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The Deception of a flawed eschatology called Preterism This is a listing for our Preterist friends of the many (not all) things that are supposed to have already happened that didn’t. Whether one holds to a full or partial Preterist position on Eschatology. They must have answers that agree with the numerous main Scriptures (and sub scriptures) for their no future fulfillment on prophecy. Prophecy is to be fulfilled as it is written, or, it is not being fulfilled. Some questions, dozens of them must be answered to prove their view is an accurate teaching of prophecy from the Scripture. 1.When did the tribulation begin exactly, what years and when did it end? Or is it still going on? 2. How did it begin? 3. When was the temple built that Jesus spoke of, where is the false Christ would enter and be worshipped as God (Mt.24:15) by the world? 4. When did the Jewish nation mourn over Jesus whom they had pierced as Zech. 12:10 states? 5. When did the Jews flee Jerusalem to Boaz (Petra)? 6. Zech. 12:10 When did all of Israel that left Israel in the Tribulation (1/3) call upon the Lord to be saved, when did Jesus come back to save them? 7. When did Jesus’ return vanquish the nations and the antichrist together? I ask all involved to actually think this through biblically, use Scripture to prove any of these happened. The bible tells us “When they say peace and safety (1 Thess. 5) sudden destruction comes”, the signing of the peace treaty with Israel will bring a time of testing for the whole world (Rev.3:10b). This begins the tribulation, a treaty that God says is from hell Isa.28. The Tribulation is described by Jesus as a time of such distress, that there was never anything like it before, nor will there be again. He said that if it had not been cut short, no life would survive. Matthew 24:21-23 “ For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened. ” Does this sound like something that has or is happening? Why is that “many come in his name” are still tasking place? 2 Thessalonians 2:4 says that this coming world leader will take “ his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.” This never happened. No one has ever stepped foot in the new temple in Jerusalem claiming for years they are God and are to be worshiped, because it is not built yet. What’s the name of the antichrist and beast if this already took place? Where are they? Or are they gone. When was the mark issued for all to have and the world worship him, whose the him? What’s his name? When did this happen? “The sun becoming dark and the moon red blood, stars falling from the sky, the powers of the heavens shaken, and men fainting from fear because of the roaring of the sea and the waves .”(great tsunamis) Luke 21:25-26. Matthew 24:29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. ” The timing of this event is given by John. “ I beheld when he had broken the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of the heaven fell unto the earth” (Revelation:6:12-13) Isaiah 13:9-13 “ Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and He will destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine. "I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. The day of the Lord is another title for the Tribulation. None of this took place, why persist on this already happening? Preterists sayd Jesus returned in 70 ad. When did every eye see Him coming through the clouds? Matt 24:30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 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.” He comes in glory, the fathers glory with “ all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory” ( Matt 25:31) Mark 8:38 he comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels ." Rev 1:7 He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.” When did the people of the earth mourn or see him? Jesus clearly stated, that all that the prophets had spoken would come to pass has it? The Bible promises a bodily resurrection at the end of the age. 1 Corinthians 15 teaches a future, bodily resurrection from the dead along with the transformation of those still living, found in1 Thess.4:16. If the Tribulation took place in AD 70, then is the resurrection is past already. Isn’t this what Hymenaeus and Philetus said, " the resurrection is past already" (2 Tim. 2:16-18). Who were the two prophets in Rev. 11 in Israel? Can you name them? When do we read of their miracles in history? When did they get raised and taken to heaven? Revelation 11:9-12: “ And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, then they are raised.” When did this happen? This is a spectacular resurrection of both men at the same time, as the world sees them openly dead in the street and rejoices. How could the world see this without modern technology? In other words it would have to be in the time of our technology. Revelation 16:18-19: “… there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. Now the great city (referring to Jerusalem, Rev. 11:8) was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell.” When did this earthquake kill seven thousand people which made others afraid and give God glory in 70 AD? It is not remembered, because it NEVER happened. Zechariah speaks of "all the peoples" (12:2), "all the nations of the earth will be gathered against it (Jerusalem)" (12:3), and " I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle" (14:2). How can this be only the Roman army in AD 70. This is a worldwide battle, not a localized one. Lets go deeper into Bible prophecy Acts 3:19-22 Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.” Is Jesus in heaven or on earth? Has everything begun to be restored? No, because Jesus has not returned. Jesus did not visibly return to earth in A.D. 70 (Mt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7 and Acts 1:10-11). Acts 1:11 “ This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." His FEET did not stand on the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14:4) There was no battle of Armageddon -- No Tribulation. No Two witnesses. None of these took place. Do we change the Scriptures associated with these events to try and prove a faulty prophetic system that should be abandoned. Zech. 14:3-5: “ Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south.” What nations is he speaking of? The Bible Says the mountain will split toward the north and to the south. Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, for the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the LORD my God will come, and all the saints with You.” Where’s all the saints? Did any of this happen? NO If this all happened as Preterists claim (some say 70 ad) then there is no increasing apostasy as history progresses. Why is the church in such a state as it is, why are diseases increasing, earthquakes, floods, all that that are mentioned in Matthew 24 for the end to occur, if it did already? Besides the increase in earthquakes worldwide which are still taking place. In the middle of the Tribulation we read Revelation 16:18-19: “… there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. Now the great city [a reference to Jerusalem, see Rev. 11:8] was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell.” To summarize these events further let’s look at the World wide judgements that are to take place, not just for the middle east but the whole earth during the tribulation. SEALS Rev. 6:2 1st seal conquers with a peace plan. Rev.6:3-2nd Seal: Wars on earth Rev.6:5-3rd Seal: Worldwide economic trouble Rev.6:7-4th Seal: Death released. 1/4 of the world’s population to die by plagues, disease, and beasts of the earth Rev.6:9-5th Seal: Persecution and mass killing of God's people worldwide Rev.6:12-6th Seal: Massive earthquake and the wrath of God. Rev.7:2-7th Seal: 144,000 Jewish males are anointed to evangelize the earth NONE of these happened the way it is written TRUMPETS Rev.8:7-1st Trumpet: Hail, fire, and blood. 1/3 all grass and trees burned up Rev.8:8 -2nd Trumpet: Great mountain hits sea. 1/3 all ocean becomes blood. 1/3 all sea life dies and 1/3 all ships destroyed. Rev.8:10-3rd Trumpet: Wormwood star hits earth. 1/3 all freshwater poisoned. 1/3 all freshwater poisoned when this happen Rev.8:12-4th Trumpet: 1/3 of sun and moon darkened. Rev.9:1-5th Trumpet: locust beasts that sting and torment men are loosed from the pit. Rev.9:13-6th Trumpet: demons released and 200 million army kills 1/3 of the world's population. Revelation 9:18 “By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed.” Neither did all the creatures in the sea die (Rev. 16:3) When did 100-pound hailstones fall from the sky? NONE of these happened the way it is written
BOWLS Rev.16:2-1st Bowl: Terrible and painful sores break out on all who worship beast. Rev. 16:2 “So the first angel went and poured out his bowl upon the earth, and a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image.” They will be literally tortured for doing this. Can anyone actually think this has taken place already! Where, when? Rev.16:3-2nd Bowl: Entire oceans becomes blood, the sea life dies. Rev.16:4-3rd Bowl: Fresh water becomes blood, no more fresh drinking water. Rev.16:8-4th Bowl: Sun increased in heat and scorches and burns people. Far beyond global warming. Rev.16:10-5th Bowl: a Supernatural darkness covers the earth Rev.16:12-6th Bowl: Armies head toward in the Middle East for the final battle –Armageddon. Rev.16:17- 7th Bowl: Babylon destroyed, massive earthquakes, hundred pound hailstones devastate earth. The Tribulation has devastating judgments never seen before. When were the seals open? When did the bowls, woes, or the trumpets take place? If it is not described as written then it’s not really AS bad as Jesus said it would be! I do not accept that. NONE of these happened the way it is written. All these judgments are spiritualized and explained away by an over-realized eschatological view of prophecy called ‘Preterism.’ There is no private interpretation of prophecy, prophecy must be fulfilled as it is written or it is NOT fulfilled prophecy. Prophecy is literally fulfilled, though it may be written in symbolic or figurate language. The fact is every future prophecy can be listed, there are hundreds that did not happen, and no one can point to the events as happened or happening. Did Aarmageddon happen when Jesus came? This is when the nations attack Jerusalem and God fights for it and slay all the armies in the valley of Megiddo. When did this happen? The Bible says the lawless one, the Antichrist is ruling and is brought to an end by Christ’s coming. 2 Thess 2:8 “ the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. ” v. 9 (this is a literal bodily coming of Jesus who then sets up his kingdom on earth) Did Jesus separate the sheep and the goats, when? How come there are still goats. Where are the immortal resurrected believers if we are in the Millennium. Can you name me one person? Is Satan bound if Jesus returned in 70 ad then the thousand years are certainly up and the Millennium is over? What is Israel doing in the land and those are still returning if it all this took place. Where’s king David, where’s the new temple? Paul warned of those who said the tribulation is here during his time. “ Now we beg you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, nor troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter, as if it were by us, as that the day of the Lord is present. Let not any one deceive you in any manner . . ." (2 Thess. 2:1-3a) Paul wrote in 2 Tim 2:15- 18 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” This especially true of prophecy because the time of the end has special warnings of not being deceived. To think the Tribulation and most (if not all) these Scriptures are fulfilled certainly fits this warning of being deceived. For if it already did take place then what is there to look out for that the Scripture speaks of? Complacency replaces prophetic warnings of the events to take place at the end of the age. (see also http://www.letusreason.org/proph21.htm ) |
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