Don K. Preston

Don K. Preston is a leading proponent of a Christian eschatological view known as Full Preterism, which claims that all Biblical prophecies, including all the prophecies of the New Testament, were fulfilled in A.D. 70 at the fall of Jerusalem. He is President of the Preterist Research Institute in Ardmore, Oklahoma.

Biography

Don was a 1975 graduate of the Northside School of Preaching, (seminary) Harrison, Arkansas. Don has been in public speaking since the age of 13 and was voted among the Jaycees’ “Outstanding Young Men of America,” 1980. Don’s preaching ministry has spanned nearly four decades in two different cities; Shawnee and Ardmore, Oklahoma. Don worked for seven years helping to produce a television program for a Christian magazine which received national recognition in the magazine, “Christianity Today.”

In June 2010, Don received an honorary Doctorate degree from Vision International University of Romona, California, in recognition of his “outstanding accomplishments in ministry and publishing.” Vision International has 140,000 students worldwide. Dr. Stan DeKoven stated at the graduation ceremony, attended by an estimated 1,000 people, that Vision seldom awards honorary Doctorate degrees, and never more than one per year.

Don is a prolific author, having written multiple book titles which can be found on Amazon.com and at the BP Store. Some of Preston’s works have been translated into six different languages, and reprinted several times.

Don’s most popular book, Who is this Babylon?, a study of Revelation, has received international critical acclaim. Don’s largest book to date, “We Shall Meet Him In The Air: The Wedding of the King of kings” (2010 ed.), is the very first, and only, full length (450+ pages) commentary on 1 Thessalonians 4 from the preterist (fulfilled) perspective. Dr. Preston’s writings have appeared in almost every major religious periodical of the Churches of Christ.

Dr. Preston has participated in several formal public debates as well as radio debates. His opponents include some of the leading evangelical leaders of the day, including:

– Joel McDurmon, Ph.D., president of American Vision and author of more than 20 books, and his Senior Fellow is Gary DeMar

– David Hester, adjunct professor at Faulkner University in Montgomery, Alabama.

– Michael Brown, president and professor at Fellowship for International Revival and Evangelism School of Ministry, is a Pentecostal, radio host of “The Line of Fire,” and author.

– Steve Gregg, author, radio host of “The Narrow Path” bible answer program, and instructor.

– Jason Wallace, Pastor, counter-cult evangelist, student of James White.

– Harold Eberle, of Worldcast Ministries, and author.

– Thomas Ice, co-founder with Tim Lahaye, of the Pre-Trib Research Center.

– George Westlake Jr., radio host and Bible expert for “Living Answers for Today” bible answer program.

– Harold Hoehner of Dallas Theological Seminary.

– David Engelsma of Reformed Theological Seminary.

– Marvin Pate of Moody College.

– F. Lagard Smith, Professor of Law at Faulkner University’s Jones School of Law in Montgomery, Alabama, author, and compiler and narrator of “The Daily Bible,” the NIV in chronological order.

– …and many other notable theologians.

In 2012, Dr. Preston participated in the 2012 Criswell College Theological Lectures on the topic, “Future Kingdom: Perspectives on the Millennial Reign of Christ.” The forum contained renowned speakers Craig Blaising, Craig L. Blomberg, G. K. Beale, Kenneth H. Gentry, and H. Wayne House, who each presented the various views on the millennium and was laughed at on the stage for his neo-Docetist teachings that Christ lost His humanity in the Ascension.

Dr. Preston has participated in live interviews on Christian talk shows such as “Salt and Light” in St. Louis, Missouri, the Gianni Hayes syndicated program, and numerous others. Preston is also co-host with William Bell, on a radio program called “Two Guys and A Bible” heard live every Tuesday evening on “Fulfilled Radio.”

The ministry website for the Preterist Research Institute (PRI) is www.eschatology.org. In addition to that website, Dr. Preston is also the personal owner of www.bibleprophecy.com, one of the top rated sites for the study of prophecy on the web. The websites contain many articles written by Don and other highly esteemed writers from around the country, in addition to other resources that aim to advance the fulfilled Gospel message.

Dr. Preston served as minister for the Ardmore Church of Christ, (now The Family of God church) for 16 years from 1992 to 2008. He resigned to devote himself full time to research, writing, seminars and debates through the organization he founded, PRI. PRI also sponsors an annual conference (Preterist Pilgrim Weekend – PPW) at the Ardmore Convention Center with attendees who have come from all 50 states, and numerous international locations over the past several years, which has grown in attendance nearly every year. What began as a simple seminar with only a few people, has now grown into a staple “must come” event for many since the inception of the PPW.

Don’s hobbies include collecting and restoring classic cars (especially early mustangs), and old pickups; fishing, hunting, internet research, reading, and many others.

Author

Preston has written many book titles which can be found on Amazon.com and on his own websites. His works have been translated into multiple languages and have been reprinted several times.

Don Preston's most popular book, "Who is this Babylon?", which covers the Revelation, got a book review where he was not given a positive nor a negative review. Preston's longest book to date, "We Shall Meet Him In The Air: The Wedding of the King of kings" (2010 ed.), is the very first, and only, full length commentary on 1 Thessalonians 4 from the Preterist perspective. Preston's writings have appeared in almost every major religious periodical of the Churches of Christ.

In Preston's book, "We Shall Meet Him in the Air; the Wedding of the King of Kings" (2010 ed.), he has made controversial claims that many have taken to be a denial of the necessity of the blood of Christ in Christian atonement.

In this book he states: "What we intend to do now is to demonstrate that the death of Adam, which is the focus of Christ's end time resurrection work, has nothing to do with biological death, but with the loss of spiritual fellowship with God."[1]

He also states in that same book: "To say Christ died a substitutionary death is to agree with scripture. However, to say that the focus of Christ's substitutionary death was his physical death is to effectively say that his substitutionary death is ineffective, or it says that no one has ever entered into the benefit of his death."[2]

To many, these controversial statements directly conflict with the Christian Bible and no serious bible student nor scholar agrees with him on this. A small number of people mostly online claim that this has always been the direct intent of Scripture, that is, that The Death, being spiritual death, is and must be the only death for which Christ Jesus restored us from that once lost relationship to God the Father which they perpetually give no good proof for.

The claim that Preston claims that Christ divested himself of his humanity in the Ascension has been quite a weak argument for Mr. Preston.

His election arguments have been debunked as pseudo linguistics by virtually every Greek speaking person ever in the history of mankind.

Debates

Preston has participated in several formal public debates as well as radio debates. His opponents include some of the leading evangelical leaders of the day, including: Joel McDurmon, of American Vision; Harold Eberle, of Worldcast Ministries; Thomas Ice, co-founder with Tim Lahaye, of the Pre-Trib Research Center; Dr. George Westlake Jr., radio host and Bible expert for "Living Answers for Today," Harold Hoehner of Dallas Theological Seminary; Dr. David Engelsma of Reformed Theological Seminary; C. Marvin Pate of Moody College; Dr. F. Lagard Smith; and other notable theologians.

In 2012, Preston participated in the 2012 Criswell College Theological Lectures on the topic, "Future Kingdom: Perspectives on the Millennial Reign of Christ." The forum contained speakers Craig Blaising, Craig L. Blomberg, G. K. Beale, Kenneth H. Gentry, and H. Wayne House, who each presented the various views on The Millennium.

Notably, Preston has challenged to debate against Samuel M. Frost who was a one time well known preterist, which came to fruition on Chris Arnzen's radio show http://www.ironsharpensironradio.com/podcast/may-28-2020-show-with-don-k-preston-day-1-the-second-coming-of-christ-was-in-ad-70-preston-affirms-frost-denies/, May, 2020.

Radio

Preston has participated in live interviews on Christian talk shows such as "Salt and Light" in St. Louis, Missouri, the Gianni Hayes syndicated program, and numerous others. He is also a co-host with William Bell on a radio program called "Two Guys and A Bible" heard live every Tuesday evening.

References

Don K. Preston, "We Shall Meet Him in the Air; The Wedding of the King of Kings, page 4.
"Don K. Preston, "We Shall Meet Him in the Air; The Wedding of the King of Kings, pages 12–13.

External links

www.eschatology.org
"Home | Preterist Research Institute". bibleprophecy.com. Retrieved 2015-12-24.