The earth endures forever! ... Ecclesiastes 1:4

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It's hard to believe there was ever a time when all people on earth thought the earth was flat.  Before scientific proof to the contrary, Galileo was formally condemned to house arrest for entertaining the 'ridiculous notion' that the earth revolved around the sun, and denounced as an anti-scriptural heretic!  Now we know this 'heresy' to be true, beyond a shadow of a doubt.
 
So traditional beliefs are not always truth, and what we call 'heresy' is not always false, as you can see by Galileo's example.  Preterists find themselves in a similar situation today, because our beliefs go against the stream of the masses who hold to a future return of Jesus ('futurists.')  Preterist means 'past in fulfillment,' and it honors the imminent adverbs and other time references of the New Testament placing the 2nd Coming of Christ in its correct time setting - the first century. 
 
Today's predominant postponement theory glosses over the emphatic time statements, suggesting that Jesus was mistaken about the time of His return, using "no one knows the day or hour but the Father." (No one knows the day or hour that a woman will give birth either, but they do know the general time frame is about 9 months.)  Futurists also favor "with the Lord a thousand years are like one day" to explain His 'delay,' as I once did.  But the conclusion of this would be that all time indicators God inspired to Biblical writers were meaningless! 
 
So traditions say He will return in our lifetime, or at least some time in the future.  I believe this is a flat earth mentality, one that feels safe to believe because it has been inculcated in us, and in the majority of believers.  Once a belief is instilled in us, we filter everything else through that premise or belief window.
 
As an example, if you are a futurist, how do you interpret the following Scriptures?

"Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end." - Ephesians 3:21

Ecclesiastes 1:4 "A generation goes and a generation comes, But the earth remains forever."

"He laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed for ever." - Psalm 104:5
 
"He built his sanctuary like the high heavens, like the earth, which he has founded forever." - Psalm 78:69

It's conflicting with your idea that the earth will be destroyed at the 2nd Coming, right?  And since you believe so much that the earth will be destroyed, what do you do with these verses?  Well, one of them must be wrong.  Either Scripture - or your belief.  May I submit to you that we don't fully understand the nature of the 2nd Coming, its purpose and its significance. 

Consider this... the orthodox Jews still await their Messiah's first coming, because they assumed that He would come as a king on a literal throne, to defeat their enemies.  Did they miss their Savior, the miracle born in the stable in Bethlehem?  Yes.  And they're still waiting for Him to come the first time, because they didn't understand the nature of His 1st Coming, its purpose and its significance.

Futurists are not unlike these precious Jews, whose similar misconceptions have them waiting for something that already happened.

Knowledge and traditions change over periods of time, but the Bible remains true. However, many people read their Bibles without "audience relevance," meaning, they read themselves into Scripture as if it were today's mail.  As we study God's Word, we must first consider who the letters of the Bible were directly written to, put ourselves in their shoes - in their culture, in their time - and think of how they would have understood and applied the message.

Although the Bible is a supernatural book inspired by God filled with universal truths, many messages are timebound. They were written to a specific group of people at a specific time in history. It was written TO them... FOR all generations, so that we can understand how God completed salvation history!  If you're thinking, "Hold on, so where does that leave us today?" Right where God wants us. Fully restored, fully reclaimed, enjoying His presence in the new covenant kingdom here on earth, living as the church victorious, graciously welcoming all who thirst to take freely from the water of life!

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Some people ask, "Why does it matter? How is this view important?" The number one reason, in my opinion, is this: Christians are becoming disillusioned with Christianity because of multiple failed predictions and the despair of postponement. Many see clearly that Jesus said He'd return to the generation He left, and they see the imminent time statements. Unable to reconcile this with the modern postponement theory, some Christians struggle and even abandon the faith altogether!  Preterism is the answer they're looking for.

The second reason is this: If we interpret the Bible through today's news, and eagerly await doomsday signs which already happened between AD66-70, we are fueling the pessimism and misguided attempts to push the modern state of Israel into a future fulfillment of Biblical prophecy!  Should anyone perish for such a major misunderstanding?

Reason Three: How can we be good stewards of planet earth if we believe it's all going to burn up one day? The fiery judgment predicted was a local destruction of the old heavens and earth, or old covenant. The 'elements' that melted in fervent heat were the rudiments or principles of their old covenant sacrificial system. It's the same word used in Galatians 4, verses 3 and 9.(Look up 'elements,' #4747 in Strong's Concordance-Greek Dictionary). Jerusalem was surrounded by armies in AD66 and by AD70, the Temple was left without one stone upon another.
 
From the early Christians' point of view, this WAS indeed the end of their world. We have wrongly interpreted this age-ending catastrophe as the end of our planet, a place God promised never to destroy.

"And God said, (regarding the rainbow) This is the sign of the covenant that I set between me and you and every living soul that is with you, for everlasting generations." - Genesis 9:12

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The rainbow is God's beautiful reminder to us that He won't destroy the earth ever again. Let's take care of our planet, our home, for ourselves and for future generations!

"If I will that he (John) remain till I come, what is that to you?..." - Jesus to Peter in John 21:22