I cannot prove they've already happened, but I believe the words of our Lord Jesus. The questions I have to answer is:
"In what way did all these things happen?"
"Was there a sense in which the Lord did come, veiled by clouds?"
Another attempt at trying to fill in a gap between preterist pronouncements and REALITY. Those events simply HAVEN'T YET HAPPENED. there's NO escaping that FACT.
We can see in the OT judgments similar terminology. e.g. Isaiah 13 During the Exodus the LORD made his presence known as he led his people by the pillar of cloud, & in the cloud that filled the tabernacle. See also Jeremiah 4:11-13
Those same people also saw other great miracles of God, such as their crossing the Reed Sea.(the correct name of the body of water they crossed) remember, many of them didn't know who God was before the Exodus.
Jesus made his prophecy very explicit so that the Jerusalem & Jerusalem Christians would know when to flee the city. As I think you agree.
But many preterists still try to say the eschatological prophecies were fulfilled during the "days of vengeance".
We are in substantial agreement there.
Good. We're getting somewhere.
Jesus carefully explained that the happenings he was warning about in Matthew 24:4-14 were not signs of the destruction, but would happen until the end. The fact that they are happening today is not of prophetic significance - just as it wasn't in the Apostles' time.
but they show LITERAL, TO-THE-LETTER fulfillment of His prophecies.
Matthew 24:15-34 then specifically relates to the destruction.
A destruction which hasn't yet happened. Remember, when Vespasian first attacked Jerusalem, his army surrounded it, but then, it left with him to help make him Caesar. Vespasian's son Titus returned with an army months later. There was plenty of time for believers to escape Jerusalem between the invasions; they were not required to escape in a matter of hours to avoid death. And the "abomination of desolation" was NOT committed by Titus, who was the only "prince of the people that shall destroy jerusalem" then present. Remember what the AOD is - the antichrist shall enter the temple with his deputy the false prophet to set up the AC's statue in the temple, which the FP shall supernaturally make speak, as the AC declares himself to be God. THAT HAS NOT YET HAPPENED!
If you insist on literal fulfilment of Mathew 24:27-31 then note that they will happen Immediately after the tribulation of those days. I think it is necessary to consider the destruction as being the subject of these verses up to 34.
But Jesus SPECIFICALLY WARNED against believing anyone who says he has already returned, as there'd be NO MISTAKING His return for anything else! The WHOLE WORLD will see His return!
Jesus continues from verse 35 to separate his final coming for the passing of heaven & earth from his coming for the destruction. And he gave no warning signs for the passing of heaven & earth - just watch & pray & live in readiness for that coming.
Jesus' "fig tree" analogy tells us we can know when His return is very near by the "signs of the time". Some of those signs have indeed come to pass in our day, such as the establishment of the Jewish nation with Jerusalem as its capital, the "great falling-away", with the world's acceptance of homosexuality & many "worship services" being more of a party with music & feasts.
Again, GOOD. I still hope we're getting somewhere.
World ruler or local ruler? Now you are in Revelation rather than the Olivet prophecy. Christians continued in Jerusalem until they saw the signs & fled. There were some evil rulers in Jerusalem - they may be named in uninspired references.
ALL the eschatological prophecies are inter-linked, both Old and New Testament. And Rev. 13 makes it plain the antichrist will be a WORLD ruler. NO Roman ruler had a miracle-working false prophet as his deputy. NO Roman ruler entered the temple in J & declared himself God, nor set up a talking statue in it. There has not been any "mark of the beast". AND JESUS CERTAINLY HAS NOT RETURNED IN THE MANNER HE HIMSELF SAYS HE WILL!
The tribulation the Jews suffered at the destruction was the final & complete judgment on the generation that rejected its Messiah. I'll take Jesus' word on that. The Romans had their balistas to rain rocks on the city.
Those were the "days of vengeance". And another fact that kills the "that generation" theory is that the Jews suffered a far-greater devastation in 135-136 AD when Hadrian crushed the Bar Kokhba revolt and outlawed all Jewish worship & customs, with many Jews being killed and many more being made slaves, used for gladiator practice, etc. and having all their land and property confiscated. In Titus' destruction of J & the temple, many other Jews in other cities were not molested at all, while in Hadrian's time, all Jews in the Roman empire were at least persecuted & deprived of their land & property.
Neither of those events were the great trib, which will be WORLDWIDE.
Not yet - that's the great next event on the prophecy calendar.
No, next will be the coming of the antichrist. Remember 2 Thess. 2.
I've never read any of those writings. I get my theology from the BIBLE.
Then know ye that JESUS' PROPHECIES ARE LITERAL! they've been LITERALLY fulfilled up to now, and they'll continue to be so.
The eschatological events beginning with the coming of the "beast" simply HAVE
NOT YET BEEN FULFILLED, & there's NO getting by that big ole bear of a FACT!
That fact alone renders all preterism false. While you say you get your theology from the Bible, you get your INTERPRETATION of the Bible from some groddy, false outside source; otherwise you wouldn't believe that preterist nonsense. There's PLENTY of prophecy yet to be fulfilled, and that's another inescapable FACT! I hope the HOLY SPIRIT opens your eyes to the falsehood of the preterist myth!
