Introduction

† The fulfilled view isn't built on one verse or one prophecy. It's built on the consistent testimony of Scripture that God fulfilled His covenant promises when and how He said He would.
† When teaching the fulfilled view, it's important to begin with clear time statements and audience relevance before moving into symbolic passages.
† Jesus, the apostles, and the prophets repeatedly spoke of events that were near, at hand, and about to occur.
† The strongest approach is to let Scripture define its own time frame and allow the Bible to speak for itself.

Matthew 24:34

Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.

† Jesus placed all the events of Matthew 24 within the lifetime of His own generation.
† Throughout the Gospels, "this generation" consistently referred to the people living at that time, not people thousands of years later. (Matthew 11:16; Matthew 12:41-42)
† Jerusalem was destroyed in AD 70 exactly within the time frame Jesus gave. (Luke 21:20-22)
† This verse should be one of the first passages presented when teaching the fulfilled view because it establishes the biblical time frame directly from Christ.

Daniel 9:24-27

"Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the wrongdoing, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. So you are to know and understand that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until Messiah the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with streets and moat, even in times of distress. Then after the sixty-two weeks, the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. And he will confirm a covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come the one who makes desolate, until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, gushes forth on the one who makes desolate."

† Daniel was told when prophecy would reach its fulfillment.
† The seventy weeks were given to Daniel's people and Daniel's holy city.
† The prophecy pointed directly to the work of Christ and the completion of God's covenant purposes.
† This passage provides a foundation for understanding why first-century fulfillment is so important to the fulfilled view.

Matthew 16:27-28

For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every person according to his deeds. "Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom."

† Jesus connected His coming with individuals who were physically standing before Him.
† Some of His listeners would remain alive until they witnessed the coming He described.
† The fulfilled view accepts the audience and timing exactly as stated. (Matthew 24:30-34)
† When teaching others, encourage them to ask whether Jesus fulfilled His promise within the stated time frame.

Matthew 10:23

But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.

† Jesus tied the coming of the Son of Man to the mission and persecution of His own disciples.
† He said they wouldn't finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man came.
† This is another direct first-century time statement that supports the fulfilled view.
† This passage strengthens the sermon because it shows Jesus' coming was connected to their generation, their mission, and their persecution.

Luke 21:20-22

But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is near. Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains, and those who are inside the city must leave, and those who are in the country must not enter the city; because these are days of punishment, so that all things which have been written will be fulfilled.

† Jesus identified the specific sign that would precede Jerusalem's destruction.
† He called those events the days of vengeance.
† He declared that all things written would be fulfilled during that judgment.
† This passage provides one of the clearest links between prophecy and the events surrounding AD 70.

Revelation 1:1-3

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, who testified to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, everything that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads, and those who hear the words of the prophecy and keep the things which are written in it; for the time is near.

† John opened the book by declaring that its events would shortly come to pass.
† He also stated that the time was at hand.
† These statements established the expectation of an imminent fulfillment for the original audience.
† Teaching the fulfilled view begins by taking inspired time statements at face value.

Revelation 11:15

Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever."

† The kingdom belongs to Christ.
† Christ reigns now as King.
† The fulfilled view sees the kingdom as a present reality rather than a future earthly millennium.
† This passage highlights the victory and reign of Christ.

Hebrews 8:13

When He said, "A new covenant," He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is about to disappear.

† The old covenant system was still standing but was nearing its complete removal.
† The writer described the old covenant as ready to vanish away.
† This fits the period leading up to Jerusalem's destruction and the end of the temple system. (Matthew 24:1-2)
† Understanding covenant transition is essential when teaching the fulfilled view.

Hebrews 10:37

For yet in a very little while,
He who is coming will come, and will not delay.

† The writer expected fulfillment within a very little while.
† The audience was encouraged to remain faithful because the promised coming was near.
† This language doesn't suggest a delay of thousands of years.
† Audience relevance remains one of the most important principles in understanding prophecy.

Ephesians 2:5-6

even when we were dead in our wrongdoings, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus,

† Believers were already made alive together with Christ.
† Paul said believers had already been raised up and seated with Him.
† This wasn't a future promise but a present covenant reality.
† The fulfilled view emphasizes what Christ has already accomplished for His people.

Hebrews 12:22-24

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.

† The writer didn't say believers would someday come to Mount Zion.
† He said they had already come.
† The heavenly Jerusalem was a present reality for New Covenant believers.
† This passage helps explain the kingdom and covenant blessings believers already possess in Christ.

Revelation 22:10

And he said to me, Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.

† John was instructed not to seal the prophecy because the time was at hand.
† This contrasts with Daniel who was told to seal his prophecy because fulfillment was far off. (Daniel 12:4)
† Revelation was written concerning events near to its original readers.
† This verse provides another powerful time statement supporting the fulfilled view.

Historical References

† Josephus recorded the Roman siege and destruction of Jerusalem, confirming the historical setting described by Jesus.
† Eusebius recorded that Christians fled Jerusalem before its destruction after recognizing the signs Christ had given.
† Early Christian writers preserved accounts showing awareness of the approaching judgment upon Jerusalem.
† These historical records support the biblical narrative and help place the prophetic passages in their first-century setting.

How It Applies To Us Today

† We can trust every promise Christ made because He fulfilled them exactly as He said He would.
† We don't need to reinterpret God's time statements to preserve their accuracy.
† We live in the kingdom Christ established and revealed through His victory.
† We can confidently proclaim the finished work of Christ and the faithfulness of God's Word.
† The fulfilled view strengthens confidence in Scripture because fulfillment occurred exactly within the time frame God revealed.

Q & A Appendix

Q: Where should someone begin when teaching the fulfilled view?
A: Begin with clear time statements such as Matthew 24:34 and Revelation 1:1-3 because they establish the biblical time frame.

Q: Why is audience relevance important?
A: Because Scripture was written to real people living at a specific time and those audience references help identify when fulfillment was expected. (Revelation 1:1-3)

Q: What historical event is central to the fulfilled view?
A: The destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 because it fulfilled Christ's covenant judgment prophecies. (Luke 21:20-22)

Q: Does the fulfilled view teach that Jesus kept His promises?
A: Yes. The fulfilled view teaches that Jesus fulfilled His promises exactly as He said He would. (Matthew 24:34)

Q: Why is Daniel 9 important to the fulfilled view?
A: Because Daniel was told when transgression would be finished, sins dealt with, and prophecy fulfilled. The prophecy points directly to Christ and God's covenant fulfillment. (Daniel 9:24-27)

Q: Have believers already come to the New Jerusalem?
A: Yes. Hebrews says believers have already come to Mount Zion and the heavenly Jerusalem. (Hebrews 12:22-24)

Q: Are believers already seated with Christ?
A: Yes. Paul said believers were raised up and seated with Christ in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 2:5-6)

Q: What is the most important rule when studying prophecy?

A: Let Scripture define its own time statements. When God says shortly, at hand, near, or this generation, we should understand those expressions as the original audience would have understood them. (Matthew 24:34; Revelation 1:1-3)

Q: Why do fulfilled believers place so much emphasis on audience relevance?

A: Because the Bible was written to real people living in real places at a specific time. Understanding who was being addressed helps determine when fulfillment was expected. (Hebrews 10:37; James 5:8)

Q: Did Jesus fulfill all that He promised concerning Jerusalem?

A: Yes. Jesus warned of Jerusalem's coming judgment, the surrounding armies, and the temple's destruction. Those events occurred in AD 70 exactly as He foretold. (Luke 21:20-22; Matthew 24:1-34)

Q: Is the fulfilled view based on history or Scripture?

A: Scripture is the foundation. History simply confirms that the events described in Scripture occurred when and where the Bible said they would. (Luke 21:20-22)

Q: Why is AD 70 so important?

A: AD 70 marked the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, bringing the Old Covenant age to its complete end exactly as Jesus and the apostles anticipated. (Hebrews 8:13; Matthew 24:2)

Q: Does the fulfilled view diminish the authority of Scripture?

A: No. It strengthens confidence in Scripture because it teaches that God's promises were fulfilled exactly as He said they would be. (Matthew 24:34; Revelation 22:10)

Q: What should be the goal when teaching the fulfilled view?

A: The goal isn't to win arguments but to help people see the faithfulness of Christ, the fulfillment of God's promises, and the certainty of His Word. (John 17:17; Titus 1:2)

† This is the fulfilled perspective we proclaim at Fulfilled Prophecies †
© Fulfilled Prophecies - Dan Maines.

Source Index

† Matthew 24:34; Daniel 9:24-27; Matthew 16:27-28; Matthew 10:23; Luke 21:20-22; Revelation 1:1-3; Revelation 11:15; Hebrews 8:13; Hebrews 10:37; Ephesians 2:5-6; Hebrews 12:22-24; Revelation 22:10

† Josephus; Eusebius; Clement of Alexandria