- Jul 21, 2018
- 1,029
- 131
- Country
- United States
- Faith
- Christian
- Marital Status
- Married
Unlike preterists, futurists do not trivialize the NT passages that warn the New Covenant people about apostasy in “the last days.” Ice catalogs some of the passages in his article,
Postmillennialists, or preterists, must play down texts about the Church’s apostasy to maintain their belief that this age is Christ’s millennial reign. Of course, this hinders an amillennialist view, too. The passages don’t support the preterist view because they characterize persecution, affliction, distress, or “tribulation” for the New Covenant people, which supports great tribulation lies in the future, not in the past. Preterists hold the great tribulation is past.[2] One doesn’t have to grope to see the apostasy prophecy in the last days destroys the preterists’ fable of a great revival at the end. Scripture affirms tribulation or judgment by God to revive the Church; tribulation for the Church is not strictly in the past! It’s hard to give the passages their due in an eschatology that interprets this age as Christ’s millennial reign. Kings are foreseen as Christ’s footstool in Revelation 11 and 19 at the end of this age, while the prophesies concerning Christ’s millennial reign have his enemies pacified beneath his feet, in total submission.
Furthermore, the OT, such as Zephaniah, prophesied that when God takes away the judgments from the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he casts out their enemies and live securely with Christ in their “midst,”
Again, one needn’t grope to see that Zephaniah agrees with the tares and good seeds parable. Oddly, futurists fumble over the covenant judgment in Zephaniah. Ultimately, the Old Covenant wasn’t meant to save the saints,
Salvation hinges on Christ’s inauguration of the New Covenant and his mediation to save the elect to the uttermost,
It’s Christ’s mediation that saves, and it commenced with his sacrifice and anointing of the heavenly tabernacle at his ascension, some forty years before 70 AD. This act justified all those who are “in” Christ (1 Corinthians 15:22). The predestined are justified by Christ’s mediation. Christ is the lamb sacrificed for the sins of the world. No doubt, the evidence that Christ commenced his mediation some two score years before 70 AD proves Revelation concerns the Church, not the Old Covenant people.
In the final analysis, the judgments in Revelation concern the Church in the last days, insomuch as it apostasies under Christ’s mediation. One need not grope for examples of judgment following apostasy in the OT, heralded by trumpets, and illustrated as locust armies having the appearance of horse riders and the teeth of lions, etcetera, as does Revelation. The New Covenant assures trials and tribulations upon the narrow road in 1 Peter 1:7, Hebrews 12:6, and numerous NT passages. The house being judged in this age is the one built upon Christ, the cornerstone,
This age is not Christ’s millennial reign. In Revelation’s seven churches, corporate responsibility is established in the Church age. Christ judges the body of the Church, issuing judgment upon it before those “that obey not the gospel of God.” Futurists and preterists grope for Christ’s mediation in Revelation. Still, Christ judges the Church in this age, and one of the surest affirmations is the seven churches,
[1] Ibid.
[2] Gentry holds that the sine qua non, or essential part of preterism is that: “the great tribulation is past, having occurred in AD 70.” Preterism and Postmillennialism? (Postmillennial Worldview.com) PRETERISM AND POSTMILLENNIALISM?
The following is a list of the seven major passages that deal with the last days for the church: 1 Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 4:3-4; James 5:1-8; 2 Peter 2:1-22; 3:3-6; Jude 1-25. Every one of these passages emphasizes over and over again that the great characteristic of the end of the church age will be that of apostasy.[1]
Postmillennialists, or preterists, must play down texts about the Church’s apostasy to maintain their belief that this age is Christ’s millennial reign. Of course, this hinders an amillennialist view, too. The passages don’t support the preterist view because they characterize persecution, affliction, distress, or “tribulation” for the New Covenant people, which supports great tribulation lies in the future, not in the past. Preterists hold the great tribulation is past.[2] One doesn’t have to grope to see the apostasy prophecy in the last days destroys the preterists’ fable of a great revival at the end. Scripture affirms tribulation or judgment by God to revive the Church; tribulation for the Church is not strictly in the past! It’s hard to give the passages their due in an eschatology that interprets this age as Christ’s millennial reign. Kings are foreseen as Christ’s footstool in Revelation 11 and 19 at the end of this age, while the prophesies concerning Christ’s millennial reign have his enemies pacified beneath his feet, in total submission.
Furthermore, the OT, such as Zephaniah, prophesied that when God takes away the judgments from the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he casts out their enemies and live securely with Christ in their “midst,”
The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. (Zephaniah 3:15)
Again, one needn’t grope to see that Zephaniah agrees with the tares and good seeds parable. Oddly, futurists fumble over the covenant judgment in Zephaniah. Ultimately, the Old Covenant wasn’t meant to save the saints,
But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:23-24)
Salvation hinges on Christ’s inauguration of the New Covenant and his mediation to save the elect to the uttermost,
Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)
It’s Christ’s mediation that saves, and it commenced with his sacrifice and anointing of the heavenly tabernacle at his ascension, some forty years before 70 AD. This act justified all those who are “in” Christ (1 Corinthians 15:22). The predestined are justified by Christ’s mediation. Christ is the lamb sacrificed for the sins of the world. No doubt, the evidence that Christ commenced his mediation some two score years before 70 AD proves Revelation concerns the Church, not the Old Covenant people.
In the final analysis, the judgments in Revelation concern the Church in the last days, insomuch as it apostasies under Christ’s mediation. One need not grope for examples of judgment following apostasy in the OT, heralded by trumpets, and illustrated as locust armies having the appearance of horse riders and the teeth of lions, etcetera, as does Revelation. The New Covenant assures trials and tribulations upon the narrow road in 1 Peter 1:7, Hebrews 12:6, and numerous NT passages. The house being judged in this age is the one built upon Christ, the cornerstone,
Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. (1 Peter 2:5-6)
This age is not Christ’s millennial reign. In Revelation’s seven churches, corporate responsibility is established in the Church age. Christ judges the body of the Church, issuing judgment upon it before those “that obey not the gospel of God.” Futurists and preterists grope for Christ’s mediation in Revelation. Still, Christ judges the Church in this age, and one of the surest affirmations is the seven churches,
For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God? And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear? (1 Peter 4:17-18)
[1] Ibid.
[2] Gentry holds that the sine qua non, or essential part of preterism is that: “the great tribulation is past, having occurred in AD 70.” Preterism and Postmillennialism? (Postmillennial Worldview.com) PRETERISM AND POSTMILLENNIALISM?
Last edited:
