One thing I’ve discovered since I came to Christ is the amazing amount of views of the end times. Pre-tribulationism makes the most logical and literal sense to me and that’s the belief I follow. Pre-tribulation believers generally will post what the other views are and logically refute them. One thing that confirms that a belief in pre-tribulation is correct over and over for me is that most other views are virulently opposed to it and are consistently and aggressively attacking those of us who hold that view. When I study their views and find the faults of such views and I move on discounting it as false doctrine. Up until now the most vocal group of opponents of dispensationalism has been the post-tribulation and pre-wrath folks. I'm now totally amazed to find preterism on the attack.

What I can’t comprehend is how they feel this way. For preterists the prophecies of the Old Testament were PHYSICALLY fulfilled and can be realized literally from how the prophecies were written. That being said however they believe prophecies of the New Testament were fulfilled spiritually and anyone who tries to understand the prophetic verses of the New Testament literally, as they are written are wrong, misled and borderline blasphemous.

Preterists take this dangerous step of spiritualizing all passages of scripture in the New Testament that relate to the nation of Israel and claim that these refer to the church, the "New Israel". They teach that the "old earth", which scripture says will pass away, is the Old Covenant. The new heaven and earth, they say, is the New Covenant and the "elements" which scripture says will burn with fervent heat when this happens, are the "elements of the law." (Does this mean the 10 Commandments are now defunct?)

Preterism produces some very bizarre explanations for why the world is still experiencing suffering and calamity. One explanation I ran across cited God’s need for population control as the reason for mankind’s suffering.

To me, one of the keys to understanding the Bible and more specifically Bible verses is to try to gather what context the verse is in. In general, preterists rely on single verses to support their view, BUT if you read the surrounding verses you will note the verses they use to support their idea takes on a new light.

Some other things that trouble me about their view is that they are not taking scripture as a whole. Take a look at the preterist interpretation of the book of Revelation where the prophecies were fulfilled spiritually. Does the description of earth in Rev 21-22 even come close to the state of the world today? I think not!

If you look at the Gospels of Christ in Matthew, Mark and Luke and combine those with the prophecies of Daniel and Ezekiel (for starters) and then read on throughout the New Testament you will note a trend, an underlying theme that finishes with Revelation. The Bible as whole needs to be considered, not just a handful of verses that may be spun in such a way to support their view.

Also, conveniently enough, the preterist creed that Revelation has already occurred "spiritually" prevents them from having to prove historically the physical effects and events laid forth by the prophecies in Revelation. Again I ask, why is it that OT prophecies are ok to read literally and not the NT prophecies?

Furthermore, for Revelation to have occurred in AD 70 several questions come to light: When was the Gospel preached to all the nations? When was the Mark of the Beast implemented? What about the King of the East’s (China) 200 million man army? When did 100-pound hailstones fall from the sky? When did the Euphrates dry up?

This leads to more questions: Why did we have a rebirth of Israel? If Jerusalem was forever removed from being the burdensome stone, why has it now returned to that status?

As most beliefs that counter dispensationalism (futurism, pre-tribulationism) their argument is based on a timing issue. The problem with spiritualizing everything as preterists do is that it leaves many holes in their argument. For example here is a quote from a well known preterist trying to argue his point, he begins by quoting 2 Thess 2:1-3:

He then goes on to state:

The problem with this argument is substantial. 2 Thessalonians was written circa AD 51! If you even use the preterist view of when Revelation was written of circa AD 60….it was not written and given to the people until 9 years after the fact! Of course the early believers idea of what the Second Coming was different than ours today (because they didn’t have the book of Revelation yet).

Below are some of the verses that one preterist presented to me as scripture supporting his view (I realize some verses are listed twice, but I believe he was trying to show parallel verses to support is claim). What was great about this study for me was it caused a new and glorious in-depth study of the Word that proves yet again to me the Bible is the wonderful and God inspired book I believe it to be. Doing this study also strengthened my belief in the pre-tribulation rapture and dispensationalist interpretation of the Bible. As a note the Biblical text is black and my notes and cross references are in blue with parenthesis. The references given support a pre-tribulation view and refute those of a preterist.

(NOTE: Although these passages could refer to a spiritual state, the underlying theme is completeness. All gentiles seeking God’s face and a physical kingdom. Note Rom 15:12 "he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles", currently some gentiles follow Christ but definitely not all. If this refers to only spiritual, why go into physical genealogy? Would that not imply Christ physically ruling over gentiles in an earthly kingdom?)

Isa 65:17
17 For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind.
KJV

(NOTE: To spiritualize this is wrong. Again this reference has an underlying theme of completeness. Complete worship by all who live and the eternal hell suffered by those who don’t (Isa 66:22-24; Rev 21:5-9).)

(NOTE: To spiritualize this is wrong. Again this reference has an underlying theme of completeness. Complete worship by all who live and the eternal hell suffered by those who don’t (Isa 66:22-24; Rev 21:5-9). )

(NOTE: Again, this is not a spiritual account. The theme of the verse and those cross-references allude to a physical account.)

Rev 20:11-15
11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them(reference to the final judgement of mankind and the destruction of the old earth) (Matt 25:31; Acts 17:30-31; Rom 2:5; Matt 24:35; 2 Peter 3:7; 2 Peter 3:10-12; Rev 6:14).

12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.

14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

(NOTE: Again, this is not a spiritual account. The theme of the verse and those cross-references allude to a physical account of the final judgement of mankind and the condemnation of non-believers to hell.)

Rev 21:4
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes (reference to the comfort of God)(Isa 25:8; Rev 7:17); and there shall be no more death (reference to the eternal life men will receive in Heaven and the destruction of death and the devil)(Isa 25:8; Hos 13:14; 1 Cor 15:26; 1 Cor 15:54-58; Heb 2:14-15; Rev 20:14; Rev 22:3), neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away (reference to the destruction of the current earth)(Ps 144:4; Matt 24:35; 1 Cor 7:31; 2 Cor 6:17; 2 Peter 3:10; 1 John 2:17; Rev 21:1)

(NOTE: This is a plain and straightforward description of life after the tribulation. No more death, sorrow, crying or pain. It’s also another reference to the destruction of the current world.)

Rev 21:4
4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes (reference to the comfort of God)(Isa 25:8; Rev 7:17); and there shall be no more death (reference to the eternal life men will receive in Heaven and the destruction of death and the devil)(Isa 25:8; Hos 13:14; 1 Cor 15:26; 1 Cor 15:54-58; Heb 2:14-15; Rev 20:14; Rev 22:3), neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away (reference to the destruction of the current earth)(Ps 144:4; Matt 24:35; 1 Cor 7:31; 2 Cor 6:17; 2 Peter 3:10; 1 John 2:17; Rev 21:1)

(NOTE: This is a plain and straightforward description of life after the tribulation. No more death, sorrow, crying or pain. It’s also another reference to the destruction of the current world.)

1 Cor 15:51-57
51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

(NOTE: This entire passage is a direct reference to the pre-tribulation rapture.)