Israel's Fulfilled Land Promises:
Hymenaeus, Philetus & Preterism, OH MY!
Preterism
is often confronted as false by accusing its believers of the error of
Hymenaeus & Philetus, but is this an accurate description and condemnation
of Preterism?
2nd
Timothy 2:16-18
But
shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
And their word will eat as does a canker: of whom are Hymenaeus and Philetus; who
concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already;
and overthrow the faith of some.
Hymanaeus
and Philetus said the resurrection WAS OVER; do you know any Preterists that
teach resurrection IS OVER?
What
part of that don't people get?
Resurrection
in its purest definition means LIFE FROM DEATH. In other words; it's the belief
that we will survive physical death.
I
don't know one preterist, partial or full that DOES NOT believe THEY will
survive physical death; in other words, I don't know one Preterist that doesn't
believe they will be resurrected from physical death.
In
other words, ALL PRETERISTS believe they will survive physical death.
It is
absolutely absurd to accuse Preterists of what Hymanaeus and Philetus were
guilty of.
Whereas
Hymenaeus & Philetus were guilty of saying the resurrection WAS OVER (Thus,
overthrowing the faith of many) can you find ONE Preterist who doesn't believe
in modern day resurrection from physical death.
Outside
of the physical body itself, the biggest difference between Preterists &
Futurists when it comes to resurrection is that MOST Futurists believe
resurrection is something that HASN'T BEGUN yet, but will commence at some
point in the future:
John
5:25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the
dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.
"AND
NOW IS" demonstrates resurrection was already occurring.
Luke
7:22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what
things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the
lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel
is preached.
"the
dead ARE RAISED" also demonstrates resurrection was already occurring.
Luke
20:37 Now that the dead are raised, even Moses showed at the bush, when he
calls the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.
What
part of "now that the dead ARE RAISED" do people not get?
Was Jesus lying when he said these things?
Rather
than believing these scriptures, or even that the resurrections of Lazarus
(John 11:43) the Damsel (Matthew 5:41-42) the woman's only son (Luke 7:12-15)
and even that of Jesus, demonstrate that resurrection was a present day fact,
truth and reality, we're supposed to relegate them all to merely being a sign
of something that would take place one day in the future, but wasn't actually
empowered in the 1st century, hasn't existed since, and isn't real today.
The
Preterist position does recognize these resurrections as a sign, but we believe
they were a sign of what already existed, has existed since, and is very much
still active today, and will be as long as humans physically die.
The
Hymanaeus and Philetus argument against Preterism simply doesn't work when
Preterism is known & understood for what it does teach, versus that which
some erroneously believe it teaches.