Jesus the preterist
“The apocalyptic beliefs of the first Christians have been proved to be false. It is clear from the New Testament that they all expected the Second Coming in their own lifetime. And, worse still, they had a reason, and one which you will find very embarrassing. Their Master had told them so. He shared, and indeed created, their delusion. He said in so many words, ‘this generation shall not pass till all these things be done.’ And he was wrong. He clearly knew no more about the end of the world than anyone else. This is certainly the most embarrassing verse in the Bible.”
(From C. S. Lewis, “The World’s Last Night” (1960), found in The Essential C.S. Lewis, p. 385)
Either C. S. Lewis was right, or Jesus was. The choice is obvious. All those things came to pass.
October 23rd, 2009 at 6:32 am
I think that Preterism has much that it leaves unanswered. One of the more striking texts that poses a problem for me is in Matthew 22:1-14.
The Lord’s eschatological parable is divisible into two sections: (a.)vv.1-7, which is clearly the preaching of the Gospel to the Jews, etc and the destruction they met in AD 70,
and (b.)vv.8-14, which takes place after the destruction of the murderers etc, outside of the city, and ends with a final division of those in the banquet hall (i.e. the clothed and the unclothed). This “casting out” is reminiscent of the parable of the dragnet in Matthew 13:47-50 in that both good and bad are gathered, but the good are kept and put into a vessel (akin to being “clothed”) while the old are thrown away (akin to “unclothed”).
The “covered”/”uncovered” motif, stretching back to Genesis 3, would seem to only further emphasize that what occurs in vv.1-7 is not an eschataological judgment but an immediate judgment that precedes the final judgment where those who are w/o Christ as their garment (Galatians 3:26-27, et al).
What are your thoughts?
-hiram
October 23rd, 2009 at 8:23 am
Hiram
I think all these “divisions” are related to the two goats on the Day of Atonement. One will be taken and the other left.
I have something on the dragnet here:
http://www.bullartistry.com.au/wp/2009/09/12/feasts-in-matthew-13/
November 5th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
He was a cool guy, but I personally wonder C.S. Lewis was actually saved. Good grief what an idiot…
November 5th, 2009 at 5:52 pm
I think he was a product of his time, as we all are. This quote shows he was honest about the text and what that implied, unlike most of evangelicalism.