The Preterist ABCs           
"All Nations Stood Before The Throne"
J. E. Gautier Jr.


"After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb..." Revelation 7:9

Acts 2:14-21 (Joel 2:28-32)
"But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said unto them, ‘Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’"

Scripture connects as one theological Event - the Advent - Christ’s birth, life, resurrection, ascension, the outpouring of His Spirit upon the Church in A.D. 30, and the outpouring of His wrath upon Israel in the Holocaust of A.D. 66-70. (David Chilton, The Days of Vengeance, p. 285)

We conclude that the day of visitation refers partly to the incarnation. This event brought a double-edged crisis. Jesus’ earthly ministry brought the gracious presence of God’s redemption to those who received him, but set the stage for a soon-to-occur visitation of wrath and judgment to Jerusalem and the impenitent children of Israel. (R.C. Sproul on Luke 19:43-44 , The Last Days According To Jesus, p.81)

...in Acts 2:16ff. the Pentecostal tongues event in Jerusalem was pointed to as a harbinger of ‘the day of the Lord’ that was coming. Tongues-speaking was a warning sign to Peter’s hearers of the necessity of their being ‘saved from this perverse generation’ (Acts 2:40) before the ‘great and glorious day of the Lord’ (Acts 2:20). (Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., Before Jerusalem Fell, p.234)

Signs and Wonders... When?

"And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood..."

In his article, Split Decision: Olivet Stands United, Daniel E. Harden gives a good explanation of what the type of prophet-speak language (above) was meant to convey -

‘Apocalyptic Cosmic Imagery ’ - The pictorial usage of heavenly objects in Biblical prophecy to indicate the cataclysmic state of national governments, leaders or prominent persons as a result of a major covenantal event. This includes the rising and falling of the sun, the moon, and the stars. One of the earliest (and simplest) examples can be found in Gen 37:9 and its fulfillment in Gen 42:6-9, when Joseph dreamed about his star ascending above his brothers' stars. Isaiah's prophecies use this technique more than any other prophet, but it is used throughout the Old Testament.

Prophet-speak was used by God to warn His people of coming judgment. The prophet Joel used this language, but notice when -

"...BEFORE that great and notable day of the Lord come."

This manner of speech should remind us of other areas of Scripture -

Revelation 6:12-13
"And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth..."

Following the same chronology as Joel, we find that the prophet-speak of Revelation 6 precedes the day of the Lord.
Didn’t Jesus employ prophet-speak when He described His coming at AD 70?

Matthew 24:29
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken."

In ALL three of the above passages prophet-speak is used. And in ALL three, it precedes the coming day of the Lord.

"I Have Reserved to Myself...A Remnant"

In all three passages, what’s the next event to occur?

Joel 2:32 - 3:1
"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call. For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem."

Revelation 7:1-4
"And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel."

Matthew 24:31
"And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."

Again, in chronological order, ALL three passages refer to the same event -

Joel - "The remnant...bring[ing] again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem."

Revelation - "angels holding the four winds of the earth...having the seal of the living God...seal[ing] the servants of our God in their foreheads...and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel."

Matthew - "angels gather[ing] together his elect from the four winds..."

Romans 11:1-5, 26-27
"I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men [compare 144,000 at AD 70], who have not bowed the knee to the image of Baal [compare "who had not worshiped the beast or his image" Rev.20:4]. Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace....And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, [Isaiah 59:20-21] ‘There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob:’ ‘For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins [Joel 3:21; Rev.7:14].’"

Joel 2:32-3:1
"And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call. For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem."

"The Valley of Decision"

...the Bible speaks of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the Church and the destruction of Israel as being the same event, for they were intimately connected theologically. The prophet Joel foretold both the Day of Pentecost and the destruction of Jerusalem in one breath. (David Chilton, The Great Tribulation, p. 21)

According to Joel’s prophecy, AFTER the "pouring out of [God’s] spirit on all flesh," AFTER the "sun turned into darkness, and the moon into blood ," and AFTER "the remnant of Judah and Jerusalem" are gathered...What was to occur?

Joel 3:2-21
"I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord. Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe [Rev.14:15-20; Matthew 13:36-43]: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there shall no strangers pass through her any more [see Eph.2:12-13,19-22]. And it shall come to pass in that day, that the mountains shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord [Rev.7:17, 21:6, 22:1,17] and shall water the valley of Shittim. But Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem from generation to generation. For I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed [Roms.11:27; Rev.7:14]: for the Lord dwelleth in Zion."

According to Revelation chapters 6 and 7, what would occur AFTER the"sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood" and AFTER the "one hundred and forty and four thousand of Israel were sealed"?

Revelation 7:9, 14, 17

v.9  "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

v.14  ...These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb [Joel 3:21; Roms.11:27].

v.17  ...the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: [Joel 3:18] and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."

Isn’t this the same chronological order as Joel’s prophecy?

In his book, Before Jerusalem Fell, Dr. Ken Gentry says this about the 144,000, and those who came out of the Great Tribulation -

In Revelation 7:1-8 we find an interesting temporary divine protection of ‘the land’ where four angels are seen holding back the winds of destruction...Then follows the sealing of the 144,000 from the Twelve Tribes of Israel...Clearly the reference to the Twelve Tribes is to Christians...of Jewish extraction...they are contrasted with the "great multitude" from "every nation" who praise God (v.9)....While speaking in the Olivet Discourse of the destruction of the very Temple to which the disciples could physically point...He also clearly taught that all of these things would happen to "this generation" (Matt. 24:32). Indeed, this coming event was to be "the great tribulation" (Matt. 24:21) - the very tribulation of which John writes (Rev. 7:14). pp.232-234

The Greek word for "tribe"...which in Scripture most frequently refers to the Jewish tribes....The term obviously has that import in Revelation 7:4ff., where it is used of each of the specifically named Twelve Tribes....Of course, where the term is found in connection with "every kindred, tribe, tongue, and nation" in Revelation, such would not be the exclusive reference (cf. Rev. 5:9; 7:9; 11:9; 13:7; 14:6).  pp.127-128

So, Dr. Gentry admits that -

1) the reference to the Twelve Tribes is to Christians of Jewish extraction...they are contrasted with the "great multitude" from "every nation" who praise God (v.9). The Greek word for "tribe" is not an exclusive reference to the Jewish tribes in Rev. 7:9.

2) Indeed, this coming event was to be "the great tribulation" - the very tribulation of which John writes (Rev. 7:14).

In these statements, Dr. Gentry is saying that Revelation 7:1-14 is to be considered as fulfilled by AD 70.  How then does Dr. Gentry "split" the Olivet Discourse, and claim that the separation of the sheep and goats (all nations) is a still future-to-us event?

See Daniel E. Harden’s articles: When is a Heretic, not a Heretic? and Split Decision: Olivet Stands United

In the Olivet Discourse, Matthew 24-25, isn’t Christ still following the same chronological order as Joel and Revelation?

AFTER the sun being darkened, and the moon not giving her light, and the stars falling from heaven and AFTER "the gathering of the elect," then...What comes next?

Judgment of the Nations: The Sheep and Goats.

Matthew 25: 31-34
"When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, [Mtt.16:27; 24:30-31] then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory [Rev.7:9 "before the throne and before the Lamb"]: And before him shall be gathered all nations: [Joel 3:2,14 "I will also gather all nations...multitudes in the valley of decision"/ Rev.7:9 "a great multitude...of all nations stood before the throne"] and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats [Joel 3:12 "there will I sit to judge all the heathen"]: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom [Dan.7:18-27] prepared for you from the foundation of the world:"

"...inherit the kingdom..." Throughout the New Testament, "the kingdom" was said to be "at hand." If this kingdom which the Sheep would inherit is not the same New Testament kingdom that was "near," then what kingdom is it?

Matthew 16:27-28
"For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with the angels, and then He will reward each according to his works. Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

Jesus said that some of His disciples would live to see Him come in His glory, with His angels, and in His kingdom to reward each according to their works! Do we believe Him?

Matthew 25:31-32, 34
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. [Mtt.13:49] ...Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

How are these two passages not referring to the same coming and kingdom?  In both passages we have: the Son of Man coming in His glory, with His angels, and His kingdom to judge ALL!  How can "the kingdom" of Matthew 16:28, NOT be "the kingdom" of 25:34?

It seems clear that the partial preterist who wants to insert a 2,000 year gap into the Olivet Discourse, must also insert it between verses 1 and 2 of Joel chapter 3.

v.1 "For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem [remnant of Israel, 144,000 sealed of the tribes],

v.2 I will also gather all nations [the heathens], and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat...[judgment in the valley of decision, there will I sit to judge all the heathen]"

"IN THOSE DAYS, AND IN THAT TIME...I WILL ALSO gather all nations...for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about."
A 2,000 year gap between two verses?  The partial preterist claims that AD 70 marked a "type of coming" in judgment upon apostate Israel ONLY. These verses say otherwise. These verses explicitly state that when God judged Israel, He would “also gather all nations” for judgment.

The "splitting" partial preterist must also contend that the "day of the Lord" of Joel 2:31, is not the same "day of the Lord" of Joel 3:14, which was said to be "near"!

2:31 "The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come." (AD 70)

3:14 "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision." (must be future for the partial preterist)

Two different "days of the Lord"?  And the latter, when all nations (the heathen) are judged, was said to be near!

The same holds true for Revelation 7. For Dr. Gentry, he must bounce back and forth from AD 70 (v.8), to our future (v.9), and back to AD 70 (v.14).

v.8 "of the tribe(s)...were sealed..." - AD 70

v.9 "a great multitude...of all nations...stood before the throne, and before the Lamb" - must be future, if Matthew 25:31-34 is not yet fulfilled.

v.14 "These are they which came out of great tribulation..." - back to AD 70 again.

A 2,000 year gap between verses 8 and 9 of Revelation 7, then back 2,000 years to AD 70 again for verse 14?

The prophet Joel foretold both the Day of Pentecost and the destruction of Jerusalem in one breath. (David Chilton, The Great Tribulation)

According to the partial preterist, how many more breaths must we take before Joel’s prophecy is fulfilled? And just how many kingdoms are they saying the New Testament teaches?

"And His kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed"

In his book, Before Jerusalem Fell, Dr. Gentry says that the Parable of the Vineyard should be applied to AD 70 -

There are a good number of prophetic statements in Christ’s teaching regarding Jerusalem’s demise (e.g., Matt. 21:33-46...) p.234

Matthew 21:38-45
"But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance [Psalm 2:8 "the nations for Thine inheritance"]. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen? They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons. Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. [Mtt.25 "the nations... inherit the kingdom"] And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them."

Let’s take a look at Matthew 25:34 again -
"...Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

Is Dr. Gentry postulating that the New Testament teaches two kingdoms - one that came in the first-century, and another to come at some future date? When did Christ or any of His apostles (or any of the Old Testament prophets for that matter), ever teach such a notion? Where are the verses that support it? To the contrary, the only kingdom that was ever taught, was said to be "at hand" or "near" or "about to be." Indeed, the New Testament does not teach two different kingdoms. It is only the partial preterist system that, out of necessity, forces this to be. Instead of the biblical teaching of only one New Testament coming of Christ that would bring in the one never-ending kingdom; the partial preterists’ kingdom has an end, with an ushering-in of another kingdom at their future-to-us coming of Christ.

Hebrews 12:26-28
"...whose voice then shook the earth; but now He has promised, saying, ‘Yet once more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven.’ Now this, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of those things that are being shaken, as of things that are made, that the things which cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken..."

The writer of Hebrews tells us that the first-century Christians were in the process of receiving a kingdom which could not be shaken. And that the things which could not be shaken would remain.

...as the old heaven and earth collapsed, the church was receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken. Was receiving - [Chilton paraphrases the Hebrews writer, JEGjr] ‘We are receiving! Not that someday we’re going to receive, but we are receiving.’ But, they hadn’t quite received it yet...It was a process. (David Chilton, Conference on Bible Prophecy, Oklahoma City,1997)

Dr. Gentry concurs -

The Jerusalem holocaust was coming in that generation...I Thessalonians 2:16 speaks of Jews who ‘always fill up the measure of their sins’ and upon whom ‘the wrath has come...to the utmost.’ Hebrews 12:18-29 contrasts Judaism and its fulfillment, Christianity, and notes that there is an approaching ‘shaking’ of the old order coming. (Before Jerusalem Fell, p.235)

Is there another kingdom that will remain after the kingdom which cannot be shaken, is shaken? The partial preterist would have God say, "Yet twice more I shake not only the earth, but also heaven."

Luke 1:33
"And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end."

The New Testament speaks of only one kingdom that would come. 2,000 years ago, it was said to be, "at hand," "near," or "about to be."    "And of His kingdom there will be no end."

The New Testament speaks of only one coming judgment that was about to be, that would attend the kingdom. Both of these "events" would occur at the one New Testament "coming of the Son of Man." The partial preterist system has accepted the traditional view of a future-to-us "eternal phase of the kingdom at Christ’s Second Advent." (Drs. Bahnsen and Gentry, House Divided - The Break-Up of Dispensational Theology, p.188) They have a sort-of transference of the kingdom into its "eternal phase" at a yet future Advent. Question: Where are the verses that support this?

The "Now, Not Yet" Experience

...we hold with the great majority of evangelicals the idea of a ‘now, not yet’ kingdom... (House Divided, p.188)

The reason that Drs. Bahnsen and Gentry hold to this "now, not yet" idea is because, that’s what the New Testament teaches! But, who was it that experienced the "now, not yet"? It was the first-century, New Testament-times Christians. They lived during the "now, not yet."

‘but we are receiving.’ But, they hadn’t quite received it yet...It was a process. (David Chilton, Conference on Bible Prophecy, Oklahoma City, 1997)

Again, in their book House Divided, Drs. Bahnsen and Gentry -

Thus, the Gospels emphasize on several occasions the nearness of His kingdom (Matt. 3:2; 4:12, 17; 10:7; 16:28; Mark 1:14-15; 9:1; Luke 21:31). After the Gospels there is no longer any preaching of the kingdom as at hand because: The Kingdom Was Established During Christ’s Ministry. p.180

Drs. Bahnsen and Gentry say that "the kingdom was established during Christ’s ministry," and they show scriptural support for this. A more fitting term would be, introduced. The kingdom was introduced during Christ’s ministry. BUT, Drs. Bahnsen and Gentry would also say, "the kingdom did in fact come [emphasis JEGjr] in Christ’s ministry" (House Divided, p.180). Well, which is it? They say, "After the Gospels there is no longer any preaching of the kingdom as at hand." Is this a true statement? Several of the verses that they have supplied are shown to not support their theory [see further below for Mtt.16:28 and Mk.9:1]. Let’s take a look at one of those verses -

Luke 21:31
"Even so ye also, when ye see these things coming to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh."

Yes, Jesus may have said this during His ministry which was recorded in Luke’s gospel, but to what was He referring?

...Luke’s account in Luke 21, which definitely speaks of the A.D. 70 destruction of the physical temple to which the disciples actually pointed. (Gentry, Beast of Revelation, p. 128)

Luke 21:31 is found in Christ’s Olivet Discourse. In the previous verses, Jesus tells His disciples of the "signs" to look for before His Return. One of those signs is found in Luke 21:20, "But when ye see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that her desolation is at hand." Jesus spoke these words some thirty years before "these things" actually happened. But He told them that when these things began to come to pass, to know that the kingdom of God is nigh, or near.  It seems that the kingdom still hadn’t come until several years after the Gospel times of Christ’s ministry. But the kingdom had been introduced (now, not yet) during His ministry. What act by God marked the consummation of His Kingdom?

The most significant, redemptive, historical action that takes place outside the New Testament, is the judgment that falls on Jerusalem, and by which judgment the Christian Church now emerges as The Body of Christ. (R.C. Sproul, Dust to Glory video series, 1997)

Revelation 11:15
"Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!" (note Rev.11:18’s resurrection)

David Chilton on Revelation 11:15, Days of Vengeance -

At this point in history God’s plan is made apparent: He has placed Jews and Gentiles on equal footing in the Covenant. The destruction of apostate Israel and the Temple revealed that God had created a new nation, a new Temple, as Jesus prophesied to the Jewish leaders: ‘Therefore I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it’ (Matt.21:43). Thus the Kingdom of God, the ‘Fifth Kingdom’ prophesied in Daniel 2, becomes universalized, as the heavenly choir sings: ‘The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.’ p.287-288

Marcellus Kik, An Eschatology of Victory -

The catastrophe of Jerusalem really signalized the beginning of a new and world-wide kingdom, marking the full separation of the Christian Church from legalistic Judaism. The whole system of worship, so closely associated with Jerusalem and the Temple, received, as it were, a death blow from God himself. p.138

Revelation 12:10-11
"And I heard a great voice in heaven, saying, Now is come the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, who accuseth them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death."

The result of Michael’s [Dan.12:1, JEGjr] victory over the Dragon...Now have come the salvation - the victorious deliverance into a 'wide, open space' - and the power, and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. The outcome of the Holy War is this: The Kingdom has arrived! (Chilton on Rev.12:10-11, Days of Vengeance, p.315)

The passages in Revelation 11 and 12, speak of the soon-to-occur fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy -

Daniel 7:18, 21, 27
"But the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom [Heb.12:28 "we are receiving (now, not yet) a kingdom"], and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever....and a judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time [Rev.12:10 "now is come...the kingdom of our God"] came for the saints to possess [Mtt.25:34, the sheep, those on His right, inherit the kingdom] the kingdom. Then the kingdom and dominion, And the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven, His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And all dominions shall serve and obey Him."

Dr. Gentry even supports that the kingdom actually came at AD 70 -

In Mark 9:1 Jesus promises that some of his hearers would not "taste of death" before witnessing the "coming of the kingdom with power." This almost certainly refers to the destruction of the temple at the behest of Christ... (Before Jerusalem Fell, p. lii)

Dr. Gentry failed to mention Mark 8:38. These two verses together, Mark 8:38 and 9:1, parallel Matthew 16:27 and 28.

Mark 8:38-9:1
"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power."

Matthew 16:27-28
"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom."

There’s the "now, not yet." The time between Christ’s ministry (the introduction of the kingdom), and His coming (the establishment, or consummation of the kingdom) at AD 70 is what is reflected throughout the New Testament. The first-century Christians who lived during that time experienced the "now, not yet." NOT US! Audience Relevance! We must take off our Nikes and put on their sandals. We must learn to read our Bibles with one of the most basic of interpretive principles - Audience Relevance. What did Christ’s words mean to His original listeners? And what did the epistles mean to the readers to whom they were addressed?

See pastor David Curtis’s sermon: The Transition Period - Philippians 3:12-16

Note what Matthew 16:27 and 28 teach - At Christ’s coming in His kingdom, with His holy angels, with the glory of His Father, He would reward every man according to his works; and that SOME STANDING IN FRONT OF HIM WOULD LIVE TO SEE IT!  Doesn’t this coincide perfectly with what we learned from Joel, Revelation, and Jesus in His Olivet Discourse?
No gimmicks, just plain language.

"In the judgment with this generation"

Matthew 10:11, 14-15, 23; 11:20-24; 12:41-42, 45
"And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence....And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come....Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee....The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here....The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here....Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation."

Isn’t AD 70 when "this wicked generation" was judged? The partial preterist says, "yes."

Matthew 23:29-35
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets [Lev.26: 40-42]. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city [Mtt.10:23]: That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation."

Plain language - Isn’t Christ saying that the heathen nations would be judged along with that wicked generation of vipers!  Doesn’t this also coincide perfectly with Joel, Revelation, Jesus in His Olivet Discourse, and Jesus in Matthew 16:27-28?  The partial preterist insists that Christ’s coming in AD 70 was simply a "type of coming" in judgment upon Israel. But we have already shown that this is not the case. Christ Himself said, "every man" (Mtt.16:27), that's verbatim Revelation 22:12, "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every man acccording to his work" which Dr. Gentry says is AD 70. Joel’s prophecy, "in those days, and in that time...I will also gather all nations, for there will I sit to judge all the heathen" (Joel 3:1-2,12) was proven to be an AD 70 event. The judgment of the sheep and goats, "all nations" (Mtt.25:32) was shown to be the soon-to-occur fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy. Revelation 7, which Dr. Gentry posits at AD 70, was shown to be that same group (the sheep) from Matthew 25’s "sheep and goats." And in the above passages, when Christ "upbraids the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done," He includes the Gentiles within the same judgment of impenitent Israel.
How does this not represent the so-called "universal Judgment of all mankind"?  What part of SCRIPTURE is the Preterist violating for saying that the Judgment is past? These are the very same verses that, before were thought to support the idea of a future-to-us Coming. Since it has been shown that the Gentiles were also judged at AD 70, where are the verses that teach a future-to-us Final Universal Judgment?

"World Without End"

Dr. Gentry from, The Great Tribulation in Progressive Dispensationalism (Part 3) - Dispensationalism in Transition, September, 1998 -

...I do not believe that I am THEOLOGICALLY committed to requiring that both judgments (A.D. 70 and Second Advent) appear in Matthew’s Olivet Discourse. My evangelical creedal commitments require a Second Advent, to be sure, but not necessarily a Second Advent in Matthew 24-25. Indeed, these chapters could theoretically speak ONLY of A.D. 70 (even though I believe such would be quite awkward). I do not have any unyielding theological commitments against applying the entire Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24-25 to A.D. 70. If these chapters apply only to A.D. 70, so be it!

To reiterate the sentiment of some well known premil-dispensationalists who engage Dr. Gentry in debate (paraphrase from House Divided, p.274) -

If [Gentry] were to take the whole Olivet discourse as already fulfilled...then he is left with the problem of where does the Bible actually teach the second coming?

Dr. Gentry states that he is willing to have the entire Olivet Discourse, Matthew 24 and 25, apply to AD 70. First of all, if this was the case, where would Dr. Gentry then find JESUS teaching another coming other than His coming at AD 70? Secondly, if, for Dr. Gentry, the entire Olivet Discourse refers to AD 70, then God sure does down-play the supposed End of the World doesn’t He? It seems that more and more passages are being applied to AD 70, and less and less to the end of the world. But, Dr. Gentry will continue to hold to that future-to-him coming because of his "evangelical creedal commitments." How much more of the New Testament is the partial preterist going to give away to AD 70 before they realize, "You know what, I’ve run out of verses, the Bible really doesn’t say anything about the end of the world does it?" Actually, the Bible does address the End of the World issue -

What Peter is saying [II Peter 3:7-13 JEGjr] is that, once the Old era is gone, the New Covenant will be established. An era in which righteousness dwells. The New World Order of the Lord Jesus Christ has arrived. And according to God’s promise, the saving knowledge of Him will fill the earth as the waters cover the sea [Is.11:9, JEGjr]....there are scripture passages that indicate that the world isn’t going to end in a fiery holocaust, it’s going to continue on forever. Scripture references for those: Psalm 78:69; 104:5; 119:90; Ecclesiastes 1:4 and Ephesians 3:21. (David Chilton, Conference on Bible Prophecy, Oklahoma City, 1997)

Psalm 78:69
"And he built his sanctuary like high palaces, like the earth which he hath established for ever."

Psalm 104:5
"Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever."

Psalm 119:90
"Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth."

Ecclesiastes 1:4
"One generation passeth away, and another generation cometh: but the earth abideth for ever."

Ephesians 3:21
"Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen."
Also:

Genesis 8:21-22
"And the Lord smelled a sweet savour; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."

Psalm 148:4-6
"Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord: for he commanded, and they were created. He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass."

Is it just a coincidence that Preterists understand that ALL “End of the World (age)” references actually only refer to AD 70, AND we have these “the world’s not going to end” verses to back it? How does Paul’s “world without end” fit into the partial preterist and Futurist’s “the world is going to end” scenario? It doesn’t. It can’t. If these verses (above) don’t mean what they plainly say, then what do they mean?

See pastor David Curtis’s sermon: The End of the World? - Matthew 13:40; and
David Chilton's two part article: Looking For New Heavens and a New Earth

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