Does Preterism Take Away Hope?
“If this is all God had in mind, you can have it” – hyperfuturist Sam Frost [1]
Does preterism take away the Christian’s hope? Not at all. In fact, it affirms it. Since Jesus’s prophecy of the second coming was fulfilled exactly when it was supposed to—within the lifetimes of Jesus’s first-century audiences (Matt. 10:23, 16:28, 24:30–34, 26:64; Rev. 22:12)—therefore, we have excellent reason to trust the rest of Jesus’s claims that are not so easily verifiable, such as “Whoever lives and believes in me shall never die” (John 11:26). Preterism does not take away the Christian’s hope; it affirms it!
Now admittedly, preterism does take away false hope. But this is true of Christianity in general, not just preterism. For example, when a Muslim becomes a Christian, his “hope” of seventy virgins in the afterlife is taken away. However, that hope would never have panned out anyway because God does not reward people with virgins in heaven. Thus, it’s a false hope not worth keeping. This is all preterism does; it takes away false hope, the kind not worth keeping. The truth may sting at first, but it is better in the long run. As Jesus said, “The truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Real hope is the only kind of hope worth keeping.
Although preterism takes away false hope, it replaces it with real hope…real hope for a better world, and real hope for eternal life in heavenly bliss after death. Regarding the former, while there will always be sin in the world outside the New Jerusalem/the church (Rev. 22:15), the Bible says the kingdom of God will continue to conquer ground and expand. For example, Isaiah 9:7 said, “Of the increase of his [Messiah’s] government, there will be no end.” Likewise, Jesus said the kingdom of God is like leaven, it expands until it leavens all the world (v. 33). This is real hope, real hope for a better world!
Unfortunately, a big obstacle to this happening as fast as possible is futurism. Every Sunday, thousands of well-meaning but mistaken futurist pastors proclaim to their congregations that the world is destined to get worse and worse, and there is nothing we can do about it because it has all been foretold in the Bible. Even the most optimistic of the bunch, postmillennialists, believe Satan will one day be loosed to wreak havoc on the world. These kinds of hopeless—and unbiblical—messages lead to fear, complacency, defeatism, and self-fulfilling prophecies that do nothing but hinder the growth of the kingdom of God.
At best, futurists send contradicting messages. It is a tug-of-war between trying to convince people that the Bible is the inspired Word of God…while at the same time trying to explain away the straightforward time statements that say Jesus would come within the first century. Futurists praise God for the beauty of his marvelous creation…while hoping and praying for its soon destruction (at Jesus’s coming). Futurists speak of peace on earth…while an impending judgment looms just over the horizon. Futurists talk about taking the world for Christ…yet insist Satan is the ruler of the world. Futurists proclaim the power of Christianity to change the world and solve its problems…yet teach that the world is destined to get worse and worse. Futurists teach that Jesus will one day destroy the world…that he died for. Oy vey! Talk about mixed messages.[2]
Preterism, on the other hand, empowers Christianity. Because Jesus’s prophecy of the second coming happened exactly as prophesied, we have good reason to trust the untestable promises Jesus made, such as “Whoever lives and believes in me will never die” (John 11:16). This is real hope, real hope for eternal life (after physical death). Preterism also gives skeptics an excellent, logical reason to become a Christian: fulfilled prophecy! No other religion can truthfully proclaim anything like this. Preterism gives real hope, not for the age that comes after the Christian age, but for the age we are currently living in, the one Jesus died to bring about. Preterism motivates Christians to think and plan long-term. It motivates Christians to get involved with every sector of society and transform the world for the better. After all, this is God’s world (Ps. 24:1–2, 97:5), and we are his hands and feet! This is a message younger generations could get on board with.
And while we are doing all we can to improve this world, we can have a confident, secure hope for what comes after death—because Jesus already proved himself at his two comings. Jesus not only rose from the dead, but he also came in clouds of glory within a generation of his earthly ministry, just like he promised.
Futurists are actually the ones who take away hope every time they convince someone that the prophecies of the New Testament have still not been fulfilled. As Solomon said long ago, “Hope deferred makes a heart sick” (Prov. 13:12).
For more about the issues discussed in this article, check out “The End Is Here: How the New Testament’s Prophecies Were Fulfilled,” available Summer 2024 at bookstores everywhere.
By Alex Polyak, Director of The Bible Fulfilled, 9/5/24
[1] A “hyper-futurist” is someone who extends the fulfillment timeframe past the stated timeframe. Frost has made comments like this numerous times in YouTube debates (see “Preterist Debate! Sam Frost vs. Tracy Turbeville,” Oct. 14, 2022, YouTube) as well as on various conversations/posts on Facebook, and even to me privately in a Messenger conversation.
[2] Max King, The Cross and the Parousia of Christ, 685
