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A Beginner’s Guide to Preterist Theology

A Beginner’s Guide to Preterist Theology

Last updated on: January 29, 2025 at 12:00 pm by Lee Ann B. Marino

A Beginner’s Guide to Preterist Theology 2024-12-20T15:52:37-05:00 Lee Ann B. Marino

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The book of Revelation continues to fascinate readers, generation after generation. Even those who aren’t religious or very interested in Bible study take an interest in Revelation. The drama of its contents: heavenly signs and wonders, natural drama, government corruption, and the ultimate fall of evil powers captivates audiences worldwide. For those who read it carefully, many walk away wondering, how does this all play out – and in the long run, what does it mean?

Contrary to what many might believe, there isn’t one exclusive view or interpretation on the book of Revelation. Does it surprise you to learn there is one interpretation that believes all of Biblical prophecy has been fulfilled? In this column, we are going to look the interpretation known as Preterism.

Book open to book of Revelation

Photo by Luis Quintero: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-person-fingers-on-a-book-4341248/

What is Preterism?

To understand Preterism, it’s important to know the different interpretations that exist surrounding the idea of future prophecy. Depending on who you ask, there are approximately five different interpretations on Revelation. These include:

Idealist: Revelation portrays the ongoing battle between God and Satan over good and evil. The illustrations present in it are classified as allegorical.
Historicist: Revelation is a symbolic recounting of history from the age of the Apostle John through to the end of the age. They see things, such as the seven churches of Revelation, reflecting different eras of church history. They also see it as prophesying the fall of Rome, the coming corruption in the Catholic Church, and the rise of the Reformation.
Futurist: Revelation is divided into three parts: What you have seen, what is now, and what is to come, later. Chapters 4-22 are all interpreted as futuristic in nature, to happen at an undetermined time.
Preterist: Revelation was complete, for the most part, by the end of the first century. We now live in the state of the new heavens and new earth.
Mystical: Revelation is symbolic, speaking of events from the beginning of time to the end of time. The immediate, or literal understanding related to that of prophetic understanding in the first century, but also applies throughout Christian history, right unto the end of time.

It is the Preterist view we will discuss in this column. As stated above, it is the belief that all of Bible prophecy, from Genesis to Revelation, has been fulfilled (or is mostly fulfilled). This includes prophecies of the Second Coming as well as all Biblical tribulation, trial, and last days prophecy. From the Mount Olivet discord (Matthew 24:1-25:36) to Revelation 22, most Preterists believe Bible prophecy ended by the beginning of the second century.

Two interpretations

As with most things devoted to Bible interpretation, there isn’t only one interpretation of Preterism. There are two major schools of Preterism: partial and full.

Partial Preterists believe the majority of Bible prophecy was complete by the end of the first century, with the exception of a few points. These include the rise of the beast of Revelation, the Great Tribulation, the Second Coming, resurrection of the dead and the day of the Lord. Why these things have not yet been fulfilled in light of everything else isn’t answered. The way they interpret symbolism, such as the image of Babylon (some say it’s Rome while others argue it’s Jerusalem) also varies. They see themselves as “orthodox” believers, standing in opposition to traditional creeds, and councils which came later in time. To them, partial Preterism pre-dates the councils of church history.

Full Preterists believe all of Bible prophecy is fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The idea of the Second Coming of Christ is seen as a power of judgment rather than a literal return. Resurrection is also seen, not as a literal entity, but a metaphorical one. The “new heavens and new earth” are the state of being when one is a new creation in Christ.

How do they get their interpretation?

Preterists place heavy emphasis on the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD as the foundation for their prophetic interpretation. They believe the entire prophecy of the Mount of Olives happened at that time, as singular events, never to be repeated. Along with this belief, they believe the entire New Testament canon was written by 70 AD, although this is in sharp contrast to historical evidence.

Perhaps most notable of Preterism is that they are “replacement theologists,” believing the church replaced Israel after the siege of Jerusalem. To them, the “last days” isn’t a reference to the end of time, but to the end of the Mosaic covenant. Jerusalem’s capture signified judgment on Israel, with judgment against all nations to follow. This radical belief removes the idea of two covenants and creates controversy within Christian circles. These few views set Preterists apart from other interpretative views, as they work to make their unique theology fit among historical facts and interpretations that don’t quite fit in the bigger picture.

How many are there?

In the scope of Christian views, Preterism has relatively few adherents. As a minority group, however, Preterists tend to be very vocal about their beliefs. It’s not uncommon to hear Preterist views on social media, chat forums, or in response to other posts, if for no other reason to oppose popular prophetic interpretations. It’s not known how many there are, but Preterists can be found among Evangelical Christianity, Roman Catholicism (they espouse partial Preterism to contrast with Historicist interpretation, although it’s seldom taught anymore), traditional Protestantism, and Churches of Christ.

History of Preterism

Preterism has a spurious history. While Preterists point to early Christian writings and authors to support their viewpoints, most agree the Preterist view was not held until the Counter Reformation, somewhere around the seventeenth century. It originated with a Catholic priest whose sole point was to create defenses of Scriptural interpretation against Protestant viewpoints. It did not gain popularity among Protestants until the end of the eighteenth century.

Demands of Preterism

Even though I am not a Preterist, I believe we can learn from any interpretation of Scripture. Whether we learn something we embrace or it challenges us to understand our views better, both are of value. That being said, I believe Preterists are prepared and ready to answer, regardless of the situation. They are often far more interested in church history, documents, and profiles of Christian history who, they believe espoused their views. They present their case in an intelligent manner, thus appealing to those interested in historical documents, church history, and intelligent presentation.

Preterism’s understanding of events also sees the Kingdom of God as a very real and present thing, even if it’s in an abstract sense. Many Christians see God’s Kingdom as future rather than present, although one does not have to be a Preterist to have this understanding. Recognizing God’s Kingdom and rule – even if it’s not in a political or nationalist sense – is important for Christians of every belief system.

Preterism also demands Christians examine their views of prophecy. Even if one’s beliefs doesn’t fall into one of the traditional categories of understanding, we should all be able to present what we believe about prophetic matters. While Preterists can’t answer many direct and concrete issues posed in our faith, they do cause us to stand up and seek a better apologetic answer rather than recycling standard answers over and over again. From this, we learn we can’t take a few passages out of context to try and justify a point.

Preterist pitfalls

While Preterism makes for an excellent presentation, there isn’t a lot of substance behind their position. Neither Scripture, nor history, support their unique interpretation. We also deal with the controversy of using historical figures at whim. While a Preterist might see value in Eusebius to support their eschatological viewpoints, they wouldn’t agree with the rest of his beliefs. Centering one’s entire belief system on a singular issue causes other issues, including ignoring other matters that are equally – if not more so – more important.

Understanding prophecy is a process. It doesn’t happen as we attempt to make it a theory. Understanding Biblical language applied in New Testament prophecy, such as “soon,” or “quickly” contain conditions in the Greek. For them to happen expediently, circumstances must be met. They happen quickly as pertains to other happenings, and not isolated in cause. Likewise, history didn’t stop with the end of the first century (or after 70 AD, for that matter). As long as history continues, prophecy will continue to be relevant. Until Jesus returns, we will not see the fulfillment of all prophecy. Until He appears in His completion, we will continue to see through a glass darkly (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Understanding the times

Even though Preterism will probably never become a mainline belief, we will, most likely, encounter someone who believes in it. We must know what we believe and have the ability to discern our days. Prophecy is a fascinating study, one that we will probably never understand in whole, but we can embrace in part. The more we study Scripture to understand, the more we are able to present our thoughts to others.

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History and Religion

About Lee Ann B. Marino

Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino, Ph.D., D.Min., D.D. (”The Spitfire”) is “everyone’s favorite theologian” leading Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z as apostle of Spitfire Apostolic Ministries. Her work encompasses study and instruction on leadership training and development, typology, Pneumatology, conceptual theology, Ephesians 4:11 ministry, and apostolic theology. She is author of over thirty-five books, host of the top twenty percentile podcast Kingdom Now, and serves as founder and overseer of Sanctuary International Fellowship Tabernacle - SIFT and Chancellor of Apostolic Covenant Theological Seminary. Dr. Marino has over twenty-five years of experience in ministry, leadership, counseling, mentoring, education, and business. You can read more about the author here.

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