The Resurrection

We have previously mentioned that within the Preterist doctrine there are those who are Partial Preterists, and those who are Full Preterists. The dividing point between the two is their interpretation of the resurrection of the dead and final judgment. Full Preterists believe that all Bible prophecy is fulfilled (Lu 21:22), except for the ongoing aspects of the everlasting covenant. This dictates a spiritual interpretation for the resurrection of the dead, in the eyes of many. Even though Partial Preterists believe that the Second Coming occurred in AD 70, because they hold that the Bible teaches a physical resurrection of the dead, they believe that there is yet to come a final physical resurrection and judgment. Most Partial Preterists believe that the last few chapters of Revelation are yet to be fulfilled.

That the resurrection is a crucial point for the acceptance of Full Preterism can probably not be overstated, as R. C. Sproul notes:

“The great weakness of full preterism—and what I regard to be its fatal flaw—is its treatment of the final resurrection. If full preterism is to gain wide credibility in our time, it must overcome this obstacle.” (p. 203, The Last Days According to Jesus) (p. 375)

The final resurrection (and accompanying judgment) is the hotbed of debate between Full Preterists and Partial Preterists and Futurists. In this chapter we compare what is commonly taught in the Church today with New Testament Scripture. Does the New Testament teach that we are to be raised with physical bodies? Does not Christ’s physical resurrection, as the first fruits of those raised from the dead, indicate that we are? These things are the focus of this chapter.