He is Sufficient

I was first exposed to the (partial) preterist viewpoint a number of years ago and it made a very logical argument in terms of understanding Israel’s covenantal history, as well as John’s writing in an original context. Since then, I’ve been under the perspective that the majority of OT prophetic text, the gospels’ account of Jesus Christ and most of the book of Revelation constitute the completion and punishment phases of God’s lawsuit against Israel for failing to live by the terms of the covenant that was established with Abraham and confirmed through subsequent generations.

The suzerain establishment of the covenant with Israel is found in Genesis 15:

10 So he [Abram] brought all these [animals] to Him, split them down the middle, and laid the pieces opposite each other, but he did not cut up the birds. 11 Birds of prey came down on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. 12 As the sun was setting, a deep sleep fell on Abram, and suddenly a terror and great darkness descended on him.

17 When the sun had set and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the divided [animals]. 18 On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram [...]
- Genesis 15:10-12, 17-18a (HCSB)

Suzerain terms dictated that whichever covenanter, usually the lesser or weaker party, “signed” the covenant agreed to be held to the terms, which typically included punishment clauses in the event that the terms were not upheld (e.g. Deuteronomy 28). But God turns suzerain convention on its head by Himself, the stronger covenanter, passing alone through the divided carcasses in the form of the fire pot, signing the covenant with Abram. In effect, He is saying to Abraham: “If I don’t fulfill the terms of this covenant and make your offspring as numerous as the stars in the sky (Genesis 12, 15:5), then may it be done to me as has been done to these carcasses!”

The failure of Israel to fulfill its covenantal destiny as the light and example to the nations essentially meant that God had to die in order to bring the covenant to completion. Jesus is referring to this in the Sermon on the Mount:

17 “Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished.”
- Matthew 5:17-18 (HCSB)

Christ’s death was needed to complete the old covenant so that through his resurrection and conquering of death, God could establish a new covenant with a new branch of His people.

This is the heart of preterism as I understand it. The fulfillment of Revelation’s prophecies in the first century is directly related to the accomplishment of the “old covenant”. John uses OT apocalyptic language because he is describing the “end times” of the temple Judaism. It is language in the context of the time, of first-century Christians who remembered being Jews, who were persecuted for heresy not only by Roman emperors but by Jewish leaders who likely were former friends and neighbors. Not evangelical Christians in the 21st century preaching a prosperity gospel to mindless masses dazzled by worship bands and electronic media. Revelation meant something to its original audience and John meant it to have an impact more than futuristic symbology.

There are two books that I will recommend for those looking to explore this in greater detail:

Last Days Madness by Gary DeMar is an excellent primer on preterism, with discussion of all the essential eschatological topics and scripture passages.

Before Jerusalem Fell by Kenneth Gentry, Jr. is a comprehensive argument for an authorship date of Revelation in the years just before AD 70, when Roman armies destroyed Jerusalem.

It’s important to note that both DeMar and Gentry are partial preterists, which means they hold that the final events of Revelation, the physical resurrection, final judgment and establishment of the new heavens and earth are still future, in line with traditional/orthodox Christianity.

There has been much discussion of full preterism of late on this blog, a related position that views all of these final events as fulfilled in AD 70 and in our past, such that all of the events of the past two millenniums have constituted life on “New Earth” and that the eternal Kingdom of God is our present reality. The sola scriptura exegetical arguments for this view are convincing, but I’m not ready to advocate the position; there are others who will undoubtedly carry the flag for full preterism in any ensuing discussion.