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The Gospel Observer
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them
to observe all that I commanded you, and lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:19,20).
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October 27, 2013
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Contents:
1) A.D. 70 Doctrine (J.T. Smith)
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A.D. 70 Doctrine
by J.T. Smith
The A.D. 70 doctrine is a new doctrine. It is listed with
several designations -- A.D. 70 doctrine, Realized Eschatology, and
the Max King Theory (so named because Max King of Warren, Ohio is
the father of it). His views are set forth in two books: The Spirit
of Prophecy (1971) and The Cross and The Parousia of Christ
(1987). When I heard about it a number of years ago I
dismissed it as being so far-fetched that no one in their right mind
would deem it worthy of serious consideration. Since that time
some of our younger brethren, even among conservative churches of
Christ, have "bought into it." As a result, some in Ohio have
had their support dropped as a result of this teaching.
The doctrine, "in a nutshell," is that when the destruction of
Jerusalem took place in A.D. 70, all Bible prophecy was fulfilled
including: the second coming of Christ; the resurrection of the
dead; the judgment day; and the end of the world! If this
theory doesn't make sense to you, it is because these common
biblical terms have been redefined by King as he presents his
theory. For example:
1. The kingdom of Christ was not fully set up until A.D. 70.
2. The "second coming" has nothing to do with a literal returning of
Christ in the future, but a spiritual invisible coming in A.D. 70.
3. The "resurrection" does not involve the physical body; instead it
refers to a resurrection of the Christian system (the church) from
the persecution inflicted by the Jews between A.D. 30-70.
4. The "end of the world" is not the passing of the earth, according
to the theory, but is a reference to the dissolving of the Jewish
world.
5. The "judgment day" is not a time in the future when all will give
account to God for the deeds done in the body, instead it is the
destruction of Jerusalem.
Definition of Words
The words "Realized Eschatology" are used to describe this
theory. The word "realized" means, "to make real or fulfill"
(The American Heritage Dictionary). Therefore things which
have already occurred are realized.
Second, the word "eschatology": "A belief or a doctrine concerning
the ultimate or final things, such as death, the destiny of
humanity, the Second Coming, or the Last Judgment" (Ibid).
Thus the doctrine of Realized Eschatology is the concept that all
things in the Bible that we generally consider to be things that are
"yet to come to pass" have already happened.
The Kingdom Of Christ
The first aspect of this theory we will study is that of the kingdom
of Christ. When we say King teaches that "The kingdom of
Christ was not fully set up until A.D. 70," we must preface that by
saying that King says "it did not come in glory and power until A.D.
70." The two words "glory" and "power" are the key words in
this theory. We must be careful to represent him
correctly. King and his followers theorize that the kingdom of
our Lord came into existence on the day of Pentecost, fifty days
after the death of Christ. This point they concede. They
believe that the kingdom of Christ came on Pentecost, but not in its
glory; not in its power. It was not complete on
Pentecost. It did not receive its glory and power until God
destroyed Jerusalem, the Jewish Temple and all that it entailed, in
A.D. 70.
First of all let's consider the fact that the kingdom and the church
are composed of the same people (John 3:3-5 cf. Acts 2:38, 41,
47). In Ephesians 3:20-21 Paul said, "Now to Him who is able
to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think,
according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the
church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.
Amen." Notice that both "power" and "glory" are mentioned as
being in the church before A.D. 70.
Second, if the kingdom did not come in glory and power until A.D.
70, then obviously it was because The King of this kingdom had no
power until A.D. 70. However, Jesus said after His death,
burial and resurrection, "... 'All authority has been given to Me in
heaven and on earth'" (Matthew 28:18). Was it actually given
then? "And declared to be the Son of God with power according
to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead"
(Romans 1:4). But again, "and what is the exceeding greatness
of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His
mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the
dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far
above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every
name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is
to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to
be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the
fullness of Him who fills all in all" (Ephesians 1:19-23). All
authority was His -- when? Notice verse 19: "according to the
working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised
Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly
places...." When did The King and the kingdom receive
power? "When He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His
right hand in the heavenly places." This was before A.D. 70 --
Max King to the contrary notwithstanding.
God knows the end from the beginning. Therefore, He knew every
false doctrine that would be advocated by man and gave the Scripture
that will negate it regardless of who teaches it. That
includes Max King. Since the kingdom did not come with power
and glory in A.D. 70 but on the first Pentecost after the
resurrection of Christ, let's go to the next point.
The Second Coming Of Christ
What about the second coming of Christ? Is it yet future, or
has it already past (A.D. 70)? Paul told Titus, "Looking for
the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior
Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). But according to this theory we
need look no longer. It has already happened.
First of all we must take one very important point into
consideration. There are many times in the Scriptures that the
"coming" of Christ is used in a figurative, symbolic, or spiritual
sense -- not a literal one. The first coming was literal when
Jesus was born of the virgin Mary. This was prophesied in the
Old Testament: "The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor a
lawgiver from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes; And to Him shall
be the obedience of the people" (Genesis 49:10). "'Behold, the
virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His
name Immanuel,' which is translated, 'God with us'" (Matthew
1:23). To my knowledge none of King's disciples deny that this
is the first coming of Christ.
There is only one passage that specifically says that Christ will
come a "second time." "So Christ was offered once to bear the
sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear
a second time, apart from sin, for salvation" (Hebrews 9:28).
The question when will (did?) this "second time" take place?
Those who advocate "Realized Eschatology" say the second appearance
of the Lord as stated in Hebrews 9:28 is figurative.
Since it is almost impossible to discuss the second coming of Christ
without discussing the resurrection (and since King believes both
took place in A.D. 70) I am going to include the resurrection in
this segment.
Who (Or What) Is To Be Raised?
When King and those of his disciples speak of the resurrection, they
talk about the resurrection of "the body." However, when they
speak of the resurrection of the body, they are not talking about
the physical body of man. They are speaking about a spiritual
body, the church. The theory is that the Lord's church (The
Body) had been suppressed until A.D. 70 by the Law of Moses and its
followers. At the time of the destruction of Jerusalem the
church was released from that suppression and in a figurative sense
was "raised up." Therefore, what we read about the
resurrection in the New Testament has reference to this figurative
resurrection. In order to determine the truthfulness of this,
let's look at some of the passages in the New Testament that speak
of the resurrection.
I Corinthians 15. In his letter to the brethren in Corinth,
Paul [speaks on] the subject of the resurrection in chapter
15. He begins in verses 1-8 by showing that the facts of the
gospel are very important. They consist of the death, burial
and resurrection of Jesus which he says must be believed. As
far as I know, King and his followers would not deny that this is
speaking of the bodily resurrection of Jesus.
Paul then continues by showing that the resurrection of Jesus
guarantees our resurrection. He says, "And if Christ is not
risen . . . Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have
perished" (Verses 17-18). Notice Paul did not say that if
Christ is not risen then the church has perished. He said
"those" (individuals) who have fallen asleep (died) have
perished. But Paul affirms, "But now Christ is risen from the
dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen
asleep" (I Corinthians 15:20). Notice he did not say "that
(the church) which has fallen asleep," but "of those who have fallen
asleep." But again, "But someone will say, 'How are the dead
raised up? And with what body do they come'?" (I Corinthians
15:35). Again observe that Paul did not say "with what body
does it (church) come." He said, "with what body do they
come." He replies, "So also is the resurrection of the
dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in
incorruption" (I Corinthians 15:42). Question: Was the church
sown in corruption? that it might be raised in
incorruption? I think not! But again, "It is sown a
natural body, it is raised a spiritual body" (I Corinthians
15:44). Was the church sown a natural body and raised a
spiritual one? "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all
sleep, but we shall all be changed -- in a moment, in the twinkling
of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound,
and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and
this mortal must put on immortality" (I Corinthians 15:51-53).
I wonder if according to King's theory the church was corruptible
before A.D. 70?
John 5:28-29. Here Jesus is speaking of the
resurrection. He says, "Do not marvel at this; for the hour is
coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and
come forth -- those who have done good, to the resurrection of life,
and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of
condemnation." Who is coming forth? "All who are in the
graves" (plural) -- not "the church that is in the grave."
Friends, one does not have to have the brain of a rocket scientist
to be able to see the utter foolishness of King's theory. That
being the case, someone might say, "Why spend time refuting it?"
Well actually, King and his followers are like those we read about
in II Timothy 2:16-18. "But shun profane and idle babblings,
for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message
will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this
sort, who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the
resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of
some." Obviously this same thing is happening today.
Many other passages could be given, but I believe the above is
sufficient.
(Next: "the end of the world" and "the judgment day" as taught by
those who promote Realized Eschatology).
--Via Gospel Truths, October 2010, Volume 1, Number 10
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The Steps That Lead to Eternal Salvation
1) Hear the gospel, for that is how faith comes (Rom.
10:17; John 20:30,31).
2) Believe in the deity of Christ (John 8:24; John
3:18).
3) Repent of sins (Luke 13:5; Acts 17:30).
4) Confess faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9,10; Acts
8:36-38).
5) Be baptized in water for the remission of sins
(Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38; 22:16; Rom. 6:3,4; Gal. 3:26,27; 1 Pet.
3:21).
6) Continue in the faith; for, if not, salvation can
be lost (Heb. 10:36-39; Rev. 2:10; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
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Park Forest
CHURCH OF CHRIST
9923 Sunny Cline Dr., Baton Rouge, LA 70817
Sunday services: 9:00 AM (Bible class); 10 AM & 6 PM (worship)
Tuesday: 7 PM (Bible class)
evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520
Tom@ThomasTEdwards.com
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/go
(Gospel Observer website)
http://ThomasTEdwards.com/audioser.html
(audio sermons)