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Sat, 11 Jan 2025 02:51:44 -0000 (UTC)
<***@yoo.toob>
"Yoo Toob" <***@yoo.toob> wrote:
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Post by Yoo Toob## Part 74. Christianity ended in A.D 70 ##
Preterist lies.
1. Jesus promised His church would endure forever.
Matthew 16:18: “And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will
build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”
(ESV). Jesus declared the durability of His church, which stands in
direct opposition to the claim that Christianity ended in A.D. 70.
2. The Great Commission extends beyond A.D. 70.
Matthew 28:19-20: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And
behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (ESV). This command
clearly envisions a mission extending well beyond the first century.
Jesus promised His presence “to the end of the age,” which preterists
often reinterpret as merely the end of the Jewish age, but such a view
demands artificial limitations on the text.
3. Preterism inconsistently interprets prophecy.
Preterism insists on a strictly literal interpretation of passages like
Matthew 24:34 (“this generation will not pass away until all these
things take place”), but then spiritualizes nearly every other
eschatological prophecy to align with its framework. For example,
preterists claim that Jesus’s return in judgment (e.g., Matthew
24:30-31) was fulfilled in the Roman destruction of Jerusalem. However,
this forces symbolic interpretations of the visible “coming on the
clouds” and the global gathering of the elect while arbitrarily holding
to a rigid literalism in other parts of the same passage.
4. A balanced view of Matthew 24:34 refutes Preterism.
Matthew 24:34: “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away
until all these things take place” (ESV). While “this generation”
typically refers to the audience living at the time Jesus spoke, it does
not necessitate that *all* aspects of the prophecy culminate within that
generation. As D.A. Carson explains, this statement requires that the
initial events of Matthew 24:4-28, including the fall of Jerusalem,
occur within a generation. However, the text does not demand that the
entirety of the prophecy, including the Parousia, concludes within that
timeframe. The phrase “all these things” refers to the preliminary
signs, setting a terminus a quo (starting point) for Christ’s return,
not a terminus ad quem (endpoint). This balanced interpretation avoids
the inconsistencies of Preterism, which requires forced readings of the
text.
5. The destruction of Jerusalem did not fulfill all prophecy.
Preterists claim the fall of Jerusalem fulfilled all eschatological
prophecy. However, the cosmic signs (Matthew 24:29) and visible return
of Christ (Matthew 24:30) described in the same discourse have no
historical fulfillment in A.D. 70. Revelation 19:11-16, depicting Jesus
returning to judge the nations, remains unfulfilled.
6. Scripture anticipates a continuing faith and mission.
Acts 1:8: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon
you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and
Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (ESV). The spread of the gospel to
“the end of the earth” clearly extends beyond the first century and
counters the idea that Christianity ended with the temple’s destruction.
7. The New Testament writers affirmed future fulfillment.
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17: Paul describes the resurrection of believers
and their gathering with Christ in the air, events tied to the Parousia
and clearly future at the time of his writing.
Revelation 20:1-6: The millennial reign of Christ with His saints has no
historical parallel and remains a future event.
8. Historical evidence contradicts Preterism.
Early church fathers such as Ignatius, Polycarp, and Justin Martyr
affirmed the ongoing growth of Christianity and anticipated future
fulfillment of prophecies. Their writings testify to a robust and
thriving Christian faith long after A.D. 70, refuting any claim that
Christianity ceased to exist at that time.
9. Jesus’s kingdom endures eternally.
Daniel 7:14: “And 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
one that shall not be destroyed” (ESV). Christ’s kingdom transcends
temporal events like the destruction of Jerusalem and continues to grow
through His church.
Conclusion
The claim that “Christianity ended in A.D. 70” crumbles under biblical
scrutiny and historical evidence. Preterism’s approach to prophecy
reveals its inconsistency: it demands a strictly literal interpretation
of “all these things” in Matthew 24:34 while spiritualizing nearly every
other prophecy in the same discourse to fit its framework. This method
forces the text to conform to a rigid timeline that the Bible itself
does not support.
Christ’s church, mission, and promises endure far beyond A.D. 70. The
destruction of Jerusalem, while significant, was not the culmination of
biblical prophecy. The visible return of Christ, the resurrection of
believers, the final judgment, and the establishment of the new heavens
and new earth remain unfulfilled, affirming Christianity’s ongoing
relevance. Scripture consistently testifies that Christ’s kingdom is
everlasting, and His church will stand victorious until His return.
--
Have you heard the good news Christ died for our sins (†), and God
raised Him from the dead?
That Christ died for our sins shows we're sinners who deserve the death
penalty. That God raised Him from the dead shows Christ's death
satisfied God's righteous demands against our sin (Romans 3:25; 1 John
2:1-2). This means God can now remain just, while forgiving you of your
sins, and saving you from eternal damnation.
On the basis of Christ's death and resurrection for our sins, call on
the name of the Lord to save you: "For 'everyone who calls on the name
of the Lord will be saved'" (Romans 10:13, ESV).
https://christrose.news/salvation