Preterism (AD70 Doctrine)
Preterism (AD70 Doctrine)
There's really no such thing as a “faulty fact” since a fact by definition is true. However, sometimes things are presented as fact or taken for granted as fact, when those things are not true. So we will call them “faulty facts” for simplicity’s sake.
This lesson has five of them. Some folk deny that there is going to be a future Judgment Day. Others say that there will be a judgment day but not for the saved, not for Christians. Among the arguments made to support these teachings, you may hear one or more of the following faulty facts.
Those who believe in God's Son will not be judged, and those who don't believe have been judged already. Jesus clearly stated this. It contradicts Jesus to say that the judgment is still future and believers will be judged in that judgment.
This argument seems quite compelling if you take into account only the negative side of judgment, namely to condemn and pass sentence.
However, there is a positive side of judgment which is to pronounce guiltless and to make an award for righteousness. When you take your cat to a cat show, you take it to be judged. But in that judgment you are looking for your cat to win an award. You are not expecting it to be condemned and put down! When Christians go through the judgment, they don't expect to go to hell. Christians will not be judged in the sense that they will be condemned or have sentence of punishment passed on them.
The passages used in the argument are referring only to the negative side of judgment. Nonchristians are "judged already" in the sense that they are in a state of condemnation because they haven't come to Christ for forgiveness. They are unprepared for the day of judgment. The outcome of their judgment is a foregone conclusion. That's all Jesus meant. Of course, they can change this unhappy situation by believing and obeying the gospel. Then they will not be judged in the negative sense of judgment. They will, however, be judged righteous and awarded their crown of life by the righteous judge.
The following scripture chain shows that not all judgment is negative. Not all judgment is condemnation like Jesus was talking about. Judgment can be positive, declaring innocence, mercy, and reward. This is how the Christian will be judged.
When you stand before a judge, you cannot be certain what the pronouncement will be, and since Christians have a blessed assurance, without even one percent doubt, they cannot be in any uncertain position, therefore they won't undergo judgment.
If you are perfectly innocent, if the judge and the law are perfectly just, and if you have a perfect witness to bear you testimony, of course you can know without doubt the outcome of being judged.
That might not be possible in any earthly court, but it is most certainly so in the court of heaven. If not, why not? Hasn't Jesus made us perfectly blameless? Isn't he the perfectly just judge and our perfect advocate to testify on our behalf? No wonder the Bible says we have confidence in the day of judgment! Notice that it does not say that our confidence excludes us from judgment. We will undergo judgment but we have complete confidence in the outcome —there's no shadow of uncertainty.