The Second Coming of Christ: Did It Already Occur?
The proponents of Realized Eschatology, or the "A.D. 70" doctrine, have deceived and are deceiving some brethren into believing that all the end time events have already been accomplished. Its advocates have caused unsuspecting Christians to accept the belief that the events of 70 A.D. in the destruction of Jerusalem satisfy all the prophecies of a future return of Christ, resurrection of the dead, judgment and reception of the eternal inheritance. It would have us believe that the "last days" existed from 30-70 A.D., and that the "eternal days" began at 70 A.D. We are supposedly living in the "eternal days"! The "Bible" of this doctrine, Max King's The Spirit of Prophecy, has this to say on page 81: ". . whenever faulty interpretation creates a time period that doesn't exist in the Bible, more error will follow by attributing to that period something that cannot belong to it." I say "amen" to that! This 40-year "gap" where the old and new covenants supposedly "overlapped" is the result of faulty interpretation, and it has borne its evil fruit! (See Part II of this series for more information on the overlapping of the covenants.)
Simply stated, the A.D. 70 doctrine has the following things being accomplished on that date:
(1) Second coming of Christ (as per 1 Cor. 15:23).
(2) Resurrection of the dead (as per 1 Cor. 15).
(3) Judgment Day of the Lord (as per 2 Pet. 3: 10; et. al.).
(4) Establishment of the new covenant.
(5) Completeness in Christ (adulthood, adoption, redemption).
(6) Kingdom full established.
(7) Reception of the eternal inheritance.
To document these positions as central to this doctrine, consider this assessment from the pen of Max King:
The fall of Judaism (and its far reaching consequences) is, therefore, a major (emp,, King's) subject of the Bible. The greater portion of prophecy found its fulfillment in that event, including also the types and shadows of the law. It was the coming of Christ in glory that closely followed his coming in suffering (1 Pet. 1:11), when all things written by the prophets were fulfilled (Luke 21:22; Acts 3:21). It corresponded to the perfection of the saints (1 Cor. 13:10) when they reached adulthood in Christ, receiving their adoption, redemption, and inheritance. The eternal kingdom was possessed (Heb. 12:28) and the new heaven and earth inherited (Matt. 5:5; Rev. 21:1, 7) (The Spirit of Prophecy, p. 239; emp. Mine, jp).
In Part I of this series, we addressed the major problems of this doctrine by looking at what the New Testament has to say about the second coming of Christ (including the judgment and the resurrection of the dead). In Part II, we discussed why 70 A.D. is made such a focal point in this system of error, which emphasis upon the old and new covenants and the allegory of Galatians 4:21-31. In this final article, we must consider some of the consequences of this doctrine, and see that it is not a harmless, private conviction which can be held without hurting oneself and others, but a pernicious theory of error which engulfs the souls of men in destructive heresy! Given this doctrine's premise that God's scheme of redemption was not complete until 70 A.D., there are some very grave consequences which necessarily follow.
