I tried to prove preterism false.

Tracy M

I loved reading some testimonies here, and particularly one by “Jamie” who was raised with the preterist view! How refreshing it was to hear her call futurism’s tangible kingdom and literal end of the world, “a little nutty.” Lol. I believe one day everyone will look back and wonder how we could have believed something so contrary to God’s Word.

I was raised to believe the ridiculous notion that God wasn’t lying when He said His return would be ‘within a generation’ and ‘soon, shortly, in a little while, quickly’… He just wanted every generation to live ready. So ‘at hand, the last hour, near, at the door, about to come’ and my favorite, ‘will not delay’ were magic adverbs which would one day apply, whenever it was really time. How did the futurist tradition even come to be in the first place?! Sometimes I think that if 2 Peter 3:8-9 (1000 years like one day) and Matt 24:36 (no one knows the day or hour) weren’t in the Bible, everyone would be a preterist.

Have you seen Brian Martin’s video, “You’ve Got to be Kidding, Right?” I highly recommend it. My testimony is very similar to his, in that I came to the view by trying to prove it wrong to my dear misguided Christian brother, who had been the best man at our wedding. My husband and I were committed to bringing him and his wife back to reality. Ha! We had no such luck.

As I look back, I realize that the 6 areas that really opened our eyes coincidentally start with 2 H’s, 2 A’s and 2 T’s. So I use the acronym ‘HAT HAT’ to remember them.

Hermeneutics… Audience Relevance… Time Statements…
History… Apocalyptic Language… Typology.

Some of the highlights along the way were, 1) Learning that the Bible wasn’t written TO us, but FOR us, and that Revelation really was written TO the 7 churches in Asia.

2) learning that the ‘elements’ that were to melt in fervent heat were not atomic particles, but elementary teachings or principles, as used in Galatians 4:9.

3) Learning that “heavens and earth” referred to Israel or God’s covenant with Israel.

4) Seeing that planet earth endures forever (Eccl 1:4, Psa 78:69, Psa 104:5)

5) Reading Josephus’ historical account of the first century persecution and War of the Jews.

6) Seeing how John's spiritual imagery was borrowed from the Old Testament prophets who used the same language to communicate national destruction, not planetary demise.

7) The typology of the High Priest, 40 year Exodus types and shadows, and Feast Day significance. How the Old Covenant was a shadow of the New Covenant substance.

8) Realizing that Jesus meant what He said when He told Peter He wanted John to remain till He returned! (Jn 21:22) How many people gloss over this??

9) Reading Luke 21:20-22 again for the very first time. That was one big ‘Aha.’

I’ve seen these t-shirts at Berean Bible Church: “Preterism… it’s about time.” Great play on words. I think that phrase should replace the doomsday billboard out on the Interstate saying that May 21 is the end of the world. Or at least go up on May 22!