Self-explanatory. Here is a brief overview of each school.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Historicism_%28Christian_eschatology%29In Christian eschatology, Historicism is a school of interpretation which treats the eschatological prophecies of Daniel and Revelation as finding literal earthly fulfillment through the history of the church age and especially in relation to the struggle between the true church and apostasy. Historicism became a significant feature in the Protestant-Catholic conflicts of the Reformation. A common feature of Historicist interpretations, which makes them very controversial, is the identification of the Antichrist (1 and 2 John), the Beast (Revelation 13), the Man of Sin or Man of Lawlessness (2 Thessalonians 2) and the Whore of Babylon (Revelation 17) with the Roman Catholic Church, the Papal system and each successive Pope himself (a common position held by Protestants in the Reformation, which is not prevalent today). However, it must be noted that such an identification is not unique to Historicism, has not been held by all Historicists, and has been and is currently, held by some Futurists. Similarly the day-year principle is a characteristic feature of Historicism, though not a defining feature as it is not unique to historicism. The principle of a 'mystical' or symbolic interpretation of prophetic time durations has been held even by Preterists such as the Jesuit Luis De Alcazar of Seville.[1]
Emerging within the early church, Historicism was the dominant eschatological interpretation for much of Christian history until being gradually supplanted in the 19th century by Preterism and Futurism. A Historicist approach was taken by Martin Luther,[2] though claims that John Calvin held to the Historicist interpretation [3] are not universally recognized.[4].
One famous proponent of Historicism, for whom eschatology informed on politics, is Ian Paisley, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party in Northern Ireland and Moderator of the Free Presbyterian Church of Ulster. Paisley's party is the largest in the region, and many believe[citation needed] that his political philosophy based on his eschatological view was one of the major exacerbations of the political violence that prevailed for so long.
Historicism stands in contrast to Preterism, Futurism and Idealism. Historicism prevailed among Protestants from the Reformation until the rise of dispensationalism.[5][6][7]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idealism_%28Christian_eschatology%29Idealism (also called the 'Spiritual view') in Christian eschatology is an interpretation of the Book of Revelation that sees all of the imagery of the book as non-literal symbols which are perpetually and cyclically fulfilled in a spiritual sense during the conflict between the Kingdom of God and the forces of Satan throughout the time from the first advent to the Second Coming of Christ.
As such it is distinct from Preterism, Futurism and Historicism in that it does not see any of the prophecies (except in some cases the Second Coming, and Final Judgment) as being fulfilled in a literal, physical, earthly sense either in the past, present or future.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futurism_%28Christian_eschatology%29Futurism is an interpretation of the Bible in Christian eschatology placing the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Book of Revelation and the Book of Daniel and the Olivet discourse and The Sheep and the Goats generally in the future as literal, physical, apocalyptic and global. Other views place the fulfillment of such prophecies in the past as literal, physical and local (Preterism; Historicism), or in the present as non-literal and spiritual (Idealism).
Futurism has both ancient and modern variants, the most common among modern Protestant evangelicals probably being Dispensationalist
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preterism#Partial_PreterismPartial preterism is the older of the two views, dating back to even the 2nd century Church fathers,[citation needed]. Partial Preterism holds that prophecies such as the destruction of Jerusalem, the Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, and the advent of the Day of the Lord as a "judgment-coming" (Last Judgment) of Christ were fulfilled c. AD 70 when the Roman general (and future Emperor) Titus sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Jewish Temple, putting a permanent stop to the daily animal sacrifices. It identifies "Babylon the Great" (Revelation 17-18) with the ancient pagan City of Rome or Jerusalem. Some adherents of Partial Preterism see the Emperor Diocletian as the fulfillment of the "little horn" prophecy of Daniel 7. Partial Preterism is also known by several other names: Orthodox Preterism, Historic Preterism, Hypo-Preterism (a term used by some opponents of the partial preterist position and considered to be derogatory by partial preterists), and Moderate Preterism.
Most (but not all) Partial Preterists also believe that the term Last Days refers not to the last days of planet Earth, or the last days of humankind, but rather to the last days of the Mosaic Covenant, which God had exclusively with the nation of Israel until the year AD 70. (see also New Covenant and The Fig Tree).[citation needed] The "last days", however, are to be distinguished from the "last day", which is considered still future and entails the last coming of Jesus, the Resurrection of the righteous and unrighteous dead physically from the grave in like manner to Jesus' physical resurrection, the Final Judgment, and the creation of a literal, non-covenantal New Heavens and New Earth free from the curse of sin and death which was occasioned by the fall of Adam and Eve. Thus Partial Preterists are in agreement and conformity with the historic ecumenical creeds of the Church and articulate the doctrine of the resurrection held by the early Church Fathers. Partial preterists hold that the New Testament predicts and depicts many "comings" of Christ.[citation needed] They contend that the phrase Second Coming means the second of a like kind in a series, for the Scriptures record other "comings" of God even before Jesus' judgment-coming in AD 70[citation needed]. This would eliminate the AD 70 event as the "second" of any series, let alone the second of a series in which the earthly, physical ministry of Christ is the first. Partial Preterists believe that the new creation comes in redemptive progression as Christ reigns from His heavenly throne, subjugating His enemies, and will eventually culminate in the destruction of the "last enemy", i.e., physical death (1 Cor 15:20-24). In the Partial Preterist paradigm, since enemies of Christ still exist, the resurrection event cannot have already occurred.
Nearly all Partial Preterists hold to amillennialism or postmillennialism. Many postmillennial Partial Preterists are also theonomic in their outlook. Partial Preterists typically accept the authority of the Creeds on the basis that they believe the Creeds are in conformity to what the Scriptures teach.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preterism#Full_PreterismFull Preterism differs from Partial Preterism in that Full Preterists believe all prophecy was fulfilled with the destruction of Jerusalem, including the resurrection of the dead and Jesus' Second Coming or Parousia. Full Preterism is also known by several other names: Consistent Preterism, Covenant Eschatology, Hyper-Preterism (a term used by some opponents of the Full Preterist position and considered to be derogatory by Full Preterists), and Pantelism (the term "Pantelism" comes from the Greek and means, "all things having been accomplished"). Full Preterism holds that Jesus' Second Coming is to be viewed not as a future-to-us bodily return, but rather a "return" in glory manifested by the physical destruction of Jerusalem and her Temple in AD 70 by foreign armies in a manner similar to various Old Testament descriptions of God coming to destroy other nations in righteous judgment. Full Preterism also holds that the Resurrection of the dead did not entail the raising of the physical body, but rather the resurrection of the soul from the "place of the dead", known as Sheol (Hebrew) or Hades (Greek). As such, the righteous dead obtained a spiritual and substantial body for use in the heavenly realm, and the unrighteous dead were cast into the Lake of Fire. Some Full Preterists believe this judgment is ongoing and takes effect upon the death of each individual (Heb. 9:27).[citation needed] The New Heavens and the New Earth are also equated with the New Covenant and the fulfillment of the Law in AD 70 and are to be viewed in the same manner by which a Christian is considered a "new creation" upon his or her conversion.
I myself am a Preterist. I prefer the term 'hyper-preterism' to refer to the latter interpretation instead of 'full preterism' because that is a term adopted by them to make them seem orthodox when they are not. As a Calvinist, I wouldn't go along with hyper-Calvinists calling me a "partial Calvinist", so there is no reason why I should accept being referred to as a "partial Preterist".
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