Category Archives: Interpretation

HYPERPRETERISM VS. THE GOSPEL (2)

hyperpreterism, Interpretation, Resurrection July 18, 2025 Comments: 2

PMW 2025-059 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Introduction
This is the second in a three-part series on 1 Corinthians that will be showing that Paul warns that a denial of the physical resurrection ends up denying the gospel of Jesus Christ. This should be a deep concern for any young theologue toying with hyper-preterism and its neo-Gnostic convictions. This charge of neo-Gnosticism arises due to hyper-preterists denying the physical nature of the resurrection body, arguing that the resurrected body is composed of spirit.

In this series I am slowly building my case from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. Paul was no hyper-preterist! Continue reading →

NEW LEXICON SUPPORTS PRETERISM!

Interpretation, News June 27, 2025 Comments: 6

PMW 2025-052 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Introduction
The academic world has recently released a new, updated Greek-English lexicon that is certain to replace the standard lexicons currently in use today. Research in ancient Greek continues unabated at major research universities, with more powerful research tools providing deeper insights into ancient culture and language. And this one will surely displace the universally accepted standard lexicons, such The Liddell-Scott-Jones Lexicon, Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon, and the Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich Greek-English Lexicon.

The current batch of Greek-English lexicons has proven helpful to scholars for years. But some academic questions remained as linguistic hurdles impeded fully understanding the Greek, especially New Testament Koine Greek. Now we are witnessing a major upheaval with this publication of the latest, upgraded lexicon, which is invested more strongly in AI-enhanced research.

This new lexicon is called, quite appropriately, New Lexicon of the 21st Century and Beyond. And it certainly will be a tremendous boon for scholars — especially for preterist scholars, as we will see. Plus with the new layout and 100% computer-generated text, the cost of this lexicon will fall well below those currently available — perhaps even 50% less. Let me explain how this can be in this review. Continue reading →

UNDERSTANDING COLLAPSING UNIVERSE PROPHECIES

Dispensationalism, hyperpreterism, Interpretation February 25, 2025 Comments: 5

PMW 2025-016 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.Meteors

Two Errors ….

A number of prophetic passages (especially in the OT) speak of the universe collapsing. This has caused serious theological problems for two opposing eschatological schools.

Dispensationalism cannot interpret these passages in context because they approach them in a fully-literalistic sense. Thus they argue, these passages must be pointing solely to the distantly future second coming of Christ. Dispensationalists are committed to a half-truth in this interpretation, as I will show.

But then there is the hyper-preterist movement that interprets these passages as solely symbolic. They deem the falling-star passages as symbols of collapsing government. And these passages usually point to the collapse of Israel’s government under God’s wrath and judgment. Thus, they interpret these passages as picturing the coming AD 70 judgment of old covenant Israel. Hyper-preterists are committed to a half-truth also. Continue reading →

PRETERISM, CONCERN, AND CONFUSION

hyperpreterism, Interpretation November 8, 2024 1 Comment

ConfusionPMW 2024-086 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

I recently had a reader, whose name is “AJ,” express his concerns over preterism as presented on my blogsite. His comments were posted about my one-sentence answer to a brief question he asks regarding Revelation 18:3 and the merchants of the earth. Then he responds at length to that one-sentence reply. I will quote his two comments and my replies. Hopefully these will be of interest not only to AJ but to others.

AJ wrote:

“I respectfully have a question I hope you can answer. I have been researching preterism Versus Futurism and have a Litany of questions. But one I would like to ask here would you reference in your aforementioned quote of Revelations Is the merchants who stand Aloft at sea lamenting the destruction of the Great city. I know it goes on to say all of the merchants in Kings of the Earth grew wealthy from her, yet my research into the economic effects of Jerusalem in the first century ad indicate it had a very, very minor role in trade and certainly did not build the wealth of all the merchants and nations of the earth. There were a couple of coastal cities In that region that Much come up much more important for trade, so how can reasonably these verses about Jerusalem making the whole world wealthy be true? Thank you for taking the time to answer my question. God bless you.”
Continue reading →

JESUS ENTERS JERUSALEM

Christ, Interpretation, Israel July 30, 2024 Leave a comment

PMW 2024-059 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.Triumphal entry

I have been doing a few surveys in Matthew’s Gospel. These are showing the failure of Israel and the expectation of Gentile salvation. I will skip now to the end of Matthew to continue this survey. By this means, I am tracing Matthew’s highly-structured presentation of Jesus’ ministry to show how it leads up to the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24–25. Now in Matthew 21:10 Jesus enters Jerusalem (for the first time in this Gospel). Jerusalem is the capital of Israel, the home of God’s temple, the seat of the high priesthood and their religious rule over Israel.

Matthew is clearly organizing his material to emphasize Jesus’ climactic entry into Jerusalem to confront and rebuke Israel’s religious authorities. As noted above, this confrontation has been brewing since Matthew 16:21: “From that time Jesus Christ began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day” (cp. 20:18). Continue reading →

MATTHEW’S EARLY NEGATIVE EXPECTATIONS

Interpretation, Israel June 4, 2024 Leave a comment

Jerusalem afraidPMW 2024-043 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

When reading Matthew, we should notice its narrative flow. Especially its presentation of Israel and her leaders as they oppose Christ from the very beginning. This flow leads inexorably to the Olivet Discourse and the judgment on the Temple.

MATTHEW 2:1
In Matthew 2:1 the Apostle reports that men “from the east” come to worship Jesus. This historical information is unique among the Gospels and is designed to stress Matthew’s particular thematic concern regarding the demise of Israel and the arising of the Gentiles in God’s plan. “The magi’s actions recall scenes such as those in Isa 60 and Ps 72 in which Gentiles bring gifts to acknowledge the final establishment of God’s reign on Mount Zion.” [1]

Because these Gentiles appear, “all Jerusalem [the capital of Israel and the holy city of the Jews] was troubled” at this news (2:3b). Thus, Matthew includes the story of Herod and the arriving of the Magi to show that “in this narrative the Jews and their king are ranged against the infant Jesus, but Gentiles do him homage.” [2] Continue reading →

NARRATIVE FLOW IN THE GOSPELS

AD 70, Interpretation, Olivet Discourse May 31, 2024 Leave a comment

GenrePMW 2024-042 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

In my last posting I noted that an important issue impacting the preterist interpretation of the Olivet Discourse in Matthew is: narrative flow. We will now briefly consider this matter.

GOSPEL GENRE

To properly recognize Matthew’s redemptive-historical flow, we must understand that the Gospels are not biographies per se. J. K. Brown declares Matthew to be “theological history or theological biography.” This is a helpful observation, though more needs to be said.

Gospel scholar John Wenham notes that “gospel” is a “newly invented genre.” Therefore, Warren Carter states that “because of their theological content and pastoral orientation,” the Gospels are “a unique genre in the ancient world.” Clark Pinnock explains that “these works constitute a new literary phenomenon. They are not biographies as such, for they omit much material normally found in such works.” Continue reading →