Some Heard Thunder

by Brian L. Martin

Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.” Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.” Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” John 12:28-32 NKJV

         I find this scene in the life of Christ fascinating. Here’s why: Jesus specifically says that the voice which came from heaven was for the sake–the benefit, of those around Him. And yet some of them, if not most of them, did not even understand what the voice had said. Some of them thought that an angel had spoken to Jesus. Some heard thunder.

Surely the voice of God is not so unintelligible—so ambiguous—that many who hear it are unaware of its divine origin or message. No, the problem lies not with the Speaker, but with the hearer. Sometimes it might be our misperception of how we think God will reveal Himself to us. If, like Elijah, we expect Him in the strong wind, the earthquake or the fire, we are liable to miss the still small voice (1 Kings 19:11-12). And then there’s the fact that the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Cor 2:14 NKJV).

When it comes to spiritual discernment, we are all at different levels of maturity—different phases in our spiritual lives. Jesus told His disciples that He still had many things to tell them, but they couldn’t bear them at the time (Jn 16:12). While it is true that the next verse states that the Spirit would teach them these things because He would guide them into all truth, we mustn’t forget that guiding is a process. And that process wasn’t always fully embraced by believers, as the writer of Hebrews demonstrates:

For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. Heb 5:12-14 NKJV

Some of the original readers of Hebrews were not as mature as they should have been. Likewise, Peter claimed that not everyone could understand Paul’s teachings:

. . . as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures. 2 Peter 3:15-16 NKJV

I wonder if, when the less mature heard or read Paul’s deep spiritual truths, it was not unlike hearing thunder. They may have recognized the divine origin, and somewhat grasped the magnitude of the teaching (that it was beyond them). But for all intents and purposes, the message was as clear as thunder.

It is very easy for us, and perhaps natural, to conjure up a picture of certain individuals or groups when we see the term “less mature believers.” Rarely, if ever, do we place ourselves within that group. Yet if we are honest with ourselves, we know that our own spiritual development is far from finished—it is, in fact, a lifelong process. This is no less true within the ranks of Preterism. Regardless of one’s position on “the perfect” having come, and “knowing as we are known,” our different levels of understanding are evidenced by our various views of the resurrection, rapture, immortal body, etc. Thus, it is still possible for us to “hear thunder,” regardless of how mature we are. How many of us, for example, when first introduced to Preterism, heard thunder?

To be honest, sometimes as I read Preterist material, I still hear thunder. In fact, there are still many parts of the Bible that echo of thunder to me. Having come to a basic understanding of Preterism, I’ve found that I need to restudy most of what I’ve learned about the Bible. I could spend the next twenty years doing that, and then write from a position of knowledge—or, I could invite others to explore the validity of Preterism with me, introducing them to other more mature Preterists. Then, twenty years from now, there will hopefully be a host of Preterists available to share their knowledge. As John Anderson stated on one of his internet broadcasts, “Preterism was not the end for me—it was the beginning!”

As such, many of us are beginning again our study of God’s Word. Some are further along than others, yet I can’t help but wonder if even the most seasoned Preterist is not still nearer the beginning of the journey than the end. That being considered, one would think that there would be more acceptance and encouragement amongst Preterists as we explore different paths and consider different options along our journey. And yet, especially in Internet forums, it seems that many are just as willing to deride their fellow Preterists’ doctrine and call them names, as the Futurists and Partial Preterists are. This is especially puzzling to me since, from my perspective, the differences amongst Preterists pale in comparison to the difference between Futurism and Preterism. It reminds me of the parable of the unforgiving servant:

Therefore the kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun to settle accounts, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents. But as he was not able to pay, his master commanded that he be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and that payment be made. The servant therefore fell down before him, saying, ‘Master, have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ Then the master of that servant was moved with compassion, released him, and forgave him the debt. “But that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and he laid hands on him and took him by the throat, saying, ‘Pay me what you owe!’ So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you all.’ And he would not, but went and threw him into prison till he should pay the debt. So when his fellow servants saw what had been done, they were very grieved, and came and told their master all that had been done. Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?’ And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. “So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses.”  Matt 18:23-35 NKJV

What if God were to require of me to settle accounts for all of the errant Bible teaching I espoused as a Futurist? I could never repay Him. Thankfully, every errant word is under the blood of Jesus! How, then, can I not “forgive” my Preterist brother or sister who holds to a different view of the resurrection, rapture, immortal body, etc.? Having not even perceived the prospects of Preterism in Scripture until it was thrust in my face, and even worse, having never asked the “tough” questions of my Futurism, I can’t help but wonder—what else am I missing? How do I know that it’s not that view of the resurrection, rapture or immortal body that doesn’t make sense to me (yet); that it’s not that detail of Preterism that still sounds like thunder?

I’m not saying that there is not an ultimate truth in all of these issues, or that we should just put doctrine aside so that we can all get along. I believe that we should continue to search the Scriptures, study and pray as we continue in our journeys. I also believe we need to sharpen one another, just as Proverbs says that iron sharpens iron. However, we need to realize that the iron is sharpened only if the steel and the blade are brought into contact with each other in the proper manner. If one were to forcefully drag the steel across the cutting edge of the blade, the blade would be severely damaged—perhaps irreparably. Likewise, the way in which we interact with one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, and the way in which we bring our various views into contact with each other, will determine whether our doctrines, as well as individuals, are sharpened or damaged.

For those of us who “aren’t the sharpest knives in the kitchen,” those of us that still hear thunder rumbling in the distance—be patient and gracious with us. We’re trying to catch up!