Jesus said, “I am coming soon” (Revelation 22:12). Why haven’t we seen the Second Coming of Christ by now if He was coming soon? There is a very good reason why we haven’t seen the Second Coming of Christ. It’s because the Second Coming and the events of the Last Days already took place in the first century.
Before you say that’s crazy, just remember this one thing: Jesus came to usher in a Spiritual Kingdom, not a Physical Kingdom (John 18:36; Luke 17:20, 21). The majority of the Church is still looking for the Second Coming today because they have not recognized the time and nature of Jesus’ return. Nor has the Church understood the reason why it was necessary for Christ to return in the first century.
- The Time: The time of Jesus’ Second Coming was in A.D. 70 (Matthew 23:36).
- The Nature: Jesus came back and judged the rebellious Jews by using Titus and the Roman Army to destroy Jerusalem and the temple in A.D. 70 (Luke 21:20, 21). Jesus judged rebellious Israel in the same manner that God had judged them in the past, that is, by using another nation to conquer and disperse them throughout the inhabited world.
- The Reason for the first century return of Christ: To bring an end to the Old Covenant that National Israel observed (Hebrews 8:13), and to consummate the New Covenant with Spiritual Israel which is the Church (Hebrews 9:28; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
Leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem was the three and a half year persecution of Christians by the Beast (the Emperor Nero), and the three and a half year Jewish War with the Dragon (the Roman Empire).
This view of eschatology is called Preterism. The term “Preterism” simply means that which has past. Thus, Preterism is an eschatological view that teaches that Christ fulfilled all prophecy in the past.
The End of the World?
Let’s look at a verse that has been traditionally interpreted as describing the end of the world.
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? (Matthew 24:3 – KJV)
As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?” (Matthew 24:3 – ESV)
Here we have two versions of the same Bible verse. They both have different endings. The KJV ends with world, while the ESV ends with age. Which one of these versions is correct? The Greek word “aion” is the word being translated into English. Aion is defined as a period of time or an era. Since aion is simply a period of time then age would be the correct translation.
Now we need to know exactly what age was coming to a close. To find the answer we must go back and put this verse in its context by reading chapter twenty-three. Jesus pronounces the seven woes to the Scribes and Pharisees which lead into his proclamation that, ‘all these things will come upon this generation’ (Matthew 23:36). Jesus was not speaking of a generation that would eventually come along thousands of years into the future. He was speaking directly to his present audience and was prophesying that their generation (the generation of rebellious Jews living in the first century) would see all these things come upon them. The woes came upon them in A.D.70. When Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed the Old Covenant age came to an end.
As you can see, what many people believe to be a verse pointing to the end of the world is actually a verse describing the end of the Old Covenant age. The New Testament described how and when the change in Covenants took place. Symbolic language was used in the Book of Revelation to describe the coming judgment of Jesus that would end God’s Covenant with physical Israel. It also described God’s New Covenant with Spiritual Israel. The New Covenant was the hope of Israel, but those that rebelled against Jesus missed the hope of the New Covenant. They missed it because they were looking for a messiah to rule over physical Jerusalem. Jesus’ mission was not to rule on a physical throne in Jerusalem, but to usher in a new spiritual kingdom to the Jews first and then to the Gentiles. It should be noted that the Apostle Paul preached nothing but the hope of Israel (Acts 26:6-8).
Spiritual death or a broken relationship with God came through Adam’s disobedience. This is the death that Jesus came to abolish once and for all. Jesus completed the restoration of man with God by His death on the cross, resurrection from the dead, entering into the holy places in heaven with His own blood to secure our redemption (Hebrews 9:11,12), and His return in 70 A.D. to resurrect believers (including those in Hades; 1 Corinthians 15) into God’s presence forever which was demonstrated by the sign of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem (Matthew 24:1-3; Luke 19:44, 45; Luke 21:20, 21).
Evidence and Presuppositions
I have provided links to Preterist radio broadcasts, podcasts, websites, communities, and ministries that will give you the information necessary to fully understand the Preterist view of eschatology.
I have found in my studies of eschatology that many of the critics of Preterism misrepresent the Preterist view. We must go to the Preterists themselves to understand Preterism. It will not suffice to study only the materials of those that object to Preterism. I’m not trying to avert or prevent you from studying other views of eschatology, but to encourage you to objectively weigh the evidence that supports the Preterist view before drawing any conclusions.
We must also be aware of the presuppositions we are bringing to the Bible. We often read our presuppositions into the Bible instead of allowing the Bible to speak for itself. For example, if we presume the ”end of the age” actually means the “end of the world” then our view of the End Times will be incorrect.
Studying the Bible without allowing our presuppositions to control our conclusions can be challenging. But if we can set aside our presuppositions and allow the facts to speak for themselves then we will be rewarded with a better understanding of the Bible.
Disagreement in Eschatology
Coinciding with studying all the evidence is the fact that Christians have not come to a uniformed eschatological agreement. A specific view of eschatology has not been agreed upon in two thousand years. Eschatology is still a work in progress, and that is especially true now that we are finding many serious problems in futurist doctrine.
There is a plethora of Biblical evidence that supports the view that the last days and Christ second coming occurred in the first century. Preterist arrive at this conclusion by taking the Bible for what it says. That may seem over simplified, but it’s not much more difficult than adhering to the following hermeneutic.
- Read the Bible in context.
- Recognize the audience that’s being addressed. (The letters in the New Testament were not written to us. They were written to people living in the first century. Therefore, we shouldn’t read them as if they apply to our situation in life today.)
- Understand Hebrew poetic language, figures of speech, and apocalyptic language.
- Understand that the Apostle John used symbolic language in the Book of Revelation to describe what would take place during his generation (Matthew 24:34).
Apocalyptic Language
Apocalyptic language is not restricted to the Book of Revelation. It was commonly used by the Old Testament Prophets to depict the coming judgement of God on various nations. The Apostle John emulated the symbolic language of the Old Testament Prophets when he wrote the Book of Revelation.
“And the mountains shall be melted with their blood. All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll” NKJV
This verse may sound like it came straight out of the Book of Revelation, but it is actually from Isaiah 34:3, 4. Isaiah used apocalyptic language to describe God’s coming judgement on Edom. Edom was conquered about a century after Isaiah’s prophecy. If the heavens would have literally been rolled up like a scroll then all life on Planet Earth would have ceased to exist. Obviously the language was symbolic since the physical heavens are still intact.
7 Therefore all hands will be limp, Every man’s heart will melt. 8 Their faces will be like flames. 10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth. And the moon will not cause its light to shine. (Isaiah 13:7, 8, 10) NKJV
Once again, we see the same type of language in the Old Testament that is used in the Book of Revelation. This prophecy points toward the time when Babylon would be conquered by the Persians.
Behold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud, And will come into Egypt (Isaiah 19: 1)
Obviously, God didn’t come riding into Egypt on a cumulus cloud. This is symbolic language pointing towards God’s coming judgement of Egypt. Likewise, Jesus’ coming with the clouds in Revelation 1:7 symbolized His coming judgement of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
Interpreting symbolic language in a literal sense leads to absurdity. It’s time for Christians to recognize and interpret symbolic language appropriately, that is, by understanding that the symbols and signs within this language point to something other than themselves.
Bible Verses that Indicate a First Century Apocalypse
Matthew 24:1-2 – Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.”
Jesus describes to his disciples what will happen to the temple so they can’t possibly miss his coming judgment. This very prophecy came to pass in 70 A.D. when Titus and the Roman army destroyed the temple and threw down the massive stones until not one was left on another. The destruction of the temple was the sign Christians had been waiting for that signaled Christ’s coming and the end of the Old Covenant age. (Matthew 24:3)
Matthew 24:14 Jesus said, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.”
This was accomplished by the apostle Paul. Paul was God’s chosen apostle to take the gospel to the gentile world. It must be understood what the world was to the people living in the first century. The world to them was not the entire planet as we know it today in the twenty-first century, but rather the Roman Empire of the first century. Paul accomplished God’s mission by making four journeys throughout the Roman Empire. Paul’s message to the gentiles, that they were included in Israel’s salvation, fulfilled God’s purpose of proclaiming the spiritual kingdom to the inhabited world.
The gentiles were becoming part of true Israel. True Israel are all those that have the faith of Abraham. Abraham believed a spiritual city was coming. (Hebrews 11:10, 16) This city would not to be a physical city that could be built by men, but a spiritual city that only God could build. God was going to create a spiritual kingdom that could not be destroyed. Those that have faith in Christ are the new creation. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Did the end come after Paul preached the gospel to the Roman world? Yes it did. After the gentile churches were established, Jesus came back and judged rebellious Israel and destroyed their temple. This brought an end to the Old Covenant age and gave much needed relief to the Christians that were being persecuted by the Jews throughout the Roman Empire. The destruction of the temple signified that God’s presence was no longer with the nation of Israel. God’s presence now resided in all those that had faith in Jesus as the messiah.
Acts 2:5 – Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven.
Notice that Jews came to Jerusalem from every nation under heaven. Does this mean that Jews traveled to Jerusalem from all around the globe? No, these Jews came from throughout the Roman Empire to Jerusalem. To interpret the Bible correctly, we must recognize that terms like “under heaven” and “the world” are not describing the planet Earth, but are describing the Roman Empire or the inhabited earth that existed in ancient times.
Acts 2:33 – Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing.
Who was seeing the signs and wonders of the last days? It was the people standing there looking at them in the first century. Many people think we are in the last days in the twenty-first century, but Peter made it crystal clear in Acts chapter two that his generation was the one living in the last days. Joel’s prophecy of the last days pointed to Peter’s generation, not ours. They were in the last days of the old and fading physical kingdom. The new spiritual kingdom was being ushered in to replace the old one.
Matthew 17:10-12 – And his disciples asked him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Indeed, Elijah is coming first and will restore all things. “But I say to you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished. Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands.” Then the disciples understood that he spoke to them of John the Baptist.
Malachi 4:5 – Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord.
John was the one prophesied to come in the book of Malachi. He was the one sent to warn Israel of the coming judgment that would come in A.D. 70 for rejecting their messiah and the one true God.
Daniel 12:4 – But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal up the book, until the time of the end.
Revelation 22:10 – And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.
Daniel’s vision was to be sealed up in 586 B.C. John was told not to seal up the words of the book because the end was near.
Daniel was told to seal up his book about 600 years before John was told to not seal up his book. John was told to not seal up his book because the end was near. Does it make sense for John to not seal up the book if the end does not come for another 2000 years? Shouldn’t he have sealed up his book the same as Daniel did if the end was still thousands of years off? What is the point in opening the book if its contents are useless to the people living at the time of its opening? Wasn’t that the reason why God had Daniel seal up his book in the first place?
The Time of the End had come upon the first century generation, therefore, John sent the message of the Book of Revelation to the Christians that were being persecuted. John not sealing his book makes a lot more sense when we recognize that the judgment was coming in 70 A.D. The book of Revelation was valuable to the seven churches in Asia because it offered them valuable correction, praise, and hope for the future.
Luke 17:20, 21 – Now, when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; “nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.”
The kingdom of God cannot be perceived with the physical senses because it is a spiritual kingdom. Israel wanted a king that would rule like David from a physical throne, but this was never God’s intention. Jesus rules from a throne that is vastly superior to the one David ruled from in physical Israel. Jesus rules in the hearts of those that love him. He rules in a spiritual kingdom that cannot be destroyed and will last forever.
Why Does Eschatology Matter Anyway?
If you think your view of eschatology doesn’t matter then think again. Our eschatological view can influence our attitude and actions. Let’s take Premillennial Dispensationalism for example. Premillennial Dispensationalists believe that Jesus is about to come back and take them away in the Rapture followed by seven years of tribulation. After the tribulation they believe that Jesus will come back again and rule from a throne in Jerusalem for exactly one thousand years. After the thousand years has expired, Jesus will then destroy the entire Universe and then create a new Universe with a new planet Earth for Christians to live on for eternity.
Premillennial Dispensationalists are hoping to speed up the return of Christ by sending Jews to live in Israel. According to their eschatological view, military assaults in the future will kill millions of these Jews. What kind of a Christian sends people to live in a land where they will be massacred? Is this how Christians are to love their neighbor?
Premillennial Dispensationalists turn and look the other way when their own Christian brothers and sisters in Palestine are killed by Israelis, forced out of their homes, and left in horrible living conditions. This doesn’t seem to bother them because they believe they are helping to speed up the return of Jesus.
Clearly, our eschatological view has an influence on the way we view the world and our attitude concerning the future. As a Preterist, it is good to know that God is not going to wipe out the world, and that my children and grandchildren will have a chance to pursue their goals without worrying about Jesus coming and snatching them away in a so-called Rapture. The Preterist worldview is a view of optimism that encourages us to build towards a better future.
Conclusion
We need to realize that the letters we are reading in the New Testament are someone else’s mail. Those letters were meant for the people they were addressed to in the first century. We benefit from what is written in the letters because we see in them that all Old Testament prophecy was fulfilled by Christ which enables us to have the salvation that we enjoy today.
The physical types and shadows in the Old Testament are gone forever and will never return because true Israel (the Church) now worships God in spirit and truth (John 4:21-24). The temple made of stone has fallen, but the new temple of God has risen to spiritual life.
I’ve barely scratched the surface in this article on the subject of fulfilled prophecy. If you’re hearing about the Preterist view for the first time then you will probably have a lot of questions. At “New Covenant Eyes Church” you can listen to a growing list of sermons by Pastor Alan Bondar that demonstrate how Prophecy was fulfilled in the first century.
There's a plethora of information available on Preterism. Simply click on the links on the home page and you will find everything you need to know about fulfilled prophecy and the Apocalypse that happened in century one
