A popular belief among modern Christians is that once Satan is bound and all the prophecies concerning the end of the age are fulfilled that there will be no more evil and sin in the world because the great tempter would be rendered powerless. Of course as Preterists we believe that all end time prophecies have been fulfilled and yet sin still exists on earth, is this evidence that Satan has not yet been bound? See What is Preterism, Preterist Theology and the Preterist View of Eschatology?
According to the Book of Jubilees, the binding and release of Satan is not a one-time event. Satan had been bound and released several times throughout Biblical history. Jubilees 23:25-30, 40:9, 46:2 are a few examples.1 Of course, in each of these instances in which Satan was bound, there was still sin in the world. If people can still sin when Satan is bound, what does this imply about the existence of sin when Satan is bound more permanently in Revelation 20:1-3?
Sin is a direct and seemingly inevitable consequence of freewill. The truth of the matter is mankind is fully capable of sin even without an evil spirit whispering in its ear. James 1:13-15 explicitly states that sin comes from one’s “own evil desire”:
When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.
Here James dispels the idea that God tempts men to sin. These verses also indicate that people are tempted by their own evil desires. If this is true then, even in a world in which Satan is bound one would expect that sin would still exist since it is seemingly inherent in the human condition.
One might then argue, is not the end of the age a mirror of the beginning? Therefore, if Adam and Eve started out sinless, then shouldn’t humanity also be made sinless like Adam and Eve after the end of the age and the creation of a new heaven and earth? Though it is true that the end of the age is a mirror of the beginning, Adam and Eve were not created to be sinless at the beginning. In Genesis 2-3 it seems apparent that Adam’s nature was no different from our own. Adam was not originally created as a being incapable of sin. The fact that Adam was created as a potentially sinful or fallible being is illustrated by the fact that he ultimately disobeyed God and ate of the forbidden fruit. If it is true that the beginning (Genesis 1-4) and end (Revelation 21 and 22) are mirror images of one another, then it follows that if man was fallible prior to the fall, then it would appear that man would remain fallible after the end of the age. In other words, no profound recreation of the biology of man and his nature is expected to occur on earth after the end of the age. This is because sin is a direct and seemingly inevitable consequence of free will. As long as mankind is given the option to error or sin, error or sin will always exist.
The freedom from sin on earth predicted after the end of the age is actually the result of saving faith. This sinless state is imputed righteousness as a consequence of the forgiveness of sin through faith in Christ (Psalm 32:1-11; Isaiah 1:18; Romans 4:21-24; Ephesians 1:7; 2:8-9).
Will mankind ever be truly freed from sin? In his article How the Sinful and Flawed State of Mankind is Ultimately Made Perfect in Heaven, controversial Christian apologist Daren Wisman expounds upon the expectation that human error is expected to continue on earth after the end of the age. In this article, he also presents an interesting mechanism for how sin might be ultimately eradicated in heaven.
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Interested in THE PRETERIST VIEW OF ESCHATOLOGY, or are you a PRETERIST struggling with a prophecy or verse? It DID happen just like the Bible says! If you liked this essay, see PRETERIST BIBLE COMMENTARY for a detailed explanation of the FULFILLMENT OF ALL MAJOR END TIME PROPHECIES IN THE BIBLE. The more unbelievable the prophecy, the more amazing and miraculous the fulfillment!
Also see Historical Evidence that Jesus was LITERALLY SEEN in the Clouds in the First Century. For an explanation of how the end of the age and its fulfillment during the Jewish War mirror Genesis 1-3; how the Bible teaches that the resurrection of the dead is a resurrection of heavenly bodies to heaven, not a resurrection of perfected earthly bodies; and how the resurrection is a mirror opposite of the fall see How the Jewish War and Resurrection to Heaven Mirror Genesis and the Fall; and How Preterism fixes the Age of the Earth Problem and unravels the Mysteries in Genesis.
- Though one might deny the testimony of the Book of Jubilees since it is non-canonical, one should not be so quick to dismiss this evidence. The Bible often quotes and alludes to various non-canonical books. In fact, the Book of Enoch, another non-canonical book, is also quoted in the Bible in 2 Peter 2:4; 3:13 and Jude 4, 6, 13-15.