What is the preterist view of the end times?

Answer

According to preterism, all prophecy in the Bible is essentially history. The preterist interpretation of Scripture views the book of Revelation as a symbolic representation of conflicts in the first century, rather than a prediction of future events. The term preterism is derived from the Latin word praeter, which means “past.” Therefore, preterism asserts that the biblical prophecies concerning the “end times” have already been fulfilled—in the past. Preterism stands in contrast to futurism, which anticipates a future fulfillment of end-times prophecies.

Preterism is categorized into two forms: full (or consistent) preterism and partial preterism. This discussion will focus on full preterism (also known as hyper-preterism).

Preterism rejects the idea of future prophetic significance in the book of Revelation. Essentially, the preterist belief is that all the end-times prophecies in the New Testament were realized in AD 70 during the Roman siege and destruction of Jerusalem. Preterism asserts that every event typically associated with the end times—such as Christ’s second coming, the tribulation, the resurrection of the dead, and the final judgment—has already taken place. (Regarding the final judgment, it is still in the process of unfolding.) The return of Jesus to earth was understood as a “spiritual” return, not a physical one.

Preterism teaches that the Law was completely fulfilled in AD 70, and God’s covenant with Israel came to an end. The “new heavens and new earth” mentioned in Revelation 21:1 is interpreted by preterists as a depiction of the world under the New Covenant. Just as a Christian is transformed into a “new creation” «Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. », (2 Corinthians 5:17), so the world under the New Covenant represents a “new earth.” This concept

Aspect of preterism can easily lead to a belief in replacement theology.

Preterists usually point to a passage in Jesus’ Olivet Discourse to bolster their argument. After Jesus describes some of the end-times happenings, He says, “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened” «Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. », (Matthew 24:34). The preterist takes this to mean that everything Jesus speaks of in Matthew 24 had to have occurred within one generation of His speaking—the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 was therefore “Judgment Day.”

The problems with preterism are many. For one thing, God’s covenant with Israel is everlasting (Jeremiah 31:35-37), and there will be a future restoration of Israel «And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. », (Isaiah 11:12). The apostle Paul warned against those who, like Hymenaeus and Philetus, teach falsely “that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some” (2 Timothy 2:17-18). And Jesus’ mention of “this generation” should be taken to mean the generation that is alive to see the beginning of the events described in Matthew 24.

Eschatology is a complex subject, and the Bible’s use of apocalyptic imagery to relate many prophecies has led to a variety of interpretations of end-time events. There is room for some disagreement within Christianity regarding these things. However, full preterism has some serious flaws in that it denies the physical reality of Ch

rist’s second coming and downplays the dreadful nature of the tribulation by limiting that event to the fall of Jerusalem.