A "Full" Preterist once wrote:
"Some see the millennium starting in Jesus’ earthly ministry where He bound Satan “the strong man” and began taking the spoil (AD 26 – AD 66). Others see it between Pentecost to AD 70 roughly a 40 year period. These are minor details to me because Jesus’ time frame of “this generation” and the recapitulation structure of Revelation along with the time statements at the beginning AND END of Revelation necessitate that the millennium ended in AD 70."
The above describes some very loose reasoning:
- Jesus did NOT bind Satan during His earthly ministry - He was simply describing the process by which a demon is cast out of man so that he can be saved, (Matthew 12:25-29 and Mark 3:22-27 and Luke 11:17-26). Whether in a vision or otherwise, Jesus relates in Luke 10:17-20 that He saw Satan fall from Heaven: Jesus did NOT say He had already cast Satan into the Bottomless Pit and Seal him in there per Rev 20:1-3. The plain fact is that Luke 10:17-20 simply communicates that Jesus saw Satan fall from Heaven to Earth, NOT from Earth to the Bottomless Pit, bound and sealed.
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- The urgent reminders of Christ's impending Return placed at the beginning and middle and end of the vision recorded in Revelation in no wise dictate that everything described in the vision must end at His Return. Jesus is simply reminding of the timing of that key event around which the vision is organized. Sullivan's logic, when not applied selectively, necessitates that the New Heavens, New Earth and New Jerusalem must end at Christ's Return, as well. Please reference the actual time statements listed for that last Revelation portion of Dave Green's Preterism 101 and see how they look forward to the blessings about to begin, not end, with Christ's Return.
Some reasonable questions about the view advocating a 30-70AD fulfillment of Rev 20:1-10 are fair to ask here, no?
1) YES or NO. (Then explain)
The Bible records more activity of the Devil/Satan among men during the 30-70AD period than all other Bible history put together. (Compare abundance of New Testament references to "Satan" and the "Devil" to the Old Testament's).
2) YES or NO. (Then explain)
IF from 30-70AD, (the virtual entirety of the period recorded by the New Testament), Satan/Devil were taken out by being bound, cast into the Bottomless Pit, (Abyss), and sealed as Rev 20:3 describes, and yet, despite this binding/Abyssing/sealing, Satan was still able to perform all his activities the New Testament so abundantly records,
THEN is it fair to conclude from Scripture that the Devil/Satan is also able to perform among us today much the same activities recorded by the New Testament?
3) YES or NO. (Then explain)
Likewise,
IF the 30-70AD period as recorded by the New Testament is what we get when, per Rev 20:1-10, the Saints reign with Christ,
THEN should we expect to experience life today just as the Saints of New Testament times, since the Saints are likewise reigning today? AND singles should be advised not to marry because of the distress & darkness of the times whenever Saints rule and Satan/Devil is taken out? AND God's ministers today should expect to be hounded from town to town and treated like the scum of the earth and have messengers of Satan sent to buffet them, etc., just like Paul & the other apostles were in New Testament times, (30-70AD), when the Saints, according to your view, were reigning with Christ per Rev 20:1-10?
And, of course, supporting details to any answer to my opening
question are still left wanting:
Can we get specifics about this declared 30-70AD fulfillment of
Rev 20:1-10?
- Which exact passage of Scripture tells us that Satan was bound, cast & sealed into the Abyss around 30AD?
- Which exact passage of Scripture tells us that Satan was released a full 40 years later around 70AD?
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Just so we don't lose sight of the actual verses that the 30-70AD Millennium view insists were fulfilled between 30-70AD:
(red = before Christ's Return blue=after Christ's Return)
Revelation 20:1-10 (penned circa 62-65AD at beginning of Tribulation to encourage rejection of the Beast & his mark)
20:1 And I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. 2 And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he should not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will [future to 62AD] be priests of God and of Christ and will [future to 62AD] reign with Him for a thousand years.
7 And when the thousand years are completed, Satanwill be released from his prison, 8 and will come out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together for the war; the number of them is like the sand of the seashore. 9 And they came up on the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. NASB
You don't get a kingdom without a king, and you don't reign with Christ 'til Christ Returns to reign.
Luke 19:11-20 (circa AD 30, just before entering Jerussalem on colt, ~ 1 week prior to the Crucifixion)
11 And while they were listening to these things, He went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, "A certain nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return. 13 "And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business with this until I come back.' 14 "But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We do not want this man to reign over us.' 15 "And it came about that when he returned, after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves, to whom he had given the money, be called to him in order that he might know what business they had done. 16 "And the first appeared, saying, 'Master, your mina has made ten minas more.' 17 "And he said to him, 'Well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, be in authority over ten cities.' 18 "And the second came, saying, 'Your mina, master, has made five minas.' 19 "And he said to him also, 'And you are to be over five cities.'
NASB
Mat 25:14-23 (circa 30AD, days prior to Crucifixion, Olivet Discourse - Parables section)
Note again: the faithful servants were to be "made rulers over many things" AFTER their Lord Returns.