Preterism and Futurism

 

 

Two unique positions

Though similar in some respects,

The similarities they accept

But the differences reject.

 

The former says, already passed

With a little in the future,

The latter posits yet to happen

As its principal picture.

 

Eschatological positions-

That is what this is about:

Examining last day things

And how they will work out.

 

Accepted to come:

 

The final judgment

 And the consummation of all things,

Regarding both of these

From the same page they sing.

 

Neither holds his position

As a requirement for salvation

And both are cognizant

Of the Great Commission.

 

Go ye into all the world

And preach the Good News,

In this regard

They are of like views.

 

Their differences come

With when the end will occur

And whether present day happenings

To the last days refer.

 

 

A different view of Revelation

Concerning the time,

On its judgments and redemption

They differently opine.

 

The latter says futuristic

The preterists, it’s mostly passed,

Occurring in the first century

Is what they have grasped.

 

The Great Tribulation is passed

And therefore, not yet to come

And presently we are living

In the time of the kingdom.

 

The futurists disagree,

These things are yet to happen,

We are living in the last days

And it’s near the end, they reckon.

 

Present day happenings:

For them, these are the signs

That Jesus is about to return

And to this they are inclined.

 

 

Keep your eyes on Israel

They would also advise

And very soon we should expect

The antichrist to arise.

 

The generation that see

Israel become a nation again

Will also see Jesus

When he comes back to reign.

 

Differing interpretations

Regarding St. Matthew 24

Which generation? That’s the question:

Whether now or before.

 

Preterists argue “this generation”

Is the one to whom Jesus spoke,

But futurists disagree

And uses the fig-tree quote.

 

The fig-tree they argue

Is a reference to Israel

And “this generation” must mean

Twenty-first Century people. 

 

 

It is this generation

That witnessed the event

When Israel became a nation;

Time is far spent.

 

Jesus is standing up

And he is about to return,

This is the lesson from the fig-tree

That we ought to learn.

 

A coming in judgment

On the nation of Israel

And it has already happened

On the Jewish people.

 

This is the preterists’ position

Which they advance

But as you can see,

Futurists take a different stance.

 

Stewart Russell © August 2020

   

Nothing to Tell Us How Near

When the end is, I do not know

Though some seem to know the time,

Times predicted have passed and gone

But that doesn’t change their mind.

Still bent on predicting the time

They just continue to adjust the date

And use the news in today’s tabloids

To vindicate themselves here of late.

With eyes set on the Middle East

They determine that Israel is the key,

Therefore, whatever Israel does is critical

And they are convinced this is no maybe.

Oblivious to what Jesus had said

They continue to unashamedly predict,

“No man knows the day or the hour”

But in these times, that no longer fits.

Jesus was referring to way back then

That was just before his departure,

But with the signs around us everywhere

We have a much clearer picture.

Knowledge is definitely on the increase

And people are moving to and fro,

President Trump is a modern day Cyrus

These are signs the Bible shows.

There is increasing wickedness

Abominations are definitely on the rise,

And the Antichrist is probably here

But for the moment he’s in disguise.

Nature is certainly acting up

And there are phenomena in the heavens

And we were told to keep looking up

When these things begin to happen.

Israel that is likened to the fig tree,

Attained its nationhood in 1948

And this event had been used

To calculate a very probable date.

 

This generation shall not pass said Jesus

In reference to this fig tree event

And since a generation is forty years

1988 became their extent.

And when that did not come to pass

To a generation was added more years,

From forty to sixty to one hundred

And all like now, Christ has not appeared.

Other dates go much further back

When will people begin to learn?

“No man knows the day or the hour”

And that is what Jesus affirmed.

 Jesus said, “the day or the hour”

But we can know the season or year,

If we align Bible prophecy with today’s events

We can tell the year he will appear.

Our view was shaped in light of the Word

But now, that is rearranged,

With the advent of CNN, Fox News and others

There has been a needed change.

When you are studying Bible prophecy

Ensure that to one of the above you are tuned,

The international news and the daily tabloids

Confirm that Jesus is coming soon.

Another case of the cart before the horse

As we continue to get the order wrong,

God’s word first, all others follow

But I guess we have become headstrong.

I am not making light of Christ’s return

I would be a fool to do such,

But these failing prophecies and their prophets

Are really becoming too much.

It is critical, yes, to be ready

And in view of that, to be prepared,

And while the coming of the Lord is inevitable

There is nothing to tell us how near.

Stewart Russell © October 2019