The Resurrection of the Dead: Past or Future in Partial Preterism?

Partial preterism is a view of biblical prophecy that sees many end-times events as already fulfilled in the past, particularly around 70 AD when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem. However, partial preterists still believe in a future bodily resurrection and final judgment. This creates some tension in how they interpret passages about resurrection and judgment. Let’s examine how partial preterists handle these important topics.

The Partial Preterist View of Resurrection

Partial preterists believe that some passages about resurrection refer to past spiritual events, while others point to a future physical resurrection. Here’s how they typically interpret key resurrection texts:

• Daniel 12:2 – Many partial preterists see this as referring to a spiritual resurrection of Israel in the first century, not a physical resurrection.
• John 5:28-29 – This is usually interpreted as referring to the future bodily resurrection at the end of history.
• 1 Corinthians 15 – Partial preterists view this chapter as describing the future physical resurrection.
• Revelation 20:4-6 – The “first resurrection” is often seen as spiritual, while the second resurrection at the end of the millennium is viewed as physical.

So partial preterists make a distinction between spiritual and physical resurrections in Scripture. They believe some resurrection passages were fulfilled spiritually in the past, while others await literal fulfillment in the future.

Challenges with the Partial Preterist View

This approach to resurrection passages creates some difficulties:

1. It requires interpreting very similar language in different ways. For example, Daniel 12:2 and John 5:28-29 use nearly identical wording, yet partial preterists interpret one spiritually and one physically.
2. It goes against the natural reading of many texts. Passages like Daniel 12:2 clearly describe a physical resurrection, not just a spiritual one.
3. It creates a “already/not yet” tension regarding resurrection that is not clearly taught in Scripture. The Bible does not explicitly distinguish between past spiritual and future physical resurrections.
4. It can lead to inconsistent hermeneutics, interpreting similar passages differently to fit a theological system.

These challenges have led many scholars to reject the partial preterist handling of resurrection texts in favor of a consistently futurist interpretation.

The Final Judgment in Partial Preterism

Partial preterists affirm a future final judgment, but they see many judgment passages as already fulfilled in the past. Here’s how they typically view judgment texts:

• Matthew 24-25 – The Olivet Discourse is seen as fulfilled in 70 AD, including passages about judgment.
• 2 Thessalonians 1:5-10 – Often interpreted as referring to judgment on first-century Israel, not the final judgment.
• Revelation 20:11-15 – This is viewed as describing the future final judgment at the end of history.

So partial preterists believe some biblical descriptions of judgment were fulfilled in the past, while others point to a future final judgment of all humanity.

Problems with the Partial Preterist View of Judgment

This approach to judgment passages faces several difficulties:

1. It requires interpreting very similar judgment language in fundamentally different ways – some past, some future.
2. It minimizes the cosmic scope of many judgment texts by limiting them to past events.
3. It creates a complex “already/not yet” framework for judgment that is not clearly taught in Scripture.
4. It can lead to allegorizing clear descriptions of future judgment as past events.

These issues have caused many interpreters to reject partial preterism in favor of a consistently futurist view of judgment passages.

Implications of the Partial Preterist View

The partial preterist handling of resurrection and judgment texts has some significant implications:

1. It requires a more complex hermeneutical approach, distinguishing between past spiritual fulfillments and future physical ones.
2. It diminishes the imminence of Christ’s return and final judgment for believers today.
3. It can reduce the urgency of evangelism by seeing many warning passages as already fulfilled.
4. It creates tension with the historic Christian understanding of a future bodily resurrection and final judgment.
5. It can lead to inconsistent interpretation of Scripture, handling similar passages differently.

These implications have caused many evangelical scholars to be cautious about partial preterism, despite its growing popularity in some circles.

Conclusion

Partial preterism faces significant challenges in its handling of resurrection and judgment passages. While seeking to honor the time indicators in prophecy, it creates interpretive difficulties and tensions with the natural reading of many texts. A consistently futurist approach that sees one future bodily resurrection and final judgment for all humanity avoids many of these problems.

Ultimately, how we interpret these crucial doctrines has major implications for our understanding of eschatology, our approach to Scripture, and our daily lives as believers. We must carefully study God’s Word and consider the strengths and weaknesses of different views as we seek to rightly divide the word of truth.