We are continuing our series on preterism as taught by R.C. Sproul. The first video and second video are really is important for understanding the passion of preterist. If you've been feeling lost don't fret. Things start moving out of the realm of philosophy and back to the specific texts of Scripture from this lesson on.
I look forward to any textual questions I get as we move forward.
Genres are important. Incredibly important. In my hermeneutics class we had to study all the genres that can be easily discerned. And even after all of that there is room for fun discussions on which genre certain texts and passages fit. Sometimes we are forced to recognize hybrid forms that present even more discussion. But since eschatology is driven by apocalyptic literature, it would seem that we would want a clear understanding of the genre to work with.
We are going to start with the Olivet Discourse because the critics are aimed there and the passage is actually a great starting block for a preterist understanding. It is an interesting thing to look at the Olivet Discourse from a preterist view. Instead of being a lightening rod for critics the passage becomes perhaps the greatest example of Biblical prophecy being fulfilled. This is not a sufficient reason to accept the preterist view but must be kept in mind as we see the increasing validity to the preterist view.
When we evaluate the Olivet Discourse we must address the "why" and the "sign". Too many are so excited to get to the prophecy part that they ignore the obvious context. I love how Sproul gets to the point: who is the primary audience of these warnings? The quick and sufficient answer in today's church is "us". But specific people at a specific time and place asked this questions. And Christ answered them. The answer should not be "us" but "the disciples". This warning wasn't even for the general audience that followed Christ everywhere. It was for His precious disciples.
I'm going to close with a general point that Sproul touches on. Jews had been taught (principally by habit), that Jerusalem as God's city was granted special protection (Micah 1:9, 12). The practice was quite clear and history tells us it happened definitively. But Christ gave practical advice against the practical knowledge. He gave instruction to His precious disciples.
