Bible Prophecy Under the Microscope-Episode 34
Gary responds to a video that critiques a preterist interpretation of Matthew 24. The critique gives the impression that 1) a preterist interpretation is “new” (it’s not); and 2) that it’s not biblical (it is).
Jesus appropriated language from Ezekiel and applied it to the prophesied coming judgment on Jerusalem that would take place before their generation passed away (Matt. 24:34). The judgment was greater because the crime was greater, and no other crime could be greater. It was only those in that generation who “crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Cor. 2:8). Let’s recall what Peter said at Pentecost:
“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God did through Him in your midst, just as you yourselves know—this Man, delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you nailed to a cross by the hands of lawless men and put Him to death” (Acts 2:22-23).
The punishment fit the crime.
Similar hyperbole is found elsewhere in Scripture. Could there have been two kings in the southern kingdom of Judah who were the greatest kings Judah ever had? Logic would dictate that there can only be one greatest king but any number of great kings. But the Bible tells us that there were two kings who were the “greatest.” How can this be?
• “He [Hezekiah] trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel; so that after him there was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor among those who were before him” (2 Kings 18:5).
• “And before him [Josiah] there was no king like him who turned to the LORD with all his heart and with all his soul and with all his might, according to the law of Moses; nor did any like arise after him” (2 Kings 23:25).
In 2 Kings 18:5 it is written of Hezekiah that there would be no king after him who would show the same devotion to the Lord as he showed. When we get an assessment of Josiah’s reign, which followed Hezekiah’s reign, we are informed that “there was no king like him who turned to the LORD.” How can Hezekiah’s reign be the greatest (when considering the reign of a future king like Josiah) and Josiah’s reign be the greatest (when considering the reign of a past king like Hezekiah)? Is this a contradiction? The phraseology is obviously hyperbolic, emphasizing complete devotion to the Lord and His law. The authors of these biblical books did not see them as contradictions. They were following a common literary style of their day.
Prophecy Wars: The Biblical Battle Over the End Times
There is a long history of skeptics turning to Bible prophecy to claim that Jesus was wrong about the timing of His coming at “the end of the age” (Matt. 24:3) and the signs associated with it. Noted atheist Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) is one of them and Bart Ehrman is a modern example. It’s obvious that neither Russell or Ehrman are aware of or are ignoring the mountain of scholarship that was available to them that showed that the prophecy given by Jesus was fulfilled in great detail just as He said it would be before the generation of His day passed away.
Buy NowGary responds to a video that critiques a preterist interpretation of Matthew 24. The critique gives the impression that 1) a preterist interpretation is “new” (it’s not); and 2) that it’s not biblical (it is). Gary gives many biblical reasons why a preterist interpretation makes the best sense of the context and the timing of Jesus’ Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24.
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