The Preterists and Matthew 24:34

surrender

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"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you" (Acts 3:19-20).
But according to this, if all in that audience had repented Jesus would have returned that moment and Jesus' prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem would not have come to pass. Right?
 

surrender

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Yes, but most did not because the nation as a whole, from the leadership on down, did not. That's what was required.
Okay, thanks. So, what does this mean for the generation in which Jesus does come? Since most of those horrific things DID happen to the Jews living during that time, does that mean "the end" will/can look very different from many things warned about in the Discourse?
 

Lazy afternoon

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Yes, but most did not because the nation as a whole, from the leadership on down, did not. That's what was required.

It was not.

Only when Christ returns and gathers the believers of all nations (and destroys sinners) will Israel be without sinners.

Rom 11:7 What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded
Rom 11:8 (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.
Rom 11:9 And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:
Rom 11:10 Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back alway.

Rom 11:25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

Eph 2:12 That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14 For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15 Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Eph 2:16 And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
Eph 2:17 And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them that were nigh.
Eph 2:18 For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
Eph 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
Eph 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

LA
 

Lazy afternoon

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Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;

The refreshing began in Acts chapter 2.



Still a future event--

Act 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
Act 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

LA
 

musterion

Well-known member
Okay, thanks. So, what does this mean for the generation in which Jesus does come? Since most of those horrific things DID happen to the Jews living during that time, does that mean "the end" will/can look very different from many things warned about in the Discourse?

Well, He did say that what would come would be unprecedented in history. There would be nothing in human experience like it before or after (Matt 24:21). The destruction of Jerusalem by Rome, while awful, does not fit that bill. Not by a long shot.
 

surrender

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The destruction of Jerusalem by Rome, while awful, does not fit that bill. Not by a long shot.
By whose definition? I mean, Josephus makes it sound absolutely otherworldly horrifying.

And why did God go through with it all (or pretty close to it, I guess, according to your view?) if the condition wasn't met?
 

musterion

Well-known member
By whose definition?

Christ's. As I quoted, NOTHING before or after it would compare with the horror of it. Plenty has happened since AD 70 that has been far worse, both in numbers murdered and atrocities committed. If you don't believe Him, that's not my concern.

And why did God go through with it all (or pretty close to it, I guess, according to your view?) if the condition wasn't met?
Are you convinced what happened in 70 was the direct wrath of God that Christ warned of? If so, why?

Listen, if you're a preterist, just come out and say so.
 

surrender

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Christ's. As I quoted, NOTHING before or after it would compare with the horror of it. Plenty has happened since AD 70 that has been far worse, both in numbers murdered and atrocities committed. If you don't believe Him, that's not my concern.
Of course, I believe him. I'm asking you to tell me what has happened since then that is comparable to or greater than the horror of the destruction of God's Temple and the Levitical sacrificial system for all time and the ruin of the people who had been known for centuries to be God's people. And by WHOSE definition is this later historical tragedy comparable to or greater than this?

Are you convinced what happened in 70 was the direct wrath of God that Christ warned of? If so, why?
Of course. One of the most convincing signs to the Jews that Jesus was Messiah was the fulfillment of his prophecy of the destruction of the Temple.

Listen, if you're a preterist, just come out and say so.
I don't even know what it means to be a preterist.
 

surrender

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God waited 40 years before He destroyed Jerusalem so that as many Jews as possible could be saved:

(2 Peter 3:9) The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance..
If 2 Peter 3:10-12 was fulfilled in 70 AD, why does verse 13 sound like Rev. 21:1 that has not yet happened?
 

tetelestai

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The destruction of Jerusalem by Rome, while awful, does not fit that bill. Not by a long shot.

What do you base this on?

Sheer numbers?

Which of the following is more horrific?

1) A mother roasts her 3 year old daughter, then eats the daughter in order to avoid starvation.

2) 5 men are executed by a firing squad.
 

tetelestai

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Are you convinced what happened in 70 was the direct wrath of God that Christ warned of? If so, why?

(Matt 24:2) “Do you see all these things?” he asked. “Truly I tell you, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down.

(Matt 24:34) Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.


We know from secular history that Matt 24:2 was fulfilled in 70AD.

Unless you turn the words of Jesus upside down and into a pretzel, Matt 24:34 was also fulfilled in 70AD
 

surrender

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It has happened.

The "new heavens and new earth" began in 70AD.
I thought you said (it might have been someone else) that Rev. 20 is not yet finished.

1) Is there a "second coming" to expect in the future?

2) If his return in 70 AD (the coming of the Son of man) was the second coming, what do you make of 1 Thess. 4:16-17?

3) And what do you make of 1 Cor. 15:51-52?

4) What is next? What do things look like after this life?
 

surrender

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FYI to the debaters here...I am undecided. Trying to figure this all out. So...just asking questions as I move along in what you are each saying. (I might just irritate both sides as I will give pushback to all of you in order to nail this down.) :)
 
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