As I had explained in a previous post, I once appreciated publications by American Vision and books by Gary DeMar. Writings like Last Days Madness had introduced me to a moderate or partial kind of preterism, that allowed me to take Scripture at face value in its historical context, without compromising the basic tenets of orthodox eschatology.
It is with sadness that I note that a radical shift in his thinking must have occurred sometime afterwards. This has become clear since Gary did not answer the famous “three-questions” letter about the resurrection and the second coming of Christ.
The latest book published by American Vision, The Resurrection of the Dead: The Mortal Swallowed Up by Life, co-authored by Kim Burgess and Gary DeMar, is proof that both have abandoned orthodox Christianity, promoting some sort of hyper-preterism that is clearly outside the boundaries of Christian orthodoxy. In it Burgess and DeMar hold that when believers die, they receive their resurrection bodies at once upon death. They furthermore postulate that Old Testament saints waited in Sheol until their resurrection was to occur at the parousia of Christ in AD 70.
Going through a passage like 1 Thessalonians 4 they make every effort to squeeze the second coming into AD 70 but cannot help twisting the text, all the while staying silent about what happened to the living in AD 70 in a hyper-preterist scenario. As the apostle Paul clearly states, the believers’ resurrection is tied to Christ's resurrection and will occur at Christ's return in glory (1 Cor. 15:20–23).
For those interested, here is a link to an article by Jason L. Bradfield on the matter: "This Is the Best I Can Do": Kim Burgess, Gary DeMar, and the Dead in Christ.