Speaker 1: 0:01

Hello and welcome to the Waking Up To Grace podcast, where we celebrate and explore the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Tune in to the Waking Up To Grace podcast on every major platform. You can also listen to our episodes and read our full transcripts at wakinguptogracecom. And now here's Lenny.

Speaker 2: 0:22

Welcome to the Waking Up to Grace podcast everyone. This episode is based on my latest blog post, so all the links and information that I refer to will be right there on my blog post at wakinguptogracecom. You can find a link right to the page in the description section of your podcast app, or you can just go to wakinguptogracecom and right on my homepage you'll find the latest post. So today we're going to ask the question what is preterism? Full preterism is a Christian eschatological view or belief that interprets all prophecies of the Bible as events that have already been fulfilled in the first century AD. Partial preterism stops short of this thinking and claims that only some of the prophecies were fulfilled in the first century, while others, such as the second coming of Christ, remain in our future. Full preterism, also known as fulfilled eschatology, interprets the book of Daniel as referring to events that happened from the 7th century BC until the 1st century AD. This school of thought also sees the prophecies of the book of Revelation, as well as Christ's predictions within the Olivet Discourse, as events that happened in the first century. The full preterist view insists that the second coming of Christ is synonymous with the AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem. This thinking takes Christ's words literally in the following passages Matthew 24, 34. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Luke 21, 20. But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains and let those who are inside the city depart and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance to fulfill all that is written. John 21.22. Jesus said to him If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is it to you? You follow me. Matthew 16, 28. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. And then Matthew 10, 23. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of man comes Fulfilled.

Speaker 2: 2:50

Eschatology states that Israel finds its continuation or fulfillment in the Christian church at the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. The true Israel being Christ Yeshua and the faithful in him all along. Romans 9.6, 11.7, and 11.26 talk about this, but the question what is preterism is one that is often never asked. I received this revelation by word of mouth, through an email. The message I received was as follows, with some pleasantries removed from the beginning the more I read and study scripture, the more I am convinced that mainstream Christianity is wrong about many things. I would like to challenge your thinking in terms of making sense of what passes for churchianity today and the endless commentaries that we are living in the last days and other prophetic nonsense. About a year ago, after much Bible study, along with the appropriate lexicons and other study helps, I was introduced to the concept of fulfilled eschatology, otherwise known as preterism, and it has been more a dramatic assurance to me than when I was shown the doctrines of grace. It's like I have a whole new Bible. As I began to study this view, I saw that, although it went against what the majority of the church was teaching and what I had learned or parroted, it was what the Bible was teaching. I had to make a choice between tradition and the scriptures. The choice was easy. If this view is new to you, I would ask that you would openly and honestly look at what it is saying.

Speaker 2: 4:23

Almost every book in the New Testament talks of a soon return of Jesus Christ, and it is very hard to make 2,000 years soon by any hermeneutic. The main issue in all of this is the inspiration of Scripture. Don't let tradition rob you of the precious truths which our Lord taught. I challenge you to be a Berean and daily search the Scripture to see if these things are so. I challenge you to be a Berean and daily search the scripture to see if these things are so. Believers today must address directly the vast misunderstanding that exists within the realm of Christianity regarding Christ's eschatological teachings. Matthew 24, 34 says Jesus here very plainly and very clearly tells his disciples that all of the things he had just mentioned would come to pass in their generation. The context of this includes the gospel being preached in all the world, the abomination of desolation, the great tribulation and the second coming. This is so clear that it greatly troubles those who hold to a futuristic eschatology.

Speaker 2: 5:29

In his essay the World's Last Knight, cs Lewis, talking about Matthew 24, quotes an objector as saying the apocalyptic beliefs of the first Christians have been proven to be false. It is clear from the New Testament that they all expected the second coming in their own lifetime. And worse still, they had a reason, and one which you will find very embarrassing. Their master had told them so he shared and indeed created their delusion. He said in so many words this generation shall not pass till all these things be done. And he was wrong. He clearly knew no more about the end of the world than anyone else. Then Lewis says this is certainly the most embarrassing verse in the Bible. Yet how teasing also that within fourteen words of it should come the statement but of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither of the Son but the Father. The World's Last Night from 1960. And that's found in the Essential CS Lewis, page 385.

Speaker 2: 6:40

So Lewis says that what Jesus said about this generation is embarrassing and calls it an error. Was Jesus wrong? I can't accept that, can you? Fortunately, christ did keep his promise to come within the first century generation. Christ's second coming occurred spiritually, the way he intended it, at the AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem. This highly verified historical event signified that sin finally had been atoned for forever and that all Christians, from generation to generation, could live eternally on earth and in heaven without separation from God. Now I'm sure that you're thinking if the Lord did come back in 70 AD, how did we miss it for all these years? How could he have come back and we not have known it?

Speaker 2: 7:27

The problem here is one of preconceived ideas. It is because of the paradigms that we have developed. We think that the second coming is an earth-burning, heaven-melting, globe-changing event, so we assume it could not have already happened. I submit to you that either scripture is wrong about the time of the Second Coming and thus not inerrant, or our paradigms are wrong about the nature of the Second Coming. Which one of those are you more comfortable with, an incorrect paradigm or an uninspired Scripture? That's a lot to take in and I wouldn't blame you if you don't reply, and that's okay. But I was impressed with your comment to Brandon and I thought I would share with you what the Lord has been teaching me in his word. May the Lord bless you and keep you and may Christ be praised. And that was the end of Dave's message to me.

Speaker 2: 8:16

When I responded to Dave's email, he was kind enough to share some additional information on Preterism, which included 101 timing passages, and again I have a link to this on my blog post. These 101 passages in Scripture clearly lay out the reason why most scholars today agree that the Apostles all believed the Second Coming was going to happen very soon and in their generation, with 101 passages expressing urgently that this event would be coming very soon and in their generation, with 101 passages expressing urgently that this event would be coming very soon. We have to wonder how, 2,000 years later, church establishments are still echoing these same words. I talk on that in episode number 25. But let's talk about the opposition to preterism and the most popular theology today Futurism.

Speaker 2: 9:01

Futurism is a Christian eschatological view that sees portions of John's Revelation and other apocalyptic sections of the Bible as future end-time events. Futurism is pre-millennial. Pre-millennialism thinking tells us that Christ will return to earth, bind Satan and reign for a literal thousand years on earth with Jerusalem as his capital. According to this understanding, christ returns before the thousand years mentioned in Revelation, chapter 20. Futurist beliefs also have a close association with dispensationalism and Zionism. So let's talk about dispensationalism and Zionism.

Speaker 2: 9:41

Much of the futurist belief rests on the assumption that God has never given Israel all the land promised through Abraham and that the complete fulfillment of this promise is still in the future. In other words, israel gets to murder innocent people in Palestine and take their land from them. These views ignore the prophesied final judgment that fell on first century Israel. They imagine that a temple needs to be rebuilt and that the Jewish people who dwell in Israel today are God's holy people, even despite there being no context to support the concept in scripture. I discuss this in post number six. The Christian Zionists of our generation lead our country as we speak and will support the fabricated nation Israel that was created by the Rothschilds in the 60s. In whatever they do, they don't support any truly holy motive, but stand with the wicked government of Israel and all of their war crimes against innocent people, including thousands of Christians in Palestine. But we can just call them terrorists if it makes you feel better.

Speaker 2: 10:44

Be careful what you believe from the news and media, which is run by these same central bankers who own nearly everything we see around us. Study it out and you'll find this to be truth. Make no mistake there is no connection with today's so-called Holy Land and ancient Israel, religiously or ethnically. They have no temple, nor do they ever offer any required animal sacrifices. They have no Levite lineage to operate a temple and never will. It was destroyed in AD 70.

Speaker 2: 11:15

According to gene testing and I have links to this they have no ethnic DNA. In other words, there is no Jewish race. It doesn't exist. They don't keep the law of Moses, they go by the rabbinic tradition in their Talmud and, of course, as Christians, how do you call a person holy who rejects Christ? I guess you could say Zionism promotes fake news about fake Jews. Today's Jews have no ethnic DNA, no proven lineage. They don't keep the Mosaic Law and they reject their Messiah. It sounds like a cult to me, but you have to decide for yourself.

Speaker 2: 11:53

If you want to hear what a Zionist sounds like when they think out loud, check out the latest interview with Tucker Carlson and Ted Cruz, and I link to this as well. Here, tucker asks the questions that all of America needs to be asking, and Ted brings nothing to the table except a feast of error and ignorance for the whole world to embrace. But don't think our fearless leader in America is going to save us from any of this madness. He can be seen on video in his beanie performing a ceremony on the Wailing Wall, or Western Wall that is considered holy to the Jews. I'm not sure what that's really about, although I doubt it's what CNN would tell us to believe. It's my understanding that his wife and much of their immediate family profess to be believers in Judaism, and Trump has been called the first Jewish American president numerous times. But if that's not enough to raise an eyebrow, he filled his entire cabinet with pro-Israel, aka Zionist, members.

Speaker 2: 12:48

Are we excited yet? Check out these links for yourself. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying to cheer on the left when it comes to our government. I have to quote Bob Dylan and say clowns on the left and jokers on the right. And we're stuck in the middle of all this.

Speaker 2: 13:12

But getting back to futurism in general, when asked how coming soon can mean 2,000 years later to the audience that heard our Lord Christ Yeshua speaking to them about these things, the futurist attitude states a day is a thousand years and a thousand years a day to the Lord. So let's look at a day is a thousand years From the vantage point of Preterism. A likely response would be to the Lord, a day is a thousand years, not to us. Should we apply the words of Peter to the accuracy of prophetic warnings? Is that what Peter was doing when he said this to his audience? Let's read this passage in 2 Peter 3, 1-13.

Speaker 2: 13:47

This is now the letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days, with scoffing following their own sinful desires, they will say where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation. For they deliberately overlook the fact that the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of creation. For they deliberately overlook the fact that the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these, the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word, the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.

Speaker 2: 14:39

But do not overlook this one fact beloved that with the Lord, one day is a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise, as some count slowness, but is patient towards you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be, in lights of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn? But, according to his promise, we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. So, looking back at the scoffers, we see that the scoffers here were casting doubt on a final judgment, because all things continued as they were from the beginning of creation.

Speaker 2: 15:42

We must factor in that these scoffers were doing their scoffing in the first century, while the apostles declared that Christ would be returning soon in judgment, as well as to raise the dead in Sheol and bring them into heaven. There was a 40-year time period from the cross of Christ to the destruction of Jerusalem and the parousia or return of Christ. This would certainly give people something to scoff about when being told it would happen soon. This 40 year time period is a parallel to Israel's exodus out of Egypt. The first exodus, the first exodus, was a shadow of the things to come in the second exodus, upon the return of Christ. Preterism holds to the fact that the second exodus was from the cross of Christ and Yeshua in AD 30 to the Jerusalem temple destruction in AD 70. Was there scoffers during the first exodus? Yes, there was a lot of scoffing going on before they reached the promised land.

Speaker 2: 16:37

Today, most are still awaiting the resurrection of the dead. They don't understand the implications of this view. It's not understood that without the resurrection, the dead are still sleeping in Sheol waiting to be brought into heaven with the Lord. But as Dave pointed out in his message to me that we read earlier, this was a spiritual event. The resurrection would also be spiritual in that the dead would not need their original bodies to be raised. Our earthly bodies have no use in the heavenly realms and we will all receive better ones that are more suitable for our new dwelling. On top of that, there is not a single verse written in our scripture to support Christ. Yeshua returning in the flesh. A physical human body Coming in the clouds was a spiritual event. There was much taking place in the unseen realms while humanity witnessed the final judgment on the once holy people of Israel in AD 70. The final judgment and resurrection of the dead was prophesied in scripture long ago, but was not coming soon until Yeshua and his apostles declared it as such. So what we really see going on is the end of the world as they knew it.

Speaker 2: 17:46

As Dave wrote to me in his message outlining what preterism is, how could he have come back and we not have known it? The problem here is one of preconceived ideas. It is because of the paradigms that we have developed. We think that the second coming is an earth-burning, heaven-melting, globe-changing event. So we assume it could not have already happened. And we saw that in Peter, didn't we? It sounded like that, doesn't it? And to Dave's point, this is exactly what we think today when we read the language in our Bibles about the end times. But is this the way the apostles in the first century believed it would be, but is this the way the Apostles in the first century believed it would be.

Speaker 2: 18:27

In our generation we read our Hebrew Old Testament, like the Greek Gentiles of the first century might have read it. We don't understand the prophetic language at all. Our New Testament epistles were all written by ancient Hebrew people. They knew the context of the Old Testament much better than we do today. Let's look at an example of just how far removed the institutional churches today are from the true context of scripture.

Speaker 2: 18:52

Yeshua said For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot will pass from the law, until all is accomplished. That's Matthew 5.18. So on our ignorance, we say the earth is going to end. You might say this all the time, but I don't think this means what you think it means. In Isaiah we read that when Yahweh established the nation of Israel, it was a new heavens and earth. In Isaiah 51. 51 15, we read I'm the Lord, your God, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar. The Lord of hosts is his name, and I've put my words in your mouth and covered you in the shadow of my hand, establishing the heavens and laying the foundations of the earth, and saying to Zion you are my people. I know this is a lot to wrap your head around if you were thinking the end of the world is coming soon.

Speaker 2: 19:43

Preterism is a shock to our paradigms. But what about the sun going dim, the stars falling from the sky and all the end of the world events? In Matthew 24, starting in verse 29, we read Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light and the stars will fall from heaven and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call and they will gather his elect. We see this and think there is no way our world will continue under these circumstances. But this is not the end of the world as we know it. It was the end of the world as they knew it.

Speaker 2: 20:36

Let's see what the true Jews of the ancient scriptures thought about the moon, stars and sun. Most of us are familiar with the story of Joseph. You know the one with the colorful coat. Genesis 37.9 reads this is quite a thing to take place if we were to look at it literally, isn't it? How do we explain this in our Western culture minds today? We don't, but we should look at how the ancient Hebrews in our Bible thought of it. In Genesis 37.10 we read Joseph's ancient Hebrew family clearly understood Joseph to be referring to his parents as the sun and moon and his eleven siblings as stars. These references were commonly interpreted as representing governing authorities, but they were also often descriptive of nations or kingdoms. We need to put on our ancient Hebrew thinking caps when we see apocalyptic language in our scripture.

Speaker 2: 21:51

The only way Christians will wake up to the reality of the cult of Zionism is if they become familiar with their Bibles. And, of course, we have to pray for understanding and stop interpreting it how today's dispensationalist church leaders want us to. When it comes to the preterist view, it's as simple as believing what our Lord said. Our Lord said it. Do you believe it? With so many scholars concluding that the apostles believed Christ's return would happen in their generation, should we not consider why they thought such things? Matthew 24 34 says truly, I made this very statement to his apostles in the first century AD. To those he spoke to a generation was not 2,000 years and our Lord was not speaking to us when he said this. What relevance would these words have to his audience if the things taking place would be 2,000 years later?

Speaker 2: 22:51

In Luke 21 20, yeshua says but when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains and let those who are inside the city depart and let not those who are out in the country enter it, for these are days of vengeance to fulfill all that is written. Here Christ Yeshua seems to state that the AD 70 destruction of Jerusalem would fulfill all that is written. Was he talking about ancient fictional books read for entertainment, or did he refer to written prophecy in scripture? I would conclude the latter statement is the most accurate here. This would mean that upon the destruction of Jerusalem and its once holy temple, that all prophecy was fulfilled. But that doesn't have to mean the second coming was fulfilled at that time. Many will say this concept often coming from partial preterists who in reality are a stretch to fit into the box of preterism at all, but if we go back into that passage for context, we see that the second coming, or parousia, was in fact included in all that is written.

Speaker 2: 24:00

Looking at Luke 21-25, yeshua says and there will be signs in sun and moon and stars and on the earth distress of nations and perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken, and then they will see the Son of man coming in a cloud with great power and great glory. Now, when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. To the ancient Hebrews, who were being spoken to here, coming in a cloud meant judgment. In their Tanakh, which is our Old Testament, yahweh was not smiling while sitting on a puffy white cloud. This would have been a storm cloud bringing wrath and destruction, but the first century Christians also associated this destruction with their redemption and clearly Christ himself was the author of this concept. So how do we pull these things apart and put any of this in our future, as the futurist believers do?

Speaker 2: 25:02

John 21-22,. Jesus said to him, if it is my will that he remain until I come. What is that to you? The he here that would remain or still be alive at the time of the second coming was John, the author of Revelation. Let's look closer at the context. Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close to him and had said Lord, who is this that's going to betray you? When Peter, reclining at table close to him and had said Lord, who is this that's going to betray you? When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus Lord, what about this man? Jesus said to him If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me? So the saying spread abroad among the brothers that this disciple was not to die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he was not to die, but if it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? And again, in Matthew, christ Yeshua makes a similar statement, but includes more than one in his audience. Matthew 16, 28. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. And again our Lord emphasizes this point to his disciples who were standing with him in the first century while he was walking on the earth. Christ Yeshua is not speaking to us, matthew 10.23,. When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of man comes.

Speaker 2: 26:33

We have an abundance of passages in Scripture when it comes to the everlasting covenant that the church has in Christ Yeshua, but one definitely stands out among them all Christ as the cornerstone. Matthew 21, 42. Jesus said to them have you never read in the scriptures? The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing and it's marvelous in our eyes. Therefore, I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits, and the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him. When the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him. When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. The kingdom was taken away from national Israel in AD 70, and this was not to be a temporary situation. In Hebrews 13 20 we read Now may the God of peace, who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant. Eternal covenant, that's what we have in Christ. This isn't a temporary period in time waiting for Messiah to come back and reign in Israel. This is our permanent covenant.

Speaker 2: 27:47

Preterism is going to upset some people. Some call preterism heresy. Preterism is not popular like the never-ending end times prophecies of our day that always prove to be false. But is preterism the true context of scripture? That's the real question we should be asking. If you find yourself asking what, what is preterism? And you don't study it out to be sure, you may be living the rest of your life not knowing the truth about the times you're living in. Are you comfortable with that?

Speaker 2: 28:18

In conclusion, can you see why the apostles of Christ Yeshua believed he was coming in their generation? Does it now make sense why there are over 100 passages in our New Testament that declare the second coming of Christ as coming soon and even very soon? The question we must ask ourselves with all this on the table is if Christ Yeshua did not come in that generation, would he not be a false prophet? If we take the time to study our prophecy in scripture, we will not find that a day is a thousand years. If the event prophesied did not take place in the time frame that it was declared, what would have to be the conclusion? A second coming is being declared nearly every decade these days. If we are to examine futurist eschatology, what is the most consistent pattern that we find with their prophecy? They're always wrong. Was our Lord wrong when he proclaimed I'm coming soon? It seems to be high time that we stop clinging to this false drama and believe what Christ Yeshua said. Our Lord is not someone who starts a project that he can't finish. Believe it because our Lord said it, and study out the details in order to be left in awe.

Speaker 2: 29:31

Christ Yeshua fulfilled the seven feasts of Yahweh, not just the spring feasts, but also the fall feasts. If you haven't read that book by David Curtis, go get it now on Amazon. I have a link to it in my blog post. The seven feasts of Yahweh is guaranteed to blow your mind in a good way. It's an incredible piece of work regarding Christ Yeshua's fulfillment of all prophecy.

Speaker 2: 29:56

We shouldn't be asking ourselves what is preterism? We should be saying Yahweh does what he says. Christ Yeshua does what he says. His work is finished. Redemption is here, not near. His work is finished. Redemption is here, not near. Welcome to the age that was to come in our New Testament writings, the New Covenant Age. And don't forget resting in Christ is not like sleeping. Our rest in Christ allows us to serve our Lord freely from the heart, without the anxiety and burden of sin getting between us and our Lord. Don't get caught up in sin. It's not worth your time. You're a child of Yahweh, brothers and sisters in Christ. Your identity is holy and righteous. Embrace what the Lord has made. You have a good day out there. I'll talk to you next time.

Speaker 1: 30:47

Thank you for listening to the Waking Up to Grace podcast brought to you by the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ. If you enjoyed today's episode, we would love to hear from you. You can send encouragement our way right from our episodes and transcripts page.