Rating: 
Summary: Important book for evangelicals
Review: "When Shall These Things Be" is an important book that has been released by P&R Publishing to expose a new doctrine that is confusing many young Christians: HyperPreterism. It is a "must read" for evangelicals who are concerned with aberrant theologies afflicting the church.The editor has assembled a fine cast of noted Reformed scholars, including most prominently: Charles E. Hill (University of Cambridge, Ph.D.), Associate Professor of NT at Reformed Theological Seminary; Simon Kistermaker (Th.D., Free University of Amsterdam), Emeritus Professor at Reformed Theological Seminary and author of the famous "NT Commentary" set from Baker; Richard L. Pratt, Jr. (Th. D. Harvard University), Chairman of OT Department at Reformed Theological Seminary; and Robert B. Strimple (Ph. D., University of Toronto), professor emeritus of Systematic Theology, Westminster Theological Seminary. The book focuses on key heresies associated with the HyperPreterist movement that has arisen in the past 10 years or so. The movement denies: the physical resurrection of the dead, the future second coming of Christ, the future judgment of all men, and an end to the temporal world in which we live. It also exposes some of the internal contradictions in this amalgamated nouveau theology, while showing that HyperPreterism is seeking to overthrow the universal faith of the Christian church. The HyperPreterist movement is demonstrating the dangers of a "zeal without knowledge." I urge the reader of my review which endorses the book to read those reviews that are criticizing it. Those critical reviews are an open window into the caustic spirit associated with the movement as well as the lack of reasoned reflection necessary to carry on theological discourse. If you do not believe me now, just wait until a convert to movement comes to your church. I would especially note how the negative reviews are copying the positive reviews of the book and then replacing key words in them. They do this to re-orient the reviewer comments so as to serve as a criticism of the book! Apparently the zealous adherents to HyperPreterism cannot even write their own reviews.
Rating: 
Summary: An Important, though Imperfect Rebuttal
Review: As will become clear later in this review, I have a considerably negative view of hyper-preterism and not just because I think it's unbiblical. It is a movement that has gained cyberspace traction over the last number of years now and in my view, represents the worst of what can happen when internet sites are considered to be equally viable in terms of their information and credibility.
This book is a compilation of essays from a mostly Reformed perspective written by a variety of scholars. As such, some essays are better than others, and the reader should expect to find disagreement between the contributors on matters of eschatology.
By far the best contribution in this book is delivered by Hill. A person without an in-depth knowledge of eschatology nonetheless has the ability to ask a rather basic but telling question where full preterism is concerned - if Jesus' Second and final Coming occurred in 70 AD, and we are now supposedly living in the new heavens and new earth, why is it that no document we know of written by any Christian around this time ever recognized that such an apolocalyptic event took place? Is it reasonable to think that a small and mostly undistinguished group of people 2,000 years later have identified what nobody at the time knew about and the historic Christian church for 2,000 years has been unaware of? According to full preterism, the answer is a resounding 'yes'. Hill tackles this question with meticulous scholarship and documentation, coupled with painfully probing questions about how such a view could possibly make any sense to anyone. Hill is especially qualified to deal with this subject matter, as he is widely recognized as one of the best conservative patristic scholars around, and his work on the Johannine Corpus in particular is considered first rate. Nobody on the full preterist side even remotely possesses the credentials in this area that Hill does, and it shows in his essay. It is simply a devastating critique.
Kistemaker's contribution is also outstanding. His essay is a truncated version of his award-winning commentary on the Book of Revelation, and I think it is decisively persuasive in debunking the creative interpretations of the full preterist folks. Strimple's contribution is also quite good I thought. Pratt's contribution is good, but could have been better, because while laying out a fairly good approach to how to deal with Old Testament prophecy, he falls a bit short in actually critiquing the full preterist approach on this question. He gets into this a little bit, but not sufficiently in my view. As such, his essay struck me as being a bit incomplete.
I'm giving the book 4 stars because the partial preterist contributions in here could have stood for considerable improvement. The first major essay in the book is Gentry's essay on creedal orthodoxy. For many full preterists, this is where the rubber meets the road. They know their view does not conform to the ecumenical creeds of the church, so they not only have to deny the creeds themselves, but they have to find a way to argue that any Christian who places any creedance in the creeds is actually denying Sola Scriptura and basing their Christianity on human tradition. Gentry in particular has been in the crosshairs of a number of online articles written by full preterists. Gentry's essay attempts a response, but it was clear that he had succumbed to taking the whole thing a bit personally, and where systematic argument and sober analysis would have hit the spot, the reader will instead find a lot of back and forth accusations that don't really address the serious questions at issue here. Mathison probably would have been a better pick to tackle the 'denial of Sola Scriptura' question than Gentry. Further, as I will mention below, the book's look at full preterism is not penetrating as it could and should have been in other areas as well.
In the end, I recommend this book as a mostly effective antidote to full preterism. In my view, full preterism presents us with a revealing object lesson about what happens when eschatology is conducted in isolation - isolation from the Christian church as a whole throughout its history, and isolation from other areas of theology. Full preterism, by definition, has no Biblically based ecclesiology, and no Biblically based pneumatology. If the Christian church has been dead wrong for the last 2,000 years about the central event in the consummation of all history, what kind of doctrine of the church are we left with? If the church has been wrong for its entire history on this question, what are we to say of the ability of the Holy Spirit to preserve his church and lead it in truth and righteousness? Full preterism, by logical deduction, cannot affirm anything of the kind. In order to preserve its eschatological imperatives, full preterism places itself in the dubious position of necessarily arguing for an impotent (rather than omnipotent) Holy Spirit, and for a church that does not have Christ as its cornerstone. Full preterism ought to scare the death out of Christians who believe in the power of the Holy Spirit (as Scripture teaches over and over again) and believe that the church truly is the Bride of Christ and the primary instrument of bringing God's Kingdom to the ends of the earth (which Scripture teaches repeatedly). Not only can full preterism not affirm these things, but they have to attack everyone (and I do mean everyone) who does. As a rule, whenever a Christian hears some person or some movement proclaim that they've discovered something essential to true Christianity that the Christian church hasn't known about or has been wrong about for 2,000 years, that should immediately make us suspicious - because anybody can make that claim. When we further discover that these individuals are coarse and fiercely divisive, are not seminary trained, have difficulty getting published, and exercise enormously irresponsible scholarship to bolster their views, that really ought to seal the deal. Well, this is a nutshell of the full preterist movement. Nothing more really needs to be said, in my view.
Rating:
Summary: Scholarly analysis
Review: Dr. Mathison has edited a book that I believe will be most beneficial in detering the growth of the hyper-preterist movement. With an able body of evangelical theologians, he spearheads a devastating critique of this new movement. All of the contributors are noted theologians and much published authors. They all write very clearly, forcefully, and perceptively. I had seen a few of the hyper-preterist writings as I surfed the Net. I was always befuddled that such unusual doctrines could be foisted upon unsuspecting Christians. I am relieved that this helpful analysis has been published by P & R Publishing. Well, done, Drs. Mathison, Pratt, Strimple, Gentry, Wilson, and Hill! At first I was alarmed when I read the vigorous denunciations of the book in several of the Amazon.com reviews below. But then other, more positive reviews, pointed out something very important: If this is the kind of thinking and the sort of attitude driving the hyper-preterist movement: give us more of them! They are doing more to harm their case than all the positive reviews put together. Thank God for the Internet -- and Amazon.com! I urge the Amazon customer to read the reviews that give the book one star. I think you will see what I mean.
Rating:
Summary: Important book
Review: I enjoy reading sound theological literature from an evangelical perspective. Especially books that critique abberant theologies. This book contains chapters by some of the leading evangelical and reformed scholars in America. One of my favorites is Dr. Simon Kistemaker, Professor of Greek and New Testament (emeritus) at Reformed Theological Seminary. He is the author of the important "New Testament Commentary" series begun in the 1950s by William Hendriksen. If you want a conservative commentary that brings the Greek of the New Testament to bear, Kistemaker is hard to beat. His chapter in this book shows why: He is meticulous and faithful to the text. His study on Revelation is almost worth the price of the book itself. He shows the absurdity of this new movement (hyperpreterism) which declares that the full new heavens and new earth have arrived. Hundreds of years ago. Without anyone noticing. Until recently. Thank goodness this movement came along just 2000 years later to straighten things out! Dr. Pratt is an associate of Kistemaker. He also is a noted Greek scholar and a leading authority on hermeneutics, the technical practice of interpretation. His chapter exposes the strange maneuvers being made by this young, fledgling, semi-cult. He shows how naive and easily led astray the writers in this new movement are. I liked his chapter second to Kistemaker's. Even apart from demolishing the views of the hyperpretists, his chapter provides much helpful material for personal Bible study principles. Excellent! The other writers do a fine job, too. Get the book for yourself and see. I cannot figure out how Christians can be so easily duped by new fads that come down the pike. But we see it year in and year out. This new movement is one of the most unusual in that it teaches things that go contrary to MANY of the MAJOR tenents of the historic Christian faith. And to common sense! (We have already been resurrected? We have entered the New Heavens and New Earth? The Christian faith has been fundamentally mistake about itself for 2000 years? Come on! Give me a break!) This book is very insightful in exposing several of the leading errors of hyperpreterism. After reading some of the hyperpreterist reviews below, I am convinced that this book is VERY important. Read them for yourself: how would you like to have people who think like this being in charge of your understanding of God's Word -- and your eternal destiny! I have printed off a few of them to give to friends as warnings of the pugnacious character of this new fad. Thank you, Amazon.com, for allowing reviews to be printed. They are helpful in more ways than one!
Rating: 
Summary: BAALISH!!!
Review: I enjoy studying theology. I am not a theologian, and know my limits. But I still enjoy studying solid theological works. I very much enjoyed this great book. "When Shall These Things Be" assembled a good cast of notable theologians. Several of them I recognized in my own reading: Keith Mathison and Doug Wilson, particularly. But the others had good credentials and really wrote clearly and pointedly about the serious theological error: Hyper-Preterism. So far I haven't run into anyone with this odd view. In fact, I have asked about it at my church and no one has heard of it. However, the book serves as an early warning to a new error among Christians. And it is good to try to understand problems before they become too widespread. Hyper-Preterism believes there is no future second coming of Christ, the world will last forever, there is no bodily resurrection of the dead, that Christians have long been mistaken about all these issues, and that it doesn't matter what evangelicals say, the Hyper-Preterists are plowing ahead with their own new approach. Some of the chapters focus on alarming matters arising in American evangelicalism in this regard. Some of the other chapters simply concentrate on the biblical understanding of the issues being impacted by this new theology. All of the chapters sound a clear alarm: Watch out for wolves in sheep's clothing. They quote the Bible, but depart from the historic faith. That is something to worry about. Almost all cults quote the Bible while they are on the way out of the evangelical faith. This book is very important and I hope will be read by many.
Rating:
Summary: Historic, biblical Christianity defended
Review: I have just finished reading this excellent book edited by Keith Mathison of Ligonier Ministries. He has assembled a capable body of respected Reformed scholars. They have provided an enlightening analysis and devastating critique of a new and growing abberant theology. Hyperpreterism teaches that for 2000 years the Church has been wrong in expecting a future Second Coming of Christ, a future physical resurrection of the body, and a consummate New Heavens and New Earth. Rather, they teach that the Second Advent occurred 40 years after the ascension of Christ and that it effected the resurrection of deceased believers (which was spiritual only), the spiritual resurrection of living believers, and that it established the New Creation in its fullness. Pratt demonstrates the remarkable situation that prevails if Hyperpreterists are correct: The resurrection and new creation occurred in the first century -- yet not one Christian writer from that period or just after it or up until recent times knew this occurred! Not even those who lived through the events! At first when I read the negative reviews of this book, I was dismayed at their tone. Then it dawned on me: This is exactly what should be expected. Mathison's book warns that a new cult may be developing and that the promoters of the strange doctrines are not trained in biblical languages and theological research. Now I see that the Hyperpreterists are loudly proving that this is so. Imagine what your church would be like if this doctrine and this attitude captured a few members.
Rating:
Summary: Great book!
Review: I highly recommend this very important book to concerned evangelical Christians. It seems that American Christians are most easily duped on issues regarding biblical prophecy. We see this in dispensationalism: In the 1970s Hal Lindsey sold millions of "The Late Great Planet Earth" predicting the Great Tribulation would begin in 1984. He sold millions more in the 1990s predicting the end before the year 2000 ("Planet Earth 2000: Will Mankind Survive?). Our evangelical naivete never ceases to amaze me. Well, here we go again. Mathison's book (containing chapters by several reputable scholars) focuses on a new prophetic movement: hyperpreterism. The hyperpreterist movement is known not only for its heretical views (Christ's Second Coming was in the first century; the body will not be physically resurrected; and more!), not only for its unorthodox means of biblical interpretation (usually by unschooled enthusiasts who take on the universal Christian church as if the witness of 2000 years of church history were nothing), but also for its arrogance. All one has to do is read any of the reviews below that give this book a one star rating. Who could read such reviews from hyperpreterists and still take the view seriously? Especially since it is contrary to long standing Christian faith in the Second Coming of Christ? Each of the chapters focuses on one angle of exposure for the heresy. Some of the hyperpreterists positions are absolutely astounding. This is a multi-author, multi-perspective critical analysis of a growing sub-culture in Christianity. Like the Jehovah's Witnesses and the Mormons, this could develop into a full-scale heterodox cult movement. In fact, one of the chapters of this book even calls for a new Christian holy day (Parousia Day in August to commemorate the AD 70 destruction of the Temple)! And some of its followers have claimed we should not partake the Lord's Supper because we were commanded to do so "until he comes again" (1 Cor. 11), and since He came in AD 70, we should no longer practice Communion. Buy this book. Give it to your Christian friends. It is a remarkable, scholarly, well-written critical analysis. One hyperpreterist reviewer below says it is so full of holes you could fly a blimp through it. The copy I purchased was well bound and without any holes! Besides, if your copy is poorly bound, Amazon.com has a refund policy. :) Seriously though: I know of most of the scholars who contributed to the book: tey are reputable theologians, several of whom teach in important evangelical seminaries (such as Reformed Theological Seminary and Westminster Theological Seminary). They write clearly and pointedly. I do not know the reviewer who made this baseless claim of the book as having holes. Do you? Plus, his and other negative reviews are almost unreadable. Maybe that explains why they can't read the Bible correctly!
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful book
Review: I was delighted to read this wonderful book. Our church had someone who got mixed up in the Hyper-preterist movement. He became one-track in his thinking and really became a pest. He eventually was ministered to, and forsook this cultic movement. This book was helpful in showing how the Hyper-preterists distort Scripture. Strimple's chapter was worth the whole book. He showed how the HPs are all over the map on the fundamental doctrine of the resurrection. Something so clear and simple becomes so confusing in the Hyper-preterist view. Hill's chapter was also insightful: If the great transition between the old creation and new creation occurred in A.D. 70, why didn't anyone coming through that period know about it. Were the apostles that bad in their teaching that no one could figure it out for 2000 years? Gentry's chapter showed that Christianity has always had a core theology throughout its history. The Hyper-preterists expect the whole Christian church to toss out the historic doctrines of the faith on the basis of their bizarre views. He even pointed out that some of them are beginning to deny the doctrine of hell and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in this age. Wilson turned the tables on them. The Hyper-preterists claim "Sola Scriptura" as their motto. They deny any recourse to the traditional church's doctrine. But he showed that the Hyper-preterists cannot tell you why there are 66 books and only 66 books in the Bible on the basis of their supposed "Sola Scriptura." Where in the Bible do we learn there are 66 books? Excellent! Get this book to help you witness to Hyper-preterists. I have seen at least one turn his life around. I know of others who have, as well.
Rating:
Summary: Meaty, important treatise
Review: This book is not for everyone. It is a rather sophisticated theological expose of a strange new eschatological doctrine (as if we didn't have enough strange prophetic movements already!).
This book is written by several well-known theologians who have published widely in evangelical theological circles. Their investigation into and analysis of this Hyperpreterism movement is quite deep, and devastating.
The Hyperpreterist movement has stormed onto the evangelical stage with great noise in the last ten years. They have established bold websites that speak of their (alleged) international movement, or their planetpreterist presence. Only with the Internet could a new movement with few funds declare itself global. I am now looking for the next stage: inter-galactic preterism. I believe their theological construct is of stellar proportions: it is a black hole from which no light can escape.
I have read many of their articles on the Net. Two things strike me about their writings: (1) They are generally by theologically untrained men who have waded out over their heads; (2) they are often arrogant (as most new, strange movements are).
The contributors to this academic volume demonstrate several (but not all) of the major fallacies of the new movement. The book shows the novelty of the movement and its resistance to historic Christianity. It shows the superficial methods of its main leaders.
Sadly, the movement seems to be attracting dozens of new converts annually. Hopefully, Dr. Mathison's helpful book will put the brakes on it.
I highly recommend getting the book, if you are interested in deep theological study and concerned about new prophetic movements.
Rating:
Summary: Scary religious movement
Review: This book provides a scholarly analysis of a new religious movement which is developing in a strange direction. The movement is called by several names, as this book points out. Some call it HyperPreterism, some pantelism, some Hymanaenism. whatever you call it, I call it "Scary." I do so for two main reasons. First, it is a movement that claims historic Christianity is a farce. Christianity has missed the truths of Scripture since the second century until the present. These untrained Bible students claim to have found out that Christ returned in A.D. 70 in an invisible coming, resurrected the dead, and established the New Heavens and New Earth in its final form. This truth, they claim, had been lost since just after the last Apostle died. They have recently re-discovered it (compare this to the Latter-day Saints "rediscovering" the real meaning of the Bible). Secondly, it is a scary movement because of how tenacious and one-track minded many of its followers are. They have begun causing trouble in local churches. They have been asked to leave conferences where they annoyed people (see p. 3 of this book with footnotes). Several of their reviews of this book had to be removed by Amazon.com because they charged the noted authors of this book to be drunkards, and so forth. What is worse, on one of their main websites (preteristarchive.com) one of their papers boasts that the writer of that paper prayed God's judgment on a theologian that did not agree with them. Then he notes that that "not too long from this time I heard . . . that [he] had had a massive heart attack and was in serious conditon.... I knew God had answered my prayers." Then he directly writes to one of the contributors to this book that I am reviewing: "'Pride comes before a fall' and yours is coming real soon!" Apparently he is praying against this author, just as he did the other one. I avoid these people. This book shows why I believe this is a good idea. You really need to purchase this book to find out what is going on with this movement. Amazon.com has the best price I have been able to find for the book. It is a good and important buy. Get it today! But don't let any HyperPreterist know that you have it: some of them will begin praying imprecatory prayers against you.
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