurist interpretations of prophecy.
There seems to be some debate as to what exactly these heretics in Paul's day were teaching. It it not unclear that they were teaching that the resurrection had already taken place. The text itself in 2Tim 2 clearly tell us this. But was this a physical resurrection? A spiritual one? I don't think it matters. If it mattered that much, I suppose the Holy Spirit would have told us. What matters is that the effect of their teaching led Christians NOT to look for a future resurrection of the dead after the same manner as the Lord Jesus Christ and it over-threw the faith of some.
This is exactly what hyper-preterism does. But it goes even further, just like a canker gets bigger, so has this heresy gone further than what we find in the text of Scripture. Not only does HP (hyper-preterism) deny a future resurrection, it denies a future return of Jesus Christ in bodily form! When dear Christians face their death, they have no hope of a resurrection of their bodies! Nor have they any hope of the coming of Jesus Christ! Brethren, this is a damnable heresy. It takes away the Christian's hope.
The Bible teaches the physical return of Jesus Christ in the body that He died in. the very physcial body that was crucified was also raised from the dead. As Christians, we are crucified with Him and raised with Him from the dead. Christ is the first-fruits, and then we at His coming.
"And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." Romans 8:23
"If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead." 1 Cor 15:19-21
These texts of Scripture are not speaking of a spiritual resurrection, but a physical one. The body of human beings are not prisons for the soul of man. The body is good, not evil, as the gnostic heresy teaches. Yes, the body is corruptable and natural, and our new bodies will be spiritual (yet physical). But we as true Christians are waiting for the redemption of our bodies. The very ones that we are in! On what do we rest our hope? On the death and resurrection of Christ Himself.
Hyper-preterism denies these things. It is also contrary to every orthodox creed and confession of the church from the very first ones we possess. Why is this significant? Of so many things the church has wrestled with over the centuries, the physical and bodily return of Jesus and the resurrection of the dead (physical) has been in every one of them. There has been no significant disagreement on this for 2,000 years. This places hyper-preterism so outside of historic Christianity that it is baffeling to me that men would even dare to espouse it.
Don't be tricked into this old heresy my brethren. Hold fast to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Scriptures.
RB
For the record, modern hyper-preterism teaching that the Second Coming of Christ, the general ressurection, and the Great White Throne Judgment are past. What could be called preterism, and what is today styled as partial-preterism, is that some prophetic events described in the Scriptures have been fulfilled. This would be different from the futurist interpretations of prophecy.
There seems to be some debate as to what exactly these heretics in Paul's day were teaching. It it not unclear that they were teaching that the resurrection had already taken place. The text itself in 2Tim 2 clearly tell us this. But was this a physical resurrection? A spiritual one? I don't think it matters. If it mattered that much, I suppose the Holy Spirit would have told us. What matters is that the effect of their teaching led Christians NOT to look for a future resurrection of the dead after the same manner as the Lord Jesus Christ and it over-threw the faith of some.
This is exactly what hyper-preterism does. But it goes even further, just like a canker gets bigger, so has this heresy gone further than what we find in the text of Scripture. Not only does HP (hyper-preterism) deny a future resurrection, it denies a future return of Jesus Christ in bodily form! When dear Christians face their death, they have no hope of a resurrection of their bodies! Nor have they any hope of the coming of Jesus Christ! Brethren, this is a damnable heresy. It takes away the Christian's hope.
The Bible teaches the physical return of Jesus Christ in the body that He died in. the very physcial body that was crucified was also raised from the dead. As Christians, we are crucified with Him and raised with Him from the dead. Christ is the first-fruits, and then we at His coming.
"And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." Romans 8:23
"If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead." 1 Cor 15:19-21
These texts of Scripture are not speaking of a spiritual resurrection, but a physical one. The body of human beings are not prisons for the soul of man. The body is good, not evil, as the gnostic heresy teaches. Yes, the body is corruptable and natural, and our new bodies will be spiritual (yet physical). But we as true Christians are waiting for the redemption of our bodies. The very ones that we are in! On what do we rest our hope? On the death and resurrection of Christ Himself.
Hyper-preterism denies these things. It is also contrary to every orthodox creed and confession of the church from the very first ones we possess. Why is this significant? Of so many things the church has wrestled with over the centuries, the physical and bodily return of Jesus and the resurrection of the dead (physical) has been in every one of them. There has been no significant disagreement on this for 2,000 years. This places hyper-preterism so outside of historic Christianity that it is baffeling to me that men would even dare to espouse it.
Don't be tricked into this old heresy my brethren. Hold fast to the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Scriptures.
RB
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