After having given the pertinent Books of the
Bible reflecting the fulfilled prophecies from Jesus' own words, and after
giving supplemental Scripture in support and after concluding the series
of the Epistles, I want to now finish my project with a timeline that I,
as a preterist, hold to as demonstrated in Scripture.
400 BC
Malachi tells the Jews that God will send to them Elijah the prophet
before the great and terrible day of the Lord. (Malachi 4:5)
30
AD John the Baptist fulfills this prophecy of Elijah and preaches
repentance before the wrath that would accompany the great and terrible
day of the Lord. (Matthew 11:12 & 17:12)
33 AD Christ
prophesies the temple's destruction and the fulfillment of all things in
the Olivet Discourse before the people of that time had all died. (Matthew
24:34)
33 AD Peter explains that the tongues of fire are a
fulfillment of the prophet Joel, and that they are now living in the "last
days". (Acts 2:16-17)
52 AD Paul teaches his churches that
at least some of them will be alive to see the second coming of Christ. (1
Thessalonians 4:15)
57 AD Paul teaches his churches that
they are to eagerly be waiting on Christ's second coming (1 Corinthians
1:7)
57 AD Paul again teaches his churches that they will
not all die before the Second Coming of Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:51-52)
58 AD Paul teaches the Roman church that the "night is
almost gone, and the day is near" (Romans 13:12)
62 AD
James teaches his churches to be patient until the Second Coming of
Christ, and the Christ is "right at the door" (James 5:7-9)
62
AD Paul teaches his churches that Christ is "at hand" (Philippians
4:5)
63 AD The writer of Hebrews pens, "For yet a very
little while, and He who is coming will come and will not delay (Hebrews
10:37)
64 AD Peter writes, "the end of all things is near"
(1 Peter 4:7)
65 AD John tells his readers that it is the
"last hour" (1 John 2:18)
66 AD John tells the 7 churches
the events mentioned in the Revelation must "soon take place" (Revelation
1:1), and that the "time is near" (Revelation 1:3)
66 AD
Christ, through John, tells the church at Thyatira to "hold fast until I
come" (Revelation 2:25)
66 AD John is instructed to
"measure the temple" [the temple was still standing in 66 AD] (Revelation
11:1)
66 AD John is told not to seal up the book of
prophecy because the time is "near" (Revelation 22:10)
70
AD The great and terrible day of the Lord. The temple, Jerusalem, and
the apostate Jewish nation are completely destroyed forever. Christ comes
for his people, and judges his enemies. The last days come to an end, and
the new day of the church age dawns. God now tabernacles in the hearts of
his people.