PRETERISM & NARRATIVE CRITICISM

AD 70, Israel June 2, 2026 Leave a comment

PMW 2026-041 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

God judged Israel in the first century because of her rejection of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The preterist analysis of the Gospels highlights indisputable evidence of Jewish rejection in numerous places, as do most evangelical readings of Scripture. However, preterism goes a step further by also pointing out several more subtle indicators of Israel’s rejection of Christ — even where such are not expected. A case in point in Luke 4:22–30.

As I will show, reading this passage surprises us. However, a Narrative Critical reading can highlight important subtleties that are both helpful for interpretation and significant for a preterist analysis. The point of Narrative Criticism (NC) s to read a passage in its full context, i.e., here the whole Gospel of Luke. In Luke, for instance, NC recognizes that Luke is telling a full, unfolding story of Jesus and his earthly ministry. Thus, NC presses us to notice what is going on in the whole Gospel in order to better understand its various pericopes. These are not random collections of stories that are loosely strung together. Rather they are developing parts of the whole unfolding narrative.

Let’s see how a Narrative Critical reading impacts our preterist understanding of Luke 4. Continue reading →

HAVE WE MISREAD MATTHEW 24:34?

AD 70, Matthew 24, Olivet Discourse May 29, 2026 Leave a comment

PMW 2026-040by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

A reader recently wrote me with the following observations, for which he wondered how I would reply:

My reader:

I recently read your book, The Olivet Discourse Made Easy. I thought it was very good.

What is your view of the following?

1. “Take place” in Mt. 24:34 does not require completion but only inception. Compare with Luke 1:20. “ginomai” in the aorist subjective indicates coming into existence without speaking at all regarding completion.

2. The reason Jesus gave to flee Jerusalem when surrounded by armies was that the end is not yet. The end would be the Jews defeating Rome and ending the age of the Jews being without a king.

3. The tribulation of which Jesus spoke began prior to 70 A.D., but continues until the bodily return of Jesus to earth.

Thank you.

R.W. Continue reading →

UNDERSTANDING POSTMILLENNIALISM

Optimism May 26, 2026 Leave a comment

PMW 2026-038 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Postmillennialism is perhaps the easiest eschatological position to misunderstand in our era and therefore inadvertently to misrepresent. Consequently, we must remind our brothers in the debate of postmillennialism’s actual claims. In a Westminster Theological Journal article I wrote a few years ago, I caution non-postmillennialists regarding three faulty assumptions that they must avoid when responding to our eschatological system. And though few competent theologians would intentionally apply these conditions to postmillennialism, I fear that these sometimes lurk unrecognized in the subconscious.

First, postmillennialism neither teaches nor implies universalism. Postmillennialists do not argue that at some point in temporal history each and every individual then living will be saved. Consequently, even at the very height of the postmillennial advance, unbelievers will remain among us, though in a minority status—some as false converts to the faith, others as openly unrepentant resisters. Jesus clearly teaches this in his Parable of the Tares among the Wheat (Matt 13:30), just before declaring the enormous victory of the faith in all the world (Matt 13:31-33). This is a part of the “mysteries of the kingdom” (Matt 13:11): the glorious kingdom of God does not overwhelm the world catastrophically (but grows gradually like a mustard plant and penetrates little-by-little as does leaven) and it will not conquer the world absolutely (but grows to a majoritarian dominance like wheat in the field). Continue reading →

POSTMILLENNIALISM’S “SIN PROBLEM”?

Objections, sin May 22, 2026 Leave a comment

PMW 2026-037  by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Though Hal Lindsey is now a postmillennialist (as of November 25, 2024), he once complained, that postmillennialists “rejected much of the Scripture as being literal and believed in the inherent goodness of man” (Lindsey, Late Great Planet Earth, 176). I would note, however, that postmillennialists do not believe in the inherent goodness of man, but Lindsey most definitely believes in the inherent weakness of the gospel. He believes that man’s sin successfully resists the gospel even to the end of history. Jonah also had a concern regarding the power of the gospel: he feared its power to save wicked, powerful Nineveh (Jon 1:2–3, 10; 3:2; 4:1–4). Continue reading →

THE DISCIPLES’ TWO QUESTIONS IN MATT 24:3

AD 70, Olivet Discourse, Second Coming May 19, 2026 Leave a comment

PMW 2026-036 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

One of the leading interpretive cues in Matthew 24 is the disciples’ questions in Matthew 24:3: “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” In terms of Matthew’s rhetorical strategy, his record of their questions here may be equal in significance to the Lord’s own statement at Matthew 24:34 regarding “this generation.” After all, as Ulrich Luz notes: “much depends on the interpretation of the double question, since in the opinion of most exegetes it determines the interpretation of the entire chapter.” [1]

What is more, the significance of the Discourse is emphasized in its circumstances: Jesus is “sitting” and he is “on the Mount.” When Jesus sits to speak, this introduces his formal instruction on an important matter. We can see this, for instance, in Matthew 5:1 (where he gives his Sermon on the Mount) and 13:1 (where he presents his parabolic instruction to the crowds on the beach). This formal teaching posture is enhanced by the where he is delivering the Discourse: he is speaking from a mountain. We see the significance of such a setting when Jesus’ takes three of his disciples to “a high mountain by themselves” (Matt. 17:1), where the transfiguration was experienced. And also when he issues his world-challenging great commission (Matt. 28:16ff), which was delivered on “the mountain which Jesus had designated” (Matt. 28:16). Consequently, the disciples would understand that what they are about to hear is of great importance.

Continue reading →

RESURRECTION AND THE THIRD DAY

Creation, Resurrection May 15, 2026 Leave a comment

PMW 2026-035 by David Schrock

Gentry note: The article below is excellent, showing that the revelation of the Lord’s third day resurrection begins in Genesis 1. Insightful! This article is taken from “Christ Over All.”

On the Third Day: Seeing Resurrection from Beginning to End

Waking from sleep. Seeds sprouting through the earth. New life emerging in Spring. Children entering the world through the breaking of water.

These and other images are used in the Bible to described the glorious reality of resurrection and related doctrines. For instance, Jesus says in John 12:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.” Similarly, Paul speaks of the mortal body as a seed that is buried in dishonor and raised in glory (1 Cor. 15:42–49). Or, consider how waking from sleep is compared to the resurrection when Paul says in Ephesians 5:14: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

This light-giving testimony emerges from a host of Old Testament texts (e.g., Isa. 51:17; 52:1; 60:1; Mal. 4:2), as the theme of waking from sleep becomes a wonderful euphemism for the believers’ death in the New Testament (see Matt. 27:52; John 11:11; 1 Cor. 15:6, 18, 20, 51; 1 Thess. 4:13–15, etc.). But it is not only waking from sleep, or seeds sprouting to life that captures the wonder of resurrection; there are a host of other creational images that pair with resurrection, too. For instance, Jesus is called the firstborn from the dead in Colossians 1:18 and Revelation 1:5. And equally, Jesus calls himself the true vine (John 15:1), from which his branches will sprout forth and bear fruit.

Continue reading →

WHERE CHRISTIANITY IS GROWING THE FASTEST

missions, witness May 12, 2026 Leave a comment

PMW 2026-034 by Tobin Perry (Global Christian Relief)

Gentry: The full title of this February 27, 2025 article is: “Top 20 Countries Where Christianity is Growing the Fastest.” This is an encouraging article. But as we can see, we need reformation as well as revival.

Where Christianity is Growing the Fastest

Christianity is growing at an unprecedented rate in several regions around the world, particularly in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, known as the Global South. From the spread of passionate faith-based communities to the establishment of thriving churches in urban centers, Christianity’s growth rate continues to climb.

“According to the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary”, these trends indicate that Christianity is expanding in new and dynamic ways, particularly as we head toward a projected global Christian population of nearly three billion by 2050. Here, we’ll explore the top 20 countries where Christianity is growing the fastest and examine the factors fueling this growth.

Continue reading →