Eschatology, or the study of last things, interests many Christians. It entertains (and scares) us because it pertains to the end times, the end of the world as we know it.
Most often, when people think of the last things, their thoughts race to the book of Revelation with its fantastic and mysterious images and events. People often get confused as they try to find the meaning of various words, images, and events. Different Christian groups give differing views about the timing of the events described in the book of Revelation. One major view is preterism.
What Does the Word Preterism Mean?
Preterism derives its meaning from the Latin word praeter, which means past. The past, particularly first-century history, informs preterism’s views on the end times in crucial ways. There are several key end-times views about what Revelation describes:
- Historicists contend Revelation portrays the entire history of the church. Therefore, some events are past, and some are future.
- Idealists understand Revelation as illustrating the historically recurring spiritual realities until history’s final consummation. They dismiss rulers and events which correspond to the beasts, images, and events of Revelation.
- Futurists see Revelation as depicting solely future events happening immediately before Christ’s return.
- Preterists see Revelation as mostly depicting past events that happened in the first century AD.
Where Does Preterism Come From?
The preterist view of eschatology began in the post-Reformation era. Its first adherent was Spanish-Catholic Jesuit Luis Alcazar (1554-1613). The first Protestant preterist, Hugo Grotius of Holland (1583-1645), substantiated his claims by using his “historical-philological” method to interpret the Bible: he argued that language’s meaning changes throughout history. In the seventeenth century, Englishman Henry Hammond (1605-1660) expanded the preterist view in his book, Paraphrase and Annotations Upon all the Books of the New Testament (1653).
Not until the nineteenth century did preterism increase its followers. The German Praeterist School raised preterism’s profile, and most contemporary evangelical preterists follow this thought system. Moses Stuart (1780-1852) familiarized the United States with partial preterism in the nineteenth century with his book A Commentary on the Apocalypse. The 1970s saw new popularity for partial preterism as advances were made in research about biblical texts’ historical context.
What Are the Different Schools of Preterism?
While preterists all maintain that many events described in Revelation occurred in the first century, they differ on certain points.
Included in the list of end times’ views are:
1. Full preterists believe the events of Revelation have already occurred in the first century. They link all the catastrophic symbols written in Revelation to Jerusalem’s temple being destroyed in AD. 70. Fred Zaspel, adjunct professor of systematic theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, defines the full preterist view of Revelation as “an approach to biblical eschatology that understands all prophecies as fulfilled in the first century AD.”
2. Partial preterism holds that most of the prophecies of Revelation found their fulfillment in either the fall of Jerusalem (AD 70) or the fall of the Roman Empire (AD 476), but the Second Coming of Christ is yet to come.
3. Moderate preterism remains the conventional preterist position. Moderate preterists suggest most of the prophetic statements in Revelation have been fulfilled, though events depicted in Revelation 20-22 haven’t happened yet.
Views on the Millennium (the thousand-year reign) vary in preterist circles. However, most preterists ascribe to postmillennialism or amillennialism.
Who Are Some Famous Advocates for Preterism?
Preterists (full, moderate, and partial) include some well-known Bible teachers. The most famous ones today are probably:
- R.C. Sproul (the late founder of Ligonier Ministries)
- Gary DeMar (President of American Vision)
- Kenneth Gentry (Director of GoodBirth Ministries)
- Hank Hanegraaff (President of the Christian Research Institute)
- Steve Gregg (radio minister and author)
- N. T. Wright (Professor emeritus, Oxford, UK.)
What Are Some Common Arguments for Preterism?
Preterists often ground their view in biblical passages that apparently anticipate Jesus’ second coming within the first century. Here are some passages they typically cite.
“I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes” (Matt. 10:23). Jesus’ audience is his first-century Jewish disciples, whom he says will not go through all of Israel’s towns before the Son of Man comes. Preterists might say He’s not referring to His final coming; instead, He refers to judgment on the people of Israel. This typically comes in light of the broader biblical theme of Jesus’ title as the Son of Man, which is a title of divine judgment.
“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” (Matt. 16:28). Here again, Jesus is speaking specifically to His immediate audience in the first century—“some standing here”—with the statement they would see Him (the Son of Man) come in his kingdom.
Divine visitation is a theme in the Old Testament that often involves God’s judgment. The Old Testament anticipates the coming of the Day of the Lord, which is one of judgment. In Amos, God says the people won’t be glad when the Day of the Lord comes upon them (Amos 5:18-20).
God’s visitation in light of pending judgment: in the book of Genesis, the Lord’s visitation brings a pattern of examination and judgment. In the Garden, when God walked with Adam and Eve, He examined and judged (Genesis 3:8-19). At the tower of Babel, “The Lord came down to see,” and He examined and judged (Genesis 11:5-9, emphasis added). In the account of Sodom and Gomorrah, God said He would “go down and see,” again after personal examination came judgment (Genesis 18:20-19:29). It is very easy to see the incarnation of Jesus as an inspection of God’s people in light of impending judgment.
“Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (Matt. 24:34). In preceding verses, Jesus uses apocalyptic imagery. The reader must take care to view the passage with that in mind. The term “this generation” was used in other parts of Matthew for the people (the Jews) who lived (visibly present here) at the time of Jesus’ earthly ministry. “This generation” is a theme throughout Matthew, apparently referring to the generation of Jews who rejected their Messiah (for example, in Matthew 23:34-36). So, in Matthew 23, Jesus’ discussion about “this generation” seems to be part of a continued discussion with His disciples about the judgment pronounced against the current generation of Jews (Matthew 23:35-36).
Also, Jesus’ words of judgment against the religious leaders in Matthew 23:33 are identical to John the Baptist’s words in Matthew 3:7 (also against the current generation of Jews who stand ready to be judged by God). This context would help explain Peter’s words in Acts 2:40, where he urges his fellow countrymen, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” Visitation and judgment may go hand in hand—see how Luke 1:68’s words about redemption pair with Luke 19:44’s words about judgment. Preterists may connect at least some of Jesus’ statements about His coming as the Son of Man as anticipating God’s judgment against the nation of Israel.
Kevin DeYoung asserts, “The strength of the preterist school is that it puts Revelation in its original context.” He adds, “With the preterist, we must read Revelation in its immediate context. With the idealist, we must look at Revelation as a symbolic portrayal of God’s work, most of which can apply to any historical time. With the futurist, we must read Revelation with the end of history in mind, recognizing that the book depicts, in parts, the second coming, the final judgment, and the eternal state. And with the historicist, we must understand that the prophecies of Revelation, though they are not limited to one particular occurrence, are fulfilled in time and space.”
Ligonier Ministries stresses the need to look at the book of Revelation with a correct hermeneutical approach.
What Are Some Common Concerns about Preterism?
There have been various objections raised to preterism over the years.
For one thing, preterism conflicts with the pretribulation rapture view commonly held by Dispensationalists and other beliefs which hold Revelation as depicting events wholly in the future. Christians who support dispensationalism and similar teachings will find it hard to sympathize with preterism as a system.
Full preterism maintains that all of Revelation’s prophecies were fulfilled in the past. If this were so, the second coming has occurred, and all things are now made new (Revelation 21:1, 5).
Partial preterism holds that the major prophecies have been fulfilled through the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 or Rome’s fall in AD 476. So, where are the new heavens and the new earth?
Those who do not hold a preterist viewpoint should consider these questions:
- How do preterists maintain Satan was bound for a thousand years (Revelation 20:2)?
- What proof do preterists have that Jerusalem’s siege in AD 70 fulfilled Jesus’ description of the Great Tribulation?
How Should We Interpret When the Second Coming WIll Happen?
Eschatological views do not determine salvation. Still, it’s easy to get into hot debates about it. So, what do we do? We must be careful to be inflexible on the essentials and flexible on the non-essentials. Whether someone claims a preterist view or not will affect their salvation.
Author and New Testament professor Robert Plummer suggests these guidelines when interpreting Revelation:
- Revelation is not to be read chronologically. Trying to read Revelation concurrently as a linear timeline doesn’t work. The book shifts around to describe different periods—for example, Jesus’ birth is not mentioned until Revelation 12.
- Consider the Original Audience. We must put ourselves as close as we can to the original audience’s place when interpreting a work. So, how would the people addressed in Revelation 1-3 respond or understand Revelation 4-22?
- Consider the Old Testament Background. Old Testament apocalyptic language is very useful for understanding Revelation. Plummer says Revelation contains 405 verses, 278 alluding to the Old Testament; the Old Testament can serve as a primer for reading Revelation.
- Consider the Symbolism. The rules of interpreting apocalyptic literature declare symbolic language in Revelation is not to be taken literally. The symbols, however, do not denote allegory. Instead, they point to reality in an abstract way. For instance, in Revelation 19:12, Jesus is said to have eyes like a flame of fire. The Apostle John may be instructing us about the sight’s penetrating intensity, not the eyes’ color.
Ultimately, we must realize the book of Revelation is about more than the future. As with other apocalyptic literature, Revelation serves to encourage the church. As Travis Hearne observes, “How you live now is correlated with how you believe God is working towards eternity,” and “Eschatology is biblical. The Bible speaks about the end times frequently. To neglect teaching eschatology is to neglect teaching the Bible. Eschatology is humbling. Come to your conclusions with conviction. But hold them loosely. Scripture is quick to point out shortcomings in our systems. If our system misreads Scripture, it’s our system which must be corrected.”
May we venture forth with much prayer and humility as we study the Scriptures and regard others’ views of eschatology with patience and a mind toward handling God’s Word rightly (2 Timothy 2:15).
Photo Credit: Public Domain/Wikimedia Commons
This article is part of our larger End Times Resource Library. Learn more about the rapture, the anti-christ, bible prophecy and the tribulation with articles that explain Biblical truths. You do not need to fear or worry about the future!
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