Do Hyper Preterists Know It All?

 

Yes, the title is sarcastic and it’s meant to be a little bombastic. And so is the way of every Hyper-preterist’s article or video I’ve ever seen. They will say such hateful things about a person then add “I say this with all kindness and love”.  Hyper preterists have all the answers and everyone who questions them or points out their fatal doctrinal flaws they will smirk and tell you how much Hebrew or Greek you never learned and they are smarter for using Youngs Literal Translation to help with Greek or Hebrew words they don’t speak or read or use either. But then go back to KJV or another translation that fits their doctrine rather than remaining consistent with trusted translations. For example, 1 Timothy 4 verse 1 in the NKJV says this;

I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom:

The YLT of the same verse reads this way;

I do fully testify, then, before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is about to judge living and dead at his manifestation and his reign --

The time statement of “about to” means everything to the Hyper-preterists and the certainty of “who will” means very little. The YLT was first published in 1862 by Robert Young was famously self taught in ancient languages among those were ancient Hebrew and Greek. Many people claim his translation is the most strictly literal translated to English Bible. If you read it you can see it chops the English language to shreds and is simply too difficult to read. And that’s why it’s one of the least used English translations in my opinion. William Bell got upset with me on his You Tube channel when I pointed out that no other translation to English that I could find translated mello in 1 Timothy 4:1 as “about to come”. The others, more trustworthy define it as it should be with the context of the verse as “Will” and not “about to”.  Go to Blue Letter Bible or Bible Hub and look through all the English translations for yourselves. Why should any of us rely on Young’s Literal Translation while every other scholar and translator never translated the Greek word “mello” in that verse that way?

Seriously, the Hyper preterists on You Tube are some of the most bombastic, hyper sensitive, narcissistic, Bible twisting un-scholarly scholars you will ever encounter. I have watched a few videos by hyper preterist anti church of Christ preacher, John Watson, lately and he’s a rock in your shoe if he’s anything other than an egotistical know it all who is leading people away fro m Christ. Unlike most of the other colleagues of his, he actually violates his own inconsistent doctrine and claims Christians should observe the Lord’s Super even though we are told to observe it to “proclaim the Lord’s death till He Comes”. 1 Corinthians 11:24 Why is that a contradiction with Watson’s doctrine? Well he along with the other hyper preterists claim the resurrection of all the dead, judgement of all men both good and evil all took place when the Lord came in A.D. 70.

Here's one of their tricks in how they do that. I had heard about this from other people as concerned as I am about this doctrine but saw for myself over time what they meant when they said these guys will find anyone calling themselves a “scholar” who will twist the Greek meanings of words to fit their crazy doctrine. My next question was why? Why would a person who wants to follow Christ want to make the Bible say He has already come and judged the nations and melted the elements with fervent heat and brought Heaven to earth where there is no more sin and no more death?  Well Don K Preston answered that one for me some months ago. It is clear to me these men were about to leave the faith entirely but wanted some reason to remain. Actually, they left the faith and deny they have. Preston claims the reason Muslims, Jews, atheists, agnostics, and whatever theology other than Christianity one belongs to, the reason they don’t believe is Jesus didn’t come within a generation of His death. Preston says now that he and his colleagues have come along, they have no reason to not believe. He says they can believe because Revelation 20-22 has been fulfilled completely and this world as it is will never end. The no more sin parts, the no more death parts, the rebellion by Satan and his followers is over.  Revelation 20 when all the books were opened and all the dead standing before the Lord and the Book Of Life was opened and death and hades gave up their dead and they were judged and death and hades was cast into the lake of fire and anyone not found written in the book of life were cast into the lake of fire, That’s fulfilled and according to Don K Preston and other hyper preterists if it’s not fulfilled that’s what keeps people in non belief. Which leads me to the reason they are hyperpreterists in the first place, their own very weak faith. They don’t believe in a future resurrection and judgement and never really did. To them the Bible is nothing more than a tool for mental gymnastics and exercise. That explains why Preston brags about having an honorary PhD from an unaccredited seminary and likes for people to call him “Doctor” Preston. He’s no doctor folks anymore than Bill Brockbrader is a Navy SEAL. Really, people who don’t earn their degrees but yet lay  claim on it really gets under my skin, if you haven’t noticed already. To me they are similar to the stolen valor guys. But presenting yourself as a scholarly teacher and representative of Christ and hold out a fake diploma at the same time is really disgusting.

John Watson’s video of 12-7-2021 is a prime example of the narcissism and arrogance these people exert on the weak. They talk down to other’s opinion and literally mock and ridicule centuries of scholarship and the tradition Paul the Apostle himself laid for us. In this video of 12-7-2021 at about minute 5:40 Watson claims the Law of Moses was Not nailed to the cross. He goes to Colossians 2:14 and begins explaining why it doesn’t mean what it says and why centuries of Christians have got it wrong. Here’s the verse. 

Col. 2:14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.

Watson says he used to preach that as if it was talking about thew law and he would stop there with no understanding of what it really meant. If you watch the video and have the temperament I do don’t scream at the TV or pone, it’s the way all of these hyper preterists communicate. Sarcasm, ridicule, and deception. He claims at about 6:30 that the handwriting of requirements against us was the ten commandments and that’s what all church of Christ preachers teach, and that those commandments were not against us but for us. I can understand how he was confused. He didn’t realize there was a whole bunch Moses was given later that was hand written law from God which was found to be against us. Jesus brought up one of those things in Matthew 5. It is concerning divorce. God didn’t write that law with his own finger as part of the ten commandments, Moses wrote it and God allowed it. It wasn’t meant to be from the beginning, but it came to be part of the law of Moses. It was Indeed nailed to the cross! It wasn’t in effect until A.D. 70, or part of Christian life anymore. Read Matthew 5 and compare and contrast how the handwriting was to our good as Watson says. 

The law found all to be short of the mark. The law was against us as Paul says and not for us as Watson says. Look what Paul says in Romans 7:7 Paul tells teaches us in Romans 7 that the law is good but we’re not able to keep it. Paul uses himself as an example in verses 9 through 12 when he writes;

I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.

And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death.

For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.

Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.

This is an example of what Paul was talking about being nailed to the cross in Colossians 2!  “Thou shalt not lie”. Anyone who has ever lied in any way has broken the law and is dead without the law being nailed to the cross. It’s just simple basic Christian doctrine founded on the Apostles doctrine. Ephesians 2:19-22

Paul also says this in Romans 7 concerning the law of Moses which was nailed to the cross.

What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet.”

But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead.

I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died.

Watson says the law was good for us, Paul said the law is not sin, but we are sinners because we can’t keep the law which is Not good for us. See what Watson does? The cross got rid of the handwriting of ordinances which were against us. Watson says those handwritten ordinances nailed to the cross was not the law of Moses.

So what does Watson claim was nailed to the cross Paul referred to? He says that Colossians chapter 2 and 2 Peter 3 are both talking about the same thing and they are talking about handwriting of ordinances. Yeah, I though “huh?” too. Watson claims what was nailed to the cross was men’s handwriting of ordinances! Seriously, check it out for yourself. I’ll post the video below. Around the 16:minute mark he goes to plucking out verse 15 and pretends it’s actually part of 15. No, it’s not. Jesus put the vain philosophy and principles of the world to shame. But that is an addition to what the cross of Christ accomplished and not the handwriting of ordinances Paul was referring to in verse 14. Look at verse 13; And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,…

Claiming it was the philosophy of men and hand written ordinances of men that Christ died for so we could have forgiveness of sins is, to put it bluntly in a scholarly way so he’ll understand more clearly, Stupid! Just read on down to verses 16 and 17 and you can see it is the law of Moses nailed to the cross as they were only shadows of Christ. As verse 12 says He forgave all our trespasses. So we see the Law of God through Moses is what told us what sin is, as Paul pointed out in his letter to the Romans. John Watson says “No, their sins weren’t taken away at the cross, it wasn’t until A.D. 70”. Again, the scholarly word for the hyper preterist’s mis use of Colossians chapter 2 is called “Stupid”.  Paul clearly writes in verse 12 they were buried with Christ ion baptism and rose with Him and in verse 13 their sins were forgiven. John Watson, those two verses are a fatal flaw in your crazy heretical doctrine.  Even Robert Young’s chopped up English translation can’t save you on Colossians 2.

He claims at about the 26:00 minute mark Jesus didn’t fulfill the law and the prophets as He said He came to do in Matthew chapter 5. Matthew 5: 17-18 says;

“Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.

I don’t know why that causes them so much grief. Jesus fulfilled all the law and the prophets and not one jot or tittle was done away with before He fulfilled the law and the prophets. And He tells us what He meant. Look in Matthew 22;37-40

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’

“This is the first and great commandment.

“And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

“On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus came and did not sin, Loved God first and loved His fellow man as He loved Himself and proved He loved us more than Himself by dying for us so our sins would be forgiven as Colossians 2 says. Now John Watson says since the resurrection and the judgment wasn’t finished at the cross not one jot or tittle of the Law has passed unless it was in A.D. 70.

It was finished before A.D. 70.  How do we know? Because Paul taught us we were no longer under the tutor which was the Law and Prophets Jesus fulfilled. If the Law was still in  effect after the Law, Paul violated it all throughout his ministry, and so did Peter. Read Galatians chapter 2:11-21

Please read all of Galatians if this interests you at all. Paul is clear, “jots and tittles” of the Law are fulfilled and invalid or else Christ died in vain. Verse 21 says; “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

 

 

I will continue this over the next few days. I have a few licks of John Watson debating John Welch I'm going to post. Below is the video of John Watson claiming the law of Moses was Not nailed to the cross, if you have the stomache for it.