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Is Full Preterism a Heresy?
- Blake Barbera
- Jun 8
- 6 min read
A Biblical Look at Preterism, Prophecy, and the Return of Christ
If you've spent any time studying biblical prophecy, you've probably encountered the term preterism. For some Christians, it immediately raises concerns about heresy. For others, it represents a helpful way of understanding difficult prophetic passages. The challenge is that many people use the word preterism without distinguishing between two very different positions: partial preterism and full preterism.
That distinction matters. In fact, whether preterism is a legitimate Christian belief depends almost entirely on which form of preterism we're talking about.
What Is Preterism?
The word preterism comes from a Latin word meaning "past." Broadly speaking, preterists believe that many biblical prophecies were fulfilled in the first century, particularly in connection with the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple in A.D. 70.
Preterists often point to passages such as Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, and portions of Revelation as describing events that were imminent for Jesus' original audience. Rather than viewing every prophecy as referring to events thousands of years in the future, preterists emphasize the historical context in which these prophecies were originally given.
In that sense, preterism is not a fringe idea. Many respected Christian scholars throughout church history have recognized that at least some New Testament prophecies found fulfillment in the events surrounding Jerusalem's fall.
The Difference Between Full and Partial Preterism
The most important distinction is between partial preterism and full preterism. Partial preterism teaches that many prophecies were fulfilled in the first century, particularly those concerning Jerusalem's judgment. However, partial preterists still affirm the future bodily return of Christ, the future resurrection of the dead, the final judgment, and the ultimate renewal of creation.
Full preterism, sometimes called consistent preterism or hyper-preterism, goes much further. It teaches that all biblical prophecy was fulfilled by A.D. 70, including the Second Coming of Jesus, the resurrection of the dead, the final judgment, and the arrival of the new heavens and new earth. According to this view, there are no major prophetic events still awaiting fulfillment.
This difference is not a minor disagreement. It touches some of the most foundational doctrines of the Christian faith.
Is Partial Preterism a Legitimate Christian View?
So, is partial preterism a legitimate Christian view? In my judgment, yes. Christians can legitimately hold a partial preterist interpretation while remaining fully within the bounds of historic Christian orthodoxy. Many respected theologians and scholars have held views that would be classified as partial preterist. Among them are figures such as R.C. Sproul, N.T. Wright, D.A. Carson, Craig Blomberg, Steve Gregg, R.T. France, and others. Even earlier figures like John Calvin, John Owen, and Jonathan Edwards interpreted certain prophetic passages in ways that anticipated aspects of modern partial preterism.
Personally, I became much more open to partial preterism after studying R.T. France's work on Matthew's Gospel. His treatment of Jesus' Olivet Discourse convinced me that many Christians underestimate just how much of Matthew 24 points directly to the destruction of Jerusalem.
It’s important to remember that a Christian can hold that many prophecies were fulfilled in A.D. 70 while still affirming everything taught in the Apostles' Creed and Nicene Creed regarding Christ's future return and the resurrection of the dead.
Why Full Preterism Is Different
The situation changes dramatically when we move from partial preterism to full preterism. The overwhelming majority of Christians throughout history have rejected full preterism because it appears to contradict core doctrines taught in Scripture and affirmed by the historic creeds of the Church. The issue is not whether Jerusalem was judged in A.D. 70. Nearly everyone agrees that it was. The issue is whether the Bible teaches that Christ's final coming, the resurrection, and the final judgment have already occurred.
Full preterism answers yes. Historic Christianity has overwhelmingly answered no.
This is why the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, most Reformed denominations, most Baptist denominations, most Lutheran denominations, and most Pentecostal denominations all reject full preterism. While the movement has gained some visibility in recent years, it remains a very small minority position within the global church, likely less than 1%.
What About the Resurrection of the Dead?
One of the most significant concerns involves the doctrine of resurrection. Paul's discussion in 1 Corinthians 15 describes a future transformation in which all Christians who have ever lived will put on immortality and death will be swallowed up in victory. The passage presents resurrection as a climactic event involving the defeat of death itself. When we look around the world today, death still reigns. Graves are still filled. Christians still die.
Similarly, 1 Thessalonians 4 describes the Lord descending from heaven with a cry of command, the dead in Christ rising, and believers being gathered together with Him. Whatever interpretive questions remain, these events are described as realities that would bring comfort and hope to suffering believers.
The question every Christian must ask is simple: Has this happened?
What About Christ's Return?
The New Testament repeatedly speaks of a future appearing of Christ. In Acts 1:11, the angels tell the disciples that Jesus will return in the same manner in which He departed. In 2 Thessalonians 1, Paul describes a future revelation of Jesus from heaven with His mighty angels, bringing judgment upon the wicked and relief to His suffering people.
These passages have traditionally been understood as describing a future, visible, climactic event. Full preterism must reinterpret these texts in a fundamentally different way, which is one reason many Christians find the position unconvincing.
Again, the question is straightforward: Has this happened?
A Passage That Should Give Us Pause
Perhaps the strongest warning comes from 2 Timothy 2:16–18. Paul warns Timothy about false teachers named Hymenaeus and Philetus, describing them as men who had "swerved from the truth" because they were teaching that "the resurrection has already happened" (2 Timothy 2:18). Their teaching was upsetting the faith of some believers and spreading like gangrene.
This passage does not settle every debate about eschatology. However, it should at least cause Christians to approach claims that the resurrection is entirely past with great caution. The fact that Paul identifies this idea as a serious theological error cannot simply be ignored.
What Do the Historic Creeds Say?
The historic creeds of Christianity are also relevant here. The Nicene Creed declares that Christ "will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead." The Apostles' Creed affirms both Christ's future judgment and "the resurrection of the body." These statements have been confessed by Christians across denominational lines for centuries, and they were written long after full preterists say that every New Testament prophecy was fulfilled.
If the resurrection is entirely past, why are our bodies still awaiting resurrection? If the final judgment is complete, why does Scripture continue to portray the Lord’s coming and subsequent judgment of the world as the great future hope of God's people?
These questions help explain why full preterism has generally been regarded as outside the boundaries of historic orthodoxy.
So, Is Preterism a Legitimate Christian Belief?
The answer depends on which preterism you mean. If by preterism you mean partial preterism, then yes. Many faithful Christians, pastors, and scholars hold that many biblical prophecies were fulfilled in the first century while continuing to affirm the future return of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, and the final judgment.
If by preterism you mean full preterism, then the answer is very different. Because it denies a future bodily resurrection, future return of Christ, and future final judgment, it is generally regarded by the historic Christian church as outside the bounds of orthodox Christianity.
That distinction is crucial. A Christian can read Matthew 24 or even large portions of Revelation through a preterist lens and remain fully orthodox. What ultimately matters is whether we continue to confess the historic Christian hope: Christ will return, the dead will be raised, evil will be judged, and God's people will dwell with Him forever in the renewed creation.
Is Full Preterism a Heresy?
Blake Barbera is the founder and Lead Teaching Minister at That You May Know Him. He has been teaching the Bible for more than two decades, and has served the Church in various capacities during that time, including as a missionary and pastor.
For more about our ministry, visit our About Page: https://www.thatyoumayknowhim.com/about
