(On Hebrews 9:26; Forty Years and That Generation)
"But now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself" (Hebrews 9:26). Jesus was manifested, not at the beginning, but "at the consummation of the ages." The period between A.D. 30 and 70 is, as the apostle Peter describes it, "these last times" (1 Peter 1:20). As time drew near for Jerusalem's destruction, Peter could say that "the end of all things was at hand" (4:7).

(On Matthew 24:35 ; New Heavens and Earth)
"Jesus does not change subjects when He assures the disciples that "heaven and earth will pass away." Rather, He merely affirms His prior predictions, which are recorded in Matthew 24:29­31. Verse 36 is a summary and confirmation statement of these verses.(6) Keep in mind that the central focus of the Olivet Discourse is the desolation of the "house" and "world" of apostate Israel (23:36). The old world of Judaism, represented by the earthly temple, is taken apart stone by stone (24:2). James Jordan writes, "each time God brought judgment on His people during the Old Covenant, there was a sense in which an old heavens and earth was replaced with a new one: New rulers were set up, a new symbolic world model was built (Tabernacle, Temple), and so forth."(7) The New Covenant replaces the Old Covenant with new leaders, a new priesthood, new sacraments, a new sacrifice, a new tabernacle (John 1:14), and a new temple (John 2:19; 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 2:21). In essence, a new heaven and earth."

(On Matthew 24:1-3)
"The temple that Jesus said would be destroyed is the same temple with the same stones that was pointed out to Jesus by His disciples. No future temple is in view. Jesus gives no indication that He has a future temple in mind. But what if the Jews rebuild the temple? Such a temple will have nothing to do with the fulfillment on any part of this prophecy." [Last Days Madness: The Folly of Trying to Predict When Christ Will Return (Atlanta: American Vision, 1977), 29.]

"Not one verse in the New Testament mentions the need for a rebuilt temple. In fact, just the opposite is stated. The temple of God in the New Testament is quite obviously the church of Christ with Jesus as the 'cornerstone' (1 Peter 2:7) [Last Days Madness: The Folly of Trying to Predict When Christ Will Return (Atlanta: American Vision, 1977), 59.]

(On Matthew 24:29-31 ; New Heavens and Earth)
"The darkening of the sun and moon and the falling of the stars, coupled with the shaking of the heavens (24:29), are more descriptive ways of saying that "heaven and earth will pass away" (24:35). In other contexts, when stars fall, they fall to the earth, a sure sign of temporal judgment (Isaiah 14:12; Daniel 8:10; Revelation 6:13; 9:1; 12:4). So then, the "passing away of heaven and earth" is the passing away of the old covenant world of Judaism led and upheld by those who "crucified the Lord of glory" (1 Corinthians 2:8). (Taken from: The Passing Away of Heaven and Earth)

"The Old Testament is filled with solar, lunar, and stellar language depicting great political upheaval. The rise of kingdoms is compared to the brightness of the sun, moon, and stars. The brightness of these heavenly bodies means that a nation is in ascendancy. When a nation is described as falling - coming under the judgment of God - it is compared to the sun and moon going dark and stars falling from the sky." [Last Days Madness: The Folly of Trying to Predict When Christ Will Return (Atlanta: American Vision, 1977),96.]

(On Matthew 24:34)
". . . notice how many times Jesus uses the word you (second person plural) in Matthew 24 and in the parallel passages in Mark 13 and Luke 21 . . . . Now, if you heard Jesus say that all these things would happen to "this generation" and in every other instance of its use "this generation" meant the present generation, and you also heard Him speak of when "you" see these things, what would you have concluded?" (No cite)

(On I Peter 4:7)
"If Preter had meant that the physical earth would be literally destroyed in the near future, he was simply wrong. Some people would take another view of this verse and say that the "at hand" does not mean "in the near future." If that is the case, there is little meaning in Peter's words at all. Peter diliberately put a time indicator in his prophecy. Peter meant that all old things, all the things of the old covenant, would pass away in the destruction of Jerusalem." (The Reduction of Christianity, p. 160)

(On J.S. Russell's Book, The Parousia)
"How many times have you struggled with the interpretation of certain Biblical texts related to the time of Jesus' return because they did not fit with a preconceived system of eschatology? Russell's Parousia takes the Bible seriously when it tells us of the nearness of Christ's return. Those who claim to interpret the Bible literally, trip over the obvious meaning of these time texts by making Scripture mean the opposite of what it unequivocally declares. Reading Russell is a breath of fresh air in a room filled with smoke and mirror hermeneutics." - (Gary DeMar - Author of Last Days Madness)

(On the Early Date of Revelation)
"The Book of Revelation was written before AD 70. Its purpose was to describe events leading up to and including the destruction of Jerusalem…. The prophecy is describing events that refer to the first-century church" (Last Days Madness, pp. 182, 183).

(On the Seventy Weeks of Daniel)
"Dispensationalists need a gap between the feet and the toes of Nebuchadnezzar's statue.." (Last Days Madness, p. 172)

Planetpreterist.com

Copyright © by Planet Preterist - (627 Reads)