KICKING SACRED COWS

August 2004

have gone before. Old wineskins leak. -That is the lesson of history.
They cannot preserve a Revival. As an historian I can tell you that
the most long-lasting moves of God ALWAYS had a strong element
of ‘Reformation’ about them. If a ‘new wineskin’ was created then
sometimes they were able to last for an entire generation. Glory to
God! Can you imagine that?

I am convinced that for the last 500 years, since the Great
Reformation, God has used each wave of Revival to restore the
church more and more to its original state. The first things He
restored were ‘justification by faith’ and the ‘priesthood of all
believers’. Then in later moves of God we see the teaching of the
‘new birth’ and ‘baptism by immersion’ and ‘holiness’ being restored.
Huge movements burst forth, evangelizing the earth and restoring
lost Biblical truths. Just over the last century alone, the original
“Baptism of the Holy Spirit” and all the gifts have finally been
restored to the church. And since the 1960’s virtually every Revival
that has occurred around the world has been a full-on Holy Spirit-
filled Revival full of signs and miracles from God.

All the pieces are in place for a last great push – a full return to the
simplicity, the purity and the power of the early church. Despite all
the advances, we have never seen an actual ‘Book of Acts’ church
in all her raw beauty, holiness and power. Remember, Jesus is
returning for a church that is “without spot or wrinkle or any such
thing”. I am praying that this coming Revival will see the end of the
‘Reformation’ process that has been ongoing now for 500 years.
I pray that this will be the one that sees the final abandonment of
all that is of ‘Religion’ – and a return to the pristine purity of the
original.

When this process is complete, I believe that ONLY THEN can Jesus
return for His beautiful Bride.

But all the timing is God’s. And much preparation of HEART is needed,
along with structural change. In fact, as I have always emphasized, it
is the HEART issues that are the most important things.

As I said, all the pieces are now in place. Will you pray with me for
one last great Revival and Reformation, my friends?

[A BOOK of the whole “Nine Lies” series (and more) will be out shortly].

God bless you all!

Kindest regards in Christ,

Andrew Strom.

July 2004

The “PROSPERITY” Gospel is NOT in the Bible
(-And NEITHER is “SEED-FAITH” Giving)
-by Andrew Strom.

A lot of people think that today’s “Prosperity” teaching only
affects those in the ‘Word-Faith’ movement. But it’s effects
are felt far more widely than that. Jesus said, “A little leaven
leavens the whole lump” and we find that this insidious
teaching has infected large sections of the body of Christ
in all kinds of ways. -Especially in America. One of the
main reasons for this is because it has aligned itself so
successfully with CHRISTIAN TELEVISION.

The fact is, Christian TV can be costly, so it helps to have
lots of money. And the “Prosperity” teaching is a proven
money-maker for preachers. It really gets people giving!
And so these kinds of preachers thrive on television. But
it sure is a sick kind of “Christianity” that is presented.
And totally unscriptural, as we shall see.

The Prosperity gospel basically teaches that not only does
Jesus want to take away your sins and heal your body,
but He also wants you to be prosperous and even “rich”.
-Not just ‘SPIRITUALLY’ rich, but actually blessed with
all kinds of possessions, cars and houses, etc. Because,
of course, any kind of poverty and suffering is a “curse”,
and we know that Jesus came to set us free from the ‘curse’.

Now of course there is some truth in this. If there wasn’t,
then this false teaching would never get off the ground.

But the Bible makes it very clear that Jesus’ followers
can expect to SHARE IN HIS SUFFERINGS (Rom 8:17,
Lk 14:27, etc). The Scriptures also speak again and again
of Jesus’ affinity with the POOR and His opposition to
those who are rich. In fact, the sheer weight of Scriptures
on this subject is staggering. It is amazing to me that
the Prosperity teachers can get away with the things that
they say. Doesn’t anybody read their Bible any more?

The fact is, these people can find only ONE verse that
mentions “Prosperity” in the whole New Testament (-and
it is of dubious help, as we shall see). And there are
dozens and dozens of verses in opposition! But which one
do they choose to quote again and again? Here it is in the
King James version (-which is the only translation that helps
them in any way): “I wish above all things that thou mayest
prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.”
(3 John 2). Now, it is interesting to note what this word
“prosper” really means in this verse. Renowned Greek
scholar W.E. Vine says that it simply speaks of “the
prosperity of physical and spiritual health.” So it’s not
about MONEY at all!

And thus we find that in all the later translations, this
meaning is made clear. For example, the NIV translation
says: “I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all
may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along
well” (3 John 2). Isn’t that interesting?

As I said, this is one of the ONLY VERSES that these
Prosperity teachers quote in the entire New Testament.
If they are honest, they will admit that most of the rest of
the NT is squarely AGAINST THEM.

What I would encourage anyone to do, who wants to
research this subject, is to get a Concordance and look
up EVERY VERSE in the New Testament that contains
these words: (1) Rich or Riches, (2) Money, (3) Poor,
(4) Mammon (5) Possessions, (6) Treasure, (7) Sell or Sold, etc.

You will be absolutely amazed at how strong the NT
Scriptures are on this subject. I did this exact search
years ago, and was astonished at what I found.

When you look up the word ‘Rich’ you find Scriptures such
as this: “Woe unto you that are rich! For you have received
your consolation” (Lk 6:24) and “How hard it is for the rich
to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go
through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter
the kingdom of God” (Lk 18:24-25, NIV) and “People who
want to GET RICH fall into temptation and a trap” (1 Tim 6:9)
and “You rich people, weep and wail because of the misery
that is coming upon you” (Ja 5:1). There are many more
along similar lines. Go and look them up, and you will see!

We find that when Jesus was preaching kingdom principles
he was very strong in this area. When the ‘Rich young man’
came to him, He told him: “SELL your possessions and
give to the POOR, and you will have treasure in heaven.
Then come, follow me” (Mt 19:21, NIV). He also told his
own disciples to “SELL your possessions and give to the
POOR” (Lk 12:33).

In my recent article on “Tithing” we discussed the whole
issue of ‘Giving’ in the New Testament. The fact is, there
is no “law” telling Christians to give 10%. In fact, what the
NT makes clear is that EVERYTHING we have literally
belongs to God. Many people claim that “All I have is
God’s” but they do not act like it! In the New Testament
it is clear that it was EXPECTED for Christians to sell any
spare possessions, land or houses, to give to their needy
brothers and sisters – especially widows and orphans. They
certainly weren’t giving their money to wealthy preachers
on TV! And neither were they giving it to erect a new church
building on the corner! (-Such things did not exist). They
were giving from their HEART – and while some of it went to
support the ministry, MOST of it clearly went to feed and
clothe the POOR. (See Acts 2:44-45, Acts 4:34-37).

Some people today want to go back to the Old Testament
and use people like Solomon and Abraham as examples
of RICH people to emulate. But what they fail to realize is
that the Old Testament is a ‘type’ or a “SHADOW” of the
New. (Col 2:16, Heb 10:1). The Old was a “physical”
covenant, with a “physical” temple and rituals, etc. The
“blessings” of God were also mostly PHYSICAL and
material. But today we have a “spiritual” covenant – a
“heart-based” covenant, with mostly SPIRITUAL blessings.
That is why we should not seek Old Testament wealth
today. -We live under a different covenant.

It is very obvious from the New Testament that there is
NO SUCH THING as a ‘Prosperity’ gospel. In fact, it is the
exact OPPOSITE. Jesus said, “Blessed are you who are
POOR, for yours is the kingdom of God” (Lk 6:20). And
James declared: “Has not God chosen those who are
POOR in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to
inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?”
(Ja 2:5, NIV). Jesus clearly stated that you “CANNOT
serve God and Mammon” (Mt 6:24) and yet it is obvious
that many Christians today are trying to serve BOTH. The
‘Prosperity’ teaching clearly encourages this. It is a very
dangerous and harmful fallacy.

So does God want to bless His children or not? Of course
He does! But He wants to bless us so that we can GIVE
MORE AWAY – NOT so that we can hoard more luxuries
to ourselves. How can it be right for some Christians to be
wealthy and rolling in money and possessions, while just
down the street there are Christians who barely have
enough to eat? And what about our needy brothers and
sisters overseas?

There is a prophecy about the coming move of God that
one thing it will be built on is “Extravagant giving to the
poor.” I truly believe this. I am convinced that it is
something that is very high on God’s agenda.

“SEED-FAITH” Giving

It is important that I make a few comments about the
‘Seed-Faith’ teaching here, because so many TV preachers
use it to pressure people to give to their ministry. What it
amounts to is a “Give-to-Get” doctrine that blatantly twists
Scripture.

When a preacher says something like, “Sow a seed of
$100 into my ministry today, and God will give you back
100-fold,” then they are operating out of this “Seed-Faith”
doctrine. What they are really saying is, “Give to get”. The
motivation for giving is not so much to bless that ministry,
but to GET SOMETHING BACK from God. The motivation
is all twisted. Do they really expect God to “bless”
something so wrong-hearted?

But the TV preachers love this doctrine, because it enables
them to gather huge sums of money. And surprisingly,
studies have shown that it is the poor and needy who give
most often to these TV preachers. Why is this? -Because
these people often feel that only a financial “miracle” can
save them. It is not uncommon for desperate Christians to
give and give, well beyond their means, in the hope that
God will rescue them. Some will even lose their homes.
And the elderly and the sick often give sacrificially in the
hope of some kind of improvement.

Many preachers are fully aware of the kind of people they
are exploiting. How sick it all is. As Jesus said in Mt 23:14,
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you
devour widows’ houses.” I shudder to think of the fate that
awaits some of these preachers on Judgement Day.

Much of the reasoning behind this “Seed-Faith” teaching
is a distortion of ‘Sowing and Reaping’, which is a biblical
concept. But when it is distorted by preachers and sold
as a means of “Giving to get” then it has gone well beyond
the Scriptures. The purity of simply “giving from the heart”
is lost and replaced with selfish motives. People give
because the preacher “guarantees” they will get a ‘big
return’ on their investment! The motivation is so wrong that
it is no wonder that this doctrine has produced disastrous
fruit in the church. It is one of the sickest things around.

So next time you hear a preacher using this kind of
manipulation to get you to give him $100, make sure you
rebuke the deception in the name of Jesus, and turn the
television off!

We would all be far better off giving to the poor.

God bless you all.

Kindest regards in Christ,

Andrew Strom.

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June 2004

Is this talking about the end of the world in our future? NO! John is dealing with Jerusalem’s destruction in AD 70. Look at what Jesus said as he was on his way to be crucified:

Luke 23:28-30 (NKJV) But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 “For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ 30 “Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”‘

Jesus was telling the women of His day to weep for THEMSELVES because judgement was going to come upon THEM. In Revelation 6, during the great tribulation which happened in AD 67-70, we see them crying out for the mountains to fall on them, just as Jesus said they would. This language is picturing the response of sinful man to the awful judgement of God.

The biblical evidence is overwhelming, the Olivet Discourse, in its entirety, is speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. The only thing that would make us push any of these things into the future are our own presuppositions. In this vivid picturesque language Jesus is describing Jerusalem’s destruction. In AD 70, the lights went out in Israel for good. When the tribulation was over, physical Israel ceased to exist. God’s people were no longer distinguished by physical birth, but by spiritual birth alone. The Old Covenant was over, and the New fully instituted.

This message was preached by David B. Curtis on January 18, 1998.

May 2004

The Night the Lights Went Out in Israel

Matthew 24:22-29

We are working our way through Matthew’s account of the Olivet Discourse. We must remember that in this discourse the Lord is answering the disciple’s questions about the destruction of the Jewish temple, the sign of His presence and the end of the age. As we work our way through this discourse, we must fight the temptation to read this as if it was written to us in the twentieth century. Jesus is speaking to his disciples in the first century and we must study it in that context. Audience Relevance is something we must always keep in mind as we read and study the Bible; what did this mean to the original audience? Do you know of any book in the Bible written to the saints in Tidewater, Virginia? I don’t. The Scriptures are not written to us! They are for us, but they were not written to us.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NKJV) All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The Scriptures are God-breathed and profitable for us, but they are not written to us. Thus we must understand the original intent before we apply them to our lives. Now, as I’m sure you understand it is not always easy to find out exactly what the original intent of the author was; we are separated from the original audience by thousands of years, by culture, by history and by language. But if we do our homework and compare Scripture with Scripture, we can get a good idea of the authors original intent.

This passage of Scripture is very difficult to interpret with absolute certainty. This is one of the more difficult prophetic passages in the New Testament. W. Robertson Nicoll said, “What is said thereon is so perplexing as to tempt a modern expositor to wish it had not been there.” I don’t want to be like the little boy who was drawing a picture. His father asked him what he was drawing and he replied, “I am drawing a picture of God.” His father said, “Son, nobody knows what God looks like.” “Well,” said the son, “they will when I get through with this picture!” Although I love the little boy’s confidence, I don’t want to assume that once I explain this passage everyone will know the correct interpretation of it. My understanding of this passage comes from comparing Scripture with Scripture, and since I believe that the Scripture interprets itself, I am fairly confident in my interpretation. I would ask that you all be good Bereans and search the Scripture and see if what I am telling you lines up with the truth of Scripture.

We saw in our last study that our Lord told the disciples that they would see the “Abomination of Desolation” spoken of by Daniel, which Luke explained as Jerusalem surrounded by armies, and when they did there would come a time of “Great Tribulation.”

Matthew 24:21 (NKJV) “For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

We looked at this verse in depth last week and we saw that the “Great Tribulation” is past. Sorry to disappoint you but it is over, it happened 2,000 years ago. It was the destruction of Jerusalem as the context of this and the parallel gospel accounts makes abundantly clear. And as Jesus said, there will never be anything to equal it. Our Savior wept at the foresight of these calamities, and as we read the accounts of Josephus, it is almost impossible to keep from weeping ourselves. Josephus said, “To speak in brief, no other city ever suffered such things, as no other generation from the beginning of the world was even more fruitful of wickedness.”

Matthew 24:22 (NKJV) “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

Josephus computes the number of those who perished in the siege at eleven hundred thousand, besides those who were slain in other places: and if the Romans had gone on destroying in this manner the whole nation of the Jews would certainly, in a little time, have been eliminated. The word “saved” here is not a reference to redemption but to physical deliverance. Had the war gone on much longer no one would have been left alive. “But for the elect’s sake, those days shall be shortened.” – Mark puts it this way in 13:20, “But for the elect’s sake, whom he hath chosen, the Lord hath shortened the days,” The elect is a well known designation in scripture for Christians. Through the fury of the zealots on one hand, and the hatred of the Romans on the other, and partly through the difficulty of enduring in the mountains without houses or provisions, everybody would have been destroyed either by the sword or by famine, if the days had not been shortened. But providentially, the days were shortened. Josephus said, “Titus himself was desirous of putting a speedy end to the siege, having Rome and the riches and the pleasures there, before his eyes. Some of his officers proposed to him to turn the siege into a blockade, and since they could not take the city by storm, to starve it into a surrender : but he thought it not becoming to sit still with so great an army and he feared lest the length of the time should diminish the glory of his success; every thing indeed may be effected in time, but speed contributes much to the fame and splendor of actions.” TheJews, too, helped to shorten the days, by their divisions and mutual slaughters; by burning their own provisions, which would have lasted for many years ; and by deserting their strong holds, where they could never have been taken by force, but by famine alone. By these means, “the days were shortened.” Otherwise, Jerusalem could never have been taken in such a short time, it was well fortified, and able to sustain a longer siege. The Romans could hardly ever have prevailed but for the factions and seditions within. Titus himself ascribed his success to God, as he was viewing the fortifications, after the city was taken. His words to his friends were very remarkable: “We have fought,” he said, “with God on our aide; and it is God who hath pulled the Jews out of these strong holds; for what could the hands of men or machines avail against these towers ?” God, therefore, in the opinion of Titus, as well as the inspired writers, “shortened the days.”

It wasn’t in Jerusalem alone but all over the country that the war waged, and had it gone on many of the Christians who fled to the outlying areas would also been in danger.

23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.

Jesus had cautioned his disciples against false christs and false prophets before, but he gives a more specific caution against them about the time of the siege and destruction of Jerusalem.

24 “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

We learn from Josephus that many such impostors did arise about that time and promised deliverance from God, being persuaded by the tyrants or governors to prevent the people and soldiers from deserting to the Romans ; and the worse the Jews situation, the more open they would be to listen to these deceptions, and the more ready to follow the deceivers. Hegesippus, too, in Eusebius mentions the coming of false Christs and false prophets about the same time.

These false christs and prophets were so convincing that if it were possible, they would have even deceived the elect. Dositheus was reputed to work wonders, according to Origen : Barchoebebas too, who Jerome saith pretended to vomit flames.

25 “See, I have told you beforehand.

Christ had warned them about the coming of these false christs and false prophets.

26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.

Several of the false christs and false prophets led their followers “into the desert.” Josephus, in his Antiquities says, “Many impostors and cheats persuaded the people to follow them into the desert, where they promised to show manifest wonders and signs done by the providence of God; and many being persuaded suffered the punishment of their folly; for Felix brought them back, and chastised them.” Again in his history of the Jewish war, speaking of the same people, he says, “These impostors, under a pretense of divine inspiration, affecting innovations and changes, persuaded the multitude to grow mad, and led them forth ‘into the desert,’ as if God would there show them the signs of liberty. Against these Felix, for it seemed to be the foundation of a revolt, sent horse and foot soldiers, and slew a great number of them.” Josephus mentions another impostor, “Who promised salvation to the people, and a cessation of all evils, if they would follow him ‘into the desert;’ but Festus sent horse and foot soldiers against him, and destroyed the deceiver himself, and those who followed him.” Several of these impostors led their followers into “the secret chambers” or places of security. Josephus mentioned a false prophet who, “Declared to the people in the city, that God commanded them to go up into the temple, and there they should receive the signs of deliverance.A multitude of men, women, and children, went up accordingly; but instead of deliverance, the place was set on fire by the Romans, and six thousand perished miserably in the flames, or by throwing themselves down to escape them.”

I’m sure you can understand that during a time of such distress, the people would be open to hear and follow anyone who promised them deliverance from their miseries.

27 “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

His coming will not be in this or that particular place, but like the lightning, will be sudden and universal. The appearance of the true Christ will be clearly distinguishable from that of the false Christ. Josephus says, “The Roman army entered into Judea on the east side of it, and carried on their conquest westward, as if not only the extensiveness of the ruin, but the very route, which the army would take, was intended in the comparison of the lightning coming out of the east, and shining even unto the west.” While this may be true, I think that Christ’s emphasis here, based on the immediate context, is that His coming will be swift and universal judgement.

What this verse tells us is that the Lord’s coming will be like lightning in some manner; there is a comparison here “for as” and “so also.” The word “coming” here is the Greek word parousia. This word is used four times by Matthew, all of them in chapter 24. This is the same word the disciples used in their question to Jesus. They asked, “What will be the sign of Your coming?” Remember from our earlier study on verse 3, that as we compare all three gospel accounts of this question, you see that the disciples considered His coming and the end of the age to be identical events with the destruction of Jerusalem. To the disciples, the parousia was not used of a second coming but signified the full manifestation of His Messiahship; a glorious appearing in authority and power. So we could translate it this way, “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the glorious appearing in authority and power be of the Son of Man.

What does the idea of lightning tell us? Many of the modern futurists interpret the idea of lightning as something visible to the whole world. Walvoord says, “Apparently, the heavens will be ablaze with the glory of God.” F.C. Cook says, “The coming of Christ shall not be an obscure one, confined to a particular place, and signified from thence by report, but one visible to the whole world. Surely this again is an intimation that the second coming of Christ is not to be identified with any local event, such as the destruction of Jerusalem.”

Now, folks isn’t lightning a local event? Can a flash of lightning be see by the whole world? No, but it can possibly be seen by a whole city.

I think that by comparing Scripture with Scripture, we can see that lightning refers to God’s judgement, not to a bright light of glory that everyone will see. In these Old Testament passages we see local judgements of God described by the use of lightning.

2 Samuel 22:14-15 (NKJV) “The LORD thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice. 15 He sent out arrows and scattered them; Lightning bolts, and He vanquished them.

The Hebrew word for lightning is baraq, it means lightning.

Psalms 18:14 (NKJV) He sent out His arrows and scattered the foe, Lightnings in abundance, and He vanquished them.

Zechariah 9:14 (NKJV) Then the LORD will be seen over them, And His arrow will go forth like lightning. The Lord GOD will blow the trumpet, And go with whirlwinds from the south.

Habakkuk 3:11-12 (NKJV) The sun and moon stood still in their habitation; At the light of Your arrows they went, At the shining of Your glittering (baraq,) 12 You marched through the land in indignation; You trampled the nations in anger.

Habakkuk interprets his imagery as a prophecy of the military invasion of Judah by the Chaldeans.

The Greek word used for lightning in Matthew 24:27 is astrape, it means lightning; by anal. glare:–lightning, bright shining. The same Greek word is also used in other passages that speak of judgement.

Luke 10:18 (NKJV) And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

That speaks of the judgement of God on Satan.

Revelation 16:18-19 (NKJV) And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. 19 Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.

It seems to me, that when Jesus compares his coming to lightning, that he is saying that His coming will be seen in judgement. Albert Barns, in his commentary on this verse says, “…the destruction of Jerusalem is described as his coming, his act.”

I think that the designation “Son of Man” is significant here. Son of man is a New Testament designation for Jesus as God incarnate in flesh and agent of divine judgment. I think that this verse is clearly telling us that Christ’s parousia will be seen in the destruction of Jerusalem. The immediate context bears this out, these verses all speak of judgement.

28 “For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.

The Jewish nation was a carcase, which was morally and judicially dead, and the Romans descended upon it and devoured it. This language is also seen in the judgement language of the Old Testament.

Habakkuk 1:6-8 (NKJV) For indeed I am raising up the Chaldeans, A bitter and hasty nation Which marches through the breadth of the earth, To possess dwelling places that are not theirs. 7 They are terrible and dreadful; Their judgment and their dignity proceed from themselves. 8 Their horses also are swifter than leopards, And more fierce than evening wolves. Their chargers charge ahead; Their cavalry comes from afar; They fly as the eagle that hastens to eat.

Isaiah 46:10-11 (NKJV) Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ 11 Calling a bird of prey from the east, (Cyrus the Persian King) The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it.

Jeremiah 7:33-34 (NKJV) “The corpses of this people will be food for the birds of the heaven and for the beasts of the earth. And no one will frighten them away. 34 “Then I will cause to cease from the cities of Judah and from the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride. For the land shall be desolate.

Hosea 8:1 (NKJV) “Set the trumpet to your mouth! He shall come like an eagle against the house of the LORD, Because they have transgressed My covenant And rebelled against My law.

The victories of the Romans were not confined to the city of Jerusalem, but like a flood, overran the whole land. Where ever the Jews are, there will Christ be taking vengeance upon them by the Romans. Josephus said, “There was no part of Judea, which did not partake of the calamities of the capital city. At Antioch, the Jews being falsely accused of a design to burn the city, many of them were burnt in the theater, and others were slain. The Romans pursued, and took, and slew them every where, as particularly at the siege of Machaerus; at the wood Jardes, where the Jews were surrounded, and none of them escaped, but, being not fewer than three thousand, were all slain ; and at Masada, where being closely besieged, and upon the point of being taken, they first murdered their wives and children, and then themselves to the number of nine hundred and sixty, to prevent their failing into the enemies’ hands. Many were slain in Egypt, and their temple there was shut up: and in Cyrene the followers of Jonathan, a weaver, and author of new disturbances, were most of them slain; he himself was taken prisoner, and by his false accusation three thousand of the richest Jews were condemned and put to death.” With this account, Josephus concludes his history of the Jewish war.

Albert Barnes says, “This verse is connected with the preceding by the word ‘for,’ implying that this is a reason for what is said there-that the Son of man would certainly come to destroy the city, and that he would come suddenly. The meaning is that he would come, by means of the Roman armies, as certainly, as suddenly, and as unexpectedly as whole flocks of vultures and eagles, though unseen before, see their prey at a great distance and suddenly gather in multitudes around it … So keen is their vision as aptly to represent the Roman armies, though at an immense distance, spying, as it were, Jerusalem, a putrid carcass, and hastening in multitudes to destroy it” ( Commentary on Matthew 24:28).

John Broadus(1886) said, “Christ shall be revealed with a sudden vengeance; for when God shall cast off the city and people, grown ripe for destruction, like a carcase thrown out, the Roman soldiers, like eagles, shall straight fly to it with their eagles (ensigns) to tear and devour it.”

29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

Modern commentators generally understand this, and what follows, as the end of the world; but the words “immediately after the tribulation of those days,” show, that he is not speaking of any distant event, but of something immediately following the tribulation just mentioned, and that must be the destruction of Jerusalem. The word “immediately” is the Greek word eutheos, it means directly, at once or soon, as soon as, forthwith, immediately, shortly, straightway. Notice carefully when this takes place — immediately after the tribulation of THOSE days. We have seen that the tribulation happened in 67-70 AD with the destruction of Jerusalem so what ever this verse is referring to, happened immediately afterward.

If you are not familiar with the apocalyptic language of the Old Testament, you will not understand what Christ is saying here. This language is common among the Old Testament prophets. This idea is seen clearly as we look at passages where mention is made of the destruction of a state and government using language which seems to set forth the end of the world.

Isaiah 13:1 (NKJV) The burden against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.

In this chapter God is talking about the judgement that is to fall upon Babylon. The word “burden” is the Hebrew word “massa”, an utterance, chiefly a doom. This introduction sets the stage for the subject matter in this chapter, and if we forget this, our interpretations of Isaiah 13 can go just about anywhere our imagination wants to go. This is not an oracle against the universe or world but against the nation of Babylon.

Isaiah 13:6 (NKJV) Wail, for the day of the LORD is at hand! It will come as destruction from the Almighty.

Isaiah 13:9-13 (NKJV) Behold, the day of the LORD comes, Cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, To lay the land desolate; And He will destroy its sinners from it. 10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not cause its light to shine. 11 “I will punish the world for its evil, And the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arrogance of the proud, And will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. 12 I will make a mortal more rare than fine gold, A man more than the golden wedge of Ophir. 13 Therefore I will shake the heavens, And the earth will move out of her place, In the wrath of the LORD of hosts And in the day of His fierce anger.

Now remember, he is speaking about the destruction of Babylon, but is sounds like world wide destruction. The terminology of a context cannot be expanded beyond the scope of the subject under discussion. The spectrum of language surely cannot go outside the land of Babylon. If you were a Babylonian and Babylon was destroyed, would it seem like the world was destroyed? Yes! Your world would be destroyed.

Isaiah 13:17 (NKJV) “Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, Who will not regard silver; And as for gold, they will not delight in it.

This is an historical event that took place in 539 BC. When the Medes destroyed Babylon, the Babylonian world came to an end. This destruction is said, in verse 6, to be from the Almighty, and the Medes constitute the means that God uses to accomplish this task. This is apocalyptic language. This is the way the Bible discusses the fall of a nation. This is obviously figurative language. God did not intend for us to take this literally. If we take this literally, the world ended in 539 BC.

In Isaiah 34, we have a description of the fall of Edom, notice the language that is used:

Isaiah 34:3-5 (NKJV) Also their slain shall be thrown out; Their stench shall rise from their corpses, And the mountains shall be melted with their blood. 4 All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll; All their host shall fall down As the leaf falls from the vine, And as fruit falling from a fig tree. 5 “For My sword shall be bathed in heaven; Indeed it shall come down on Edom, And on the people of My curse, for judgment.

This is Biblical language to describe the fall of a nation. It should be clear that it is not to be taken literally. Let’s look at other Old Testament use of this language.

Nahum 1 (NKJV) The burden against Nineveh. The book of the vision of Nahum the Elkoshite. 2 God is jealous, and the LORD avenges; The LORD avenges and is furious. The LORD will take vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies; 3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in power, And will not at all acquit the wicked. The LORD has His way In the whirlwind and in the storm, And the clouds are the dust of His feet. 4 He rebukes the sea and makes it dry, And dries up all the rivers. Bashan and Carmel wither, And the flower of Lebanon wilts. 5 The mountains quake before Him, The hills melt, And the earth heaves at His presence, Yes, the world and all who dwell in it.

The subject of this judgement is Nineveh, not the physical world. This is the way God describes the fall of a nation. If this language describes the judgement of God on nations, why, when we come to the New Testament, do we make it be the destruction of the universe? It is only because we do not understand how the Bible uses this apocalyptic language.

Ezekiel speaks in the same manner of Egypt:

Ezekiel 32:7-8 (NKJV) When I put out your light, I will cover the heavens, and make its stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, And the moon shall not give her light. 8 All the bright lights of the heavens I will make dark over you, And bring darkness upon your land,’ Says the Lord GOD.

The prophet Daniel speaks, in the same manner, of the slaughter of the Jews by the little horn, the power of the Romans.

Daniel 8:10 (NKJV) And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them.

In the prophetic language, great commotions and revolutions upon earth are often represented by commotions and changes in the heavens. None of these things literally took place!

Milton Terry said, ” From these quotations it is apparent that there is scarcely an expression employed in Matthew and Luke which has not been taken from the Old Testament Scriptures. Such apocalyptic forms of speech are not to be assumed to convey in the New Testament a meaning different from that which they bear in the Hebrew Scriptures. They are part and parcel of the genius of prophetic language.”

Samuel Hinds (1829) said, “It requires but a slender acquaintance with the writings of the Old Testament prophets to enable us to observe the peculiarity. It is not only figurative, but the figures are of the boldest kind, involving analogies so remote, as in some instances to be scarcely discoverable. If revolutions in empires be the subject, the prophetic representation is filled with disturbance of the laws of the natural world, and the sun, moon, and stars, are exhibited in commotion. If a deliverer is promised to the Jews, the prophet expresses the promise by the rising of a star, and the like” (Hinds, pp. 209-210)

Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) said, “The figurative language of the prophets is taken from the analogy between the world natural and an empire or kingdom considered as a world politic. Accordingly, the world natural, consisting of heaven and earth, signifies the whole world politic, consisting of thrones and people, or so much of it as is considered in prophecy; and the things in that world signify the analogous things in this. For the heavens and the things therein signify thrones and dignities, and those who enjoy them: and the earth, with the things thereon, the inferior people; and the lowest parts of the earth, called Hades or Hell, the lowest or most miserable part of them. Great earthquakes, and the shaking of heaven and earth, are put for the shaking of kingdoms, so as to distract and overthrow them; the creating of a new heaven and earth, and the passing of an old one; or the beginning and end of a world, for the rise and ruin of a body politic signified thereby. The sun, for the whole species and race of kings, in the kingdoms of the world politic; the moon, for the body of common people considered as the king’s wife; the starts, for subordinate princes and great men; or for bishops and rulers of the people of God, when the sun is Christ. Setting of the sun, moon, and stars; darkening the sun, turning the moon into blood, and falling of the stars, for the ceasing of a kingdom.”(Observations on the Prophecies, Part i. chap. ii)

Dr. John Owen (1721) said, “Not to hold you too long upon what is so plain and evident, you may take it for a rule, that, in the denunciations of the judgments of God, through all the prophets, heaven, sun, moon, stars, and the like appearing beauties and glories of the aspectable heavens, are taken for governments, governors, dominions in political states, as Isa. 14:12-15; Jer 15:9, 51:25. Isaiah 13:13; Ps. 68:6; Joel 2:10; Rev. 8:12; Matt. 24:29; Luke 21:25; Isa 60:20; Obad. 4; Rev 8:13; 11:12; 20:11.” (vol. 8, p. 255, in a sermon entitled Shaking and Translating of Heaven and Earth, preached on April 19, 1649)

James Stuart Russell (1878) said, “The symbols are, in fact, equivalent to those employed by our Lord when predicting the doom of Israel. ‘Immediately after the tribulation of those days (the horrors of the siege of Jerusalem) shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken (Matt 24:29). Both passages refer to the same catastrophe and employ very similar figures; besides which we have the authority of our Lord for fixing the event and the period of which He speaks within the limits of the generation then in existence: that is to say, the reference can only be to the judgment of the Jewish nation and the abrogation of the Mosaic economy at the Parousia.” (p. 289-290).

John Gill (1809) said, “Ver. 29. Immediately after the tribulation of those days, &c.] That is, immediately after the distress the Jews would be in through the siege of Jerusalem, and the calamities attending it; just upon the destruction of that city, and the temple in it, with the whole nation of the Jews, shall the following things come to pass;…… and that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, will not answer to the word ‘immediately’, or show that that should be understood of two thousand years after: besides, all the following things were to be fulfilled before that present generation, in which Christ lived, passed away, #Mt 24:34 and therefore must be understood of things that should directly, and immediately take place upon, or at the destruction of the city and temple.”

We see this apocalyptic language used all through the book of Revelation. I believe that the book of Revelation is an expanded version of the Olivet Discourse. Notice how John used apocalyptic language.

Revelation 6:13-17 (NKJV) And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 “For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”

April 2004

I can’t say it any better than this. Please visit this site and be blessed.. here is an introduction.

God bless you all,
Bry

http://www.preterism.info/

Preterism is the belief that all Bible prophecies, including those concerned with the second coming of Jesus, the resurrection and the judgment, came to complete fulfillment in A.D. 70 at the destruction of Jerusalem. Regarding that era, Jesus said:

This is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written…When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. (Luke 21:22-28, NIV)

Under the Old Covenant, being judged a false prophet was a very serious matter — it meant a death sentence. Yet most modern prophecy teachers completely ignore this point and present a gospel that makes Jesus and his apostles the most outrageous band of false prophets that ever walked the earth. Be sure to read the introductory article:

Were the Apostles False Prophets?

It addresses the critical issue regarding the return of Christ that most Christians seem unwilling to face honestly.

All articles at Preterism.info are concise and formatted for easy reading. The printer-friendly versions are saved in DOC format and may be easily saved to your computer and printed from MS-Word or MS-WordPad. Feel free to download and print them for personal study, group Bible studies or to kindly challenge friends and theologians.

The Preterist Report is an Internet newsletter published by Preterism.info. It presents issues related to the preterist position and notifies subscribers when articles are added to this website. To add your name to the mailing list, click the SUBSCRIBE link below.

I believe that all Bible prophecy was fulfilled on schedule, that the first-century church received everything it was promised, that our redemption in Jesus Christ is complete and that the words of Jesus, his holy apostles and holy scripture take precedence over all teachings to the contrary.

Sincerely,

Michael A. Fenemore

February 2004

An Answer to Tim LaHaye and Thomas Ice, The End Times Controversy

Part 2

By Gary DeMar

Thomas Ice does not understand why so little (he says “zero”) is said about the destruction of Jerusalem in first-century documents. He wants to know why the temple’s predicted destruction was not used by the early church to prove the Christian case against Judaism and vindicate Jesus as a prophet. As has already been pointed out, there is very little in terms of published documents that has survived through the centuries. In addition, prior to the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70, “Jewish Christianity, as well as Gentile, had by this time established its own identity. . . . During the war and in the ensuing three or four decades . . . the separation of the Jewish Christians from Judaism became complete.”1 The earliest Christian documents were written to and for Christians who had some knowledge of the gospel through preaching and teaching (2 Thess. 2:5), letters that have been lost (1 Cor. 5:9), and/or copies of what we know today as the New Testament. Why repeat what was common knowledge? There’s a lot that these documents do not mention.

G. W. H. Lampe argues that “the main principles of the Christian position had been established against Judaism well before the first Jewish war ended,” that “the decisive event which vindicated Jesus as the Christ, the Lord, the Son of God, was not the destruction of his enemies but his resurrection from the dead and his exaltation to God’s right hand.”2 The New Testament focus was off the earthly Jerusalem and its temple and on the “heavenly Jerusalem” (Heb. 12:22) and the temple above (Rev. 21:22). For forty years, from A.D. 30 to 70, the resurrection of Jesus was the center of controversy. Paul was on trial for the “resurrection of the dead” (Acts 23:6; 24:21). With the passage of forty years, the temple was no longer relevant. Lampe continues his argument:

From the letter to the Galatians Christians had learned that they were children of the Jerusalem which is ‘above’, the community which, because it enjoys the freedom of the Spirit, stands over against its antithesis, the earthly Jerusalem which is in servitude to the Law (Gal. 4:25–6, cp. Phil. 3:20). The foundations, once again, had been laid for the later development of the theme of the ‘heavenly Jerusalem’ in Hebrews (12:22), the ‘new’ or ‘holy’ Jerusalem which, according to the Revelation of John (3:12; 20:9; 21:2), is to descend from heaven and in which the presence of God will not be focussed or localised in any temple, and for the reinterpretation by the Fourth Evangelist of the idea of a holy place, established by God for worship, in terms of community which worships in the Spirit and truth (John 4:21–3). Paul had already taught that the holy temple of God, indwelt by the Spirit, is the congregation of Christian people, the temple of the living God in which his presence assures the fulfilment of the covenant promise, ‘I will be their God and they shall be my people’ (I Cor. 3:16–17; 2 Cor. 6:16); and Paul had also shown that in a secondary sense each individual believer is the temple of the indwelling Holy Spirit (I Cor. 6:19). In this ark of Christian theology, too, the foundations of later developments, such as the teaching of Eph. 2:21 and I Pet. 2:5, and, through a combination of the themes of the ‘temple of the Spirit’ and the ‘body of Christ’, of John 2:21, had been firmly laid in the years before the Jewish war.3

Ice gives the false impression to his readers that there is a large body of written material on the subject of eschatology composed by first-century writers. It’s odd that Ice never quotes from one of these first-century documents to prove his point. In fact, he never tells us what first-century documents he has in mind or their subject matter. Of course, the reason Ice doesn’t quote these documents is that they do not teach what he needs them to teach.
Contrary to what Ice claims, some dispensationalists are honest enough to admit that it’s “not an easy task to piece together a picture of what early Christians thought about the end times. . . . [since] our sources for their thought in this area are relatively limited.”4 In reality, there are only four first-century writings available for study today: The Didache, 1 Clement, the Epistle of Barnabas, and the Shepherd of Hermas. Of the four, only 1 Clement and the Didache allude to Matthew 24. Ice demands that a “preterist has to prove that the early church writings interpreted passages such as Matthew 24:27, 30, 25:31, Acts 1:9–11, Revelation 1:7,5 and 19:11–21 as fulfilled in A.D. 70.”6 Ice doesn’t offer a shred a evidence that these passages were used by first-century writers to prove his unique brand of futurism. In fact, a study of the documents of the period will show that none of them quotes Matthew 25:31, Acts 1:9–11, or Revelation 1:7 and 19:11–21. In the end, Ice’s argument from history is an argument from silence. “As every good student of history knows, it is wrong to suppose that what is unmentioned or undetailed did not exist.”7

What follows is an analysis of first-century writings that address the topic of eschatology. Ice does not deal with any them in his chapter on “The History of Preterism.”A “Shred of Evidence” from the Didache
The Didache, also known as “The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles,” is probably the oldest surviving extant piece of non-canonical literature. It claims to have been written by the twelve apostles, but this cannot be proved. While the full text of the Didache was not rediscovered until 1873, there are references to it in Clement of Alexandria’s Miscellanies,8 Eusebius’s Ecclesiastical History,9 and Athanasius’s Festal Letter.10 The Didache quotes five verses from Matthew 24 (4, 10, 11, 24, 30). The crucial time text of Matthew 24:34 (“this generation will not pass away”) is not quoted, but Matthew 24:30 is: “The Lord shall come and all His saints with Him. Then shall the world see the Lord coming upon the clouds of heaven” (16.7–8). The verses are obviously used to describe future events. Of course, if the Didache was written prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, then preterists have their “shred of evidence” that Ice says does not exist. Sure enough, a number of scholars believe that the Didache was composed before A.D. 70. In the authoritative work The Apostolic Fathers, we read the following:
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A remarkably wide range of dates, extending from before A.D. 50 to the third century or later, has been proposed for this document. . . . The Didache may have been put into its present form as late as 150, though a date considerably closer to the end of the first century seems more plausible. The materials from which it was composed, however, reflect the state of the church at an even earlier time. The relative simplicity of the prayers, the continuing concern to differentiate Christian practice from Jewish rituals (8.1), and in particular the form of church structure–note the twofold structure of bishops and deacons (cf. Phil. 1:1) and the continued existence of traveling apostles and prophets alongside a resident ministry–reflect a time closer to that of Paul and James (who died in the 60s) than Ignatius (who died sometime after 110).11

The definitive work on the Didache was written by the French Canadian J.-P. Audet who concluded “that it was composed, almost certainly in Antioch, between 50 and 70.”12 In an earlier edition of The Apostolic Fathers we read a similar conclusion: “In his very thorough commentary J.-P. Audet suggests about A.D. 70, and he is not likely to be off by more than a decade in either direction.”13 Even liberal scholars, who tend to date all New Testament documents late, acknowledge the evidence for an early date for the Didache. For example, Stephen J. Patterson comments that the trend is to date the document early, “at least by the end of the first century or the beginning of the second, and in the case of Jean-P. Audet, as early as 50–70 C.E.”14 So then, if the Didache was written prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, as a number of scholars suggest, then its use of Matthew 24 to describe events that were yet to take place, including the coming of the Son of Man on the clouds of heaven” (Matt. 24:30), makes perfect sense given a preterist interpretation of the Olivet Discourse. Ice has his “shred of evidence.”A “Shred of Evidence” from James the Brother of Jesus
In Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, written in the fourth century, we learn of an incident that lead to the martyrdom of James the brother of Jesus. The original story comes from the second-century historian Hegesippus who wrote his notes on the history of the church between A.D. 165 and 175. When James was called on by a group of Scribes and Pharisees to set the what they believed was the truth of the claimed Messiahship of Jesus, Hegesippus reports James as stating that Jesus “is about to come on the clouds of heaven.”15 Hegesippus is quoting what “James the Just” said to a group of Scribes and Pharisees who believed that people were “led astray after Jesus was crucified”: “Why do you ask me respecting Jesus the Son of Man? He is now sitting in the heavens, on the right hand of great Power, and is about to come on the clouds of heaven.”16
The Greek word mellow, “about to,” “communicates a sense of immediacy.”17 “If the author had not wished to stress the immediate aspect of Christ’s coming, he could still have stressed the certainty of Christ’s coming with erketai, thereby omitting the immediate factor.”18 After hearing James’ obvious allusion to Matthew 26:64, the officials of the temple cast him down from the “wing of the temple” and later stoned him and beat out his brains with a club. “Immediately after this,” Hegesippus writes, “Vespasian invaded and took Judea.”19 James the brother of Jesus believed that Jesus’ coming was “about to take place.” Hegessipus identifies the coming of Jesus “on the clouds of heaven” with the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.A “Shred of Evidence” from 1 Clement
Clement (A.D. 30–100), also known as Clemens Romanus to distinguish him from Clement of Alexandria who died in the third century, is noted for his letter to the Corinthians (1 Clement). The letter is commonly dated around A.D. 96, but there is good reason to date it earlier. John A. T. Robinson is sympathetic to George Edmundson’s evidence that 1 Clement “was written in the early months of 70.”20 The strongest argument for an early A.D. 70 date is that Clement states that temple sacrifices were being offered in Jerusalem at the time of its writing. This means the temple, which was destroyed in late A.D. 70, was still standing when Clement wrote his letter:
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Not in every place, brethren, are the continual daily sacrifices offered, or the freewill offerings, or the sin offerings or the trespass offerings, but in Jerusalem alone. And even there the offering is not made in every place, but before the sanctuary in the court of the altar; and this too through the high-priest and the aforesaid ministers (41.2).

To give further support for an early A.D. 70 date is Clement’s comments about what was taking place in “our generation,” specifically the martyrdom of Peter and Paul. Keep in mind that Clement was born around A.D. 30 and would have been forty years old in A.D. 70, making him a part of the “this generation” of Matthew 24:34:

But not to dwell upon ancient examples, let us come to the most recent spiritual heroes. Let us take the noble examples furnished in our own generation. Through envy and jealousy, the greatest and most righteous pillars [of the Church] have been persecuted and put to death. Let us set before our eyes the illustrious apostles. Peter, through unrighteous envy, endured not one or two, but numerous labours and when he had at length suffered martyrdom, departed to the place of glory due to him. Owing to envy, Paul also obtained the reward of patient endurance, after being seven times thrown into captivity, compelled to flee, and stoned. After preaching both in the east and west, he gained the illustrious reputation due to his faith, having taught righteousness to the whole world, and come to the extreme limit of the west, and suffered martyrdom under the prefects. Thus was he removed from the world, and went into the holy place, having proved himself a striking example of patience (5.1–17. Emphasis added.).

Remember Ice’s criterion for establishing preterism in the first century: All we need is “a shred of evidence.” There are a couple of items in this section of Clement’s letter that point to a pre-A.D. 70 fulfillment. As opposed to “ancient examples” to make his case, Clement instead dwells on “the most recent spiritual heroes,” in this case, Peter and Paul who “suffered martyrdom” during the Neronic persecutions in the 60s. These are “noble examples furnished in our own generation,” Clement writes. Jesus predicted in the presence of Peter: “They will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you. . .” (Matt. 24:9; cf. John 21:18–19).
Of Paul, Clement writes, “After preaching both in the east and west, he gained the illustrious reputation due to his faith, having taught righteousness to the whole world, and come to the extreme limit of the west.” It was Paul’s plan to go to Spain (Rom. 14:24, 28). Compare this statement to what Jesus says in Matthew 24:14, a verse that LaHaye and Ice maintain has not been fulfilled.

“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come.”

Clement, following the language of Jesus and Paul, states that the “whole world” (kosmos) had been “taught righteousness.” Paul writes to the Romans that their “faith is being proclaimed throughout the whole world [kosmos]” (Rom. 1:8). At the end of Romans we read that the gospel “has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith” (16:26). To the Colossians we learn that, according to Paul, the gospel “was proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister” (Col. 1:23; cf. 1:6 [kosmos]).
Conclusion
Ice and LaHaye get off on the wrong foot in their analysis of preterism. The historical argument is a death blow, or to use Mark Hitchcock’s metaphor from his chapter on the dating of Revelation, “A Stake in the Heart” to their brand of futurism. The earliest historical sources, the Didache, the testimony of James, the brother of Jesus, and 1 Clement demonstrate that preterism’s history is a first-century history.
As time and opportunity permit, I will deal with Ice’s other claims on the history of preterism even though they are rather inconsequential to the debate. Ice leaves out so many outstanding preterists that one wonders if he’s trying to hide something from his mostly dispensational audience.
Notes

G. W. H. Lampe, “A.D. 70 in Christian Reflection,” Jesus and the Politics of His Day, eds. Ernst Bammel and C. F. D Moule (London: Cambridge University Press, 1984), 156.
Lampe, “A.D. 70 in Christian Reflection,” 157.
Lampe, “A.D. 70 in Christian Reflection,” 157–158.
John D. Hannah, Our Legacy: The History of Christian Doctrine (Colorado Springs, CO: NAVPRESS, 2001), 305. Hannah is department chairman and distinguished professor of historical theology at Dallas Theological Seminary. Hannah still popularizes the canard that “the Fathers embraced a premillennial understanding” of future events (306). Apparently, Hannah is not aware of Boyd’s study of the period. Contrary to Hannah’s assertions on premillennialism, Louis Berkhof concludes after his study of the period, “But it is not correct to say, as Premillenarians do, that it was generally accepted in the first three centuries. The truth of the matter is that the adherents of this doctrine were a rather limited number. There is no trace of it in Clement of Rome, Ignatius, Polycarp, Tatian, Athenagoras, Theophilus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Dionysius, and other important Church Fathers.” (Louis Berkhof, The History of Christian Doctrines [London: The Banner of Truth Trust, (1937) 1969], 262).
LaHaye and Ice, End Times Controversy, 39. Revelation 1:7 is only quoted three times in the entire ante-Nicene corpus, none from first-century writings.
LaHaye and Ice, End Times Controversy, 39.
Robert E. Van Voorst, Jesus Outside the New Testament: An Introduction to the Ancient Evidence (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2000), 14.
(Miscellanies, 1, 20, 100).
(Ecclesiastical History, 3.25).
(Festal Letter, 39).
Michael W. Holmes, ed., The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations, rev. ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, [1992] 1999), 247–248. Emphasis added.
John A. T. Robinson, Redating the New Testament (Philadelphia: Westminster Press, 1976), 323.
Michael W. Holmes, ed., The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations of Their Writings, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1992), 247. Holmes references J.-P. Audet, La DidachP: Instructions des Apôtres (Paris: Gabalda, 1958), 187–206.
Stephen J. Patterson, The Gospel of Thomas and Jesus: Thomas Christianity, Social Radicalism, and the Quest of the Historical Jesus (Santa Rosa, CA: Polebridge Press, 1993), 173.
Boyd, A Dispensational Premillennial Analysis of the Eschatology of the Post-Apostolic Fathers, 288. Boyd cites Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, 2.33. The correct reference is 2:22. The account is also told in William Cave, Antiquitates Apostolicae: Or, the History of the Lives, Acts and Martyrdoms of the Holy Apostles or Our Saviour, and the Two Evangelists, SS. Mark and Luke, 2 vols. in 1 (London: R. Norton for R. Royston, Bookseller to His most Sacred Majesty, 1677), 1:193
Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, “The martyrdom of James, who was called the brother of the Lord,” 2.23 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1958), 77-78. The same account can be found in volume 8 of the Ante-Nicene Fathers, 763.
Boyd, 28.
Boyd, 28. See A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, trans. William F. Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich, 4th rev. ed., s.v. mellow, I.c.a., 502. This understanding of mellow refutes Ice’s claim time words are used “as qualitative indicators (not chronological indicators) describing how Christ will return.” (End Times Controversy, 35).
Eusebius’ Ecclesiastical History, “The martyrdom of James, who was called the brother of the Lord,” 2.23 (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1958), 77-78. The same account can be found in volume 8 of the Ante-Nicene Fathers, 763.
Robinson, Redating the New Testament, 329.

January 2004

And so it is:

Laus Deo

This is worth a moment or two of your time. I was not aware of
this historical information.

On the aluminum cap, atop the Washington Monument in
Washington DC, are displayed two words: Laus Deo.
[Lah-us Dee-o] No one can see these words. In fact, most
visitors to the monument are totally unaware they are even
there and for that matter, probably couldn’t care less. Once
you know Laus Deo’s history, you will want to share this with
everyone you know. But these words have been there for many
years; they are 555 feet, 5.125 inches high, perched atop the
monument, facing skyward to the Father of our nation,
overlooking the 69 square miles which comprise the District
of Columbia, capital of the United States of America.

Laus Deo! Two seemingly insignificant, un-noticed words. Out of
sight and, one might think, out of mind, but very meaningfully
placed at the highest point over what is the most powerful city
in the most successful nation in the world. So, what do those
two words, in Latin, composed of just four syllables and only
seven letters, possibly mean? Very simply, they say “Praise be
to God!” [Laus is Praise be and Deo means God]

Though construction of this giant obelisk began in 1848, when
James Polk was President of the United States, it was not until
1888 that the monument was inaugurated and opened to the public.
It took twenty five years to finally cap the memorial with a tribute to
the Father of our nation, “Laus Deo….Praise be to God!”
From atop this magnificent granite and marble structure, visitors
may take in the beautiful panoramic view of the city with it’s
division into four major segments. From that vantage point. one
can also easily see the original plan of the designer, Pierre Charles
l’Enfant…a perfect cross imposed upon the landscape, with the
White House to the north. The Jefferson Memorial is to the south,
the Capitol to the east and the Lincoln Memorial to the west.

A cross you ask ? Why a cross? What about separation of church
and state? Yes, a cross; separation of church and state was not,
is not, in the Constitution. So, read on . . . How interesting and,
no doubt, intended to carry a profound meaning for those who bother
to notice. Praise be to God! Within the monument itself are 898
steps and 50 landings. As one climbs the steps and pauses at the
landings the memorial stones share a message. On the 12th Landing
is a prayer offered by the City of Baltimore; on the 20th is a memorial
presented by some Chinese Christians; on the 24th a presentation
made by Sunday School children from New York and Philadelphia
quoting Proverbs 10:7, Luke 18:16 and Proverbs 22:6.
Praise be to God!

When the cornerstone of the Washington Monument was laid on July
4th, 1848 deposited within it were many items including the Holy Bible
presented by the Bible Society. Praise be to God! Such was the
discipline, the moral direction, the spiritual mood given by the founder
and first President of our unique democracy …”One Nation, Under
God.”

I am awed by Washington’s prayer for America. Have you never
read it? Well, now is your unique opportunity, so read on!

“Almighty God; We make our earnest prayer that Thou wilt keep the
United States in Thy holy protection; that Thou wilt incline the
hearts of the citizens to cultivate a spirit of subordination and
obedience to government; and entertain a brotherly affection and
love for one another and for their fellow citizens of the United
states at large.” And finally that Thou wilt most graciously be
pleased to dispose us all to do justice, to love mercy, and to demean
ourselves with that charity, humility, and pacific temper of mind which
were the characteristics of the Divine Author of our blessed religion,
and without a humble imitation of whose example in these things we
can never hope to be a happy nation. Grant our supplication, we
beseech Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.”

Laus Deo!
As you probably guessed, over 92 percent of Americans like the
idea that our Pledge of Allegiance includes the phrase “under
God.” It is clear when one studies the history of our great nation, that
Washington’s America was one of the few countries in all the world
established under the guidance, direction and banner of Almighty
God, to whom was given all praise, honor and worship by the great
men who formed and fashioned her pivotal foundations.

When one stops to observe the inscriptions found in public places
all over our nation’s capitol, he or she will easily find the signature
of God, as it is unmistakably inscribed everywhere you look.

Though many try to disprove and reason, their arguments are weak
and easily proven without basis. Their efforts will forever be in vain;
God assures us of that. Have you noticed as of late, how many more
people are coming together, affirming the fact that this nation was,
from the beginning, built on God? Any nation that is not built upon God
will fail. Do you wonder why, when other nations fall into an abyss,
does the United States continually prosper? Now you know, but do
not let the arrogance of some instill doubt within you. The truth is…
We have always been one nation under God! Laus Deo! Praise be
to God!

You may forget the width and height of “Laus Deo”, it’s location,
or the architects but no one who reads this will be able to forget
it’s meaning, or these words: “Unless the Lord builds the house
its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the
watchmen stand guard in vain.”
(Psalm 127: 1)

It is hoped you will send this to every child you know; to every
sister, brother, father, mother or friend. They will not find
offense, because you have given them a lesson in history that
they probably never learned in school.