tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11928317.post2994585822245290045..comments2024-01-29T14:24:46.852-05:00Comments on Wes Ellis: Am I a Preterist?wellis68http://www.blogger.com/profile/06087588494600746854noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11928317.post-42429425111623091522011-11-18T15:47:32.754-05:002011-11-18T15:47:32.754-05:00Joshua,
I can't speak for all preterists, but ...Joshua,<br />I can't speak for all preterists, but as for me, the New Heavens and New Earth imagery speaks of the present and the future. It provides us a lens through which to see the beauty of this world as it should be, underneath the dust of death and curse. But it speaks prophetically as well. Knowing this image to be how it ought to be, we can certainly see that we aren't there yet. And it signals the climactic and dramatic intrusion of God's kingdom into this world. To me, it is an example of the now, but especially of the not yet. <br /><br />As for hell, there's still a strong biblical argument for the legitimacy of an eternal hell... even in a preterists view... because of the "lake of fire" imagery and it's eternal quality. It's tough to get around, in fact. But in apocalyptic literature as well as prophetic literature, hyperbolic language is common. Even with hyperbole, however, you can't avoid the sheer clarity of the 21st chapter of Revelation. The author, through symbolic and even poetic language, wants to make it readily clear that the new heavens and new earth are fundamentally void of chaos and curse, without the old order, without even a sea from which any beast could potentially emerge. This is eternal without question. So the question is, are individuals included in the passing away of the old order? It is here that there is room for discussion and it is here that we can hold the Revelation accountable to the rest of the biblical narrative. <br /><br />This comment became a post in itself. Hope it answered some questions.wellis68https://www.blogger.com/profile/06087588494600746854noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11928317.post-60252803157796485302011-11-13T11:01:02.253-05:002011-11-13T11:01:02.253-05:00Really love your perspective on this, Wes. Also, w...Really love your perspective on this, Wes. Also, would a Preterist view imply that the new Heavens and new Earth and new Jerusalem in Revelation have already happened? That seems rather unlikely to me. It seems a Preterist view would also be one in which a universalist position would become more tenable by virtue of the "smoke of their torment rising to the ages of the ages" already having occurred. Even your view that the imagery has something to say about the present and the future significantly weakens the traditional view of hell as based on Revelation. At least it seems that way to me. Of course, I already think that view of hell is quite weak.<br /><br />How did this comment become about hell? Guess I've been kinda preoccupied with hell lately. :)<br /><br />JoshJoshua Keelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14406250983484067623noreply@blogger.com