Preterist Answers

 

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Jeremiah 33:20-21 explains why Christ Rules from a Heavenly, Not Earthly, Throne

In John 18:36 Jesus says, “My kingdom is not of this world.” In Acts 7:56 Stephen looks up to heaven and sees Jesus at the right hand of the Father. Acts 7:48-49 states, “[T]he Most High does not live in houses made by men. As the prophet says: ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool.’” The fact that Jesus rules at the right hand of the Father places the throne of the Messianic kingdom in heaven. This is why Jesus calls his kingdom the kingdom of heaven throughout the Gospels. Furthermore, night came in the middle of the day during the crucifixion and day came in the middle of the night in A.D. 66, at the start of the Jewish War. These two miracles broke the covenant of Jeremiah 33:20-21, thus the Messiah would not be expected to rule the world from an earthly throne.

 

How the Greek (2nd Century B.C.) and Roman Armies (1st Century A.D.) with Their Idols of Zeus Literally fulfill All Bible Prophecies Concerning the Abomination that Causes Desolation

The abomination that causes desolation is the Greek army of the second century B.C. and the Roman army of the first century A.D. with their foreign idols of Zeus that literally caused the desolation of Jerusalem. In the middle of a seven-year long war with Rome the Roman army besieged Jerusalem, put an end to sacrifice and offering by destroying Jerusalem and its Temple, and set up idols of Caesar, Zeus and Rome on the eastern wing of the Temple in fulfillment of Daniel 9:26-27: “The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. . . . He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” 1,290 days from the termination of the regular sacrifice to Caesar in A.D. 66, the Roman army, the Abomination that Causes Desolation, arrived at Jerusalem on Shabbat of A.D. 70 fulfilling Daniel 12:11: “From the time that the regular [daily] sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.” Then in fulfillment of Daniel 12:12, there were 1335 days between the cessation of the regular sacrifice to Caesar and the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem. On the 9th of Av of A.D. 70, the Roman army infiltrated the Temple, set up the idols of Jupiter and Rome on the eastern gate and terminated the daily sacrifice by burning the Temple. 1335 days from this event is the 16th of Nisan of A.D. 74, the first day of peace after the fall of Masada (15th of Nisan in A.D. 74) at the end of the war: “How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days!” (Daniel 12:12)

How the Resurrection Bodies of the Saints Perfectly Mirror Jesus’ Resurrection Body after His Ascension Into Heaven Fulfilling Philippians 3:20-21 and ALL Other Bible Verses on the Resurrection!!!

It is correctly supposed in Christian circles that Jesus’ resurrection body was to be a model of the resurrection bodies of the saints.  According to Acts 9:3-6 and Revelation 1:13-16, Jesus’ resurrection body was further glorified after his ascension into heaven such that it took on a form like that of the Father and the heavenly host–beaming with glorious radiance.  The resurrection bodies of the saints are expected to experience a similar transformation according to Daniel 12:2-3.  Daniel 12:2-3 is confirmed by NDE’s.  NDE’s often report seeing loved ones in heaven appearing as beings of light similar to Biblical descriptions of the risen Christ, the heavenly Father and the angels of heaven.  NDE’s and outside expert testimony also explain why Jesus’ resurrection body closely resembled his earthly body prior to his ascension.

The Notion that the Resurrection is an Earthly Phenomenon whereby the Dead are raised as Perfected Earthly Bodies is dispelled by 1 Corinthians 15:35-50.

‘“How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body do they come?’ You fool! That which you sow does not come to life unless it dies; and that which you sow, you do not sow the body which is to be, but a bare grain, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body just as He wished, and to each of the seeds a body of its own. All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one flesh of men, and another flesh of beasts, and another flesh of birds, and another of fish.  There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one, and the glory of the earthly is another. . . . So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. . . .  As is the earthy, so also are those who are earthy; and as is the heavenly, so also are those who are heavenly.  Just as we have borne the image of the earthy, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.  Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.”

Why 1 Corinthians 15 Implies that the Collective Body View Cannot Exist Without a Real-Life Resurrection

Without a literal resurrection of the dead there can be no collective body view. This idea is strongly implicit in 1 Corinthians 15:12-19. The hope of the saints according to 1 Corinthians 5:12-19 is in heaven as a result of the resurrection. Thus if there is no resurrection, then they are certainly to be pitied: “If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:18).” If there is a real resurrection, then any description of the resurrection whether in 1 Corinthians 15 or elsewhere in the Bible must accurately depict this event. Imagine for a moment that there is no heavenly body or that there is no resurrection to heaven. If when Paul links the corporate body of the saints on earth to a corporal depiction of the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:35-50, he is either comparing this event to an inaccurate description of the resurrection assuming that it is spiritual and not corporal or he is comparing the new covenant kingdom on earth to something that doesn’t exist at all. But why is there earthy and heavenly significance to the resurrection? The answer may be found in the dual existence of the kingdom of heaven which is present both on earth and in heaven.

If Satan is bound, why is there still Sin and Evil in the World?

If all Bible prophecies have been fulfilled and Satan has been bound, why is there still sin in the world? 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. Furthermore, James 1:13-15 states, “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.”

How and Why Prophecies with Apocalyptic Imagery May Have Been Fulfilled in Old Testament History Much More Literally than Previously Thought

Many preterists argue that it is not necessary to look for the literal fulfillment of many end time predictions during the Jewish War because they assume that the symbolic or apocalyptic language often used in analogous prophecies fulfilled in Old Testament history did not transpire literally. I believe that this assumption is false.  The major purpose of this website is to show that even the hardest to believe apocalyptic predictions were, in fact, fulfilled historically often in a shockingly literal manner around the time of Israel’s first century war with Rome.  This fact, therefore, implies that similar predictions fulfilled at the fall of various kingdoms in Old Testament history that use similar apocalyptic language were probably also fulfilled in a similarly literal manner.  In the following article we will show how even the most fantastic prophecies written in apocalyptic imagery were likely fulfilled fully and quite literally in Old Testament history by natural, not-particularly unusual events.

The Destruction of Heaven and Earth and the New Heaven and Earth Explained!

The prophecies concerning the destruction of heaven and earth are written in an apocalyptic style.  Apocalyptic literature is similar to poetry and is thus not strictly literal.  Whenever a nation is conquered and destroyed by a foreign army, the Bible sometimes portrays this tragedy in the language of the destruction of heaven and earth.  The fall of Babylon, Israel, Egypt and Edom in the sixth century B.C. are all depicted together with the destruction of heaven in Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Just as the sky was not literally and physically destroyed at the fall of these great nations in the sixth century B.C., the sky was also not physically destroyed during Israel’s first century war with Rome.  When discussing the destruction of heaven and earth, most preterist scholars will stop right here.  However, there is far more to the destruction of heaven and earth than what has been stated above.  Several natural and supernatural events in the first century appear to fulfill these prophecies concerning the destruction of heaven and earth in a shockingly literal way. 

Why does the Bible say that Heaven will be destroyed by Fire and a New Heaven Created?

Ephesians 6:12 states, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”  Similarly, according to Isaiah 24:21 God was expected to punish the kings of heaven together with the kings of the earth. These kings of heaven seem to be Satan and his angelic kings. Revelation 12 tells us that Satan’s throne was in heaven.  Likewise, 2 Corinthians 4:4 says that Satan is the “god of this age”: “The god of this age [Satan] has blinded the minds of unbelievers . . .”  The fact that Satan is the God or prince of this world is also stated in Ephesians 2:2, John 12:31, John 14:31 and John 16:11. John 12:31 states, “Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out.”  The fact that Satan ruled the earth from heaven and that there were spiritual forces of evil in heaven during the first century explains why heaven was to be destroyed by fire in 2 Peter 3:7-13. 

 

 

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