Heb 6:17  Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

Heb 6:18  That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

In the world that we now live in, there is an open and unapologetic attack upon the Hope that is set before the Church both corporately and individually.  The hope I refer to is the expected, future return of Jesus Christ to the earth as prophesied in scriptures, the catching away of the Bride of Christ, the physical establishment of the Millennial Kingdom and the eventual destruction of evil.

Those who are most guilty of this attack are called “Preterists” which means past, and believe in preterism which is that all prophecies in the Bible have already been fulfilled in the past, specifically in 70 AD.

Preterist’s believe that Nero was the anti-christ and when he destroyed Jerusalem and tore down the temple and murdered millions of Jews in 70 AD that was the fulfillment of Matt 24 especially where Jesus says, “When ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled” (Matthew 24:34). 

Firstly, though Nero was definitely anti-christ and anti-Christian, as demonstrated by his reprehensible acts against the 1st century church, it is impossible for Nero to have been THE anti-Christ, the bodily incarnation of satan in the earth. 

Here is why:

1.      Nero committed suicide instead of being cast alive into the lake of fire as is foretold in Rev 19:20.

2.      Nero did not track and control all buying and selling as the anti-Christ will.

3.      Nero did not institute nor force all people to receive the Mark of the Beast.

Secondly, The preterists argue that the generation did pass away. However, they are not taking this verse in context with the teachings of Jesus in surrounding verses. Jesus was speaking about what will happen in the last days.

Preterists believe “this generation” means the generation that Jesus was talking to.  NON-Preterists or those that are sometimes referred to as “futurists”, believe “this generation” means that Jesus was referring to the generation that actually sees the fulfillment of all the prophecies He was talking about, a generation that was not immediate, but future.

A prominent problem with Preterists is the fact that they spiritualize and explain away most prophecies, especially the Book of Revelation.  To them Revelation is not a prophecy of actual events, but an allegorical and symbolic book that is open to private interpretation, instead of following the correct method of allowing the Bible to interpret itself.  In doing so, they are quick to dismiss, spiritualize or explain away many other prophecies both in the Old and New Testaments. While they do embrace all that the prophets had to say concerning the first Advent of Christ, they refuse to believe what they have to say regarding Christ’s second (Advent) coming. 

I pose this question, isn’t it unreasonable and irrational and fundamentally flawed to reason that part of what is prophesied is literal and not believe the whole is literal? If the first part of prophecy concerning Christ’s first coming are literal, then it is a mistake to say that none of what was prophesied about the Second Coming of Jesus is going to literally happen.

Some preterists believe the second coming of Jesus was His resurrection! These and so many other illogical arguments make it very hard to reason with a preterist.

Preterism does not only please the preterists--it is also pleasing to Satan. The deceiver would love for us to believe the tribulation and the REVELATION of Jesus in all of His glory has already taken place! However, this is not true. "Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left...watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come." Matt. 24: 40, 42

How can you dismiss or explain away or allegorize direct, obvious, specific scriptures that speak of a literal, physical return of Jesus Christ in both the how and the where of that return?

“But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in the like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.” Then they returned unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day’s journey.” Acts 1:8-12

This same Jesus was taken up in a cloud from Mt Olive and will return in the same manner to the same location!

Zec 14:4  And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.

“Many Preterists say the Second Coming of Jesus was a spiritual coming that took place in 70 A.D. and no one could see it.  But the Bible says every eye will see Jesus when He comes back (Revelation 1:7).  Two angels said Jesus will come back the same way He went away which was visibly because people could see Him (Acts 1:9-11).  Over and over again, Jesus and others told us to watch for the Second Coming, but watching for the Second Coming of Jesus is meaningless, if Jesus has already come back. Watching for the Second Coming is meaningless if is a spiritual return that no one can see. The Bible says so many people will be killed at the Battle of Armageddon when Jesus comes back the blood will flow up to the horses bridles for almost 200 miles.  That doesn’t fit with an invisible return that no one can see.  Jesus said the sun will be darkened, the moon won’t shine, the stars will fall from heaven, everyone on earth will mourn, the lost will be removed from the earth, the sheep and goat nations will be judged, etc., but none of that happened in 70 A.D. (Matt. 24:29-30; 13:41-42, 49-50; 25:31-46).”  Daymond Duck, Prophecy Plus Ministries

Paul in 1Co the 15 chapter, makes us aware of the definitive hope that Christians have, our resurrection at Christ’s coming.

1Co 15:12  Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

1Co 15:13  But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:

1Co 15:14  And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.

1Co 15:15  Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not.

1Co 15:16  For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised:

1Co 15:17  And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.

1Co 15:18  Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

1Co 15:19  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.

1Co 15:20  But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

1Co 15:21  For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.

1Co 15:22  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

1Co 15:23  But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming.

1.      Our preaching and our faith in a resurrected Christ is in vain if we do not believe and hope in the resurrection of the dead.

2.      By this logic then should even those who witnessed and do testify to the resurrection of Christ, be  found to be false witnesses?

3.      For if Christ be not raised, if there is no resurrection of the dead, if our faith is in vain, WE ARE STILL IN OUR SINS and those that have fallen asleep in Christ are perished.

4.      Hoping in this present life only, is no hope at all.

5.      BUT CHRIST IS RAISED

6.      HE IS THE FIRSTFRUITS OF THOSE THAT HAVE DIED

7.      Death came by the 1st Adam, but resurrection from the dead came by Christ – the 2nd Adam.

8.      When will it happen?  AT HIS COMING!  

1Th 4:13  But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

1Th 4:14  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

1Th 4:15  For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

1Th 4:18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

The Biblical doctrine of hope is under attack by preterists and any one else  who deny Christ’s future second coming. 

But I contend that our hope is still before us! Not in the past!  We are not living in a post millennial world, we are not yet living in our glorified bodies.  We will see the coming of world peace and the destruction of evil.  This world shall behold Him coming in the clouds with 10,000 of His saints.  There will be a new heaven and a new earth.  The Lion shall lay down with the Lamb, every tear shall be wiped away and we shall study war no more!

By no means do I claim that this is a definitive or exhaustive discourse of the subject matter above.  I am sure there are other more brilliant and articulate minds that could do a much better job than I.  This is just my personal defense of the subject.

Oh and just as a side note to further deflate and debunk the preterist view that all of prophecy was fulfilled in 70 AD - the Book of Revelation was not even given to the Apostle John until 90-96 AD!