Why I am not a preterist? Very simply, it is just too goofy a doctrine to believe, and is based on a poor understanding of the end time scriptures. They, the preterists, would have us believe that all these verses are in our history.
Joel 1
15 Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
How interesting, we see "at hand" here too!
18 How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate.
19 O LORD, to thee will I cry: for the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness, and the flame hath burned all the trees of the field.
20 The beasts of the field cry also unto thee: for the rivers of waters are dried up, and the fire hath devoured the pastures of the wilderness.
When, oh when, did this happen? Answer: it did not! It is still in our future. Notice what John says about the pastures:
Rev 8
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
When did this happen? Answer: it did not! It is still in our future. Notice that it does not say, 'cast on Jerusalem," or "cast on the MidEast;" no, it says "cast on the earth." This is a world wide event, as a judgement from God, during the first half of the 70th week of Daniel, still in our future.
What was the context of these verses in Joel?
15 Alas for the day! for the day of the LORD is at hand, and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come.
The context is a future time for Israel, after the church has been raptured to heaven. We will spend more time on this "Day of the Lord."
Joel 2
1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand;
Wow! Again, we see that it is "nigh at hand." What is this Day going to be like?
2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
20 But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.
How interesting! The attacking army here, during the Day of the Lord, does not destroy jerusalem, but is driven back to the sea, and killed! Did this happen to Titus? Answer: No!
31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come.
This should sound familiar:
Rev 6
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
There can be no doubt that the 6th seal is the fulfillment of the prophecy in Joel. Notice that Joel said these cosmic signs would come before the day of the Lord. In Revelation then, we see that the day of the Lord starts with the next seal event: the 7th seal. Therefore, these cosmic signs fulfill the prophecy of Joel and the day of the Lord is started after the cosmic signs. What we read, then, in Rev. 8 on - from the 7th seal onward - will be the day of the Lord. Again, the preterists would have us believe that these events, both here in old testament prophecy, and in Revelation, happened in 70 AD. Please note, it is the same "day of the Lord," in Revelation as here in Joel. What did verse 20 above say? That the armies coming against Jerusalem would be destroyed! In AD 70, it was Jerusalem that was destroyed!
What then, do we read in Revelation from chapter 8 on? We just read "there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up! This is what the day of the Lord is: total destruction! For the readers: did all the green grass in the world burn up when Titus attacked Jerusalem?
Joel 3
1For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem,
When? Joel is still on the subject of the "day of the Lord." From above, the day that will start with the 7th angel blowing his trumpet. Now, notice what will happen on that "day."
2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.
Notice what this says: "I will gather all nations..." Sorry, but this would have been impossible then. Very possible now - but impossible then. This is still a prophecy in our future. There is more on this:
Rev 19
17 And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
18 That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
First off, no one has seen the King coming, riding on a white horse! That whole idea is ludicrous. That is the context of these verses! Notice, this is the nations: "I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat..." What happens to them? They become bird feed! Did this happen in 70 AD? No, of course not! There is still more:
Ezek 38
17 And, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord GOD; Speak unto every feathered fowl, and to every beast of the field, Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.
18 Ye shall eat the flesh of the mighty, and drink the blood of the princes of the earth, of rams, of lambs, and of goats, of bullocks, all of them fatlings of Bashan.
These are the nations gathered against Jerusalem, and Against her King, Jesus the Christ. The verses below speak further:
Joel 3
9 Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up:
10Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong.
11 Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O LORD.
12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.
The preterists would have us believe that this was fulfilled in 70 AD. NOT! This will be a minimun of 10 nations, perhaps more, that will join with the beast and come against Israel, and ultimately against Her King.
Rev 16
12 And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.
Please notice that these three evil spirits, go out to the whole world, to convince them to come and gather together in Israel: yet the preterist would have us believe that this was fulfilled in 70 AD! That is preposterous! Who is involved?
Rev 17
12 And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast.
13 These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast.
14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
How silly to think that this was fulfilled in AD 70! There was NOT 10 nations gathered together to fight with Jesus Himself! No, this is in our future.
Joel 3
13Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.
14Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.
This is referring to the great battle of Armageddon. It is the "day of the Lord," not the days of Titus. Rev 14 speaks on this too: with two angels on clouds with sickles, ready to harvest the armies that would dare challenge God.
Joel 3
15The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining.
Again we see this verse that aligns with the 6th seal, and the cosmic signs see then. Again, preterists would have us think that this was about 70 AD. They are wrong! Notice what Joel goes on to say:
16The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
17So shall ye know that I am the LORD your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more.
18And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth out of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim.
Did the Lord roar out of Zion then, when Titus was there? NO! Was the Lord the hope of His people then? No, they were distroyed. For the readers, see how ludicrous this preterism belief is? The Lord did not come and same them from Titus. Neither did the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk! Sorry, but this just did not happen! But notice what comes next: it is incontrovertible: "a fountain shall come forth out of the house of the LORD, and shall water the valley of Shittim!" Do we see this water today? No, for no one has seen it, and will never see it until this verse is fulfilled, when Jesus comes back bodily and sets his foot of the mount!
Zechariah 14:
4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
8 And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
Ezek 47
8 Then said he unto me, These waters issue out toward the east country, and go down into the desert, and go into the sea: which being brought forth into the sea, the waters shall be healed.
9 And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.
10 And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.
We can easily observe these things. They have NOT happened! There is no pure water proceeding out of the temple in Jersusalem. And no one fishes in that water that is not yet there! Yet the preterist would have us believe that these things have already happened, in 70 AD! Wait, just to be sure, what is the context of the verses above in Zechariah 14, where Jesus Himself sets His feet on the mount, and the mountain splits (another thing that has never happened!) The context, again is this:
Zechariah 14
1 Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.
3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle.
Once again, the context is the "day of the Lord," that time in our future that will start with the 6th seal, and go on past the battle of Armageddon. When anyone does any real study on this, it is very clear that these are events in our future. There is no huge canyon on the mount of Olives, since that mountain has not yet split, since Jesus has not yet set His feet down there. There is no water proceeding out, and making the dead sea live once more. Yet this is what the preterist would have us believe.
Zephaniah 1
7Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD is at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests.
Here is that catchy phrase once again: "at hand!" And once again, it is in reference to the "day of the Lord!" ONce again we see an event in this day, where God has prepared a great feast, called his guests, the nations, and called the vultures and buzzards too! His guests will be the great feast! Once again, we know that this did not happen in 70 AD.
14The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly.
15That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness,
17And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the LORD: and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung.
18Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the LORD's wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy: for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.
Zephaniah 2
9Therefore as I live, saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them.
For the history student: What happened to Moab in 70 AD? Ammon?
Zephaniah 3
8 Therefore wait ye upon me, saith the LORD, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy.
9 For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent.
13 The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, nor speak lies; neither shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth: for they shall feed and lie down, and none shall make them afraid.
14 Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem.
15 The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.
16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack.
17 The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.
Verse 8: more about gathering the nations! But notice what else? " for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy." Did you catch that? God says, "all the earth." This is not a prophecy of 70 AD. Do the people in Israel use "a pure language" to "call upon the name of the LORD, to serve him with one consent." I don't think so. Most in Israel do not call on Him at all! Again, this is clearly future to us! Verses 15-17 are clearly not speaking about any time since AD 70! This is still in Israel's future. And what is the context? Of course, it is the same as we have been showing, the "day of the Lord," and the day that He gathers together the nations, to destroy them!
Zechariah 14
9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.
12And this shall be the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth.
17And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall be no rain.
20In that day shall there be upon the bells of the horses, HOLINESS UNTO THE LORD; and the pots in the LORD's house shall be like the bowls before the altar.
21Yea, every pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holiness unto the LORD of hosts:
Is the LORD "king over all the earth?" No! Verse 12 describes a death like a nuclear blast! Again, that did not happen in 70 AD.
Isaiah 2:12
For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:
19And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
20In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver, and his idols of gold, which they made each one for himself to worship, to the moles and to the bats;
21To go into the clefts of the rocks, and into the tops of the ragged rocks, for fear of the LORD, and for the glory of his majesty, when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth.
Again, a prophecy that points directly to the 6th seal, showing that the "day of the Lord" will start right after that.
Isaiah 4
1And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.
3And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem:
How many will die at the battle of Armageddon? It seems, most of the men in the world! Seven women will cling to one man!
Isaiah 13
9Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12 I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir. 13Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
9Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.
10For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine.
11And I will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.
12I will make a man more precious than fine gold; even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir.
13Therefore I will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of the LORD of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger.
19And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah.
20It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.
Is God to punish Israel or the world, during this "day of the Lord?" Answer: the world. No, this is NOT speaking of 70 AD! Again, how many men of the world will die? "I will make a man more precious than fine gold." No wonder 7 woman will cling to one man.! Clearly, this is not speaking of 70 AD!
Jerimiah 46
10For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.
10For this is the day of the Lord GOD of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge him of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord GOD of hosts hath a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates.
Hmmm! Did Titus make it up to the River Euphrates too? No, it says, "the Lord God..."
For the readers, perhaps now you can see why I will never be a preterist. It is simple too goofy to consider, when all these scriptures are taken together.
Coop