I can defend why I believe what I believe. Let's compare spiritual things w/ spiritual! 
"But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Matthew 15:24
"These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Matthew 10:5-6
"But the Lord said unto him [Ananias], Go thy way: for he [Saul of Tarsus "aka" Paul] is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:" Acts 9:15
"For I speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office:" Romans 11:13
"For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope... Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:" Romans 15:4; 8
We couldn't be under both the law & grace simultaneously, could we?
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Ephesians 2:8-9
"Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only... For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." James 2:24; 6
"And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." Romans 11:6
"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." James 2:10
Peter, James, & John are the apostles of the circumcision, just as Jesus Christ was the minister unto the circumcision.
It doesn't mean we ignore the rest of the Bible. We're commanded to study, to rightly divide. This way, we can
understand God's manifold plan on how He'll reconcile both the earth & heavens back unto Himself.
The Synoptic Gospels are still Old Testament. If you place the Body of Christ there, you'd be placing us back under the law.
"But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?" Galatians 4:9
"Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more." 2 Corinthians 5:16
"But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus." Galatians 3:23-26
Actually, you're right, dwight. The apostle Paul dealt w/ a man who fits the criteria for what we know today as preterism.
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some." 2 Timothy 2:15-18
"This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme." 1 Timothy 1:18-20
The best way to know for sure is by looking at what the early church fathers believed.
Jerome wrote of Polycarp (On Illustrious Men,17):
"Polycarp, a disciple of the apostle John and by him ordained bishop of Smyrna, was the leader of all Asia,
where he saw and had as teachers some of the apostles and of those who had seen the Lord."
Irenaeus was a disciple of Polycarp. You can't get any closer to the horse's mouth than that.
“And therefore in the end when the Church is suddenly caught up from this, it is said, ‘There shall be tribulation such as has not been since the beginning, neither shall be.’ For this is the last contest of the righteous, in which, when they overcome, they are crowned with incorruption." Irenaeus, Against Heresies 5.29.1
“For Enoch, when he pleased God, was translated in the same body in which he did please Him, thus pointing out by anticipation the translation of the just. … Wherefore also the elders who were disciples of the apostles tell us that those who are translated are translated to … paradise … in which place also Paul the apostle, when he was caught up, heard unspeakable words … and that those who have been translated shall remain there until the consummation [the end], as a prelude to incorruptibility.” Irenaeus, Against Heresies 5.5.1
He's basically claiming that the apostles taught a Pre-Trib Rapture to men like Polycarp, & men like Polycarp taught Irenaeus.
But wait... there's more!
What the Early Church Fathers Said
Given that John wrote the book of Revelation around 90–95 AD, here’s what some of the earliest Church Fathers had to say about the End Times:
1. Papias of Hierapolis (circa 70–155 AD)
Papias, a bishop and a disciple of John:
"There will be a period of a thousand years after the resurrection of the dead when the kingdom of Christ will be established in material form on this earth."
(Fragments of Papias)
2. Tertullian (155–240 AD)
"We confess that a kingdom is promised to us upon the earth... after the resurrection, for a thousand years."
(Against Marcion, Book 3, Chapter 25)
3. Hippolytus (170–235 AD)
"When the times are fulfilled, and the ten horns spring from the beast in the last times, then Antichrist will appear among them... then may we expect the manifestation of the Lord from heaven."
(Commentary on Daniel, 2.7)
4. Eusebius (260-339 AD)
"As all perished then except those gathered with Noah in the ark, so also at this coming, the ungodly in the season of apostasy shall perish. While according to the pattern of Noah, all the righteous and godly are to be separated from the ungodly and gathered into the heavenly ark. For in this way comes a time when not even one righteous man will be found among mankind and when all the ungodly have been made atheists by the antichrist, and the whole world is overcome by apostasy, the wrath of God shall come upon the ungodly."
(Fragments on Luke (Luke 17:26, Migne 24.584-585)
5. Ephrem The Syrian (306–373 AD)
Sermon on Repentance and Judgment:
"For the elect shall be gathered prior to the tribulation, so they shall not see the confusion and the great tribulation coming upon the unrighteous world."
Sermon On the Fathers Who Have Completed Their Course:
"Behold, now the holy and the just are chosen and gathered into the harbor of life that they should not see the tribulation and the snares coming upon us because of our sins."
The Turning Point: Origen and Augustine
A shift began with Origen (185–254 AD) and later Augustine (354–430 AD).
Origen introduced the idea that Scripture should be interpreted allegorically rather than literally. He argued that the prophecies about Christ's earthly reign symbolized spiritual truths rather than a future, physical event.
Augustine built on Origen’s teachings and helped establish amillennialism—the belief that the Millennium described in Revelation symbolizes the Church Age, not a future literal reign of Christ.
"The Church is the kingdom of Christ, and the millennium is the period between Christ’s resurrection and His second coming."
(City of God, Book 20)
Augustine’s interpretation dominated Western Christianity for over a thousand years.
A Pattern in History
But what’s fascinating is that belief in the
Millennium resurfaced in the 1600s and 1700s—well before Darby or modern dispensationalism.
Peter Jurieu (1687) wrote that Christ would return before the battle of Armageddon and rapture the saints.
Philip Doddridge (1738) and
John Gill (1748) taught about a literal rapture and millennial reign.
So, What Does It Mean Today?
That belief in a literal future millennium wasn’t an invention of modern Christianity; it was central to the teachings of some of the earliest Christians.
We don’t need to have every detail figured out. But we need to hold to what is clear:
• Christ will return.
• God will make all things new.
• His kingdom will reign forever.
The hope of Christ’s return and reign is secure.
The early Church Fathers understood this. So can we.
Actually, I originally was going to post that article under another thread in reponse to another who holds this view.
Instead, I felt it'd be more appropriate to post this article in an area regarding eschatology.
Now, as you were. My only intention was just to share the truth in love to clear up any confusion.
walking-by-the-spirit.com
