Jesus told us that we cannot know the day of his return but we do know where He will return, and how He will return. These events that will surround His second coming are prophesied in both the Old and New Testament.

The Preterists position is that they know when and how he already returned - in 70 AD. Preterists teach that Jesus returned spiritually through the acts of the Roman army when they destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70. According to the Bible the Millennium with Christ ruling would have commenced. So this has to be explained away.

How far from reality does one need to be to know they are wrong? The fact that the world has sustained sin and evil since 70 AD. Instead of it diminishing, it has reached a new zenith which does not fit at all into the description of the Millennium from the Bible. They (Preterists), are purposely being oblivious to reality and yet they have the gall to mock those who hold to a futurist view of prophecy. Go figure – selah.

If we were in the Millennium then common sense would dictate that America is a new Jerusalem and Christ is ruling from the white house; since we are the most powerful nation that has the most powerful office in the world; Israel is only a friend of America. Sounds backward? It should for those who know their Bible.

We can also know that those who claim He returned when in fact he did not are false prophets and teachers according to Jesus.

Matt 24:26-27: "Therefore if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it. "For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

In other words when it happens it will be immediate, quick. When He does come back to earth he removes men's governments to install His kingdom.

Jesus is not making special appearances to anyone on earth. The Jehovah Witnesses say he came in 1874 and in 1914 in a secret coming where only those with eyes to see knew. The Preterists are no different – they claim he came back to judge Israel (and the nations). But the Bible gives us numerous descriptions of what it will be like when He comes back, what He will do and where He will do it.

He said to the Pharisees:

Mark 14:61-62 “But He kept silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, "Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" And Jesus said, "I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven."

The question is - did Jesus mean the high priest will personally see him with those who were present?

The wording here does not imply a non physical coming but something that is apparent to all by the eyes. Clouds of heaven are often interpreted as his glory or by others as his angels, saints and his armies. Either way this did not take place. It’s obvious that he did not mean that high priest personally see him but those who are present when he comes. So the real point is how he returns.

We are told what the earth will be like when he returns;

Luke 21:26-27 "men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. "Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.”

At the Mount of Olivet the angels said the way He left is the way He returns. Acts 1:9-11: “Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."

He will come back the same way He left, visibly and furthermore to the same spot.  Jesus tells us the way he will return. He was taken up in glory 1 Tim 3:16 “Received up in glory.”

Jesus taught that a certain generation (24:34) "shall see the Son of man coming” from heaven.

Mt. 24:29-31 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven.”

This is "a sign from heaven," signs they asked to see throughout his ministry; instead Jesus said, "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah” (Mt. 12:39). This is the last sign He said he personally would give to his generation. The Messiah returning is himself "a sign," with great glory; for all see the sign in heaven. Yet Preterists claim this sign is seen to the same generation that denied him, the ones Jesus said that no other sign would be given.

Mt. 24:30-31: "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. "And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Luke 21:27-28 "Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. "Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."

Are we to believe that they saw him coming in glory 70 AD as the angels said he would in Acts 1:11. And how was this redemption for them (a rescue) if Israel was being judged and scattered? Did angels gather the elect then? Did the sign of the son of man appear in heaven? Why look up if you cannot see him come to rescue you? Words as “see” “every eye will see” are used to explain that people will see HIM, physically, just as they did when he was raised to heaven, as described in Acts 1:11. "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."

gazing up Gr- emblepo-1) to turn one's eyes on 2) look at 3) metaphorically, to look at with the mind, to consider to look on, i.e. (relatively) to observe fixedly, or (absolutely) to discern clearly:

like manner Gr. tropos- 1) a manner, a way, a fashion, as, even as, like as

2) manner of life, character, deportment

as you saw Gr- theaomai- 1) to behold, to look upon, to view attentively, to contemplate (often used of public shows); used of important persons that are looked on with admiration 2) to view, to take a view of in the sense of visiting, meeting with a person

3) to learn by looking, to see with the eyes, to perceive.

EX: Matt 28:10 Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see Me."

I Jn. 3:2 “but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

Mt. 24:30 " and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

Mt. 23:39: "for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'"

Luke 13:35: "See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!'"

Notice how he says this, your house is desolate then he will not be seen until they call upon him. In other words they will be scattered first, then , sometime in the future they repent and call upon Him. Did Israel call on the Lord in 70 AD with the Roman armies surrounding them? NO. The Preterist says they didn’t see him. That would mean he didn’t come as he said he would.

Zechariah 12:10: And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they shall look unto me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns

Israel must confess her national sin of unbelief; this is what is meant when he said they must say 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord secondly.

Matt 24:30: "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn”

Rev 1:7 “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.” Who mourned in 70 Ad? Not the Romans, not anyone. So ALL the tribes of the earth did not mourn. But according to Preterism the Jewish people mourned. How did he come with great power? Through the Roman Armies that destroyed Jerusalem! Hardly fulfilling these prophecies according to the way they were written.

When he comes again it is what is known as Armegeddon. It will change EVERYTHING.

Isa 63:1-3 “Who is this who comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah, this One who is glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength?--" I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save."

This describes him rescuing Israel who has called upon him.

Rev 19:19-21 “And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh. So as we can see it is not the roman armies God uses in armegeddon by the Messiah all by Himself.” Was the beast Nero, he was not captured as he died a few years before 70 AD.

Zech. 14:2-5: “For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem; the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, and the women ravished. Half of the city shall go into captivity, but the remnant of the people shall not be cut off from the city.Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south. Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, for the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the LORD my God will come, and all the saints with You.”

All nations are gathered, not nation - singular (Rome), this is what is known as Armageddon. It is the Lords return that vanquishes the nations that have come out to fight him. Does the Scripture say the Lord fights against the nations coming against Israel or he fights against Israel with the Pagan Roman armies? Did his feet touch down on the Mount of Olives and split it? When Christ descends to the Mount of Olives there is to be a great earthquake, and the way will be opened up east to west and there will be a waterway through to the Persian Gulf. Jerusalem will become a seaport, with its own waterway, and the size of Jerusalem will be significantly larger. The Temple will be about one mile square. Do we need to go into all the details the Bible describe to come to the conclusion that this did not happen and that Preterism has a completely different event.

1Thess. 5:2-3: “For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, "Peace and safety!" then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.”

Did Israel say peace and safety surrounded by the armies or did they know invasion was inevitable? How then could the Roman armies introduce the Tribulation fulfilling it being as a thief in the night? None of this coincides with the other Scriptures that are part of this event.

Isa 34:1-10 “Come near, you nations, to hear; and heed, you people! Let the earth hear, and all that is in it, the world and all things that come forth from it. For the indignation of the LORD is against all nations, and His fury against all their armies; he has utterly destroyed them, he has given them over to the slaughter. Also their slain shall be thrown out; their stench shall rise from their corpses, 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; all their host shall fall down as the leaf falls from the vine, and as fruit falling from a fig tree. "For My sword shall be bathed in heaven; indeed it shall come down on Edom, and on the people of My curse, for judgment.

Does this sound like it took place? He is describing rescuing Israel not destroying her. This destruction will be left for a reminder to subsequent generations. Can anyone point to it?

At Armageddon every person will see him physically return in glory not in some secret way not seen. It tells us the sun will not give its light the moon will become red. Preterists change this literal description to symbolic to teach their flawed end times scenario that has taken place in the past.

The main reason- He, Jesus, comes to save Israel- to rescue them from annihilation during the tribulation. In fact his coming ends the tribulation!

Matt 24:22 "And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake those days will be shortened.”

He slays the antichrist supernaturally at his coming. Daniel 9:27: “upon the wing of abominations shall come one that makes desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate. poured out upon the desolate. If it refers to “a desolator,” the Antichrist and to his destruction at the Second Coming.

2 Thess. 2:8 “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.” If Nero is the one the Preterist have elected as the antichrist, then this Scripture did not occur this way. One would have to do spiritual gymnastics to make it fit. Christ comes when the antichrist is ruling the earth, not Rome. If this was Nero then there is a major problem, he committed suicide on June 9, 68, near Rome.

Did this happen? Rev. 11:15: “Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!"

If this took place then everything prior to this took place, lets see if this is true or not.

The use of the title "Son of Man" refers to the (Parousia) Second Coming.’ The phrase, indicates His humanity, a visible, personal Coming is to take place, which was not seen at the destruction of Jerusalem.

Daniel 7:27: “Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most High. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.” When the real kingdom comes Christ is present on earth and we serve him

Daniel 7:21-22: “I was watching; and the same horn (little horn) was making war against the saints, and prevailing against them, until the Ancient of Days came, and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom.”

Dan 7:13-14 "I was watching in the night visions, and behold, One like the Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed.”

The ancient of Days is the Father who gives Jesus the kingdom at this time with all people of the earth under his rule. One cannot attach this to 70 AD.

Jude 1:14-15 “Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,"to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."

He comes with the saints 1Thess. 3:13 “that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.” There is no getting around this, Jesus returns with ALL, not some of the saints. These are those who are glorified received their resurrected bodies, are made without sin so they can co-reign with him. Saints will be immortal and reign with Christ. We rule over the nations not before Christ comes but afterwards when we are without sin. Why are there saints being slain and become martyrs today if this is his kingdom is ruling, if we are in the Millennium? This preterist prophetic point of view is Prevarication.

Part of the generation alive during the Tribulation Period (70th week of Daniel), will never pass away. 

All the Tribulation saints who endured to the end (the completion of the age, Daniel’s 70th week) are physically saved and enter the Millennial Kingdom. They enter with their natural unglorified bodies. That generation of people living at the time will not die or pass away to live through the thousand years of Messiahs reign. Jesus comes back with saints who are glorified, because they have been resurrected.

The Lord Jesus Christ “will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:1). As we can see from Scripture His kingdom comes accompanied with His physical appearing, they are simultaneous events, and it comes with judgment as well as a blessing (Matthew 25:31-34) he separates the sheep from the goats, only those who are saved will enter the Millennium that has commenced from his return.

 

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