PARTIAL PRETERISM

The Preterist interpretation or approach to eschatology contends that New Testament bible prophecy was completely fulfilled by the end of the first century, and particularly through the events of 70 AD when Jerusalem was sacked by the Romans. However, no mainstream Christian denominations hold this "full" or "hyper" preterist view, perhaps primarily because of the dire warning contained in 2Timothy 2:17-18. More popular is "partial" preterism which essentially suggests the same as preterism, except the resurrection of the dead and the Second Coming of Christ, are believed to be yet future events. Even though preterists believe the book of Revelation was fulfilled in the first century, the identity of "the false prophet" remains a mystery, with guesses ranging from various individuals to a group, though the Koine Gree k would seem to limit it to being an individual.

It is interesting to note that the approach to eschatology of partial-preterism, necessarily precludes even considering that Muhammad could be the false prophet of the book of Revelation, just as the approach of futurism necessarily precludes the very same. This even though one-quarter of mankind in the world today are required to specifically disbelieve that Christ was crucified and thus reject the blood He shed for us all, and to deny the Son of God, as articles of their faith in the false prophet Muhammad alone. Indeed Muslims are taught that to confess that Jesus is the Son of God or even to pray in Jesus' name, would be to commit the single most "heinous" and only unforgivable sin ("shirk"), in Muhammad's counter-gospel, anti-religion of Islam. It should be no surprise then that Muhammad's followers have been slaughtering and subduing Christians and Jews, and subjugating non-Muslims for 1400 years.

Perhaps just as surprising is that preterists as well as partial preterists are compelled to reject the prophecies of, and the stunning historical reality of the restoration of Jews to Israel, with their having gained sovereign control in 1948, while heralding fulfillment of the "times of the Gentiles" in Jerusalem in 1967 - as pinned by Daniel 2500 years in advance, with mathematical confirmation. Jews ruling and reigning in Israel, just as anticipated by those great men of God of the Reformation through Bible prophecy, centuries before that restoration ever began to take place. If you are shopping around for a partial-preterist church we recommend you first visit the page on supersessionism, of both Roman Catholic and Protestant partial-preterist institutions, and consider the anti-Zionism that tends to accompany this view.

Some partial-preterists believe that fallen mankind are to have fixed the world, before Jesus returns, yet consider the spiritual condition of John's "whole world" through an ethnographic hermeneutic today:

While bits and pieces of all three eschatological approaches to New Testament prophecy may be gleaned from among the vast volumes written in the early church, it was Roman Catholic Jesuit Luis Alcazar's 17th century exposition of the book of Revelation, that may be credited with the advent of preterism in the modern church. From Wikipedia:

"There has historically been general agreement with non-preterists that the first systematic preterist exposition of prophecy was written by Jesuit Luis de Alcasar during the Counter Reformation.[9][10] Moses Stuart noted that Alcasar's preterist interpretation was of considerable benefit to the Church during its arguments with Protestants,[11] and preterism has been described in modern eschatological commentary as a Catholic defense against the Protestant Historicist view which identified the Roman Catholic Church as a persecuting apostasy.[12]"

Popular touchstones of preterist eschatology include the Koine Greek "houtos" "genea" translated as "this generation" in the Olivet Discourse, and the English word "generation" in other contexts, as well as the English word "you" as limiting the relevance of some passage's to the immediate audience, which are all explored further down the page at those links.

Acts 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

2Timothy 2:17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; 18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

Second Timothy was penned in about 64 to 68 AD. Is it reasonable for full preterists to suggest that God would inspire a verse to be included in scripture, only to have it become the exact opposite of what Christians were expected to believe, just a few years later?

It shouldn't be a surprise that some early church fathers might have tended toward preterism, as well as futurism, particularly since they didn't have the benefit of nearly two thousand years of Christian history to consider in fulfillment of prophecy, let alone the present day reality, and the stunning historical reality of the restoration of Jews to Israel. More on this subject that so distinctly divides partial-preterists from futurists and some historicists, on the Zionism page, as well as on the page that regards the resulting replacement theology or supersessionism.

While today's partial-preterists confidently declare knowledge of the identity of the "abomination of desolation", the early church fathers were certainly not agreed on the matter, with some believing it to have been in their past and others yet a future event, primarily because the Roman Empire remained in control and thus the "times of the Gentiles" in Jerusalem had not yet been fulfilled. More further down the page or at this link.

The "beast" of Revelation chapter 13 is equally poorly exegeted, suggesting John's leopard-bear-lion indicates little more than a fierce man. Exchanging that for a hermeneutically sound and stunning exegesis.

Since that verse was dated perhaps 2-4 years prior to 70 AD, full preterists have to suggest that the period of the most exponential growth of the ecclesia in history, must be characterized as a prophesied apostasy that occurred during those few years.

1Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Let alone there is no record of Paul and the Thessalonians being caught up in the air with the Lord, requiring preterists to gnosticize this like so many other scriptures. Since Paul was killed in around 67 AD and thus was not "alive" in 70 AD, he wouldn't have even been a part of his own "we which are alive [and] remain" in 70 AD.

Revelation 1:9 I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.

From http://www.pfrs.org/preterism/pret01.html - "There is no record of Nero's banishing Christians to Patmos, only his brutality against the Christians of Rome. It was Nero who made a sport of throwing Christians to the lions for the entertainment of the crowds, and who burned many at the stake along the road leading to the Coliseum merely to light the entrance."

"All ancient sources, both Christian and secular, place the banishment of Christians to Patmos during the reign of Domitian (AD81-96). Not a single early source (within 500 years of John) places John's banishment under the reign of Nero, as preterists claim. All modern attempts to date Revelation during Nero's reign rely exclusively on alleged internal evidence, and ignore or seek to undermine the external evidence and testimony of Christians who lived about that time, some of whom had connections to John.

Eusebius the Christian historian, living only two hundred years after Domitian's reign, gathered evidence from both Christian and secular sources that were still extant at the time (some of which are no longer extant today). All of the sources at Eusebius' disposal placed the date of John's Patmos exile during the reign of Domitian."

Obviously if John was assigned to write the things that "shall be" after he penned Revelation in 95 AD, then all prophecy can't have been fulfilled in 70 AD, and thus the effort: "The earlier date, first proposed in modern times by John Robinson in a closely argued chapter of "Redating the New Testament" (1976), relies on the book's internal evidence, given that no external testimony exists earlier than that of Irenaeus, noted above, and the earliest extant manuscript evidence of Revelation (P98) is likewise dated no earlier than the late 2nd century. This early dating is centered on the preterist interpretation of chapter 17, where the seven heads of the "beast" are regarded as the succession of Roman emperors up to the time of the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD,[24] Caligula through Vespasian."

(Greek/English Interlinear (tr) NT) Matthew 24:34 [g] amhn [e] <281> {VERILY} [g] legw [e] <3004> (5719) {I SAY} [g] umin [e] <5213> {TO YOU,} [g] ou [e] <3756> [g] mh [e] <3361> {IN NO WISE} [g] parelqh [e] <3928> (5632) [g] h [e] <3588> {WILL HAVE PASSED AWAY} [g] genea [e] <1074> [g] auth [e] <3778> {THIS GENERATION} [g] ewj [e] <2193> [g] an [e] <302> {UNTIL} [g] panta [e] <3956> {ALL} [g] tauta [e] <5023> {THESE THINGS} [g] genhtai [e] <1096> (5638) {SHALL HAVE TAKEN PLACE.}

Since it wasn't until the six day war in 1967 that the "times of the Gentiles" in Jerusalem were fulfilled, when Jews began their rule, it could even refer to a generation that was born as late as the first half of 1967 when the last of the items in Matthew 24 prior to the gathering of the elect were fulfilled. Were the "times of the Gentiles" in Jerusalem fulfilled in 70 AD when a million Jews were killed, even though the Roman Gentiles killed another 750,000 Jews less than 70 years later? Let alone the Muslim Gentile conquest of Jerusalem in 639 that followed Roman Gentile rule (the kingdom that had "not yet come" as John wrote Revelation).

What should at least be apparent is that the word translated as "this" can hardly be insisted upon as reason to construct an inverted pyramid of pile-on presumption, that requires Gnosticizing much of the rest of scripture away, by creating metaphors when literal scripture in literal passages becomes inconvenient to the initial premise.

If a literal generation is meant, one doctor suggested that folks in their 50's today that take reasonably good care of themselves, may live to be 120 due to the rapid pace of medical advancement. So what date would the generation that was born in 1967 after all the things Jesus listed had taken place - that "shall not pass" - take us out to? Anywhere from today on into the last half of the 21st century.

Scholarly exegesis of scripture generally employs an ethnographic hermeneutic. That is, taking into consideration the times in which the individual authors lived, and viewing the world through their eyes. Like the audience Jesus addresses in Matthew 24:34. This hermeneutic becomes even more clear when we consider the assignment given to John as a preface to his prophetic vision:

So we have to look through John's eyes and consider the things that John had seen, and were, and were to come in John's future, and in John's "whole world". Difficulty comes when this hermeneutic is taken too far, in efforts to advance a chosen eschatological scheme. In the prior "Touchstones" section this was illustrated by the "we" of 1Thessalonians 4:16 for example. Another example of taking it too far is when, preterists suggest that when the English word "you" is used it necessarily means that it only applies to those being addressed. However this is doctrine-driven conveniently selective insistence is easily exposed since, for nearly 2,000 years, the church has understood that when Paul addressed the church in Thessalonica or Corinth, he was addressing the whole church, including throughout the last 2,000 years. If the immediate audience hermeneutic for "you" necessarily had to apply, then church ordinances would have only applied to the specific first century group Paul addressed:

Since Jesus was teaching the Disciples, does this mean we are licensed to hate our enemies today, since we are not the first century Disciples? Some liberals do in fact abuse this immediate audience argument to ignore church ordinances, and excuse away going against the scriptures in ordination of women and homosexuals, head coverings and more, through a desire to increasingly conform the church to the world. For example when Paul addressed the Romans:

27 And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.

1Timothy 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; 3 Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; 4 One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity;

One of the reasons the King James Version was written in English that was already obsolete at the time, was to preserve the plural "ye". An equivalent today might be "y'all" making it easier to see our whole group. To take this unsound approach even further, preterists insist that the Olivet Discourse was responsible for Christians having fled Jerusalem, yet Jesus delivered it to ".....Peter and James and John and Andrew" who "asked him privately", so since even the first century church wasn't included in the "immediate audience" how could they have been guided to flee? The same way we are today, because we are all part of the body of Christ, guided through the Spirit through the scriptures.

2Timothy 3:16 All scripture [is] given by inspiration of God, and [is] profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

While partial preterists want to believe that Paul's words only applied to his immediate audience, they throw that hermeneutic out the window when it comes to considering the state of John's "whole world" today. Many even believe that fallen man is destined to fix the world and make it holy before Christ can return. The error in such an expectation of fallen man fixing Satan's kingdoms, is made painfully obvious when we consider what happened to the formerly Christian lands, of John's "whole world":

Do we have to wonder what Jerusalem - the site of Jesus' return - might look like today if Christians had been left in charge rather than Jews that may remain sovereignly blinded to the Gospel, and thus adhering to a different set of rules, than turning the other cheek?

Partial prerterists join Roman Catholics in punitive supersessionism. Some of the verses below are significantly responsible for persecution of Jews throughout the Christian era, even by some that have considered themselves to be Christian, in part because they insist that God's judgment was to come upon a whole literal generation in the modern English sense of the term. But if that were the case it didn't come to pass, because when Jerusalem was sacked by the Roman soldiers in 70 AD and a million Jews were killed, all of the Gentile Christians fled and were saved. Yet they belonged to the same literal generation as the Pharisees and Sadducees that Jesus rebuked that were "very like each other in endowments, pursuits, character" "especially in a bad sense".

Additionally, if we believe that God judges folks by the condition of our hearts rather than the happenstance of the timing of a person's birth, it's unthinkable to suggest that Jesus would be declaring judgment against a whole literal generation of faithful as well as unfaithful Jews and Gentiles with different "endowments, pursuits, character", as if they were all guilty simply because of the happenstance of the timing of their births.

For purposes of the following exercise (not necessarily exegesis) regarding all the verses that use the term "generation" in the New Testament, I should hope that all Christians could agree that God judges folks based on the condition of one's heart, rather than the happenstance of the dating of one's birth.

It would be ridiculous to suggest that those Pharisees shared a literal generation, and thus were literal blood relatives of literal snakes, wouldn't it. So we already see a metaphorical sense of Koine Greek 1081 "genos" which is translated into the English word "generation".

Matthew 12:41 The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation (1074 [of nonbelievers]), and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas [is] here.

Matthew 12:42 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation (1074 [of nonbelievers]), and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon [is] here.

Matthew 12:45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last [state] of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation (1074 [of nonbelievers]).

The literal generation sense of genea could be meant for this verse, since it is not a rebuke as the others but rather more informational, perhaps in answer to the earlier question regarding the end of the age that was to come after the "times of the Gentiles" in Jerusalem were to be fulfilled. While a million Jews were killed in 70AD, the Roman Gentiles killed another one half to three quarters of a million Jews, less than 70 years later making it untenable to suggest that the "times of the Gentiles" in Jerusalem were fulfilled in 70AD. The parable of the fig tree began to be fulfilled near the beginning of the 19th century restoration of Jews to their land, declaring an independent State in 1948 and beginning their rule of Jerusalem in 1967 after the six day war. Both of which dates Daniel seems to have prophesied right to the year through two separate math problems that span 2500 years in perfect parallel.

The Greek houtos {hoo'-tos} translated as "this" is translated as "the same" on 28 other occasions. Since within this text Jesus said "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" and Jews did not gain control until 1967, that verse would indicate the passing of those included in a generation born no earlier than 1967.

Mark 8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation (1074 [of nonbelievers]); of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

In the above verse we find the exact reference, from straight out of the definition of the term "genea" ("esp. in a bad sense, a perverse nation"). Not surprising since it is the only way genea makes sense in the overwhelming majority of these verses.

Luke 11:29 And when the people were gathered thick together, he began to say, This is an evil generation (1074 [of nonbelievers]): they seek a sign; and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonas the prophet.

Luke 11:31 The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation (1074 [of nonbelievers]), and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon [is] here.

Luke 11:32 The men of Nineve shall rise up in the judgment with this generation (1074 [of nonbelievers]), and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas [is] here.

Luke 16:8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation (1074 [endowments, pursuits, character]) wiser than the children of light.

If literal, the group of people that were born no later than 1967 - when we entered the "time of the end" and the "times of the Gentiles" in Jerusalem were fulfilled and fig tree restored to their land - shall not pass.

Acts 13:36 For David, after he had served his own generation (1074 [the whole multitude of men living at the same time]) by the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw corruption:

1Peter 2:9 But ye [are] a chosen generation (1085 [kindred, stock, tribe, nation]), a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:

Through this exercise it is certainly not a stretch to suggest that each time Jesus used a term translated into the English word "generation" he either meant offspring or a group of men with shared attributes, since mankind is judged on the condition of our hearts, rather than the happenstance of the dating of one's birth. In context Jesus is describing the attributes of men of the same endowments, pursuits and character. Is there really a need for those that proclaim to be Christians, to continue over 2500 years of persecution of Jews, joining Roman Catholic punitive supersessionism? Why not try a fresh look at Romans Chapter 11.

Preterists reject the stunning reality of Jews raising their flag over Israel in 1948 while fulfilling the "times of the Gentiles" in Jerusalem in 1967, as supporting futurism, even though John Darby's eschatology includes that restoration. While Jews raising their flag over Israel in 1948 set the futurist Christian community on fire, It should have simultaneously delivered the final death blow, to partial preterism.

The restoration of Jews to Israel, however, didn't vindicate John Darby's futurist eschatology since it has nothing to do with his seven year tribulation, it did vindicate the expectation of that restoration that Christians recognized through prophecy, centuries before that restoration ever began to take place or the term "Zionism" was ever coined.

In 1641, the British Puritan leader, Oliver Cromwell stated, "And it may be, as some think, God will bring the Jews home to their station, 'from all the isles of the sea,' and answer their expectations 'as from the depths of the sea.'

Matthew Henry wrote, "If God will build Jerusalem for the people and their comfort, they must inhabit it for him and his glory. The promises and privileges with which God's people are blessed, should engage us to join them, whatever it costs us."

Similarly Isaac Newton: “Hence I observe these things, first that the restauration of the Jewish nation so much spoken of by the old Prophets respects not the few Jews who were converted in the Apostles days, but the dispersed nation of the unbelieving Jews to be converted in the end when the fullness of the Gentiles shall enter, that is when the Gospel (upon the fall of Babylon) shall begin to be preached to all nations."

Yet in spite of the stunning reality, preterists reject it as fulfillment of prophecy, because their doctrine won't allow for it. Preterists also reject that the "abomination of desolation" Jesus mentioned in the Olivet Discourse may have referred to something other than the sacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD, even though Islamic Gentiles conquered the Roman Gentiles and reigned until they had rendered Jerusalem a completely spiritually as well as physically, desolated, deforested, denuded, desertified and depopulated wasteland by the beginning of the 19th century. The Roman sacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD was just the beginning of its ultimate desolation during the "times of the Gentiles" in Jerusalem. Indeed the Romans killed another one half to three quarters of a million Jews less than 70 years later.

Ezekiel 36:22 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not [this] for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. 23 And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I [am] the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. 24 For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. 25 Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you.....

Matthew 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains

It would seem obvious that if Christians had waited for the Roman soldiers, or "The Roman sign was a straight staff, capped with a metallic eagle, and right under the eagle was a graven image of Caesar", or any other such thing to "stand in the holy place" it would have obviously been too late for them to get out of Dodge. And of course if they had gotten out beforehand, they wouldn't have seen it. More of a case against their departure having been related to the Olivet Discourse, and against the Roman sacking of Jerusalem being related to the "abomination of desolation".

Now let's look at some early writing: Eusebius (325) "But the people of the church in Jerusalem had been commanded by a revelation, vouchsafed to approved men there before the war, to leave the city and to dwell in a certain town of Perea called Pella. " (History of the Church 3:5:3)

"For when the city was about to be captured and sacked by the Romans, all the disciples were warned beforehand by an angel to remove from the city, doomed as it was to utter destruction. On migrating from it they settled at Pella, the town already indicated, across the Jordan. It is said to belong to Decapolis (de Mens. et Pond., 15).

While consistent with the prior account, being "warned beforehand by an angel" doesn't seem to suggest it was the result of men musing over the Olivet Discourse either. Through the traditional historicist approach to prophecy it works either way, particularly since the traditional historicist view allows that things could shortly begin to come to pass in the first century. It even allows that the Christians may have fled because of the Olivet Discourse, but even if they had taken that as a clue, that certainly doesn't necessarily support the preterist presumption it would fulfilled the prophecy of the abomination of desolation. Indeed the Christian community in Jerusalem was alive and well in 639 when Islam took over continuing the "times of the Gentiles" in Jerusalem.

Following is the blasphemous inscription written in Mosaic on the Dome of the Rock, that stands on the temple mount as God's prophetic symbol for Islam, and its desolation of Jerusalem and role as the end-time foe of God's people:

"O you People of the Book, overstep not bounds in your religion, and of God speak only the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, is only an apostle of God, and his Word which he conveyed unto Mary, and a Spirit proceeding from him. Believe therefore in God and his apostles, and say not Three. It will be better for you. God is only one God. Far be it from His transcendent majesty that he should have a son."

The founding of the Dome of the Rock in 688 date-pinned through Daniel's 1290, and John's 1260 "days" 42 "months": "She is nourished by the merchants of the earth, three times or years and an half, or 42 months, or 1260 days: and in these Prophecies days are put for years." - Isaac Newton - more quotes

It's interesting to note that, even as close to the event as they were, there is widely varying opinion among the early church fathers regarding just exactly what the "abomination of desolation" was, or was to be in their future. While today's preterists have varying opinions as to whether it is an army, a statue, an ensign on a flag, etc, they pretty much agree on the dating of the event. While futurists understand it as an event that takes place yet in the future. Each having to believe the other to be virtually 100% in error regarding their understanding of the book of Revelation after chapter three. Isn't that peculiar? Our early church fathers seem to have been in no less of a state of disagreement:

"John and Daniel have predicted the dissolution and desolation of the Roman Empire, which shall precede the end of the world and the eternal Kingdom of Christ. The Gnostics are refuted, those tools of Satan, who invent another Father different from the Creator."

Lactantius Firminianous (4th Century) Divine Institutions (Divinae Institutiones) Book VII, Chapter 25, OF THE LAST TIMES, AND OF THE CITY OF ROME: "These are the things which are spoken of by the prophets as about to happen hereafter: ... The subject itself declares that the fall and ruin of the world will shortly take place; except that while the city of Rome remains it appears that nothing of this kind is to be feared. But when that capital of the world shall have fallen, and shall have begun to be a street, which the Sibyls say shall come to pass, who can doubt that the end has now arrived to the affairs of men and the whole world?"

St. Athanasius (296-372) "And when He Who spake unto Moses, the Word of the Father, appeared in the end of the world, He also gave this commandment, saying, "But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another" [Matt. 10:23]; and shortly after He says, "When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place (whoso readeth, let him understand); then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains: let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes" [Matt. 24:15]. Knowing these things, the Saints regulated their conduct accordingly." (Defense of His Flight [11])

Chrysostom (379) "Or because he who had desolated the city and the temple, placed his statue within the temple." (The Ante-Nicene Fathers) For He brought in also a prophecy, to confirm their desolation, saying, "But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation,spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, let him that readeth understand."(12) He referred them to Daniel. And by "abomination" He meaneth the statue of him who then took the city, which he who desolated the city and the temple placed within the temple, wherefore Christ calleth it, "of desolation." Moreover, in order that they might learn that these things will be while some of them are alive, therefore He said, "When ye see the abomination of desolation." (Of Matthew 24:1,2)

Did the story of a statue come along prior to three centuries after the fact? I don't know, but one would have thought that second century Irenaeus, would have at least thought it worth a mention. What we can see is that the early church fathers were not in agreement as to just exactly what the abomination of desolation was, or was to be, and whether it occurred in the past or was to occur in their future. Their believing it a future event is consistent with futurism as well as with the traditional approach of historicism, which is an understanding that New Testament prophecy has been being fulfilled throughout the Christian era. The way Old Testament prophecy was steadily fulfilled such as in the succession of Daniel's kingdom "beasts".

How could an "abomination" have something to do with a temple that had been rendered desolate 37-38 years previously, when Jesus built His temple in three days as He prophesied, with even the physical temple veil even having been rent in twain? The temple perhaps being rendered desolate even before that from:

First century Christians may well have believed that the compassing of Jerusalem by armies of their day was that which was prophesied, as they did indeed flee the city, as a matter of historical record. But that doesn't necessarily mean that the prophecy was completely fulfilled as we observed from Irenaeus's first century opinion.

From all accounts Jerusalem was certainly devastated and perhaps a million Jews were killed. But were the "times of the Gentiles" in Jerusalem fulfilled? Once could hardly make the case for that when the Romans came back to kill another 1/2 to 3/4 of a million Jews less than 70 years later. And Jerusalem was compassed with armies not only in 70 AD but in 132, 639, 1099, 1187, 1948, 1967 and today. And the armies of today are sworn to the destruction of Israel and killing of and "driving the Jews into the sea".

Sahih Bukhari B52 #177 Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah's Apostle said, "the Hour will not be established until you fight with the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say. "O Muslim! there is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him."

Our early church fathers could never have imagined, what we can see looking back through history, after 1200 years of Islam had rendered Jerusalem so physically and spiritually desolate by the beginning of the 19th century, as the accounts of those who visited Jerusalem in the 19th century attest:

In "A History of the Jews" Paul Johnson writes on page 321: "Between 1827 and 1839, largely through British efforts, the population of Jerusalem rose from 550 to 5,500 and in all Palestine it topped 10,000 - the real beginning of the Jewish return to the Promised Land. In 1838 Palmerston appointed the first western vice-consul in Jerusalem, W.T. Young, and told him 'to afford protection to the Jews generally'."

"In 1835 Alphonse de Lamartine wrote: “Outside the city of Jerusalem, we saw no living object, heard no living sound. . .a complete eternal silence reigns in the town, in the highways, in the country.”[7]

In 1844, William Thackeray writes about the road from Jaffa to Jerusalem: “Now the district is quite deserted, and you ride among what seem to be so many petrified waterfalls. We saw no animals moving among the stony brakes; scarcely even a dozen little birds in the whole course of the ride.”[8]

In 1866, W.M. Thomson writes: “How melancholy is this utter desolation. Not a house, not a trace of inhabitants, not even shepherds, to relieve the dull monotony … Much of the country through which we have been rambling for a week appears never to have been inhabited, or even cultivated; and there are other parts, you say, still more barren.”[10]

In 1867, Mark Twain – Samuel Clemens, the famous author of “Huckleberry Finn” and “Tom Sawyer”, toured the Holy Land. This is how he described the land: “There is not a solitary village throughout its whole extent; not for thirty miles in either direction… One may ride ten miles hereabouts and not see ten human beings … Nazareth is forlorn… Jericho lies a mouldering ruin… Bethlehem and Bethany, in their poverty and humiliation… untenanted by any living creature… A desolate country whose soil is rich enough but is given over wholly to weeds. A silent, mournful expanse. We never saw a human being on the whole route. There was hardly a tree or a shrub anywhere. Even the olive and the cactus, those fast friends of a worthless soil, had almost deserted the country.”[11]

In 1874, Reverend Samuel Manning wrote: “But where were the inhabitants? This fertile plain, which might support an immense population, is almost a solitude…. Day by day we were to learn afresh the lesson now forced upon us, that the denunciations of ancient prophecy have been fulfilled to the very letter — “the land is left void and desolate and without inhabitants.” (Jeremiah, ch.44 v.22)[12]

In 1892, B. W. Johnson writes: “In the portion of the plain between Mount Carmel and Jaffa one sees but rarely a village or other sights of human life… A ride of half an hour more brought us to the ruins of the ancient city of Cæsarea, once a city of two hundred thousand inhabitants, and the Roman capital of Palestine, but now entirely deserted… I laid upon my couch at night, to listen to the moaning of the waves and to think of the desolation around us.”[13]"

Then verse 15 begins a description of the end, with verse 37 concluding this section at the end, with the Second Coming of Christ. (verse 38 to 51 then go on to describe of what conditions would be like in the time of the end)

Matthew 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains

Mark 13:14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains:

Luke 21:20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh 21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.

There are certainly fates worse than death. Like a Christian or Jew having one's 9 year old daughter pressed into sexual service in the harem of a conquering antichrist reprobate - both for the parents and the daughter's sakes - and being compelled to prostrate oneself to an Arabian pagan's black stone idol in Mecca (that didn't exist until the 4th century AD) five times a day, while praying in the "vain repetitions of the heathen" in the names of the Arabian pagan deity "Allah" and his "messenger" Muhammad. Just as became of the countries in the rest of the middle east.

I believe the "sign" - the symbol - we are given of the Islamic desolation of Jerusalem that began in 639, and THE false prophet Muhammad 's Islamic kingdom "beast" as the final foe of God's people in this "time of the end", is the Dome of the Rock, that the Islamic antichrists founded on the temple mount in 688. It remains as that symbol even after the Crusades, as the Crusaders decided the building was too beautiful to destroy. Yet all around the eaves of the building are verses written in mosaic that echo the blasphemous founding verses:

The Dome of the Rock was not built over the "threshing floor of Ornan", as the location of the Eastern gate as well as the "Dome of the Tablets (or spirits)" attest, but rather the dome of the rock is located in what was "the court that is without the temple", or court of the gentiles, where even unwashed slaves were allowed.

We find those great men of God that forged the reformation, whose context for understanding Old and New Testament prophecy was within the traditional continuous-historic context, also understood a "language" of prophecy of "each day for a year":

Thieleman van Braght - Martyrs Mirror, pages 21-24: 'a thousand two hundred and threescore days, which reckoned according to prophetic language means as many years… let it be reckoned as it may, say we, as a very long period of time.'

Matthew Henry, in his 'Commentary of the Whole Bible', "….if the beginning of that interval could be ascertained, this number of prophetic days, taking a day for a year, would give us a prospect of when the end might be."

Isaac Newton - "She is nourished by the merchants of the earth, three times or years and an half, or 42 months, or 1260 days: and in these Prophecies days are put for years." - Observations Upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypse of St. John - Chapter 3

So what might we discover if we employ this day/year language of prophecy, that seems to have been so well known among the reformers, to those 1260 "day" and 42 "month" prophecies referenced by them? To read more about the mathematical precision of prophecy please click here.

Not unlike futurism's Francisco Ribera, a Roman Catholic Jesuit named Luis del Alcazar's 17th century counter-reformation eschatology (rendered in English) "An Investigation into the Hidden Sense of the Apocalypse", may be credited with the presence of partial preterism in the modern church. In particular credited with a restriction to the immediate audience hermeneutic. For example that Pauls letters only applied to those churches he addressed, and were not intended to apply to the church as a whole (which has also been used to excuse away rejecting head coverings for women and such things as ordination of female and homosexual pastors). From Wikipedia on Alcazar:

"He is known for his Vestigatio arcani sensus in Apocalypsi (1614) published after his death, putting forward what would later be called a preterist view of Biblical prophecy, in commentary on the Book of Revelation; his work is regarded as the first major application of the method of interpretation of prophecy by reading in terms of the author's contemporary concerns.[5]"

From a Wikipedia article on preterism: "Proponents of preterism sometimes argue that this position was the original eschatological understanding of the Early Christian church,[2][3] a claim contested by historicists and futurists.[4] One preterist has been said to hold that the view was developed in the 17th century,[5] a view also held by many non-preterists.[6][7][8]"

"There has historically been general agreement with non-preterists that the first systematic preterist exposition of prophecy was written by the Jesuit Luis de Alcasar during the Counter Reformation.[9][10] Moses Stuart noted that Alcasar's preterist interpretation was of considerable benefit to the Roman Catholic Church during its arguments with Protestants,[11] and preterism has been described in modern eschatological commentary as a Catholic defense against the Protestant Historicist view which identified the Roman Catholic Church as a persecuting apostasy.[12]"

Adherents to any eschatology can search the early church fathers and find suggestion of parts of most any eschatological approach. Search the web and you will find many going through those machinations. At least the early church fathers have the excuse of not having had the benefit of nearly 2,000 years of Christian era history to consider. Some suggest that preterism was the position of the church prior to Jesuit Alcazar, but if it had been, then why would he have had to pen his 17th century counter-reformation eschatological scheme?

Is there a reason to believe that Christians throughout the Christian era would not have expected that New Testament prophecy would be fulfilled in a fashion consistent with the manner in which all Jews and Christians understand Old Testament prophecy was fulfilled? A couple denominations that approach New Testament prophecy through partial-preterism are the Church of Christ and some Presbyterian churches. The Roman Catholic Church and Orthodox Church are hesitant to commit to an eschatology but if pinned down it would be partial preterism and certainly not futurism. They also hold rigid replacement theology, or what is known as "punitive supersessionism", in common with preterists. That is the view that Christians are the replacement as God's chosen people in the Christian era, and God had no further plan for Jews, other than their coming to Christ. This in spite of six million Jews ruling Israel today. More on that on the Zionism page.

1) a gangrene, a disease by which any part of the body suffering from inflammation becomes so corrupted that, unless a remedy be seasonably applied, the evil continually spreads, attacks other parts, and at last eats away the bones

2Timothy 2:17 And their word will eat as {a disease by which any part of the body suffering from inflammation becomes so corrupted that, unless a remedy be seasonably applied, the evil continually spreads, attacks other parts, and at last eats away the bones}: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; 18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

So their word will eat at the body of Christ as gangrene and overthrow the faith of some. Since 2nd Timothy was penned in around 64 to 67 AD, full preterists must necessarily believe that the dire warning contained in this verse was only operative for a few years prior to 70 AD when they believe the 2nd coming of Christ took place, and thus for the nearly 2,000 years since, Christians were presumably supposed to believe the exact opposite of the dire warning contained in that verse. A giant bet on Jesuit Alcazar's immediate audience hermeneutic, let alone that literal scriptures regarding such as "the day of the Lord" and final judgment must be spiritualized and gnosticized away by conversion into metaphor, in order to do so. Further suggesting that folks aren't supposed to be able to read the bible, without consulting "scholars", or risk believing the exact opposite of what is intended.

Were Christians only supposed to look for that blessed hope, for the five years between when the book of Titus was penned, and Christ allegedly returned in 70 AD? Let alone that preterists as well as partial preterists are required to reject the restoration of Jews to their land as being of the Lord. Of having absolutely nothing to do with bible prophecy whatsoever. Joining them with the rest of the world that rejects the prophesies of the restoration of Jews to their land, that scripture suggests should convince even "the heathen". What does James suggest regarding teaching, let alone a pop-20th-21st century doctrine that stands outside of nearly 2,000 years of universal Christian core doctrine?

"The Apostle Paul warns in II Timothy 2:17-18 of two false teachers in the church at Ephesus. These two heretics, Hymenaeus and Philetus, were preterists. They taught that the great eschatological event of the resurrection of the dead was past already. In doing this they overthrew the faith of some in the church (v. 18). Paul warns Timothy that heresy, and this preterist heresy in particular, would eat "as doth a canker" (v. 17). The word "canker" means gangrene. The warning is clear. Heresy spreads. It spreads like gangrene, the death of body tissues resulting in black, putrefying, foul-smelling flesh. Gangrene untreated spreads along the affected limb and leads to the death of the body. Usually the only remedy is amputation of the diseased area."

When teaching doctrine that stands outside of nearly 2,000 years of universal Christian core doctrine do the following verses ever concern preterists? Would Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit have allowed a unanimity of the body of Christ, to be so wrong for nearly 2,000 years?

Matthew 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Whether those verses apply or not, is it more reasonable to believe they would more likely apply to the unanimity of the body of Christ and universal Christian core doctrine throughout the last nearly 2,000 years, or to the few modern individuals that ascribe to full preterism? That redate history and spiritualize away literal scriptures in literal passages by creating metaphors. Where "elements" cannot mean "elements" and "earth" cannot mean "earth" and "fervent heat" cannot mean "fervent heat" and "burned up" cannot mean "burned up".

2Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Are we to believe that Jesus returned in a manner other than that in which He left? As explored earlier the scriptures assure us the answer to this question is no. Yet when partial-preterists find themselves among full preterists in chat forums, they generally don't fare too well, as their doctrine is suggested to be inconsistent. Unfortunately, many see futurism as the only alternative, even though all Jews and Christians understand Old Testament prophecy through the traditional historicist approach, and up until a couple centuries the church understood New Testament prophecy was being fulfilled in the same fashion. That all bible prophecy was being fulfilled uniformly.

From a spiritual perspective the restoration of the Jews to their land must necessarily either be of the Lord or of Satan. Perhaps the most revealing thing about those whose doctrine compels them to reject the stunning historical reality of the return of Jews to their/our covenant land as being of the Lord, is their fellow fruit. In scripture we learn:

Matthew 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither [can] a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

Self-described Christians that fruit the tree that rejects that the restoration of Jews to their land is of the Lord, are Arnold Murray and his Serpent Seed cult, David Duke and the KKK, Jeremiah Wright and Ted Pike, who are joined by Muslims, Louis Farrakan and the Nation of Islam, and secular groups like communist Soviets, the United Nations, George Soros and his Center for American Progress, white supremacists, Nazis, skinheads, and anti-Semites of all stripes.

Partial preterist denominations include the Church of Christ and a portion of the United Presbyterian church from which leaders were inspired to praise the internationally recognized terrorist organization Hezbollah with:

"We treasure the precious words of Hezbollah and your expression of goodwill toward the American people. Also we praise your initiative for dialogue and mutual understanding. We cherish these statements that bring us closer to you. As an elder of our church, I'd like to say that according to my recent experience, relations and conversations with Islamic leaders are a lot easier than dealings and dialogue with Jewish leaders."

Since some church groups are reluctant to weigh in on Zionism it's also constructive to see who considered, or were compelled to vote on, "divestment" of Israeli assets. These include the United Church of Christ (partial-preterist), United Methodist Church, The Church of England, The Toronto assembly of the United Church of Canada, the World Council of Churches and the Presbyterian Church (USA) (part of which holds partial-preterist eschatology, for whom Romans 11 may not be the only chapter of Romans they have difficulty with). In addition is the ECUSA's suggestion of "positive investment" - whatever that is - since the so-called "Palestinians" produce little more than murder, mayhem and misery which leaves precious little to "invest" in. Perhaps ECUSA's "positive investment" means funding Islamic terrorism through ignorance, as is done by those that have been duped by Muhammad's followers.

More recently: "The Muslim Public Affairs Council’s choice of location for its 12th Annual Convention on December 15 is telling: The All Saints Episcopal Church of Pasadena, California. The group, founded by Muslim Brotherhood followers, says this is the “next step in its mission by crossing the interfaith line.”

"MPAC explains that the holding of its convention at the All Saints Episcopal Church of Pasadena is a reflection of its focus on winning allies among other faiths. It boasts of establishing partnerships with the National Association of Evangelicals, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, the Catholic Archdiocese, the African Methodist Episcopal Church, the Union of Reform Judaism and other faith groups."

From a Christian perspective it would be absurd to believe this to be nothing more than a historical accident that took place in a spiritual vacuum. So the restoration of Jews to Israel is either of the Lord or it is of Satan.

Those of us that believe the restoration of Jews to their land is of the Lord and was prophesied, generally see Jews that haven't yet come to Christ as being in one of two groups. Faithful Jews who may remain blind to the Gospel through an act of God, who worship YHWH through our Old Testament scriptures, and whose lives revolve around their faith-based community. That is, Jews that have a circumcision of the heart. In the second group we see unfaithful or natural Jews that are of the world, who share the same spiritual condition as Gentile agnostics or atheists that have also not had a circumcision of the heart.

When we consider Jews we also see the blessing they have been on mankind. While only composing about 2/10 of 1% of the world's population Jews have received about 20% of Nobel Prizes awarded in such fields as physics, chemistry, and medicine, while contributing ingenuity and innovation toward the betterment of the world community in everything from agriculture to the high tech industry. Our gratefulness and love for Jews has resulted in many of our churches being populated with large numbers of Jews that have received Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.

On the other side of the church, the replacement theology of punitive supersessionism cannot recognize a difference recognized between the spiritual condition of a Jew who centers his life on his faith in, and worship of YHWH, and a Jew that is an atheist or agnostic. Since those on this side of the church consider all Jews as a monolithic group, it isn't difficult to understand why all too often they judge the whole group by the deeds of the most unregenerate among them, since their replacement theology does not allow them to recognize any difference in spiritual condition.

Pope Innocent IV: “The wicked perfidy of the Jews - from whose hearts Our Saviour did not remove the veil because of their enormous crimes but caused them justly to continue in their blindness, commit acts of shame which engender astonishment in those who hear, and terror in those who discover it.” (The Wicked Perfidy of the Jews)

On one tree are those of us that support the Jews sovereign control over Israel and Jerusalem, that is fruited by majorities of Israeli non-Muslim Arabs, Israeli Jews and Israeli Christians, the vast majorities of whom were born there. Also supporting the Israelis in their struggle to simply be left alone to live in peace, while continuing to protect the freedom, liberty and right to self-determination of all Israeli citizens, are freedom loving people from around the world, including millions of evangelical Christians that also recognize the bible as having prophesied the - now stunning reality - of the restoration of Jews to their land.

On the other tree are those that reject the restoration of Jews to Israel as being of the Lord, that is fruited by preterists and partial-preterists and the other self-described Christians listed previously. They are joined by the vast majority of Israeli Muslims and at least one minor cult of Israeli Jews, Nazis, skinheads, Louis Farrakan and the Nation of Islam, white supremacists, Soviets, George Soros and his Center for American Progress, and anti-Semites of all stripes. None of whom would ever tolerate having bomb carrying rockets randomly fired into their neighborhoods (and as easily onto their schools), for two days, let alone two years, without expecting their government do something about it. In addition to members of those self-described Christian groups listed previously who considered divestment of Israeli assets are U.S. liberal academics, and the "Palestinian" NGO "Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions", that was preceded by The Arab League boycott of Israel, which started in 1921 and was formalized in 1945.

The restoration of Jews to Israel is either of the Lord or it is of Satan. Regarding what Paul described as a "mystery" in regard to God's judgment on faithful Jews in this Christian era, I am not about to suggest that God gave me the sole franchise on the answer to that mystery. But judging by the fruit I don't have too much difficulty discerning which side I want my Lord and Savior to find me on. Is it surprising to discover the fellow fruit that full preterists - who pit themselves against nearly 2,000 years of Christian scholars and universal Christian core doctrine by suggesting the resurrection of the dead is past already - find themselves among?

2Timothy 2:17 And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; 18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

As we witness around the world, wherever God is rejected, Satan fills the void. Examples are communist countries, and, as the Christian faith continues to die in Europe, we witness Islam continuing to fill the void. Antichrist Islamic expansion is taking place in most countries in the world today. The obvious heir apparent in any further conquest of Israel, perpetrated with the aid of those from around the world that pit themselves against the Jewish state:

"Christians can only continue living safely in the Gaza Strip if they accept Islamic law, including a ban on alcohol and on women roaming publicly without proper head coverings, an Islamist militant leader in Gaza told WND in an exclusive interview."

Satan obviously filled the void in Gaza that anti-Israel powers left behind, by removing the Jewish state and thus preventing Jews from being able to continue to protect the freedom, liberty and self-determination of the Israeli Christians that live there. No different even for secular non-Muslim Arabs. From Wikipedia:

"In contrast, a poll of 507 Arab-Israelis conducted by the Israeli Democracy Institute in 2007 found that 75 percent profess support for Israel's status as a Jewish and democratic state which guarantees equal rights for minorities. Israeli Arab support for a constitution in general was 88 percent.[31]"

Thus the ONLY group anti-Zionism supports are the Muslims in their conquest and subjugation of Israeli Jews, Arabs and Christians, advancing the conversion of Israel into just another female circumcising, multiple wife and concubine beating, child doing, Christian beheading, Islamic terrorist slave state. Just another stepping stone in the global conquest of the Islamic Second Jihad.

Nor can the overwhelming majority of preterists I have chatted with discern any difference at all between the spiritual condition of those Jews who love and worship our God YHWH through our Old Testament scriptures and simply wish to be left alone to live in peace, and the spiritual condition of Muslims that follow the stand-alone false prophet Muhammad by prostrating themselves toward the Quraish pagan's black stone idol in Mecca five times a day and praying in the names of the Arabian pagan deity "Allah" and his "messenger", while engaging in thinly veneered Arabian Star Family and jinn-devil worship rituals, who are commanded by the false prophet Muhammad to conquer all kingdoms of the world and subjugate all people to doing the same.

Some preterists seem to believe that the would needs to be prepared for the return of Christ, with everyone sitting around campfires singing kum-by-yah, but the direction of the world continues to march is the direction one would expect fallen man to take it.

As Islam replaces Christianity as the dominant religion in Europe, more and more churches are set to become mosques, which increasingly serve not only as religious institutions but also function as the foundational political building blocks for the establishment of separate, parallel Muslim communities in Europe that are based on Islamic Sharia law.

We have a section devoted to Roman Catholic Jesuit Luis Alcazar, under "Works" at this link: ".....his work is regarded as the first major application of the method of interpretation of prophecy by reading in terms of the author's contemporary concerns."