Hi everyone,
While traditional preterism teaches that Jesus returned in a spiritual sense during the judgment upon Jerusalem in 70 A.D., I have become aware of several preterists who believe that a literal, physical rapture occurred during 66-70 A.D. Obviously this theory faces some historical headwinds because of the dominant view that several apostles were still alive on earth post-70, and that the Four Gospels and Revelation were written during 70-100 A.D.
I was wondering if any of you are acquainted with this rapture view and have any commentary on it. I am planning to order Ed Steven's book Expectations Demand a First Century Rapture. If a convincing case could be made for a rapture in the first century, there is nothing to stop me from adopting a preterist understanding of the Great Tribulation. I have no problem seeing the Tribulation in 66-70, but Christ said to believers that when they see the Tribulation start happening, they would know that His return to gather them unto Himself was near. If He did not literally return, partial preterism is a problem for me.
After I read Steven's book, I'll share my thoughts about it,
Samuel
Hi Samuel,
Here is a counterpoint to the Rapture theory, if you are interested. I think preterism would fall into this counterpoint as well: http://bible-truths.com/rapture.htm
hi! :smile:
It makes no logic to me as the Book of Revelation and much of what the prophets said pertained to 'the end of the story'..
As in how does it all end.. this (so called) independence from God (estrangement from God, rather)??
Does it work? Can it work? ..or do all things apart from God collapse?
To me, it's a simple as that.. and I guess for the world and even for believers.. without the 'end' of the story (not God's, etc, but this estrangement from God.. going ones' own way, etc) - without the end of the story, you don't have the moral or the lesson..
I figure God is letting things run their course (not ho ho ho enjoying the show of mankind's sufferings) but letting things run their course, only interfering to build in the rescue (from death and imperfection/sin, its cause) and one or two dire times..
Because life as we know it, surely(?) is an unavoidable lesson (this chewing upon the fruit of knowing good from evil / life from death) - if there is to be rationality that is.. He could have stuck with no rational creatures ever..
And I think of this way, because He did endow thinking ability (thus limited choice, sooner or later) now all suffer, some even horribly.. but He, being Life, suffers it all!! Why would he put himself through all that?
Perhaps because from the beginning He could see all possibilities.. and has chosen and done all things in order to bring about the very best of all possibilities and 'end' results..
Surely what this is all about(?) is His engraving (deeeply) upon every heart, mind and psyche, the full understanding of good from evil, what works from what can never work.. If God is Life and Perfection, which surely(?) He is, then to differ from Him in any teeny tiny way is to become imperfect, the opposite of life.. In my opinion, that is the lesson.. And above all things, His law is love.. nothing else or less, works, and never will or can.. and His law, much like the law of gravity, is a rod or iron.. you can leap off the building.. break His law, but only to one's own hurt and this is intrinsically true for all time and eternity..
I believe the foundation lesson for all..
So when a doctrine takes away from the Book of Revelation and end times prophecy, I believe they do a big diservice (not as big as the hell blasphemy however :laughing7: )
God bless.. sorry to write so much, like many i could go on and on and on.. but nobody listens.. :laughing7: :sigh: