FALLACY OF PRETERISM
Dr. David R. Reagan
Preterism is a system for the
interpretation of the book of Revelation. Its strange name comes from a Latin
word meaning past tense. The word is appropriate because this view holds that
either all or most of the book of Revelation was fulfilled in the First Century!
The Origin of the Viewpoint
The view was developed in the 17th Century by a Jesuit priest named Luis de
Alcazar (1554-1613). His purpose was to defend the Catholic Church against the
attacks of the Reformers. He denied the Reformers' charge that the book of
Revelation was a prophecy about the apostasy of the Roman Church. Instead, he
argued that the book was a prophecy about the Church's struggles during its
early years. Chapters 4 through 11 were interpreted as depicting the Church's
fight against Judaism, culminating in the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Chapters
12 through 19 were viewed as the Church's struggle against paganism, ending with
the fall of Rome in 476. Chapters 20 through 22 were interpreted to be a
symbolic description of the glories of papal Rome. Using this clever approach,
Alcazar was able to limit the range of Revelation's prophecies to the first 500
years of the Christian Era.
Alcazar was a mild Preterist. A more radical form of Preterism gained popularity
in the latter part of the 20th Century and is today the most widely held version
of this interpretive approach. It sees nearly all the prophecies of Revelation
as fulfilled in the 70 A.D. destruction of Jerusalem, except for the
resurrection of believers and the Second Coming of Jesus. It assigns the
Tribulation to the fall of Israel, the great apostasy to the First Century
Church, and the last days to the period between Jesus' ascension and the
destruction of Jerusalem. The beast is viewed as a symbol of Nero in particular
and the Roman Empire in general. The False Prophet is equated with the
leadership of apostate Israel. Needless to say, many of the spokesmen for this
viewpoint are anti-Semitic.
There is a more extreme form of Preterism whose advocates
consider themselves to be "consistent Preterists." They take the position that
all so-called "end time prophecy" was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem
in 70 A.D. -- including the Second Coming and the resurrection of believers!
They do not look forward to any future resurrection or any end of history. They
believe we are currently living in the eternal state.
The Cornerstone of the Viewpoint
The cornerstone of the Preterist position is a belief that the book of
Revelation was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. This belief
flies in the face of strong evidence to the contrary.
The internal evidence of the book regarding the Roman Empire and the external
testimony of the Church Fathers both point to a date of authorship around 95
A.D., 25 years after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
The type of widespread Roman persecution of the Church that is pictured in
Revelation did not occur until the reign of Domitian (81 - 96 A.D.). The
persecutions of Nero were limited to the area of Rome. One of the Church
Fathers, Iranaeus (c. 130 - c. 202), wrote that the book of Revelation was
authored by the apostle John "toward the end of Domitian's reign." Irenaeus was
discipled by Polycarp (c. 70 - c. 155 A.D.) who, in turn, had been discipled
directly by John himself.
References to the Temple
One of the arguments for an earlier date is based on a reference to the Temple
in Revelation 11:1-2. John is told to measure the Temple, which in this case
seems to be a command to assess the Temple's spiritual condition. This reference
to the Temple, it is argued, must mean that the book was written before the
Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D.
But this argument ignores the fact that the Scriptures teach there are going to
be two future Temples, one during the Tribulation which the Antichrist will
desecrate (Daniel 9:27 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4), and another during the
Millennium which Jesus Christ will consecrate (Ezekiel 40-46).
The Temple mentioned in Revelation 11 must be the Tribulation Temple since the
passage says it will be trampled down by the Gentiles for 42 months (the last
half of the Tribulation). It also says this will be immediately preceded by the
testimony of the two witnesses for 1,260 days (the first half of the
Tribulation).
An Eclectic Observation
I can agree with the Preterists when they insist that the book of Revelation
contained a message of encouragement to First Century Christians, assuring them
that the Church would ultimately triumph over the Roman Empire. I can also
relate to the Reformation Historicists when they argue that the prophecies of
Revelation relate to the corruption of the Roman Church and its persecution of
true believers.
In other words, I believe the book of Revelation has always had a continuing
relevance as a source of encouragement to suffering Christians throughout the
history of the Church. It has always served as a reminder that the Church will
ultimately triumph over all its oppressors.
That's why I can even agree with the liberal, Idealist viewpoint when it argues
that the ultimate message of the book is that good will triumph over evil. How
can anyone argue with that conclusion when the book clearly teaches that Satan
will be crushed and Jesus will emerge totally triumphant?
But I also believe in the Futurist view that most of the book of Revelation is
yet to be fulfilled and is to be fulfilled in its plain sense meaning. In other
words, I believe there's going to be a real Antichrist and not just a symbolic
Antichrist. Yes, there have been symbolic antichrists in the past, but there is
going to be a fulfillment in a literal Antichrist in the future. I also believe
the Tribulation, Millennium and Eternal State are all yet future.
Relating the Views to Each Other
As I look at these four systems of interpretation (Historicist, Preterist,
Idealist, and Futurist) and consider their relationship to each other, I am
reminded of how an overhead projector works. You can put a transparency on the
projector that shows the land of Israel in the time of Joshua. Then you can lay
on top of that transparency another one that shows the boundaries of the land at
the time of Jesus. Another overlay could show the land's boundaries during the
time of the Crusaders. A final overlay could outline the boundaries as they
exist today. Each transparency contains an element of truth about the land. The
light shines through all the transparencies to give you the full picture,
showing you how the boundaries have changed over the years.
I think that's the way these schools of interpretation relate to each other.
Each one of the four contains an element of truth. The problem comes when you
accept only one and reject all the others. We must never forget that the book of
Revelation contained a very relevant message to First Century Christians. It
assured them of their ultimate victory over the Roman Empire. We must also
remember that the book has been given relevant application to the struggles of
the Church throughout history.
Looking to the Future
But we must also keep in mind that the Futurist view is correct when it says
that the ultimate fulfillment of the book's prophecies is yet future.
There really is going to be a seven year period of
Tribulation. A Jewish temple is going to be rebuilt in Jerusalem. A real person
empowered by Satan will march into that temple, blaspheme God, and declare
himself to be a god. This Antichrist will become the scourge of the earth. He
will attempt to exterminate the Jewish people. Just as he appears to be on the
verge of victory in accomplishing this satanic goal, the Lord Jesus will break
from the heavens with all His holy ones, returning to the Mount of Olives in
Jerusalem from which He ascended into Heaven. The Lord will crush the Antichrist
and inaugurate the greatest kingdom the world has ever known. The earth will be
flooded with peace, righteousness and justice -- as the waters cover the sea.
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