Postmillennial Worldview

PMW 2025-058 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Introduction
Hyper-preterism in all of its various, warring branches is heretical at its very core. By “hyper-preterism” I am not limiting the concept to what is known as “full preterism” or “consistent preterism.” Such a definition is a common maneuver by hyper-preterists who are not absolutely and fully preterist in every single detail. By doing this, they can claim: “I am not a FULL preterist,” thinking that this declaration allows them to avoid the charge of being “hyper.” They are hoping this will allow them to fly under the radar and not be charged with eroding the foundations of the Christian faith.

Rather, I am more narrowly applying this distinctive term to the core issues that breach orthodoxy, whether each-and-every nuance of some full or consistent preterist is adopted. The label “hyper-preterist,” therefore, applies to any system of preterism that denies three key evangelical (orthodox) doctrines known as “The Three R’s of Eschatology.” Those doctrines that are denied by “hyper-preterists” are:

1. The Return of Christ (at the end of history in bodily, physical form).
2. The Resurrection of the dead (at the end of history in bodily, physical form— despite how “difficult” this might be for God.
3. The Renewal of all creation (after the resurrection as the new creation is established in its final, physical, eternal form).

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PMW 2025-057 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Introduction
We are currently witnessing the arising of neo-Gnosticism among a small but vocal body of some Bible students who are operating within evangelical Christian circles. This Gnosticism is making its presence felt by the ever evolving and continually splintering hyper-preterist movement. Though ancient Gnosticism was multi-faceted, at its core it elevated the spiritual realm over the physical. For those who are Gnostically-inclined today, salvation ultimately involves escape from the material realm and the physical body, preferring entry into the purely spiritual realm in a new ethereal body, such as proposed long ago by Origen.

The label of “neo-Gnosticism” can easily apply to hyper-preterism. This is (partly) due to its denial of a future, physical, fleshly resurrection of the dead. Some hyper-preterists go so far with this neo-Gnostic preference as to even rework Christology itself. They claim that though Jesus was physically resurrected from the dead, his physical body of flesh and bone dissipated and was replaced by an ethereal body made of spirit. This occurred in conjunction with his ascension. Continue reading →

PMW 2025-056 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr..

In 1 Corinthians 15 Paul carefully and abundantly compiles a list of analogies that are important to understand. These underscore and accentuate the fact that our very mortal bodies in which we now live will be raised to new life and transformed into glory. Thus, he promotes a resurrection that involves continuity and discontinuity: continuity by involving the fleshly body in which we live on earth and discontinuity by enhancing the body’s power. He does so in such a way as to underscore and accentuate the truth that it is the “self-same body” that dies which is raised. And this is despite current-day neo-Gnostics in the hyper-preterist movement [1] who see our buried bodies as eventually being wasted away but that will be replaced with bodies composed of ethereal spirit material. Hopefully this theological fad will soon burn out and those caught up in it will repent and return to historic, orthodox Christianity.

A SUMMARY OF PAUL

In this regard, note the following summary analysis of 1 Cor. 15:36–41:

1. It is the God-designed goal of seeds to develop into plants, just as it is the God-ordained goal of our mortal bodies to be raised to immortal life (vv. 36, 38).
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PMW 2025-038 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

I am concluding a series on the resurrection body as found in 1 Corinthians 15. I am arguing for the position of historic Christianity that the resurrection body is a qualitatively transformed physical body rather than an altogether new spiritual body, as per Gnosticism.

The “problem” we face
In this article I will focus on 1 Cor. 15:44, which is an important verse that can easily mislead the incautious reader. This verse states of the physical body that dies and is resurrected that:

“it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.”
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PMW 2025-037 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Introduction
I am now presenting my fifth in a series of studies on the nature of the resurrection body as found in 1 Corinthians 15. I am declaring, along with historic Christianity, that our physical bodies die in history but that those very bodies arise at the end of history in the resurrection of the dead. This is far from the proto-Gnostic views of ancient heretics, modern liberals, and contemporary hyper-preterists, including Paul’s opponents at Corinth.[1]

So, now let us move on to reflect on:

The language of “change” in Paul’s argument
Having briefly considered the rhetorical structure of Paul’s argument in 1 Corinthians 15:36–54, we should now note how Paul speaks of the resurrection body in terms of “change” (allasso). After charging his opponents with being “fools” (v. 36) regarding their resurrection-body error, he answers their foolishness in the immediately following verses. Then in verses 51–52 he speaks of the “change” which defines the resurrection:
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PMW 2025-036 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Introduction
This is my fourth article in a series of studies affirming, explaining, and defending historic Christianity’s view of the physical resurrection of the dead. I would encourage my current reader to look back at the preceding three installments of this series (and if you have a good Ouija board, you might want to look ahead to my future installments). I am demonstrating that 1 Corinthians 15 does not support the “spiritual-only body” view of ancient Gnosticism, modern liberalism, or contemporary semi-cultic hyper-preterism. These views hold that the resurrection body is a spiritual, ethereal entity rather than a fleshly, material one.

And without embarrassment I am declaring this alongside of centuries of sound Christian exegesis. Centuries of exegesis which continues on today despite the fact that Paul mentions a “spiritual body [Gk. soma pneumatikon]” in 1 Corinthians 15:44a. Continue reading →

PMW 2025-035 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

This is my third study in a series on  relevant portions of 1 Corinthians 15, which ancient Gnostics, modern liberals, and contemporary hyper-preterists believe support their attack on historic Christianity. They believe certain verses in this chapter undermine the historic doctrine of a future, physical, fleshly resurrection of the dead. And admittedly, upon a surface reading we can see how they could be confused by a few of Paul’s statements herein.

However, despite the surface appearance of some of Paul’s language (e.g., “spiritual body,” Christ as “life-giving spirit,” “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God,” etc.), Christian orthodoxy has long held to the physical resurrection of the dead as a future, corporate eschatological event occurring at the end of history at the final judgment. And orthodox Christians have long been aware that Paul’s First Epistle to the Corinthians has been in the New Testament from very early in Christian history. Paul wrote it around AD 54, just 20+ years after Jesus’ death (it is one of the earliest New Testament canonical writings). And yet historic Christianity has still maintained the physical nature of our future resurrection.
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