Recently , I've meet some folks who are dedicated to this doctrine!
You just met another.
I presented all rejections of this
teaching to them on the grounds that the gospel hasn't reached all corners of the world as of yet
Do you consider Paul as inspired?
Col.1:6 which is come unto you; even as it is also in all the world ( ko/smov ) bearing fruit and increasing, as it doth in you also, since the day ye heard and knew the grace of God in truth;
Col 1:23 if so be that ye continue in the faith, grounded and stedfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel which ye heard, which was preached in all creation
(ktiðsiv)under heaven; whereof I Paul was made a minister
Romans 16:26 but now is manifested, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, is made known unto all the nations ( eáqnov) unto obedience of faith:
Romans But I say, Did they not hear? Yea, verily, Their sound went out into all the earth ( gh=), And their words unto the ends of the world ( oiÎkoumeÑnh ).
times of the gentiles not being fulfilled as of yet ,
Just what is the Biblical definition of "times of the Gentiles"? Not Hal Lindsey's, the Biblical definition.
I'm alarmed that they are picking up speed and not alot of people are refuting their false teachings!!!
It's because not alot of people can refute it. As I'm finding out from reading your post.
The return of Christ , being our only hope
,
What a sad life.
I think full preterism is difficult to justify biblically. Partial preterism, however, is quite attractive to me.
Partial-preterism is attractive, however it led me straight to full-preterism.
I think that the vast increase in knowledge as foretold by Daniel, the explosive growth in the population of the earth, the new found powers over the atom that make it possible to conceive of men themselves contributing to the destruction of the earth by fire, and the gospel being heard around the world by short wave radio, internet, etc and the reforming of the nation of Israel are all "signs of the times".
See how many times the word knowledge is used in the NT and see what it is referring to.
I think that full preterists and dispensationalists will turn out to be more incorrect than other viewpoints.
Ken, I believe the real debate is in the preterist area. Either full or partial. I'm beyond even considering the dispie view as possible.
A simple check of history compared to Scripture will end the Preterist myth, or at least it SHOULD.
Read some commentaries of men like Gill, Matthew Henry, Lightfoot, Clark etc and you will see how your list is in error among scholars pre-Darby.
For me personally, I just can't see how you can read through the Bible and take what you read literally and come up with a preterist view. I'am not qualified enough to debate it on a scholarly level. I just know to me personally you have to symbolize a whole, whole lot of Sripture to make the preterist view work.
And you have to ignore plain time-statements given by inspired writers to dismiss preterism and hold to your futurism.
Do you take Rev, 1:1,3 literally? How about James 5:8 or I Peter 4:7? What do you do with Matt 16:27-28?
Obviously, the second coming has not taken place since when Christ Jesus comes again and we see Him this present earth will be replaced by the new heavens and earth.
Ken, you should know better. Have you not read Spurgeon or John Owens' descriptions of the New Heavens and Earth?
Excellent post Roby!!!
Preterist claim in no resurrection which in the latter parts of Revelations clearly shows that Christians were resurrected!!!
1. Preterist do not deny resurrection.
2. It is hard to take someone seriously about their eschatology when they keep referring to Revelation as Revelations.
I'm confused how the 2nd coming of Christ as described in the Bible could even be considered as some invisible 2nd coming as they claim in 70 A.D.
Because it follows the pattern of OT "comings".
Here is what John Gill says:
and they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven,
with power and great glory.
The Arabic version reads it, "ye shall see", as is expressed by Christ, in Matthew 26:64. Where the high priest, chief priests, Scribes, and elders, and the whole sanhedrim of the Jews are spoken to: and as the same persons, namely, the Jews, are meant here as there; so the same coming of the son of man is intended; not his coming at the last day to judgment; though that will be in the clouds of heaven, and with great power and glory;
but his coming to bring on, and give the finishing stroke to the destruction of that people, which was a dark and cloudy dispensation to them: and when they felt the power of his arm, might, if not blind and stupid to the last degree, see the glory of his person, that he was more than a mere man, and no other than the Son of God, whom they had despised, rejected, and crucified; and who came to set up his kingdom and glory in a more visible and peculiar manner, among the Gentiles.
John Lightfoot says this:
30. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
[And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man.] Then shall the Son of man give a proof of himself, whom they would not before acknowledge: as proof, indeed, not in any visible figure, but in vengeance and judgment so visible, that all the tribes of the earth shall be forced to acknowledge him the avenger. The Jews would not know him: now they shall now him, whether they will or no, Isaiah 26:11. Many times they asked of him a sign: now a sign shall appear, that he is the true Messias, whom they despised, derided, and crucified, namely, his signal vengeance and fury, such as never any nation felt from the first foundations of the world.
I've went nearly 38 years before I even met a preterist and I feel they are gaining speed! If the Lord doesn't return within the next 10 years...I got a sneaky feeling we are going to have to deal with alot more of these people!!!
I don't think it will take 10 years, at least I hope not. So why do you think preterism will grow if Christ doesn't return "soon"? You're statement is very telling.
I believe in accepting what the Bible says in a literal sense except when to do so is utter nonsense, such as Jesus being a literal green ivy vine or a literal wooden door.
Except of course all the obvious time-statements. We must ignore or re-define those. I just love the "I take the Bible literal" defense.
When the preterist use "shortly come to pass" since no man knows the day nor hour
So you're not quite the literalist you pretend to be. You take the statements concerning the nature of the prophecies literally but not the timing statements literal.
....I feel GOD wanted His people to be good watchmen and always be prepared for his return!
So He tricked/decieved them into believing it was near.
I fear this teaching will promote loose living and declining morals to this church age!
Is that what you would do if you believed Jesus kept His promises? Is this your motivation?
I hate to see any Christian deceived by heresy!!!
Read any "Left Behind"?