Monday, January 27, 2014

Missing Jesus Again

An argument used by Full Preterists is that the Jews missed Jesus' first coming and we Christians have missed His Second Coming.  The argument often goes that the Jews were looking for a physical king to rule over a mere plot of land and that since Jesus' fulfillment of the Messiah was larger than that, the Jews missed it.  See for example, John 12:34.  In the same way, the Full Preterist claim that we Christians misunderstood the timing of Jesus' Second Coming.  Well, they used to say we only misunderstood the timing but now they also claim we misunderstood the nature.  As a matter of fact, Full Preterist leader, David Curtis has said:


"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?...The Lord said clearly that he was going to return before they had all died-- why is it that we don't believe Him? We could believe him if we made a paradigm shift in our understanding of the nature of his return. Remember, time determines nature." - source

Do you see the continuing error of the Full Preterists on display in Curtis' quote? Mt 24/Mk 13/Lk 21 -- the Olivet Discourse NEVER speak about Jesus' "RETURN".  Indeed these texts speak of His soon/about to be/at hand/shortly "coming" but it isn't a return or coming back.  It is a coming before the presence of the Ancient of Days/The Father/The Power as we see in Dan 7:13-15 and Mt 26:64.  So, the Full Preterist uses a FALSE premise to create a false paradigm.  There is no issue with the timing OR the nature of Christ's words in the Olivet Discourse about His "coming" because He did NOT say what the Full Preterist claims He said.



Jesus NEVER said He as going to RETURN before they [His audience] died.  Full Preterists read Mt 16:28 and then distort what Jesus said.  Let's quote the text.

"Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."
Where does it say He was going to RETURN before those standing there died? Rather, Christ DID come INTO His kingdom BEFORE some standing there died.  That is a FACT!

I think there is a reason you don't see full/hyperpreterist "leaders" like David Curtis interacting much in public.  He would be shamed back into his cloistered "church" of stolen sheep.  His reasoning is easily shown to be flawed.

Lastly, to say that Christianity has missed Jesus' Second Coming is to say that Christianity has been as much a failure as Judaism.  That is, the old covenant was replaced with the new covenant...a better covenant.  What the Full Preterists want us to believe with their "paradigm shift" is that the new covenant ISN'T really any better because the Full Preterists apparently think we are too dumb to understand it. They want us to think that we are still looking at it through the veil of Moses. Apparently, the Full Preterists also want us to believe they have somehow become little Martin Luthers or something-- perhaps better conveyers than the apostles themselves of what God's Plan "really" is -- since apparently the apostles failed to convey it in a way that would be understood.  After all, the day before and the day after AD70, the bulk of Christians were and still are looking for Jesus' RETURN.  We understand He "came" into His kingdom but this isn't the same as His Return.  The problem with Full Preterists is that they uncoupled themselves from the Body...the collective called the universal Church.  They have become private interpreters and lone rangers, claiming they and they alone know the correct interpretation and if people don't follow them, then those people are given only two choices; that either they are following an incorrect paradigm or that Scripture is uninspired. Really??? These are the only choices we have? How arrogant.  The Full Preterist doesn't consider that perhaps his own premise is flawed????  Who is missing what?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Amen to what Brother Roderick Edwards have explained!...very well said, so good that it nails the Hyper Preterist coffin once and for all.

The Olivet Discourse never talks about his "return" here. It say's his "COMING" in the Clouds, before the Presence of his Father "The Ancient of Days".Dan 7:13-15. It's a time of vindication and glorification. It happened when the Old Covenant was replaced by a new better Covenant. That's why it's wrong to compare Christianity "Missing Jesus" with the Judaizers who are still expecting a physical Messiah, its because they think Jesus will Rule physically in their own tiny piece of Land/Kingdom, not knowing God has a waaaay greater plan not just for them but for the whole world Jews and Gentiles alike. What he promised is to take his bride - The Church at the establishment of the "New Heavens and New Earth wherein dwelleth righteousness."

He came into "his kingdom" like what he promised to the High Priest Caiaphas(Mt 26:64) but that is different from his still "FUTURE" appearing. Hyper Preterist wrongly analyzed the Olivet Discourse and came to their Own interpretation that the whole judgment/coming and resurrection all happened in 70 AD. Not even thinking if Christ ever said he would "return" back then.


The "paradigm shift" they are talking about makes them think they are special from the rest of Christianity, but the very same thinking is what led them into such great error and fatal mistake much like other cults do and believe. They scoff at the Orthodox Christianity or even to their "alter ego" the "Left Behinder's" thinking they all got it wrong and they (Hyper Preterist) are right. Not realizing they have been poisoned by their own prescription.

The Best advice to HyperPreterist reading this blog is to renounce that doctrine and Leave your "Hyper Preterist" church as soon as you can. Those False ministers will just strengthen the delusions they taught you into by always hammering your mind into thinking "It's all past", You will soon find out that it's really a Heretic private interpretation and once a lie is repeatedly accepted it's so hard to break away from it even though YOU know its wrong. their "Paradigm shift" is a huge trap - A pitfall that has no comfort and will lead you astray even unto unbelief and Atheism.

(If your experiencing a scoffing spirit, a doubtful view of the scriptures or the Christian Faith and a sense that you are somewhat unique or special because your One of the FEW who got it right while the whole of Christianity is wrong...then those are sypmtoms that the cultic trance of Hyper Preterism has taken its toll on you). Be transformed by the renewing of your mind and break away from the shackles of the "paradigm shift" deception. Take it coming from a 10 years Full Preterist advocate who once wasted much time, effort and money in propagating such heresy, lie and delusion.


- Christianity Triumphs -

kennywillb@yahoo.com said...

Like you have written about in other articles, a lot of hyper preterist come from a dispensationalism background. This leads them to the presumption that "coming" in MT 24 is describing the return of Christ, because hyper preterist bring Pretrib or posttrib dispensationalist exegesis into their presupposing that the "coming" is about the final consummation of all things.
We been so indoctrinated through Darby, Scolfield, LaHaye, Ice and all the other Dispensationalist that Olivet Discourse is about the return of Christ, that hardly anyone ever questions this presuppostion. Hyper preterist just continues to build their theories from this faulty foundation, even if they deny it. Hyper preterism assumes that "coming" is the return of Christ ( dispensationalism presupposes this) instead of that the "coming" is His "coming" to the Father (Ancient of Days) which is the fulfillment of Daniel 7.
Thanks for being so adamant on this point. I hope this will help those to rightly divide the scripture, so they won't be shamed by not adhering to proper exegesis.
You may be considered rude by some, BUT I think you are great representative of Protestants faith. Keep running you race.

Kenny