REFUTING THE A.D. 70 THEORY - 2
REFUTING TH E A.D. 70 THEORY - 2
Yeow Chin Kiong
A necessary beginning point in our attempt to refute any doctrine (i.e. "teaching") is the two-fold step of (a) determining the current supossedly-different doctrine from what we currently believe about the Bible's teaching on a matter, and (b) ascertaining again with scriptural support that what we believe about tbe matter is correct and the different doctrine about it is wrong. An opportunkty to challenge a seemingly-false doctrine is, therefore, a welcomed chance to re-look into what we have believed to be true to God's word on the matter. It is an opportunity to obey 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, "Test all thiings; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from every form of evil." Our duty to "contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints" (Jude 3) requires us to stop the mouths of those who teach things wbich they ought not and to "rebuke them sharply, that they be sound in the faith" (Titus 1:11, 13). We must "not yield submission even for an hour (to false teachers) that the truth of the gospel might continue ..." (Galatians 2:5).
The A.D. 70 theory is the teaching promoted by a minority within the churches of Christ and some within evangelical denominations that all of the events considered by other Bible-believers to be prophesied by scriptures yet to happen in our future have already taken place in the year A.D. 70 when the Jewish city of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans. Its proponents insist that God's word properly handled teach that Jesus Christ's second coming, the coming of His kingdom into our presence, the resurrection of the dead, the final judgment, the end of the world and humanity's entrance into heaven or hell all happened at A.D. 70. Strange as this teaching may sound to Christians today, something akin to this was in circulation during the infancy of the church. We read the apostle Paul warning the brethren in 2 Timothy 2:17-18, "Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, who have strayed concerning the faith, saying that tbe resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some." As Paul warned tbe brethren to be wary of the two false teachers during the First Century, brethren today are cautioned against their erroneous teaching or some variant of it being revived in our time.
When two parties disagree about a matter, there are two possibilitìes: EITHER one of them is right and the other wrong OR both parties are wrong. Adversorial affirmation and refutation of beliefs has a place in the defence of the faith, as implied by Proverbs 18:17 which sayys, "The first one to plead his cause seems right, until his neighbor comes and examines him."
In preparing to refute the A.D. 70 theory, Step 1(a) would involve [1] identifying and locating primary source material advocating the theory so that we do not depend on hearsay of third parties. These would be, at least and indispensably, "The Parousia - A Critical Enquiry Into Our Lord's Second Coming" (1878) by James Stuart Russel and "The Spirit Of Prophecy" (1971, with a newer edition in 2016 by Tim Russel) by Max R. King. Both books are available in PDF format downloadable from various websites. Both present the basic arguments defending the A.D. 70 theory and should be studied if we are to successfully contend against this false doctrine.