The term Preterist identifies Christians who believe that most or all of Bible Prophecy has already been fulfilled in Christ and the on-going expansion of His Kingdom. The word Preterit is Latin and means Pre (before) in fulfillment. i.e., [L. praeteritus, gone by]. It is expressing time fulfilled. It is the doctrine of Past-fulfillment of most prophesy. They point to the witness of scripture that Jesus and his apostles said that His coming (or presence) and the end of all things, would occur soon, meaning (ironically) literally in that generation.

Like Premillennialism, there are different versions. Those calling themselves consistent Preterits (also known as full preterits) spiritualize Matthew 24 as having already taken place in the past, and teach that Christ actually returned in 70 A.D., fulfilling the prophesy of the second advent.

While most learned Theologians understand that some spiritualizing is a sound fundamental part of discerning scripture, there generally must be some strong and clear justification in scripture for it. It is generally believed that Preterism takes a very liberal approach to this rule of hermeneutics. One of the verses Preterists use to support their belief is:

Matthew 23:37-39

• "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

• Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

• For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."

Using scriptures such as Matthew 23, they hypothesize that when His disciples asked about the end of the world [aion] or age, it was in referral to the end of a dispensation which they believe took place in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Thus Preterists' generally hold that the "age to come," is a designation by Christ for the Christian era.

One of the weaknesses in this position is that they selectively interpret the word age/world [aion], and then arbitrarily make the supposition that there was an end of the age in 70 A.D. This does not agree with, nor explain, verses such as:

Luke 18:30

• "Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting".

The exact same word world/age. If that present time or age was before 70 A.D., and the age to come was Eternal life, then 70 A.D., being the coming age (according to their hypothesis), was the start of this eternal life.

Simply defined, Preterism is the view that much or all of the eschatological prophesies have already occurred, with the emphasis on the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. 7