Hey Spencer,
Just noticed this comment. My apologies for the delay. I have to say I have investigated preterism extraordinarily thoroughly and find it lacking – and all hinging on a very very literal reading of the text. This generation will not pass – the last hour – etc etc. But for me it makes zero sense that we have already exited history and have vaulted past the tribulation – that we missed the AntiChrist all together. I know of no moment when the world watched as a man, who died, then came back to life, then proclaimed blasphemy against God as a result. I mean, I know of a lot of important leaders that have blasphemed. But not one that died first, and then was resurrected. (Revelation 13:13-16)

But my biggest question to you is why? Why would you jump the tracks so readily? Where is Christ’s kingdom? (Zech 14:17). Can you point me to a visual diagram of the timeline of preterism? When does Christ come? Because many of the prophecies of the Old and New testament haven’t occurred. Like the death of millions of Israelites in a battle that surrounds them, and they only make way of escape through Christ’s return. Do you think the tribulation happened, but not Christ’s return? I genuinely don’t even get what you are positing, or why it even matters. Just thinking out loud at this point.

You really painted an accurate picture of the struggles Christians experience in sanctification.

To help myself understand why I struggle with sin as a Christian I came up with these descriptions of my life:

Depraved — I WAS UNDER THE POWER OF SIN / Sin was my master. Even my righteous acts were like filthy rags before God because my motives for doing good acts were not pure. I was a prisoner of sin who could not fight back.

Justification — I WAS SET FREE FROM THE PENALTY OF SIN by asking Jesus to rescue me from the punishment I deserve for disobeying God. Thus, Jesus made my account/record/file with God clean and pure forever. Sin is no longer my master. God is forever my wonderful father, master, & king.

Sanctification — Because sin is no longer my master I AM FREE FROM THE POWER OF SIN, but the parasite of sin is still connected to my flesh and is now waging war against me. It’s like I’ve been released from jail, but the warden will not leave me alone and keeps trying to put me back in jail. I am able to obey God now because of the strength He gives me; so I wage war back against the parasite of sin. Each time I let sin act like my master again I am not reflecting the reality of God being my master. This is an ongoing war until my body dies. Sometimes I’m winning. Sometimes sin is winning. I think of sanctification as the process of my obedience muscles growing stronger by having to continuously stab disobedience in the heart over and over each time it raises its vampire head. This whole time my account/record/file with God is clean, pure, and perfect because of how powerful Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross is at making things clean forever. (Hebrews 10:14 “For by one sacrifice he [Jesus] has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.”)

Glorification — I WILL BE FREE FROM THE PRESENCE OF SIN. I will be given a new, eternal body. The fleshly body I’m in now will be gone; thus, the parasite of sin will no longer be able to reside in something connected to me.

THANK YOU, GOD!!!

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SPOILER WARNING : I’m a preterist who likes pointing out verses.

I was hoping the speed bump known as 1 John 2:18 was going to pop your car up high enough for you to stop, get out of your car, and investigate why John put that thing in the middle of the road.

1 John 2:18 “Dear children, this is THE LAST HOUR; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know IT IS THE LAST HOUR.” Before Jesus was crucified he warned his disciples multiple times to keep watch, because they do not know the day or hour when the Lord will come, yet because antichrists had come John told his readers, “IT IS THE LAST HOUR” —Wow!— No more not knowing. John knew. No more days left. No more hours left. John made it clear to his readers they were in THE LAST HOUR.

The mindjob you’re going to discover that will blow away all the best mindjobs in the movies will be what you discover about the second coming of Jesus as you keep probing/researching/analyzing the scriptures for all the mindjobs God is involved in. This website is proof you love to find mindjobs and are skilled at finding mindjobs >> so get ready for finding the biggest mindjob ever in history! It’s even bigger than when Jews started to figure out their understanding of the Messiah was incorrect and that Jesus is really the one who fits the description of the Messiah all the way.

Ok the more I thought about it, I realize I’m wrong. God setting up all of history in order to show His love for us even after mankind rejected Him in Eden is really the biggest mindjob in history, but what you will discover about the second coming will not be far behind it.