God's Word, or Our Words?

God provided us with a Bible, at an incredible cost for its many cast members, many of whom suffered or died so that we can learn from their lives, their mistakes, and their triumphs. Many also suffered and died through history, just for preserving this book, even for translating it into English. It's a precious book, God knows that all serious Christians know that. So to see the many ways it has been mangled, twisted, and re-interpreted by some for their own purposes is just unacceptable. There are enough people who claim to have new revelations and new interpretations and we must learn to recognise when this is happening and reject it. The Bible has only one author, God, and the task we have is to know exactly what is in His heart as we read his words.

So how do we read and interpret the Bible? How can we tell what is in the heart of God as we read His words? We begin with two Greek words, exegesis, and eisegesis. Exegesis is the act of reading the words of the Bible and only receiving the truth that God put there. Eisegsis is the act of reading the Bible and only receiving what agrees with your own ideas. The first technique is, I hope you agree, the way we should approach hte Bible. The other one is the chosen route of our TV preacher and may God forgive him!¹

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Footnotes:

1. Steve Maltz, How the Church Lost the Way, Saffron Planet, pp 72

The Olivet Discourse

For a full and very clear discussion of this topic please visit Ariel Ministries and read their excellent analysis of the text of Matthew 24 and 25: The Olivet Discourse according to Matthew 24 and 25.

Dr Arnold Fruchtenbaum also has a dissertation which is available in manuscript form and as an appendix in his excellent book The Footsteps of the Messiah, on pages 621 to 650. Please read this book, and the relevant portions of scripture, for yourself.

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The Olivet Discourse, recorded in Matthew 24 and 25, Mark 13, and Luke 21, is one of the most important prophetic utterances in the Scriptures. If one has a clear understanding of this prediction, one will have an outline into which almost all other subjects of prophecy will fit perfectly.¹

Notes: (taken entirely from the Olivet Discourse by Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum)²

1. The discourse is recorded in three of the four Gospels. Matt 24-25, Mark 13, and Luke 21:5-36
2. Purpose: To answer the the question When and how would the Messianic Kingdom come into being?
3. Israel had just rejected the Messiah, so the Kingdom could not be set up at that time.
4. Matthew 23:37-39 - denounced Israel's leadership, He would not return again until Israel requested Him to.
5. Question: What circumstances would cause this invitation to be issued?
6. All Gospels must be studied to get the answer to the question
7. Three questions asked by disciples:

   Tell us, when shall these things be? These things refer to:

   1. The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple;
   2. What shall be the sign of your coming? This question concerns the second coming and not the rapture which is imminent;
   3. What shall be the sign of the end of the world? This is a question about the end of the age, rabbinic theology recognised two ages, this age, and the Messianic age. So the question is what is the sign that the last days of this age have begun and that will lead to the Messianic Age?

8. Things that were NOT signs:
   1. The Rise of False Messiahs
   2. The Existence of Local Wars

9. The Sign of the End of the Age (Answer to Third question)
   1. Matt 24:7-8, Mark 13:8 and Luke 21:10-11 - World wide wars will indicate that the end had begun
   2. Fulfilled by World War I and World War II
   3. Nation will rise against Nation, and Kingdom against Kingdom is a Jewish idiom which means world wide war
10. Personal Experiences of the Apostles
    1. Mark 13:9-13, Luke 21:12-19 - But before all these things...
    2. There will be a time of suffering, and a successful ministry
11. The Sign of the Fall of Jerusalem (Answer to First Question)
    1. Luke 21:20-24
    2. Jerusalem would be surrounded by armies. When this happened they were instructed to get out of Jerusalem.

       A. D. 66 Cestus Gallus surrounded Jerusalem, but noticed his supply lines were not secure. He lifted the siege and returned to Caesarea. The Jewish believers left Jerusalem.

    3. A. D. 68 Vespasian and his Son Titus surrounded and, in A. D. 70, destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple.
    4. 1,100,000 Jews were killed in this assault. Not one Jewish believer died.
    5. Jerusalem will not be free of Gentile nations until her Messiah returns.
12. The Great Tribulation
    1. Matt 24:9-26, Mark 14-23
    2. Matt 24:9-14 - first half of Tribulation
    3. Matt 24:9-14 is not dealing with the same events as Mark 13:9-13 and Luke 21:12-19
    4. Matt 24:15-28, Mark 13:14-23 - second half of Tribulation

13. The Sign of the Second Coming of the Messiah (Answer to Second Question)
    1. Matt 24:29-30, Mark 13:24-26, Luke 21:25-27
    2. Preceding the sign of the second coming there will be a blackout
    3. The sign of the Son of man will appear in Matt verse 30a
    4. This sign will be coupled with God's glory and will be the Shechinah Glory

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Footnotes:

1. Dr. David L. Cooper, The Olivet Discourse according to Matthew 24 and 25, Downloaded from http://www.ariel.org/dlc/dlc-wg-43.htm 5 March 2011, Copyright © 2009 Ariel Ministries. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
2. Dr Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah, Copyright © 2003,2004 Ariel Ministries. All rights reserved. Used by permission. pp 621 - 650

A. D. 70: Preterism's Prohetic Dead End by Randall Price

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The following article is reproduced with the permission of the Author in it's entirety without alteration or erasure. The article is an edited version of the original and appears in the January/February 2005 edition of Israel My Glory. It is reproduced here as it appeared in that edition of Israel My Glory. Dr. Randall Price is the Director and Founder of the World of the Bible Ministries and the full text of this article concerning preterism is published in PDF format on his site at http://www.worldofthebible.com.

We thank Dr. Price, World of the Bible Ministries, and Israel My Glory for permitting us to use this excellent analysis of Preterism.

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In recent years a system of interpreting biblical prophecy known as Preterism has invaded the church, brining confusion and division to many congregations that have historically held to the future return of Jesus Christ.

Promoted by popular radio teachers, such as Reformed scholar R. C. Sproul, whose book The Last Days According to Jesus advances the moderate preterist position, Preterism has made inroads into evangelical seminaries and stimulated public debates on Bible college campuses. Although most Christians have never heard of the teachings of Preterism, its approach to prophecy diminishes the prophetic hope of the church while undermining the basis of the prophetic promises for Israel.

What is Preterism

Derived from the Latin word preter (past), Preterism holds fast that most, if not all, of the prophetic events of the Old and New Testaments have already been fulfilled. Like historicism, which interprets the book of Revelation as symbolic of church history, Preterism spirutalizes prophecy to make if fit historical events in the Church Age. However, unlike historicism, Preterism seeks to fit certain, if not all, prophecies relating the Christ's Second Coming and Israel's restoration into a specific historical event in the past.

As moderate preterist Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., explains, "Matthew 24:1-34 (and parallels) in the Olivet Discourse was fulfilled in the events surrounding the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. In Revelation most of the prophecies before Revelation 20 find fulfilment in the fall of Jerusalem."¹

Preterists contend that Jesus' use of the phrase this generation in His Olivet Discourse requires fulfillment in the first century; R. C. Sproul, in particular, argues that Christ's words failed unless this interpretation is adopted.

By contrast, Futurism (what we believe) maintains that the literal fulfillment of Messianic prophecy in Christ's First Advent confirms that His prophetic teaching must also be interpreted literally. Thus the Olivet Discourse and the Revelation will find fulfillment in the future, particularly during the Tribulation and Christ's Millennial reign.

Two types of Preterism today contend with each other for primacy. Partial, or Moderate, Preterism is the most popular version. Although it argues that most prophecy (such as the events of the Tribulation) was fulfilled in A.D. 70, it still understands that some prophetic teachings like Christ's Second Coming and the bodily resurrection, have a future fulfillment.

Partial Preterism, therefore , holds to two Second Comings: one that occurred in A.D. 70 as a parousia (Greek, "coming" or "advent") and Day of the Lord for the purpose of judging the Jewish nation and one that will occur universally at the climax of human history as the final and ultimate Day of the Lord.

Leading advocates of Partial Preterism who have published popular defenses of their position include R. C. Sproul, Gary DeMar, and Kenneth L. Gentry Jr., as well as the late David Chilton, who changes to Full Preterism after his books were published.

Full, or Extreme, Preterism contends that all prophecy (including Christ's Second Coming and bodily resurrection) was fulfilled by A.D. 70.

Full Preterism maintains that believers have been spiritually resurrected and the creation spiritually restored, so the church presently exists in the eternal state of the new heavens and new earth.

According to Thomas Ice, executive director of the Pre-Trib Research Center and one the foremost experts on Preterism, there is no evidence of any preterist interpretation in the history of the early church through the Reformation. ³

Preterism's View of Israel

Preterism teaches that Christ came in A.D. 70 to judge Israel and end the Jewish age.

Like historicists, preterists argue that the promises made to Israel were misunderstood as national promises. Therefore, when Israel rejected Christ, these "spiritual" promises passed to the church, the "true Israel."

Preterism, however, which forces the fulfillment of most prophetic texts, particularly the fall of Jerusalem and the Temple, in to the events of the First Jewish Revolt, views the destruction of the Jewish people as the central focus of prophecy.

As Preterist David Chilton stated, The Book of Revelation is not about the second coming of Christ. It is about the destruction of Israel and Christ's victory over His enemies in the establishment the New Covenant temple...Revelation prophesies the judgement of God on apostate Israel; and while it does briefly point to events beyond its immediate concerns, that is done merely as a "wrap up", to show that the ungodly will never prevail against Christ's Kingdom. ³

For preterists, the Jewish people are the true enemies of Christ; and their overthrow by the Roman army, sent by Christ to do His bidding, is the triumph of Christ over the Antichrist. In fact, they say, Christ came spiritually in the judgement by the Roman army (hence, a judgement-coming) fulfilling His promise "to come quickly."

The Jewish Temple is likewise seen as the center of spiritual apostasy and its destruction as the fulfillment of the abomination of desolation, which was God's holy judgement for the wicked crucifixion of Christ by the Jews.

Preterists, therefore, reject any aspect of a future for ethnic Israel (apart from the church) and contend that any eschatological system that looks for a restoration of Israel and its Temple is heretical, for such would be tantamount to rejecting Christ and restoring blasphemy.

Preterist Gary DeMar explains:
There is nothing in Jesus' teaching in this Gospel [Matthew] which suggests that after this period of judgement there will be a restoration. ... The Apocalyptic Discourse (ch. 24) moves away frm Jerusalem. ... Does the Bible, especially the New Testament, predict that the Temple will be rebuilt? It does not. ...To make the Temple of stone a permanent structure in the light of Jesus' atoning work would be a denial of the Messiah and His redemptive mission. ⁴

Preterism's Problems

(1) - The Date of the Book of Revelations

For the prophecies of Revelation to fit in to the Roman conquest of Jerusalem, it is necessary to date the composition of the book before A.D. 70.

Preterists understand the necessity of dating the book early in Nero's reign (A.D. 64-67), confessing, "If the book was written after A.D. 70, then its contents manifestly do not refer to events surrounding the fall of Jerusalem." ⁵

However, if dating the book was so crucial to its interpretation, why did not the apostle John clearly indicate somewhere in its 404 verses the time of its writing? However, as Mark Hitchcock, who wrote a doctoral dissertation on the subject, concluded, "I do believe that the case for the late date (A.D. 95) can be proven at least by a preponderance of the evidence, if not beyond a reasonable doubt." ⁶

This evidence includes the external testimony of the most reliable early church fathers, such as Irenaeus (A.D. 120-202), who made the unambiguous declaration, "For if it were necessary that the name of him [Antichrist] should be distinctly revealed in this present time , it would have been told by him who saw the apocalyptic vision. For it [the Revelation] was seen no long time ago, but almost in our generation, toward the end of Domitian's reign." ⁷

In addition, the internal evidence favours the late date in the time of Domitian. This support includes (1) the condition and description of the seven churches in Revelation 1-3, which make no mention of Paul's missionary journeys; (2) John's banishment to Patmos, rather than execution, as with Peter and Paul under Nero; and (3) the prophecy of the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:9-22:5), which implies that the old Jerusalem has already been destroyed.

(2) - Lack of Historical Agreement With First-Century Fulfillment

If Preterism's interpretation of prophecy were correct, the historical record should support details. However, the opposite is the case.

For example, the direction of Christ's advent to Jerusalem (Mt 24:27) is compared with lightning flashing from "east to west." But the Roman army, which preterists interpret as fulfilling this prophecy, advanced on Jerusalem from "west to east." Even if we take this simply to mean the Roman army advanced "like lightning" (i.e., quickly), history reveals a very slow assault on Jerusalem; the war lasted several years before Jerusalem was even besieged!

In many cases a "correlation" can only be made through the eschatologically biased interpretation of first-century historian Flavius Josephus, such as (1) associating divine signs with the Roman army's impending conquest; (2) reinterpreting the text to fit the preferred historical data, such as taking "the clouds of heaven" as the dust kicked up by the Roman army's advance; or (3) taking statements that do not fit the historical events, such as the unprecedented and unsurpassed nature of the Tribulation, as hyperbole in order to claim first-century fulfillment.

Even the central concept of Preterism - that Christ's judgement-coming was to end the Jewish nation - cannot stand in light of Judaism's continued vitality and the modern state of Israel.

The historical consequences for Israel in the aftermath of A.D. 70 were indeed critical. But the Jewish people and Jewish nationalism not only survived, but hope for the restoration promised by the prophets increased. Moreover, the "Temple consciousness," perpetuated through rabbinic Judaism's spiritual transference to the synagogue, also expressed itself in tangible ways.

Whenever circumstances favoured rebuilding the Temple, there were Jewish activists who returned to Jerusalem to attempt it. Today the Roman Empire is long vanished; but the Jewish people are again in the Promised Land, in control of the Holy City and its Temple Mount, and making plans to rebuild the Temple.

Is it reasonable to accept the events of A.D. 70 as a fulfillment of God's program for the Jews but not accept these subsequent events as also part of His ongoing divine plan? A futurist interpretation agrees much better with Jesus' statement in the Olivet Discourse that, when He comes, the Jewish people are to "look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near." (Lk 21:28) Clearly this text teaches that Christ's Second Coming involves Israel's redemption, not destruction.

As a result of such historical and textual incongruities, Robert Gundry commented concerning the preterist interpretation of a first-century fulfillment:

Whether writing just before, right at, or just after 70 C.E., Mark [or any of the other gospel writers] is not liable to have suffered from very much ignorance of what went on. From beginning to end, then, the events and circumstances of the Jewish war disagree with the text of Mark [also Matthew and, in part, Luke] too widely to allow that text to reflect those events and circumstances. ⁸

If the historical correlation with an A.D. 70 fulfillment for the Olivet Discourse fails, and Preterism depends on such a fulfillment for the maintenances of its eschatological system, then Preterism itself fails as a viable eschatological interpretation.

The Dangers of Preterism

Every teaching has consequences for the spiritual life. Therefore, the teachings of Preterism must be considered for their practical dangers.

Preterism teaches that Christ has already returned (spiritually) and, in its extreme form, that He will never return again bodily. However, the divine declaration in Act 1:11, "This is the same Jesus...will so come in like manner as you say Him go into heaven," contradicts both Partial and Full Preterism.

The teaching then is false. It not only distorts the prophetic program and denies the blessed hope (Ti 2:13) but promotes the deception that there will be no end to history, that evil has been eradicated from the world (Full Preterism), and that believers now live in the eternal state.

Such false doctrine also prevents Christians from obeying the manifold commands of Scripture directed to those awaiting Christ's Second Coming (1Th. 1:10). Practical admonitions given in light of Christ's return - such as "awake...walk [behave] properly" (Rom. 13:11-13; cf 1 Th. 5:4-10); "live soberly [sensibly], righteously, and godly" (Ti. 2:12); and live in purity (1 Jn. 3:3) - have no meaning to those who believe His coming is past.

Preterism also corrupts the understanding of the present work of Satan and his demons by teaching Satan was crushed and bound at the cross and that apostasy is a thing of the past. Yet Scripture states that our struggle is "against powers, against rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Eph 6:12); "the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one" (1 Jn 5:19); and "in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons" (1 Ti 4:1).

How then can Christians obey such commands as "Resist the devil" (Jas 4:7; cf 1 Pet 5:9) and "from such people [apostates] turn away!" (2 Tim 3:5)?

Moreover, the preterist approach to prophecy affects the way Christians understand God's purpose for the Jewish nation and their political views toward the existence of the modern Jewish state. Preterism replaces Israel with the church, teaching that "ethnic Israel was excommunicated for its apostasy and will never again be God's Kingdom" ⁸

If Israel's future salvation and restoration (Rom 11:25-27) in God's program is abrogated, so, too, is God's promised blessing for the world (Rom. 11:12) in fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 12:3).

The apostle Peter summed up the divine verdict towards Preterism when he wrote, "Scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming?" (2 Pet.3:3-4), Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

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Endnotes:

1. Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., He Shall Have Dominion: A Postmillennial Eschatology (Tyler, TX: Institute for Christian Economics, 1992), p. 159.
2. Thomas Ice, “The History of Preterism,” The End Times Controversy. Edited by Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 2003), pp. 42-46.
3. David Chilton, Paradise Restored: An Eschatology of Dominion (Tyler, TX: Reconstruction Press, 1985), p. 43.
4. R. Gary DeMar, Last Days Madness: Obsession of the Modern Church. 4th ed. (Atlanta: American Vision, 1999), pp. 52, 61.
5. R.C. Sproul, The Last Days According to Jesus (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998), p. 140.
6. Mark Hitchcock, “The Stake in the Heart – The A.D. 95 Date of Revelation,” The End Times Controversy, p. 125.
7. Irenaeus, Against Heresies 5.30.3.
8. David Chilton, Paradise Restored, p. 224.

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Randall Price is an archaeologist, author, and president of World of the Bible Ministries, Inc., an organization dedicated to exploring and explaining the past, present, and prophetic world of the Bible.

Copyright © 2004-2006 World of the Bible Ministries, All Rights Reserved. Used By Permission.

God does not care about your theology. Really?

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I was listening to a world renowned preacher this weekend. In the process of his address he said "God does not care about your theology." This is true, but untrue. In the context of the address and his heart to save the lost, his assertion that God is not interested in getting your theology correct is an attempt to get as many people across the line into his eternally loving arms as possible. However, the idea that God does not care about what you believe about Him and how he works his plans for the world out is, in my opinion, not correct.

Why then do I say that is God interested in your theology? The reason is simple. Heresy, which is wrong theology, causes a loss of freedom and adds unnecessary burdens to peoples lives. When Yeshua called the Pharisees a brood of vipers it was not just because they were hypocrites. It was that their theology was wrong and it was hurting people.

Mat 23:1 - 23:36

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples. "The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees are the authorized interpreters of Moses' Law. So you must obey and follow everything they tell you to do; do not, however, imitate their actions, because they don't practice what they preach. They tie onto people's backs loads that are heavy and hard to carry, yet they aren't willing even to lift a finger to help them carry those loads. They do everything so that people will see them. Look at the straps with scripture verses on them which they wear on their foreheads and arms, and notice how large they are! Notice also how long are the tassels on their cloaks! They love the best places at feasts and the reserved seats in the synagogues; they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to have people call them 'Teacher.'

You must not be called 'Teacher,' because you are all equal and have only one Teacher. And you must not call anyone here on earth 'Father,' because you have only the one Father in heaven. Nor should you be called 'Leader,' because your one and only leader is the Messiah. The greatest one among you must be your servant. Whoever makes himself great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be made great.

"How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You lock the door to the Kingdom of heaven in people's faces, but you yourselves don't go in, nor do you allow in those who are trying to enter! "How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You sail the seas and cross whole countries to win one convert; and when you succeed, you make him twice as deserving of going to hell as you yourselves are! "How terrible for you, blind guides! You teach, 'If someone swears by the Temple, he isn't bound by his vow; but if he swears by the gold in the Temple, he is bound.' Blind fools! Which is more important, the gold or the Temple which makes the gold holy? You also teach, 'If someone swears by the altar, he isn't bound by his vow; but if he swears by the gift on the altar, he is bound.' How blind you are! Which is the more important, the gift or the altar which makes the gift holy? So then, when a person swears by the altar, he is swearing by it and by all the gifts on it; and when he swears by the Temple, he is swearing by it and by God, who lives there; and when someone swears by heaven, he is swearing by God's throne and by him who sits on it.

"How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You give to God one tenth even of the seasoning herbs, such as mint, dill, and cumin, but you neglect to obey the really important teachings of the Law, such as justice and mercy and honesty. These you should practice, without neglecting the others. Blind guides! You strain a fly out of your drink, but swallow a camel! "How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You clean the outside of your cup and plate, while the inside is full of what you have gotten by violence and selfishness. Blind Pharisee! Clean what is inside the cup first, and then the outside will be clean too! "How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look fine on the outside but are full of bones and decaying corpses on the inside. In the same way, on the outside you appear good to everybody, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and sins. "How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You make fine tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of those who lived good lives; and you claim that if you had lived during the time of your ancestors, you would not have done what they did and killed the prophets. So you actually admit that you are the descendants of those who murdered the prophets! Go on, then, and finish up what your ancestors started! You snakes and children of snakes! How do you expect to escape from being condemned to hell?

And so I tell you that I will send you prophets and wise men and teachers; you will kill some of them, crucify others, and whip others in the synagogues and chase them from town to town. As a result, the punishment for the murder of all innocent people will fall on you, from the murder of innocent Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the Temple and the altar. I tell you indeed: the punishment for all these murders will fall on the people of this day!

What we believe about God, and how we should show our love for Him, is based on our theology. Wiktionary defines as:

The study of a god or gods and the truthfulness of religion in general; An organized method of interpreting spiritual works and beliefs into practical form

The way we interpret our Bible, what Yeshua (Jesus) says, and how we live our lives are a result of what we have decided God is wanting from us. The Pharisees got it wrong, and it getting it wrong they placed burdens upon peoples backs that they should not have had to carry. These things are by definition our theology. Our theology is not an add on, everyone has a theology, whether they like to acknowledge it or not.

Does your God make your life easier, or have you become weighed down by the demands your beliefs have placed upon you. Maybe, you need to examine your beliefs again, re-evaluate your theology.