How Do You Ride a Horse, a Cloud, and a Throne?

[Aquila]

What we do know is that it is a historical fact that as the Roman legions began entering Judaea, and began surrounding Jerusalem, the Christian communities of Judea saw these events as being the fulfillment of Christ's prophecy against Jerusalem. Upon seeing these things, multiplied thousands of Christians began to pack up and flee Judea, as Christ had admonished believers to do upon seeing Jerusalem surrounded by armies. A significant number of these Christians fled to Pella and sought refuge there. Soon after, the Romans began their siege of Jerusalem. Historians note that the historical accounts of the Roman invasion appear to indicate that not a single Christian was killed in the siege.

It's clear that by obeying the literal understanding of Christ's words, as recorded in the Olivet Discourse, the first century church in Judea was spared total annihilation. Not only that, but the literal understanding of Christ's words that speak to a first century fulfillment indicates that the siege of 70 AD, and the destruction of the temple, was a final judgment upon unbelieving Israel, and the end of the entire Mosaic system. During this time the entire region was afire with apocalyptic expectation. However, as the events unfolded and Jerusalem fell, it is as though an orchestra had reached a crescendo... leaving a single note hanging in the air. Why? Although everything that Christ warned of appeared to manifest in vivid fulfillment... Christ had not returned. This has led to many skeptics claiming that Christ's prophecies failed.

Or... was this prophecy by Christ symbolic? Was his "return" in "the clouds" a return of Him in spirit to execute judgment on Judea? Preterism embraces this understanding.

This prophecy is a living prophecy. The destruction of the Temple and the dispersion of the Jews is something that has had a very real affect on the world even unto this day. Why do Jews weep and pray at the wailing wall? Why do they pray for the rebuilding of the temple? Because it was destroyed, just as Jesus said it would be. The very day to day reality lived by every Jew on the planet testifies to Christ's supremacy over their apostate religious system and legalism. The modern Jew is in the predicament they are in because... they rejected Christ and crucified Him... and as a result, He brought judgment upon them. Preterist or not... only the spiritually blind would deny that Christ came in judgment against Jerusalem in AD 70.

One thing that Preterism does is that it provides peace. If one accepts that Christ's prophecies were fulfilled in that generation, just as He said they would be, then we can gaze into history and see Christ's rule and providence from Heaven as God, it is Jesus who truly rules the nations. It is Christ who allows kingdoms to rise and brings them to their knees. It is Christ who brought the fall of Jerusalem, Christ who brought the fall of Rome, Christ who brought the fall of the Holy Roman Empire, Christ who brought the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Christ who brought the fall of the British Empire, Christ who brought the fall of the Axis Powers, Christ who brought the fall of the USSR, and as we see the circumstances unfolding in our day... it is Christ who is perhaps even preparing to come in judgment against... America.

Why does this bring peace? Because it solidly affirms Christ as the ruler of all nations, it affirms Christ as the very author of history.

What are other ways Preterism brings peace? It ends the endless "speculation" of cooks and quacks who keep writing books like, 88 Reasons Why the World Will End In 1988. It ends the constant and feverish quest to pin the tail on the Antichrist, or the ten nations that comprise the end time "Beast". To serious theologians who truly consider the very real implications of these attempts to interpret prophecy from the newspaper, this can cause enough stress to cause ulcers. For the Preterist believer, one lives one day at a time, advancing the Gospel. And the believer is simply waiting for that day when Christ will truly suddenly appear in the fullness of His glory and bring an end to all the suffering in our world... forever. There isn't a need to discover who the Beast is or contemplate how one will survive the 7 trumpets. It is understood that the spirit of antichrist is present throughout the world, and has been for thousands of years, and will be until Christ returns. It is also understood that Christ currently rules from Heaven and can bring judgment upon nations that oppose the advancement of the Gospel. And perhaps that's what we're seeing in the Middle East today as the entire region becomes more and more unstable with regimes who have opposed the Gospel weakening.

Since AD 70... a single note has hung in the air. The end will come when Christ appears. And it will ALL be over.