What the Hell!
By Richard P. Joseph
What the Hell! Well, maybe I shouldn’t say that because you just might not believe in it. In fact, you might not believe that there is a heaven either for that matter. So what has Preterism really become for many people? Apparently it has become a pandora's box of man’s mixed bag of candy. It seems like it has become a playground for every bored soul out there. But that is not why I am in it. What did it mean to me when I became a preterist?
When I became a preterist I found out that the bible is reliable and historically true. It gave me even more confidence in scripture than I previously had (which was already absolute). Now, when a preacher says something dumb like “Jesus made a mistake” when he predicted the end times, I can refute it with boldness. But this isn’t the case for many preterists out there. For most preterists that are not of the “Individual Body Rapture View” , if a preacher says something about heaven or hell, the confused preterist jumps up and yells “Hey, there isn’t any heaven or hell!” In fact, they might even get on a roll and start on a tirade and give ‘em the whole bit; “There ain’t no heaven, hell, creation, devil, or a resurrection of individuals.” Then he will cap it off by saying “the earth is flat”!
Unfortunately, what I have been experiencing is that, as more and more people become familiar with the basic idea of fulfilled theology, they take it upon themselves to, not only correct the timing of events, but to correct the entire biblical narrative. Although, there are some things that do need reforming, just be careful or you will do what many have already done; they reformed themselves right out of Christendom. I am not going to explain all of the ridiculous things out there but if you find yourself falling off the edge of the earth, you may have gone too far (pardon the pun). I would laugh but somebody out there might get offended. If “I” do not get to experience God when I get to a real heavenly realm, then why would I even believe in Him? If nobody gets punished for their unbelief and vile life then what’s the point of following Christ? If we just evolved and then God, all of a sudden, made a covenant with an ape then Genesis is a lie. If the earth isn’t round then God only forgot our sins for a limited distance.
So what is my point? This article is a warning to all who are just doing this to be rebellious. If you find that you are now questioning everything in the bible then you are probably going in the wrong direction. I have experienced the complete opposite. I now believe the bible more than ever. Yes, there are some “ideas” that need reforming but I really do expect to actually go to heaven and see Jesus Christ and be busy there doing God’s will. If someone told you that you are just part of a resurrected Israel on earth and that you really won’t individually experience God in heaven then I feel sorry for you. In fact, I suggest you don’t even bother doing this “religious” stuff. Why waste your time? Or better yet, come and join the conservative believers who actually trust scripture and want to actually experience it.
