Criticisms from the Outside

At what point does AD70 hinder the message/messenger?

Michael Adams

• Matthew 24: The Achilles Heel of Full Preterism

• Full Preterism and the Lord’s Supper

• Questions for Full Preterists

Apocalypsis

• 2000: A short introduction to Preterism “Some of you will have come across the word ‘preterist’ either through reading or on the web, probably from the Preterist Archive. This is a short introduction to explain what it is. I have used Todd Dennis’s article “An Introduction to Preterism” for some of what follows.“

Bands Report

• 2003: The Great Falling Away Has Begun “There’s a movement in America today that is hell bent on destroying The Word of God Almighty by first fabricating, then spreading, utterly false doctrines., specifically designed to trap YOU as a Christian into questioning your faith. And to cause you to believe in your heart that God is a liar, through a professionally designed system of indoctrination…it is by far the greatest threat to Christianity ever.”

• 2003: The Naked Preterist “Although there – is – no such word or term as “preterist” in any dictionary:  The preterists could not have possibly chosen a better name for their demonic cult. “

Tony Benton

• “His whole doctrine is built around a “consummation” theory of Jesus having to “come back out of the MHP” before His sacrifice can benefit us. Thus, you have seen what blindness comes with this AD 70 doctrine. It is a position that turns the first forty years after Jesus’ death upside-down. It turns the teaching of the New Testament on end and changes every verse it touches. Nothing is clear any more. There is a fitting description that would still apply to doctrines like this. It is like a CANCER. It consumes until it destroys every major doctrine of the New Testament. (Debate with Don Preston) eschatology.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=568&Itemid=61

Larry A. Bunch

• 2013: Meaning of the Lord’s Supper “Let’s be clear about this! At this coming each person (Matt.16:27; every man, KJV) shall be rewarded according to his works and the disobedient among all men will suffer everlasting destruction in that day. I know Don and other A.D. 70 theorists are ready to state this all occurred in A.D. 70, but that is just not so! What about all those who have lived in the intervening centuries since that time? They must be included in the expression “every man according to his works.” This coming cannot be fitted within the confines of their neat theory without making the language meaningless and of no consequence. This refers to the second coming of Christ at the end of this age when all men will be called before his judgment throne and go either to heaven or to hell (Matt.25:31-46).”

Cephas Ministries

• 2002: What is the Preterist View? “To realize that Preterism is not scriptural is to simply read the Book of Revelation, the last book in the Bible. We can’t just leave that whole book out of Scripture as the Preterists would have to do to get around a future Second Coming.”

J.R.C.

• 2001: This Generation – Matthew 24 “Very simply, until the word of God was completed (Col.1:25), one could not say to a certainty that a particular declaration of God’s revealed will concerning things to come was also a declaration of His actual intention concerning things to come.”

Christian News

• ANATHEMA: The Christian News “the Christian News has thrown down the gauntlet with the charge of heresy against those who espouse Covenant Eschatology”

Stephen Cole

• • 1999: Are you ready for Christ’s return? “Although those who hold this view say that they are attempting to deal with the biblical texts, I believe that the extreme Preterists go outside the bounds of orthodoxy and are guilty of heresy.”

Mark Copeland

• 1996: Response to “The AD 70 Doctrine Examined“ “But even if one maintains his “faith” while holding to this doctrine, I still believe his soul will be lost. Why? Because he has denied the one “hope”, which clearly includes the literal (read- fleshly) resurrection of the body from the dead.”

Mal Couch
President, Tyndale Seminary

• 2002: The Fatal Mistakes of Preterism “While many Preterists are not liberal in their overall theology, this movement leads to liberalism. If all the language of Scripture pertaining to the Second Coming of Christ is not to be taken historically and in a normal sense, then why not take the virgin birth of Christ, for example, or other miracles in a “spiritualized” way, as the Preterists do in reference to prophecy?”

• 2002: Preterism and Exegetical Error – “While the entire verse of Acts 1:11 describes a literal taking up of the Lord into heaven, how He comes again is the focus that is most important. Notice how the disciples saw (“blepo”) visually His bodily ascension, in like manner He will return—visually and literally. Concerning that return the Greek text reads – President of Tyndale Seminary “The Scofield Reference Bible had far greater impact on teaching and winning the average man to Christ than can be imagined.”

Stan Cox

• 2010: A Refutation of the AD70 Doctrine, in three parts “The doctrine is not popular.  It has very few disciples.  However, those who believe this doctrine are often vocal, enthused and insistent.  In congregations of God’s people where it has gained a foothold, it has led to division and ruin.  It is worthy of our examination and refutation.”

Melvin Curry

• 2002: Was A.D.70 the End?

Mitchell Dick

• 2003: A Defense of the Orthodox View of the Second Coming of Christ – A Response to the teachings of Full Preterism “But if Full Preterism is arbitrary and prejudiced in its interpretation, it also falls prey to the criticism of being arbitrary and also inconsistent and in its hermeneutic.”

Chris Donato

• 2010: You Will Read This “Since hyper-preterists argue that the NT posits an imminent return of Christ, they revise their understanding of the nature of this return (cataclysmic, physical, and renewal of the cosmos) in order to maintain the integrity of the NT writings (i.e., if Christ didn’t return within a generation of his ascension, then the NT is fallible, etc.). Here’s where Pratt’s hermeneutic (outlined in the previous three posts of this series) comes in: “Even if the New Testament does predict an imminent return of Christ, intervening historical contingencies make it unnecessary that an imminent return take place” (p. 149). Indeed, a first-century expectant Israelite would know that such an imminent return was not “set in stone.” Why? “

DOV Ministries

• 2004: Absolute Refutation of Preterism – “Preterism serves no useful purpose for preterists today except to refute the futurists. That is a colossal waste of time. The preterists should devote all of their time to sharing the Gospel with the lost, not trying to convert futurists, historicists and others to their doctrine. Their false doctrine cannot edify anyone or further the spread of the Gospel. It can only confuse and hinder the spread of the Gospel and cause dissension within the body of YAHSHUA (Gal. 5.20).”

• 2004: Preterist Rapture Challenge – “If you believe that the Rapture took place in 70 A.D. at the alleged Second Advent of YAHSHUA IMMANUEL YAHWEH of Nazareth the Mashiyach (a.k.a. Jesus Christ) please take this challenge.”

John R. Ecob D.D.

• 2006: (Hyper) Preterism Weighed and Found Wanting (2006 PDF) “Had any of the Apostles lived beyond AD70, surely they would have written volumes about seeing the Lord come in glory and power, yet there is a total absence of testimony from anyone seeing Christ appear in the heavens in AD70.  Even John on the Isle of Patmos in AD70 would have seen the Lord, for according to Scripture the second advent of Christ will be seen universally; “every eye shall see him” (Rev. 1:7).  John should have witnessed it in AD70 even though he was on the Isle of Patmos.”

Rusty Entrekin

• 1999: A Scriptural Critique of Full Preterism in Light of Matthew 24 and Related Passages “there is insufficient  reason to claim that the words of Jesus in Matthew 24 were intended for the 12 disciples only, or that all of these words had to find fulfillment in their lifetimes. As we read this passage, it is therefore important that we keep in mind that Jesus may be speaking to all believers, not just to his disciples.”

• 1999: Their Flesh Rests In Hope – The Apostolic Fathers and Early Apologists Looked Forward to the Resurrection of the Flesh

• 2000: Examining the Logical Foundations of Preterism – “I believe that the evangelism of the cities of Israel was interrupted by the war associated with 70 AD, and is still not complete. To prove otherwise, you would have to provide historical evidence that the gospel has been thoroughly proclaimed in each city by born again, evangelical church planters.”

Joey Faust

• 2001: Forgy – Faust

• 2000: John Noe’s Preterism Refuted

Robert L. Garringer

• 1999: How to Read a Prophetic Time Clock

• 1999: Response to Noe’s Seven Evidences

• 1999: A Counter-Response to Noe’s Response

• 1999: Noe’s Example of Radical Symbolism

Tony Garland

• 2004: Revelation 1:7: Past or Future? – “John wrote that “every eye will see Him” and that “all the tribes of the earth will mourn” when He appears. Did Jesus “appear” to the Jewish tribes at the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 as preterism maintains? Or are there reasons for understanding this passage to teach a future event of world-wide impact?  Thankfully, we need not be overly concerned about the persistence of preterism because the plain meaning of the Biblical text stands opposed to its foundational teachings.” “Full or consistent preterism is heterodox.”

Marc Gibson

• 1998: The AD 70 Doctrine Examined “We must oppose this doctrine as false and damning to men’s souls. It is complete mistreatment of God’s holy word and the promises we are to take hope in.”

Bill Grimes

• 2001: Jots, Tittles, and the Kingdom of Heaven “So, are we in the new heavens and the new earth?  No, for the reasons I have stated in my most recent article, A Letter to a Full Preterist. If not, is it true that not one jot or tittle has passed from the law?  Yes, God’s word stands forever.  None of God’s Word will fail or pass away. Is the Old Covenant Law still binding then in every jot and tittle? If not, why not?  No, because Jesus finished the work which He came to do.”

• 2000: Four Biblical Reasons Why AD70 Cannot be the Second Parousia of Jesus “the AD70 sack of Jerusalem was strictly a local judgment on that  generation of Jews for the following reasons.”

• 2000: A Letter to a Full Preterist “In reading the above passages that I have quoted to you and others the “particulars of the words” lead me to believe that they are to be taken literally.  History teaches us that Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:1-35 were fulfilled quite literally in the cloud judgment that fell upon Jerusalem and Israel in AD70 at the hands of the Romans.  This fact encourages me, because I know that when the Second Parousia does come, it will come in the same fashion as Jesus and the Apostles described it.”

• 2000: Matthew 16:28 A Time Statement for What? “Evil still thrives.  Just look around you.  You see diseases, death, murder, economic oppression, genocide, hate, pride, fornication, adultery, etc.  The list goes on and on.  In 2 Peter 3, Simon Peter compares the future destruction of this world by fire to the worldwide flood of Noah. God destroyed all evil by a flood of real, wet water. He will destroy it again by a real, hot fire.  It is contrary  to God’s holiness for Him to allow evil to persist forever, which is what full Preterists are suggesting. “

• 1999: “All That Are in the Graves Shall Come Forth“ “Why the Resurrection Spoken of in John 5:28-29 Can Only Refer to Actual Bodies Coming Out of The Graves”

Mark Horne

• 2001: Why Side with the Sadducees? “To deny the bodily resurrection is to either deny salvation from sin or to deny that human death is a curse for sin. This is gnosticism, not Christianity.”

Dave Hunt

• 2007: Dave Hunt on Hyper Preterism “They claim that Jesus Christ returned in fulfillment of His promise to come back to take us to heaven, He returned in the person of the Roman armies to destroy Jerusalem and to excommunicate Israel, and Israel is finished. Now if that is not wicked, and if that is not twisting the scriptures I don’t know what is.”

Tommy Ice

• 2001: Rapture Debate: Tommy Ice and Richard Perry – “Just over a year ago I had the opportunity to question and debate Dr. Thomas Ice on the timing of the rapture. Dr. Thomas Ice is the Executive Director of the Pre-Trib Research Center in Washington, DC, an organization founded by Tim LaHaye.

Phillip G. Kayser
M.Div., Westminster Theological Seminary
Ph.D., Whitefield Theological Seminary

• 2009: Position Paper #1: Critique of Full Preterism “On the topic of eschatology, it seems there are as many answers as there are people to ask. Indeed, true believers throughout history have held to all three main branches of End-time chronology: premillennialism, postmillennialism, and amillenialism. But aside from the differences all have agreed on core issues and these commonalities reveal full preterism to be unorthodox (i.e. heresy).”

Kenneth Kirkland

• 2002: The Past-Trib Blasphemy – “To the preterists, its ALL IN THE PAST! Whoopee! Now, then…with dread out of the way, let’s have REVIVAL! How wonderful. More accurately, how insidious.” A Closer look at Past-trib

Brandan Kraft

• “In Paul’s first letter to the church at Corinth he wrote that a denial of a “resurrection of the dead” is indeed a matter of life and death. He affirms that a belief in the resurrection was absolutely necessary if one was to have any hope in Christ. He also says that if there is no resurrection that we as men are the most pitiable. Simply summarizing, Paul states emphatically that if we were to deny the resurrection, our “faith is futile” and we are still in our sins! And this is exactly what hyper preterists are doing today by denying the resurrection.To be fair, I will present to you what hyper preterists would say to that charge. Hyper preterists today say they believe in the resurrection of the dead so this charge is not valid. They however would amend their argument stating that it occurred in 70 AD and it was a “spiritual” resurrection; that it was different than what most Christians expect to see when we read the Scriptures. Well, friends, if that’s the case, then either those who hold to a future physical resurrection are lost, or those who hold to a past spiritual resurrection are lost. To me the critical issue is the nature of the resurrection. And this is what makes hyper preterism so deadly. Mark my words, we do not believe in the same “resurrection” and because of that, one group has to be right and the other group has to be wrong. To erroneously deny the nature of the resurrection is to commit the same error that the cultists do when they deny God’s attributes. A denial of the nature of the resurrection is a denial of the resurrection in the same way a denial of God’s attributes is a denial of God Himself!To further illustrate my point, genuine Christians and followers of cults like Mormonism and the Jehovah’s Witness claim to believe in God and have faith that Christ’s atonement has been applied to them. But the truth is Christians and the followers of these Cults are worlds apart because they believe in different gods! The Christian looks to The Christ or the Son personhood of the Sovereign Triune God of Scripture while followers of the cults look to a god or christ that deviates greatly from the description given to us by the Bible. In reality, the followers of the cults are worshiping a god of their own mind or imagination. They don’t know the Jesus true Christians know. And in the same way those who claim to believe the teaching of hyper preterism believe in a resurrection that is completely contrary to the same resurrection in which I believe. Because of this deviancy in the meaning of the resurrection, one of us has no hope and one of us is lost in their sins as Paul rightly states. Christ’s resurrection was physical. He was the first to be resurrected and I believe I will be resurrected in exactly the same manner. Those who don’t share this hope with me do not know of the hope I have in Christ and have swallowed the gnostic lie of Hymenaeus thus painting themselves not as genuine Christians, but as damnable heretics unless they repent. These are harsh words, but they are not my own, but those of the Apostle Paul’s. I like to think of 5solas.org as haven for truth on the Internet. For a period of a couple years I have thoroughly and honestly investigated the teachings of hyper preterism. I approached it carefully and closely listened to both sides of the argument. I have met some people that I consider to be good online friends and it pains me more than anything to say this – but I cannot embrace them any longer as brethren in Christ if they continue to embrace the teaching of hyper preterism. This pains me greatly because I truly love these people. But I must stand for truth rather than knowingly turn a blind eye to their serious and deadly error in hopes that God may grant them repentance. To not do so would be unloving, and in fact murderous. Therefore as owner and webmaster of 5solas.org, I hereby renounce the doctrine of hyper preterism and declare it to be neo-hymenaenism. It is a lie of Satan used to ensnare and deceive many, and if it were possible, even the elect.”  http://www.5solas.org/media.php?id=555

James Lloyd

• 2002: Scoffers: Preterists and II Peter 3 “While the preterists love to quote verses that seem to show the New Testament writers taught that they were in the last days at that time, they almost universally avoid verse 3 of chapter 3 in II Peter.   “If you are abiding in preterism, you are enveloped in a profound spiritual darkness that places you in the soul destroying peril of following “another gospel.” If you are abiding in pre-tribulationism, you are in a deadly delusion and walking in such a spiritually wicked false doctrine that your path is directly heading towards the lake of fire”

Boyd Luter

• 2010: Brainstorming the Apocalypse “I was asked to write a book review for the Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society on a book by one of the leaders of their movement.  Then, sometime later, I was asked to write the entry on “Preterism” for the Popular Encyclopedia of Apologetics, one of the editors of which was my former colleague and friend, Ergun Caner.  Those two assignments allowed me to become conversant with the quirky claims made by extreme Preterists.

Joseph Mattera

• 2014: 3 Last-Days Views That Lead to Massive Deception: Hyper Preterism “Although I agree with some form of preterism (for example, many of the prophecies of Matthew 24 and the book of Revelation were fulfilled with the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70), the problems I have with this view regarding eschatology are the following:”

Parnell McCarter

• 2003: The Heresy of Preterism “‘Consistent preterism’ is fundamentally flawed and dangerously heretical.”

• 2001: A Critique of “The Beast of Revelation,” and “Before Jerusalem Fell“

• 2001: Historicist vs. Preterist Debate

• 2001: Defending against Preterism – “Preterists maintain that the events of Revelation were fulfilled by AD70. For this to be true they maintain that the book of Revelation was written in 66-68 AD and they do some interesting tricks to try to make people believe it was. The common school of thought is that Revelation was written around 95AD which brings the Preterist point of view to a grinding halt.”

• 2000: A Response to “Full Preterism“

Darrell Myett

• 2009: Preterism: Do You Know About This Dangerous Theology? (Video) “Preterism is false teaching.  I’m sorry, but they missed it by that much!” 

Narrow Way

• 2003: Preterism: Clear and Present Danger!  “Its venom is spreading rapidly with those who find it hard to persevere and endure sound doctrine.”

Nearing Midnight Ministries

• 2001: Preterism!  I Can’t Believe It “What is preterism? This theory argues that all Bible prophecy has been fulfilled; nothing remains on the prophetic calendar. Events like the rise of Antichrist, the tribulation, the rapture, and the Day of the Lord all took place around 70 AD – the year the Roman’s invaded Jerusalem and destroyed the second Temple. I just cannot understand how anyone can follow a preterist line of thinking in the light of current world events. I’ve largely ignored preterism because I see as equivalent to the Flat Earth Society. “

Darrin Orange

• 2009: Scot McKnight the Full Preterist “Scot makes 70 AD the focal point of not only many of Jesus’ prophecies, but the eternal things that He spoke of as well.  That is the point where I feel Scot crosses the line into full preterism and unorthodoxy.  Yet Scot still concedes that not everything is fulfilled which really puzzles me.  How can someone believe that Matthew 25:31-46 has been fulfilled? Or is Scot saying that this is not part of the eternal things?  That would make even less sense.  The section above remains unchanged in his recently published series so he obviously still believes this doctrine of full preterism, but this following quote from the original has been changed.”

• 2007: What if I am a Preterist? “As I stated when I first began this blog, I am a Futurist, and now you understand the reasons why. While Preterists can make some good points concerning 70 A.D. fulfillment, the coming of the Son of Man, the Great Tribulation, the Abomination of Desolation, the Gathering of the Elect, the signs in the sun, moon, and stars, all these remain yet in the future.”

Parson’s Pen

• 2008: How to Talk to an Apostolic Full Preterist “What do the left-wing attacks upon Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin have in common with the Apostolic Full-Preterist’s method of defending their doctrine? Just as the rabid left-wing liberals have been particularly demeaning in their personal attacks upon Palin, the Apostolic Full-Preterists have been equally demeaning in their personal attacks upon anyone that disagrees with them. I should know, having made several efforts to engage them in a civil intellectual discussion of their views.”

Bob Passantino

• 2003: Did We Miss The End? – “Seraiah earned a Master of Divinity degree from Reformed Theological Seminary in Orlando, Florida. He is a postmillennial preterist, making his criticisms of pantelism all the more weighty. As such, he is well within orthodox Christian belief, and his views find company with contemporary authors such as R. C. Sproul and Gary DeMar, as well as some prominent theologians throughout church history. A careful examination of his book leaves readers with a clear understanding of orthodox preterism and of why pantelism should be rejected as an aberrant approach to comprehending Scripture.”

Steven Pegler

• 1982: Answering Preterism: Did Jesus Return in A.D.70? “So, is preterism a heresy? Can it exist with historical Christianity? Full-blown preterism probably is a heresy, although the verdict may still be out. All parties should admit that a full preterism is not compatible with the Creeds and Confessions.  To go against the Creeds and Confessions is not damning or indicative of heresy in of itself, but it should raise many cautions. Preterists need to admit that they are advocating an almost total rewrite of not only eschatology (cosmic and personal) but also ecclesiology, sanctification, and many other doctrines. It is literally a different kind of Christianity and is incompatible with historical Christianity. This makes full-fledged preterism highly suspicious, but not heretical if it can be demonstrated that it is Scriptural. “

Stanley Phillips

• 2003: A Refutation of Preterism: Second Peter, Chapter 3 – “With the advent of the Internet, the preterists’ view of eschatology (last times) has taken on an organized, consistent, and evangelical nature. Heretofore, elements of the system were scattered, and most often incoherent. But today, it has evolved into a very subtle, coherent, and well-defined system of theology.

Joe Price

• 1989: The Second Coming of Christ: Did it Already Occur? – “Why has 70 A.D. been made such a focal point in this false doctrine? While several answers could be offered which address this question, I submit that the underlying reason for this doctrinal error rests upon a perverted interpretation of the allegory found in Galatians 4:21-31. In this allegory, the A.D. 70 advocate believes that he finds comfort and support for his doctrine. Instead, he finds a refutation of it! “

G. Reckart

• • 2001: Matthew 10:23 and Pret Heresy

  • 2000: Was Matthew 24 Fulfilled? – Refuting the Preterist Heresy

• 2000: Prophecy interpreted Messianic “The preterist heresy should be totally rejected even if it is called “partial preterist.” We should expect for the conclusion of Jesus’ prophecy concerning the casting down of the stones to be finalized at the end of the tribulation time period just before the second coming of Jesus.” (New Covenant Messianic Judaism)

Buff Scott

• 1993: The 70 A.D. Doctrine

Ed Tarkowski

• 2004: The Early Church Fathers: No Preterist Resurrection – “During the first 400 years of the early Church after 70 A.D., the Fathers defended the truth of a future, bodily resurrection. None of them stated otherwise, nor did they refute others that it had already occurred. For 1900 years, the Church has believed in a future resurrection from the dead at the glorious, visible, in-the-sky return of Jesus Christ when every eye will see Him personally. “

C. Michael Patton

• 2008: Is the Hyper-Preterist Gospel a Different Gospel? “I am still not ready to say that it is damnable, but it seems to me to be an extremely serious departure from some essential elements in the Gospel. No matter how one defines orthodoxy, I cannot find a place for the eschatology of the hyper-Preterist. It is about as far as one can deviate from the beaten path.”

• 2008: Is the Hyper-Preterist Gospel a Different Gospel? “During this program I said that hyper-preterism is definitely unorthodox, finding its antithetical opposite affirmed from the earliest Christianity until now by all traditions of Christianity (Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant). All Christians have always affirmed that Christ’s return, the resurrection of the dead, judgment, and the new heavens and earth are yet future, even if we disagree about the details. However, I also said on the program that while this doctrine is an unorthodox or heretical view of eschatology, it is not a doctrine that is damnable in the sense that if one believes it, they are, by definition, not Christian.. I am beginning to seriously reconsider.”

• 2008: Why I Don’t Teach Preterism “It looks like I am getting some flack from some passionate Preterists (full or hyper Preterist, not partial preterists) who say I don’t give them a fair shake in The Theology Program material.. Preterism is a funny thing. It is something that causes quite a bit of passionate adherence, the degree to which shows great imbalance. The reason why we don’t cover it in TTP is because it is neither significant historically or contemporary. I know that this might seem like an arrogant statement to those who hold this position, but I feel I am qualified enough to make this assertion in good conscience.”

Prophecy Truth

• 2000: Biblical Proof for an End Times Seven Year period – “There was no mark of the beast system (666), where if a person refused the mark, they couldn’t buy or sell. Finally, the Second Coming visibly did not take place 1290 days after the destruction in 70 AD. The Roman armies continued their dominance for hundreds of years. The people of the earth were not judged visibly standing before the Messiah. And Isaiah 65 was not fulfilled where people’s lifespans increased so much, that a youth would die at the age of one hundred years. Only a foolish person would believe or teach that 70 AD fulfilled all the prophecies.”

Bill Reeves

• 1973: The Preterist View Heresy  “About a year ago Brother Max King, of Warren, Ohio, came out with his new book, entitled The Spirit Of Prophecy, advocating a Preterist-View of prophecy. This teaching has caused a mild furor among the liberal brethren wherever it has had a hearing. The following series of articles will review this novel doctrine, as set forth in a series of lectures by King before the Brookwood Way church of Christ, Mansfield, Ohio, in the summer of ‘70, in several presentations which he and C. D. Beagle made before groups of liberal preachers last year (‘71) (and also recorded), and in King’s book.”

John J. Reilly

• Book Review: Beyond the End Times

• Preterism

Jay Rogers

• Christianity and the Cults “Although not a large group, Hymanaeism is a grave threat to biblical orthodoxy. Hymenaeism is a primary heresy, far more serious than Chiliasm or dispensationalism, as it completely denies one of the essential tenets of the Apostles and Nicene Creeds, that Christ will come again, physically to the earth, to judge the living and the dead”

Bob Ross

• 1999: “Preterist Prophetic Phantasyland”

• 1998: Preterist Pranksters Practice Prophetic Perfidy Pertaining to Prophetic Pronouncements by Spurgeon

• 1997: Was ANY Prophecy Fulfilled in AD 70? “For A. D. 70 to be a fulfillment of Matthew 24, it would necessarily mean that it is also the fulfillment of Daniel 11 [see Matthew 24:15], yet there is simply NO Scriptural correlation that can be made between Daniel 11 and the events of A. D. 70.”

• 1997: The Jewish Origins of Preterism

• 1997: The Historical Background of Modern Preterism “there have been some elements of preterism presented in the various and multitudinous writings by all schools of prophetic studies”

David Roth

• 1998: Knowing the Love of Christ  “There is a heretical movement today that has gained some popularity which denies the future physical bodily resurrection of the believer. This movement is known by terms such as “full-preterism” or “consistent preterism” i.e. “heretical preterism” or “hyper-preterism.”

Louis Ruggiero

• 2004: Refuting Full Preterism “Like any other cult such as the Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses, Full Preterists feed on those who are unlearned and untaught. Indoctrination can be a terrible thing, and when one becomes indoctrinated into the precept of men, escaping its bondage can become unbearably difficult. ” “Full Preterism is an empty doctrine, which offers no hope of a better life and a better future. It tears away at God’s promise to the world of everlasting peace and tranquility that will be accomplished at Jesus’ Second Coming. If Jesus came in 70 AD as the Full Preterists claim, He didn’t do a very good job establishing world peace”

Brian Schwertley

• “Full Preterism denies the biblical meaning of the fall. They believe physical death is natural. Full Preterism denies the death and resurrection of scripture as defined by the New Testament and the Old Testament. It is not simply a sign. . It is a sign, but much much more than that. We are saved by blood of Christ, we are saved by the suffering and sacrificial death of Christ. We can not be saved without it. And the resurrection of Christ is also absolutely critical to Christian Theology. A literal bodily resurrection is the reason we rise spiritually, regeneration is the reason we are sanctified and it is the reason we will rise with glorified bodies just like Christ. A literal bodily resurrection. Full Preterism is a heresy. A damnable heresy that originated in the 19th century. It was not taught by any of the church fathers. It was not taught by any of the creeds and confessions and the first seven ecumenical councils. it was not taught by any protestant churches whether Arminian, or Baptist, Presbyterian, or Lutheran. It is a relatively new heresy. It is a denial of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a damnable heresy. It is a gross perversion of scripture. It is completely contrary to the Word of God. And we should not extend the right hand of fellowship to any full preterist. They should be excommunicated from our churches. And we should not have dinner with them, we should not extend the right hand of fellowship to them, because they are damnable heretics. The word of God teaches explicitly that because Christ rose from the dead we shall rise from the dead like him. To ignore that is to denigrate the cross and the empty tomb of Jesus Christ.” (blubrry.com/player/?p=2840&e=278071&details=1)

Buff Scott

• 1993: The 70 A.D. Doctrine

Gene Shaparenko

• 1999: Preterism… the Church’s Final Apostacy “Preterists have an uncontrollable penchant for parsing various scriptural words and phrases, relying on what they believe are relevant greek or latin translations which support a prior assumption. Former President Bill Clinton was a master of this parsing process in his evasive testimony regarding his fornication activities in the White House and other locations. Preterists don’t seem to be able to grasp the entirety of the Holy Scriptures, rather looking for isolated proof texts upon which to create an entirely new Gospel and eschatology.”

John Shepard

• 2003: Problems with Full Preterism “But in full preterism, the end is 70 A.D. so the resurrection is no longer considered to be a physical, material, bodily resurrection, but becomes a spiritual event. And what about believers who die after 70 A.D.? How do they participate in the resurrection? In my opinion, these verses are fatal to the full preterist position.”

Larry Spargimino

• 2001: Was All Bible Prophecy Fulfilled By A.D.70? L.S. “Even the Mark of the Beast is explained as a low – tech brand, used on slaves and animals. No microchip technology here! Christians need to be aware of those teachings that would turn “the blessed hope” into “the blasted hope.”

• 2001: Preterism and the Eclipse of Pre-millennialism “Pre-millennialists do not have to create doomsday scenarios. They already exist. Denials of the critical nature of our present situation will not make the danger go away.”

• 2000: The Anti-Prophets: The Challenge of Preterism

Standard Bearer

• 1999: Timely Questions About Preterism “preterism strips us of salvation” ; “grievous heresy”

John Stevenson

• 2004: Why I am Not a Preterist “But such an interpretation would demand that the Jews who suffered through the A.D. 70 event would have recognized that their sufferings were a punishment for their treatment of Jesus since the prophecy is not merely that they would mourn, but that they would mourn “over Him.” Just as there is no evidence that anyone in the church ever recognized the fall of Jerusalem as the return of Jesus, so also there is a complete absence of evidence that the Jews ever recognized the coming of Jesus in those events.”

Tim Stoudt

• 2003: Topics of Concern Regarding Preterism “Satan the source of Preterist doctrine..Although the doctrine seems strange from a conventional viewpoint, it has recently acquired a number of adherents.“

Stanley Toussaint

• 1996: A Critique Of The Preterist View “dispensationalist Stanley D. Toussaint avoids any discussion of oikoumene in his Behold the King: A Study of Matthew (Multnomah, 1980) and in his unpublished paper “A Critique of the Preterist View of the Olivet Discourse” (no date)” – (The Gospel Preached to All the World  – Gary DeMar)

Engbert Vander Werff

• 1989: Did the Lord Return in 70 A.D.? “70 AD’ers accept the claim by modernists that our Lord and His Apostles expected the world to end in the lst century-here they have entered on a wrong and dangerous track!”
  1996: Reply to Kingdom Counsel

Jack Van Impe

• 2002: 6/19/2 Review of Preterism “Preterism is sweeping in the evangelical churches”

• 2002: 9/21/2 Review of Preterism “I believe they are the ignorant brethren of First Thessalonians 4:13.”  July 17 – Commenting on The 9.5 Theses (RealMedia) “I received a letter from one of the leaders this week, and they had the 9.5 Theses, and it was soooo pathetic. I do not know of one name on the list that is one of the great scholars of the day, but this thing is infiltrating our churches. How could every prophecy, and this is called PRUTERISM (sic), have been fulfilled by 70 AD? And therefore meaning that there is nothing left. Everything happened over 1,930 years ago. I am going to deal with this more next week, so let others know to tune in and I will be devoting most of the program to the subject, so let the people know.”

• 2000: Jack’s 2000 Refutation of Preterism

Vurel Vick

• 2005: The Second Coming of Christ: Did it Occur in A.D.70? “It is difficult to see how anyone can say that the resurrection is passed, and that there will be no resurrection of the dead from their graves. Every where people continue to die. There are thousands and tens of thousands of graves every where you look, and so it is evident that the resurrection has not come, and that death has not been destroyed.”

Bill Lee Warner

• 2000: Did Jesus Already Return in AD70? “The phrase “this generation”, as used by Jesus in Matthew 24:34, clearly is not the generation of people living when He first gave the Olivet teaching.”

Tim Warner

• “To help bolster their theory that New Testament prophecy was fulfilled by 70 AD, Preterists at some point usually turn to the historical record for support. We have already pointed out one example of this, the Preterists’ appeals to Nero as the antichrist. Another example are the Preterists’ desire to use unbelieving historians such as Josephus to back up their claims. (We will go into a more detailed analysis of both of these momentarily.) In this section we will assume Preterists will not retract their appeals to historic events. (However, it should be noted that Preterists are quite fond of appealing to the historical record when it suits them and then using appeals to Luke 17 to deny its relevance whenever it contradicts them.)

  Now we will take a comparative look at the history surrounding the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD and the Biblical details of the antichrist, his empire, and the returning Christ to see if the two match up. We will find two things. First, the two do not match up. There is great discrepancy between the historical events of those days and the Biblical prophecies. These stark differences clearly prevent us from accepting the Preterist theory that these Biblical prophecies came to pass in 70 AD. Second, in attempting to reconcile the two, Preterists completely twist, distort, and even reverse some of the relationships presented in the Biblical passages they claim to be finding fulfilled in the historical record.

  As we have mentioned in depth earlier, Preterists will always at some point attempt to use the historical record to prove their theory. We will begin this section by analyzing one specific example of this practice. We will then use that example as a jumping point to demonstrate the clear discrepancies between the historical record and the details of the New Testament prophecies concerning the coming of the antichrist, the mark of the beast, and the return of Jesus Christ. We will start with a quote from II Thessalonians.”

Stephen Wiggins

• Max Kingism: An Unkingly Heresy – “See? It’s not new. But like a sassy, old woman prancing around in a miniskirt, King thinks he’ll get some lookers if he can dude up his ancient heresy in chic garb of the 20th century. But we know better.”

Steve Wohlberg

• 2004: Preterism’s “Proof Text” Analyzed “Thus when Preterists argue that “all these things” INCLUDE the Second Coming and must have occurred in 70 AD, they are not sticking closely enough to the actual words of Jesus Christ. The truth is, “all these things” (relating to the destruction of the temple) did occur in 70 AD before that generation passed, just like Jesus Christ said.”

John Young

• 1999: Jesus Did Not Return in AD70 “Preterism does not solve the problem of evil. Jesus said the field is the world. He said, “Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers.” Matthew 13:40-41 (ESV) But evil still exists in this world and lawbreakers abound. Jesus’ coming is still future.”

Alan Yusko

• 2000: Preterism, Another Prophetic Deception “To be honest I’ve never given Preterism much thought. I’ve always felt it was a totally crazy position with very few followers. Therefore, as I rule, I have ignored this prophetic view. Preterism is nothing more than satanic deception, Scripture twisting, and wrongly dividing God’s prophetic Word. These people will quote and misquote Scripture as good as any Jehovah Witness to teach about their error. Be warned and remove your self from such deception. “

Fred Zaspel

• 1997: Preterism and Biblical Prophecy – Was all prophecy fulfilled?  “This flaw is evident in Preterism’s understanding of the NT teaching that Jesus / the Kingdom will come “soon.” This was Albert Schweitzer’s observation, and it led him to conclude that Jesus was sadly mistaken. But does the NT lead us in this way? It does indeed announce that the Kingdom is “near” (eggizo; e.g., Mk.1:15). But it also makes the bold announcement of the presence of the Kingdom. In Jesus the Kingdom has not only “come near”; it has come (ephthasen, Mat.12:28; cf., 11:11ff; Lk.17:21). Curiously, the preterist loves to emphasize the nearness of the Kingdom in the teaching of Jesus. But the problem is more difficult than that: Jesus taught not only that the Kingdom was near, but that it had come.”

Orthodox Preterists vs. Hyper Preterism

HISTORICAL PRETERISM AND
MODERN PRETEISM

vs.

HYPER PRETERISM

Steve Atkerson

• Audio/Video: Iron Sharpens Iron Critical of “Hyper Preterism”: Show One (mp3), Show Two (mp3), Show Three (mp3) – Defending “the physical, visible, bodily return of Jesus”

• “I had always been critical of Dallas Theological, and certain schools, who said you had to hold to their exact view of end time events to be a part of their church or organization.  But in this case, I think it is something worth dividing over.   Hyper preterism, which is in my view heretical preterism, is something that is such a serious departure of the Christian faith, and it has such serious ramifications for everyday living, that it is something worth dividing over, unfortunately.”

• “Heretical preterists say ‘oh, well we believe like R.C. Sproul does’ and give names of credible, scholarly orthodox preterists, (saying) ‘we believe like that’.  And make fuzzy the difference between what the orthodox preterists believed and what they actually believe.  I believe that was a little disingenuous on their part, but I think they were trying to sucker as many of us along for as long as they could, while they were able to implant their heretical ideas.. I think they blow a lot of smoke – at least in the early stages of infiltrating the church – for the purpose of confusing people and getting as far as they can before they are found out.”

• “The thing that really upset me, when I first began to see this all wasn’t what it should have been is, it began to hurt many peoples’ faith.  I had people coming to me saying they didn’t know if they believed the gospel anymore.  They didn’t know if the Bible was true.  I could see obvious depression.  That’s what first really got my attention.”

• “When you look at all the various creeds, and the confessions of faith that have been drawn up, obviously there are points where they differ with each other.  Somebody is wrong.  But what is all the more compelling is when they all agree with each other.  There are certain basic things that Christians around the world and throughout time have generally agreed on, and one of those is that the second appearing of Jesus is still a future event.  And anyone who denies that – heresy alarm bells ought to go off everywhere. There is something wrong with that.   Because for you to set yourself  against the consensus of the church over two thousand years, and stand alone against that, is not a wise thing to do.  The odds that you are actually correct, in going against all the rest of God’s people, are pretty well slim to none.”

• “Another aspect they won’t come right out and say a lot of times until you pin them down, is they believe that Satan and his demons are presently and permanently in the lake of fire.  What that means is that there is no more need for spiritual warfare.  There’s no more worries about the Devil roaming about as a lion seeking someone to devour.  There’s no more fear of satanic deception.. Satan no longer masquerades as an angel of light.  And so to me, what more clever satanic deception can there be than the false doctrine that satanic deception is no longer possible?”

Richard Barcellos

• Some Thoughts on Hyper Preterism “I view it as neo-Hymenaenism, a damning heresy, idle babbling, a cancer which must be cut out immediately!”

Timothy M. Barrett

• An Important Letter to Chalcedon and R. J. Rushdoony  “Last week, two elders resigned after realizing that their embracing of the heresy of hyper-Preterism was inconsistent with our church’s doctrinal statement. It is my understanding that this heresy is spreading like weeks in Reformed churches”

Mike Blume

• 2005: The Weak Cross of Full Preterism “The scripture that teaches the meek shall inherit the earth will never be fulfilled, since there will be both sinners and saints forever on the earth.  Sinners will never be removed.  Also, we are told God’s will must be done in earth as it is in heaven.  There is no sin in heaven.  This cannot be fulfilled in earth if full preterism is correct.  Full preterism must conclude that sin will always exist.”

Chalcedon

• On Preterism – “hyperpreterists”….[are] preachers of a false gospel.  Let these enemies of Christ and His Kingdom be “anathema maranatha.”

Christ Kirk

• Statement on Neo-Hymenaeanism “Neo-Hymenaeanism stands with all other deviations from orthodox Christianity as an attempt to cloak its heresy within orthodox terminology while its true nature is destructive of the faith. Consequently, its adherents are in grievous danger of damning their own souls. May God in His mercy grant them understanding to see and to turn from their error and may His people “avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and . . . spread like gangrene” (2 Tim 2:16f). “

Stephen J. Cole

• 1999: Are you ready for Christ’s return? “Although those who hold this view say that they are attempting to deal with the biblical texts, I believe that the extreme Preterists go outside the bounds of orthodoxy and are guilty of heresy.”

Rev. Mitchell Dick
Grace Protestant Reformed Church

• 2004: Defense of the Orthodox View of the Second Coming of Christ In Response to the Teachings of Full Preterism “By no stretch of sound biblical exegesis can the concept “new heavens and earth” in Scripture refer to anything less than an entirely new creation. The context of passages in which the concept of new heavens and earth are used always plainly teaches that a cosmic reality is intended.”

Prof. David J. Engelsma

• 1999: Timely questions about Preterism – “This is heresy. It is gross denial of the second coming of Christ and, with it, the resurrection of the dead, the final judgment, and the renewal of the creation of the heaven and the earth. No one can possibly fail to detect the false doctrine.”

Samuel Frost

• 2012: Why I Left Preterism Excerpted citations and reviews archived below. (Just bought the pdf and am amazed at the level of scholarly substance laying out the unintended consequences of Full Preterist doctrine.

GARBC

• 2005: Resolution Concerning Preterism and the Future, Physical Fulfillment of Biblical Prophecies General Association of Regular Baptists “THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we, the messengers of the churches in fellowship with the General Association of Regular Baptist Churches, meeting for our 73rd Annual Conference in Lakeland, Florida, June 28—July 1, 2005, solemnly reaffirm our belief that many Biblical prophecies still await future, physical fulfillment”

Dr. Kenneth L. Gentry

• 2003: Christ’s Resurrection and ours – “Unfortunately, a new gnosticism is infecting the church: hyper-preterism. One major feature of hyper-preterism is its denial of a future physical resurrection of the believer at the end of history. As we shall see, this contradicts a major result of the resurrection of Christ.. “

• 2000: On the “transitional verses” in Matthew 24 “The fundamental linguistic sense of ‘coming’ has to do with a visitation of divine judgment upon man. But the particular historical referent of a “coming’ may be either the A.D. 70 coming, or the Second Advental coming to punctuate the end of history – or some other divine judgment visitation.”

• 1995: A Brief Theological Analysis of ‘Hyper-Preterism‘ – “If all prophecy was fulfilled in the first-century events, then who is to say it is the will of God for the gospel to exercise world-wide victory?  A hyper-preterist cannot be a Reconstructionist (theonomic postmillennialist) on exegetical grounds. “

  • 2000: Walt Hibbard – A Response to Ken Gentry’s “A Brief Theological Analysis of Hyper-Preterism” “Having been a covenant theologian for many years now, it must seem odd to Ken to now find himself in a debate opposing a viewpoint which, more than any other, deserves the name of covenant eschatology, the full preterist position!

  • 2000: Ed Hara – Problems with Stevens’ Response to Gentry
    

• Recent Developments in the Eschatological Debate – “A cult-like enthusiasm fuels this unorthodox movement, which teaches that the total complex of end time events transpired in the first-century: the Second Advent, the resurrection, the rapture of the saints, and the great judgment. This view is not supported by any creed or any council of the church in history.”

• Hyper Preterism: Its History and Heresy (Video) An Interview with Dr. Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr. on hyper-preterism.

Harvest Church

• Committee Paper on Full Preterism (PCA)

Wayne Jackson

• The Menace of Radical Preterism – “Radical Preterism… is so “off the wall”— biblically speaking— that one wonders how anyone ever falls for it. But they do. …dealing with Preterism is like cleaning the kitty litter box; one hates to fool with it, but it has to be done. He can just be thankful that cats aren’t larger than they are.”

• A Study of Matthew 24 – “Since the Jewish people are still extant, this concept allows dispensationalists to stretch the circumstances of Matthew 24 all the way to the present time. This view of the passage is seriously flawed.”

• What is the meaning of ‘shortly come to pass’?

• Was the siege at Jerusalem the worst in history? – “Matthew 24:21 does not refer to the end of time. It’s application, based upon all contextual considerations, was to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70.”

Scott Kessler

• 2007: The Errors of Hyper-Preterism “If, in fact, all Bible Prophecy has been fulfilled, as hyper-preterism teaches, then what do we make of Christianity today? Have the Jews abandoned their false religion in favor of Christianity, thus bringing greater blessings to the gentiles (Romans 11:24-26)? Why are we still marrying and giving in marriage (Luke 20:35)? What of our resurrection and judgment? Has the great Commission been fulfilled (Matthew 28:18-20)? Is Jesus still sitting at the right hand of the Father (Psalm 110:1)? If not, where is He? Such a belief system tends to lead toward gnosticism and, in the case of the modern church, deism. Hyper-preterism is as ridiculous as it is unorthodox.”

Brendan Kraft

• Hyper-Preterism Renounced “For the last couple of years, I have struggled with the doctrines of hyper preterism. The doctrines also known as “realized eschatology” or “covenant eschatology” or “full preterism” teaches that the eschatological events of Scripture were entirely fulfilled in 70 AD with the destruction of Jerusalem. Conservative preterists or “partial preterists” like me have no doubt that many of the eschatological prophecies of Scripture were fulfilled in 70 AD. However, we still hold to the belief that there remains a future coming of Christ, along with a future physical resurrection of the dead.”

Paul Manata

• 2003: Transcendental Argument Against HyperPreterism “Transcendental arguments have a distinguished history. We can find them (in a rougher version) in the writings of Aristotle when he argued for the laws of logic. Elements of TA thinking can be found in Augustine when he argued that faith is the foundation for reason. TAs came to the forefront of philosophical argumentation with Immanuel Kant. Since Kant, they have been employed by philosophers as a way to answer the skeptic. These philosophers include Wittgenstein, Stoud, and P.F. Strawson. As Christians we can use transcendental argumentation to prove Christianity. Cornelius Van Til provided a valuable service to the Christian community when he took what philosophers like Kant did and put TAs into a Christian worldview.”

  • 2003: Michael Krall – Refuting the Transcendental Argument Against HyperPreterism | More Refutation of Paul Manata’s TAAHP Argument Regarding Liars in the New Heavens and Earth The Shoehorn Theology of Manata’s TAAHP Argument

Keith Mathison

• 2002: A Brief Reponse to the Full Preterist Criticisms of Dr. Kelly Nelson Birks  “Dr. Birks has associated himself with a movement, which by radically altering the doctrine of the resurrection of believers, has in fact made the historical gospel of the Church “into a salvation-forfeiting lie.” Many people, including Dr. Birks, do not seem to be aware of the devastating implications of full-preterism. It is not simply another debate over some minor side issue in eschatology. It is a profound distortion and rejection of some of the cardinal non-negotiable tenets of historic Christian orthodoxy. “

• 2004: John Humphrey Noyes and Hyper-Preterism “The question, then, is simply this: Is it accurate to classify John Humphrey Noyes as an early proponent of hyper-preterism? After re-examining the evidence, I believe that the answer is yes, and I will seek to defend that answer in what follows.”

• Acts 1:9-11 and the Hyper-Preterist Debate “The hyper-preterist rejection of the traditional interpretation of Acts 1:9–11 has not led to anything even remotely approaching agreement on an alternative interpretation of these three verses. The clarity of what Luke tells us in Acts 1:9–11 is probably the reason why this text is either ignored or else passed over with relatively little detailed discussion in most hyper-preterist literature.”

• 2001: A Critique of the Evangelical Doctrine of Sola Scriptuta “Another heresy that has been widely promoted with the assistance of the modern Evangelical version of solo scriptura is hyper-preterism or pantelism. While there are numerous internal squabbles over details, in general advocates of this doctrine insist that Jesus Christ returned in AD. 70 at the destruction of Jerusalem and that at that time sin and death were destroyed, the Adamic curse was lifted, Satan was cast into the lake of fire, the rapture and general resurrection occurred, the final judgment occurred, mourning and crying and pain were done away with, and the eternal state began. The proponents of pantelism are even more vocal in their rejection of orthodox Christian doctrinal boundaries than Fudge.”

• 2001: The Shape of Sola Scriptura “An important point that must be kept in mind is observed by the great ninteenth-century Princeton theologian Samuel Miller. He noted that the most zealous opponents of creeds “have been those who help corrupt opinions”.. Another heresy that has been widely promoted with the assistance of the modern Evangelical version of solo scriptura is hyper-preterism” (Full book available online at Google)   “while there are numerous internal squabbles over details, in general advocates of this doctrine insist that Jesus Christ returned in A.D.70 at the destruction of Jerusalem and that at that time sin and death were destroyed, the Adamic curse was lifted, Satan was cast into the lake of fire, the rapture and general resurrection occurred, the final judgment occurred, mourning and crying and pain were done away with, and the eternal state began.”

Duncan McKenzie

• 2011: Duncan McKenzie on why he is not a full preterist “They figured, if partial preterism is wrong, then full preterism must be right. They did not know there was something in between. It is Daniel 7 that has kept me from full preterism for the last quarter century.”

Adam Narjano

• 2007: Hyper Preterists Propose Too Much With Luke 21:22 “If these hyper preterists want to take “all” – in “so that all things which are written will be fulfilled” – to mean literally every single prophecy (which is necessary for their interpretation of this passage) they would be bound to say that all of the prophecies in scripture were fulfilled at the destruction of the temple – including prophecies that don’t at all refer to those days of vengeance.”

Orthodox Presbyterian Church

• 2010: The OPC and Hyper Preterism “Not only is hyper-preterism a denial of the clear biblical teaching about the second coming of Christ and the final resurrection, it is outside the boundaries of creedal orthodoxy. In the universal creeds of the church such as the Nicene creed, we confess that Christ “shall come again, with glory, to judge both the living and the dead” and that “we look for the resurrection of the dead.”  So far as I know, the OPC does not have a formal statement on hyper-preterism. But every OPC minister and elder subscribes to the Westminster Confession of Faith, which unreservedly affirms that there remains a future advent of Jesus Christ accompanied by a physical, bodily resurrection.”

Dr. Gary North

• Gary North’s RpP “Eulogy” for David Chilton “I recommend the immediate public recantation and personal repentance of Russell’s theology (Preterism). Barring this, I recommend the heretic’s excommunication by his church’s judicial body.  The elders should allow the accused member to identify the heresy for which he is then excommunicated.” | Vern Crisler “His [David Chilton’s] heart attack disrupted his ability to think clearly. It distorted his judgment. From his public outburst against Vern Crisler — for which he later repented, admitting that he cannot think straight these days — until this self-burial of his pre-1994 writings, David Chilton has gone off the deep end. He has now become self-damaged goods delivered on the doorstep of Max King.”

• 2001: Dualism’s Doctrine of the Eternality of Evil: A Critique of Heretical Preterism  Revision of: “Full Preterism” : Manichean or Perfectionist-Pelagian?

  • 2001: Walt Hibbard – A Courteous Response to  Dr. Gary North’s Vitriolic Essay “No early ecumenical creed, or confession that emanated from the Protestant Reformation has ever interpreted Christ’s Olivet Discourse, or any part of it, from even a pseudo-preterist perspective.”

  • 2001: David Green – Scripture’s Anti-Dualistic Doctrine of the Eternality of Evil“ Abstaining from painstaking exegesis in favor of broad-brushing over large blocks of Scripture won’t do it. Abstaining from painstaking exegesis in favor of expounding on tradition (the Creeds) won’t do it. Abstaining from painstaking exegesis in favor of trying to force-fit preterists into the mold of certain ancient heresies won’t do it.  If preterists are ever to be universally and authoritatively excommunicated, then sufficient evidence against the teaching must be presented. Where might this evidence be found? In Scripture? If so, the world awaits the painstaking exegesis from the preterist-haters.”
    

• 2001: “Full Preterism” : Manichean or Perfectionist- Pelagian? “Presbyterian laymen who have been brought before the church’s session because they are suspected of holding heretical preterism, and who persist in their commitment to heretical preterism by refusing to sign a statement that is consistent with the Westminster standards, must be removed from membership in the local congregation by excommunication.”

  • 2001: David Green – Gary North: Postmillennial or Neo-Manichean? “North courageously and publicly calls for creedal “revision.” Now that the preterists have arrived and the time for creedal revision has begun to appear on the horizon, North refuses to even momentarily consider the theory that the church has been in a serious, nonfatal eschatological error..  Instead, North rushes headlong to announce to the world an ecclesiastical and theological emergency on the level of Y2K.”

Jared Olivetti

• 2006: Creeds vs. Hyper-Preterism “We ought to be thankful to God for the creeds of the church; we ought to know them, measure our beliefs by them, measure our teachers by them – not as a denial of sola Scriptura, but as the only real way of holding to sola Scriptura faithfully.”

Stanley Pahr

• 1993: The A.D.70 Doctrine and Dating the New Testament “Preterism allows for no double fulfillment of prophecies, no twin references or passages such as the alternating of the apocalyptic concepts of Matthew 24 between past and future fulfillments. In his Commentary on Revelation, Homer Harley sees only a past fulfillment (that is, before 475 A.D.) of every section of Revelation up to chapter 20. He would certainly be a left wing preterist, as would be this author who in If Thou Hadst Known isolates 115 Biblical texts which find complete fulfillment in Jerusalem’s fall in 70 A.D.”

Stephen Pegler

• 2003: Answering Preterism: Did Jesus Return in A.D.70? “So, is preterism a heresy? Can it exist with historical Christianity? Full-blown preterism probably is a heresy, although the verdict may still be out. All parties should admit that a full preterism is not compatible with the Creeds and Confessions.  To go against the Creeds and Confessions is not damning or indicative of heresy in of itself, but it should raise many cautions. Preterists need to admit that they are advocating an almost total rewrite of not only eschatology (cosmic and personal) but also ecclesiology, sanctification, and many other doctrines. It is literally a different kind of Christianity and is incompatible with historical Christianity. This makes full-fledged preterism highly suspicious, but not heretical if it can be demonstrated that it is Scriptural. “

Richard Pratt
Reformed Theological Seminary

• 2005: Hyperpreterism and Unfolding Biblical Eschatology “In a word, hyper-preterists miss the central concern of biblical prophecies about the eschaton. They reduce the nature of Christ’s return to a nebulous, relatively inconsequential spiritual return in order to defend a misconceived notion of the integrity of biblical prophecy. As a result, they fail to see the crucial fact that the radically cosmic, physical, cataclysmic eschatological vision of the Old and New Testaments calls believers in every century to serve Christ faithfully in order to hurry the day when he will return and renew all things. The eschatological hope of Christ’s glorious, physical return has rightly inspired Christians throughout the centuries as they have suffered sickness, temptations, trials, prosecutions, and death. This hope still inspires us to remain faithful to our Lord today. As in the first century, Christ’s imminent return is offered to us, and we too pray that he will fulfill that promise in our day.”

Kim Riddlebarger

• A Case For Amillennialism: Understanding The End Times “full preterists teach that the resurrection—which, they say, is not bodily but spiritual—has already occurred. To teach, as full preterists do, that Christ has already returned and that the resurrection occurred in A.D. 70 at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem is heresy, according to the apostle Paul.”

Jonathan Seriah

• The End of All Things – “They argue that Jesus did say His final return was in the first century (as per liberalism), and that He was right in what He said (as per dispensationalism). “

Pristine Faith Restoration

• Preterism “A very destructive system of interpreting prophecy. Preterism is much more than merely just another eschatology. It has far reaching implications in nearly every area of theology, including the nature of the atonement and denial of the resurrection of the body. PFRS believes this false system should be classified as “heresy” because it denies fundamental doctrines of the Christian Faith.”

Reformed Church, U.S.A.

• Anathema from Reformed Church, U.S.A.

John Riffe

• 2008: Revelation 20 & Universalism “I know you are busy, but could you take just a brief moment and fill me in on how you view the Rev. 20 passage and how a wrong view there can open the door to universalism. Being slow of mind, it will help me to get up to speed. So thanks so much for doing this. Don’t take a lot of time, just a brief response.”

Jay Rogers

• Christianity and the Cults – “Although not a large group, Hymanaeism is a grave threat to biblical orthodoxy. Hymenaeism is a primary heresy, far more serious than Chiliasm or dispensationalism, as it completely denies one of the essential tenets of the Apostles and Nicene Creeds, that Christ will come again, physically to the earth, to judge the living and the dead”

P. Andrew Sandlin

• 2001: Those Long-lived “Last Days” “The theologically liberal accusations that the New Testament writers taught that Jesus Christ would return in their own lifetimes (thus denying Biblical infallibility) is no less erroneous than is the notion by some conservatives that we must attribute most or all of such texts to the destruction of Jerusalem in A. D. 70 in order to maintain the integrity of the Bible’s infallibility”

• 2001: Correspondence on Full Preterism – “I think it most unlikely that the almost unanimous testimony of the church for 2000 years could have been mistaken on such a fundamental point. Full preterism is in fact, therefore, non-Christian in that it repudiates cardinal tenets of the orthodox Faith.”

• 2001: An Open Letter to Ligonier Minsitries – “A clear primitivist impulse is detectable in this heresy, and a number of its adherents, I hear, were schooled in the “creedless” Church of Christ denomination. Moreover, the Hymenaens seem blissfully unaware that the same exegetico-theological paradigm that can on the grounds of a misguided and historically uninformed appeal to sola scriptura jettison orthodox eschatology can on identical grounds jettison orthodox Trinitarianism and Christology.”

• 1999: Sandlin’s Review of Sproul’s “Last Days” “Though Sproul does not at this point deny creedal Christianity, he leaves the reader with the distinct impression that he may be willing to do so if he were convinced that the Bible taught this.”

  • 1999: Walt Hibbard Reviews Sandlin’s Review “I don’t make it a habit to debate the Hymenaens and other heretics, and this response is not a signal to debate.   The Hymenaen Anathema issued by the RCUS is dead right. Yes, if Sproul were to adopt the Hymenaen heresy, he should be excommunicated. “

    • 1999: Sandlin Responds to Hibbard “Hymenaenism seems to have gained a recent hearing chiefly by means of… the promotion by Great Christian Books (founder – Walt Hibbard) of various smaller works taking the Hymenaen line. We urge Ligonier to join us by a public denunciation of Hymenaenism.

• Chicken Little Goes to Church – “Reformed Christians rabidly devour “consistent preterism” (read: consistent heresy) repudiating the physical second Advent of Christ and the physical resurrection of the Christian–it’s the new wave in the Reformed world, somewhat akin to Rap music and body-piercing among modern pagans.”

• The Braying of Heretics, or, The Heresies of Bray – “To those for whom the constraints of orthodoxy Christianity are uncomfortably restrictive, their own gifted (or, in some cases, ignorant) minds furnish a new and exciting (and heretical and damnable) alternative. I know of no devotee of this heresy, not one, who is deeply schooled. This heresy claimed David Chilton before he died. It captured Walt Hibbard. It has seduced John Bray. He is the latest to bite the dust.”
  Hymenæus Resurrected – “What would you say about a professedly Biblical teaching that denies the physical second Advent of Christ, questions or omits the physical resurrection of Christ and the saints, and denies the physical Judgment of the just and the unjust at the conclusion of history?  You would probably call it heterodox and heretical. And you would be right.”

• 1997: Against Hymenaeanism: The Charity of Intolerance – “Toleration of heresy is uncharitable. If unchecked, it leads straight to their opposites, sacrilege and disobedience, which ensure divine judgment. Therefore, to tolerate heresy under the guise of charity for the brethren is really to refuse to confront sins. Enemies of Christian orthodoxy are not our friends.”

• Statement from Chalcedon on Walt Hibbard – “one whose life has been evidently devoted to disseminating outstanding Christian literature, including Reformed and Reconstructionist materials, and whose labor has been a source of benefit to many, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of Christians, churches, home school families, pastors, teachers, and many more. In light of Walt Hibbard’s apparent public endorsement of so-called “full” Preterism, however, we find it grievously necessary to issue a stern, unequivocal response.”

Gregg Strawbridge

• An Exegetical Defense of Postmillennialism – “Unorthodox (full) preterism teaches that even the Second Advent of Christ took place during the destruction of Jerusalem. Not only is this view unorthodox according to the creeds of the universal Church, East, West, Protestant, and Roman—many full preterist views may be refuted in the text we have considered.”

Dr. Kenneth G. Talbot

• 2009: The Heterodox Confessions of Hyperpreterists  The Antithetical Nature of Full Preterism and Historic Reformed Christian Orthodoxy 

  • “The quest for gaining ‘Futurist’ acceptance of Full (Hyper) Preterism as acceptable ‘historic Christian orthodoxy’ is both interesting and irrational in light of its determination to distance itself from the ‘general eschatological’ doctrines of the historic Church”

  • “Do we not often hear them say, “convince me that I am wrong so I can get out of this condemned doctrine”? The psychological stress must be great with the diversity of ideas, contradictory theories within the system itself! It seems as if they cry out “Help me historic Christian Orthodoxy, I have fallen into Hyperpreterism and I can’t get out!”

Tota Reforma

• 2005: Why No Orthodox Person Should Ever Switch to Hyper-Preterism – “It is true that hyper-preterists can, with an overactive imagination, reinterpret any verse to fit its conceptual box (something it shares in common with Gnosticism and Arianism). It must be pointed out that hyper-preterists cannot show that the orthodox paradigm is irrational. Remember, so long as there is one verse that could logically be interpreted as still referring to a Second Coming then reason alone cannot decide which paradigm to choose. Given these facts, I can only conclude that there is not one rational reason to prefer hyper-preterism to orthodoxy, but there are plenty of reasons to continue to trust the Holy Spirit’s guidance of the Church, as revealed in the Creeds.”

Daniel Trotter

• 2002: Why it is Perfectly OK to say Naughty Things About Heretical Preterists – “This is typical of the slick rhetorical tricks heretical preterists like to use. The reader will notice that the logic I’ve given above pierces their buncombe. That the heretical preterists (given their premises) are right about the timing of the resurrection, and that the ancient Hymenaeans were wrong about the timing of the resurrection, is absolutely irrelevant to Paul’s anger and condemnation of Hymenaeus and company. Paul could not have possibly gotten that upset over a few decades worth of difference in timing between himself and Hymenaeus.”
  

  • 2003: David Johnson – An Answer to Trotter’s “Naughty Names”  “The issue of the resurrection is inseparably tied to the Lord’s coming, the coming of His kingdom, and the judgment. Any serious study on the resurrection must deal with these events and how they relate to one another.”
    

    • 2003: Daniel Trotter – A (Somewhat) Irenic Response to Certain Naughty Heretical Preterists – “My view is that the anti resurrectionist neo-hymenaean opinion is precisely “the constant application of stupidity” to the eschatological problem. My view is that hymenaean heretics don’t deserve a seat at the eschatological debating table. My view is that giving these doctrinal deviants a place of respectability will allow “enemy forces to gather to deceive the unwary who cannot defend themselves.”

Jim West

• The Allurement of Hyper Preterism – The Rise of ‘Dispensable Eschatology” “Hymenaenism is damnable heresy.” // “If a church unwittingly carries Hymenn books (such as the Leonards’ The Promise of His Coming, or J. Stuart Russell’s The Parousia), these books should be torched or removed immediately.” / “The so-called “consistent preterits” holds that the Second Coming of Christ occurred in A. D. 70, and that the resurrection occurred when Israel was spiritually quickened. Some “consistent Preterists” will even claim to be Calvinistic in their soteriology. This amalgamation-temptation threatens to compromise the historic creeds of the church..”

• When Will These Things Take Place? “Preterists point to such things as documented reports by Josephus, Tacitus and others in AD70 describing false prophets and false Messiahs leading many people astray, chariots in the clouds, voices from heaven, and signs in the sky. While such supernatural events may well have taken place, they do not prove that radical preterism is the answer.  Other difficulties include the lack of physical events such as the earthquake that would split the Mount of Olives in two.”