David Bottomley's Blog

The idea that Jesus has already returned and that the New Heaven and New Earth were established in AD 70 is rooted in the belief that many of the prophecies in the Bible, particularly those found in Daniel, Revelation, and the teachings of Jesus Himself, were fulfilled in the first century AD. The events described in these prophecies unfolded during a 40-year period between AD 26 and AD 66, culminating in the destruction of the Second Temple in AD 70 by the Romans, marking the end of the Old Covenant world and the beginning of a new spiritual reality. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus made it clear that His return and the fulfillment of prophecies would happen within the lifetime of His contemporaries. For example, in Matthew 16:28, He says, "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom." Similar statements are found in Luke 9:27 and Mark 9:1, emphasizing that some people alive duri...

When it comes to eschatology or "the doctrine of the last things" the Bible is intentionally cryptic.  In fact, when Daniel asked about this "My lord, what will be the outcome of these events?” He said, “Go your way, Daniel, for these words are concealed and sealed up until the end time." ( Daniel 12:8-9)   There are, in fact many views as to what the future on Earth holds, most with convincing and valid points and scripture can be found to confirm those views, but the Bible itself tells us that this information is "sealed up" so beware of those who are certain of how the future of Earth will play out. Preterists believe that nearly all of the events of Daniel and Revelation and the future events that Jesus spoke of have already occurred on Earth during the first century, primarily during a 40-year exodus period from 26-66 AD culminating in the destruction of the temple in 70 AD by the Romans.  After all, Jesus says in Matthew 24:34 during his Olivet Disco...