A Dummies Guide to Partial-Preterism

How should we understand the Olivet Discourse? It's impossible to understand Matthew 24 without understanding Jesus' indictment of Israel.

What a fascinating age we live in! Think about the hype over the end of the world today. Russia and Ukraine! Israel and Gaza, and now Iran! Oh my! One hundred years ago, when a national tragedy occurred, people read about it two to three days later. Today, at its most minuscule and remote level, any news can be accessed, commented on, and assessed within minutes.

When you look at the world scene, a drone strike in Iran can ignite fierce debate over whether we should invade a nation or impose sanctions on it. It is undoubtedly a tender moment in history. But the uniqueness of this moment does not entail that these events, which have always taken place, fulfill Joel 2 or Matthew 24.

The Olivet Discourse is the most sobering of the many eschatological passages in the Bible. Modern discourse on wars and rumors of wars inevitably leads to that famous text in Matthew’s Gospel. But before we seek to understand it, we must consider whether we believe any significant modern event directly connects with the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24.

The Preterist Option

My goal is to offer an introduction to reading Matthew 24. Before one even begins to read that famous discourse, there are some details to remember. Treat this as the prequel to the main event. Since this text plays such a crucial role in the eschatology discourse, it is essential to look for hints about when it was written—context matters.