The INsignificance of A.D. 70

Almost everyone familiar with early Christian history acknowledges some significance in the fall of the Jewish nation, at least as far as the prospects of Christianity were concerned.  Most agree that it made the church manifestly more free to go about their business.   Many are careful, however, not to overstate the importance of the fall of Jerusalem in AD70, recognizing how easily some are led astray by overestimating what that event accomplished.   This page will archive such comments, seeking to show where a reasonable line may be drawn.

• Todd Dennis - Israel's History a Type - From Beginning to Telos "Sometimes, however, in an attempt to "confirm" a prophecy, a rush to judgment is made, whereby a mistake brings disrepute upon the supposed author. This happens often regarding supposed prophecies about "the end of the world." For almost 2,000 years, futurist Christians have predicted the end of the world in their near futures, only to have their expectations crushed when the earth did not blow up on cue. Repeated failures have brought an odium of shame to the Bible and the Lord, even though the fault was entirely with those who mistook the prophecies for something they were not. With Hyper Preterism, the miscues usually accrue in the other direction -- declaring something as completed when in fact it was not."

• Todd Dennis - Matthew 26:64 is NOT a "Preterist Time Indicator" Pointing to AD70 "In short, the usage of "Apo Arti" in Matthew 26:64 [Apo ("from" - Strongs 575) and Arti ("now on" - Strong's 737)] is highly suggestive of the themes that have been previously offered at this blog ; that is, a series of revelatory recognitions of the power and glory of Jesus Christ's dominance by friend and foe alike. Though the typically pret-friendly Weymouth translation would like to make Jesus say "later on, you will see.." this is not really honest. I would rather say that it was simply a mistake, but I find it impossible to believe that neither Richard Francis Weymouth ("If this belief ever obtains general acceptance the earlier date of the Apocalypse will also be regarded as fully established. For it will then be seen that the book describes beforehand events which took place in 70 A.D.") nor Earnest Hampden-Cook (co-editor and author of "The Christ Has Come") were aware of the importance of this passage regarding their Preterist assumptions. However, not only is there no sense of futurity in this very emphatic Greek phrase, but rather we see quite the opposite. "

• Todd Dennis - Matthew 10:23 is NOT a "Preterist Time Indicator" pointing to AD70 (2008) "It has become a working assumption of Hyper Preterism that the "coming" passages in the New Testament refer to AD70. And the eisegetical presupposition that Matthew 10:23 is a "(Hyper) Preterist time indicator" is considered to be unassailable, even though there is not a hint of reference to AD70 in the text or context of the chapter from which to support this conclusion."

• Todd Dennis - Matthew 16:27-28 is Not About AD70 "Why would we expect the Lord to perform his acts of power and glory just once — be it in the past or the future? What good does that do all the other generations?  It seems to me that all prophecy ultimately finds its accomplishment in Christ internally and personally, as opposed to externally and historically. Even the cross must be received, and each follower must bear it as Jesus said."

FUTURISTS

Hermann Olshausen
"In the last passage even the well-known phrase "I shall come as a thief," is employed to designate a spiritual coming. And, in relation to the manifestation of avenging justice, the fall of Jerusalem, with the ruin of the religious and political life of the Jewish people, may be viewed in precisely the same light. This latter event, like the flood in the days of Noah and the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, is one of the chief types of the approaching separation of all into two classes—the righteous and the wicked ; and hence the Redeemer himself connects the description of the last great catastrophe with this fearful judgment. Nor is it at all consistent with the meaning of the prophetic representations to regard them as restricted in their reference to the one or the other of those events—for example, to look at everything as relating only to the destruction of Jerusalem ; on the contrary, each single occurrence is to be viewed in connexion with the whole." (Biblical Commentary on the New Testament, Vol. ii., p. 226)