introduction to covenant eschatology

8/14/2019 Introduction to Covenant Eschatology

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Introduction toCovenant

Eschatology


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The Generation Promise

All these things include:Earthquakes The Gospel PreachedFamines Abomination of DesolationTribulation Destruction of the TempleFalse Prophets False Christs

Wars

**Matthew 24:34, "Truly I say to you, this generation will not passaway until all these things take place.

Objection #1: Certainly these events have not yet occurred, thus Jesus has yet to return. This generation must refer to somethingother than whom Jesus was speaking to.


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Generation means race.Generation means nation.

Thayers Greek English Lexicon of the NT: geneaThe whole multitude of men living at the same time

If the authors wanted to portray the word generation with amore ethnic flavor they could have used the word: genos

Galatians 1:14, and I was advancing in Judaism beyond manyof my contemporaries among my countrymen( genos ). Acts 7:19, 17:28; Philemon 3:5; 1 Peter 2:9

THE GENERATION OBJECTION


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This Generation refers to the generation that would witnessthese events.

Thus changing the scriptures to read something like:

Truly I say to you, the generation that sees these things take placewill not pass away until all these things take place.

This interpretation:

- is needlessly redundant- adds things to the Word of God which are not there

THE GENERATION OBJECTION


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Matthew 16:28, Truly I say to you, there are some of those whoare standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.

Related Passage:

Question: Are any of the disciples whom Jesus wasspeaking to alive today?

Conclusion: Jesus arrived in His Kingdom while some of thedisciples were still living.

False Conclusion: Jesus broke His promise.


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The Olivet Fulfillment

The generation of the disciples did indeed experience andwitness the signs Jesus proclaimed.

Many Christians are unaware of the historical fulfillmentsconcerning the Temple, Jerusalem and surrounding eventsin the first century.

For the sake of our study, lets assume that : This Generationrefers to the generation that would witness these events.

Lets follow Matthew 24 verse by verse and compare theLords eschatological predictions with documented,historical fulfillments.


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The Olivet FulfillmentVerse 2: Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another , which

will not be torn down. Josephus The Wars of the Jews Book 6: Chapter 5: Section 2And now the Romans, judging that it was in vain to spare what was roundabout the holy house, burnt all those places, as also the remains of the cloistersand the gates, two excepted; the one on the east side, and the other on the south;

both which, however, they burnt afterward. Josephus The Wars of the Jews Book 7: Chapter 1: Section 1Now, as soon as the army had no more people to slay or to plunder... Caesar gave orders that they should now demolish the entire city and temple.


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The Olivet FulfillmentVerse 6: "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not

frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.ReferenceLuke 21:21 But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies ,then recognize that her desolation is near.Origen (AD 225) Against Celsius Book 2: Chapter 13Now in these it is recorded, that when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed about

with armies, then shall ye know that the desolation thereof is nigh. But at thattime there were no armies around Jerusalem, encompassing and enclosing andbesieging it; for thesiege began in the reign of Nero , and lasted till the government of Vespasian, whose son Titus destroyed Jerusalem.


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Josephus The Wars of the Jews Book 6: Chapter 3: Section 3Moreover, their hunger was so intolerable, that it obliged them tocheweverything , while they gathered such things as the most sordid animals wouldnot touch, and endured to eat them; nor did they at length abstain from girdlesand shoes; and the very leather which belonged to their shields they pulled off and gnawed.

Josephus The Wars of the Jews Book 6: Chapter 3: Section 4So those that were thus distressed by the faminewere very desirous to die; andthose already dead were esteemed happy, because they had not live long enougheither to hear or see such miseries.

Acts 11:27-28 - And in those days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch.Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that therewas going to be a great famine throughout all the world , which also happened in

the days of Claudius Caesar.

Verse 7: "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,

and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.


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The Olivet FulfillmentVerse 7 (cont): "For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against

kingdom, and in various places there will be famines andearthquakes. Acts 16:26 - Suddenly there was a great earthquake , so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened andeveryone's chains were loosed.

Tacitus, The Annals, 12:43Several prodigies occurred in that year. Birds of evil omen perched on theCapitol; houses were thrown down by frequent shocks of earthquake , and as the panic spread, all the weak were trodden down in the hurry and confusion of thecrowd.

Tacitus, The Annals, 12:58Apamea, too, which had beenshaken by an earthquake , had its tribute remitted for five years.Tacitus, The Annals, 14:27 One of the famous cities of Asia, Laodicea, was that same year overthrown by

an earthquake.


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The Olivet FulfillmentVerse 7 (cont):

Seneca, Epistulae Morales (65AD)How often have cities in Asia, how often in Achaia, been laid low by a singleshock of earthquake! How many towns in Syria, how many in Macedonia, havebeen swallowed up! How often has this kind of devastation laid Cyprus inruins! How often has Paphos collapsed! Not infrequently are tidings brought tous of the utter destruction of entire cities.History also records earthquakes arising in Rome, Apamea, Hieropolis, andColossae between 60-67AD.

Commentary on Philostratos, The Life of Apollonius of Tyana IV.34

The earthquake mentioned by Philostratus as affecting the site of Lebena in hisaccount of the life of Apollonius of Tyana has been variously dated within thecourse of the I cent. A.D. In recent times the most popular hypotheses set thethe available sources, that the visit of Apollonius to the Asclepieion of Lebena,and the subsequent earthquake, are to be dated to 66 A.D.


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The Olivet FulfillmentVerse 10: At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and

hate one another. Josephus The Wars of the Jews Book 6: Chapter 3: Section 3Now of those that perished by famine in the city, the number was prodigious,and the miseries they underwent were unspeakable ; for if so much as theshadow of any kind of food did anywhere appear, a war was commenced

presently; and the dearest friends fell a-fighting one with anotherabout it,snatching from each other the most miserable supports of life.Verse 11: Many false prophetswill arise and will mislead many.1 John 4:1 - Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to seewhether they are from God, because many false prophetshave gone out into the

world. Josephus The Wars of the Jews Book 6: Chapter 5: Section 2A false prophetwas the occasion of these people's destruction, who had made a public proclamation in the city that very day, that God commanded them to getupon the temple, and that there they should receive miraculous signs of theirdeliverance.


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The Olivet FulfillmentVerse 14: This gospelof the kingdomshall be preachedin the whole world as a

testimony to all the nations , and then the end will come.Romans 16:25-26 - Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of themystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested,and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the

eternal God, has been made known to all the nations , leading to obedience of faith;.Verse 15: Therefore when you see the Abomination of Desolationwhich wasspoken of through Daniel the prophet,standing in the holy place let the readerunderstand).

Josephus The Wars of the Jews Book 6: Chapter 6: Section 1And now the Romans, upon the flight of the seditious into the city, and uponthe burning of the holy house itself, and of all the buildings round about it,brought their ensigns to the temple and set them over against its eastern gate;and there did they offer sacrifices to them, andthere did they make Titusimperator with the greatest acclamations of joy.


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The Olivet FulfillmentVerse 15: (cont)

Chrysostom (AD 347) Homilies on Matthew Homily 74: Section 3Was their house left desolate? Did all the vengeance come upon (that generation)? It is quite plain that it was so, and no man gainsays it.

Clement of Alexandria (AD 160)"We have still to add to our chronology the following, -- I mean the days whichDaniel indicates from the desolation of Jerusalem, the seven years and sevenmonths of the reign of Vespasian. For the two years are added to the seventeenmonths and eighteen days of Otho, and Galba, and Vitellius; and the result isthree years and six months, which is "the half of the week," as Daniel the prophet said. For he said that there were two thousand three hundred days fromthe time that the abomination of Nerostood in the holy city, till itsdestruction.


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The Olivet FulfillmentVerse 16: then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.

Eusebius (AD 263) Church History Book 3: Chapter 4: vs 9But the people of the church in Jerusalem had been commanded by a revelation,vouchsafed to approved men there before the war, to leave the city and to dwellin a certain town of Perea called Pella..


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The Olivet FulfillmentVerse 21: For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred

since the beginning of the worlduntil now, nor ever will.Eusebius (AD 263) Church History Book 3: Chapter 7: vs 9"It is fitting to add to these accounts the true prediction of our Savior in whichhe foretold these very events. The historian (Josephus), reckoning the wholenumber of the slain, says that eleven hundred thousand (1.1 million) persons

perished by famine and sword , and that the rest of the rioters and robbers, beingbetrayed by each other after the taking of the city, were slain. But the tallest of the youths and those that were distinguished for beauty were preserved for thetriumph. Of the rest of the multitude, those that were over seventeen years of age weresent as prisoners to labor in the works of Egypt, while still more werescattered through the provinces to meet their death in the theaters by the swordand by beasts. Those under seventeen years of age were carried away to besoldas slaves , and of these alone the number reachedninety thousand . These thingstook place in this manner in the second year of the reign of Vespasian,inaccordance with the prophecies of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ , who bydivine power saw them beforehand as if they were already present


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The First Century was a significant time of tribulation asGod dismantled the imperfect covenant He had withmankind. Many signs and wonders accompanied theunveiling of His new, faultless covenant. The Historicalfulfillments of such should raise some credibility and causethe skeptics to at least entertain the possibility that theseevents have already been fulfilled.

Conclusion: Jesuss prophecies concerning His return were fulfilled within the first century.

Next, lets take a more specific look at one of the predictions Jesus mentions in His Olivet Discourse The GospelPreached.


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The Gospel Preached

Matthew 24:14, This Gospel of the kingdomshall be preached inthe whole world as a testimony to all nations , and then the endwill come.Mark 16:14-18, Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they wereeating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubbornrefusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. Hesaid to them, "Go into the entire world and preach the good news

to all creation.The Gospel had to be preached to:

- the whole world- all nations- all of creation

Objection #2: Its impossible that every single personon this planet has heard the gospel!


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The Gospel Preached**Colossians 1:6, All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing, just as it

has been doing among you since the day you heard it and understood God's grace in allits truth.**Romans 1:8, First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reportedall over the world.

**Romans 16:25-26, Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel

and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which hasbeen kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God,has been made known to allthe nations , leading to obedience of faith;

**2 Timothy 4:6-17, For I am already being offered, and the time of my departure iscome. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith: ....Butthe Lord stood by me, and strengthened me; that through me the message might be fully proclaimed, and that all the Gentiles might hear.

**Colossians 1:23, if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven , and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.


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The Gospel Preached

The Pauline scriptures are pretty clear that fulfillment of thewords of Jesus came to pass in the first century.

WAS PAUL WRONG?

Conclusion: Jesuss prophecies concerning the gospel beingpreached to the nations, whole world and all of creationwere fulfilled inside the first century.

Next, lets transition into discussing the vivid imagery found

within Matthew 24 and how it ties together with a firstcentury return of Christ.


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Other SignsSUN, MOON & STARS

**Matthew 24:14, But immediately after the tribulation of thosedays the sun will be darkenedand the moon will not give its light and the stars will fall from the sky , and the powers of the heavenswill be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in

the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and theywill see the son of man coming on the clouds of the sky with powerand great glory.

Logically, if such physical events happen it could only meanthe imminent destruction of our universe which is exactlywhat many believe today! Rather, such poetic language isfound elsewhere in the Bible to symbolically describe

governing bodies.

Objection #3: These events never were witnessed and recorded!


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Celestial bodies were often used to symbolize the rulers (orleaders) of nations.

**Genesis 37:9-10, Now he had still another dream, and relatedit to his brothers, and said, Lo, I have had still another dream; andbehold,the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing downto me.He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his fatherrebuked him and said to him, What is this dream that you havehad? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come tobow ourselves down before you to the ground?


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**Isaiah 13:1-17, The burden against Babylon which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw.. The noise of a multitude in the mountains, like that of many people! A tumultuous noise of the kingdoms of nations gathered together! The Lord of hosts musters the army for battle. Wail, for the day of the Lord is at hand! Itwill come as destruction from the Almighty. Therefore all hands will be limp,

every man's heart will melt , and they will be afraid. Pangs and sorrows willtake hold of them; they will be in pain as a woman in childbirth; they will beamazed at one another; their faces will be like flames. Behold, the day of theLORD comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate;and He will destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be darkened in its going forth, and the moon will not cause its light to shine . I will punishthe world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; I will halt the arroganceof the proud, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible. Behold,I will stirup the Medes against them.


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Obviously there was no literal falling of stars in the days ofIsaiah. He pictured the Babylonian Emperor as the sun, thequeen as the moon, the military, political, business, andreligious leaders as the stars, and the might of the empire as

the powers of heaven. If you recall, the Median empireconquered Babylon in 538BC.So when Jesus uses these exact words, with the orderslightly changed, he is using Isaiah's symbolic language torefer to the fall of Jerusalem in the lifetime of His hearers. Jerusalem (Israel) was going to be destroyed in the sameway as Babylon was six centuries before.

Conclusion: Jesus was referring to the destruction of Israel andits Old Covenant law.


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Other SignsHEAVEN & EARTH

**Matthew 24:35, Heaven and earth will pass away, but Mywords will not pass away.

**Isaiah 51:15-16, I have put My words in your mouth and havecovered you with the shadow of My hand, toestablish the heavens,to found the earth , and to say to Zion, 'You are My people.

**Leviticus 26:19, I will also break down your pride of power; I will also make your sky like iron and your earth like bronze.

Much like the celestial bodies, heaven and earth were also

used symbolically to describe a government-ship.


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Other SignsHEAVEN & EARTH

**Deuteronomy 29:19, 31:24-28, These are the words of the covenant whichthe Lord commanded Moses to make with thesons of Israelin the land of Moab,besides the covenant which He had made with them at Horeb. And Mosessummoned all Israel and said to them

It came about, when Moses finished writing the words of this law in a bookuntil they were complete that Moses commanded the Levites who carried the arkof the covenant of the LORD, saying, Take this book of the lawand place itbeside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God,that it may remain there asa witness against you. For I know your rebellion and your stubbornness;behold, while I am still alive with you today, you have been rebellious againstthe Lord; how much more, then, after my death? Assemble to me all the elders of your tribes and your officers, that I may speak these words in their hearing andcall the heavens and the earth to witness against them .


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Other SignsTHE TRIBULATION

**Revelation 1:9, I, John, your brother and fellow partaker inthe tribulation and kingdom and perseverance which are in Jesus,was on the island called Patmos because of the word of God andthe testimony of Jesus.

Conclusion: The Tribulation has already occurred.

History records the Christians of the first century enduringhorrendous tribulation.

- beheading- crucifixion- stoning

- disemboweled- burned- fed to animals


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Other SignsARMAGEDDON

- Means mountain (or valley) of Megiddo- Har-Magedon is a place, not an event

- Megiddo is a city located at the southern entrance to the Jezreel valley along the plain of Esdraelon.- Megiddo overlooked the crossroads to the Via Maris- Megiddo and the underlying Jezreel valley were the

scene for over 100 battles throughout history- Plain of Esdraelon and the Megiddo outpost was used byRoman forces in 67AD to gather and reinforce their legions.( Josephus , Norman Bentwich)

Revelation 16:16, And they gathered them together to the placewhich in Hebrew is called Har-Magedon.


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Conclusion: The gathering of armies inside the valley of Megiddooccurred in 67AD when the Roman legions set out to attack Israeland her holy city, Jerusalem.


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Other SignsANITCHRISTS

1 John 2:22 ("He is antichrist who denies...")1 John 4:3 ("this is the spirit of the antichrist...")2 John 1:7 ("a deceiver and an antichrist.")

**1 John 2:17-19, The world is passing away, and also its lusts;but the one who does the will of God lives forever. Children, it isthe last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, evennow many antichrists have appeared ; from this we know that it isthe last hour. They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us;but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are notof us.

Conclusion: Antichrist/s was a 1 st century movement.


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Other SignsTHE LAST DAYS

**Acts 2:14-16, But Peter, taking his stand with the eleven, raised his voiceand declared to them: Men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, let thisbe known to you and give heed to my words. For these men are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only the third hour of the day;but this is what was spokenof through the prophet Joel.

**Joel 2:28-32, It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit onall mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy , Your old men willdream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on the male and femaleservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days . I will display wonders in thesky and on the earth, Blood, fire and columns of smoke.The sun will be turned

into darkness and the moon into bloodbefore the great and awesome day of theLord comes. And it will come about that whoever calls on the name of the Lordwill be delivered.

Conclusion: The disciples were living in thelast days.


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Other SignsTIME STATEMENTS

Read over a few of the aforementioned passages and takespecial note regarding the wording of the time statements.

at handis near

maranathathese days

are cominghas come near

about to comeabout to judge

already the hourvery very soon

is passing awayready to disappear

drawing near these last times

In what language do any of these mean 2000+ years fromnow ?

Conclusion: The NT writers expected the events surrounding

Christs return to happen soon within their generation.


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Other SignsAgain, there is sufficient evidence to cause most skeptics toat least consider a first century return of Jesus possible.

Our next topic will touch on a more sensitive idea regardingour orthodox belief on Salvation.

Salvation can be a complicated word to interpret andunderstand, but for the sake of our discussion we will use its

most commonly used definition - eternal life.

Salvation Completed

Question: Where do you go when you die?


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Salvation a RealityThe answer may surprise you.

Rev. 20:11-15, Then I saw a great white throne and him who wasseated on it..Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Here we see Hades being discarded after the Great WhiteThrone judgment. This can only mean that Hades is still inuse. Also, take note of the distinction between Hades and theLake of Fire they are not the same thing! If the secondcoming has yet to occur, then we must admit that we still goto Hades when we die.

Objection #4: Because Salvation was completed at the cross wecan be assured that we will go to Heaven when we die.


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Salvation a Reality1 Peter 1:10, Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and

searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace thatshould comeunto you.

1 Peter 1:5, Who are kept by the power of God through faithuntosalvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

Romans 13:11, And that, knowing the time, that now it is hightime to awake out of sleep: fornow is our salvation nearer than whenwe believed.**Hebrews 9:28, so Christ also, having been offered once to bearthe sins of many, will appear a second time for salvationwithoutreference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.

Conclusion: Salvation was made complete atChrists return .


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Salvation a RealityUnder the Futurist model we demonstrate that currently we

will not go to heaven to be with God when we die. Salvationis made completeat Jesuss return. Under the Futurist modelChrist is still in heaven with the Father preparing a place for us.

Contrary to what you may hear, Covenant Eschatology offers afulfilled and final victory to Gods corner. Much like the OTpriests, Jesus ascended to God and supplicated Him to acceptthe proxy of His atonement so that man would now have aplace with God. Jesus quickly returned to show us that Godaccepted the sacrifice, ushering in the new covenant with Hiscreation. All creation is now free to have a relationship w/ God.

And to think Preterists are often accused of diminishing theChristian hope (of Jesuss return).


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Timeline of Events


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CONCLUSIONIntroduction to Covenant Eschatology

I hope this quick overview provided enough material to getyou, or somebody else, started in their study of CovenantEschatology.

As you will find out Preterism encompasses much morethan just end times events and will most likely challengethe deeply held traditional beliefs we grew up with.

Dont immediately believe everything you hear (including

this tutorial) ! I highly encourage you to study these thingsfor yourself and arrive at your own conclusions.

introduction to covenant eschatology

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