Why I am a Preterist, part 2

Because John the Immerser, did not lie

John declared the soon coming judgment. As the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord. As the one who came as Elijah before the Messiah, and as the one to first identify and declare the Messiah, John did not lie.

He was immersing believers in the wilderness, for repentance, to turn from their rebellious ways, and turn back to obedience to God and true love and mercy to all men. He was preparing the way of the Lord, the Messiah. Preparing citizens for the soon coming Messianic kingdom.

John declares the Messiah come

We see in the record how Andrew and John were with John the Immerser on the day after Jesus was immersed by John. John said, "Behold the Lamb of God!" 

And from that day Andrew and John followed the Messiah Jesus. The kingdom was started with these two.

John also declared the coming of the Messianic kingdom and the judgment wrath of God on Israel.

John said, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near." John did not lie, the kingdom of Messiah, which is God's heavenly rule upon the earth, had drawn near to them. John knew the season, the signs of the times, knew by prophetic word from God that this was the time period when the Messianic kingdom would be established.

John did not lie, and I accept his word for what it is, the biblical truth.

John also declared the soon coming judgment upon Israel. People were coming out into the Jordan from Jerusalem and all Judea to be immersed by John, they confessed their sins, and repented turning back to righteousness.

John spoke about the coming judgment

Matt. 3:7-12 (LTV, eSword ed.)

"But seeing many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, Offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore, bring forth fruits worthy of repentance.

And do not think to say within yourselves, We have a father, Abraham. For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.

But already the axe is even laid at the root of the trees; therefore, any tree not bringing forth good fruit is cut off and is thrown into fire.

I indeed baptize you in water to repentance; but He who is coming after me is stronger than me, of whom I am not able to lift The sandals. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire, whose fan is in His hand, and He will cleanse His floor and will gather His wheat into the storehouse. But He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. "

The Pharisees and Sadducees were both sects of Judaism that were formed during the exile in Babylon. Both sects had doctrines developed in syncretism with the religion of Babylon which caused transgression of the Law of Moses. Jesus in his ministry addressed many areas of this. This was all part of the reason that the time was ripe for the judgment of God upon Israel. They as a nation were transgressing the law of the Mosaic covenant.

John warns the Pharisees and Sadducees of the wrath to come. John did not lie and I accept his word to be true, that these men, who came to him on this day, would see the wrath of God's judgment in their day, and be judged under it, if they did not repent.

John did not lie

John declared that the axe was laid at the root of the tree, that the Messiah, who he identified as Jesus, was to exact judgment upon them.

Those who repented, and turned to the Messiah in God, would be saved, those who did not would be burned up with fire.

And this is what happened in the lives of these men. The disciples, Andrew, John, Peter, James, Nathaniel...some of these lived through the martyrdom of the persecutions and saw the Messiah acting in judgment.

The histories of the time tell us that to quench the rebellion of the Jews, Rome sent in armies to Jerusalem. These armies killed all who with stood them, shedding great amounts of blood throughout the land of Israel. They also put to the fire all the cities, and fields of Israel, to limit the resistance and supplying of opposing forces. They destroyed the crops of Israel as a plague of locusts would.

When they approached Jerusalem, the surrounded her and laid siege. Because of the approach of the armies, many fled to the safety of the great walls of Jerusalem, noted were about 3 million people within the walls. The false prophets of the day declared that God would protect the people with in the holy city. They declared safety within the walls. But the people were trapped like rats on a sinking ship.

Because of the death of the Emperor, the general leading the armies was called to Rome, to be made the new Emperor. The Roman armies pulled back from the walls, to await more reinforcements and the new general of the armies to take command. During this time the last of the believers in Messiah, the Nazerenes as they were called, obeyed the words of the Messiah and left Jerusalem, traveling to Petra in Jordan.

And so the Messiah, gathered up his wheat, taking them to the storehouse in Jordan, while the tares were gathered into Jerusalem awaiting the coming fire.

When Titus took command of the armies, the siege was reestablished with a new fury. Great boulders were wrapped in rags and skins, soaked with oil, set fire to and cast over the walls, setting much of the city on fire. The tares were being burnt up in Messiah's judgment wrath.

When the walls were finally breached and the Roman armies flooded into the city. All who resisted were slain. Fires were set through out the city, completing the burning of it.

John told the truth! The wrath of God was an event that many who heard his voice lived to experience. Those who repented, accepting the Messiah of God, were saved. Those who did not repent met a fiery death.
Why am I a preterist? Because John did not lie!