ed stevens

Every few months we accumulate a good supply of emails from listeners asking questions and making comments. This is always high interest content and extremely helpful for a lot of other listeners who have the same questions. There are several comments and questions about the differences between the two resurrection views within Preterism: the Collective Body versus the Individual Body. The final question deals with the resurrection of those saints who were raised at the same time as Jesus, which is only mentioned in Matthew 27:52-53. We quote a number of commentaries, including Calvin, who suggest that those saints were raised immortal, and after appearing in Jerusalem for forty days, ascended to heaven with Jesus, thus implying that this resurrection was "the first resurrection" (Rev 20:4-5). If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show

We take a historical look at the last sixty years since John A. T. Robinson developed his Collective Body concept, and how Max King adopted it and applied it to his resurrection eschatology. We quote from Robinson's 1952 book on The Body, as well as from a couple of recent authors (Holland and Gundry) who have interacted with Robinson's views. We show how Robinson used his Collective Body view to teach Universalism. Gundry points out how the Collective Body concept undermines the pre-70 saints' hope for a resurrection event at the Parousia by replacing it with a dying-rising process during the transition period. Since that contradicts Paul's clear teaching of the resurrection as an event at the Parousia, it means that the Collective Body View is in hopeless conflict with Apostle Paul and the rest of the eschatological scriptures. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show

We first look at the lexical definition of the Greek word SOMA (body), as it relates to the uses of that word in the book of Romans. Paul uses the word "body" thirteen times in the book of Romans. We briefly look at each of those thirteen verses to determine how each of them are used, either in an individual body sense, or in a collective body sense. Several of these "body" texts have moral, ethical, and spiritual exhortations attached to them, so that if they are assigned a collective body meaning, it disconnects the individual Christian from all those moral, ethical, and spiritual exhortations. This may explain why some preterists who take the Collective Body View have fallen into universalism, antinomianism, and other false doctrines like "heaven now," "body now," "perfection now," or "sin continues in the afterlife." If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show

There is a wide variation of views on baptism among the various Christian traditions. That is no less the case among preterists. Rom 6:3-4 is a good text to study if you want to see how various interpreters explain baptism. Some preterists understand it as water baptism, while others see it as "spirit baptism" or some other metaphorical concept. Some Collective Body interpreters see the baptism here in Rom 6:3-4 as having some kind of connection to the collective body of Christ. Tom Holland is an example of a futurist who advocates a Collective Body baptism here in Romans 6. He calls it "corporate baptism." We take a critical look at his view, and show that Paul is instead talking about water baptism of individuals, and what that implies about our individual sanctification. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show

One well-known preterist leader who holds the Collective Body View recently taught that the word "creation" as used in Eph 2:10 and Rom 1:20 is referring to Old Testament Israel. That idea is very similar to the Covenant Creationist view, which he says he does not agree with. We examine the context of Rom 1:20 to show that the phrase "creation of the world" is referring to the "creation of the heavens and earth" in Genesis 1-2, and not about the creation of the nation of Israel at the Exodus. If you have been confused about the meaning of the word "creation" in the book of Romans, you will want to pay close attention to this podcast. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show

Some of the Collective Body advocates have suggested that "the sin" referred to in Rom 6:1 is pointing exclusively to the original sin in the Fall of Adam, and that Paul is talking about a collective body "in Adam" being raised out of "the sin" of Adam into new life in the collective body of Christ. In order for them to make this argument, they have to ignore the context and invent their own rules of grammar in regard to how the definite article ("the") is used with the word "sin" here in Romans. We deal with all 39 uses of the word "sin" here in Romans to show that the usage of "sin" with the definite article ("the") is not exclusively referring to "the sin" of Adam, and therefore does not support the case for the Collective Body concept being found here in Romans 6-11. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show

Advocates for the Collective Body view of the resurrection have asserted that the phrase "THE sin" in Rom 6:1 should be understood as a reference to "THE Law." They then use that idea to suggest that Paul is urging Jewish Christians to quit keeping the Law (instead of stop sinning). We show how that can not be the correct understanding of Rom 6:1. The Collective Body view also teaches that "the BODY of Moses" (mentioned in Jude 9) is referring to a collective BODY of Israelites who kept the Law of Moses. We show instead that Jude 9 is simply referring to the literal physical individual body of Moses. We also show how the phrases "your mortal body" (Rom 6:12) and "in the BODY" (2 Cor 5:6-10) are referring to the individual mortal bodies of the first century saints, and NOT talking about a collective body. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show

We give a brief report of our experience at the Evangelical Theological Society conference in Baltimore last week, where we had dozens of great interactions with the attendees there. While there, I found a couple of very helpful books which explain what the New Perspective on Paul is all about. Then we get back into our study of Romans 3-5. In the previous session we looked at the bad news of all mankind (both Jew and Gentile) being under condemnation. This time we focus on the good news of justification by grace through faith in Christ for both Jew and Gentile. One of the benefits of that justification was the HOPE of seeing the Glory of God revealed to them at the Parousia. We note also that the idea of a collective body being resurrected out of covenantally dead Judaism does not seem to be involved (or even mentioned) here in the first five chapters of Romans, suggesting that it is probably not found in chapters 6-11 either. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show

The first three chapters of Romans lock up all humanity, including the Jews, under condemnation. That is very bad news for everyone, especially for the Jews who considered themselves as automatically saved. Before Paul gives them the good news, he unloads this bad news on them first. How was "ALL ISRAEL" saved at the Parousia in AD 70? How did the Roman church fit into that plan to save ALL ISRAEL? How do the Collective Body and Individual Body views differ in their explanations of this SALVATION of All Israel? What is the "New Perspective on Paul"? If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show

Two of the key hermeneutical tools we use to interpret any biblical text are: (1) the historical context out of which the book was produced, and (2) the purposes which it was written to accomplish. It also helps if we have a good outline that traces the flow of thought in the text. We provide all this in this podcast and show how it helps us interpret the book of Romans. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show

We continue our introductory comments and survey of the contents of Apostle Paul's letter to the first century Christians in Rome. One of the best overviews of the flow of thought found in the book of Romans was written in the Preface of Haldane's commentary on Romans. He notes that Paul's goal for his argumentation was to convince both Jews and Gentiles to unite together as one new people of God. Knowing that purpose behind his words really helps us understand Romans so much better. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show

Every prophetic view (futurist and preterist) uses the book of Romans as a source for its particular approach to fulfillment. How we interpret Romans can make a big difference not only in our eschatological perspectives, but in our understanding of salvation as well. In this introduction, we note that the book of Romans is not talking about a collective body resurrection of the church out of Judaism, but rather about the Jew-Gentile unity in the Kingdom that was achieved by grafting the Gentiles into the rich olive tree of true spiritual Israel. You will want to listen to this introductory podcast before listening to any of the succeeding ones on Romans. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show

In the past several podcasts we have looked at bits and pieces of the 1Cor 15 context. In this session we summarize all that and provide the overall big picture of what Paul is saying about the resurrection here in his letters to the Corinthian saints. We share some further insights into this text which show clearly and conclusively that Paul is NOT talking about a Collective Body being raised here, but rather is explaining what would happen to both the living and the dead saints at the Parousia. The dead saints would be RAISED out of Hades and given their new immortal bodies, while the living saints would have their mortal bodies CHANGED into immortal bodies. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show

What were the pre-70 saints expecting to see, hear, and EXPERIENCE at the Parousia? Was it going to be a non-cognitive and un-experienced event, with those saints left on earth afterwards not even aware that the Parousia had occurred? Apostle Paul promised the living saints that they would be CHANGED at the Parousia. The dead would be raised, but the living would be changed. What was this CHANGE all about? We look at three different views of that CHANGE that are found within preterism, and show that the Individual Body View provides the best explanation of that CHANGE. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show

Advocates for the Collective Body View (CBV) of the resurrection claim that the Present Passive form of the Greek verb EGEIRO ("are raised") can ONLY be legitimately translated as "are BEING raised" with the sense of an ongoing process of resurrection of the collective body. On the basis of that claim, they label other preterists (IBV) as being futurists. We show that their collective body interpretation of 1 Cor 15 simply does not hold up under grammatical, historical, and contextual scrutiny, and that the Individual Body interpretation of this text is the correct one. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show

Futurists think that “the Dead” is a reference to dead physical bodies in the graves, so that the phrase “resurrection of the Dead” means dead bodies being raised out of the graves. Some fellow preterists think “the Dead” is referring to the collective body being raised out of covenantally dead Judaism. However, we look at numerous scriptures in the Old and New Testaments to show WHO the Dead were, and out of WHERE they were raised. We see that the resurrection of the dead was the raising of disembodied conscious souls out of Hades. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show

One of the most important texts which the Collective Body View (CBV) uses to support its concept of a collective body resurrection is Philippians 3:21. They contend that the phrase “our body” mentioned here in this text is a reference to the collective body (the church) being resurrected or “transformed” at the Parousia. Through grammatical and contextual analysis, as well as a look at similar passages, we very effectively debunk that theory and show that this text is talking about a bodily change for individual saints at the Parousia – the same bodily change that is mentioned in 1 Cor 15, 2 Cor 5, and 1 Jn 3:2. This podcast challenges all full preterists to discover what this bodily transformation really was. Check it out! If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show

Futurists relentlessly pester us preterists with the nagging question: "There is no record of bodies coming out of the graves in AD 70. If the dead were raised at that time, why were the physical bodies of the dead saints NOT raised?" In this session we look at some of the various concepts of resurrection that are mentioned in the Bible, including the "bodies out of the graves" (BOG) view of the futurists, the "souls out of Hades" (SOH) of both futurists and preterists, and the related concept of bodily change for the living saints at the time of the Parousia. We discuss the afterlife hope of all Christians and show why Preterists have a better hope. Then we provide nine different reasons why the physical bodies of the dead saints were not raised back to life on earth. Hint: It has something to do with the fact that the eschatological resurrection was supposed to be a "better resurrection" (Heb. 11:35). If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show

There is so much confusion in both futurism and preterism about the place in the unseen realm called Sheol or Hades. We take an in-depth look at the Old Testament concept of Sheol to show that it was the place where the conscious disembodied souls of all the dead, both wicked and righteous, were held captive until the resurrection and judgment of the Last Day. Those dead ones needed to be raised out of Sheol-Hades in order to get their new immortal bodies and go to heaven. So it is clear that whatever else the phrase "resurrection of the dead" might mean, it had to at least include the raising of those disembodied souls out of Hades. We notice that Rev. 20 mentions this resurrection at the end of the millennium, and how this is the same defeat of Death that is mentioned in 1 Cor 15:23-28, implying that Paul was not talking about a Collective Body concept, but rather the resurrection of the rest of the dead out of the Hadean realm. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show

Is the Genesis account of Creation and the Flood literal and historical, or merely figurative or mythological? And how does that relate to the Preterist view and our explanation of the NATURE of fulfillment of the endtime events? Every systematic theology has to deal with Genesis, and the way they interpret it will automatically determine how the rest of their paradigm will be configured. It is absolutely critical to get the BEGINNING right, or the ENDING will be wrong. Any other preterist view of the resurrection which builds its paradigm on an allegorical or mythological view of Genesis is doomed to failure. That is why the Individual Body View of the Resurrection is building its system on the foundation of a literal, historical Genesis. If you wish to have the free PDF written lesson outline for this podcast, simply email us to request it (preterist1@preterist.org). Be sure to mention the date of this podcast when you contact us.Support the show