Miscellanies

• Very good article by Hershael York. We who preach should always strive to be better preachers.
• I've enjoyed this podcast thus far, by H.B. Charles. It promises to be a good one
• Dan Phillips with some great thoughts on the public reading of scripture.
• "The reading of Scripture is a vital and apostolically-enjoined facet of the gem of divine worship. If these exhortations serve to enrich readers' and hearers' experience of the Word in worship, glory to God."
• Joe Thorn wants your to preach like you mean it. "When it comes to preaching, there are two basic things that I want to hear from a preacher: the word of God and earnestness."
• Interesting thought by Peter Hitchen's, especially if we see a Hillary Clinton campaign for president:

"Female politicians won't help real women. Why do people think that women in politics will help ordinary women lead better lives?

Political females are almost all ambitious careerists who have decided, of their own free will, to work outside the home and spurn the task of raising children.

Such people have no time for those who think it better to stay at home and raise the next generation. And they think all women are like them, actively preferring the office to the home. But, in fact, millions of women go out to work because they have to, not because they want to."

• Did the thought of another President Clinton make you sad? Try memorizing a Psalm.
• David Murray has a list of his 10 books for preachers. I have read 5 of them. Shall I send you my mailing address? 
• Once I receive your gracious gift of the books, I'll need this.

 What did I miss? Too much? Would this work out better at the end or the beigning of the week?

Let me know.

Books on Preaching

About 10 years I determined to do an intense study on homiletics. Up to that point, I had not devoted myself to the study of sermon delivery and preparation and no one was surprised when I told them. I picked up a few recommended books and then would seek out the books that these authors mentioned or recommended and on and on I went on this bibliophile rabbit trail. I read and studied many books on preaching and homiletics that first year and realized that the study of the art of preaching and homiletics would be a lifetime pursuit. Ever sense, I am constantly reading books on preaching, public speaking, and writing. Some of the best thoughts I have found on homeltics have been in books on writing. There are many similarities to writing and preaching and preachers ought to write.

All that to say this; I'm constantly reading books about preaching. Instead of doing full reviews on these books, I thought I might, every now and again, give a quick shout out to some of the books I’ve read. I’ll begin this little foray of book summary merriment by letting you in on the books I’ve read on the subject thus far 2014, duds and all.

Famine in the Land by Steven Lawson. If you do not preach expositional sermons or are unsure if that is the way to go, I commend this book. If you are on the fence and want some encouragement to get off on the side of a long line of godly preachers who were also expositors, pick up the short book and be encouraged.

Saying it Well by Chuck Swindoll. I had a boss in Kentucky who listened to Christian radio all day in the shop and heard Insight for Living every weekday for three years. Swidoll could capture and keep your attention as a communicator. I found this book in the bargain rack and it was worth the $3 I spent. It is mostly an autobiography and while that was interesting enough, it was lacking in the "saying it well"department, though I did pick up a few tips. 

Reading for Preaching: The Preacher in Conversation with Storytellers, Biographers, Poets, and Journalists by Cornelius Plantinga. The bad thing about book recommendations is that sinners recommend them. I wish I could remember who recommended this to me. There were some good suggestions and nice thoughts, such as " Where else in life does a person have to stand weekly before a mixed audience and speak to them engagingly on the mightiest topics known to humankind — God, life, death, sin, grace, love, hatred, hope, despair, and the passion and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Who is even close to being adequate for this challenge?" Nice. But, in the preface he also says "Christian preachers today are both men and women; accordingly I will alternate by chapter in my use of masculine and feminine pronouns for preachers."

Falling flat on your face in a race is bad. Falling flat walking to the starting line is worse. I may have enjoyed chapter one more if I hadn't been thinking the whole time "is he really going to say she/her in chapter two?" Then when I read about the 'pastor and her study' and it was more than I could bear.

Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln: 21 Powerful Secrets of History's Greatest Speakers by James C. Hunt. On the front cover of my edition, there is a recommendation from MSNBC's Chris Matthews. My expectations were very low, to say the least. But I had just read about women pastors, so even Chris Matthews couldn't dampen the Newell spirit at this point. In all seriousness, I really enjoyed this one. There were some chapters that would have no applicable information for the preacher, but there was a lot of insight into public speaking. I learned a lot about how great political orators put so much time in crafting their presentation with the purpose of influencing people. I learned a lot about what I NEVER want to do as a preacher as some of the techniques were manipulative and dishonest (manipulative and dishonest politicians? SHOCKED! Shocked, I say!). There were a few useful hints about writing an outline or preaching from a manuscript. The illustrations were both numerous and entertaining. Fun read and I'm glad I picked it up.

On the Preparation and Delivery of Sermons by John Broadus. I try to read this one every couple years. Each time I read it, I pick up something new. This time, I was reading the annotations I made in the margin last time I read it and that was fun. Last time, I disagreed with Broadus on a point he made, and as I read it through this time, I found myself agreeing with Broadus but now disagreeing with my own annotations. Good times.

 

Spurgeon's Defense of Preaching Election

"At the very announcement of the text, some will be ready to say "Why preach upon so profound a doctrine as election?" I answer, because it is God's word, and whatever is in the Word of God is to be preached. "But some truths ought to be kept back from the people," you say, "lest they should make an ill use thereof." That is a Popish doctrine, it was upon that very theory that the priests kept back the Bible from the people; they did not give it to them lest they should misuse it. "But are not some doctrines dangerous?" Not if they are true and rightly handled. Truth is never dangerous, it is error and reticence that are fraught with peril. "but do not men abuse the doctrines of Grace?" I grant you that they do; but if we destroyed everything that men misuse, we should have nothing left. Are there to be no ropes because some fools will hang themselves? and must cutlery be discarded and denounced because there are some who will use dangerous weapons for the destruction of their adversaries? Decidedly not. Besides all this, remember that men do read the Scriptures and think about these doctrines, and therefore often make mistakes about them; who then shall set them right if we, who preach the Word, hold our tongues about the matter?"

CH Spurgeon Election: It's Defenses and Evidences 

Pinched Where the Corn Is

"A hypocrite may show some mettle at hand, some courage for a spurt in conquering some difficulties; but he will show himself a jade at length. He that hath a false end in his profession, will soon come to an end of his profession when he is pinched on that toe where his corn is -- I mean, called to deny that which his naught heart aimed at all this while. "

The Christian in Complete Armour - William Gurnall

Quiet: A Book Review

Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

by Susan Cain

A very interesting book on the idea of a quiet personality. Whether or not the categories of introvert/extrovert are correct, I don’t know, but I do know I found myself relating to and identifying myself in the descriptions of the introvert. Some of the studies fascinating to me, especially how the brain and the chemicals in our bodies react differently in different people in the same situation. Though I can’t speak for the validity of the research, I can identify with most of the characteristics of the introvert that were listed and believe I have benefited from some of the practical suggestions that were given.

But I had two problems. The first is that there is no place for the soul in the book. It is all about the body and our physiology. Tenderheartedness is a fruit of the Holy Spirit of God. And though, by God’s common grace, there may be some that are more sensitive than others – this is not a chemical, evolutionary attribute but because we are made in God’s image, some are more tenderhearted than others. But, the extroverted believer, indwelt by the Spirit, walking in the Spirit, will also be tenderhearted. The reverse is true – sin isn’t excused by “I was born this way” which was subtly hinted out in a few places. 

The other issue (since I said I had two) is Cain really didn’t have anywhere to hang her introverted hat. Meaning there were was nothing solid to hang her assertions on and no solid ground for  her exhortations. A Biblical view would be that God has created us, knit us together in our mother’s womb to be the person that we are. I am what I am by the grace of God. There are places that my quiet personality can be used for God’s glory, and there are places that the outgoing will be used for God’s glory.

If we take the introvert/extrovert personality types for granted as correct categories, then we should realize that each person is a depraved introvert/extrovert, and will be selfish with what God has blessed them with. The extrovert will, at times, selfishly make himself the center of attention and bull over the quiet and the quiet will, at times, selfishly keep and withhold good from his neighbor. Those who are quiet and thoughtful will not express concern, warnings, and show love while those who are extroverted may take and take without being quiet, listen, and receive. All through the book, I my mind kept coming back to the book of proverbs and thinking "the answer is here! This is a spiritual issue!"

I learned a lot from the book, both when I agreed and disagreed. I don’t know that I would recommend the book, but I would urge you to do a thorough study of the mind, soul, and personality from scripture before picking up this book.

Strike that. Whether or not you read the book, do the study anyway. 

Grace & Peace

John Bunyan on Family Worship

“Concerning the spiritual state of his family; the father ought to be very diligent and cautious, doing his utmost both to increase faith where it is begun, and to begin it where it is not.  Therefore, he must diligently and frequently bring before his family the things of God, from His Holy Word, in accordance with what is suitable for each person.  And let no man question his authority from the Word of God for such a practice.”

Homosexuals, Shellfish, and Leviticus

Do you know how to answer the charge that Christians are inconsistent when it comes to the laws of God? Or the accusation that we pick and choose what we will obey from the Old Testament? Unfortunately, many Christians do not understand the law of God and either fall prey to antinomianism, in which they throw out the whole of the Old Testament, or just don't know the difference between dietary laws and moral laws.

In the sermon below, I offer an explanation of the law, its purposes and its uses in the book of Leviticus (even for the Christian) and show there is no inconsistency in the Biblical position.



Grace & Peace,

Doug

Growing up God’s Way for Boys: Book Review

Growing up God’s Way for Boys

By Dr. Chris Richards and Dr. Liz Jones

The talk. Parents try to avoid it, dread it, pass it over to the government to explain, or ignore it – but if you have children, you must have it if you are going to be faithful to your calling as a parent. Written for boys (there is a girls edition) the purpose is to explain to the boy what is going on and help through puberty.

I like the organization of the book most of all. The authors lay a great foundation of a sovereign God before building up into the discussion of puberty and sex. Changes are happening, but God is in control and has ordained this for you. Then, as a shocker to modern sensibilities, it moves from the fact that there will be changes, to the purpose for these changes is for marriage. The authors start with God’s plan, then to God’s purpose before getting to what one would expect in explanation of the physical. The book closes with some practical exhortations and guidance in marriage, dating, and purity.

Who would be helped by this book? As I read, I thought that this would be a great resource for mothers who are raising boys and the Dad is not around. This could also be helpful for a Dad who may be entering the discussion with a bit of fear and trepidation to read over, review, or perhaps use like a textbook.

The book was written for the young man to read, however I would caution parents not to let the book do the talking. Don’t let this fine work be a substitute for yours. Do you own work, and use this tool to assist you. Your son needs you.

The book is a good resource that approaches the subject from a godly perspective. Teaching a child, full of changing hormones in a Darwinian construct can lead to disaster. This book makes plan that Christ is Lord of all, even our bodies.

It is also helpful that it views sexual relations in marriage as a God given gift. The boundaries God has given to us is not to keep joy from us, but to give us joy. H. L. Mencken famously defined Puritanism as "The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy." That is not the view of Christianity (nor was it the view of the puritans). God’s way of marriage and the marital relationship is the way to true and satisfying happiness. Teaching about sex without boundaries and can be just as bad as teaching boundaries without purpose.

My thanks to Cross Focused Reviews for the review copy.

Leaving Home

Isaac Watts, at the age of 16, left the home he loved and the parents he adored and went to college. He gave vent to his sadness in a letter. A little late for a Mother's Day post, but thought it worthy to share.

E’er since the morning of that day 
Which bid my dearest friends adieu, 
And rolling wheels bore me away
Far from my native town and you, 
E’er since I lost through distant place, 
the pleasures of a parent’s face.…


-The Poetic Wonder of Isaac Watts by Douglas Bond

A Sad and Dreadful Thing

"How sad and dreadful a thing will it be for such poor sinners when they come to die, and enter into the world of spirits, there to find that the God they once loved and trusted in, was nothing but an image framed in their own fancy! They hated the God of Scripture, and hated His law, and therefore would not believe that either God or His law were indeed what they were. They were resolved to have a god and a law more to their own minds. How dreadful will their disappointment be! How terrible their surprise! They would never own that they were enemies to God; now they will see that their enmity was so great as to make them resolutely—notwithstanding the plainest evidence— even to deny Him to be what He was."

Joseph Bellamy from AW Pink on Repentance

Book Review: Great Kings of the Bible by Deepak Reju

What a nice book. It follows the lives of Saul, David, and Solomon and points out their strengths but really pointed out their failures as both men and kings. The great part of the book is that it uses this opportunity to explicitly point to Jesus Christ. David failed, but Jesus never did. It points us to the true King of Kings.

The illustrations were wonderful and very lifelike. I appreciated that there were no pictures of Jesus in the book, instead pictures of scenes from the gospels (the stormy sea, the empty tomb). I put the book to the test after I read it; I took it to my Sunday School class (ages 7-10). The verdict? They loved it. When I was finished they asked if I could read it again next week for our lesson. It opened up some very interesting discussions.

I don’t own many children’s books because good books like this are few and far between. Finding a book that is theologically sound and that doesn’t turn the men and women in the Bible into cartoon characters is difficult. This book is sound in both areas. No false gospel, and a true representation of the people in the story. By telling the Bible account,  you see the men, warts and all. That being said, the only concern I would point you to is the account of David and Bathsheba. It is faithful to the text, so keep that in mind for younger children.

Thanks to Cross Focused Media for the review copy

Necessity of Repentance

"There are many things which are not needful. Riches are not needful. Health is not needful. Fine clothes are not needful. Noble friends are not needful. The favor of the world is not needful. Gifts and learning are not needful. Millions have reached heaven without these things. Thousands are reaching heaven every year without them. But no one ever reached heaven without “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”

JC Ryle 

THE HERESY OF CONSISTENT PRETERISM

THE HERESY OF CONSISTENT PRETERISM

II Timothy 2:16-18

A brief introduction HERE.

Consistent Preterism is a belief that the return of Jesus Christ has already taken place and that all prophecy has been fulfilled.  Proponents of this system will have you to believe that it is merely a slight difference of eschatological opinions; however, I contend that it is a dangerous, cancerous false doctrine that has dire consequence to the faith of some who may fall prey to its malicious teaching.  It is a form of the same ancient heresy Paul warned Timothy about in II Timothy 2:15-18 "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some" (Emphasis DPN).  Hymenaus and Philetus also taught that the future resurrection had already taken place just as modern consistent Preterism teaches today.  Unfortunately, it does not stop with the resurrection, but to be consistent they teach that all prophecy is fulfilled.  Any prophetical passage in all of Holy Scripture you can name, any future event in God's Word, it has already taken place; everything to the point they teach we are now living in the new Heaven and new Earth.  Through the course of this discourse I intend to bring to light this heresy, which I believe to be in many cases, is a damnable heresy, and show why it is indeed a dangerous error, not simply another view of a "non-essential" matter.  This is not a new doctrine, and is believed and propagated even among those that call themselves Landmark Baptists.   Hymenaus and Philetus might have taught church truth.  You may have heard a hearty amen from them hearing a message on the doctrines of Grace; but they taught a deadly heresy, and there are some who do the same.  They say they agree with us on church authority, and closed communion; they say they agree with us on other Baptist distinctives, but spread a dangerous heresy.

            First, let's look at some of the major points of heresy that the advocates of Preterism hold that makes this doctrine RANK heresy.  Preterism teaches that Jesus Christ came back and fulfilled all prophecy contained in Holy Writ in AD 70.  In the year AD 70 Rome destroyed the temple in Jerusalem lead by Emperor Titus, just as Jesus foretold. 

This destruction is a historical fact and it did happen; but the basis of this teaching is that ALL prophecy was fulfilled at this time.  They take the works of Josephus and other secular histories to be their authority on the matter as it is necessary for them to rest upon secular accounts as their foundation and not God's word.  Indeed, some of the things in the first 14 verses of the Matthew 24 were fulfilled, but not in total.  The first 14 verses of Matthew 24 deal with the entire time period prior to the rapture, and then, up through the first 3 & 1/2 years of the tribulation period.  They were not fulfilled in total in AD 70.  Jesus mentioned the destruction of the temple in Matthew 24:2  "And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down."  Jesus is speaking of the AD destruction of the temple by Rome.  But the next verse is very important to understanding the rest of the chapter.  Matthew 24:3  "And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?"  The disciples after having thought of what the Lord had said asked three questions. Question 1.When shall these things be?  Question 2. What shall be the sign of thy coming? Question 3. What shall be the sign of the end of the world?  Jesus answers these three questions throughout the rest of the chapter.  The rest of the 24th chapter is not dealing explicitly with verse two, but answering the questions of verse 3. The premise that all things were fulfilled at this time is taken by the Preterists saying that the remainder of the 24th chapter of Matthew deals with verse two and the year AD 70, and this assertion forces all prophecy into that time period by taking scripture out of context, or spiritualizing the scriptures instead of a literal interpretation of scripture. They rest their proof of Christ's so-called AD 70 coming on the historical works of men, and Josephus in particular.  You cannot take the scripture and prove such a belief system.  A person could read their Bible and learn from the Bible alone the truth of the church and desire to be a Baptist, a person could read their Bible and learn the truth of Sovereign Grace from the Bible alone; however, you could not read your Bible and become a Preterist because they rely extensively on extra-biblical testimony.  "Let God be true and every man a liar."  In order for this theory that Matthew 24 was fulfilled in AD 70 to fit, everything else in scripture has to shift to make room and thus the dangerous descent of this profanation.  Preterism must then find someplace to put the time of Jacob's trouble, so they teach the tribulation period was from AD 63 to AD 70. However, dealing with the end of the tribulation God's word says in Revelation 1:7  "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen." Every eye did not see the Lord Jesus Christ.  When He comes, EVERY eye shall see him!  Only gross spiritualization of Holy Writ could explain away such passages as "every eye shall see him when He comes in glory".  Matthew 24:30  "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." It is hard to nail down the whole of Preterism, because like most heresy, there are so many different interpretations.  One interpretation of this verse is that Christ's glory mentioned here was the glory of Emperor Titus and the Roman army and that Christ was guiding the army as He did Israel in the wilderness. This scripture is referencing the second advent of the second coming of the Lord Jesus.  There will be a sign in heaven, and all the tribes, notice, all the tribes, not just Jerusalem, but from America to Australia, all the people of the earth shall mourn, and they, the whole earth, shall SEE the Son of man coming in the clouds, with power and GREAT glory.  You would think that if the Lord Jesus Christ came back in great glory, and an event that the whole world saw and mourned over that it would be documented by every tribe and people on Earth.  It is not documented because it has not happened yet.

The most vital point of the Christian faith that Preterism stands contrary to, is on the resurrection, claiming it is already past and even goes so far as to a complete denial of a bodily resurrection, claiming only a spiritual resurrection.  In order to make their AD 70 theory fit, their doctrine now has to do something with the resurrection.  Preterism, like most dangerous heresy, will use the same words as you and I, but apply their own definition.  For example, if you ask a Preterist if they believe in the resurrection, they will answer yes.  If you ask them if they believe in the resurrection of Christ, they will say yes; but what they mean by resurrection and what the Bible means by resurrection are two completely different ideas.  Preterist, when speaking of resurrection, mean a spiritual resurrection, or the new birth, it has nothing to do with the body, and if you press a consistent Preterist for an answer they will, if they will be honest with you, deny Christ's bodily resurrection as well.  Very deceptive, isn't it?  That's why it is dangerous, you must define the terms every step of the way to find out what they truly believe.  General questions, unfortunately, will not get you to the bottom of their belief system.  Notice, in the frequently asked questions of a prominent website dedicated to Preterism, which we will continue to refer to, concerning the resurrection: "Preterism does teach the Resurrection of the dead, however it does not subscribe to a physical resurrection of bodies" (PlanetPreterist.com FAQ ).  What kind of resurrection is that?  What blatant double talk.   Preterism is directly contrary to the Word of God which very clearly and quite often speaks of the bodily resurrection of the saints of God.  Romans 8:11  "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." The danger of this teaching is if our resurrection is past and if there is no bodily resurrection for us, then there was also no resurrection of Jesus Christ, and if no resurrection of Christ, our hope is in vain!  Please read the 15th chapter of I Corinthians.  Our future resurrection is tied to the resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Paul put himself on the line, his credibility; the faith once delivered, salvation and the work of Christ all on the fact and necessity of the resurrection.  If Christ did not rise, then, like a house of cards, it's all coming down.  But, He is RISEN, and risen BODILY.  You have hundreds of eye witnesses, credible witnesses of the friends of Christ, also the enemies of Christ, most of all, the divinely inspired record of the Holy Scriptures; and I know by faith, the faith given to me by the risen Lord that He bodily arose from the dead.  This makes Preterism a damnable heresy.  If you deny our resurrection, you deny the resurrection of Christ, if you deny the resurrection of Christ, you are not saved!  No matter what you say about doctrines of Grace, the church, Landmarkism, baptism, if you deny the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ, you are on your way to Hell.   1Corinthians 15:13-20   "But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen:  And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain.  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.  For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.  Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.  If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.  But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept."

            Preterism teaches that the time of Jacobs trouble, or the great tribulation period, has already taken place.  Matthew 24:21  "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be."  The destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 was not the worst tribulation the world has ever seen. For the people who lived during that time, it was indeed terrible tribulation, but can it be said that it was worse than the Sodom and Gomorrah, the Genesis flood, or more recently, WWI and WWII? Can that time be said to be worse than the Jewish holocaust, the millions killed by Communist China, the countless massacres that fill the pages of history? With the innumerable times of tribulation that was before and since that time, it cannot be held that 70 can be considered the worst time of tribulation. Without question, there will not be a worse time on the face of the earth than that great tribulation period  (Revelation 8: 7- 13).  "Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!"  Not woe to Jerusalem or woe to the Middle East, but woe to the inhabiters of the earth.  The problem with this philosophy is there is always a slick answer for everything, but not a scriptural answer for it and "by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple."  With this doctrine they must also say that God is finished with Israel, contrary to Romans 11.  Consider the words of Duncan McKenzie, a columnist for Planet Preterist. "The Coming of Jesus in Revelation 19 is referring to the one and only Second Coming at AD 70. With harlot Israel destroyed, Jesus comes and defeats the beast from the abyss."  They teach that Israel is destroyed.  Israel is MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH according to their heretical doctrine; which also causes God to disannul His everlasting covenant with Abraham and David.  A slippery slope, for now the logical and natural consequence is that God has denied Himself, lied to Abraham and David, and gone back on His word.  The consequences here are dire.  Hebrews 6:11-20  proves God's promises are sure for us because they were sure for Abraham, and God is unchangeable and cannot lie.  For this cause we have full assurance of hope and we have an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast.  If the promise to Abraham was no good and could be disannulled, so could the promise to us.  But praise God He cannot deny Himself, and His word is sure.

            Preterism teaches the Satan is now in the Lake of Fire, that he is out of the picture.  If Satan is at the present thrust in the Lake of Fire, what about I Peter 5:8?   "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."  According to Preterism, this verse has nothing for us in our day because Satan is bound and merely a historical figure.  All the scripture concerning the Devil doesn't apply to us anymore by the accounts of this heresy.  It's all historical information.   This points us to another great problem with Preterism; it takes away so many promises and warnings in the scripture that are directly related to the second coming of Christ and future events.  Notice the scripture that we just quoted.  For the Preterist, since the Devil is out of the picture, we have no need to be sober, but let's look at the context of the passage in verses 6-10. "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.  Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you."  The challenge for the Preterist is to tell us what is historical and what is not.  If the verse in the middle is historical about Satan, what about the sentence before telling us that Christ cares for us?  Does he care for us, or only those historical characters that had to resist the Devil?  Proper interpretation and plain sense tells us that those whom Christ cares for are also the very same that are to be sober and vigilant.  The command to be sober goes with the same thought as the promise of Christ making us perfect, stablishing and strengthening and settling us.    Who is scripture written for, and how are we to read scripture if the commands of the New Testament no longer apply to us?  Denial of scripture is a fruit of Preterism, which leads to picking and choosing what one wants to obey, and casting aside what you don't.  I was once told that the New Testament is to be read no differently than genealogies of the Old Testament, it is God's word but you have to pick out what you can use, and view the rest as historical information.  That, unfortunately, is their view of scripture, and only the beginning of the errors.  There are far too many scriptures that are directly tied to future things to list everyone here so we will consider only a few.  Many of our blessings, encouragements, commands and warnings are tied into the teaching of the coming of Jesus Christ, thus making the verses irrelevant to us if what they teach were true.  Not only those particular verses, but the entire context of the verse are lost as well as we have seen in our example of I Peter 5.  But why stop there, if the context of the passage does not apply, what about the entire epistle? Notice a few scriptures that are linked with the future.  The Bible says to look for the Saviour (Titus 2:12-13), if He has already come back, then that verse doesn't apply to us anymore which tells us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts and to live soberly and godly in the present world while we are looking for Christ to return.    Preterism destroys our hope, consider Romans 8:24-25  "For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?  But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it."   Please consider the context of this verse, this is not merely hope in going to Heaven, Romans 8:23  "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body."   The preterist believe that the only resurrection is a spiritual resurrection that happens when you are saved; but how can one hope of the adoption, the redemption of our body with a spiritual resurrection?  If the resurrection takes place at salvation, how could a saved person be looking towards it?  That is how Preterism destroys our hope, you can't hope for something in the past, but you can only hope for FUTURE things. Look in Titus 2:13 again  "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ."  Our hope (future) is the glorious APPEARING of Christ, so we have no blessed hope any longer according to their tenets.  Also, the weapons of war God gave us are both useless and unnecessary if this teaching is true.  Ephesians 6:10-11  "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.  Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." Why have amour to protect and war against an enemy that is already gone?   When pointing out their error, I have found that one of the cries of Preterism is they claim to hold to ‘scripture only' and put no value on confessions or creeds, as if to say that they are relying only upon the Scripture.  Having a belief that differs from the faith of the historical Baptists is supposed to be a pious badge of honor and an example of their stand for God's Word rather than men; which is good and right, we should never, ever, ever put the words of men above the words of God, but this is a deceptive tactic to hide their error and validate the fact of being opposed to historic Christianity.  Beware of anyone who will not put into writing what they believe or those who object to written statements of belief.  We too believe that scripture is sole authority, but as Baptists, we have never been afraid to have what we believe about the scriptures written down for all to see.  It is an cop-out to say "I don't live by confessions or creeds or articles of faith, only the Bible"; the person who says that, oft times has a false doctrine or false teaching they are trying to hide or are embarrassed by their belief.  This is indeed dangerous teaching for it does away with much scripture.

            If what they say is true, we are living in the new heavens and new earth."Therefore what makes the Heavens and Earth "new" is not an act of God physically re-creating them, but a renewing and reconciliation of all things in Christ, through his sacrifice, resurrection and return in A.D. 70. The very presence of Christ (his parousia) is what gives the Heavens and Earth a renewed character." (Planet Preterism).  Here is what God says: Revelation 21:1-4 "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.  And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."   Surely we know that God has not wiped away all tears, and we know that there is pain this very hour.  We can look out our window and know that New Jerusalem is not here and that Christ does not dwell bodily with us now.  Do you live in the world of Revelation 21:1-4?  I don't, not yet anyway.  I look about and see war, famine, murders, destruction, poverty, pollution, crime, and all manner of sin.  I live in a perilous (II Timothy 3:1)  kind of world .  To say that we live in Revelation 21:1-4 is absurd and preposterous.  It is hard to believe that one could say they believed the Bible and hold to such unorthodoxy.  If this is the new heaven and new earth, and this is what a life with no pain, tears sorrow is all about, I am of all men most miserable.

            If Preterism is true, there are a lot of unanswered questions. Why preach or baptize? Matthew 28:18-20 "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.   Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen."  If all has been fulfilled and we are in the end of the world that means our job is done.  Also, the Preterist that does preach the gospel should have many saved when witnessing, because Satan is not here to hinder the gospel (II Cor. 4:1-6). The Bible teaches that the work of the church and preaching of the gospel needs to continue until the end of the world, and being in the end of the world according to Preterism, then why serve God in His church?   Why take the Lord's supper?  We are to take it "till he come" (I Cor. 11:26-27) and if He has come then we should have stopped taking it a long time ago and taking the Lord's Supper would be a vicious, deceptive lie according to Preterism.  Why is there no post AD 70 biblical instruction?  Since the Bible was penned before the end of the first century, and all things came to an end in AD 70, why not provide us with some instruction?  Why didn't John, or Paul or Peter give us some idea what WE should do once all things were fulfilled?  The answer is because when all things are fulfilled, we will be with God, we will dwell with Him through all eternity, and our hope will be realized!  In fact, most scholars believe that the book of Revelation was written well after AD 70, some put the date almost 30 years after, thus making John a historian rather than penning a prophecy despite John saying seven times in the book of Revelation that it was a prophecy.

Briefly, let me show you some of their so called 'proof texts' of Preterism.   Matthew 10:23 "But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come."  They claim that Jesus was telling the disciples that once they preached over the cities of Israel, Jesus would return.  But Jesus was telling the disciples that He was coming after them, as they preached, he would come to them again before they were finished.  When you are persecuted in this city go to another, and you won't have preached in all the cities before I come behind you.  This is His earthly ministry Matthew 11:1 "And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities."  They claim that Matthew 16:28 "Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom," refers to his second coming, but he is speaking of what happened in Matthew 17:1-9, the transfiguration.  Next, Matthew 24:34 "Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled."  Preterist claim ‘this generation' is the generation standing with Christ as he was speaking.  But Jesus was speaking to the generation that shall see the signs he spoke of, not the generation standing with him. Matthew 24:30-34 "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors."  Milburn Cockrell, in his book An Exposition of Matthew 24 well says "I believe that 'this generation' must be taken literally.  This is the natural and normal meaning of the world in the Bible ... Hence the meaning is the generation that lives to see the specific signs of the Great Tribulation and the signs in the heavens will also witness the return of Christ and the setting up of the kingdom."

    The Bible is clear on how Christians must deal with Preterism in II Timothy 2:16-18.  "But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some."  Preterism is expressed as profane, or wicked and heathenish, mixed with vain babbling, or empty sounded fruitless talk.  God has ordered us to shun it, to stay away from it because it eats like a canker. It brings death, if left unchecked and its evil wicked influence spreads.  The result of preterism has eternal ramifications, and scripture says it will "overthrow the faith of some."  This teaching can not be tolerated, it can not be compromised with, and it can never be allowed in the Lord's churches. A teaching that overthrows the faith of some and denies the faith once delivered is dangerous, deadly and damnable.