Part 2: https://universalistheretic.blogspot.com/2022/08/refuting-preterism-part-2.html
How Many Second Comings?
Partial preterists believe that there must be two second comings of Christ, a past ‘spiritual’ coming ‘in judgment’ and a physical second coming which is still future [1]. This is because both the Olivet discourse and the book of Revelation describe His second coming as occurring immediately after the tribulation, which preterists erroneously believe to have occurred in AD 64 - 70. But did Jesus really come again in AD 70, and is there any scriptural evidence for the assertion that there are two ‘second’ comings?
One of the most important passages for understanding Jesus’ second coming is Acts 1:9-11, in which the disciples are told for the first time how He would be returning:
And having said these things, they are beholding [as] he was lifted up, and a cloud received him from their eyes. And as they were looking fixedly to the heaven [at] his going, lo, two men stood by them in white clothing, who also said, “Galileans, why do you stand looking to the heaven? This Jesus being taken up from you to the heaven will come thus, in that way you beheld him going to the heaven.”
Prior to this, the disciples would have understood Jesus’ references to the “coming of the Son of Man” in light of the Old Testament prophecy in which “one like a son of man” comes to God on the clouds of heaven to receive His kingdom (Dan. 7:13-14). However, now they are told that this Son of Man’s coming would not only involve His reception of the kingdom, but also His return to earth. His return will happen in the same way that He went up into the heaven: bodily, visibly, and to the Mount of Olives (cf. Zech. 14:4).
“Therefore repent and return toward the erasure of your sins, that seasons of refreshing may come from [the] face of the Lord, and that He may send to you the appointed one, Christ Jesus, whom it is indeed necessary for heaven to receive until [the] times of restoration of all things, of which God spoke through the mouth of His holy prophets from an age.” (Acts 3:19-21)
This is another passage which is important to understanding the second coming of Christ, although it is unfortunately often ignored in the discussion of this topic. According to Peter, Jesus will be received by heaven until the “times of restoration of all things” - that is, these “times” will only occur once Jesus is no longer being received by heaven. Thus, there will be a future time in which Jesus is no longer in heaven, and therefore will again be on earth. (Partial preterists would not dispute this fact.)
When Christ your life may be manifested, then you will also be manifested with him in glory. (Col. 3:4)
...because the Lord himself will come down from heaven in a shout, in a voice of an archangel, and in a trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we, the living, remaining at once with them, will be snatched away in clouds to [the] air, to [the] meeting of the Lord, and so we will always be with the Lord. (1 Thess. 4:16-17)
For the grace of God has appeared, saving all mankind, training us that, having denied the impiety and the worldly covetings, we may live soundly and righteously and piously in the present age, awaiting the happy hope and appearing of the glory of the great God and our savior Christ Jesus. (Titus 2:13)
...so also the Christ, having been offered once to bear sins of the many, will be seen for a second [time] without sin, to those awaiting him eagerly, for salvation. (Heb. 9:28)
Beloved, we are now children of God, and what we will be has not yet been manifested. We perceive that when he may be manifested, we will be like him, for we will see him just as he is. (1 Jn. 3:2)
It is simply absurd to think, as full preterists do, that these passages refer to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Jesus’ followers were not “manifested with him in glory” in AD 70, nor were all of the dead in Christ raised and the living “snatched away” to always be with Him in the heaven, and He did not appear a second time without sin to bring salvation. Furthermore, it is inconceivable that Paul would have called the Jewish-Roman War and destruction of Jerusalem a “happy hope”, seeing as he so greatly lamented the fact that his fellow Israelites were not part of the elect (Rom. 9:1-5)!
The problem with full preterism is that their presuppositions about Jesus coming back for the final time in the generation of the disciples require them to see the second coming as one of only judgment, and only judgment for the nation of Israel at that. However, scripture is absolutely clear that the second coming includes not only judgment, but also salvation. Partial preterists do not have this problem, as they separate the second coming of Christ into a past coming of judgment (in AD 70) and a future coming of salvation. (However, as we will see, this is also incompatible with the teachings of scripture.)
Lo, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, and those who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of him. Yes, verily! (Rev. 1:7)
This passage shows that at Jesus’ second coming, all people will visibly see him. Full preterists dispute this, as do partial preterists based on the connection to Matt. 24:30 which they believe to be describing the Jewish-Roman War, by claiming that to “see him” merely means to perceive his (spiritual) presence, and that “every eye” refers only to the people of Israel. However, even if this is a possible interpretation, it would not be true to the events of AD 70. The Israelites certainly did not perceive that Jesus was coming to them in judgment, for they remained obstinately opposed to the gospel even after that time.
Furthermore, what preterists miss about this passage is that it is clearly a reference to Zechariah 12:10, which states that “they will look to the one they have pierced, and will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and will grieve for him as one grieves for a firstborn.” This prophecy in Zechariah is not describing a coming in judgment to Jerusalem, but a coming for the salvation of Jerusalem, in which the Messiah will stand on the Mount of Olives and defend the city against the Gentiles which have besieged it, finally re-establishing the Davidic kingdom in Jerusalem (Zech. 14:1-9). Since this certainly did not occur in AD 70, this must be describing Jesus’ future second coming in salvation, not any supposed past coming in judgment.
Now that we have established which passages are certainly describing Jesus’ future second advent — namely, Acts 1:11; 3:21; Col. 3:4; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:28; 1 Jn. 3:2; and Rev. 1:7 — we can evaluate the partial preterist claim that the Olivet discourse and the book of Revelation describe a separate second coming from this future event. Here are the two passages thought by partial preterists to describe Jesus’ past coming in judgment in AD 70:
“Now immediately after the tribulation of those days, ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light,’ and the stars will fall from the heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the heaven with power and much glory.” (Matt. 24:29-30)
And I saw the heaven having been opened, and lo, a white horse, and the [one] sitting upon it being called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. Now his eyes are as a flame of fire, and upon his head many diadems, having a name having been written, which no one knows except himself, and having been clothed in a cloak having been dipped [in] blood. And his name is called, “the Word of God.” And the armies in the heaven were following him upon white horses, having been clothed [in] fine linen, white [and] clean. And out of his mouth goes forth a sharp sword, so that by it he may smite the nations; and he will shepherd them by an iron rod. And he treads the winepress of the wine of the wrath of the anger of God the Almighty. And upon his cloak and upon his thigh he has a name having been written: “King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Rev. 19:11-16)
Like Revelation 1:7, Matthew 24:30 cites Zech. 12:10 when stating that “all the tribes of the earth will mourn” at the time that the Son of Man comes. Since the passage in Zechariah is describing a still-future time in which the Messiah will physically return to the Mount of Olives and save and restore the besieged city of Jerusalem (14:1-9), this passage must also be describing the future, physical second coming of Christ. Furthermore, although preterists associate the “coming on the clouds” with Old Testament parallels which describe the invisible judgments of God (2 Sam. 22:8-10; Isa. 19:1; Nah. 1:2-3), the Son of Man’s coming on the clouds is explicitly associated with the future bodily and visible coming in the New Testament (Acts 1:9-11; 1 Thess. 4:16-17; Rev. 1:7).
Also, in Rev. 19:15, we are told that Jesus has a sword with which to smite the nations, or Gentiles, which does not match up with the events of AD 70 in which only Jerusalem was destroyed (there was no judgment of the Gentiles who besieged it in the first place, as is indicated by this passage and Zechariah 14). Thus, there is no reason, exegetically, to see two separate ‘second’ comings in the New Testament. The events associated with the Olivet discourse and Revelation 19 are the same as the events associated with the bodily second coming in other passages.
Furthermore, there is actually scriptural proof that the second coming described in the Olivet discourse and the book of Revelation is the same as the future, physical second coming. This may be found in Matthew 19:28:
Now Jesus said to them, “Verily I say to you, that you who followed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of Man may sit upon [the] throne of his glory, you also will sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”
The connection between this passage and the others above is not immediately obvious. However, if we look closely at Jesus’ statement here, we see that He is describing three simultaneous events: (1) the regeneration, (2) the Son of Man sitting upon the throne of His glory, and (3) the disciples sitting on twelve thrones and judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
According to Acts 3:21, this “regeneration” or “restoration” will begin when Jesus is no longer being received by heaven — that is, it is equivalent with the bodily second coming when Jesus leaves heaven (see above). Furthermore, based on Matthew 25:31 (a part of the extended Olivet discourse), the Son of Man sitting upon the throne of His glory is equivalent to the second coming described in the Olivet discourse. And finally, based on Revelation 20:4 and its extended context, the disciples will sit on thrones and judgment will be given to them immediately after the second coming described in Revelation 19. Thus, the following logical argument presents itself:
Premise 1. The “regeneration” is simultaneous with the “Son of Man sitting upon the throne of His glory” and the disciples “sitting upon twelve thrones and judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matt. 19:28).
Premise 2. The “regeneration” is equivalent to the bodily return of Christ from the heaven (Acts 3:21).
Premise 3. The Son of Man sitting upon the throne of His glory is equivalent to the second coming described in the Olivet discourse (Matt. 25:31)
Premise 4. The disciples will sit upon twelve thrones and judgment will be given to them immediately after the second coming described in the book of Revelation (Rev. 20:4).
Conclusion. The bodily return of Christ from the heaven is simultaneous with the second comings described in the Olivet discourse and the book of Revelation.
Because Matthew 19:28 links the bodily second coming of Jesus with the second coming of the Olivet discourse and the book of Revelation, there is no possibility that these might be different events separated by thousands of years, as partial preterists believe. Thus, this is yet another reason why partial preterism is scripturally impossible.
Part 4: https://universalistheretic.blogspot.com/2022/09/refuting-preterism-part-4.html
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[1] Full preterists, hyper-preterists, or consistent preterists as they are sometimes called, believe that there is only one second coming and that it occurred in AD 70. It should be fairly obvious, however, that no bodily resurrection has occurred yet and we are not currently living in a restored Davidic kingdom centered in Israel.
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