How do you exactly describe a partial preterist? Here is what I think I know but I am probably wrong. My pastor started a Sunday School class on Revelation, and he used the Hendricksen’s book ‘More than Conquerors’ for describing the 4 ways of interpreting Revelation. They are Preterist, Historicists, Futurists, and Idealists. The Preterist is considered heretical in its interpretation method of saying all prophecy was fulfilled by the time of the Fall of Jerusalem around 70 AD. I guess they deny the 2nd Coming. The Historicists were popular with the early Reformers, The Futurists interpretation is the most popular today with its pre-mil view. The Idealist is the interpretation that more of the a-mil Reformers today take. (Which include me (I think)). My pastor said one probably has to take some interpretation from each of the 4 views to get the most accurate interpretation.

Now, onto the Partial Preterist view as it wasn’t around during Hendricksen’s time. I seems I started hearing about it 10- 20 years ago mostly from some in the Ligonier crowd. It has been said that R.C. Sproul developed some emphasis in that interpretation. In a way the Partial Preterists do not differ much from the Historicists or Idealists except they wanted to be cute and fancy in their new-founded approach. However, I could be completely wrong on that.

OK, here is what I know or suspect with this view. They are post-mil, but not the ‘golden age’ type, they believe as me in that the millennial starts with Christ’s Resurrection and His Second Coming. I’m not sure how they would define the millennial. Another feature they have is that they (or least most of them) hold that John wrote Revelation before the Fall of Jerusalem, not in the early 90s AD as most biblical scholars believe. And finally, what influences them is their take on the verses that say Christ’s return will be soon. It seems as if they attempt to reconcile those verses into their Partial Preterist view.

So, what is a good precise definition of the Partial Preterist interpretation?

John Chaney

"having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith . . ." Colossians 2:7