Preterism is the teaching that the great tribulation concluded in 70 AD and Jesus’ second coming happened in the same year so that we are currently living in the Millennium or thousand year reign of Christ (Partial Preterism) while Full Preterism teaches that the Millennium and even God’s final judgment are over. This means that, satan has already been thrown into the lake of fire, along with all those whose names are not written in the book of life, and we are currently living in the new heaven and new earth (cf. Revelation chapters 20-22). However, Preterism has tenets and implications which are refuted in Scripture proving that (i) Jesus never said He would come in the first century or in the generation that was alive in His day; (ii) the great tribulation, second coming of Jesus and the Millennium are yet to happen (iii) the Bible does not teach that the Jewish race/age has ended or will end with the second coming of Jesus, and (iv) God has not replaced Israel with Jesus or the church.
In Matthew 24, also recorded in Mark 13 and Luke 21, Jesus talked extensively about the sings that will precede His second coming. The teachings of Jesus in these passages are popularly referred to as the Olivet Discourse. In this discourse, Jesus, in plain language, not in parables, described how His second coming will look like: “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other (Matthew 24:29-31). In the words of Jesus, His second coming will be a public event, where all the tribes will mourn as every single human being see Him come in the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. However, there is absolutely no record and evidence in all of human history that the whole earth, and every single human being and tribe saw Jesus come in the clouds of the sky in AD 70. Additionally, the Scriptures teach that Jesus’ coming and the resurrection of the dead in Christ are tied together. Even before Jesus’ feet will touch the ground, the dead in Christ will be resurrected, and the resurrected saints and faithful believers who will be alive at that time will be caught up (raptured) to meet Jesus in the air (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, Matthew 24:29-31). The saints that are resurrected from the dead when Jesus comes, including all those beheaded during the great tribulation, are resurrected to rule with Jesus on this very earth for a thousand years (see Revelation 20:4-6). This is an actual, bodily resurrection, without which the bible says the Christian faith is worthless (1 Corinthians 15:14-19). As per the Scriptures, to claim that this resurrection is not an actual, bodily resurrection from the dead, is to claim that not even Jesus has been resurrected, and the Christian faith is in vain and useless (1 Corinthians 15:14-18). Now, not only is there an absolute lack of record and evidence that every single human being and tribe saw Jesus’ come in the clouds of the sky in AD 70. But there is, and there has never been any resurrected saints of old like the Apostles Peter, and Paul, who have been resurrected bodily, and have ruled or are still ruling with Jesus in this earth for a thousand years. The Scriptures specifically teaches us to stay away from claiming that the resurrection has happened, when in fact it hasn’t, because to do so is to stray away from the truth and also undermine/destroy the faith of some (see 2 Timothy 2:18).
Furthermore, we learn from Revelation chapters 12-14 that the great tribulation is an event that is meant for the world, not just for Jerusalem or Israel. Although everyone can learn from and obey the command to not receive the mark of the beast during the great tribulation, this command was not just issued to Israel or the inhabitants of Israel. Rather, the command was for all faithful Christians, who can indeed be found worldwide not just in Israel: “…If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb... Here is the perseverance of the saints who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus (Revelation 14:9-12). If the great tribulation were restricted to Israel alone, then it would be pointless for Christians worldwide to be commanded to refuse the mark of the beast. Thus, to claim that events that happened in Israel in the first century is the fulfillment of an event which is prophesied to come upon the world is biblically indefensible.
With these alone, we can see that two main supporting pillars of Preterism, i.e., the fulfillment of the great tribulation and Jesus’ second coming, are unsupported in Scripture and in history.
Dr. Kwadwo Omari
October 25, 2023
A Very Important Message
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23). Therefore, If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour, I invite you to put your faith in Him. Pray the prayer below to accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour: “I come to you God in Jesus’ name and surrender my life unto you. I repent of my sins and I ask You to forgive me all my sins. I confess with my mouth that Jesus is Lord, and I believe with my heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead. I thank you God for saving me, in Jesus name, Amen”. If you sincerely prayed this prayer, believe and be assured that you are saved, for the Bible says that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13, Romans 10:9-10, Acts 16:31). Find a Bible believing church to attend so that you can be taught and trained to grow in the ways of God. You can also email me ([email protected]) and I will be happy to grow together with you in Christ. God bless you.