Both are wrong because the coming of Christ has a context that is ignored by both parties.
The preterists say the coming happened in 70AD spiritually when they allegorise it as a judgment coming upon the wicked who persecuted the first century church, by assuming it is related to the end of the age.
This futurists say the coming happens in the future literally to fulfil the prophesy of Christ sitting on an earthly Davidic throne in literal Israel.
One party assumes the end of age is the context, whilst the other assumes a Davidic throne on earth established.
The truth in th matter is the context of the Lord's Appearing is in context to a departed individual in relation to the reaping from the harvest and the separation of the sheep and the goats.
My claim is that the Lord has been coming secretly for every departed INDIVDUAL throughout the last 2000 years as all humans are being harvested and separated as sheeps and goats across the entire new covenant age that we live in. The seventh trumpet that is sounded by the Lord at the end of the new covenant age when he declares time no longer, will signal the end of the millennium reign and a new beginning for those who have entered in the wedding supper of the lamb across the time of the harvest that was allotted for the reaping.
Hence death brings every knew bowing before the risen Lord for judgement and all eyes will see him within the context that all men are destined to die once then judgement.
Death comes on a day and hour that no man knows to Torsten the individual before the Lord for judgment. It has nothing to do with the end of the age or the Davidic throne. It is about the reaping from the harvest and separating the sheep and the goats.
Here is an article that best explains my view:
How could Christ’s final judgments in 70ad apply to all of us who hadn’t even lived yet?
The answer to this question is based upon the nature of God Himself. He is eternal, sovereign, all-knowing, all-powerful, everywhere-present, and the Almighty Creator of all things. He is not limited by such a phenomenon as "time". He is not restricted in any way from being eternally and continually present throughout His endless creation.
He sees the past, the present, and the future all at once. He knows all about us before we are born-again in Christ. He also knows all about us after we are born-again and during our entire lives thereafter on this earth and beyond. He is present at every tick of the clock for eternity since the foundation of the seen and unseen worlds. There is not now nor has there ever been even one atom with its protons, neutrons, and electrons that is outside His sight and control.
God sovereignly chose the time of His second coming Parousia in the first century generation of His Apostles as the point in all of human history when His final judgments would be adjudicated and carried out for everyone.
"41 The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here." (Matt.12:41).
"36 Assuredly, I say to you, all these things (judgments) will come upon this generation." (Matt.23:36).
"34 Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place." (Matt.24:34).
All of His elect believers throughout history have their names written in the Book of Life and are awarded eternal life in the presence of Christ in the New Jerusalem forever.
"27 But there shall by no means enter it (New Jerusalem) anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life." (Rev.21:27).
This is the case for all born-again Christians, who are all in the body of Christ; in a spiritual, positional, and relational sense now while living as humans on earth; and it is realized in its fullest sense when believers die in this life. All reprobate non-believers throughout human history do not have their names written in the Book of Life. When they die, they are sentenced to eternal condemnation in the Lake of Fire in the unseen realm.
"15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." (Rev.20:15).
God has shown us historical examples when His judgments have been established for everyone, including those who had not yet even lived. Example: The first man, Adam, sinned and sin passed to all men throughout human history.
"12 Therefore, just as through one man (Adam) sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned." (Rom.5:12).
Example: The Lord was crucified, buried, rose again, and ascended into the heavenly holy of holies, all in 30ad. He provided an eternal atonement for the sins of all of His elect (past, present, and future).
"24 For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us." (Heb.9:24).
"but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." (Heb.9:26b).
Example: Christ’s second coming Parousia in 66-70ad brought consummation of salvation for all of His elect (past, present, and future).
"28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those (first century saints) who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation." (Heb.9:28).
The first tabernacle had to be destroyed in order for His elect to finally be able to actually enter the Holiest of All presence of God in heaven. Christ accomplished this as part of His final judgments with the total destruction of the temple in His outpouring of wrath against non-believing Israel by the Roman armies in 70ad.
"8 the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing." (Heb.9:8).
In summary, we see that Christ’s judgments for all mankind were finished in the first century generation of His Apostles in 70ad. At that time the Lord said that the final determination of the eternal status of "unjust and filthy" or "righteous and holy" for everyone was established.
"10 And he said to me, ‘Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. 11 He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.’" (Rev.22:10-11).
Michael Alan Nichols
