Article by: Kenneth J. Ester
Why Preterists Should Not be Trusted
When looking at two sides of an argument, if one side can answer any questions or problems tossed their way, and the other side refuses to even acknowledge the questions and problems tossed at them, it doesn't take a genius to know who is right.
It is often truly that simple to know who is speaking truth and who is not. It goes the same way with religious debates. God's truth will always have answers. It will fit all scripture and not just some. If a religious stance has unanswered questions and problems, there is every reason to believe it is false. If you cannot even prove your stance is possible, you have no place pushing it as correct.
This is simple and basic logic!
This is why I do not give Preterists the respect of someone who might be right. There are multiple problems and simple questions that Preterism cannot answer. I have asked them many times and they typically try to ignore them unless I keep pushing it. They never give good answers! Because of this, I know for certain that Preterism is false. There is no question. It is false!
These are the problems and questions....
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1) Who was the False Prophet?
This is not some trick question here. It cant be more simple or point blank. The False Prophet in Revelation is a major character. He is the one who gives the Beast a lot of his support. He deceives many into believing the Beast is God. He is the one who issues the mark of the beast. Preterism on the other hand states it all already happened. Its a part of history. How can they not look at history and know who the False Prophet was if their stance was true? The simple fact that they do not know who the False Prophet was, is very strong evidence that their stance just doesnt fully fit the events they say it does.
**********
2) Why are Preterists the only ones who believe 70 AD was worse than the Holocaust?
They claim that 70 AD was the Tribulation. Daniel's 70th week. But Jesus also clearly says that the Great Tribulation will be the worst this world has ever seen or ever will see. For Preterism to be correct, 70 AD must be worse than the Holocaust.
When the only ones who say something have to say it because if they dont, their entire stance is proven false, and on the other side, both Christians and non-Christians agree, its clear who is being biased.
My question is not asking how 70 AD could be considered as worse than the Holocaust. My question is 'WHY' is it that the ONLY ones who think it is worse than the Holocaust, are Preterists?
**********
3) How do they cross up how the 70th week begins with the covenant being confirmed at the midpoint of the Tribulation?
Preterists claim the 70th week begins with Jesus preaching the gospel and He is cut off at the middle of the week.
But Daniel 9:27 says this...
27 And he will confirm a covenant with the many for one week,...
It is clearly the covenant that starts the 70th week. It doesn't happen at the middle of the week.
How do they make this work?
**********
4) Why is there at least a 27 year gap?
Daniels 70th week says it is after the 69 (7 & 62 weeks) that the Messiah is cut off and the city is destroyed. It does not say the 70th week starts before those things happens. It doesn't even mention the 70th week until 'after' it mentions the crucifixion and destruction of the city. Yet Preterists insist that it started right away. The 70th week is a time period of 7 years. This means that if Jesus was crucified in 36 AD at the latest, the 70th week would have been done by 43 AD at the latest. Not 70 AD!
**********
5) Why is sin still so rampant in this world?
In Daniel 9:24 it lists 6 things that this prophecy will lead up to happening.
For the Jews to finish the wrong doing
to make an end of sin
to make atonement for guilt
to bring in everlasting righteousness
to seal up vision and prophecy
to anoint the most holy place.
If these are things the Jews must do, they clearly did not accomplish it. For there has not been made an end to sin. They will claim the crucifixion does that, but the scripture does not say to make an end of the consequences of sin. It says to make an end of sin itself. Jews are still sinning. Sin is clearly rampant in this world.
**********
If everything is already finished and its all history... It doesn't take much studying Revelation to realize that Jesus comes immediately after the Tribulation. That He sets up His kingdom on Earth for 1,000 years. Then the devil is set free for a short time and he decieves the people. God kills them all. Then is the day of judgment for the unsaved.
6) Where is Jesus?
If Jesus already returned since 70 AD, according to them, was the Great Tribulation, where is He?
7) When and how did the antichrist kill the two witnesses? How did He leave their bodies laying in the street (singular)?
8) When did the 1,000 years of peace (Millennial kingdom) happen?
9) When did we live such long lives that a child who dies at 100 years is thought to be accursed?
**********
If you study Daniel 7, you find it actually tells us 'how' the antichrist will be revealed. There will be a ten nation coalition ruled by ten leaders. A lesser leader (prince or vice president) will rise up and kill three of the leaders. The other 7 will give him full control and he will go out conquering.
8.) When and how did this happen?
**********
9) When was all Israel saved?
**********
10) What is the meaning of the Fig Tree parable?
In Matthew 24, Jesus takes us through the entire end times all the way up to His second coming. Then Jesus tells us a parable of the Fig Tree. What is the meaning of this parable?
I know how this parable fits a futurist understanding. How does it fit a Preterist understanding?
************
I have placed these before Preterists many times. At the very best, I have had a few try to answer 2 or 3 of them. Nobody has ever answered all of them.
Why not?
They are not major questions. They are not confusing ones. They are not trick questions. If it is all history and it all has already happened, all of this should have an answer. Why doesn't it?
The fact that they cannot answer them all, and will not even try to, is clear evidence that they made some scriptures match some things that happened in the past, and just assume it is the truth. The simple fact that they dont care about making it fit all of the scriptures tells me that their mission is not to teach the truth, but to make scripture fit what they want to believe instead of changing their beliefs to fit Gods word.
As long as there are so many obvious holes in what they believe, and they dont even try to answer them all, much less give good clear answers for them, it is wrong for anyone to even give them the respect of even possibly being correct. That is NOT how you find Gods truth over mans interpretation. If you cannot even defend your own beliefs, you have no place pushing them as being the truth.
It is often truly that simple to know who is speaking truth and who is not. It goes the same way with religious debates. God's truth will always have answers. It will fit all scripture and not just some. If a religious stance has unanswered questions and problems, there is every reason to believe it is false. If you cannot even prove your stance is possible, you have no place pushing it as correct.
This is simple and basic logic!
This is why I do not give Preterists the respect of someone who might be right. There are multiple problems and simple questions that Preterism cannot answer. I have asked them many times and they typically try to ignore them unless I keep pushing it. They never give good answers! Because of this, I know for certain that Preterism is false. There is no question. It is false!
These are the problems and questions....
**********
1) Who was the False Prophet?
This is not some trick question here. It cant be more simple or point blank. The False Prophet in Revelation is a major character. He is the one who gives the Beast a lot of his support. He deceives many into believing the Beast is God. He is the one who issues the mark of the beast. Preterism on the other hand states it all already happened. Its a part of history. How can they not look at history and know who the False Prophet was if their stance was true? The simple fact that they do not know who the False Prophet was, is very strong evidence that their stance just doesnt fully fit the events they say it does.
**********
2) Why are Preterists the only ones who believe 70 AD was worse than the Holocaust?
They claim that 70 AD was the Tribulation. Daniel's 70th week. But Jesus also clearly says that the Great Tribulation will be the worst this world has ever seen or ever will see. For Preterism to be correct, 70 AD must be worse than the Holocaust.
When the only ones who say something have to say it because if they dont, their entire stance is proven false, and on the other side, both Christians and non-Christians agree, its clear who is being biased.
My question is not asking how 70 AD could be considered as worse than the Holocaust. My question is 'WHY' is it that the ONLY ones who think it is worse than the Holocaust, are Preterists?
**********
3) How do they cross up how the 70th week begins with the covenant being confirmed at the midpoint of the Tribulation?
Preterists claim the 70th week begins with Jesus preaching the gospel and He is cut off at the middle of the week.
But Daniel 9:27 says this...
27 And he will confirm a covenant with the many for one week,...
It is clearly the covenant that starts the 70th week. It doesn't happen at the middle of the week.
How do they make this work?
**********
4) Why is there at least a 27 year gap?
Daniels 70th week says it is after the 69 (7 & 62 weeks) that the Messiah is cut off and the city is destroyed. It does not say the 70th week starts before those things happens. It doesn't even mention the 70th week until 'after' it mentions the crucifixion and destruction of the city. Yet Preterists insist that it started right away. The 70th week is a time period of 7 years. This means that if Jesus was crucified in 36 AD at the latest, the 70th week would have been done by 43 AD at the latest. Not 70 AD!
**********
5) Why is sin still so rampant in this world?
In Daniel 9:24 it lists 6 things that this prophecy will lead up to happening.
For the Jews to finish the wrong doing
to make an end of sin
to make atonement for guilt
to bring in everlasting righteousness
to seal up vision and prophecy
to anoint the most holy place.
If these are things the Jews must do, they clearly did not accomplish it. For there has not been made an end to sin. They will claim the crucifixion does that, but the scripture does not say to make an end of the consequences of sin. It says to make an end of sin itself. Jews are still sinning. Sin is clearly rampant in this world.
**********
If everything is already finished and its all history... It doesn't take much studying Revelation to realize that Jesus comes immediately after the Tribulation. That He sets up His kingdom on Earth for 1,000 years. Then the devil is set free for a short time and he decieves the people. God kills them all. Then is the day of judgment for the unsaved.
6) Where is Jesus?
If Jesus already returned since 70 AD, according to them, was the Great Tribulation, where is He?
7) When and how did the antichrist kill the two witnesses? How did He leave their bodies laying in the street (singular)?
8) When did the 1,000 years of peace (Millennial kingdom) happen?
9) When did we live such long lives that a child who dies at 100 years is thought to be accursed?
**********
If you study Daniel 7, you find it actually tells us 'how' the antichrist will be revealed. There will be a ten nation coalition ruled by ten leaders. A lesser leader (prince or vice president) will rise up and kill three of the leaders. The other 7 will give him full control and he will go out conquering.
8.) When and how did this happen?
**********
9) When was all Israel saved?
**********
10) What is the meaning of the Fig Tree parable?
In Matthew 24, Jesus takes us through the entire end times all the way up to His second coming. Then Jesus tells us a parable of the Fig Tree. What is the meaning of this parable?
I know how this parable fits a futurist understanding. How does it fit a Preterist understanding?
************
I have placed these before Preterists many times. At the very best, I have had a few try to answer 2 or 3 of them. Nobody has ever answered all of them.
Why not?
They are not major questions. They are not confusing ones. They are not trick questions. If it is all history and it all has already happened, all of this should have an answer. Why doesn't it?
The fact that they cannot answer them all, and will not even try to, is clear evidence that they made some scriptures match some things that happened in the past, and just assume it is the truth. The simple fact that they dont care about making it fit all of the scriptures tells me that their mission is not to teach the truth, but to make scripture fit what they want to believe instead of changing their beliefs to fit Gods word.
As long as there are so many obvious holes in what they believe, and they dont even try to answer them all, much less give good clear answers for them, it is wrong for anyone to even give them the respect of even possibly being correct. That is NOT how you find Gods truth over mans interpretation. If you cannot even defend your own beliefs, you have no place pushing them as being the truth.
