Then and Now Preterist Podcast

This is the first of two lessons that Ed Stevens presented at the 2016 Blue Point End Times Conference. This lesson discusses the kind of godly lifestyle that the pre-70 saints maintained, and explains WHY they lived that way. Their reasons for living sensibly, righteously, and godly during that time of persecution right before the End, was somewhat complex. While they were motivated by all of the same reasons that we are, they had an additional factor of eschatology. The nearness of the Parousia, and the need to finish the Great Commission, plus the imminency of the great tribulation (Neronic persecution), all combined to intensify their need to live holy lives. Even though we do not have those eschatological factors motivating us today, we do have the same hope of immortal life in heaven which those pre-70 saints had. And that hope stimulates us to purify ourselves, just like it did for those saints in the first century. For a PDF written transcript of this lesson, click here. Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

This is the second of two lessons that Ed Stevens presented at the 2016 Blue Point Endtimes Conference. The first lesson looked at HOW the pre-70 saints lived, and WHY they lived that way. We looked at their expectations and hope and other motivations to live holy lives. In this second lesson we apply those principles to our lives today. We show when the Kingdom was supposed to arrive, and what Jesus and the apostles taught about our lives in the Kingdom AFTER it arrived. Even though we do NOT have the eschatological factors motivating our lifestyle (like the first century saints had), we DO have the same hope and the same vulnerability to persecution and the same challenges of life in this evil world that they had. And that is more than enough motivation for us to live godly lives.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

The most important doctrine in all of Biblical revelation is the Deity of Christ and the Trinity. This teaching is certainly hard to wrap our minds around, but fortunately a full understanding of it is not crucial to our salvation. What is essential, however, is that we believe in the Deity of Christ, regardless of whether we fully understand it. So we will be looking at several Biblical texts which reveal and illustrate the Deity of Christ and the Trinity. We examine the powerful arguments of Anselm (eleventh century) who showed convincingly from Scripture that our atonement is completely dependent upon the Deity of Christ. No imperfect creature (man or angel) can atone for our sins. Only a perfect sinless sacrifice can die in our place, and only God is sinless. John 17:5 clearly teaches the Pre-Existence and Eternal Begottenness of the Divine Son of God. Revelation 5 shows all saints and angels in heaven giving equal worship and glory to both the Lamb and the One who sits on the throne. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

David Chilton gave these two speeches at a full preterist conference in Oklahoma City in 1997, not long after he had become a full preterist, and only a few months before he died. That was the occasion when he made the now famous remark: “...Here I am as a Full Preterist.” Chilton explained the meaning of Matthew 5:17-20 where Jesus predicted the passing away of the old heavens and earth. He shows that this was referring to the soon-coming end of the old covenantal world and the arrival of the new covenantal world in Christ and in the Church. He shows that this was the same “heaven and earth” and covenantal world mentioned in both 2 Peter 3 and Hebrews 8:13. He quotes from John Owen, John Brown, Milton Terry, J. S. Russell, and F. F. Bruce to support his point. Perhaps the most valuable part of this is his critique of Theonomy as it was explained by Greg Bahnsen and William Einwechter. Chilton clearly shows how the Theonomists misinterpreted both Matt 5:17-20 and Heb 8:13 when they bound the “jots and tittles” of the Ceremonial Law upon us today. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

Premillennialists connect the “Times of the Gentiles” (Lk 21:24) with the “fullness of the Gentiles” (Rom 11:25), and claim that both texts will only be fulfilled after “all Israel” has accepted Jesus as Messiah, returned to the land of Israel, and rebuilt the temple. They see the “times of the Gentiles” as being the whole period from AD 70 until that future restoration (now almost two thousand years). We show from Lamentations 1:15; Revelation 11:2; Daniel 7:7-25; Ezekiel 30:3; Jeremiah 27:7; the Dead Sea Scrolls; the Apocrypha; Yosippon; and Enoch that the two phrases “tread under foot” and “times of the Gentiles” are referring to the Roman invasion and conquest of the Jews in AD 67-70. We also explain what the “fullness of the Gentiles” means in Romans 11:25. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

We explain John 14:3 to show that Jesus was promising a real cognitive experiential "reception" (rapture) of his disciples into the unseen realm of heaven at His Parousia. Critics of the first century rapture have to SPIRITUALIZE the "dwelling places" language, and IGNORE the "receive you to Myself" promise of Jesus! But that was NOT just figurative language about a covenantal status or soteriological condition, or code for the Collective Body or life in the Kingdom in a spiritual sense only. We show that the dwelling places of John 14:2-3 are actually in the unseen spiritual realm of heaven, and were not accessible to the saints until AFTER the transition period, and that Jesus (actually, cognitively, and experientially) took his disciples out of the visible realm on earth and "received them" into those new dwelling places in the unseen spiritual realm at His Parousia. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

This is the first episode of our Summer 2014 Series. You are in for a treat this summer. We will be presenting some of our best seminar presentations, and former Preterist Radio podcasts that have not yet been posted here. This session will share a message that I presented at the 2009 Evangelical Theological Society conference in New Orleans. There were several young seminary students in the audience, along with a few fellow preterists. My lesson deals with the morals and ethics that come out of our eschatological worldviews. At the end there is a brief Q&A interaction with some of the young futurist seminary students who were in the audience. This is a good podcast to share with your non-preterist friends who do not understand the ethical problems facing Futurism. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

After Titus dismantled Jerusalem, gathered its spoils, and dispersed its captives, he left Judea to join his father in Rome. He commissioned Bassus and Silva to capture the three remaining rebel fortresses of Herodium, Macherus, and Masada. The Roman soldiers overturned every stone of the temple building in order to get the gold and silver that had melted into the cracks, unwittingly fulfilling Jesus' prophecy that there would not be left one stone upon another (Matt 24:2). The temple vessels and furnishings were taken to Rome by Titus. Herodium and Macherus offered little resistance, but Masada fought to the bitter end. We use evidence from archaeology, Josephus, Hegesippus, and Yosippon to support the idea that the Eleazar in command of Masada was the same Eleazar b. Ananias who had started the war and held the temple during most of the war. This same evidence suggests that Eleazar was the Man of Lawlessness that Apostle Paul referred to in his second letter to the Thessalonians. Those three historians talk about how Eleazar and his forces on Masada were ultimately defeated by the breath of the Lord's mouth and forced to be slain. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

Vespasian was proclaimed emperor by his troops in Judea, Egypt, and Syria. He left Palestine to go to Egypt before heading to Rome. He left his son Titus in Judea to begin the siege of Jerusalem. Titus waited until the city was full of people at Passover time to begin the siege. We read a number of passages from Josephus which have parallels in the book of Revelation, such as the weight of the stones thrown by the catapults, the pestilence and famines, as well as the blood in the lakes, rivers, streets of Jerusalem, and even in the Temple. We mention the famine during the siege which forced some to eat dung, and others into cannibalism. Josephus describes the cosmological symbolism of the temple veil and all the images that were embroidered on it (the heavens and earth and sea). The Holy of Holies was the place on earth where heaven and earth connected. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

Vespasian bottled up the Jews in Jerusalem, so that he could fight them all together in one place in one big decisive battle. Then Nero died and Rome was plunged into civil war and external rebellions. The Zealots thought that would force the Roman army to make peace with them and leave Judea. Wrong! After a year-long suspension of warfare, Titus came back with a bigger force than ever. The Zealots seemed oblivious to the danger, and weakened themselves by factional in-fighting. John of Gischala and his soldiers committed abominable atrocities, torturing and killing their own people inside the city. Conditions inside the city grew unbearably worse by the day. And then Titus began the siege. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

Vespasian literally went from victory to victory. He finished reducing all the pockets of resistance in Galilee, and sent detachments all over the Decapolis, Perea, Judea, Idumea, Samaria, and Jericho, methodically driving out all the remaining rebels and forcing them to flee to Jerusalem. There were rumors of revolt in Turkey, so Vespasian quickened his pace to finish the Judean war, just in case his forces would be needed elsewhere. Just when he was ready to besiege Jerusalem, news reached him that Nero had died. Everything was put on hold until a new emperor could give him new orders. It took over a year for things in Rome to get under control, but when the dust settled, Vespasian was proclaimed the new emperor. This changed everything. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

This time we dig a little deeper into the details of the Galilean campaign of Vespasian and Titus, as they began to subjugate all the fortified cities of Galilee (AD 67). Josephus had tried to unite all the cities of Galilee under his command, and get them fortified before the Romans attacked. But it simply did not work. Some of the Galilean cities were still allied to Rome, while others only wanted to participate in the Zealot rebellion if they could be in command. Josephus was only 29 years old at that time, so it is remarkable that he was able to do as well as he did. But they were no match for the well-equipped and well-trained Roman war engine. Vespasian took one city after another, pushing all the refugees ahead of him toward Jerusalem. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

We give a quick overview of the first year and a half of the Jewish War with Rome, which began in earnest in the Spring of AD 67. When Nero heard about the humiliating defeat of Cestius Gallus in the Fall of AD 66, he immediately sent Vespasian, one of his most capable generals, to settle the score. Vespasian and his son Titus gathered three legions from Syria and Alexandria, plus the whole army of Agrippa II, and other auxiliaries and mercenaries from surrounding allied nations. It was a fighting force of over sixty thousand soldiers. The first object of Vespasian's attack was the northern region of Galilee, where Josephus was the commander of the Zealot forces. Once Galilee was subjugated, the Roman army methodically worked its way south, pushing all Jewish rebels toward Jerusalem for the final siege. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

After Eleazar b. Ananias lawlessly put a stop to all Gentile sacrifices, the Moderates and pro-Roman citizens of Jerusalem pleaded with him to restore the sacrifices, but he refused. This division between the Moderates in the upper city and the Zealots in the Temple rapidly degenerated into armed conflict. Menahem overpowered the Roman garrison on Masada and brought all of its weaponry back to Jerusalem. The Zealots grew stronger by the day. The Greco-Syrian inhabitants of Palestine slaughtered their Jewish neighbors, and vice versa. Cestius Gallus and Agrippa II brought the Twelfth Legion to Judea to stop the rebellion, but ended up suffering staggering losses of men, equipment, supplies, and funds. This defeat of Cestius left Nero little choice but to send a huge force of over three legions to crush the rebellion. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

We are continuing to build a chronology of the Zealot rebellion and their war with Rome. We pick up the historical narrative in May of AD 66 just after Gessius Florus had attempted to seize all the remaining temple gold. This action by Florus forced the Zealots to revolt. Josephus mentions several of the reasons why the Zealots broke with Rome at this particular time. One of the first things the new Zealot government did, was to mint their own coins. After Agrippa failed to persuade them to break off the rebellion, Eleazar coerced the priests to stop accepting all sacrifices from all Gentiles, including the daily sacrifices from Caesar. The Zealots also made it quite clear that they would no longer pay taxes and tribute to Rome. This was clearly an open declaration of war. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

We begin by looking at how the Zealot leader Eleazar started the rebellion by blowing the ram's horn and rallying the troops inside Jerusalem to block Gessius Florus's attempt to get the rest of the imageless gold coins out of the Temple. This shows how Eleazar was the originator of the revolt, and the fulfillment of the Man of Lawlessness. Josephus gives "the day and the hour" of the Parousia with its associated resurrection of the dead and bodily change of the living. Josephus, Tacitus, Yosippon, Hegesippus, and Eusebius all record these events in their histories of the Jewish War. R. C. Sproul Sr. calls this historical testimony "a most remarkable record [which] lends credence" to the idea that there was some kind of coming of Christ in connection with the destruction of Jerusalem. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

After a few months of looking at the book of Romans, we are now picking back up with our historical studies. The last two historical podcasts (July and August 2013) dealt with the military campaigns of Cestius Gallus and Vespasian against the Zealot forces. Before getting into the chronology of the whole war (AD 66-70), we need to review the events that occurred just before the war (AD 64-66). Those last two years were chock full of false messiahs, rumors of war, abominations, lawlessness, signs in the heavens, signs on earth, angelophanies, and voices heard coming from the unseen realm. All the final events that Jesus predicted in Matthew 24 were exploding on the scene like a grand finale fireworks display. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

It has been almost two months since we shared some of the great listener feedback that we are getting. This is always interesting and encouraging for other listeners who often have the same thoughts and questions. The first question wanted an explanation of the differences between the Futurist Bodies Out of the Ground resurrection view (BOG) and the two Preterist resurrection views (CBV versus IBV). Other questions focused on Daniel's Seventy Weeks, the first century rapture, and how the NT manuscripts survived and remained uncorrupted in spite of the rapture removal of all the true Christians at the Parousia. Several more questions and comments dealt with the two resurrection views within Preterism: CBV versus IBV. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

As Douglas Moo notes in his Romans commentary, "Romans 12:1-2 is one of the best-known passages in the New Testament." Here Paul urges the Roman saints to present their bodies as living sacrifices to God, and be transformed by a renewal of their minds. Since some of the Collective Body advocates use this text to support their resurrection view, we show why the word "bodies" (plural) cannot be referring to a collective body. We quote from two of the Collective Body advocates to clarify their position, and then bring the excellent critical analysis of Robert H. Gundry to bear on it. We explain the original development of the Collective Body view by John A. T. Robinson, and suggest a possible reason why Max King used it to build his resurrection view. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

Another of the most important texts which the Collective Body View (CBV) uses to support its concept of a collective body resurrection is Romans 8:23. They contend that the phrase “our body” mentioned here in this text is a reference to the collective body (the church) being resurrected or “redeemed” at the Parousia. Through grammatical and contextual analysis, as well as a look at similar passages, we very effectively debunk that theory and show that this text is talking about a bodily change for individual saints at the Parousia – the same bodily change that is mentioned in 1 Cor 15, 2 Cor 5, Phil 3:21, and 1 Jn 3:2. This podcast challenges all full preterists to discover what this bodily transformation really was all about. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

We study three uses of the word "body" (Gk SOMA) which are found in Romans chapter eight, verses 10, 11, and 13. When Paul said their "body is dead because of sin" (Rom 8:10), he meant that their bodies were mortal (subject to death, because of sin). Paul said that at the Parousia God would "give life to your [plural] mortal bodies [plural]" (Rom 8:11). Since the dead were disembodied, this means that the living and remaining saints were the ones who had their mortal bodies changed into immortal bodies at the Parousia. Then Paul exhorts individual saints (not a collective body) to "put to death [mortify] the deeds of the body" (Rom 8:13). This exhortation would be absurd if it was given to a collective body. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

We look at two more of the thirteen uses of the word "body" found here in Romans chapter seven, verses 4 and 24. The Collective Body View interprets both of these references to "body" as being collective. However, we show from the context that a collective application of these two texts is absurd, and makes total nonsense out of Paul's flow of thought here in Romans 7. All of the moral, ethical, and spiritual exhortations that Paul expresses here, must be connected to the individual saints, and NOT to a collective body. Otherwise, it would strip away all the motivation for individual saints to mortify their sinful lifestyle and pursue after sanctification of their bodies. That implication alone should be cause for pause before blindly accepting the collective body view. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

This week I listened to one of Ken Ham's presentations on the Biblical Foundations of Western Civilization. He clearly shows that our compromise with Evolution in the interpretation of Genesis 1-11 has played a major role in destroying the foundations of our nation, culture, and the Church. Moreover, we show how some preterists are continuing that compromise with Evolution by their Covenant Creationism and Collective Body views. Only a return to a literal-historical Genesis 1-11 can correct those errors. Ken Ham shows us how to change our world by rebuilding the biblical foundations that Christianity is based on. We need to share this message with every young person we know. If you wish to have the free PDF lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

We pick back up on our study of the thirteen uses of the word "body" here in Romans. In this session we get down into the context of Romans chapter six to examine two of those "body" texts found in verses 6 and 12. We use the paraphrase translation of F. F. Bruce to help us grasp what Paul is saying in this chapter, and then show that all of its teachings and exhortations are bound up with the individual "bodies" of the Roman saints, not at all with a collective body concept. The individual "body" application is absolutely necessary in this context, since all of Paul's moral, ethical, and spiritual exhortations are attached to the "body" that is under consideration here. If that "body" is collective, it automatically disconnects the individual Christian from all of Paul's moral, ethical, and spiritual exhortations here. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

Every few months we accumulate a good supply of emails from listeners asking questions and making comments. This is always high interest content and extremely helpful for a lot of other listeners who have the same questions. There are several comments and questions about the differences between the two resurrection views within Preterism: the Collective Body versus the Individual Body. The final question deals with the resurrection of those saints who were raised at the same time as Jesus, which is only mentioned in Matthew 27:52-53. We quote a number of commentaries, including Calvin, who suggest that those saints were raised immortal, and after appearing in Jerusalem for forty days, ascended to heaven with Jesus, thus implying that this resurrection was "the first resurrection" (Rev 20:4-5). If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

We take a historical look at the last sixty years since John A. T. Robinson developed his Collective Body concept, and how Max King adopted it and applied it to his resurrection eschatology. We quote from Robinson's 1952 book on The Body, as well as from a couple of recent authors (Holland and Gundry) who have interacted with Robinson's views. We show how Robinson used his Collective Body view to teach Universalism. Gundry points out how the Collective Body concept undermines the pre-70 saints' hope for a resurrection event at the Parousia by replacing it with a dying-rising process during the transition period. Since that contradicts Paul's clear teaching of the resurrection as an event at the Parousia, it means that the Collective Body View is in hopeless conflict with Apostle Paul and the rest of the eschatological scriptures. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

We first look at the lexical definition of the Greek word SOMA (body), as it relates to the uses of that word in the book of Romans. Paul uses the word "body" thirteen times in the book of Romans. We briefly look at each of those thirteen verses to determine how each of them are used, either in an individual body sense, or in a collective body sense. Several of these "body" texts have moral, ethical, and spiritual exhortations attached to them, so that if they are assigned a collective body meaning, it disconnects the individual Christian from all those moral, ethical, and spiritual exhortations. This may explain why some preterists who take the Collective Body View have fallen into universalism, antinomianism, and other false doctrines like "heaven now," "body now," "perfection now," or "sin continues in the afterlife." If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

There is a wide variation of views on baptism among the various Christian traditions. That is no less the case among preterists. Rom 6:3-4 is a good text to study if you want to see how various interpreters explain baptism. Some preterists understand it as water baptism, while others see it as "spirit baptism" or some other metaphorical concept. Some Collective Body interpreters see the baptism here in Rom 6:3-4 as having some kind of connection to the collective body of Christ. Tom Holland is an example of a futurist who advocates a Collective Body baptism here in Romans 6. He calls it "corporate baptism." We take a critical look at his view, and show that Paul is instead talking about water baptism of individuals, and what that implies about our individual sanctification. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

One well-known preterist leader who holds the Collective Body View recently taught that the word "creation" as used in Eph 2:10 and Rom 1:20 is referring to Old Testament Israel. That idea is very similar to the Covenant Creationist view, which he says he does not agree with. We examine the context of Rom 1:20 to show that the phrase "creation of the world" is referring to the "creation of the heavens and earth" in Genesis 1-2, and not about the creation of the nation of Israel at the Exodus. If you have been confused about the meaning of the word "creation" in the book of Romans, you will want to pay close attention to this podcast. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

Some of the Collective Body advocates have suggested that "the sin" referred to in Rom 6:1 is pointing exclusively to the original sin in the Fall of Adam, and that Paul is talking about a collective body "in Adam" being raised out of "the sin" of Adam into new life in the collective body of Christ. In order for them to make this argument, they have to ignore the context and invent their own rules of grammar in regard to how the definite article ("the") is used with the word "sin" here in Romans. We deal with all 39 uses of the word "sin" here in Romans to show that the usage of "sin" with the definite article ("the") is not exclusively referring to "the sin" of Adam, and therefore does not support the case for the Collective Body concept being found here in Romans 6-11. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

Advocates for the Collective Body view of the resurrection have asserted that the phrase "THE sin" in Rom 6:1 should be understood as a reference to "THE Law." They then use that idea to suggest that Paul is urging Jewish Christians to quit keeping the Law (instead of stop sinning). We show how that can not be the correct understanding of Rom 6:1. The Collective Body view also teaches that "the BODY of Moses" (mentioned in Jude 9) is referring to a collective BODY of Israelites who kept the Law of Moses. We show instead that Jude 9 is simply referring to the literal physical individual body of Moses. We also show how the phrases "your mortal body" (Rom 6:12) and "in the BODY" (2 Cor 5:6-10) are referring to the individual mortal bodies of the first century saints, and NOT talking about a collective body. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

We give a brief report of our experience at the Evangelical Theological Society conference in Baltimore last week, where we had dozens of great interactions with the attendees there. While there, I found a couple of very helpful books which explain what the New Perspective on Paul is all about. Then we get back into our study of Romans 3-5. In the previous session we looked at the bad news of all mankind (both Jew and Gentile) being under condemnation. This time we focus on the good news of justification by grace through faith in Christ for both Jew and Gentile. One of the benefits of that justification was the HOPE of seeing the Glory of God revealed to them at the Parousia. We note also that the idea of a collective body being resurrected out of covenantally dead Judaism does not seem to be involved (or even mentioned) here in the first five chapters of Romans, suggesting that it is probably not found in chapters 6-11 either. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

The first three chapters of Romans lock up all humanity, including the Jews, under condemnation. That is very bad news for everyone, especially for the Jews who considered themselves as automatically saved. Before Paul gives them the good news, he unloads this bad news on them first. How was "ALL ISRAEL" saved at the Parousia in AD 70? How did the Roman church fit into that plan to save ALL ISRAEL? How do the Collective Body and Individual Body views differ in their explanations of this SALVATION of All Israel? What is the "New Perspective on Paul"? If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

Two of the key hermeneutical tools we use to interpret any biblical text are: (1) the historical context out of which the book was produced, and (2) the purposes which it was written to accomplish. It also helps if we have a good outline that traces the flow of thought in the text. We provide all this in this podcast and show how it helps us interpret the book of Romans. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

We continue our introductory comments and survey of the contents of Apostle Paul's letter to the first century Christians in Rome. One of the best overviews of the flow of thought found in the book of Romans was written in the Preface of Haldane's commentary on Romans. He notes that Paul's goal for his argumentation was to convince both Jews and Gentiles to unite together as one new people of God. Knowing that purpose behind his words really helps us understand Romans so much better. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

Every prophetic view (futurist and preterist) uses the book of Romans as a source for its particular approach to fulfillment. How we interpret Romans can make a big difference not only in our eschatological perspectives, but in our understanding of salvation as well. In this introduction, we note that the book of Romans is not talking about a collective body resurrection of the church out of Judaism, but rather about the Jew-Gentile unity in the Kingdom that was achieved by grafting the Gentiles into the rich olive tree of true spiritual Israel. You will want to listen to this introductory podcast before listening to any of the succeeding ones on Romans. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

In the past several podcasts we have looked at bits and pieces of the 1Cor 15 context. In this session we summarize all that and provide the overall big picture of what Paul is saying about the resurrection here in his letters to the Corinthian saints. We share some further insights into this text which show clearly and conclusively that Paul is NOT talking about a Collective Body being raised here, but rather is explaining what would happen to both the living and the dead saints at the Parousia. The dead saints would be RAISED out of Hades and given their new immortal bodies, while the living saints would have their mortal bodies CHANGED into immortal bodies. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

What were the pre-70 saints expecting to see, hear, and EXPERIENCE at the Parousia? Was it going to be a non-cognitive and un-experienced event, with those saints left on earth afterwards not even aware that the Parousia had occurred? Apostle Paul promised the living saints that they would be CHANGED at the Parousia. The dead would be raised, but the living would be changed. What was this CHANGE all about? We look at three different views of that CHANGE that are found within preterism, and show that the Individual Body View provides the best explanation of that CHANGE. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

Advocates for the Collective Body View (CBV) of the resurrection claim that the Present Passive form of the Greek verb EGEIRO ("are raised") can ONLY be legitimately translated as "are BEING raised" with the sense of an ongoing process of resurrection of the collective body. On the basis of that claim, they label other preterists (IBV) as being futurists. We show that their collective body interpretation of 1 Cor 15 simply does not hold up under grammatical, historical, and contextual scrutiny, and that the Individual Body interpretation of this text is the correct one. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

Futurists think that “the Dead” is a reference to dead physical bodies in the graves, so that the phrase “resurrection of the Dead” means dead bodies being raised out of the graves. Some fellow preterists think “the Dead” is referring to the collective body being raised out of covenantally dead Judaism. However, we look at numerous scriptures in the Old and New Testaments to show WHO the Dead were, and out of WHERE they were raised. We see that the resurrection of the dead was the raising of disembodied conscious souls out of Hades. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

One of the most important texts which the Collective Body View (CBV) uses to support its concept of a collective body resurrection is Philippians 3:21. They contend that the phrase “our body” mentioned here in this text is a reference to the collective body (the church) being resurrected or “transformed” at the Parousia. Through grammatical and contextual analysis, as well as a look at similar passages, we very effectively debunk that theory and show that this text is talking about a bodily change for individual saints at the Parousia – the same bodily change that is mentioned in 1 Cor 15, 2 Cor 5, and 1 Jn 3:2. This podcast challenges all full preterists to discover what this bodily transformation really was. Check it out! If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

Futurists relentlessly pester us preterists with the nagging question: "There is no record of bodies coming out of the graves in AD 70. If the dead were raised at that time, why were the physical bodies of the dead saints NOT raised?" In this session we look at some of the various concepts of resurrection that are mentioned in the Bible, including the "bodies out of the graves" (BOG) view of the futurists, the "souls out of Hades" (SOH) of both futurists and preterists, and the related concept of bodily change for the living saints at the time of the Parousia. We discuss the afterlife hope of all Christians and show why Preterists have a better hope. Then we provide nine different reasons why the physical bodies of the dead saints were not raised back to life on earth. Hint: It has something to do with the fact that the eschatological resurrection was supposed to be a "better resurrection" (Heb. 11:35). If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

There is so much confusion in both futurism and preterism about the place in the unseen realm called Sheol or Hades. We take an in-depth look at the Old Testament concept of Sheol to show that it was the place where the conscious disembodied souls of all the dead, both wicked and righteous, were held captive until the resurrection and judgment of the Last Day. Those dead ones needed to be raised out of Sheol-Hades in order to get their new immortal bodies and go to heaven. So it is clear that whatever else the phrase "resurrection of the dead" might mean, it had to at least include the raising of those disembodied souls out of Hades. We notice that Rev. 20 mentions this resurrection at the end of the millennium, and how this is the same defeat of Death that is mentioned in 1 Cor 15:23-28, implying that Paul was not talking about a Collective Body concept, but rather the resurrection of the rest of the dead out of the Hadean realm. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

Is the Genesis account of Creation and the Flood literal and historical, or merely figurative or mythological? And how does that relate to the Preterist view and our explanation of the NATURE of fulfillment of the endtime events? Every systematic theology has to deal with Genesis, and the way they interpret it will automatically determine how the rest of their paradigm will be configured. It is absolutely critical to get the BEGINNING right, or the ENDING will be wrong. Any other preterist view of the resurrection which builds its paradigm on an allegorical or mythological view of Genesis is doomed to failure. That is why the Individual Body View of the Resurrection is building its system on the foundation of a literal, historical Genesis. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

Advocates of the Collective Body resurrection view have accused the Individual Body View of being futurist because we teach that we get a new immortal body and go to heaven at physical death. However, we reverse those charges, and show that the Collective Body View has produced some very rotten fruit by teaching that we are in "heaven now," and have our "immortal bodies now," and have "perfection now," and that "sin no longer exists now," or that "temptation and sin will continue to plague us even in the afterlife." If you are confused by all those strange unbiblical ideas that the Collective Body View has produced, this podcast is for you. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

We start off by reading some listener feedback, which notes that most of the confusion about the Resurrection within the Preterist movement comes from a misunderstanding of the opening chapters of Genesis. There is a direct connection between Genesis, with its origin of sin and death through Adam, and the Resurrection that comes through Christ Jesus who is the prophesied son of Adam who brought recovery from that death. We look at Adam's original condition at creation before the Fall, the ultimate destiny of God’s elect, the function of the two trees in the Garden, the kind of death that God threatened and that they actually experienced on that day, as well as the promise of redemption from that death by resurrection through the work of Jesus the Son of Adam. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

This episode is a special treat. We play excerpts from one of Arthur Melanson's radio programs where he explains the meaning of Heb. 11:30-40, regarding the "better resurrection" at the first century Parousia, which perfected both the living and dead saints. In the second half of the session, I explain how this idea of perfection is dealt with in 1 Cor. 13:8-13, to show how the Collective Body View of these two texts is fatally flawed. This lesson directly relates to the session two weeks ago on Refuting Resurrection Errors, and takes it further. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

After Nero heard about the failure of Cestius Gallus to crush the Jewish rebellion, he dispatched his most able general Vespasian to do it right this time. Over the winter of 66-67, Vespasian and Titus assembled three legions and hordes of other auxiliaries and mercenaries to launch the attack in the Spring of AD 67. Vespasian was successful in destroying all the fortresses of all areas outside of Jerusalem (except for Herodium, Machaerus, and Masada). When he was ready to begin the assault on Jerusalem, he received the news that Nero died. The war effort was put on hold until affairs in Rome could be restabilized. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you email us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

Recently there has arisen a couple of false accusations against the Individual Body View of the Resurrection by the hyper-cessationist skeptic Chris Camillo and some of the advocates of the Collective Body View. Here we address both charges and expose their fallacies, and provide a clear explanation of some of the differences between the Individual Body and the Collective Body views of the resurrection. We refute the errors of the "heaven now" and "immortal body now" claims of the Collective Body view, and reverse the charges of "futurist" back on them. There is another podcast two weeks after this one, which takes all this further (Perfection Now, But NOT Here). Be sure to listen to it as well. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you email us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

We look at the early months of the Jewish rebellion (August through December AD 66). We notice how the Zealots quickly organized their government and prepared for the Roman attack. The Roman Legate in Antioch, Cestius Gallus, did not waste any time responding to the rebellion, but his attack on Jerusalem was mismanaged from start to finish. His retreat at the time when his troops were just about to break through the wall, only strengthened and emboldened the Zealot cause, thus prolonging the war, and wreaking total havoc on the Temple, Jerusalem, and the whole Jewish nation. God sent multiple prophets and signs to warn them in advance, but they did not listen and heed. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you email us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)

Menahem, who was one of the early Zealot leaders, led his rebel forces to Masada, overpowered the Roman garrison, seized all the weapons stored there, left an occupational force, and then came back to Jerusalem to help the rebel forces in their struggle against the moderates, royalists, and the Roman garrison. Because of his murder of Eleazar's father, and his tyrannical arrogance, Menahem was killed by Eleazar. This left Eleazar once again in total control of the Zealot forces and most of the city of Jerusalem. Eleazar put a stop to the acceptance of all Gentile sacrifices at the temple, including the daily peace offerings on behalf of Caesar and Rome. This seems to be the fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy about the daily sacrifice ceasing. Check it out. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you email us.Support the show (https://www.preterist.org/donate/credit-card-donations/)