The Narrow Path Ministries

I've been reading more and more about viewing scripture from a partial or full Preterist perspective, and I find both positions persuasive. But I wonder what a full Preterist (or a partial Preterist who says Jesus died to save Jews from the soon-coming judgment) sees as the mission of the church today.

If it's not to tell people they can be saved from hell because of Jesus' death, resurrection and ascension, what is it? Thanks!

You might be able to find answers to this question on the Evangelical Universalist Forum. There are a considerable number of preterists among them, and some of them are classical Universalists, in that they believe that Jesus death and resurrection was for the purpose of providing everyone in the world with forgiveness for all their wrongdoing, so that they can continue to sin with impunity, and still go to heaven. As I see it, unless rebels against God are instantly changed by God when they go to heaven (as some of these Universalists believe), this forgiveness would imply that heaven will be polluted with sin.

Evangelical Universalist Forum

Most Christians think that all universalists hold to this position—the position that everyone automatically goes straight to heaven after death. It is because of this very belief that I don't accept the label "universalist." Although I believe in the ultimate reconciliation of all to God, I hold that God will correct wrongdoers either in this life or after they are raised from death.

Personally I believe in Paul's explanation for the purpose of Christ's death. Of course this fact is irrelevant to your question, since I am not a Preterist.

Titus 2:14 .. who gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds.

Thanks, Paidion. I didn't realize there was a link between Preterism and Universalism. I guess I just assumed most full Preterists believed in individual judgment at death.

Most full preterists see the current era as a perpetual state. I would agree with that but add that it's also what's known as the thousand year reign of the saints as well. Full preterists make a connection between the typological imagery of Ezekiel 47 and Isaiah 65-66, and the symbolism of Revelation 21-22. In all of the those passages (and others) the final state is one in which there is renewal on earth. In Revelation, we see it being run from heaven, with entrance into the heavenly city as the personal end game. In most full preterist thought people are judged as they die and then receive their punishment or reward. The point of history is to increase the function of God's glory in history through both the expansion of man and the expansion of God connecting with man. Full preterists generally (though there are exceptions) say that history isn't logically infinite, but that the end of human history on earth and in time are simply not the topic of scripture.

dwilkins,
Are you saying most full Preterists would disagree with the idea that those who die and are judged righteous will live again on this earth (or on a new earth)? It sounds like you're saying eternal life happens in heaven, right?

psimmond wrote:dwilkins,
Are you saying most full Preterists would disagree with the idea that those who die and are judged righteous will live again on this earth (or on a new earth)? It sounds like you're saying eternal life happens in heaven, right?

I think that's right. The idea that people come back to earth to live after dying and being judged isn't found in Full Preterism. Full Preterists say that the final destiny of man after death is eternal life in the presence of God. It is the exact opposite of Alcorn and Wright on this point.

Doug

Doug, thanks for your input. I've never really studied full Preterism so I'm not terribly familiar with it.

You said, "the final state is one in which there is renewal on earth." When you say renewal, are you referring to a scenario where over time the population of the earth becomes more and more godly? (I believe the Post Millennials believe this will happen although they obviously don't see the current era as a perpetual state.)

In my opinion it's a bit closer to Amillennialism than Postmillennialism since the renewal is primarily spiritual. I do think that Christianity will spread to become dominant (there are more Christians right now than there were people 100 years ago), but I don't think this means we will take over the world in the same sense as the theonomists do. I'd point to the dynamic described in Ezekiel 47 where the world is renewed by the river of life, but there are still salt marshes here and there.

Doug