Gary Demar just offered this response, "Very good. This is why I keep telling people I'm not a Full Preterist," to the post below on a Facebook forum, Postmillennialism: The Eschatology of Hope. (Unfortunately, there wasn't any context for the post below, other than that it was a response to a full preterist somewhere else. Reportedly Demar will also address recent accusations that he has gone Full Preterist in a Podcast on the American Vision You Tube channel on Monday, March 6.
What you argue for in your post is not full Preterism it is Postmillennialism.
Preterism as a hermeneutical tool is fine. Preterism as a final theology leaves you in a world of “nothing more” as a logical conclusion. Yes, all is fulfilled. But as your post says, No, history is not finished. But FP says history is not finished but, No, there is no prophetic word describing what “more” lies in our future. FP is the theology of the end, there is no word for what is birthed.
Here I’ll give you some examples of the logic of this FP position:
You believe there is an “increase of his kingdom and peace” that did that end in AD 70?
Of course, you think it began. Your theology is reformed. So you believe that in history there is more to come? Of course you and Bill Evans and Daryll Bryant think there is more to come but your Full Preterism says “no, it’s all fulfilled, final, done in AD 70.” If there is more to come what prophecy is left unfulfilled that predicts a future “more”? Well you think Scripture prophetically governs the future … don’t you? But the logic of FP says, “No the scriptural prophetic word ends with the end of the old covenant.”
You think there is a world to bring into Christ’s kingdom? Of course you do what reformed Christian doesn’t?
Full Preterism says, “No, the full dominion of Christ’s kingdom took place in AD 70 nothing lies in the future to be ‘fulfilled’.”Scripture prophecy ends with the end of the old covenant age.
FP says:
All of dominion of the earth is accomplished.
All of Japheth came into Shem’s tent.
All of Israel is regrafted into Christ the vine that will be regrafted.
AD 70 is the “end” when you take a hermeneutical tool and make it the sum total of your theology.
I know you don’t like this conclusion. But it is the logical one when you reject any prophetic word describing a future on the other side of the “end” of the Old Covenant.
What is “begun”? FP don’t know. The prophecies only take us to the end,
they are fulfilled.
Over.
Nothing more to say.
That’s full Preterism as a theology.
I know that’s not the logic you like. It is, however, the logic of “no prophetic word past the close or end of the age.”
Preterism as a hermeneutical tool leaves room to say, “The prophecies fulfill and end the old Covenant while giving birth to and defining the new future of the New Covenant, known as Christ’s kingdom.”
But if you say that you are saying there is more than what ended? There is a kingdom that is “come” in AD 70 and is … at this point you must stop. There is no “kingdom coming in its fullness encompassing the earth” that would be a future prophecy, but you want that kingdom to fill the earth. And let’s be honest, there are still a few nooks and crannies holding out against the kingdom, yes? But Full Preterism says “No! No unfinished or unfulfilled word past AD70.” What you got is all you get. No future word.
If you want a kingdom that has come, and is “coming” then you must admit there is a prophetic unfinished word in Scripture. And
Here’s the thing, there is a theological position that proclaims it called post millennialism in which Preterism is a tool not the binding limit of the word of God.
There is more that Scripture prophecies? As you said //His Kingdom shall not end? // Wait, that’s a prophetic word about the future from Scripture, a future after AD70.
Then not every prophecy ends in AD 70, every prophecy begins there. The old age ends there the prophetic word of God begins there.
The prophetic word ending the old covenant is the same word defining the telos of the new covenant. These prophecies are not fulfilled by AD 70 they are exemplified by it and fulfilled finally when death is finally in history put back under his feet. History is defined by that prophecy of the end and every act moves us closer fulfilling that word as we go.
Isn’t that what your post is trying to say? You don’t disagree with me or post mill, you disagree with the straight jacket logic of FP.
What you argue for in your post is not full Preterism it is Postmillennialism.
Preterism as a hermeneutical tool is fine. Preterism as a final theology leaves you in a world of “nothing more” as a logical conclusion. Yes, all is fulfilled. But as your post says, No, history is not finished. But FP says history is not finished but, No, there is no prophetic word describing what “more” lies in our future. FP is the theology of the end, there is no word for what is birthed.
Here I’ll give you some examples of the logic of this FP position:
You believe there is an “increase of his kingdom and peace” that did that end in AD 70?
Of course, you think it began. Your theology is reformed. So you believe that in history there is more to come? Of course you and Bill Evans and Daryll Bryant think there is more to come but your Full Preterism says “no, it’s all fulfilled, final, done in AD 70.” If there is more to come what prophecy is left unfulfilled that predicts a future “more”? Well you think Scripture prophetically governs the future … don’t you? But the logic of FP says, “No the scriptural prophetic word ends with the end of the old covenant.”
You think there is a world to bring into Christ’s kingdom? Of course you do what reformed Christian doesn’t?
Full Preterism says, “No, the full dominion of Christ’s kingdom took place in AD 70 nothing lies in the future to be ‘fulfilled’.”Scripture prophecy ends with the end of the old covenant age.
FP says:
All of dominion of the earth is accomplished.
All of Japheth came into Shem’s tent.
All of Israel is regrafted into Christ the vine that will be regrafted.
AD 70 is the “end” when you take a hermeneutical tool and make it the sum total of your theology.
I know you don’t like this conclusion. But it is the logical one when you reject any prophetic word describing a future on the other side of the “end” of the Old Covenant.
What is “begun”? FP don’t know. The prophecies only take us to the end,
they are fulfilled.
Over.
Nothing more to say.
That’s full Preterism as a theology.
I know that’s not the logic you like. It is, however, the logic of “no prophetic word past the close or end of the age.”
Preterism as a hermeneutical tool leaves room to say, “The prophecies fulfill and end the old Covenant while giving birth to and defining the new future of the New Covenant, known as Christ’s kingdom.”
But if you say that you are saying there is more than what ended? There is a kingdom that is “come” in AD 70 and is … at this point you must stop. There is no “kingdom coming in its fullness encompassing the earth” that would be a future prophecy, but you want that kingdom to fill the earth. And let’s be honest, there are still a few nooks and crannies holding out against the kingdom, yes? But Full Preterism says “No! No unfinished or unfulfilled word past AD70.” What you got is all you get. No future word.
If you want a kingdom that has come, and is “coming” then you must admit there is a prophetic unfinished word in Scripture. And
Here’s the thing, there is a theological position that proclaims it called post millennialism in which Preterism is a tool not the binding limit of the word of God.
There is more that Scripture prophecies? As you said //His Kingdom shall not end? // Wait, that’s a prophetic word about the future from Scripture, a future after AD70.
Then not every prophecy ends in AD 70, every prophecy begins there. The old age ends there the prophetic word of God begins there.
The prophetic word ending the old covenant is the same word defining the telos of the new covenant. These prophecies are not fulfilled by AD 70 they are exemplified by it and fulfilled finally when death is finally in history put back under his feet. History is defined by that prophecy of the end and every act moves us closer fulfilling that word as we go.
Isn’t that what your post is trying to say? You don’t disagree with me or post mill, you disagree with the straight jacket logic of FP.
