The Bible is full of cryptic prophecies and apocalyptic utterances about the fulfillment of the Divine Plan, the ‘end of the age’ and the glory of the saints. The Old Testament has the following references and information in abundance.
The Old Testament
Most notably, the book of the Prophet Isaiah paints a vivid depiction of the coming of the Messiah and his glorious Kingdom, when all wrongs will be set right. Daniel takes up the same theme in chapter seven of his book of prophecies, giving the famous description of ‘one like a Son of Man’ coming in glory from Heaven on the clouds.
Fulfilled in Christ
Most Christians accept that all the Old Testament prophecies have already reached their fulfillment in Christ. This indeed was the understanding of the earliest generations of Christians, including Peter, Paul and the evangelists.
What about the prophecies contained in the New Testament?
These include the prophecies spoken by Jesus himself of his second coming, or Parousia, when he will complete his mission following the crucifixion and resurrection. Such utterances can be found in the Gospels of Mark, Matthew and John, most famously Matthew 16:27-28. The prophecies do not stop there. Paul writes at length of the ‘coming age’ and the glorious reign of Christ in the Letter to the Colossians, looking forward to the day when Christ will return and death will be banished.
There is also the famous book of Revelations to consider, a complete corpus of end-time predictions that concludes the Biblical account.
How are these New Testament prophecies to be interpreted?
The most common understanding among Christians is that the end-times prophecies refer to events still to take place at an undefined future date. Other people interpret them as symbolic of general historical processes or even of psychological development.
Preterist theology differs from these interpretations in asserting that all of the Biblical prophecies of the Second Coming and end of the age have already been fulfilled, literally, in physical history. The place to look for the evidence is in the Jewish War of A.D. 66-70. This catastrophic revolt culminated in the complete destruction of the Temple and the utter defeat of the Jewish people. Preterism shows that all of the Bible’s prophecies were fulfilled in history during this terrible war.
Revelation Revolution offers a ton of great information on Biblical prophecies and information that magnifies god’s voice. Whether you are a believer or a non-believer, they seek to inspire all. Contact them today for further information.
