Many false doctrines running around in the churches now point toward a return to the Old Covenant in some way, and honor the physical Israelies. But preterism is different. This does not mean it is not also deadly to the doctrines of Christ.
The doctrine that the prophecies of Matthew 24, the great tribulation, happened in 70 A.D., and that the prophecy was totally fulfilled then, is called preterism. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preterism "There has historically been general agreement that the first systematic Preterist exposition of prophecy was written by the Jesuit Luis De Alcasar during the Counter Reformation.[8][9] Moses Stuart noted that Alcasar's Preterist interpretation was of considerable benefit to the Roman Catholic Church during its arguments with Protestants,[10] and Preterism has been described in modern eschatological commentary as a Catholic defense against the Protestant Historicist view which identified the Roman Catholic Church as a persecuting apostasy." " In the Preterist view, the Tribulation took place in the past when Roman legions destroyed Jerusalem and its temple in AD 70." While some of what Christ says in Matthew 24 does apply to what was soon to happen in 70 A. D., the prophecy Christ gives is not exhausted in 70 A.D. See James Lloyd for an essay on why preterism is false: "Patch The Preterist Pirate" In other words, the Preterist has a blind over one eye, like the pirates of old; he can see only partially, out of one eye and not out of both eyes. Its at:
http://www.christianmediaresearch.com/cmc-18.html He says "In other words, beware the preterist apostasy.
And he also says "The modern apostate Christian church mirrors the ancient haughty Pharisees when confronted with the truth. The modern state sanctioned "Christian" religion of Mystery Babylon is wedded to the state - precisely as the Israelite Sanhedren had come to an accommodation with the ancient Roman government. "
Since, according to Preterists, "Jesus" isn't coming back, one has to ask: What about scriptures such as Acts 1:11, "And they said to them, Galilean men, why are you standing and staring into heaven? This Y'shua who was taken up from you to heaven, likewise he will come just as you have seen him who ascended into heaven. This should be a challenge to the "full Preterists" who believe He came back "in spirit" in 70 AD and that's it for His return! Also, the Jews as a nation did not turn to Messiah in 70 AD as prophesied in Zechariah 12:10....
Also, if all these events took place in 70 AD, one must ask: When were the nations judged as described in Matthew 25:31-46? They weren't judged back then because this is future....
As for Nero - he couldn't have been the antichrist, as he died in 68 AD before the destruction of Jerusalem. He was a whimpy emperor though evil, indeed, but he doesn't come close to being the "King of fierce countenance" of Daniel 8:23 and he made no covenant with Israel, Daniel 9:26, 27. Dispensationalists believe he will be destroyed by the King of kings, but Nero committed suicide. Before that, he issued no "mark" and people could buy and sell. He sat in no Temple declaring himself God, demanding he be worshipped (2 Thess. 2:4). All Preterists deny there will be future Temples such as the Tribulation Temple and Millennial Temple....
The vials, bowls, seals, and trumpet judgments of Revelation are all symbolic to all Preterists. Thus the carnage (and victory) of Revelation is overlooked and written off.
How can people with this theology accept that all of the prophecies of Yeshua's first coming were fulfilled literally but Second Coming verses must be symbolic? Are we permitted to pick and choose like this and remain with any hermeneutical credibility and accuracy?
Folks, Revelation was written in about 95 AD and not before 70 AD. It's therefore obvious that Preterism is just another teaching that is filled with doctrinal error and should not be taken seriously. It takes our eyes off of our "blessed hope" - the glorious return of Yeshua who was YHWH in the Flesh who will take believers out of our world of pain and sorrow. Satan has definitely not been bound yet, but he will be and we can be sure that television cameras will be there to capture the moment - along with the moment when the King of kings will inaugurate the greatest Kingdom the world has even known!
Actually most Preterists are Roman Catholics and believe everything in Revelation, Matthew 24 {Including Matthew 24:29-31??} and Matthew 25:31-46 etc took place in the 42 months before the Jewish Temple was destroyed in AD 70. And of course they believe all the 7 trumpet plagues and 7 bowl plagues took place symbolically at that time. The Roman Catholic Preterists also believe that the Roman Catholic Church with the help of their DIVINE ?? Popes will bring in Heaven on this present earth and they do not believe in the New Heaven, the New earth or Heavenly New Jerusalem and then there is no need of the 2nd coming of Jesus.
The Reformed Historical view is also 100% symbolic and they believe that everything in Revelation is happening symbolically throughout the last 2000 years of History They also believe that all the inspired time periods in Revelation and Daniel are also symbolic. 1,000 years is symbolic of a long period of time and 42 months 1260 days and 3 1/2 times mentioned 7 times in God's inspired Word are symbolic of a short period of time???
Actually Luther didn't believe that James and Revelation were part of God's Word and Calvin wrote an Institute on every book of the Bible except Revelation and also didn't believe that Revelation was part of the Word of God. The Reformed symbolic believers will never admit they don't believe that Revelation is not part of God's Word since it is now a part of all Protestant Bibles, but they will never preach a sermon on Revelation. They also make fun of everyone who takes any part of Revelation literally and call them stupid :dunce:dispensationalists.
That part of the Remnant which were listeners to James Lloyd for some time generally accepted his position on Revelation 20: 1-7. The position of James Lloyd was very similar to what is called
historical premillennialism, held by many early church fathers.They believed in the reign of Christ on earth, though i don't know that they all accepted the thousand years as literal. But they did not hold to anything like a pre-millennial rapture. And they did not teach that physical Israel remains the chosen people. This was all before the time of Origen (184�253 A.D.) Origen made use of broad allegory in interpreting Scripture, and Augustine followed his lead, saying the thousand year reign of Christ in Rev 20 is an allegory of all the "church" age. Catholics and traditional Calvinists do the same and also with the 144,000 of Rev 7 and 14.
But Origen was part of the Alexandarian school of the 3rd century, and was influenced by Greek philosophy, especially Plato,and the Platonist Philio of Alexandria. Some say that while Origen opposed the Gnosticism of Alexandria, he also saw value in it.
So Origen the follower of Plato and maybe to some extent of Gnosticism, developed a systematic theology which tended to be more abstract that the theology taught by the successors of the Apostles in Antioch, Syria. It may be that this tendency to abstract thinking - which is not exactly the approach of Christ and his apostles - is what led Origen to allegorize scripture the way he did, and to influence Augustine to allegorize.
Before Origen, Ireneaus [140�203], Justin Martyr [100�165], and Papias [80�155]) were, for example, historical premillennialists.
To get back to the remnant people who followed James Lloyd in his historical premillennialism, recently some have looked again at Revelation 20: 1- 5 and thought that the literal thousand year reign of Christ on earth is just another example of the dispensationalist literal system of interpretation.
My own view now on Rev 20 is that the six,seven, eight cycle of Rev 17: 11 predicts a time of rest in the Lord, which would be the seventh period following the six period. Now this is not a theory of dispensations. Man's number is six, and the period of man for those who are born again in Christ must end and the seventh time will begin. The seventh is the rest in God.
Rev 20 might be pointing not to the entire period of the church age, but to the end of time when time shall be no more and those born again in Christ will live in rest with him forever.
There are details in Rev 20: 1-8 which do not seem to fit this interpretation, such as allowing Satan to be loosed from his prison and the mention of Gog and Magog in verse 8. Its a difficult text. I don't know the answer now to all of it.
My statement, "But they did not hold to anything like a pre-millennial rapture" is misleading. It was sort of a typo. The historical premillennialists did believe that Christ will appear before the millennium. But they did not believe in anything like a pre-TRIBULATION rapture/
I certainly do not believe in the pre-trib fairy tale. I am a literal Post-Tribber just like Jesus, John, Paul and Daniel. I believe in a 1260 day-Great tribulation Just like God's Inspired Word says 7 times in Daniel and Revelation.
I also believe in a literal 1,000 year Heavenly First Resurrection for Martyrs and the 24 Elders on thrones only which will END on the Last Day of the 1260-day Tribulation when Jesus comes again and the present heavens and earth are destroyed. And then the coming of the New Earth the New Heavens and the Heavenly New Jerusalem on that same Last Day.
When Luther [1483-1546], began what we know as the Reformation, he did not change from the doctrine of Augustine amillennialism, he in fact enshrined it more harshly among his followers. To this day, the amillennialist do not hold the book of Revelation as a holy book. They still treat it with the pre-Trent hatred of the Catholic Church. The proof, is the way they insist on reinterpreting it and spiritualizing its contents into the most wildest and crazy tales since the Gnostics of the first century. Thus, Lutheranism, Presbyterianism, and Catholicism, are staunchly amillennial. This attitude forces them to interpret events after 70 AD in the wrong light of Scripture. Events that will lead up to the appearance of the man of sin, will be pooh poohed as foolish and hair-brained sensationalism, incited by a few apostates not in the main-stream Churches. This turns attention from the antichrist system and focuses upon those who might condemn their Augustine reinterpretations. This leads to the amillennialist openly condemning everyone who is a millennialist, while at the same time ignorantly endorsing the antichrist movement, because they believe it was already destroyed by the end of the year in 70 AD. This is a dangerous posture, and will cause many millions to be deceived and lost. Believing that antichrist has already come and Revelation 13 has already been fulfilled, they have no doctrinal reason to expect or to attempt to identify the man of sin or the antichrist, which is soon to appear. It is so easy to deceive millions when the devil can change the interpretation of the Word of God, like he did with Eve: "Ye shall NOT surely die," adding one word, and changing the true interpretation of what God had said. Jesus told John there would be a millennial. The devil comes along and says: "There will NOT be a millennial. Same trick word used each time to deceive God's children.
In talking about amillennialism, apparently from the source you gave a link to, it says "This turns attention from the antichrist system and focuses upon those who might condemn their Augustine reinterpretations. This leads to the amillennialist openly condemning everyone who is a millennialist, while at the same time ignorantly endorsing the antichrist movement, because they believe it was already destroyed by the end of the year in 70 AD. This is a dangerous posture, and will cause many millions to be deceived and lost. Believing that antichrist has already come."
What is the anti-Christ system? We have to go to I John 2: 18-19 and i John 4: 3 to get an understanding of it, not to theology like
dispensationalism.
" Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
19. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us." I John 2: 18-19
"And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world." I John 4: 3
Every one who says Jesus Christ id not come in the flesh is of the spirit of anti-Christ. In I John 2: 19 John is saying that some people who were part of his group went out from the group because there were not is us, implying that they were of the spirit of anti-Christ. They could have been Gnostics, or they could have been physical Israelites, but at the time John lived they were perhaps more likely to be physical Israelites.
The physical Israelites who did not believe Christ came in the flesh. They were of the spirit of anti-Christ.
Those in present day theologies - dispensationalism, Messianic Judaism, the Hebrew Roots Movement, Sacred Name theology and perhaps Mormonism - who mix the Old and New Covenants in some way and/or maintain that God still honors physical Israel because they are the physical descendants of Abraham are moving toward an end time movement which is of the spirit of anti-Christ. They may say they accept Christ or the Hebrew name for him, but in mixing in Old Covenant doctrine and practices they are following another Jesus and another Gospel (II Corinthians 11: 4). In following another Jesus they are of the spirit of anti-Christ.
Those in present day theologies - dispensationalism, Messianic Judaism, the Hebrew Roots Movement, Sacred Name theology and perhaps Mormonism - who mix the Old and New Covenants in some way and/or maintain that God still honors physical Israel because they are the physical descendants of Abraham are moving toward an end time movement which is of the spirit of anti-Christ. They may say they accept Christ or the Hebrew name for him, but in mixing in Old Covenant doctrine and practices they are following another Jesus and another Gospel (II Corinthians 11: 4). In following another Jesus they are of the spirit of anti-Christ.
Where does this quote come from? This is a very broad bias statement.
The anti-Christ is not the right name for the Beast of Revelation!!
Rev 13:16,17: "He {The False Prophet} forced everyone... to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead. No one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name {666}. The anti-christ is called a "BEAST" 36 {6x6} times in Revelation. The BEAST is a much better name than antichrist since anti-christ is mentioned 5 times in God's Word {I John 2:18{2X}, 22; 4:3; 2 John 1:7} and each time the word encompasses all who are against Christ.� I John 2:18: "Even now many anti-christs have come."�
WHAT ARE THE 7 BIBLE CLUES WHICH REVEAL THE IDENTITY OF 666???
���� Revelation 13:17b,18: "The mark of the beast {Or antichrist} is the *NAME* of the Beast or the number of *HIS NAME*. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, *LET HIM* calculate the number of the Beast {Even in AD 96 when Revelation was written}, for it is a man's number {Or "Number of a MAN"}. *HIS* number is *666*." God has promised in the above inspired passage that any saint {Even in AD 96--which implies that the name was known in AD 96} with spiritual wisdom and insight may calculate the name of the beast which is a *MAN'S NAME* and adds up to 666.
During the last year of his rule Domitian Caesar decreed that everyone in the Roman Empire must worship idols of former Roman Caesar's or else they would be killed or put in prison. Historical documents show us that the Apostle John {Who then lived in Ephesus} lived to about AD 100 and therefore would have been alive during Domitian's evil decree of September AD 95 to September of AD 96.� Since we can be sure that the Apostle John would never worship an idol of a Roman Caesar it is then highly probable that John was put in prison on Patmos Isle sometime during Domitian's evil decree from September AD 95 to September AD 96.
������ In Thess 2:3 the Beast of the End-Times is called a "*MAN* of sin or lawlessness" or very SINFUL MAN and therefore the name of the Beast which adds up to 666 is a *MAN'S* name which is also confirmed in Rev 13:17b,18 above. Therefore, the NAME of the Beast which adds up to 666 is a sinful *MAN'S NAME* and could not be the name of a woman or a city, country, computer or Satan, etc..� 666 is also identified with a MASCULINE pronoun 28 times in God's Word which we will show later.
Rev 13:16,17: "He {The False Prophet} forced everyone... to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead. No one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name {666}. The anti-christ is called a "BEAST" 36 {6x6} times in Revelation. The BEAST is a much better name than antichrist since anti-christ is mentioned 5 times in God's Word {I John 2:18{2X}, 22; 4:3; 2 John 1:7} and each time the word encompasses all who are against Christ.� I John 2:18: "Even now many anti-christs have come."�
����� 666 is referred to in the MASCULINE gender 28 times and the Beast is never referred to in the feminine or neuter gender.� It is interesting to note that if the Beast of the end-times will be a religious organization, country or city it would be referred to in the female or neuter gender!!!� The masculine pronouns used for the Beast are "HIS" 11 times: Rev 13:1, 5,16b,18b; 14:9,11; 17:7b; 19:2; 20:4(2X) & Daniel 7:26.� "HE" 10 times: Rev 13:1;6a,7a,7; 17:8b; 17:11; 2 Thess 2:6; Daniel 7:24,25 & Daniel 9:27.�� "HIM" 5 times: Rev 13:4b; 19:20; 2 Thess 2:6; Daniel 7:25 & Daniel 9:27.� "HIMSELF" 2 times in 2 Thess 2:4.
����� Actually there are **7 BIBLE CLUES** that show who the BEAST of the future 1260-day Tribulation will be. By an amazing coincidence all 7 Bible clues can be applied to Nero Caesar!!
�{{1}}� The BEAST will be a "MAN OF SIN" or very sinful MAN as per 2 Thess 2:3 above.
{{2}}� The number of this sinful man's name is 666 as per Rev 13:16-18.� The Bible was written by 40 Divinely inspired Hebrews in Hebrew and Greek so then it is highly probable that this man's name adds up to 666 in Hebrew or Greek.� Nero Caesar's name adds up to 666 in Hebrew which we will show later in this Bible study.
{{3}}� This sinful man whose name adds up to 666 DIED BEFORE AD 96 when Revelation was written.{See Rev 17:8 below} We will show later why Revelation was written between Sept AD 95 and Sept AD 96. Nero Caesar lived from December 15th, AD 37 to June 9th AD 68.
{{4}} This sinful man who was alive and then died before AD 96 was FATALLY WOUNDED by a sword wound to his head. Nero Caesar committed suicide with a sword wound to his head on June 9th, AD 68. {See Rev 13:3 and Rev 13:14 below}
{{5}}� This very sinful man who died before AD 96 was a KING in the Roman Empire as per Daniel 7:24. There were 11 Roman Kings or Caesars who died before AD 96 including the 6th Caesar {Nero Caesar} who killed Paul and Peter in AD 66; and whose name adds up to 666 in Hebrew. Domitian Caesar was the 12th Roman Caesar who was alive when Revelation was written in AD 96.
{{6}}� The beast is also called an 8th KING who ruled before AD 96 as one of 7 evil KINGS crowned by the city on 7 hills. {See Rev 17:9-11}
{{7}}� This very sinful ROMAN KING whose name adds up to 666 and who was fatally wounded by a sword before AD 96, will "COME UP FROM THE *ABYSS* or *HELL* as per Rev 11:7 & Rev 17:8. We know that the ABYSS is HELL by comparing 2 Peter 2:4 with Luke 8:30b,31. We can be sure that Nero Caesar is now in the Abyss or Hell since he killed Paul and Peter and thousands of Christians and sent Vespasian {the father of Titus and Domitian Caesar} to kill the Jews and destroy their Temple. The MAN OF SIN or Nero also killed his own mother and killed his pregnant wife by kicking her in the stomach.�� Inscriptions have been found in Ephesus in which Nero is called "Almighty God" and "Savior".�� In Revelation 13:8a we learn that all the unsaved inhabitants of the world will worship the Beast.
� Nero and Caligula "abandoned all reserve" in promoting emperor worship - they were the only two Roman Caesars who demanded divine honors while still alive. Nero claimed to be the sun-god Apollo.� In 2 Thess 2:4 we read that the "Man of Sin" will proclaim that he is God!���� Revelation 17:8: The beast, which you saw, once was {alive}, Now {in AD 96} is not {alive} and will come up out of the ABYSS and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book life. ... will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was {Alive before AD 96}, now {In AD 96} is not {Alive} and yet will come. Rev 13:14: He {The False Prophet} will order the inhabitants of the earth to set up an image in honor of the beast who was {FATALLY-Rev 13:3} wounded by the sword and yet lived."� Rev 13:3: �One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been HEALED!! The whole world was astonished and followed the beast. �
����� When I was a missionary in Israel I studied the Hebrew language.� One of the first things that you learn when you study the OT Ancient Hebrew language {Which is also the language of Israel today!} is that the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet ALSO represent 22 numbers! When you read Psalm 119 you will note that the 176 sentences are divided into 22 sections; each section with 8 sentences or verses praising the Word of God. These 22 sections are each headed by one of the letters in the Hebrew alphabet in the exact same order as shown below. The ancient Hebrew language {Which is exactly the same as the modern Hebrew language} frequently used the letters of their alphabet to designate numbers in the OT as follows:� ALEPH=1. BETH=2. GIMEL=3. DALET=4. HE=5. VAV=6. ZAYIN=7. CHETH=8. TETH=9. YODH=10. KAPH=20. LAMED=30. MEM=40. NUN=50. SAMEKH=60. AYIN=70. PE=80. TSADHE=90. KOPH=100. RESH=200. SHIN=300. TAV=400.
����� NOTE: Most vowel sounds except "O" {VAV} are not used as letters in Hebrew. These vowel sounds are designated by dots and dashes under their *PRECEDING* consonants. In Hebrew "N" is added on the end of all foreign names ending in "O". Therefore, the foreign name of Nero would be "NERON" in Hebrew. The name Nero Caesar would be pronounced Neron Kaysar in Hebrew. The "E" in Neron and the 2 "A" sounds in Kaysar {There is no "C" in Hebrew} are designated by dots and dashes under their preceding consonants and therefore are not letters in the 22 letter Hebrew alphabet, and so have no numerical value.
����� Neron in Hebrew would use 4 letters with numerical value: N-R-O-N and Kaysar in Hebrew would use 3 letters with numerical value: K-S-R. There would be a dot under the first N to show the "E" sound in NEron There would also be 2 dots under the "K" to show the "AY" sound in KAYsar and a dash under the "S" to show the "AH" sound in KaySAHr.� The 4 letters with numerical value in NERON would be {SEE TABLE ABOVE} N = NUN = 50; R = RESH = 200; O = VAV = 6; and N = NUN = 50 and 50+20+6+50 equals 306. The 3 letters with numerical value in "KAYSAR would be K = KOPH = 100; S = SAMEKH = 60; and R = RESH =200 and 100+60+200 equals 360.
And so the numerical value of Nero in Hebrew is 306 and the numerical value of Caesar in Hebrew is 360, and therefore the numerical value of Nero Caesar is 306+360 or exactly *666*!
����� There is a very interesting footnote in the revised Standard Version concerning the number 666 which states that some ancient manuscripts have the number **616** which *DOUBLY* confirms that Nero Caesar may be the future Anti-Christ!! You will note that the Hebrew language adds an "N" to all foreign names ending in "O". Now "N" or "NUN" in Hebrew has a numerical value of **50**!! and so if you decided not to add the last "N" in NERON then Nero Caesar would add up to exactly *616* in Hebrew. This is an absolutely amazing coincidence!
����� Any honest Hebrew language scholar will confirm that the letters of Nero Caesar's name add up to 666 in the Hebrew language whose 22 letters are also 22 numbers as shown above, and the Bible was written by 40 Jews. Since all of the prophecies concerning the antichrist are written in OT Hebrew {Like Daniel 7:8-25} or NT Koine Greek it would then seem logical that God would use one of these 2 Bible languages to identify the Name of the Beast whose letters add up to 666. One of the problems of doing this in NT Koine Greek is that the letters of their alphabet are not also numbers. And therefore you can only assign a numerical value of 22 to the 22nd letter, etc.. Using this formula you could not get any name to add up to over 250, let alone 666. You have the same problem with English & all other languages other than the Hebrew language! The 3 different Greek words used in Rev 13:18b to arrive at the number 666 are the 3 different Greek words for 600 and 60 and 6 and not 6 +6 + 6.
�����And so the *6th Caesar {Julius, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius & the *6th* was NERO} ordered the execution of Paul & Peter in AD *66*. NERO fulfilled *ALL 7 BIBLE CLUES as to the identity of *666 and will be the Beast who comes up from the Abyss {Or Hell-See Rev 11:7 & Rev 17:8} in the coming Great Tribulation!!
