This is it. This is the series that kick started the preterist obsession. I purchased the book looking to balance my approach on eschatology. I read the book and decided: This was the right way to read the Bible.
Please note, I'm not pushing a millennial position with this series. I'm avid about preterism and pushing it because I believe it can help the church understand the Scriptures. This series is twelve parts. I'm going to interact with each video as a whole. But my comments may be rather sparse or may be rather large depending on my mood.
Today we will look at what Sproul calls "the crisis in eschatology".
Early on Sproul talks about the division in the church over the matter of eschatology. I touched on that subject in a "My Take" on eschatological confusion. And of all the major views addressed in that post, I side with Sproul in this minority perspective called preterism. I'd like to see it no longer be a minority perspective but that's beyond my ability. :-)
Sproul's energy in this series really does derive from a desire to defend the credibility of Jesus and the Bible. So even if we disagree with him, we can be gracious towards him in his defense of Christ. Many of us in conservative denominations have been ignorant of the battles over Scripture that have been going on in the scholastic world. And while we need not mold our theology to liberal scholastic critics, it is worth being aware of the information and teaching that is influencing our faux-Christian culture. And if it true that 2/3 of the New Testament refers to future prophecy, it is high time that the church understand what the Scriptures actually teach.
The time frame references of Jesus Christ are crucial for the defense of Jesus Christ. This isn't just a simple matter of disagreement among Christians but is the subject matter of debate with non-believers. You can now understand my focus on time frame references in the Olivet Discourse and the book of Revelation. It is not simply to prove my view but to acknowledge that it is the most simple explanation of those texts.
Did Christ return before the Disciples taught in every city in Israel? Did He come into His kingdom before all the Disciples died? Did Christ return in glory within a generation?