ORIGIN OF PRETERISM

  The preterist view began within the Roman Catholic Church during the Counter-Reformation as a way to defend the papacy against Protestant claims that the Pope was the Antichrist. 

 Jesuit scholars Luis de Alcasar and Francisco Ribera developed the rival preterist and futurist schools of interpretation in the 16th century to counter the common Protestant historicist view, which identified the papacy with the Antichrist. 

 Preterism's main premise is that most, if not all, biblical prophecies, particularly those in the Book of Daniel and Revelation, and Jesus' predictions in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24), have already been fulfilled, primarily in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. 

They also claim the book of Revelation was written in 67 AD and that the Apostle John was on Patmos before at that time.  History records that John was banished to Patmos by Emperor Domitian in around 95 to 96 AD.  The Emperor Nerva is credited with Johns release from Patmos when he issued a decree to release political exiles and was the only Emperor to to release exiles in mass numbers. 

 The Jesuit focus on Preterism aimed to deflect the Protestant claims about the Pope by suggesting that the Antichrist was a figure of the past (Nero) rather than a contemporary one. That the abomination of desolation was Roman soldiers on the Temple Mount.  That the great tribulation was the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD.  The Historical interpretation, favored by many Protestants,   saw these prophecies unfolding throughout history, with the Papacy being identified as the Antichrist or the beast of Revelation.

Nero is said to be the 6th emperor of Rome and a numerical formula was developed to assign 666 to Nero in an attempt to identify him as the antichrist when in fact Servius Galba was the sixth emperor and reigned only for seven months.

 Augustus or Octavianus was the first emperor.  Julius Caesar was not the first emperor of Rome and in his time a Roman Triumvirate ruled the republic.  The republic was replaced by emperors in 27 BC.  

Nero's persecution against Christians began around 64 and lasted until his death by suicide in 68 AD 

During the Counter-Reformation in the 16th century, Preterism was indeed championed by Jesuit scholars,

like Luis de Alcasar. It emerged as a response to the Historical interpretation of prophecy prevalent among Protestants who identified the Papacy with the Antichrist.

 

However, it's important to note that the idea of an Antichrist who had already appeared (or a future one) existed in some form among early church fathers before the Reformation. 

 

 1 John 2:18 "Children, this is the last hour and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is that last hour."

 

Matthew 24:24  Jesus warned about false messiahs and false prophets.  The one John singled out, who was coming, was for the antichrist called the beast in Revelation 13, that is a nations leader that rises up out of the sea of humanity that long ago was a nation but completely disappeared only to rise again in the latter days.  The beast that was is not but yet is.

Paul said, “He will oppose and exalts himself above all that is called GOD or that is worshipped so that he sits as GOD in the temple of GOD showing himself that he is GOD.”  2 Thessalonians 2:4 

Notice this man of sin, this antichrist, sits IN THE TEMPLE.  If the temple was destroyed in 70 AD, as preterists claim, then it would be impossible for The antichrist to SIT IN THE TEMPLE as Paul prophesied. 

I would encourage all my readers to look up the information I have presented to see the history and origin of Preterism.  There are two types of Preterism , full, which believes all prophecy has been fulfilled and partial which believes only parts have been fulfilled. Both are false.