why we've grouped some questions around Preterism?
Preterism (from the Latin ‘preter’ meaning past) is a doctrine holding that all (“full-preterism”) of the events prophesied in the New Testament (including those in Revelation) were fulfilled in the past, specifically in 70 AD at, or around, the destruction of Jerusalem. It is also known as ‘realized eschatology’ or ‘AD70 doctrine’.
The core tenets of preterism would require that one believes and accepts that Scripture harmoniously teaches all of the following:
- The second coming of Jesus already happened in 70 AD. In particular, any/all statements in the New Testament about Jesus’ coming “soon” or “at hand” should be understood literally and immediately in the context of those being addressed. Three great questions to consider here would be:
- All of God’s promises were fulfilled by/before 70 AD.
- All prophecy must be interpreted in its original context.
- There is no bodily resurrection. In particular, Paul’s treatise on the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15 is only speaking of a spiritual resurrection.
- The ‘heavens and earth’ that God called on as witnesses at the entering in of the Old Covenant were not actual witnesses…but the Old Law itself.
- Any/all “end of time” or “last days” statements describing the end of the Jewish time and the Old Covenant.
- All of the Bible was written before 70 AD.
As always, you are welcome to let us know if there is something missing or anything that is not accurate or misleading about this list. Of course, you can also publicly comment on any of the following question pages.