Because the Spirit of prophecy is the very testimony of YahShua ha Mashiach, ha Shatan will try to corrupt and counterfeit it as much as possible. The Spirit of Prophecy, according to the last chapter in Daniel, will be the key to help the saints unlock the mysteries of the end times. Undoubtedly, Revelation speaks of a time of great confusion and worldwide destruction. If there was ever a time a saint would need to know what to do and where to go, it would be in those times.
So, disguised as an angel of light, ha Shatan comes to bring prophetic apostasy, diluting the very Spirit of Prophecy which beckons the saints toward the Truth. Remember, YahShua warned that if it were possible, even the very elect would be deceived.
Although there are certainly many different forms of prophetic apostasy, one of the most insidious forms, in my opinion, comes under the label of "Dominion Theology". It may also be called "Kingdom Now", "Manifest Sons of God", "Joel's Army", "The Third Wave". Although there are differences in the above groups, they all have the same flavor and possess enough similarities to organize them under the same heading. "Preterism", a theological explanation of Revelation and Daniel, helps to undergird the above theologies.
This theology states that the "Church" will grow in power and influence until it literally covers the earth in righteousness. The church will dominate all spheres of power, controlling nations and continents, bringing a global revival of immense proportions. Various "priest-kings" will be flooded with incredible power and act as holy policemen, enforcing the laws of the righteous Church. Political regimes, entertainment industries, health and science industries, technology . . . they will all bow to the Church's power.
When righteousness covers the globe and has sufficiently prepared the way, supposedly "Jesus" will then appear, taking up his throne. The Church will then rule and reign with this Jesus from that point on.
Preterism undergirds these beliefs by explaining that most of the prophecies in Revelation and Daniel are in the past. The prophecies in Revelation refer to the first century and were only applicable to the saints living in Rome. So, too, they say, the prophecies in Daniel have long since been fulfilled.
A preterist awaits a THIRD coming of Jesus in which he will simply emerge once the Church has completed her mission of covering the world in her "glory". The general resurrection will occur at this time, although the "Joel's Army" priest-kings may receive resurrected bodies before then.
The very worst thing about this devilish theology is this: YahShua made it very clear in Matthew 24 that there would only be one litmus test to His return. He said He would return as the lightning, splitting the sky from the east to the west. If anyone else claims to be "Christ" believe it not.
The Preterist belief strips this litmus test away. To these people, YahShua already returned a second time. He returned in 70 AD in an allegorical sense, bringing judgment on Jerusalem and wiping away the Israeli state.
What this apostate eschatology allows is for the believer to be utterly deceived. Since he is not expecting a literal second return of YahShua on the clouds, when someone claims to be the "Christ", saying that the Church has finished her job, they will follow him.
I can see it now. Nuclear judgment kills billions of people. Out of the smoke and ash, the Anti-Messiah strives to consolidate his power on planet earth. In the meantime, the "Church" is given power to take over the tattered nations of the earth. Working in harmony, the Church and Anti-Messiah bring peace back to the planet. The Anti-Messiah fills certain church leaders with power, dubbing them priest-kings to help maintain the peace.
Once the Church has secured global control, the Anti-Messiah will declare, "Well done, my faithful Church. You have covered this earth in righteousness. Now I have returned. Well done."
Revelation speaks of the Great Whore working in conjunction with the Beast. Eventually the Beast will allow the kings of the earth to destroy the Great Whore. The Church, believing she will control the earth, covering it in righteousness and preparing the way for return of Jesus, will unknowingly become this Great Whore.
Preterism is directly linked to Replacement Theology. If Revelation described God's judgment on Israel and the rebel Jews, then the natural conclusion is that God has replaced Israel with the Gentile Church. Although Romans 11 clearly refutes this idea, many still believe that YHVH is finished with Israel and has now placed all His hopes in the Gentile Church. Nothing, of course, could be further from the Truth.
A less harmful and more common strain of Replacement Theology is the idea that the Church and Israel are separate and that God will deal with Israel at a later time in the Tribulation. Scripture is clear that believing Gentiles are grafted into Israel and that BOTH are ONE in YahShua ha Mashiach.
Replacement Theology helps to make the Gentile church feel superior, proudly demanding the Jews conform to her twisted theology rather than humbly seeking those to whom the "oracles of Yah" were commited.
In addition to the deceptive conclusion these beliefs lead to, deceiving even the believer (if it were possible) into enthroning the Anti-Messiah, they also contradict Scripture left and right.
In the first chapter of Acts, when Peter asks when the kingdom will be restored to Israel, notice that YahShua does not take this opportunity to explain that this will never happen. He simply says it is not for them to know the timing. Why then, do the Preterists insist that YHVH is finished with Israel? After YahShua has ascended into the clouds, the angels then declare that Mashiach shall return the same way He has departed. And yet instead of looking to the clouds, Preterists await a Messiah who will emerge from their own midst once the Church has covered the earth in righteousness.
Revelation shows a world decaying into sin and chaos, not a world brought into submission by the Church. It is absurd to claim that Revelation was fulfilled in the first century. Was Nero the Beast? If so, it says that the "whole world" will love him. Besides the fact that the "whole world" had not even been discovered during the time of Nero, not even the whole Roman Empire loved Nero. He was even despised by his own family. Hardly a parallel of the Beast in Revelation.
There are numerous other problems, of course, as well. Where were the Two Witnesses? Which 3.5 years of the first century did they preach in Jerusalem? Preterists say that the Second Coming on the clouds was an allegory describing judgment on Jerusalem, but they cannot explain the many details prophesied of the events surrounding his coming. This apostate belief only leaves more questions unanswered.
Rest assured, Revelation is still in the future. Prophecies have yet to be fulfilled. The world will decay into greater evil, but the servants of the Most High will continue to do awesome deeds. Most will despise His Torah and the Anti-Messiah will seek to eradicate its observance across the planet. Most will follow this Torahless Anti-Messiah who claims to be Jesus. But a few will resist and spill their blood. Even fewer will survive to the resurrection. Take courage, saints! YahShua is coming again, on the clouds, just as He said!
