Why I am Not a Preterist: Part 5

Why I am Not a Preterist: Part 5

Revelation 20:2-4 He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; 3 and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

·      Jesus has bound Satan during the 1000 years

·      Satan is in prison

·      So that…he cannot deceive the nations

·      Those who had been beheaded (killed) for Jesus are now alive and reigning with Christ during the 1000 years.

In view of the above, how can we possibly be living in the Millennium now as Preterists/Partial-Preterists acclaim? In the Book of Acts people still had demons cast out of them. If Satan is in prison, how could demons be cast out of people? Furthermore, in view of verse 3, Satan is also, during these 1000 years, unable to deceive the nations (ethnos: people groups) any longer. We must then conclude that Satan nor his demons are deceiving anyone currently. That takes a lot of NT scriptures out of play. For example, Ephesians 6:16 which states that we can quench all the fiery darts of the evil one with the Sword of the Spirit—the Word of God. If the devil is bound, then there aren’t any of his fiery darts shooting at us.

Furthermore, 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 is also no longer valid. Yes, if Satan is bound we would still need to forgive, but the warning concerning Satan taking advantage of Christians would be out of play. Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, 11 lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

And then there are scriptures like Mark 16:17 “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues…” which would also be in the past. No Satan: no demons. Would that then also throw verse 18 into the past, “they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover”? No current verse 17, then no current verse 18. Meaning, if we no longer need to cast out demons, then do we still lay hands on the sick?

If these 1000 years are what we are living in now, the Millennium, as Preterists claim, then demons being cast out or bound or warned about or deceiving or twisting scriptures is nothing we need be concerned with.

Seems foolish.

Jesus’ Kingdom is manifested wherever the power of the Holy Spirit is present. Jesus said “But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Luke 11:20) We get to be a part of “Thy Kingdom Come” now in limited measure. We do this as we work with the Holy Spirit, under His authority, manifesting His Kingdom through laying hands on the sick, casting out demons, prayer, and the like.

There will be a day when Jesus’ Kingdom comes to earth, when Jesus’ Throne is in Jerusalem, when He rules and reigns with His people for 1000 years, but that time has not yet come.