Paul's Rebuke of Hymenaeus and Philetus is used by many Dispensationalists / futurists to rebuke the Preterist viewpoint about the Resurrection being in the 1st century... so let's take a look at what Paul was rebuking them for and a few points to consider.
2 Timothy 2:17-18
Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.
Full Preterists say that the Resurrection is passed nowadays, having happened in AD70, when we believe all "last days" prophecy was fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem and it's Temple. The Resurrection having a spiritual covenantual nature, not a physical one as most within Christianity teach nowadays.
Upon a first / casual glance it may appear that Full Preterists are indeed guilty, but let's look a little closer...
- When Hymenaeus and Philetus were teaching that the resurrection had passed was before AD70, so yes, according to the Preterist viewpoint, they were in the wrong. Paul was rebuking their teaching before the ad70 marker, so Full Preterists are not doing the same thing as Paul was rebuking, as it was the timing of their message that Paul was rebuking.
- An even more interesting thing to consider that futurists overlook here is this... HOW could Hymenaeus and Philetus fool ANYONE if the resurrection was a physical one? If they were looking for physical bodies to break forth from the grave and fly up into the sky... there is absolutely NO way that Hymenaeus and Philetus could fool anyone, as that was not happening. The ONLY way these two guys could possibly fool anyone was if indeed the resurrection was a spiritual (unseen) event!
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