I got into a dispute with one of the congregation's elders a few days ago when I said every Christian in the room was partial-preterist.
The word "preterism," comes from the Latin "
praeter" which simply means "
past" or "
in the past." When applied to Bible interpretation it simply means the text in question occurred in the past. That's it. That is all the word means. What it is applied to
eschatological prophecy it means end times prophecies have occurred in the past. Nothing more. It's not a system of interpretation; it is a conclusion of interpretation, a conclusion of exegesis.
Christologically speaking, every Christian is preterist simply because to be a Christian is to be someone who believes ALL the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah were fulfilled in the person of Jesus. He and he alone is God's Anointed One and there will be no other individual to fulfill those prophecies.
Most Christians accept the explanation up to that point. Where the dissent ensues is in the following...
Jesus came in the last days. Soteriology is eschatological. Or to word it in laymen's terms
(because one of the people hearing me discuss this with the elder asked, "What is Crystalology, eschatolology, and soteriology?"),
salvation occurred in the last days.
1 Peter 1:17-21
17If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; 18knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, 19but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ. 20For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you 21who through Him are believers in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Jesus appeared in the last times. He was foreknown when the world was founded but he was revealed in the last times. THOSE last times, not some other last times; the last times of whole scripture. Salvation is eschatological.
Acts 2:14-18 ESV
14But Peter, standing with the eleven, lifted up his voice and addressed them: “Men of Judea and all who dwell in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and give ear to my words. 15For these people are not drunk, as you suppose, since it is only the third hour of the day. 16But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: 17‘And in the last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; 18even on my male servants and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit, and they shall prophesy.'"
That prophecy of Joel's was fulfilled at Pentecost and Joel explicitly stated it would be fulfilled in the last days. That is eschatology.
These are only two examples why futurism
and criticisms of preterism fail. Scripture itself reports much of what was prophetic for the first century Jew and Christian is now fulfilled. Most criticisms of preterism are strawmen. The strawman begins with defining preterism as the belief ALL prophecy has ALL been fulfilled when the fact is the word "
praeter" simply means past,
all Christians are Christological preterists, and the overwhelming majority of eschatological preterists are partial-prets. This, then, begs a serious and very important question:
Why do the critics lie about preterism?
The elder said he'd get back to me when I asked him to name a Reformed theologian who was not in some way partial-preterist.
See..... apparently it's not just you guys I irritate without any intent to do so

.
1 Corinthians 15:50-54
50Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53For this perishable must put on the imperishable, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory."
Every Christian here has been saved from sin, washed clean of all prior offence (
2 Pet. 1:9) but s/he will not be incorruptible and immortal until the other side of the grave has been reached. That is where our inheritance in Christ is completed.
Salvation is eschatological.
And the exact same guy who went silently like a lamb to slaughter will return not so silently and he'll be doing the slaughtering. Preterists (the majority population of preterists) believe and teach Christ will return. Revelation 20 does NOT actually state Jesus is physically on the earth during the 1000-year period. Most of Revelation was already in John's past (
Rev. 1:19) The last days and the ends of the ages had befallen the first century Christian. Satan had been cast down and out and had been
bound long before Revelation was written.
The gospel was preached in all of creation.
That does not preclude Jesus coming again.