One of the main tenets of preterist thought is to try to differentiate in the Scriptures between symbolism and literalism accurately. Some things lend themselves to symbolism because there’s no other way to interpret them. For instance, the Revelation offers a description of the New Jerusalem in these words:
“And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.” (12,000 furlongs is 1,500 miles; so, we’re talking about a city that is 1,500 miles long, 1,500 mile wide, and 1,500 miles high. The problem becomes obvious.)
Now, that is symbolism, obvious to even the most casual of observers.
On the other hand, when simple statements about time, for instance, yesterday, today, and tomorrow, are made, the context usually demands literalism. Here are some examples that preterists hold to as being literal and accurate:
“Soon” means soon, not thousands of years in the future.
“Shortly come to pass” means the event will occur very soon, not in the distant future.
“The time is at hand” means something is about to happen, not delayed for thousands of years.
Things which “must shortly be done” means they can be expected to happen in the very near future, not after the hearers or readers had been dead thousands of years.
“I come quickly”, means without delay, not years and years later.
“The end of all things is at hand”, means those things spoken of will end shortly, not continue on indefinitely.
“This generation”, when spoken directly to a group of people means them, not some “that generation” of the future.
If we deviate from the simple meaning of these simple words and phrases, we make the spoken language gibberish, and nothing means anything.
When Peter wrote “that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, where is the promise of His coming?”, he was referring to those of his time that doubted the soon return of Christ because nearly a generation, which was the actual prophesy, had passed, not to countless billions of people over time and up to our day.
When Paul wrote, “The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly”, to the Roman believers, he meant it would happen to them… soon.
In other words, preterists believe the words in the Bible take the simplest and best understood meaning before looking for science fictional meanings.
In everyday language, when I say something is “going to take forever”, that is definitely symbolism and gives no accurate time for the event in question. On the other hand, if we make arrangements to go to lunch and I say, “Okay, I’ll swing by and pick you up soon,” that has definite meaning, and you are left in anticipation of my soon arrival.
In 1 John 2:18, John wrote, “Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.”
Most translations agree that the Greek words translated as “last time” in the KJV are more accurately understood as “last hour“. If we take “last hour”, or “we know that it is the last time (hour)”, and project it to mean a time far in the future, we turn the Word of God into mere speculation subjecting it to the doctrinal whims of man.
I hope this has helped.
Change My Mind! 
It doesn’t help. Do you then believe in a third coming of Christ? When is Revelations 22 realized? Or does Preterism believe that has also been realized?
Revelation 22:3-5 ESV
[3] No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. [4] They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. [5] And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
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I will look into your question and get back to you… in the meantime, you’ve ignored the whole topic of my post, that “soon” means “soon”. I will then, in turn, ask you if, in your belief that Christ has yet to make good on his promise to return within a generation, ignoring the fact that He did return in judgment and destroy the temple as prophesied, what do all the imminent time statements mean? When we are told certain events will occur soon, how can we suggest that after 2,000 years those “soon” to occur events have not yet occurred? Is God a man that He should lie?
C.S. Lewis fell into a Scripture denying position when he wrote: “Say what you like, the apocalyptic beliefs of the first Christians have been proved to be false. It is clear from the New Testament that they all expected the Second Coming in their own lifetime. And, worse still, they had a reason, and one which you will find very embarrassing. Their Master had told them so. He shared, and indeed created, their delusion. He said in so many words, ‘This generation shall not pass till all these things be done.’ And he was wrong. He clearly knew no more about the end of the world than anyone else.” (CS Lewis, The World’s Last Night, 1952, pp. 97-98)
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Re: Revelation 22:3 – 5
And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Revelation 22:3 – 5, and Revelation 22, in general, is not a stand-alone chapter. The context for Revelation 22 is Revelation 21, the description of the “new heaven and the new earth, and the new Jerusalem… It is the conclusion of the vision given to John.
Revelation 21: And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
While the new heavens, the new earth, and the new Jerusalem, are a reality, the Revelation was given in signs and it is clear that the descriptions are symbolic. Have we realized the new creation, or is it still future?
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. – 2 Corinthians 5.17
At the risk of missing something that might bear on my explanation, I will skip ahead to the verses you referenced in Revelation 22.
While I do not pretend to understand all the symbolism involved in verse 3 – 5, I would question if you consider some of it as being literal. If so, which parts, and how do you separate the literal from the symbolic?
And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:
And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.
And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.
Can we agree that while the effects linger, the curse has been lifted by the death of Christ on the tree?
Will the name of God be tattooed, literally, on our foreheads, or will the imprint of his name be in our minds?
And I’d venture to say that verse 5, as well, is symbolism and expresses our lives in the Kingdom of Light where there is no shadow of darkness.
I do not contend for a third appearing but I do contend for the second appearing of Christ in his Return on the Clouds in judgment on the Land, which is what geographical statements in the Scriptures usually mean, the land, referring to Israel.
Will there be another Coming? Do you think the Scriptures encapsulate the entire history of the earth, or do they relate to God’s dealings with Israel and there might be more that has not been revealed? I for one have not figured that out yet.
The next verse following those you’ve raised is instructive:
And he said unto me, “These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.”
Revelation 22:6 indicates that the verses preceding are said to involve “things which must shortly be done.”
Then in verse 7, Jesus indicates He is on the way, “Behold, I come quickly.”
In verse 10, as opposed to statements in Daniel that indicate the events are future and the book is to be sealed for a later time, we read: “And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.”
In verse 11 it is stated that all things should remain as they are and is followed again in verse 12 by: ” And, behold, I come quickly.”
The conclusion of all of this as related in verse 17, by the Spirit and the Body is: “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come.”
Jesus closes in verse 20 by saying: “He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen.” John then adds his final word, and conclusion: “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
If we are to contend that all these phrases that imply imminency mean the opposite of what they say, then we must also consider that “up” can mean “down”, “good” can mean “evil”, “white” can mean “black”, and “yes” can mean “no”. At that point, words become meaningless and we are left in darkness instead of understanding what God meant to reveal to us in the Revelation (APAKALUPSIS):
1. laying bare, making naked
2. a disclosure of truth, instruction
a. concerning things before unknown
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