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Eschatological Discourse, Part Two: Prophetic Perspective vs. Preterism
Jesus’ words in the Eschatological Discourse (ED) are prophetic. At times he seems to be speaking primarily about the end of the world; at other times he seems to be speaking primarily about the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70. I propose that the prophetic perspective is the appropriate hermeneutic through which the ED’s mountain peaks are to be properly understood.[1] The prophetic perspective guards the interpreter against locking into one specific fulfillment where Jesus perhaps has multiple fulfillments in mind. Determining whether Jesus has only one or multiple fulfillments in mind is the inherent challenge of the ED. When is Jesus speaking only about the fall of Jerusalem? When is he speaking only about the end of the world? When is he speaking about both? How clean are the breaks between one subject matter and another? The interpreter must wrestle with challenging questions like these.
In contrast to the prophetic perspective is the preterite perspective. “Preterism is a term given to the belief that the prophecies of the New Testament were fulfilled in the 1st century. The Latin word praeter means ‘past.’ So preterism teaches a past fulfillment of Bible prophecy.”[2] “Preterists interpret such passages to be fulfilled in the events leading up to and including the destruction of the Jewish Temple and Jerusalem in AD 70.”[3] Preterism is the opposite of futurism, which sees eschatological prophecies fulfilled far in the future.
There are two categories of preterism: full preterism and partial preterism. Full preterism interprets the entire ED as referring specifically and only to Jerusalem’s destruction in AD 70.[4] “Even the items that are commonly understood to refer to Christ’s second coming on judgment day are taken by preterists to have been fulfilled by A.D. 70,”[5] such items as the heavenly upheavals, the sending of the angels, and the coming on the clouds.
Partial preterism, by contrast, does not deny Christ’s future second coming at the end of the world but does understand much of the ED to be referring to the fall of Jerusalem. “[Partial preterism] holds that the Fall of Jerusalem is in view in the discourse till the end of v. 35 [Mt 24]. Only with the opening of v. 36 does the second advent come into view.”[6] In other words, in partial preterism the first half of the ED is about AD 70; the second half is about the end of the world.
Confessional Lutherans will, of course, object to a full preterite eschatology. However, recent scholarship from within confessional Lutheranism has adopted a partial preterite interpretation of the ED. Jeffrey Gibbs advocates a partial preterite interpretation of the ED. In his doctrinal dissertation Jerusalem and Parousia,[7] as well as in the third volume of his commentary on Matthew in the Concordia Commentary series,[8] Gibbs observes a distinct change in subject matter at Matthew 24:36, from Jerusalem’s fall to Christ’s final return.[9] Quite forthrightly he admits, “It should be clear at this point that I am not here advocating the view that is sometimes called ‘prophetic perspective.’”[10]
Given the recent rise of the partial preterite interpretation within Lutheranism, and its presence in the Concordia Commentary series, the remaining articles in this series will focus on the tension between these two hermeneutics: the prophetic perspective and the preterite perspective.
Rev. Kirk Lahmann serves as pastor at St. John Lutheran Church in Burlington, WI
[1] Nass describes the prophetic perspective like this: “It is also commonplace in the Bible for prophecies of the future to have separate but similar events put together in one prophecy. This is sometimes referred to as the ‘prophetic perspective.’ It’s like looking at a mountain range from a distance. You can see numerous peaks, but you don’t know about the miles that separate them until you get close.” Thomas P. Nass, End Times: Jesus Is Coming Soon (Milwaukee: Northwestern, 2011), 268.
[2] Thomas P. Nass, End Times: Jesus Is Coming Soon (Milwaukee: Northwestern, 2011), 263.
[3] This reference comes from a handout shared by Prof. Forrest Bivens in Senior Dogmatics at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary, spring 2009.
[4] For a thorough presentation of full preterism, explore the website Preterist.org.
[5] Nass, End Times, 266.
[6] D. A. Carson, Matthew 13–28 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1995), 492. Carson contrasts this view with “prophetic foreshortening,” which we would call the prophetic perspective.
[7] Jeffrey A. Gibbs, Jerusalem and Parousia: Jesus’ Eschatological Discourse in Matthew’s Gospel (St. Louis: Concordia, 2000).
[8] Jeffrey A. Gibbs, Matthew 21:1—28:20 (St. Louis: Concordia, 2018).
[9] Citing Gibbs specifically, Nass observes, “It is very surprising to me to find some conservative Lutheran writers who adopt this preterist interpretation of Matthew 24.” Nass, End Times, 363, fn 102.
[10] Gibbs, Parousia, 235, fn 178.
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Systematic Theology: Sharing the Gift of Baptism
Jesus tells us to baptize all nations. How can we share his gift?
Baptism has a prominent place in Luther’s Small Catechism and our membership classes. This is one way we share God’s precious gift of baptism. We teach that baptism is a present reality, not simply an event from the past. Pastors are not surprised when prospects ask to be baptized after the lesson on baptism. Thank God for these opportunities!
Are there other ways we can share this gift?
This question shaped a key part of my STM thesis, in which I surveyed several pastors who have brought this precious gift to the once unbaptized and unchurched.[1] Some ideas involved programming and simple promotion: community-advertised baptism seminars, sign-up forms to learn more about baptism on a website, VBS surveys that ask the parents if they would like to learn more about baptism, fliers with the church’s branding that explain what we believe about baptism. Other ideas make baptism a key part of the culture of the church, school, or preschool: giving baptism a prominent place in the harvest strategy, having united called workers carry out Christ’s great commission, having special baptism-themed chapels and Sunday services. Baptisms and adult confirmations have followed these efforts.
A theme appeared in every survey: Talk about baptism. Talk about it often. Highlight how blessed you are to be baptized into Christ. Share what your Savior has promised you through your baptism. Let baptism be heard in your preaching, teaching, and conversations.
This emphasis has reshaped my pastoral practice. When I have the opportunity for a visit with a pregnant mother or the parents of small children, I will ask them if they have made plans to have their child baptized. Through that intentional conversation shift, I find it easy to talk about Jesus and his saving work. Can it feel awkward? Sure. You might as well embrace the awkward. The Holy Spirit works through these conversations and changes hearts. The Holy Spirit saves as his gospel is shared in Word and sacrament.
We are equipped for sharing this gift. Luther’s Small Catechism summarizes what the Bible says clearly and concisely—and in a way that answers questions people ask. Luther’s Large Catechism reminds us that baptism is pure gospel with great illustrations. The gospel ripples of this pouring (or sprinkling, dunking, immersing, etc.) continue well past when the waters have dried, and they make an eternal difference. With such a precious gift, we boldly talk about a baptism that saves.
Rev. Patrick Freese serves as pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Abita Springs, LA.
[1] Revs. Lucas Bitter, John Bortulin, Caleb Free, Phil Huebner, Phil Moldenhauer , Joel Russow, and Jon Scharf have good practical thoughts on how baptism is used as a part of our outreach to the unchurched. Gathering their thoughts for my STM thesis was a highlight of that project.
Historical Theology: The Life of Bo Giertz, Part 1
Adapted from the author’s 2021 essay, Dare to be a pastor: Meeting Bo Giertz
You will search mostly in vain for references to Bo Giertz in WELS resources. There are eight references in the Wisconsin Lutheran Quarterly between 1950 and 1989, mostly tucked into reports about international gatherings. There are no essays about him in the Seminary’s online essay file. Until late 2021, neither the Quarterly nor the Shepherd’s Study had reviewed his work. Happily, that has since changed.
Maybe since he was a Swedish pastor writing in a Swedish part of a Lutheran church not of our fellowship, you are not surprised or bothered. I hope these five articles introducing you to Bo Giertz move you to get know him as a man, but also as an author whose name and books should be as well known and accessible as other popular Christian authors like C.S. Lewis or Dietrich Bonhoeffer—with the added benefit that Giertz was more orthodox than they.
Born in 1905, Giertz’s atheist parents baptized him because that is what you do in a country with a state church. Yet the Lord laid a foundation at that baptism. Raised in a godless home, Giertz ended up being one of the most influential Christians in twentieth century Scandinavia. The country voted him that title in a poll shortly after he died in 1998.
Giertz planned to follow his father into the medical profession. Then God grabbed him. Reversing our fear of what universities will do to our children, Giertz went from atheist to Christian under the influence of college friends. Then Giertz decided he wanted to be a pastor. He once expressed this to the Queen of Sweden. When she asked if he would be an academic theologian, he said, “No, but a pastor.” She made him promise to do that.
He entered the ministry in a Swedish Church entrenched in liberal theology and engaged in the worldwide ecumenical movement, a church many thought bereft of true spiritual life. Giertz said he grew up in a Sweden where the Lutheran means of grace had to be rediscovered. Yet there was some renewal. Both a youth movement and a liturgical movement broke out at this time. The former movement pulled away from traditional theology and the atonement. The latter emphasized finding the life of the Church in the means of grace. Giertz puts these struggles on paper in books like The Hammer of God, Faith Alone, and Christ’s Church.
While he was aware that the Church of Sweden was not in every way faithful to the Word of God, Giertz never left the established church. He always hoped reform would come, that the Word he preached would do its work. He knew it could. The Word had changed his heart and life and given him hope for the future. He had discovered that there was a reality behind the texts of Scripture. He had discovered Christ.
In the next article we will talk more about Giertz’s public ministry.
Rev. Benjamin Tomczak serves as pastor at Bethel Evangelical Lutheran and School in Sioux Falls, SD.
Practical Theology: Old Testament Stories in the Pastor’s Hands, Conclusion: Old Testament Stories in Counseling
Stories give suffering context. Across counseling disciplines, it’s recognized that people are helped when their experiences can be placed within a larger, meaningful narrative. What a blessing, then, that God has given us the inspired record of so many sinner-saints who struggled with familiar griefs, temptations, and doubts. These stories allow a member to step back from the immediacy of pain, recognize another believer who suffered, and consider that suffering within the long and faithful history of God’s saving work.
OT stories are especially effective in counseling those in uncertainty or enduring prolonged trials. The common posture of God’s OT people is one of waiting (in exile, under judgment, amid temptation and unfaithfulness) for promises whose fulfillment lies beyond their lifetime. These stories assure believers today that God’s people have always lived between promise and fulfillment, and that confusion, frustration, and lament in suffering are not, in themselves, signs of weak faith or rejection by God. The Psalms and the Prophets, in particular, capture this perspective.
The Psalms work well presented as stories. This changes both how we present them and how they are received. Psalm 42–43 is a favorite example. The Holy Spirit does not rush the soul out of distress. He teaches us to remember what is true even as anxious thoughts and hostile voices attack. This Psalm also unfolds well as a story: separation from the temple, the sorrow of a downcast soul, the back-and-forth dialogue between despair and trust, a prayer for vindication, and clear connections to Christ’s suffering in our place. Other psalms work similarly. Tell a man struggling with lust the story of Psalm 73. It reads like a personal account, and he may recognize himself immediately. Or walk through Psalms 1 and 2 together as a single story: two paths, two kinds of lives, two authorities, and two very different ends. This will be a conversational style of storytelling, well suited to pastoral counseling because it invites discussion.
The lives of the prophets offer similar resources. Jeremiah weeping over Jerusalem, Ezekiel ministering far from home, or Isaiah receiving his call “in the year that King Uzziah died” all show servants of God laboring faithfully when circumstances appear bleak. A woman enduring a divorce she never wanted, after years of a husband promising to heed God’s Word and never doing so, may find an unexpected companion in Jeremiah who was dragged to Egypt after Johanan repeatedly insisted the people would obey whatever the LORD said. I find that stories of the prophets resonate well with children who are under discipline or struggling with situations that feel deeply “unfair.”
In the end, this approach is not about technique and creativity, but comfort. Old Testament stories in the pastor’s hands serve to place God’s own consolation into the hands of the suffering.
Practical steps this month:
- Read the Old Testament with an eye toward stories. Consider designating a “storytelling Bible” and mark all the stories you might use in pastoral care, categorizing or organizing them in a way useful to you.
- Prayerfully consider your current counseling situations. Is there a psalm or prophet whose story might fit? How will you use it to show “Christ for us”?
Rev. Peter Schlicht serves as pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in West Bend, WI.