Wednesday, May 4, 2011

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
!

13 comments:

  1. Kelly Keenan

    Awesome Tracy I love reading it. Thanks alot.

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  2. Arthur Matthews

    Thanks Tracy for adding your great story. It is awesome the way God works in our lifes.

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  3. May Lyn

    Thank you Tracy...like your HAT HAT acronym : )

    "Theories have four stages of acceptance:
    1. This is worthless nonsense.
    2. This is interesting, but perverse.
    3. This is true, but quite unimportant.
    4. I always said so." ~J.B.S. Haldane, 1963

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  4. Bob King

    Realy great story, Tracy! Thanks for sharing it with us.

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  5. Terry Cropper

    Thanks Tracy for sharing your story.

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  6. David Cole

    Thank you Tracy. Welcome to an informed position.

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  7. Tracy Copeland Mayle

    You're welcome, all! May Lyn,your response reminds me of:

    "All truth passes through three stages. First it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." - Arthur Schopenhauer

    Music is the answer, I think, to bring us to the third stage. Praise and worship from a fulfilled perspective, which reinforces the truth they already know (we're in God's Presence; the Living Water is flowing) but gently illuminates the reason for it already being here.

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  8. Don Cole

    Tracy I enjoyed reading this. Thank you.

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  9. Phil Liszewski

    Great story. You don't read too many that say they went from Preterism to Futurism...truth once realized is hard to abandon. Thanks for sharing.

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  10. David Cole

    Sometimes you read them going from full preterism to partial preterism, but they usually do because of some other erroneous doctrine that they can't give up.

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  11. Tony Denton

    Yeah, that's a great sharing you did with us there, Tracy. Thanks.

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  12. Preach it, sister!!! You Go Girl!!!

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