Preterism: A Damnable Heresy

IN TWELVE PARTS
Assumptions
Definitions
Origins
History
Denies the Gospel
Timing Fallacies
Refuted by Daniel
Refuted by Paul
Refuted by Peter
Refuted by Catholicism
Refuted by History
Refuted by Gentiles
Refuted by Itself
Refuted by Scripture
Refuted by Futurism
An Anti-Christian Heresy
Miscellaneous Considerations
For Further Study

Assumptions

A. God Is: The only God is Jehovah of the Bible.

B. God Gave Scripture: Revelation is the means of truth, not rationalization.
C. Scripture Is Absolute Truth: Therefore, tradition, creeds, personal beliefs, feelings,
popularity, complexity, simplicity, or any other source is irrelevant.
D. The Kings James Version Is Scripture: The King James Version is the Word of God, to
be trusted and argued as Holy Scripture, at the word level.
1. There can be no proper reasoning or proving of truth or error without a final
authority, so for the sake of this document (and the author’s entire life), the KJV is
that final authority.
2. For why we choose the KJV, see Proving the KJV.
3. For word-level argumentation, see Every Word of God.
E. God Gave Bible Hermeneutics: The Bible is to be interpreted by spiritual men applying
the Bible’s own rules for interpretation.
1. For Bible hermeneutics, see Bible Hermeneutics.
2. For some interpretational examples, see Bible Topics: Scripture.
3. For some prophecy examples, see Bible Topics: Prophecy.
F. God Called Men to Interpret the Bible: God gave scripture primarily to His ministers,
and He equipped them by various means for interpretation.
1. They have the calling, ability, gifts, preparation, responsibility, time, warnings, and
Spirit to interpret it better and faster (Ezra 7:6; Neh 8:8; Mal 2:7; II Tim 2:2; 3:16-
17; He 13:7).
2. For more thoughts on this point, see Do We Need Teachers?
3. For more thoughts on this point, see I Magnify Mine Office.
G. Satan Is at War against God and Truth: He hates the Lord Jesus Christ and seeks to
pervert the truth as he did in Eden (II Cor 11:1-4,13-15; Gen 3:1-6).
1. He first questioned the word of God and then turned God’s word upside down (Ge
3:1-6).
2. Satan attacked Jesus directly and then the gospel directly (Matt 4:1-11; 16:21-23).
H. Arrogance Is Destructive: Arrogance is a horrible hindrance to truth, since God has
promised to reveal truth to babes and hide it from the worldly wise (I Kgs 3:5-
15; Matt 11:25-27; I Cor 1:19-20; 3:18-20).
I. Ignorance Is Destructive: God has commanded His servants to study diligently and
correctly and to be steadfast in order to avoid His disapproval and shame in doctrine
(Prov 18:1; I Tim 4:13-16; II Tim 2:4,15; Titus 1:9-11).
J. Last Days Problem: Though living in the information age with tools not imagined
before, there are more deceived deceivers and less truth than ever before, no matter
what you may think (II Tim 3:6-7,13; 4:3-4; Amos 8:11-13).
K. Purpose and Scope: This is a basic Bible study to refute Preterism for average to
advanced Christians – it will make generalizations and deal with Bible texts at a
medium level of detail and difficulty. If a doctoral candidate or professor-type wishes
to take this foundation and write a tome for other academicians, he is welcome to do
so, but that is consciously not the intent or result here.
L. Degree of Detail: Things will be assumed and stated which are commonly understood
in the historicist school, the arguments and details of which may easily be found in
standard reference works, some of which will be named. Neither preterism nor
preterists deserve any further effort or time in this study.
M. Little Concern for the Heretics: The profanity and extent of this heresy does not justify
much concern for those holding or promoting it. As the greatest apostle showed little
mercy to their father and founder, Hymenaeus, neither do we toward them.

Definitions

A. Futurism: Generalized, all prophecies are future. This is the rapture crowd of Scofield,
Lindsey, LaHaye, and Van Impe. They are generally pre-tribulationary (Christ returns
before the Antichrist and a seven-year tribulation), premillennial (Christ returns before
a literal 1000-year reign on earth), and Zionists (lovers of modern Israel; Jews of any
era are more important than Gentiles). They interpret prophecy literally, ignoring
symbolism or timing, inserting gaps if needed, and are always biased toward the
future.
B. Preterism: Generalized, all prophecies were fulfilled by 70 A.D. They call their doctrine
full preterism, consistent preterism, or realized eschatology. Most Christians have
never heard of it, due to its recent origin and few followers. With their timing verses,
they bind every prophecy to Jerusalem’s destruction, even prophecies without time
parameters. Amazingly, they hold that events Christians have always taught were
future … actually happened by 70 A.D.! This includes Christ’s return, the resurrection
of the dead, the Day of Judgment, the destruction of Satan, the millennium, the new
heaven and new earth, etc.
1. For a brief and neutral definition and history of preterism,
see http://www.theopedia.com/Preterism.
2. For a brief and neutral definition and history of preterism,
see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preterism.
C. Historicism: Generalized, prophecy is fulfilled in history. Many prophecies are fulfilled –
some in 70AD, some after 70AD – and some are yet to be fulfilled. This is the position
held by most saints over the last 2000 years. Historicism rejects futurism and
preterism. In general, it sees Matthew 24 fulfilled but Matthew 25 future. It sees a
present man of sin in the papacy and a present gospel millennium, but a future return
of Christ, resurrection of the dead, and Day of Judgment before the new heavens and
the new earth.
D. Matthew 24: The Olivet Discourse is not the issue, for historicists and others know this
prophecy, in part or in whole, is for 70 A.D. The heresy of preterism is assigning all of
Daniel’s, Paul’s, Peter’s, and John’s prophecies to 70 A.D.
E. Variations: There are many and wide degrees or variations of the three prophetic
schools defined above, so much so that it is likely that no two persons on earth agree
on every point or verse; but for the purpose of this study the terms will be used as
defined, unless modified in the context.

Origins

A. Corinth: False teachers denied the resurrection of the dead, whom Paul refuted and
condemned in his first epistle (I Cor 15:1-58; II Cor 11:1-4).
1. The scriptural and historical record proved Jesus Christ’s physical resurrection (15:1-
11).
2. Denying the resurrection of the dead denies Jesus Christ’s own resurrection (15:12-
19).
3. Paul built a solid prophetic system for the future on Christ’s resurrection (15:20-28).
4. Denying the resurrection practically corrupts both ordinances and lifestyle (15:29-
34).
5. Fools or skeptics ask unlearned questions about secret details of resurrection (15:35-
50).
6. Inspired revelation proves incredible physical changes yet coming to bodies (15:51-
57).
7. It is the hope of the resurrection of physical bodies that makes great Christians
(15:58).
8. Many arguments can be raised from this glorious chapter that clearly refute
preterism.
9. Anyone attempting to spiritualize or allegorize this chapter is obviously an idiot or
liar.
10.Author’s simple notes on the chapter.
B. Thessalonica: False teachers taught an imminent return of Jesus Christ, which Paul
condemned by declaring the event well off in the future (II Thess 2:1-3).
1. The event here is clearly the second coming of Jesus Christ (1:7-10; 2:1; I Thes
4:13-18).
2. The imminent return of the Lord Jesus could be frightening and troubling to some
(2:2a).
3. It is impossible the destruction of Jerusalem would so affect Gentiles 1000 miles
away.
4. Paul warned of a false spirit, false teaching, and a counterfeit apostolic epistle (2:2b).
5. Paul put the second coming after a general apostasy and the man of sin revealed
(2:3).
 6. This apostasy was still future when Paul died in 67 A.D. (I Tim 4:1-3; II Tim 3:1 –
4:4).
7. Without mention, Paul declared Christ’s second coming in full agreement with Daniel
7.
8. Author’s simple notes on the chapter.
C. Hymenaeus: A preterist false teacher, who declared the resurrection past, whom Paul
condemned to Satan for blasphemy (I Tim 1:18-20; II Tim 2:14-18).
1. He departed from the apostolic faith and corrupted the faith of others also (1:19;
2:18).
2. Paul by apostolic authority and power turned him over to Satan for blasphemy, which
we assume to be the general result of denying promises and actions of Jesus Christ
(1:20).
3. Striving about words has two evil effects – wastes time and subverts hearers (2:14),
which preterists are addicted to doing with their so-called timing verses and
speculation.
4. The inspired instruction to rightly divide scripture is in a context of preterism (2:15-
18).
5. Saying the resurrection is past is profane and vain babbling leading to ungodliness
(2:16).
6. Preterism is a cancerous doctrine, which ought not to be tolerated by the godly
(2:17).
7. The truth has the resurrection in the future, and preterism denies this Bible fact
(2:18).
8. The faith of saints can be overthrown by the lie of these profane and vain babblers
(2:18).

History

A. Church History: There is little evidence before the Jesuit Luis del Alcazar (1554-1613)
of anyone taking a preterist scheme for Daniel’s, Paul’s, Peter’s, or John’s prophecies,
and preterist efforts to prove otherwise are confirming.
1. For more about preterism’s history,
see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Preterism#History_of_preterism.
2. Generally, no one has ever believed this junk; a few loud mouths require this
attention.
B. Three Prophetic Schemes: Jesuits invented two schemes of interpretation to protect
the pope and their church. Along with the truth, these two schemes cover 98% of all
prophetic interpretation in Christian circles today.
1. Historicism, or the continual fulfillment of Bible prophecy in history, was the general
approach to and through the Reformation – some prophecy is past; some is yet
future.
2. As part of the Counter-Reformation, the RCC invented futurism and preterism to get
the attention off the papacy and their church as the antichrist and Great Whore of
prophecy.
3. For an historical view of these three schemes,
see http://www.aloha.net/~mikesch/antichrist.htm.
4. For an historical view of these three schemes, see http://www.champs-of-
truth.com/books/3schools.htm.
C. The Parousia: A Critical Inquiry of the New Testament Doctrine of Our Lord’s Second
Coming. Written by the Congregationalist J. Stuart Russell (1816-1895) and published
in 1878, this is the most popular and generally most highly esteemed reference book
promoting and defending preterism.
1. Russell got nervous in Revelation and allowed the millennium to be outside 70 A.D.
2. Here is The Parousia.
3. Robert Townley, a preterist contemporary, converted to universalism with others, as
preterism and universalism were popular together in Unitarian churches at that time.
D. Church of Christ: Preterism was nearly unknown in the 20th century until Campbellite
preachers began teaching, writing, and debating to promote it.
1. These were mainly Max King, son Tim King, Don K. Preston, and Edward E. Stevens.
2. Max King’s book in 1971, The Spirit of Prophecy, got the heresy out of the closet.
3. Max and Tim King have taken the heresy about as far as it can go e.g. universalism.
4. Here is the current preterist website of Tim King (Max’s son).
E. Reconstructionists: Coming after the Church of Christ, several Reformed ministries
have surpassed Max King and his Campbellite friends in influence.
1. These men are David Chilton, Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., Gary DeMar, and R.C. Sproul.
2. Though some or all may be partial-preterists, they have indirectly helped the heresy.
3. They all deny the historic Protestant interpretation of Daniel 7, II Thes 2, and
Revelation.

Preterism Denies the Gospel

A. Gospel perversions refute preterism. Denying basic facts and promises of the gospel
proves preterism to be anti-Christian heresy that cannot be tolerated.
1. It is another gospel, or rather a devilish bewitching (II Cor 11:3-4,13-15; Gal 1:6-
9; 3:1).
2. Heresy is a departure from the accepted and established teaching of scripture, which
depends on the faith and doctrine of the evaluator; no creed has ever accepted
preterism.
3. The true followers of Jesus maintain the testimony of Jesus (Rev
1:2,9; 12:17; 19:10).
4. Christianity has foundational axioms that cannot be compromised (Heb 5:12; 6:1-3),
for the churches of Jesus Christ are the pillar and ground of the truth (I Tim
3:15; Jude 1:3).
5. Many cannot believe preterists are serious about their ridiculous denial of basic facts
and promises of the gospel, but remember how Satan totally reversed God’s word in
Eden.
6. The simplest and wisest course is to create an irreducible minimum refuting them,
which is the fewest events the Bible declares must occur, but which did not occur in
70 A.D.
7. Inspired scripture declares that heresies like preterism arise in churches for true
saints to be identified by surviving the controversy and excluding the heretics (I Cor
11:19).
B. Saving your sanity. It is not worth the time, effort, or confusion to include how
preterists explain the following subjects or passages. Their exegesis is profane.
1. Preterists vary widely in their heretical answers; none of which would ever help the
truth.
 2. Since preterist illogic and connection of unrelated scriptures is so far out, it is not
worth the time or effort necessary to explore their confusion to prove the method
wrong: they do not deal with passages at hand, but instead attack them by any
possible outside angle.
3. Their corruption of scripture is so erroneous and twisted that young Christians would
be unable to follow their arguments and might conclude the Bible is hopelessly
confusing.
4. They argue ad nauseam about covenant eschatology, transmillennialism, theocratic
kingdom transfer, 70 A.D. end of the law, and so on against 2000 years of N.T. light.
5. Readers wanting to see how these heretics reason can study many links provided
below.
6. Since so few believe it, and they indicating little hope, we will focus on proving it
wrong.
7. The goal here is simply to identify and list facts of the gospel they openly deny, which
will trouble the minds of sincere saints that so-called believers could apostatize so
far!
8. The zealous sort of believer will be outraged rather than troubled for the degree of
heresy.
9. This section alone, just one of twelve, is sufficient itself to entirely overwhelm
preterism.
C. No Return of Jesus Christ! Preterism denies the gospel promise Jesus will return in the
very same literal, physical, visible way He left (Acts 1:9-11; Phil 3:20-21; Col 3:4; I
Cor 1:7; 15:23; I Thess 1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:15-17; 5:23; II Thess 1:7; I Tim 6:14; II
Tim 4:8; Titus 2:13; Heb 9:27-28; I Pet 5:4; John 14:1-3; I John 2:28; 3:2; Rev
1:7).
1. This is hard for most to believe, but preterists adamantly maintain Jesus will never
return.
2. If they say His second coming was in 70 A.D., no one saw Him or noted the event,
thus history denies their claims, for the clear promise is visible, fantastic, worldwide
events.
3. If they say His second coming was in 70 A.D., but it was invisible, spiritual, or
figurative, thus the Bible denies their claims, for the clear promise is a literal, bodily,
visible return.
4. We accept and believe Jesus came in judgment on Israel in 70 A.D., but preterists go
much further: they deny the possibility of Him coming any other way at any other
time.
5. The gospel requires that Jesus Christ’s return includes both the bodily resurrection of
all dead and the Judgment of all dead and living (I Cor 15:23; II Tim 4:1; Rev 20:11-
15), which inseparable events with His return have not occurred in any way, shape,
or form.
6. Jesus Christ’s coming to judge Jerusalem had no effect, purpose, or value for all the
Gentiles to whom Paul promised a literal and visible return with great attendant
events.
7. The visible return of Jesus is basic to Christianity (He 6:1-3); preterists are not
Christians.
D. No Resurrection of the Dead! Preterists deny the resurrection of all dead bodies (John
5:28-29; 6:39-40,44,54; 11:23-26; Acts 23:6; 24:15; Rom 8:11; Job 14:12-
14; 19:25-27; Ps 49:15; I Cor 15:1-58; Phil 3:20-21; Rev 20:11-13; Hos 13:14).
1. Since no dead bodies were raised in 70 A.D. (there is no record of any such event by
either pagans or Christians of any rank), they are guilty of denying the resurrection.
 2. Since a spiritual resurrection does not qualify (Luke 24:3-8,36-43,50-53; John
20:19-20,26-28; Act 1:3; 10:39-41; 13:31), they are guilty of denying the
resurrection.
3. Since they take those scriptures that describe resurrection of dead bodies and
spiritualize them away (I Cor 15:1-58; Phil 3:20-21), they are guilty of denying the
resurrection.
4. Since they proudly say the resurrection is past, and as their name preterist declares
(though it is not truly past, for it did not occur, and spiritualizing it will not fit
scripture), they are heretics like Hymenaeus, who said the resurrection was past (II
Tim 2:14-18).
5. Since they deny the resurrection, only inconsistency keeps them from denying the
Lord’s resurrection, based on Paul’s inspired, indivisible connection of the two (I Cor
15:12-19).
6. Jesus rose from the dead bodily, the greatest gospel fact, so we will also (I Cor
15:20-23).
7. Many arguments could be raised from I Corinthians 15 that powerfully refute
preterism, for there is one fact, concept, and doctrine taught there – the resurrection
of dead bodies!
8. Anyone attempting to spiritualize or allegorize this chapter is obviously an idiot or
liar, for it begins with the physical body of our Lord and ends with our flesh and
blood.
9. Their Gnostic rejection of the body denies Jesus Christ’s death for bodies (I Cor 6:13-
20).
10.Their heresy on this point ruins baptism (15:29) and steals the reward for labor
(15:58).
11.Resurrection of the dead is basic to Christianity (Heb 6:1-3); preterists are not
Christians.
12.It is their denial of this specific doctrine – the resurrection of all dead bodies – that
makes them guilty of the crime and punishment of Hymenaeus (II Tim 2:14-18; I
Tim 1:18-20).
13.Nowhere in the Bible is shortly, soon, or at hand used for the resurrection of the
dead.
E. No Day of Judgment! Preterists deny the final and great day of judgment of all men
(John 5:28-29; Rom 14:9-11; II Cor 5:9-11; Heb 9:27-28; Rev 20:11-15; II Tim
4:1,8; I Pet 4:5; Matt 7:21-23; 25:31-46; Acts 10:42; 17:30-31; 24:25).
1. While preterists are creative to get rid of divine judgment (if we had denied the
gospel of Jesus Christ as they do, we might seek to do the same!), we must submit
to scripture’s revelation, rather than take such a holy and terrible event and eliminate
it by mysticism.
2. They erase the great Day of Judgment from the gospel much like the JW’s do with
hell.
3. Felix trembled as Paul reasoned about righteousness, temperance, and judgment to
come; even though he was on the Roman side, he would face horrific judgment later
(Ac 24:25).
4. Paul preached future judgment, as he persuaded men by conveying the terror of the
Lord, which had nothing to do with 70 A.D., for that did not touch the Gentiles (II Cor
5:9-11).
5. Judging a few Jewish adversaries by destroying Jerusalem, which we certainly believe
by scriptures that describe that limited event, does not match the scriptural
Judgment at all.
 6. The gospel requires the whole earth and all men to be judged, including Gentiles and
all the dead (Eccl 12:14; Matt 12:36; Rom 2:3-16; Jude 1:14-15; also see verses
above).
7. The gospel requires that both the dead and the living be judged at the same time,
which is at His coming (II Tim 4:1; Acts 10:42; I Pet 4:5), which did not occur at all
in 70 A.D.
8. The gospel requires that the judgment inflicts punishment on bodies (Jn 5:29; Ro
14:11).
9. The gospel requires that the outcome is damnation or eternal life (Matt 25:46; John
5:29).
10.A final judgment is basic to Christianity (Heb 6:1-3), so preterists are not Christians.
F. Here Is an Irreducible Minimum. At this point we have three inseparable events
identified by Hebrews 6:1-3 as essential to the Christian faith, which preterists deny,
thus proving themselves to be heretics and not true Christians.
1. These three events sufficiently refute preterism, for none of them have yet occurred
at all.
2. The scriptures already provided above prove these three events inseparably
connected.
3. For recent Christians, simply hold on to these three events by the scriptures and
ignore preterist drivel, twaddle, poppycock, claptrap, tripe, and balderdash to the
contrary.
G. No New Heavens and Earth! Preterists deny the renovation of this sin-cursed universe
for your eternal inheritance (II Pet 3:1-14; Rom 8:18-23; Ps 102:25-27; Heb 1:10-
12; Rev 20:11; 21:1; Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; Matt 5:18; 24:35).
1. Jesus Christ’s death on the cross destroyed sin and death and the curse of them by
Adam.
2. The last enemy destroyed at Christ’s coming is death – formally, finally (I Cor 15:23-
26).
3. God’s predestinating purpose in Christ’s justification brings our full and final
glorification – body, soul, and spirit (Rom 8:28-30; Phil 3:20-21; I Thess 5:23-24)!
4. Preterist spiritual or figurative explanations for the passages above are entirely
ridiculous.
5. The harder they work to put Rom 8:18-23 in the first century they approach
universalism, and it is only inconsistency that keeps those who say they are not
universalists from it.
6. Preterists have allegorized and spiritualized it as death of the Law and rising of the
new covenant, so that the consistent and honest ones among them end up being
universalists.
7. They presume and declare that this earth and sin in it will continue as is forever,
though the Bible declares that the physical universe will be changed, as in the verses
above.
8. They spiritualize away new heavens and earth, for nothing like it happened in 70 A.D.
9. The effect and value of the cross is reduced considerably in this and other
corruptions.
10.Even John Owen corrupted II Peter 3, proving that “great” men can be foolish
heretics, for this is one of the simplest passages in the Bible – see an explanation in
its section.
H. No being like Christ! Even though God promised we would be like Him.
1. A great gospel promise by John is our yet future change to be like Jesus (I John 3:1-
3).
 2. Paul promised this great wonder at Christ’s coming (Phil 3:20-21; I Cor 15:51; Col
3:4).
3. Notice carefully – this certain gospel promise is of physical bodies being totally
changed.
4. But not a single preterist or non-preterist was so changed before … at … or after 70
A.D.
5. Their response – the only response they ever have – is to say we are already like
Him!
6. Since they say Jesus has already returned the second time, those events attached to
His coming must have already occurred as well, so there is no future hope in this
promise.
I. No Destruction of Death! Preterists say death was destroyed in 70 A.D., though you
know better just by remembering the last funeral you attended.
1. Paul plainly taught Jesus would destroy death at His second coming (I Cor 15:23-26),
and the evidence of it would be the resurrection of dead, corrupted, and dissolved
bodies.
2. The gospel news of death’s destruction has given hope and joy to countless saints
over many millennia, but preterists presumptuously deny the victory (Luke
20:36; Rev 21:4).
3. Preterists deny the Bible’s precious promises by saying Jesus destroyed death in 70
A.D.
4. Though they say this about 70 A.D., and even though they also say we are now in
the eternal state of things, they also say death as it now occurs will continue to occur
forever!
J. No Millennium! No matter what the millennium is (Rev 20:1-10), they jam the 1000-
year event between His first and second coming in the first century.
1. It is amusing to see these sticklers for so-called timing passages take the Holy
Spirit’s choice of 1000 years and reduce it to a mere 40 years … without any of its
features!
2. In fact, if preterists were honest, they might cram John’s 1000 years into five or less
years, for the time between their sworn date of John’s writing (65 A.D. or later) to
Jerusalem’s destruction is only five years, which is fantastic eschatological
compression!
3. Not only has the devil been bound 1000 years, he has also been released for a little
season, he has again deceived the nations, and he has been destroyed by fire and
cast into the lake of fire … all before 70 A.D.! Though hard to believe, this is
preterism!
K. No Destruction of Satan and angels! Preterists deny the judgment of the devil and his
angels, since they say it happened in 70 A.D., which we know it did not.
1. Let them charge us with begging the question or circular reasoning, but it is their
burden and duty to prove the fulfillment, since they have chosen the novel and
heretical position.
2. With the devil and his angels gone, why have we not found greater liberty for
personal holiness, seen revival in all human societies, and witnessed many more
godly nations?
3. If the lake of fire is Jerusalem’s garbage dump, where is it today? Is the devil still in
it?
L. No hope! Preterists offer believers no hope before or after 70 A.D.
1. The gospel of Jesus Christ is full of great hope (Tit 2:13; I Pet 1:3,13,21; I Jn 3:1-3;
etc.).
 2. They offer no hope before 70 A.D., since every event of hope is spiritualized to
nothing.
3. They offer no hope after 70 A.D., since every event of hope occurred before that
date.
4. They offer no hope to Gentiles, since events of 70 A.D. did not affect any of them.
5. Not a single real change took place in the life of anyone outside Jerusalem before,
during, or after 70 A.D., which reduces the gospel to a hopeless, Jewish fable without
value.
6. There is little difference between the children of the devil and the children of God, for
distinguishing events prophesied and promised in the New Testament are eliminated.
7. Sin, sickness, pain, and death in a corrupt universe will continue as now forever and
ever.
8. Preterists teach that believers’ spirits go to heaven when they die, but the true
gospel discounts this blessing without a bodily resurrection, for God does not consider
naked spirits to be a very great blessing (II Cor 5:1-5; Ps 49:15; Job 19:25-27; I Cor
15:19; etc.).
M. No full sufficiency in the cross! Preterists believe and teach that not until 70 A.D. was
the Law removed and redemption complete, ascribing these and related acts to the
second coming of Christ in the destruction of Jerusalem.
1. Such soteriological confusion is beyond the scope of this study, but it should cause
alarm.
2. Confusion about the finished work of the cross or the time of reformation is
unnecessary.
3. The legal work of redemption was finished at the cross, and the law was legally
ended.
4. They deny the power of the cross to fully remove sin’s curse and renovate the
universe.
5. They deny the power of His bodily resurrection to guarantee the same for His
brethren.
6. Yet the Bible attaches the victory to the cross (Gal 3:13; Eph 2:11-17; Col 2:13-15;
etc.).
7. Preterists have sin, death, and the world as it is continuing forever. Where is King
Jesus?
N. Is consistent preterism universalism? They use consistent to describe their exhaustive
labors to have all prophecies fulfilled in 70 A.D. But we ask more.
1. Max and Tim King, formerly with the Church of Christ, are consistent with
universalism.
2. J. Stuart Russell’s The Parousia at Romans 8:18-23 surely sounds like universalism.
3. Preterism was once connected with universalist Unitarians, especially in the 19th
century.
O. Why side with the Sadducees? This liberal sect of the Jews’ religion denied the
resurrection, but Jesus confounded their folly and Paul voted Pharisaism.
1. Jesus confounded them in Matt 22:23-33, and Paul voted against them in Acts 23:6-
8.
2. Preterists say they believe in the resurrection, but they deny it Biblically and
historically, for the Jews understood that the resurrection was of the physical body
and nothing else.
3. Bible resurrection is of the body, which history proves is future, but they spiritualize
it.
Preterism’s Timing Fallacies

A. Preterism lives or dies by their timing verses. Daniel, Paul, Peter, and John did not
limit their prophecies to the first century, so Preterists hunt for so-called timing verses
to use as mauls to force all their prophecies into 70 A.D.
1. They talk and argue ad nauseam about the immediate expectation of all N.T. writers
and audiences for all N.T. prophesied events to be fulfilled in their very N.T. lifetimes.
2. Jesus limited some prophecies to the first century (Matt 10:23; 16:27-28; 21:33-
46; 24:34; etc.), but this does not limit all prophecies to that century nor does it
require that all first century prophecies were fulfilled at Jerusalem’s destruction, for
we must rightly divide similar-sounding events (II Tim 2:15), especially that involve
His second coming and the resurrection, as God and Paul gave this interpretive rule
against the first preterist.
3. To force all the prophecies they can find into 70 A.D., preterists search for any timing
words or phrases in the context that appear to mean soon to apply literally and
strictly.
4. In all cases and at all times, they ignore any inspired instruction (II Pet 3:8-9) or
warning (II Thess 2:1-3) that denies their demand for imminency of the Lord’s
second coming.
5. They are partial and superstitious like Sabbatarians, who quote 20-100 uses of
Sabbath from the O.T. or the gospels, conveniently ignoring Paul’s clear rejection of
the Sabbath.
B. Preterism timing verses often have little time aspect. Relying on sound bites like
shortly, high time, at hand, nigh, ready, and quickly, they ignore the fact that these
words or phrases have little specific time meaning or time limitation.
1. For illustrative purposes, here are a few examples: Romans 13:11-12; 16:20; Phil
4:5; Heb 6:8; 8:13; 10:37; James 5:8-9; I Peter 1:5; 4:5,7; Revelation
1:1,3; 22:6,7,10,12,20.
2. If these words have specific time value, preterists should be able to prove to us
exactly how many hours, days, years, decades, or centuries are intended by each
such expression.
3. This fact about the wide latitude in definitions for such terminology is especially true
in prophecy, as is demonstrated in this section’s following points. Prophets use
similitudes!
4. This is especially true about the Lord’s Second Coming, as the Holy Spirit actually
defined and explained an intentional delay in His coming for our profit (II Peter 3:8-
9).
5. This subject has merit on its own, without preterist considerations, as scorners have
long used the imminency language of the New Testament to discredit the Bible. See
Jonathan Edwards dealing with this subject 275 years ago.
C. Preterists conveniently ignore O.T. timing verses. O.T. prophecies with so-called
preterist timing expressions clearly require no imminency of fulfillment.
1. If preterists would start at the end of the Bible God wants them to (by the order of
books), instead of starting at the other end, they might learn something about Bible
interpretation.
2. If preterists would compare the Spirit’s words as instructed (I Cor 2:13), they might
learn that their timing texts are prophetic phrases without definite time limitations or
meanings.
3. If preterists could leave their agenda and search and submit to scripture, they might
learn, for these prophetic examples from the O.T. scriptures simply and thoroughly
refute them.
4. Deut 4:26-27 threatened Israel’s soon destruction and scattering, warning that they
would not prolong their days upon the land, though in round numbers the Assyrian
dispersion was 800 years away, the Babylonian 1000 years away, and the Roman
1500 years away!
5. Deut 32:35 used at hand and make haste, but His wrath in due time may take
centuries! Paul in Heb 10:30-31 used it for the Jews’ judgment; see 32:36 also, 1500
years later! Deuteronomy 32 is a general prophecy of 70 A.D., but it came 1500
years earlier!
6. Psalm 68:31 foretold Egypt and Ethiopia soon worshipping God, a prophecy of the
times of Messiah in the New Testament, a full millennium away. Compare Acts
2:10 about Egypt, 18:24-28 about Apollos of Egypt, and 8:26-39 about a eunuch of
Ethiopia.
7. Isaiah 13:6 described the destruction of Babylon at hand, though the Medes and
Persians would not actually fulfill this prophecy for another 200 years (13:17); Isaiah
13:22 saw a much more distant final desolation as near to come and her days shall
not be prolonged.
8. Isaiah 21:9 foretold Babylon’s fall in the past tense, though the fall was 200 years
distant.
9. Isaiah 29:17-18 described in a very little while the regathering from Babylon, at the
earliest 200 years distant, or better yet the gospel era of Messiah, though 700 years
away!
10.Isaiah 46:13 described Israel’s deliverance from their captivity in Babylon by Cyrus
as near, not far off, and shall not tarry, though 200 years distant in the future.
11.Isaiah 51:5 described deliverance from Babylon as near and that had gone forth,
though 200 years away. If not Babylon, then the gospel, much farther yet! See
also Isaiah 56:1.
12.Isaiah 60:22 described great growth of the church by the verses preceding it, which
He will hasten, though many centuries in the distant future to the prophet and his
audience.
13.Isaiah 63:18 stated Israel possessed the land (1400 yrs) or temple (400 yrs) only a
little while! Compared to the promise, it was short. 2000 years is short compared to
eternity.
14.Habakkuk 2:3 has a prophecy of an appointed time tarrying and needing to be waited
for, but it will not tarry, and it will surely come, to be fulfilled in about 100 years;
observe wisely the two different senses of tarry within the same verse … it will not
tarry too long.
15.Zephaniah 1:7,14,18 described Jerusalem’s destruction by Babylon as at hand, near,
hasting greatly, and speedy though still 25 years away!
16.Haggai 2:6-7 foretold Christ’s first coming as a little while away, yet 400 years
distant!
17.Malachi 3:1 prophesied Christ’s first coming as suddenly arriving at His temple, 400
years away! Or else we understand this qualitatively of how He came. Compare Rev
2:5.
18.Jeremiah 48:16 describes Moab’s calamity as near to come and hasteth fast, which
occurred five years after the destruction of Jerusalem, 23 years distant from the
prophecy.
 19.See also Deuteronomy 7:4; Psalm 37:10; Isaiah 10:25; Jeremiah 1:10-
12; 51:33; Hosea 1:4; Joel 1:15; 2:1; 3:14; Amos 8:2; Obadiah 1:15.
D. Preterists miss prophetic language. Prophetic language, often poetic or apocalyptic,
may use time symbolically, as it uses everything else symbolically.
1. The Holy Spirit clearly declared that prophetic language is not literal (Hos 12:10; I
Pet 1:11), which allows or requires us to take timing words or phrases very loosely.
2. The examples just given from the Old Testament should have already proven this
point.
3. An example is the thousand years (Rev 20:2,3,4,5,6,7), which follows other Bible
uses of thousand as a round number for very many (Ps 50:10; Deut 7:9; I Chron
16:15; Ps 105:8), though consistent and honest preterists must jam the thousand
years into forty years!
4. An example is one hour, which is far too short to be considered literal at all, for there
is no confederation of authority at all if it is in force for only sixty minutes (Rev
17:12).
5. The past tense is used in at least three places for future events (Is 21:9; Rom
4:17; 8:30)! which should cause honest preterists to forget their timing verses, but
they are few.
6. Charles Spurgeon asked preterists what is intended by the present tense in Isaiah
9:6, “For unto a child is born,” when that event of Christ’s first coming was 600 years
away.
7. Charles Spurgeon asked preterists what is intended by the past tense in Isaiah 53:4,
“Surely he hath borne our griefs,” when that event was 600 years in the future.
8. While the verb tense in both cases is actually the perfect tense, he thus ridiculed
preterist timing texts, which prompted his two illustrations of how bankrupt the
theory actually is.
E. Preterists miss the eternal perspective. Lengthy judgments, especially eternal
judgment at Christ’s return, make any ordinary length of time short, very short.
1. Consider Isaiah 63:18 above, where a very long time is considered short in
perspective.
2. God’s reckoning of time in both testaments is stated to be different (Ps 90:4; II Peter
3:8).
3. Though a life of 70-80 years is a considerable length of time, various metaphors in
the Bible describe it as exceeding short (Job 7:6; 9:25; Ps 39:5; 89:47; 90:9-10; Jas
4:14).
4. Paul reasoned that this life is only for a moment if compared to eternity (II Cor 4:17-
18).
F. Preterists miss prophetic purpose. Prophecies of Christ’s second coming have a
purpose, and that purpose justifies the variation in timing language.
1. The grammatical choice of the first and third person in I Thess 4:13-18 is to comfort,
for Paul did not believe at all that he or any of his audience would be alive (I Cor
6:14).
2. The plain statement of II Thess 2:1-3 against imminency is to warn against
preterists.
3. The first person in other prophecies is to exhort to godliness (I Jn 3:1-3; II Pet 3:10-
14).
4. The mystery of the exact timing is designed to produce watchfulness (I Thess 5:1-
10).
5. Peter reminds of Psalm 90:4 to explain the role of God’s longuffering (II Peter
3:8,9,15).
 6. Imminent language teaches certainty of fulfillment, solidarity with the early church,
personal relevance and motivation, and perpetual encouragement and exhortation,
etc.
G. Preterists miss extended prophecies. Prophecies covering centuries may occur shortly
or soon, as initial events in long prophecies might start tomorrow.
1. Preterists like Russell must do this with Revelation 20, for the millennium there has
1000 years to deal with, and they consider it part of the things to shortly come to
pass (1:1).
2. They are hypocrites about such timing, but some will even cram it all into 30-70
A.D.!
3. Historicism does not violate Revelation 1:1-3, since some events began to occur
shortly.
4. If Revelation covers long political movements of the Dark Ages, they did begin
shortly.
5. Note how Habakkuk 2:3 describes an end to a prophecy both tarrying and not
tarrying.
H. Preterists mock Paul’s rebuke of preterists. While using at hand wherever they can find
it as a sound bite for first century imminency, Preterists ignore, reject, or corrupt
Paul’s inspired warning and proof that Jesus Christ’s second coming was definitely NOT
at hand!
1. They respond to II Thes 2:1-3 with authorship in 53 A.D. and say 17 years is not at
hand, thus allowing the possibility for their fantasy that all prophecies yet occurred
by 70 A.D.
2. They miss the fact that Paul’s falling away was still future in 67 A.D., when he wrote
his last epistle after appearing before Nero, whom they say is the man of sin in II
Thess 2.
3. But before these things, they change “at hand” in 2:3 to “had come,” perverting
God’s word in a very important passage to allow their 70 A.D. fulfillment. See the
NKJV.
4. How can it be both ways? At hand and not at hand? Same as tarrying and not
tarrying (Hab 2:3)! It is not at hand in real terms, but at hand in God’s view and our
expectation.
5. II Thess 2:1-3 is very important, and it should provide spectacles through which to
read every other prophecy, whether of Paul or others, which sound of imminency.
I. Preterist timing verses reject God’s time warning. In a context about timing of the
Lord’s return, the Holy Spirit gave one key rule that preterists reject.
1. God’s timing is different from ours – one day or a thousand years is the same (II Pet
3:8)!
2. The context of the rule is exactly our controversy – the time of the second coming
(3:4,9).
3. God is not guilty of slackness, for He measures time differently and for a good
reason.
4. Peter did not invent this rule or use it to defend himself. God used it to justify
Himself!
5. This rule of timing was declared in the O.T. (Ps 90:4), which was illustrated above by
various O.T. prophecies that were fulfilled slower than timing words would indicate.
6. There had been sufficient delay of His promise for scoffing, slackness, and
longsuffering.
7. The second coming was not at hand: the earth was reserved in storage for that day
(3:7).
 8. Why emphasize this rule – be not ignorant of this one thing – unless very important?
9. This is an inspired answer for questionable timing phrases of events you know are
future, and wise saints will hang on to it just as Jesus hung onto God’s word against
the devil.
10.Of course, such a Bible explanation has no meaning to those obsessed with their
agenda.
11.Preterist efforts to rip this verse out of context and pervert it are damning to their
cause.
12.If you miss this point, then you take the risk of falling from your own stedfastness
(3:17).
J. Preterist timing scorn is crushed by Paul in Romans. Preterists hate II Peter 3:8 and
do all they can to minimize the text and ridicule those who use it.
1. II Peter 3:8 is an inspired rule of time given by God relative to Christ’s delayed
coming!
2. But preterists whine loud and long about the plain reading of their timing texts,
saying that God would never use them other than how simple readers would
understand them.
3. Let God be true! How do preterists explain the past tense of glorified in Romans
8:30?
4. Should we let its plain reading convince us we are glorified? Consider how much
stronger this text is by its past tense than any timing words like at hand that
preterists use, yet the event was far future to the writer and every reader of Romans,
even by millennia!
5. God does not communicate prophetically by our timing or by our verb tenses, as He
had explained earlier in Romans 4:17! Compare to Genesis 17:4-6. Let God be true!
K. Preterists ignore God’s longsuffering. After defining the rule of God’s time perspective
(3:8), Peter explained the Lord’s delayed return was due to God’s longsuffering for His
elect to repent and be saved (II Pet 3:9,15).
1. God’s longsuffering would not have been mentioned twice unless needed for
explanation.
2. In context of scoffing and slackness about His promise to come, longsuffering was
added.
3. Unbelievers or scoffers count God slack, but we are to rather account Him
longsuffering.
4. God’s counting or accounting rules are missed by natural men, loved by spiritual
men.
5. God’s longsuffering and patient waiting are recorded elsewhere (Gen 6:3 cp I Pet
3:20; Gen 15:16; Ex 34:6; Ps 86:15; Rom 2:4; 9:22; I Tim 1:16).
L. Preterists neglect timed prophecies. Instead of vague sound bites, the Bible has timed
prophecies of seventy weeks, prerequisite events, 1260 days, an existing generation,
historical reference points, etc., but Preterists slight them.
1. Daniel’s prophecy of the little horn of Rome does not allow a first century fulfillment,
for the contemporary horns of the fourth beast require a divided Roman Empire, like
Greece.
2. Paul’s prophecy of the man of sin after a falling away did not occur in the first
century, for the falling away was still future to Paul just before he died in 67 A.D. (I
Tim 4:1-3; II Tim 3:1; 4:3), and the great falling away from apostolic doctrine was
yet centuries away.
3. A thousand-year prophecy, even if taken symbolically, cannot fit into 70 A.D. (Rev
20).
M. Preterists ignore timing statements that oppose them. They are quick and thorough to
find only those sound bites that serve their first century imminency.
1. The parable of the virgins has tarrying long enough to slumber and sleep (Matthew
25:5).
2. The parable of the talents describes the lord coming after a long time (Matt 25:19);
Luke, recording false assumptions of imminency, has Jesus saying that the nobleman
went into a far country, long enough for them to need to occupy in his absence (Luke
19:11-15).
3. In Matthew 22:1-14, Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 A.D. is only the midpoint of a
timeline of future events, as the time of the Gentiles, Christ’s marriage supper, and
the King coming in judgment follow long after 70 A.D. Preterists are partialists in the
scriptures!
4. Paul spoke of God showing His grace to us in ages to come (Eph 2:7), which is
entirely unnecessary to write in such a way, if eschatology was realized just a few
years later.
5. Paul did not expect Christ to come in his lifetime, for he wrote that those then living
would rise from the dead at Christ’s coming (I Cor 6:14); the power of this argument
is partially based on their foolish emphasis of audience relevance in I Thess 4:13-18.
6. Scripture twice puts the times and seasons in God’s hand (Acts 1:6-7; I Thess 5:1-
2), which is intended to remove any confidence we have of the timing, which Paul
had taught perfectly to the Thessalonians, but which is perfectly rejected by
preterists.
7. If all scripture pointed to 70 A.D., as preterists assume and declare, then with each
passing month there would have been greater certainty of His coming (Heb 10:25)!
While this might be true of 70 A.D., it is not and cannot be true of the Lord’s second
coming.
8. Consider the debate among the apostles about the time of John’s death (John 21:21-
24), which indicates that they, including John, knew that they would not live until His
return.
9. Jesus declared that God bears long with His elect (Luke 18:7), but preterists pass
over it.
N. Preterism dates the Lord’s coming. Preterism removes all doubt or suspense for the
time of Christ’s coming, for they say the N.T. gave countless short-term signs and
prerequisite events that would have left none waiting or surprised.
1. If this is true, then how could a man think that the coming was delayed, as in Matt
24:48?
2. If this is true, then it minimizes or negates “in such an hour as ye think not” (Matt
24:44).
3. If this is true, how can the times and the seasons be in the Father’s own power (Acts
1:7)?
4. If this is true, how can Jesus Christ surprise men with perfect readiness (I Thess 5:1-
2)?
5. Scripture twice puts the times and seasons in God’s hand (Acts 1:6-7; I Thess 5:1-
2), which is intended to remove any confidence we have of the timing, which he had
taught perfectly to the Thessalonians, but which is rejected by preterists.
6. If all scripture pointed to 70 A.D., as preterists assume and declare, then with each
passing month there would have been greater certainty of His coming (Heb 10:25)!
While this might be true of 70 A.D., it is not of the second coming.
O. Preterists assume too much of 70 A.D. Because Matthew 24:1-35 is a 70 A.D. event
does not mean other passages with similar words or other N.T. prophecies must be the
same event or occur at the same time.
1. Before futurism (1830), the vast majority of Christians read Matt 24 in light of 70
A.D.
2. But these same believers never considered preterist forcing of all prophecies into 70
A.D.
3. When 70 A.D. was well known and best understood in prophecy, there were no
preterists.
4. Preterists use clouds and alterations to heavenly bodies in Isaiah 13:10 or Jeremiah
4:13 as examples of God’s judgment to explain Matthew 24:29-30, though they are
different events, so it is just as possible that I Thess 4:13-18 is unrelated to Matthew
24:29-30.
5. The necessity of rightly dividing scripture, the rule given in a context of corrupting
the timing of the Second Coming, becomes of great important to differentiate from
70 A.D.
P. Preterists must time Revelation before 70 A.D. Though the Holy Spirit gave no details
about its date other than John’s lifetime, the Preterist interpretation of Revelation
totally depends on the speculation of early authorship.
1. They must have Revelation written before 70 A.D., or all their timing verses are lost.
2. They must have Revelation written before 70 A.D., or their prophetic scheme is false.
3. This problem affects many partial preterists as well for their interpretation of
Revelation.
4. The conclusion is likely, as ancient tradition and evidence indicates the reign of
Domitian and about 95 A.D., either of which leaves any form of preterism bankrupt in
Revelation.
5. See some links at the end of this document for pursuing Revelation’s dating further.
Q. Preterists are scoffers counting the Lord slack. Peter warned about scoffers in the last
days that would mock His promised coming and count Him slack, since they would not
understand the Lord’s timing perspective (II Pet 3:3,8-9).
1. Preterists mock His coming so much that they reduce it to a spiritual illusion in 70
A.D.
2. Read any preterist dealing with their so-called timing texts in the New Testament:
you will see their scoffing mockery of any return by Christ outside that existing
generation.
R. Preterists confuse apostolic timing by pronouns and verbs. Preterists limit scripture’s
statements and their application to only those who first read them.
1. If they cannot find a timing text, they limit scripture to the writer and his primary
readers.
2. They say prophecy had primary, if not exclusive, value for those reading it and no
others!
3. The first and second grammatical person is to them overwhelming proof that a
prophecy of the New Testament had to be fulfilled during the lives of both writer and
readers.
4. They call this audience relevance, meaning the prophecy had to have relevance for
writer and first readers (obviously ignoring any relevance for millennia of readers
ever since!).
5. For example, I John 3:2 required Jesus to return while John and first readers were
living, or he would have used the third person for future saints being like Him and
seeing Him.
 6. For example, I Thess 4:13-18 required Jesus to return while Paul and first readers
were living, or it would use the third person for future saints being caught up with the
dead.
7. If they read the O.T., they would see this to be a hermeneutical farce, as the O.T.
applied to many generations of Jews, including those of 70 A.D. (Deut 4:25-
27; 28:68; etc., etc.).
8. What did Joseph mean in Gen 50:25, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up
my bones from hence? When and how did God visit? Who carried up his bones?
When? He did not say, God shall visit your posterity, and they shall carry up my
bones from hence. But though he did not, Joseph knew it would not happen in that
generation. [J. Edwards].
9. Did Isaiah limit Christ’s redemption to 700 B.C. by audience relevance in Isaiah 53:1-
6?
10.Is salvation from sins limited to Corinth and Paul by audience relevance in I Cor
15:1-3?
11.If preterists read the N.T., they would find audience relevance proving the
resurrection of the dead after Paul’s death (I Cor 6:14), contradicting their view of I
Thess 4:13-18.
12.If their concept of audience relevance stands in even one place, where there are no
other limiting factors in the context, then the Bible is totally irrelevant for all other
generations!
S. Preterists assume last days must mean today or tomorrow. They cannot see this final
dispensation of the New Testament to be the last days in its entirety.
1. Verses with the words last days or last times must mean imminency to preterists.
2. Yet there are last days in about 30 A.D., as in Heb 1:2; Acts 2:17; I Peter 1:20; Heb
9:26.
3. Yet there are later last days in about 67 A.D., as in I John 2:18 and I Corinthians
10:11.
4. Yet there were last days still future and events to be fulfilled in them, as in I Timothy
4:1; II Timothy 3:1; James 5:3; II Peter 3:3; I Peter 1:5; and Jude 1:18.
5. The whole gospel era is the last days, in that it is the last dispensation (Gal 4:4; Ep
1:10).
6. Compared to the Jews in earlier ages, the ends of the world are the latter times of
earth’s existence, not the generation that would see the world come to an end (I Cor
10:11).
7. Compare the Spirit’s usage of the day of salvation (II Cor 6:2; Heb 3:7,13,15; 4:7-
8).
T. For Jonathan Edwards on timing texts, see here.

Preterism Refuted by Daniel

A. Preterists should start in Daniel. Jesus said Daniel gave understanding for prophetic
interpretation (Matt 24:15), and Daniel’s timing would correct their efforts to force
Paul’s, Peter’s, and John’s prophecies into the first century.
1. It is frustrating to meet novice Bible readers starting in the N.T. to learn Bible
prophecy.
2. Note the timing phrases from the O.T. shown above, which correct preterist
assumptions.
 3. There is so much they could learn from the book of Daniel to open the N.T.
prophecies.
4. The fulfillment of prophecies pertaining to Babylon, Persia, and Greece are very
helpful.
5. The day-year option is proven to be a valid interpretation by the 70 weeks (Dan
9:24-27).
6. It is an option and not a requirement by 2300 literal days of Antiochus IV (Dan 8:13-
14).
7. If Daniel has a prophecy occurring after 70 A.D., preterism fails by its own axiom;
this is especially true if the event after 70 A.D. is Jesus Christ’s coming, Day of
Judgment, etc.
B. Revelation is the last place to go. Paul’s man of sin and John’s beast and whore were
identified 500 years earlier by the beloved prophet.
1. Daniel’s fulfilled symbols are the Spirit’s inspired school for prophetic interpretation.
2. Beasts, heads, and horns for Babylon, Persia, and Greece help interpreting
Revelation.
3. The day-year option, useful for considering length of prophecies, is valid from Daniel
9.
C. Daniel’s prophecies cover all. He detailed Israel’s future to their final scattering in 70
A.D. (chapters 8-12). He outlined Gentile world history affecting the saints of God to
Jesus Christ’s second coming (chapters 2 and 7).
1. His detailed prophecy of Alexander and Antiochus IV are within Greek history (Dan
8).
2. His 70-weeks prophecy has a very clear start date and last week events (Dan 9:24-
27).
3. Daniel’s last vision has a very clear beginning date and ending date (Daniel 11:1-
2; 12:7).
4. Nebuchadnezzar’s image and beasts from the sea are for Gentiles (Dan 2:31-45; 7:1-
11), as Nebuchadnezzar had as much interest in Israel’s future as preterists do with
the truth.
D. Daniel 7 identified Paul’s man of sin and John’s beast. Solitary authorship of the Bible
by the Holy Spirit requires unified scripture; prophecies will agree closely, according to
the first rule of inspired hermeneutics (II Peter 1:19-21).
1. There are not three great enemies of the saints – there is only one, prophesied three
ways.
2. This study cannot deal in depth with all of Daniel’s prophecies or even all of this one.
3. For the best intro to Dan 7.
E. Daniel’s four beasts are easy (Dan 7:1-7). A beast is no more than a kingdom, nation,
or empire. The four are Babylon, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome.
1. There is not the slightest justification for any variation in these four, though infidels
try.
2. Media-Persia is not to be divided – it is always viewed together (Dan 2:39; 7:5-
6; 8:3).
3. The little horn of chapter 8 is Greek (8:21-25) and that of chapter 9 is Roman (7:6-
8).
4. There is no hope for those who cannot grasp this simple prophecy of world history.
F. The ten horns of the fourth beast – Rome – are key. Since the little horn of Rome
comes into existence after the ten horns, it dates the rise of the little horn.
 1. The ten horns are contemporary kingdoms or nations: this point is important as a
starting place in this prophecy to stop preterists from vainly imagining consecutive
Caesars.
2. They are kingdoms, for kings and kingdoms are used interchangeably (7:17,23-24;
8:21), and horns represent Media and Persia in 8:3 and the divided kingdoms after
Alexander in 8:8, and it is impossible for ten kings to rule one kingdom (one beast)
at the same time.
3. A king, not a kingdom, is seen by direct language or growing out of a horn (8:8-9,21-
23), or in language so obvious and history so definite, as in the case of Alexander
(8:5,21).
4. They are contemporary kingdoms, not consecutive, as they appear together (7:7-
8,20,24).
5. When God wants to show consecutive kingdoms, he describes them as such (7:5;
8:3,20).
6. Preterists are dead in the water, for they foolishly imagine 11 consecutive Caesars,
which idea involves more difficulties and impossibilities than the number of horns
squared!
7. The ten kingdoms are after Rome ends as an empire, like Greece’s horns (Dan
8:8,22), where we see Antiochus IV (Epiphanes) growing out of the Seleucid kingdom
(horn).
8. If preterists bark about Daniel 8:9 being an individual man, which they want in Daniel
7:8 for Vespasian or whoever they can imagine, note the inspired difference in
growing out of a horn (Dan 8:9) and growing out of the beast alongside the horns
(Dan 7:8).
9. When the Roman Empire disintegrated, its chief territories were divided into ten
powers, which have been and are still vaguely seen in the division of nations in
modern Europe, and there is no greater difficulty identifying Rome’s ten than
identifying Greece’s four.
10.Rome did not disintegrate into this tenfold division of power until about the fifth
century!
11.Therefore, the little horn and everything in Daniel 7 after verse 7 is after the fifth
century!
12.There is nothing in Daniel 8-12 about this little horn, for those prophecies are Jewish
and are expressly limited to fulfillment before 70 A.D., centuries before this prophecy
began.
13.Preterism has already been refuted by the timing of Rome’s decline into ten powers.
G. The little horn of Rome is key. This is the first indication in scripture of an enemy of
the churches of Christ that is later picked up by Paul and John.
1. The little horn of Rome was a kingdom developing after the ten kingdoms were in
place, for Daniel described it coming up after seeing the ten contemporary horns
(7:8,20,24).
2. What is more Roman than the papacy, taking the name, capital, and language
(Latin)?
3. The little horn was different from the others, for it was religious – the Catholic
papacy.
4. Why a little horn? The papacy began with the bishop of Rome, but grew to be very
great.
5. In order to provide for itself, the little horn subdued three of the other existing ten
horns, which cannot in any meaningful way be applied to consecutive Caesars, as
some imagine.
 6. The little horn did not get full authority until about the sixth, seventh, or eighth
centuries.
7. The little horn made war with the saints and prevailed for 1260 years; having
identified it, we know the day-year option is right for this prophecy by history. Think
Inquisitions.
8. The little horn and the beast it grew from are destroyed at the final judgment, which
ties this prophecy in with Paul’s in II Thessalonians 2 and John’s throughout
Revelation.
9. The details of this explicit prophecy are found in various historicist commentaries and
books identifying the papacy as the little horn, man of sin, and beast/whore of
Revelation.
10.Paul’s man of sin is this little horn, the withholding power the Empire and its Caesars.
11.It is Christ’s second coming here and in II Thessalonians 2 that ends the horn and
beast.
12.If this is not the papacy, then it settles for an interpretation and application far
inferior.
13.If this is not the papacy, then the Bible misses the greatest enemy of N.T.
Christianity.
14.If this is not the papacy, then the martyrs for 1200 years died in vain believing a lie.
15.Preterism has been refuted here by the prophecy’s timing and exclusive
interpretation.
H. Vespasian or any other Caesar cannot possibly be the little horn. There is not one
descriptive factor in Daniel 7 that fits any Caesar even close to how they all fit the
papacy in fulfillment.
1. This point is unnecessary; we have already proved the little horn cannot be a Caesar
by the prophecy’s timing, but let us compare the descriptive phrases to Caesars and
popes.
2. It was a little horn (7:8) – no Caesar could be called little when becoming dictator of
the Empire, but the popes began as the mere bishops of Rome and later ruled the
world.
3. It had eyes like those of man (7:8,20) – eyes here are intelligent oversight, and no
Caesar matched the popes in sagacious politics and conspiracies throughout their
vast reaches.
4. It was diverse from the other horns (7:23) – no Caesar was truly diverse from
others, but the pope was certainly diverse from other temporal kings by having a
spiritual kingdom.
5. It subdued three other kingdoms (7:24) – no Caesar removed three other Caesars,
but the popes of Rome by various means gained early possession of several temporal
kingdoms.
6. It had a look more stout than his fellows (7:20) – no Caesar, especially Vespasian,
appeared more pompous than the others; but the popes were carried about and
adored like God Himself, as they sat in a temple in attire and glory crushing Caesar’s
look altogether.
7. It had a blasphemous mouth (7:8,11,20,25) – no Caesar, like Vespasian, was
exceptionally blasphemous as were popes claiming to be God on earth and Christ’s
vicar.
8. It thought to change times and laws (7:25) – no Caesar corrupted Christian doctrine
at all, but the popes of Rome have made hundreds, or thousands, of changes to the
gospel.
 9. It shall war against the saints and wear them out (7:21,25) – no Caesar, including
Nero, prevailed in war against saints, but the popes drove Christians into hiding for
centuries.
10.It shall dominate the saints for 3½ years (7:25) – no Caesar, including Nero, had
saints under persecuting dominion like the popes for 1260 years, shown by 9:24-27
and history.
11.It shall be consumed by God’s judgment to the end (7:26) – no Caesar was
consumed to the end – they died, and it was the end; the papacy has been consumed
by Christ’s gospel to be but a shadow of its former self (II Thess 2:8), and the final
and formal end comes!
I. Preterists corrupt Daniel 7 as much as SDA’s corrupt Daniel 8 and futurists corrupt
Daniel 9-12. It is amazing how severely God blinds intelligent men, when they choose
a sacred cow over, “Thus saith the Lord.”
1. William Miller corrupted it first.
2. Ellen G. White followed his miserable failure by covering it with a spiritual fulfillment.
3. They confuse the simple beasts of Daniel 8, the timing, the starting point, the events,
etc.
4. Futurists have no regard for scripture, inserting an indeterminate gap that now
approaches 2000 years into a dated and timed prophecy of only 490 years in total
duration.
5. Futurists have no regard for scripture, ignoring express time limits in 10-12 and
leaping at 11:36 from its careful Greek chronology to a future antichrist they have
invented.
6. Preterists are no different – Daniel 7’s horns are consecutive Caesars, the descriptive
statements are wildly corrupted to fit whatever they can scrounge from history
books, etc.
7. Preterism is refuted already, so there is no need to find or explain their
hallucinations.
J. Good commentaries on Daniel will be of the historicist school. Both the preterist and
futurist schools of interpretation were invented by Jesuits to divert attention away
from the RCC and papacy as part of the Counter-Reformation.
1. The fourth section of Ralph Woodrow’s, “Great Prophecies of the Bible,” is excellent.
2. For Daniel chapters 9-12, Philip Mauro’s, “The Seventy Weeks of Daniel….”
3. For Daniel chapter 7, see the author’s outline.
4. For Daniel chapter 7, Albert Barnes.
5. For Daniel chapter 7, John Gill.
6. See also Clarke, Thomas Newton, Isaac Newton, H. Grattan Guinness, E.B. Elliott,
etc.
7. It is a horrible shame that the vast majority of Christians have rushed to the ditches
of futurism or preterism, leaving the road of historicism which our faithful fathers
traveled.
8. Many partial preterists exist among the Reformed churches today, where they protect
their own reputation by focusing on Vespasian or Nero, rather than their Mother
Church.

Preterism Refuted by Paul

A. Paul directly refuted Preterism (II Thes 2:1-3). In response to Thessalonian concerns
about the imminency of Jesus Christ’s return, Paul declared it far off.
1. By his epistles, Paul had taught the Thessalonians more about Christ’s Second
Coming than other churches (I Thess 1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:13-18; 5:5:1-11,23; II
Thess 1:7-10).
2. The Thessalonians had heard preterist rumors and anticipated the Lord’s imminent
return.
3. Paul emphatically and expressly told them it was still far off, and he proved his
response by reminding them of two major prerequisite events that were also both
still future.
4. If preterists had not already made up their minds to defend their 70 A.D. agenda at
all costs, they could read this prophecy and know they greatly err from Pauline
eschatology.
5. Knowledge of Daniel 7 is very useful here, as the man of sin is the little horn of
Rome.
B. Regardless of source, Christ’s return was not close. Paul listed dangers then present of
a false spirit, teachers, or fraudulent epistle indicating otherwise.
1. Here is one issue – no matter what futurists or preterists say – Christ’s second
coming.
2. He besought these believers to disregard any source of information to the contrary
(2:2).
3. There was no reason to be soon anxious about this event, for it was definitely not at
hand.
4. Paul had taught this church about the second coming in each chapter of the first
epistle.
5. Paul had told them in person (referred to in 5:1-2) that the timing was quite
uncertain.
6. He had used pronouns for the purpose of comfort that could be construed as
imminent, but here he sets the matter straight – the second coming of Jesus Christ
was not at hand.
C. Paul warned of much deception about timing. The Preterists are guilty, for their whole
perversion of the gospel is lying deception about timing.
1. Paul warned against deception from any quarter and by any means teaching
imminency.
2. Isn’t it marvelous that Paul would address the very deceptive heresy that preterists
teach?
3. It should not cause marvel, but thanksgiving, for God inspired scripture for saints’
safety.
4. It behooves you to be very cautious, careful, and skeptical about any timing
emphasis.
5. Futurists pervert the timing by putting Christ’s secret “rapture” first before the
antichrist.
6. Preterists are worse than futurists, who only corrupt the order, but do not deny the
events.
D. Preterists adore at hand except here. Paul used a Preterist mantra, at hand, to refute
prophetic deception about timing and declare Christ’s return far off.
1. Here is a real timing passage by successive events, but they reject it and then
corrupt it.
2. They will wax loud and long about at hand in I Peter 4:7 and Revelation
1:3 and 22:10.
 3. They will not even accept the words here, but instead evilly change the text to help
them.
E. II Thessalonians 2:1-3 burns down Preterism’s house of cards. Paul lists events that
must precede Christ’s coming, which Daniel and he prove far away.
1. Russell’s efforts in The Parousia to discount this text valued his agenda over
inspiration.
2. Changing God’s word, “at hand,” to, “had come,” allows preterists their idea of 70
A.D. timing against Paul’s timing of the distant future. [See his notes on the text or
the NKJV.]
3. This passage is also abused by futurists, particularly C.I. Scofield in his introduction
to the epistle, just as Paul warned that the doctrine in it would be despised by
deceivers.
F. A falling away, or apostasy, had to occur before Christ’s coming. This general and
widespread departure from the faith was still centuries away.
1. Jesus Christ could not return and gather His saints together until after a falling away.
2. A falling away, or an apostasy, is a departure from true apostolic doctrine and
practice by leaving the truth, introducing corruptions, ignoring scripture, adding to
scripture, etc.
3. Leaving the true gospel for heresy was often warned against in the New Testament
(Gal 1:6; 5:4; Col 1:23; I Tim 1:19; II Tim 1:15; 4:4; Heb 6:6; 10:38; II Pet 3:17).
4. Trouble by Jewish legalism occurred while Paul lived, for he had to oppose it
throughout his ministry and wrote several epistles against it, but this falling away
was still future.
5. Paul warned Ephesus of apostasy in the church (Acts 20:28-31), which had not
occurred when John wrote them in 67 A.D., according to preterist timing assumptions
(Rev 2:1-7).
6. Paul told of a future falling away consisting of two chief Catholic doctrines (I Tim 4:1-
6), celibacy and fasting from meats, involving satanic deception just as with the man
of sin, which did not originate until several centuries after 70 A.D.
7. Paul also prophesied of a falling away from sound doctrine involving great immorality,
ritualism, silly women, much deception, and fables (II Tim 3:1 – 4:4).
8. Paul wrote these two epistles around 58-65 A.D., but these apostasies were still
future.
9. Peter warned of false teachers arising within the church and seducing many (II Pet
2:1-2).
10.John admitted many little antichrists, but the big one had not yet come (I John 2:18-
19).
11.Daniel had identified a falling away with the little horn of Rome, or Catholic papacy,
for it would blasphemously and arrogantly think to change times and laws (Dan
7:25).
12.The widespread defection from the apostles occurred after Paul by several centuries,
as countless Roman Catholic alterations and inventions deceived a large majority.
13.The RCC apostasy stands alone in extent, duration, blasphemy, delusion, popularity,
etc.
14.Preterism has been refuted here by the falling away being several centuries after 70
A.D.
G. The man of sin had to be revealed before Christ’s second coming. After the falling
away, a great enemy of the church had to arise before Christ’s return.
 1. As Daniel taught honest Bible readers starting there, Rome had to disintegrate first,
so the little horn could not be revealed prior to the fifth century after Rome fell in 476
A.D.
2. The withholding power that kept Rome’s bishop down was the civil rule of the
Caesars, which was taken out of the way by the overthrow of the western empire by
the Visigoths.
3. Paul referred to Rome’s Caesars and the end of the Empire obscurely to save his
readers from political trouble, which had already occurred in Thessalonica earlier
(Acts 17:5-9).
4. Rome did not disintegrate until the fifth century, so the pope’s rise matches the
apostasy.
5. The man of sin, a collective noun like man of God (II Ti 3:17), is a series of wicked
men.
6. The man of sin, like a man of war, describes a man fully proficient and dedicated to
sin.
7. The man of sin is a collective noun for successive Roman popes until Christ’s coming,
and this application is confirmed by Daniel’s description of 1260 years of the little
horn.
8. They clearly sat in the temple of God (a church) and professed themselves above
God.
9. Paul also called him the son of perdition by the Spirit for his likeness to Judas (Jn
17:12), and is there anyone on earth more worthy of the title than the popes of
Rome?
10.Perdition is judgment (I Tim 6:9; Heb 10:39; II Pet 3:7), as John’s beast (Rev
17:8,11).
11.As Daniel taught Bible readers that started there, Jesus will destroy him at His
coming.
12.Antiochus, Nero, or Vespasian could not and did not fulfill any of his features here.
13.Preterism has been further refuted by the popes of Rome arising centuries after 70
A.D.
H. The man of sin cannot be Nero by any measure. For the descriptions Paul wrote about
this enemy cannot be applied to him or any Caesar; it is the popes.
1. We have established this certainty by the timing of Daniel 7 and its many
descriptions.
2. We will use Nero here for our comparison, as he is most commonly assumed by
preterists for this prophecy, and because any other Caesar has far less going for him
than this man.
3. He could only come after a falling away (2:3) – which was yet future even during
Nero’s last years (54-68), given by Paul’s prophecy of it (I Tim 4:1-3; II Tim 3:1 –
4:4; 4:16-17).
4. He was the man of sin (2:3) – which does not identify Nero or other Caesars like it
does the popes, who in personal and doctrinal perversion and persecution have
gorged on sin.
5. He was the son of perdition (2:3) – which title of Judas cannot apply to the pagan
Nero.
6. He would sit in the temple of God (2:4) – which is a church, as that was Paul’s
doctrine (I Cor 3:16; Eph 2:21; I Tim 3:15). This is an important distinction. Nero
nor any other Caesar ever sat in God’s temple. Note the Catholic dogma of ex
cathedra, which means the pope is infallible when sitting in the bishop’s seat. Find St.
Peter’s chair here.
 7. He would be against God, above God, and like God (2:4) – as evil as Nero was, his
vain titles and juvenile conduct do not even approach the divine presumptions of the
popes.
8. He was held back by a withholding power (2:6-8) – Nero was not held back, for he
was so immature and inexperienced when he did take office that his mother
Agrippina ruled; the popes were held back by the civil authority of the emperors until
deposed in 476 A.D.
9. He would be consumed by the spirit of the Lord’s mouth (2:8) – Nero committed
suicide; the gospel had no affect on him; the popes’ influence has been well curbed
by the gospel.
10.He would be destroyed with the brightness of Christ’s coming (2:8) – Nero died in 68
A.D., two years before even the preterist notion of Christ’s coming! The popes still
reign from Rome, and they will be destroyed at the second coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
11.He would arise through satanic signs and lying wonders (2:9) – neither Nero nor any
other Caesar had sign gifts or attempted such, but the “miracles” of the RCC are
Legion.
12.He would take leadership through great deception and delusion (2:10-12) – Nero did
not come to power any such way or ever use such to remain in power; the popes
have created more lies and more farfetched and unbelievable lies than any other
leader of any kind.
I. Preterists corrupt II Thess 2 as much as futurists do for their cause. Both must oppose
this passage for its order of events and timing of Christ’s coming.
1. The order – apostasy, man of sin, Christ’s return – is opposite the futurist order of
events.
2. Futurists lie by inventing Christ coming for His saints and separately with His saints!
3. They arrogantly concoct a “day of the Lord” as a separate coming from “day of
Christ.”
4. C.I. Scofield wrote in his introduction to II Thessalonians, “The theme of Second
Thessalonians is, unfortunately, obscured by a mistranslation in the A.V. of 2.2,
where ‘day of Christ is at hand’ (I Cor. 1.8, note) should be, ‘day of the Lord is now
present’ (Isa. 2.12, refs.). The Thessalonian converts were ‘shaken in mind’ and
‘troubled,’ supposing . . . that the persecutions from which they were suffering were
those of the ‘great and terrible day of the Lord,’ from which they had been taught to
expect deliverance by ‘the day of Christ, and our gathering together unto him’ (2.1).”
[SRB, 1271.]
5. Preterists must make the falling away identical with Matthew 24:11,24 in content and
timing, though Paul still saw it future at the end of his life (I Tim 4:1-6; II Tim 3:1 –
4:4).
6. Preterists must make the man of sin Nero, though he never sat in God’s temple, nor
was destroyed by Christ’s coming of any kind, nor differed that much from
predecessors, etc.
7. Preterists must ignore Daniel 7’s little horn of Rome here or corrupt it to Nero or
others.
8. Preterists force a 70 A.D. fulfillment on this passage, though the Thessalonians lived
1000 miles away and would not be affected by the destruction of Jerusalem at all.
J. Good commentaries on II Thess 2 will be of the historicist school. Both the preterist
and futurist schools of interpretation were invented by Jesuits to divert attention away
from the RCC and papacy as part of the Counter-Reformation.
1. The fourth section of Ralph Woodrow’s, “Great Prophecies of the Bible,” is excellent.
 2. For II Thess 2, see the author’s outline.
3. For II Thess 2, see Albert Barnes.
4. For II Thess 2, see John Gill.
5. For II Thess 2, see Adam Clarke’s appendix .
6. For II Thess 2, see Geneva Bible notes.

Preterism Refuted by Peter

A. Peter directly refuted Preterism (II Peter 3:1-17). Defending, explaining, and applying
Christ’s sure return, Peter proved it has not happened even yet!
1. What is preterism? That all prophecies are past, including the Day of Judgment,
destruction of the present heavens and earth, and introduction of a new heaven and
earth.
2. Peter flatly denied these ridiculous assertions by declaring the specific events yet
future and fully defining and explaining any timing misconceptions about their
occurrence.
B. Peter dealt directly with the timing of the second coming. Comparable to Paul in II
Thess 2, there could not be a plainer denial of preterism with signal events to prove
Jesus did not return in the first century or the twentieth century!
1. Peter by the Spirit took up the very argument of preterism, why is His coming
delayed?
2. Peter explained by definition and explanation that God’s timing is not ours for good
reason, strongly implying that Christ’s second coming was considerably off in the
future.
3. Peter described events connected to the Lord’s coming that certainly have not
happened.
C. Preterists are scoffers. Peter warned that scoffers would attack the timing of Christ’s
promised coming; Preterists do so by their first century non-event.
1. Peter wrote around 65 A.D. (before dying; 1:13-15), but the scoffers were future
(3:3,17).
2. With 70 A.D. months away, why bring up a 1000-year timing rule, if preterism was
true?
3. Preterists make their living by scoffing at the faith of all believers for the last 2000
years, who following apostolic religion looked for stupendous events with Jesus
Christ’s return.
4. These preterist scoffers, future to Peter, would take Christ’s promise of coming and
twist it to be a first century event, thus mocking anyone still looking for it after 70
A.D.
5. How can they scoff, since they are so wrong? Obsessing over their perverted timing
texts.
6. How can they scoff, since so wrong? Spiritualizing away texts like this to mean
nothing.
D. II Peter 3:1-13 burns down Preterism’s house of cards. Peter gave two timing
explanations and foretold a catastrophic event that is yet future in 2012.
1. He gave a rule of God’s perspective of time, and he explained why God delayed
events.
2. Every seeing and thinking Christian for the last 2000 years knew these events are
future.
 3. Every seeing and thinking Christian for the last 2000 years appreciated the time rule
here.
4. How would diligent holy living help Peter’s audience prepare for His coming with Titus
in 70 A.D. (3:12,14), since they lived 600 miles away over the Mediterranean (I Pet
1:1)?
5. How could they perish (3:9) so far away from the very localized events at Jerusalem?
6. The drivel and twaddle of these heretics are buried here as well as by Daniel and
Paul.
E. Preterists deny new heavens and a new earth. The Lord’s future return will destroy
and replace the present physical universe, which remains unfulfilled.
1. The context is clearly and only the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (3:4,9-
14).
2. The great events connected to His coming are the Day of Judgment of ungodly men
(3:7) and the total dissolution of the physical universe and replacement with a new
(3:7,10-14).
3. The parallel explanation is the destruction of the physical earth by water in Noah’s
time, which had been created and preserved by God’s word prior to His sending the
flood (3:5-6), with the creation declared in Genesis 1 and Psalm 33:6 and the Flood
in Genesis 6-9.
4. Even after He told Noah that He would destroy the earth with a flood – it took 120
years.
5. The heavens and earth that presently exist are kept by God’s word for destruction by
fire.
6. This destruction will take place in conjunction with the Day of Judgment of wicked
men.
7. There is absolutely no ground or room for introducing an irrelevant spiritual event,
unless one has a heretical agenda that is more important to him than submitting to
scripture.
8. The event must be a physical change of incredible proportions, for it is prophesied as
such in numerous places. See point E in the section above, Preterism Denies the
Gospel.
9. Peter addressed this audience about the change in covenant and worship (I Peter
2:4-10), but when he did so he used language that does not leave the matter in
doubt.
10.Paul wrote Jews about the new covenant as past (He 8:13; 9:10; 12:25-29; 13:9-10;
etc.).
11.Paul addressed mixed congregations about the changeover as past (Gal 4:21-31;
etc.).
12.The change here is yet future and cannot be religious or spiritual by clear
terminology, by the past actual change of covenants, and by the timing explanation
for a deferred coming.
13.The New Testament is a shaking of the heavens and earth (Hag 2:6-9), not a burning
and dissolving of the universe (3:10-12), and Paul said the former was past (Heb
12:26-29).
14.As Peter wrote in 3:16, Paul had also written about the renovation of the creation, to
a Jewish audience like Peter’s (Heb 1:10-12) and also to the Gentiles (Rom 8:18-23).
15.Peter also wrote of Paul dealing with these subjects in all his epistles, so we see
Pauline examples of a great physical change (Rom 8:18-23; I Cor 15:1-58; I Thess
4:13 – 5:11; Phil 3:21; Col 3:4; Heb 1:10-12; Acts 3:21), which was future then and
is still future now.
 16.Preterism is clearly refuted by the heavens and earth still kept in store long after 70
A.D.
F. Preterists deny the great Day of Judgment. The Lord’s future return will include a
great Day of Judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
1. These Bible corrupters audaciously eliminate the great Day of Judgment of Jesus
Christ.
2. See all that they deny with point D in the section above, Preterism Denies the
Gospel.
3. The Day of Judgment is the result of Christ’s coming upon the wicked (II Thess 1:7-
9), when they shall be destroyed with everlasting destruction for rejecting Christ’s
gospel.
4. But the same event of His coming will be for admiration by true believers (II Thess
1:10).
5. The gospel requires that both the dead and the living be judged at the same time,
which is at His coming (II Tim 4:1; Acts 10:42; I Pet 4:5), which did not occur at all
in 70 A.D.
6. The gospel requires that the outcome is damnation or eternal life (Matt 25:46; John
5:29).
7. A final judgment is basic to Christianity (Heb 6:1-3), so preterists are not true
Christians.
8. It is this final and eternal judgment considered here by virtue of men perishing (3:9).
9. Holy conversation and godly living is applied from the coming event (3:11), which
cannot refer to the little events of 70 A.D. affecting only those across the
Mediterranean.
10.Peter called for diligence to be blameless in light of this coming and its connected
events, which precludes the destruction of Jerusalem, since it would not affect them
at all.
11.Preterism is refuted by the Day of Judgment of all men dead and living being yet
future.
G. Preterists reject God’s timing rule. In defending and defining Christ’s return, Peter
gave an inspired timing rule that denies Preterist timing sound bites.
1. This important text (3:8) directly and specifically answers Preterist rants about
timing.
2. The Holy Spirit specifically emphasized this essential rule: “Beloved, be not ignorant
of this one thing.” This is the singular most important rule about the timing of Jesus
Christ’s coming and its attendant events, and honest and sincere saints will make it
most valuable.
3. Without their timing sound bites, which generally are timeless, they have no position.
4. The context is clearly and only the timing of the second coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
5. The Lord and the apostles, including Peter in I Peter 4:7, had prophesied such an
event.
6. The argument assumes some sort of delay, provoking scoffers, raising accusations of
slackness, and a need for Peter to comfort, instruct, and explain timing matters to
saints.
7. Regarding the timing of Christ’s coming, this is the most important rule for
Christians.
8. This rule is for believers, not scoffers, and it explains any promise and/or delay
questions.
 9. In general aspects of the timing of Christ’s return, God’s timing is quite unrelated to
ours.
10.What is shortly or at hand to us (vague terms to begin with, and as the O.T. shows
clearly can be long periods of time) is not so imminent or soon in the providence of
God.
11.How does preterist timing logic explain the PAST TENSE of glorified in Romans 8:30?
12.God does not communicate prophetically by our timing or by our verb tenses, as He
had explained earlier in Romans 4:17! Compare to Genesis 17:4-6 to see future verb
tenses.
13.1No matter what scoffers say, we know it will occur, though as a thief, when
unsuspected.
14.1When God specifies a prophetic length of time e.g. seventy weeks in Daniel 9, we
can calculate its duration, because it was for Daniel’s skill and understanding (Dan
9:20-27).
15.1But when God inspires His prophets to write a nonspecific, vague, indirect reference
to time e.g. shortly, soon, at hand, or quickly, we understand it by the rule of divine
perspective here for the considerations in the section above, Preterism Timing
Fallacies.
16.Preterism is silenced about timing texts by this inspired rule of time for Christ’s
coming.
H. Preterists reject God’s timing explanation. Why does Christ’s return linger in light of
His promise, so that a divine perspective on time had to be given?
1. The context is clearly and only the timing of the second coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
2. With scoffers mocking and God defending by a rule to extend timing, there is a
reason.
3. God is longsuffering while holding back coming judgment for His elect to repent
(3:9), for until each and every one of them has been regenerated, He cannot and will
not come.
4. The perishing here is primarily eternal by the context of the Day of Judgment, by the
burning up of the present earth, and by the intended effect of godly and holy living.
5. This perishing was not Jerusalem’s destruction, for Peter’s audience was in Asia
Minor.
6. This perishing was not the changeover of covenants, for how could that affect
believers?
7. He is not being slack about His word, as scoffing Preterists say for anything past 70
A.D.
8. The time delay tempting scoffers and necessitating 3:8 is for the saints’ salvation
(3:15).
9. Preterist scoffers count God slack (3:9), but believers account Him longsuffering
(3:15), which show the difference between faith-based, Spirit-led thinking and
agenda-bondage.
10.Peter acknowledged in 3:15 that Paul had written to this audience about the
longsuffering of God (compare Hebrews 4:1,11; 6:9-18; 10:35-39; 11:39-40; 12:1-
3; etc.).
11.Here is a precious declaration and example of God’s longsuffering and mercy toward
sinners. Consider yourself – how many times have you sinned, yet God has spared?
12.Preterism is silenced about delays by this inspired explanation for His beloved
children.
I. Preterists corrupt II Peter 3 in order to avoid the refutation of their heresy. Since the
renovation of the physical universe has not occurred, preterists must spiritualize it
away as Ellen White did the Great Disappointment of 1843/1844.
1. When William Miller’s prophecy proved as false as Harold Camping’s, a troubled little
girl named Ellen G. Harmon took up the explanation that Jesus had come! He came
to the heavenly sanctuary and cleansed it, and they invented the investigative
judgment heresy to bolster their heretical whitewashing of William Miller’s Legion of
errors in Daniel 8.
2. Though preterists can read Noah’s flood destroying the earth is the parallel event,
they insert a covenant changeover that is nonsensical in context (and had already
occurred!).
3. The type and antitype are the physical universe, but they replace it by a religious and
covenantal change from the Old Testament to the New, and God gave them
“elements” to deceive them (Gal 4:3,9; II Pet 3:10,12). Believe it, for God does such
(Ezek 14:1-11).
4. They do not dare here or in Hebrews 1:10-12 or in Romans 8:18-23 or in other
similar places admit a real event, for none has occurred in any respect, leaving their
70 A.D. hallucinations entirely bankrupt of meaning, purpose, reality, substance, or
validity!
5. They mock any use of 3:8 to differentiate human and divine time reckoning, for even
the slightest concession would crush their total dependence on their timing phrase
mantras.
6. The exhortations and warnings of 3:11-17 are worthless from a preterist perspective,
because the events are 2000 years old, and this world is here forever for you to
enjoy!
J. Preterists destroy the fabulous application of this prophecy for holiness. Since they
deny any future event as described, there is no reason to take the warning and
exhortation serious, or even to receive it as helpful at all.
1. Consider II Peter 3:11,14,17-18 and the clear warning and exhortation to careful
living.
2. Preterists, by spiritualizing this event away, and by putting the Day of Judgment in
70 A.D., remove all the teeth (and every other part of a mouth) from this pressing
passage.
3. There was no event to fear for Peter’s audience in Asia Minor around 70 A.D., for the
destruction of Jerusalem was quite irrelevant to them other than a fulfilled prophecy.
4. Since this is all past for us Gentiles, and actually all that was ever intended was a
change in covenants from Old to New, there is no incentive to care or to alter our
lives … at all!
K. Good commentaries on II Peter 3 will be the historicist (or futurist) school. We may
include futurists here, for they are not so bold and deluded as to deny the renovation
of the physical universe clearly described and required here.
1. That John Owen lost his mind here does not prove anything beyond the fact that he
was very human. He could thus corrupt this passage and still write The Death of
Death!
2. For II Peter 3, see Albert Barnes.
3. For II Peter 3, see Adam Clarke.
4. For II Peter 3, see John Gill.
5. For II Peter 3, see Geneva Bible notes.
6. For II Peter 3, see Matthew Henry.
7. For II Peter 3, see Jamieson, et al.
Preterism Refuted by Roman Catholicism

A. Roman Catholicism is Bible Christianity’s greatest enemy. Any prophetic scheme that
has no place or warning of this devilish fiend hiding under the cloak of apostolic
authority as a church of Jesus Christ is a bankrupt scheme.
1. Is this eisegesis rather than exegesis? Read on and find out, if you truly believe the
Bible.
2. In magnitude, duration, debauchery, heresy, compromise, and violence, the Jews of
Jerusalem, the pagan Roman Empire, and all individual Caesars do not even come
close.
3. There has been no other enemy that has corrupted more doctrine, presumed more
preeminence, and killed more Christians than the so-called Mother Church in Rome.
4. For aged John to wonder with great admiration at Revelation 17:1-6 proves it was
most definitely not merely Jewish or merely Roman, for he knew those little enemies
well.
5. To suggest anything else as the prophetic adversary of Christianity is ignorant
thinking.
B. Preterism has no role for Roman Catholicism. Cramming every prophecy into 70 A.D.,
they ignore its origin, rise, heresies, persecutions, or destruction.
1. If preterism is true, the Bible misses a very important issue for Christians after
Pentecost.
2. If preterism is true, the Bible only sees Jews and their enemies, not Christians and
theirs.
3. It is discouraging to read their exaggerated descriptions of Nero, Vespasian, or Titus,
who were minor enemies of Christians, and combined they never came close to
Rome’s popes.
4. The silence about Roman Catholicism is deafening – they are meticulous to avoid
mentioning it, for the historicist school of prophetic interpretation is their greatest
enemy.
C. Preterism ignores the biggest prophetic enemy! The largest, most corrupting, most
presumptuous, most persecuting, and longest-lasting enemy of Jesus Christ and His
saints is entirely ignored by Preterists! Who bought them off?
1. Since all the martyrs knew their RCC enemy was the man of sin, why not consider it?
2. How can Bible readers get worked up over little enemies of Christ and miss the
biggest?
3. Both prophecies and doctrinal instruction deal often with this evil enemy of the
church.
4. Church history for 1200+ years dealt with the RCC only – Jews and Rome were gone!
D. Preterism was invented and systematized by a Jesuit. There is a reason that preterism
misses the Roman church and papacy as enemies of the gospel – it was a Jesuit that
designed their prophetic scheme for that very purpose.
1. Luis del Alcazar (1554-1613) wrote a commentary on Revelation, Vestigatio arcani
sensus in Apocalypsi, which was published in 1614, as part of the Counter-
Reformation.
2. Try to find anyone before that date that ran everything into 70 A.D. and ignored the
pope.
3. Preterists are quick to show the RCC origin of futurism, while also embracing Jesuits!
4. For more about Rome’s role in prophetic heresy.
E. All roads lead to Rome. A study of Daniel 7 and II Thessalonians 2, dealt with earlier in
this study, point clearly and exclusively to the RCC and papacy as the greatest enemy
of the saints of the most high God.
1. See the sections above, Preterism Refuted by Daniel, and, Preterism Refuted by Paul.
2. Compare this simple schematic of Bible chapters all pointing to papal Rome by
various combinations of the same descriptors.
F. Preterism rejects ministerial faithfulness. Paul told Timothy good ministers will preach
against Roman Catholic heresies (I Tim 4:1-6), which Preterists never do, as they are
too busy quoting their timing verses and studying Nero.
1. The prophesied heresies of I Timothy 4:1-3 are long after 70 A.D., for Paul wrote this
pastoral epistle in the mid-60’s, expressly stating that this apostasy was still in the
future.
2. Even little knowledge of church history shows these heresies were centuries in the
future, as they were unknown before 70 A.D., and they only gained popularity
centuries later.
3. Paul specifically lauded ministers of the gospel that would preach against these
heresies repeatedly, thus keeping such doctrinal departures fresh in their hearers’
consciences.
4. How bad is Catholicism? See here.
5. The Bible is an anti-Catholic book, for its prophecies identify this man of sin and great
whore, and its doctrinal instruction corrects Catholic practices on many unique
heresies.
6. Here is a sample of Bible verses that can be identified as directed mainly at
Catholicism.
a. I Timothy 4:1-3 condemns required celibacy as a latter-times doctrine of the devil.
b. I Timothy 4:1-3 condemns required fasting from meats as a doctrine of the devil.
c. Matthew 6:7 condemns the Rosary for its vain and repetitive prayers like the
heathen.
d. Luke 11:27-28 condemns Mariolatry and exalts true Bible Christians over Mary.
e. John 20:6-7 condemns the Shroud of Turin as absolutely and totally fraudulent.
f. Matthew 26:27 condemns withholding the cup from the laity. See Luke 22:17-20.
g. I Corinthians 9:5 condemns required celibacy, as Peter their first pope had a wife!
h. II Thessalonians 2:4 condemns the infallible ex cathedra declarations of the popes.
i. Matthew 23:5 condemns their religious garments for a public display of holiness.
j. Matthew 23:9 condemns their titular use of “Father” for priests and other clergy.
k. I Corinthians 7:1-5 condemns celibacy as the cause for their sodomy and pedophilia.
l. Jeremiah 44:15-27 condemns their pagan name for Mary of Queen of Heaven.
m. Matthew 12:46-50 condemns their notion of Mary’s preeminence. Compare John
2:4.
n. Luke 1:47 condemns their heresy of immaculate conception … of sinless Mary.
o. Matthew 1:25 condemns their heresy of Mary’s perpetual virginity. See Psalm 69:8-
9.
p. Hebrews 9:27 condemns their assumption of Mary’s assumption into heaven.
q. Mark 7:6-13 condemns their exaltation of human tradition over God’s word.
r. Acts 17:11 condemns their prohibition of the Bible from their members by law.
s. Matthew 23:33 condemns their invention of purgatory between heaven and hell.
t. Job 32:21-22 condemns their use of exalted titles for any man, including their
popes.
u. Psalm 111:9 condemns their use of “Reverend” for their priests and other clergy.
v. Matthew 5:32 condemns their prohibition of divorce for any cause. See I Cor 7:15.
 w. I Timothy 2:5 condemns their priests for ever acting as mediators in forgiving sins.
x. Exodus 20:1-17 condemns their images and their perverted Ten Commandments.

Preterism Refuted by History

A. Historical Orthodoxy. No one in church history, regardless of where you look, believed
the incredible leaps of Preterists to force every prophecy into 70 A.D.
1. Christianity has always promised Christ’s return, a resurrection, Day of Judgment,
etc.
2. No creed or confession of any church or churches at anytime included Preterist
doctrine.
3. While we do not measure orthodoxy by church history, nevertheless it is a prudent
check.
4. What may appear to be historical exceptions to this rule were partial Preterists, if
studied.
5. The audacity of preterists to ignore this overwhelming testimony of church history
shows their arrogant rebellion and profane disrespect for scripture and the kingdom
of Christ.
B. Historical Events. First century history does not even mention the Lord’s return, a
bodily resurrection, a Day of Judgment, the universe renovated, etc.
1. Preterists declare loudly how God raised up Josephus to confirm Jerusalem’s
destruction.
2. They will use the historian Eusebius to confirm that many saints left Jerusalem for
Pella.
3. Why silence for a long list of events that individually were greater than the city
falling?
4. Why total silence from John, Polycarp, Irenaeus, Clement of Rome, Eusebius, etc.,
etc.?
5. How could the early disciples and fathers entirely miss the facts that Jesus had
returned as promised? That they and their teachers had been resurrected and
judged? That they were living in the new heavens and earth? That they were now
free of Satan and sin?
C. Worldwide ignorance. The gospel was preached throughout the world in Paul’s day (Col
1:6,23; etc.), yet no one ever heard of preterism until a few since the 17th century
and a very few others in recent decades.
1. Other than Paul’s condemnation of heresy from Hymenaeus and Philetus, there is
silence.
2. There is also silence in church history about the heresy of circumcision for salvation,
as Paul and Jerusalem’s council had effectively destroyed it.
3. After Paul’s general epistles with their prophecies and his ministerial epistles with
their condemnation of Hymenaeus, the heresy of preterism was also dead.

Preterism Refuted by the Gentiles

A. There were more than Jews living in 70 A.D. If Jews were 1% of the population, the
profound events prophesied did not affect the other 99%.
1. This is the case, even though the apostolic age became the time of the Gentiles (Acts
1:8).
 2. Paul’s epistles were to Gentile churches, but there is no recorded fulfillment of
prophetic events that affected them, other than those after 70 A.D. maintained by
historicists.
3. Paul, the apostle of the Gentiles (Rom 11:13; 15:16-19), did not mention Jerusalem’s
desolation to a Gentile audience other than his brief note in I Thessalonians 2:14-16.
B. Jerusalem’s destruction did not affect the world. It happened fast enough with only a
few legions involved that most Gentiles gave it little thought.
1. For nearly 2000 years of the times of the Gentiles, Jerusalem’s destruction has not
altered any of their lives, and the events preterists tie together with 70 A.D. never
occurred.
2. If all was finished at Jerusalem in 70 A.D., what can be identified as happening for or
to the Gentiles? Nothing! So the greater part of the kingdom in size and duration is
ignored!
3. Though we may call this an appearing or coming of Christ (in judgment), yet it
included none of the features or attendant events that Paul prophesied would affect
the Gentiles.
C. Preterism denies Gentile prophetic relevance. This in spite of many prophecies in both
testaments of the salvation of the Gentile nations.
1. Daniel’s first two visions include Gentile world history past 70 A.D. (chapters 2 and
7).
2. The stone that smashed Nebuchadnezzar’s image filled the whole earth (Daniel
2:35).
3. The saints of the most high in Daniel 7 cannot be the Jews and became such after 70
A.D.
4. See previous sections about Daniel and Paul that prove Gentile events long after 70
A.D.
D. Preterism misses an important parable. Jesus in Matt 22:1-14 covered Jews and
Gentiles, with the events of 70 A.D. being merely the timeline’s midpoint.
1. The Jews made light of Christ’s kingdom and God burned up their city (Matthew
22:1-7).
2. After this event – yes, after 70 A.D. – God sent forth His ambassadors to call the
Gentiles to the kingdom of Messiah, which terminated with eternal judgment (Matt
22:8-14)!
3. In the scriptures, this is the times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24), which preterists
ignore.
4. This long period of time for Gentile persons included many stupendous events
foretold by Paul to them, which never occurred in 70 A.D. or since, in agreement with
orthodoxy.
E. When did Jesus judge all the nations as sheep or goats? Matthew 25:31-46 is not a
Jewish judgment – it is eternal life or eternal damnation of nations.
1. It clearly depicts Jesus sitting in glory and judgment on his throne against all nations.
2. The result is not the destruction of a city by siege but eternal punishment with the
devil.
F. What did Jesus mean by a Day of Judgment for Gentile cities? In Mat
10:15 and 11:22, He spoke of judging Sodom, Gomorrha, Tyre, and Sidon. When?
1. When would Sodom and Gomorrha be judged in the future? It was surely not in 70
A.D.
2. The destruction of Jerusalem did not have any effect on these cities, past or then
present.
G. When did the Day of Judgment affecting the Athenians occur? In Acts 17:31, Paul
declared that God had made Jesus judge of the world. When?
1. Paul’s audience and terminology was not Jewish whatsoever, but rather about
Gentiles.
2. The destruction of Jerusalem did not have any effect on Athens or other Gentile
cities.
H. Jesus and Paul had different audiences. They spoke at different times to different men
with different messages.
1. Jesus was a minister to the Jews (Matt 15:24; Rom 15:8; John 1:11; Acts 3:26; Gal
4:4).
2. Paul was apostle to the Gentiles (Rom 11:13; 15:16-19; Ac 22:21; 26:17; Gal
1:16; 2:7).
3. Christ’s prophecies had Israel as object, emphasizing 70 A.D., like Daniel chapters 8-
12.
4. Paul’s prophecies emphasized the church and world by later events, like Daniel 2 and
7.
5. This is a key reason to divide Christ’s prophesied coming from that of Paul, especially
since Paul said it was not at hand, though much of Christ’s “generation” had passed.
6. Matthew 24:34 cannot be used to pound Paul’s prophecies into a first century
fulfillment.
7. For differences between Jesus and Paul: Jesus or Paul?

Preterism Refuted By Itself

A. Baptism is obsolete! These hypocrites are baptized and tell others to do so, which is a
clear and powerful symbol of the future resurrection of the dead!
1. If you ever met a consistent preterist (their chosen name), they would reject
baptism, for it symbolizes Jesus Christ’s bodily resurrection and our own (I Pet
3:21; Rom 6:3-6).
2. Paul argued, if there is no future resurrection of the dead, baptism had no role or
value.
3. Or, if the resurrection was between I Cor 15 and now, baptism has no role or value
today!
4. The Mormon text is truly Baptist, “Else what shall they do which are baptized for the
dead, if the dead rise not at all? why are they then baptized for the dead?” (I Cor
15:29).
5. Paul illustrated this inspired means of reasoning with preterist heretics – their
eschatological error ruined the simple gospel ordinance of water baptism by
immersion!
B. Communion is obsolete! These hypocrites sit at the Lord’s Supper, where the inspired
declaration is made, “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew
the Lord’s death till he come” (I Cor 11:26).
1. If you met a consistent preterist (their chosen name), they must reject communion,
for they would not keep communion with this apostolic goal of a future coming after
70 A.D.
2. For, if Jesus Christ finally returned in Jerusalem’s fires in 70 A.D., communion has no
role or value today in the sense that Paul gave it in I Corinthians 11:26!
C. Marriage is obsolete! Since Jesus taught there is no marriage in the resurrection (Matt
22:30), and since Preterists teach the resurrection occurred in 70 A.D., you did not
actually marry and are not married now!
1. Since preterists are the modern counterpart to the Sadducees of our Lord’s time,
they deserve to take the same rhetorical heat that Jesus poured on the Sadducees.
2. In what sense are preterists like the angels, since Jesus declared this would be the
result of the resurrection? But we have not met a single preterist with a single
similarity!
D. Death is destroyed! The last enemy to be destroyed is death at Christ’s coming (I Cor
15:23-26); since Preterists teach He came in 70 A.D., why do they die?
1. This is more than death’s legal claims destroyed, for He did that in 30 A.D. (II Tim
1:10).
2. These jokers play games with scripture, but we deny their absurd and profane claims.
3. Since all is fulfilled, where is their Christ’s great victory over death and the grave?
4. When will their Second Adam undo the effects of the first Adam? They are ridiculous!
E. No judgment for rejecting Preterism. Since there is no future judgment, for it occurred
in 70 A.D., there is no fear to reject this heresy, since no one will ever have to give
account of himself to God or Christ for denying it or anything else.
1. The implications of no future accountability or judgment, which preterists hold as part
of their heterodoxy, may be used to ridicule them numerous different ways.
2. There will never be another Paul, for no one will or should labor as diligently, since
there is no resurrection as reward (I Cor 15:58) or judgment as incentive (II Cor 5:9-
11).
3. The judgment seat of Christ and other warnings of accountability and judgment are
past.
F. Perspicuity of Scripture. Is scripture clear and understandable? If preterists are right,
no one had a clue about the Bible until a few wild radicals today.
1. Preterists hold that every N.T. reader knew exactly what they now teach, but no
Christian in history since them thought the Lord had returned, the resurrection had
occurred, etc.
2. If no one believed Preterist conclusions before now, how can the Bible ever be rightly
understood, since all the saints for 2000 years had no clue of what preterists teach?
This point is even truer now, since none of scripture applies to us living beyond 70
A.D.!
3. No one in the first century believed preterist fulfillments, for they looked to the
future, as this document proves, thus preserving the perspicuity and integrity of
scripture.
G. A very quick Millennium! Preterists say John wrote Revelation about 65 A.D., but he
wrote that a 1000-year millennium preceded the Day of Judgment (Rev 20); how can
they squeeze a 1000-year event into their “quickly” scheme?
1. Remember, they are sticklers for timing phrases … except here, where they are
caught!
2. Applying their dogmatic arrogance, there is no way 1000 years occurred in 5 years!
H. Why do Preterists labor? Since the resurrection is the reward for labor on earth (I Cor
15:58), and since Preterists follow Hymenaeus in saying that the resurrection is past,
how can it be a reward for those living after 70 A.D.?
1. Paul believed and taught the resurrection of his body was a great reward (II Cor 5:1-
4).
2. He was not satisfied to go to heaven in his spirit and be without his body for eternity.
 3. Of course, since there was no resurrection of dead bodies in 70 A.D., preterists must
spiritualize the resurrection, I Corinthians 15, and any other place that has
resurrection.
I. Ministerial Succession. Paul told Timothy to commit the body of Paul’s public preaching
to faithful men who would in turn convey it to others (II Tim 2:2).
1. Since most of what Paul wrote was about 70 A.D., at least on every page, according
to J. Stuart Russell in The Parousia, how were second-generation preachers to
declare Paul’s prophecies and warnings, since not a single one of them was any
longer applicable?
2. Since Timothy obeyed Paul’s instruction, and ministerial succession has occurred over
the last 2000 years, why have there been no ministers preaching preterist doctrine?
J. An Overreaction. New drivers may over-steer to avoid danger in one direction, so can
undisciplined Bible students overreact when leaving heresy.
1. Futurism’s ignorance of the Bible and history and their wild speculations about the
future with failed prophecies cause some to overcompensate when pursuing prophetic
truth.
2. Futurism is an extreme – every prophecy is for the future – requiring much
correction.
3. But turning too sharply from one error can easily point you in the direction of
another.
4. Preterists, excited with historicism’s truth, over-compensated to another, worse
extreme.
K. Audience Exclusivity. Preterists assume and argue that Paul’s use of first person
pronouns limit his prophecies to him and his audience e.g. 70 A.D.
1. Many preterists were or are Campbellites; they have heard a foolish little ditty as
children that runs like this: the Bible means what it says and says what it means.
Sound good?
2. They claim Paul believed he would be caught up in the air at the coming of Jesus
Christ by including himself in the first person, plural pronoun we (I Thessalonians
4:15-17).
3. But Paul also used we for being dead and raised and changed in I Cor
6:14 and 15:51-52!
L. Audience relevance. Preterists assume and argue that all original audiences of N.T.
epistles had perfect understanding of the epistle.
1. They do this to magnify the value of their timing sound bites of at hand and such like.
2. Yet Peter said Paul’s epistles had things hard to grasp by their readers (II Pet 3:15-
16).
3. If this point of theirs is true, then the Bible has been quite worthless for two
millennia.
M. Preterists Unchanged. Christ’s second coming will radically and forever change our vile
bodies (Phil 3:20-21; I Cor 15:51; Col 3:4), and preterists claim Christ came in 70
A.D., but their bodies are no more changed and glorious than was the most deformed
wretch in the Old Testament.
1. Their games in the word of God about 70 A.D. events are not supported by the
evidence.
2. Their Christ is quite powerless, for His coming did nothing at all except to a little city.
N. Is Partial-Preterism Possible? A partial preterist interpreting Revelation as a first-
century prophecy due to so-called timing statements may end up a full preterist or be
inconsistent. They are clearly wrong by Daniel 7 and II Thess 2.
O. Association with Universalism. The history and nature of preterism includes
connections with universalism.
1. Research indicates a connection.
2. By forcing certain prophecies e.g. Romans 8:18-23 and I Corinthians 15 to have
different meanings than intended, it is only inconsistency that keeps preterists from
universalism.
3. Church of Christ preterists like Max and Tim King are universalists by their doctrine.
4. If the law of sin and death was destroyed in 70 A.D., there is nothing to condemn
men.
P. Arrogance. Preterism tends toward arrogance, as is often admitted, which is a grave
danger, especially when you deny the resurrection of the dead.
1. It takes conceit to blow off all the faith and learning of Christians for 2000 years and
concoct a scheme that turns many well-known passages upside down (Prov 26:12).
2. When the general depth of learning and study is quoting sound bites (their timing
texts) to prove the overthrow of the N.T., preterism further appeals to the baser sort.
Q. Parousia is a deceitful distraction. Why use the word? Because they are trying to bake
more into Christ’s coming in judgment in 70 A.D. than scripture says.
1. Tell the truth or lie in English, but do not lie to me in Greek or any other lost
language.
2. The word simply and only means the second coming of Jesus Christ. Why complicate
it?
3. Do not use the word, as Russell does 500 times, to imply an event more than a
coming.
4. This superstitious obsession with a word includes the Sabbatarians with advent,
Pentecostals with charisma, Reformed with their solas, etc.
R. Preterists are condemned by association. Examining their doctrine and practice in
church history shows them aligned with heretics, not the orthodox.
1. First, they are quasi-gnostic. Why? For two reasons. The first is that they do not
believe the physical body, or physical world, is important enough to be redeemed
from corruption.
2. Second, they believe their full-preterist gnosis has been hidden from the whole
Christian community for two millennia, and that only they have seen the light,
starting with J. Stuart Russell in the late nineteenth century. The rest of benighted
Christendom has missed it.
3. A second naughty name to apply to the consistently foolish preterists is quasi-
Manichean. The original Manicheans believed that evil existed coeternally with the
good, and since we are now in the preterist universe as it shall always be, we have
evil and good coexistent.
4. A third naught name is quasi-liberal. Whether politics or religion, the liberal operates
from the dark side. Heretical preterists differ from liberals in some areas.
Hyperpreterists believe in the virgin birth, the inerrancy of Scripture, the physical
resurrection of Jesus, etc. But notice how many beliefs they have in common with
theological liberals: (1) no visible return of Jesus, (2) no physical resurrection of the
believer, (3) no Judgment Day at the end of the world, (4) the world will go on
forever and ever until it peters out, (5) the devil is not active today in the world, and
(6) the miraculous is not active today in the church.
5. For the four points above and similar reasoning, see here.

Preterism Refuted by Scripture

A. This is not a repeat of preterism refuted by the gospel above. The Scriptures have
stated or implied features and purposes that deny the validity of preterism.
B. Bible Traps. God inspired scripture to conceal truth from enemies and reveal it to
saints. Preterist sound bites of first century imminency, various comings of the Lord,
and the crucial need for right divisions are a few examples.
1. The Bible seems to teach heresies, which trip the ungodly and unlearned (II Peter
3:16).
2. Consider verses implying baptism saves, salvation can be lost, an Arminian gospel,
etc.
3. For extensive proof of this point, that the Bible is written to confuse those
approaching it incorrectly, see.
4. Since Paul in II Thess 2:1-3 and Peter in II Peter 3:7-9 deny preterist imminency
verses, then we know the imminent sound bites they scrounge up are there for their
destruction.
5. Why does the Bible describe multiple comings of Christ? To confuse the
presumptuous.
6. Where did Paul command to rightly divide the scriptures? When he condemned the
first preterist – Hymenaeus (II Tim 2:15)! God’s disapproval of preterists and their
doctrinal shame is due to their inability to divide similar things, let alone rightly
divide them.
C. Rightly dividing scripture. Paul gave a valuable rule of hermeneutics that can save you
from the preterist penchant to combine similar things (II Tim 2:15).
1. Paul would not have told Timothy to divide scripture unless there were divisions
needed.
2. The context of this interpretive rule is the heresy of Preterism introduced by
Hymenaeus.
3. Similar or identical words may not mean the same thing in different places or
contexts.
4. Consider different ways God or Jesus can come.
5. Consider laying on of hands (Neh 13:21; Acts 4:3; 13:3; 8:17; Luke 13:13; I Tim
5:22).
6. For example, signs and wonders in Matt 24 and II Thess 2 do not require the same
event.
7. There are many kinds of death and resurrection in the Bible; they must be rightly
divided.
8. The author has much more material on this valuable point in his outline of
hermeneutics.
9. It is much easier to be a “consistent preterist,” as they call themselves, and never
divide.
10.It also sounds more legitimate to never divide, but to connect all same or similar
words.
11.Yet, the rule from heaven for scripture is plain to please God and avoid doctrinal
shame.
12.Preterism rejects the obvious divisions of coming events, for they are not all the
same.
D. Comparing spiritual things with spiritual. An interpretive rule of the Bible is to compare
the words and concepts of the Spirit to arrive at truth (I Cor 2:13).
1. The Holy Spirit often used words with spiritual or other senses different than our
usage.
 2. Preterists, especially J. Stuart Russell, are obsessed with natural comparisons of
words.
3. Similar or even identical words do not mean different passages or events are the
same.
4. For example, II Pet 3:8 gave a rule how to view the timing of the Lord’s second
coming.
5. For example, the O.T.’s use of imminent phrases teach us their wide latitude of
meaning.
6. For example, the timing of the falling away of II Thess 2:3 can be discovered by
finding Paul’s other expressions for the same event e.g. depart from the faith (I Tim
4:1) and turn away their ears from the truth (II Tim 4:4), both of which were yet
future in 65 A.D.
E. Importance of Daniel. Rather than speculate on the symbols of Revelation, students of
prophetic interpretation should start with Daniel and move forward.
1. It is very common for foolish novices to ask many unlearned questions from
Revelation.
2. It would be better for them to read Daniel and build up some prophetic interpretive
skills.
3. Daniel’s prophecies were quite fulfilled by 70 A.D. (chs. 8-12), so much can be
learned.
4. Daniel identified John’s beast and Paul’s man of sin in a short outline of Gentile
history.
5. Jesus said knowing Daniel would help understanding of the Olivet discourse (Mat
24:15).
F. Preterism denies its own hermeneutic. No one yells louder and longer about the plain
and literal meaning of words than preterists, but they are inconsistent.
1. Preterists demand that at hand means tomorrow, for their house of cards is based on
this and other sound bites of imminency, yet they will violently corrupt it in II Thess
2:2.
2. Read them in Romans 8, I Corinthians 15, or II Peter 3 … no one ever allegorized
more!
G. Preterist audience relevance reduces the Bible to a confused history book. Preterists
limit scripture’s statements and application to only its first readers.
1. If they cannot find a timing text, they limit passages to the writer and his primary
readers.
2. Their idea of I John 3:2 required Jesus to appear while John and his audience were
living, or John would have written about future Christians being like Him and seeing
Him, and they say this without regard for 2000 years of non-preterist believers taking
it personally.
3. If we follow this preterist rule in Paul’s epistles, we find him declaring that he would
be alive at Christ’s return (I Thess 4:15-17) and that he would be dead (I Cor 6:14).
4. How about Moses? His direct hearers never came close to the prophecy (Deut 4:25-
26).
5. They say prophecy had primary, if not exclusive, value for those reading it and no
others!
6. Thus the Bible is reduced by necessity to a book without a word for saints for 2000
years!
7. If all expectant passages have already been fulfilled, what has been left for 2000
years?
 8. If audience relevance is a proper rule of hermeneutics, then Isaiah 53:1-6 would
have Jesus coming and dying in the 7th century B.C., which is not even close to the
facts.
9. Jonathan Edwards suggested Genesis 50:25 for these superstitious Bible corrupters,
where Joseph instructed his brothers regarding his burial, “‘God will surely visit you,
and ye shall carry up my bones from hence.’ He does not say, God shall visit your
posterity, and they shall carry up my bones from hence. Yet it cannot be argued, that
Joseph concluded that the redemption out of Egypt would be in that generation.” We
say, Amen.
10.Paul wrote Corinth about Jesus dying for our sins (I Cor 15:3) and we shall all be
changed (I Cor 15:51), which is equally extensive in both places – all Jesus died for
shall be changed! To limit either one of these statements to the Corinthians only is
absurd.
11.The facts – no occurrence of the needed events in the first century – prove them
wrong.
H. What good is Scripture? Since all important things occurred in 70 A.D., there was
nothing in the canon for believers for 2000 years. We need a new Bible!

Preterism Refuted by Futurism

A. Futurism is not nearly as bad. Preterists are often the result of futurists crawling out of
their ditch of error, crossing the road of truth, and falling into a deeper and more
heretical ditch on the other side.
1. As bad as futurism is, and it is a harebrained scheme of science fiction speculation
with indeterminate gaps stuck into prophetic timelines, it still is not as bad as
preterism.
2. Hebrews 6:1-3 lists principles of the doctrine of Christ – preterists reject two of them,
condemning themselves as not even being Christians in the basic sense of the
description.
3. Preterism denies fundamental axioms of Christianity e.g. physical return of Jesus
Christ, resurrection of all dead bodies, Day of Judgment, renovation of the universe,
etc., etc.
4. Futurism, while confusing events, aggressively maintains all these tenets of the faith.
5. The bottom line is that Hal Lindsey and Tim LaHaye have exceeded Max King, Don
Preston, or other full preterists in Biblical understanding and Christian eschatology.
B. Fellowship with futurists is possible, but not with preterists. Though agreeing to
disagree agreeably is not a Bible mode of unity, it could possibly work with futurists,
for they do not deny the principles of Jesus Christ’s gospel.

Preterism Is Anti-Christian Heresy

A. It was invented by the antichrist. Modern preterism came from Jesuit pens working to
distract and divert attention away from the RCC as the antichrist.
1. See the “History” section above in the introductory material about the rise of
preterism.
2. The man of sin is the most deceived and deceiving character in history (II Thess 2:9-
12).
B. Any connection to Hymenaeus is severe. Paul did not say anything positive about this
doctrine, but he instead censured the heretic and heresy severely.
1. See the “Origins” section above in the introductory material about the rise of
preterism.
2. His blasphemous violation of the apostolic faith was an ungodly cancer and profane
and vain babblings that subverted and overthrew believers (I Tim 1:18-20; II Tim
2:14-18).
C. It denies the principles of the doctrine of Christ. Paul’s short list of basic gospel
components includes two crucial principles preterists deny (Heb 6:1-3).
1. These axioms of Christianity are necessary for an eschatological scheme to be
Christian.
2. It is by these principles of Christ that we can elevate futurism over preterism as
Christian.
3. For more on this important point, see argument #1 above, Preterism Denies the
Gospel.
D. Preterists are Sadducees. This liberal sect of the Jews’ religion denied spirit and
resurrection, but Jesus confounded their folly and Paul voted for Pharisees.
1. Jesus confounded them in Matt 22:23-33, and Paul voted against them in Acts 23:6-
8.
2. Preterists say they believe in the resurrection, but they deny it Biblically and
historically.
3. Bible resurrection is of the body; history proves it yet future; so they make it
spiritual.
E. There is no middle ground. Preterism, by denying basic facts of the Christian faith,
must be rejected. It cannot be tolerated in any sense as an alternative.
1. You are either a Christian or a preterist, for they are antithetical and exclude each
other.
2. If you are a preterist, you are a heretic. If a heretic, you are to be marked and
avoided.
F. Are Preterists Hymenaean? Hymenaeus was the first preterist regarding the
resurrection, and Paul treated him by the Spirit as we should treat preterists.
1. Read I Timothy 1:18-20 and II Timothy 2:14-18 for history of this man and his
heresy.
2. Hymenaeus did not deny the resurrection of Christ, for it was not heresy for it to be
past.
3. Hymenaeus likely did not claim bodily resurrection past, for he himself was yet
present.
4. Therefore, we conclude Hymenaeus likely taught a past spiritual raising, like
Preterists.
5. We cannot allow preterists to avoid the stigma of this man and his damnable heresy.
6. Here is Dee Dee Warren’s efforts to prove this point: .
G. Preterism and Universalism are connected. Why are preterism and universalism
connected? Both utilize a presumptuous and profane hermeneutic.
1. Though beyond this study, see here.
2. Beyond this study, see here.
3. There is much more information available about this connection to those pursuing it.
4. The spiritualization of passages like Romans 8:17-23 and I Corinthians 15 in a 70
A.D. paradigm leads to universalism, for it is primarily inconsistency that keeps one
from it.
 5. What is so bad about universalism? It is historically and hermeneutically anti-
Christian.
H. How is preterism less heretical than Mormonism? It is hard to say. Both are fictional
accounts of human history with a distorted view of the future.
I. I would they were cut off. How much mercy and patience should we have for
preterists? As much as Paul had for the Jewish legalists infecting Galatia!
1. What did he say about them? I wish they were cut off – meaning their death (Gal
5:12).
2. There is also the desire for them to be exposed and excommunicated (Gal 1:8; I Co
5:13).

Miscellaneous Considerations

A. Charles Spurgeon on James Stuart Russell’s, “The Parousia.” The full review by
Spurgeon is quite different from what is often excerpted by Preterists.
1. Here is the excerpt they often use to promote Russell and his book, “…it has so much
of truth in it, and throws so much new light upon obscure portions of the Scriptures,
and is accompanied with so much critical research and close reasoning, that it can be
injurious to none and may be profitable to all.”
2. Here is the whole review from Spurgeon’s, “The Sword and the Trowel,” October,
1878, “The second coming of Christ according to this volume had its fulfillment in the
destruction of Jerusalem and the establishment of the gospel dispensation. That the
parables and predictions of our Lord had a more direct and exclusive reference to
that period than is generally supposed, we readily admit; but we were not prepared
for the assignment of all references to a second coming in the New Testament, and
even in the Apocalypse itself, to so early a fulfillment. All that could be said has been
said in support of this theory, and much more than ought to have been said. In this
the reasoning fails. In order to concentrate the whole prophecies of the Book of
Revelation upon the period of the destruction of Jerusalem it was needful to assume
this book to have been written prior to that event, although the earliest ecclesiastical
historians agree that John was banished to the isle of Patmos, where the book was
written, by Domitian, who reigned after Titus, by whom Jerusalem was destroyed.
Apart from this consideration, the compression of all the Apocalyptic visions and
prophecies into so narrow a space requires more ingenuity and strength than that of
men and angels combined. Too much stress is laid upon such phrases as ‘The time is
at hand,’ ‘Behold I come quickly,’ whereas many prophecies of Scripture are
delivered as present or past, as ‘unto us a child IS born,’ &c., and ‘Surely he HATH
borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.’ Amidst the many comings of Christ spoken
of in the New Testament that which is spoken of as a second, must, we think, be
personal, and thus similar to the first; and such too must be the meaning of ‘his
appearing.’ Though the author’s theory is carried too far, it has so much of truth in it,
and throws so much new light upon obscure portions of the Scriptures, and is
accompanied with so much critical research and close reasoning, that it can be
injurious to none and may be profitable to all.”
B. Seventh-Day Adventists. They are historicists and have provided helpful research and
awareness of historicism, but their violent corruption of Daniel 8 and obsession with
the Jewish Sabbath render them prophetically dangerous.
 1. They were condemned by scripture as not being of God before they even got started
by William Miller’s failed prophecies of the Lord’s second coming in 1844 (Deut
18:20-22).
2. Their obsession with the day-year principle, while proved valid in Daniel 9, is also
proved invalid in Daniel 8, where the 2300 days are literal days within the Greek
Empire.
3. They will work the Sabbath into any prophecy they wish e.g. as the mark of the beast
and the popes changing times and laws (Dan 7:25), though Jesus and the apostles
changed it.
4. See the author’s work on the Sabbath.
5. See the author’s “2300 Days,”.
6. Their prophecy seminars are seldom identified as to source, since no one would
attend.
7. Steve Wohlberg at White Horse Media, an historicist author, is a Seventh-Day
Adventist.
8. Le Roy Edwin Froom’s, “The Prophetic Faith of our Fathers,” is an outstanding
reference work on the historical development of prophetic interpretation, though from
an SDA perspective as the modern era approaches.
C. Connection to Dominion Theology. Preterists leave nothing in the Bible for those living
past 70 A.D., so the postmillennial mentality of taking the world for God becomes the
mantra and mission statement for Christians and churches.
1. This heresy goes by various names: theonomy, reconstructionism, kingdom now, etc.
2. The N.T. specifies the duties of Christians and churches; nowhere is this emphasis
taught.
3. The world is not going to get better, for the apostles described it getting worse and
worse.
4. Saints under pagan governments e.g. Joseph, Daniel, Esther show a different
approach, as they never wasted their time or disgraced grace by seeking to change a
culture.
D. The Danger of Pride. Paul warned about pride in ministers (I Tim 3:6), and preterism
creates a unique opportunity for men to make a name for themselves.
1. It is a novel doctrine; preterists can set themselves well apart from anyone past or
present.
2. It is a simple doctrine; preterists can handle any verse by forcing every verse into 70
A.D.
3. It is an intriguing doctrine; it has truth to expose futurism, for which many are very
ready.
4. It is a rare doctrine; preterists do not have much competition, as there are so few of
them.
E. The Trouble with False Assumptions. Just as with water baptism, false assumptions
corrupt gospel truth, doctrinal integrity, and practical application.
1. Most so-called Christians (95%) foolishly assume that water baptism saves to eternal
life.
2. Assuming baptismal salvation, infant baptism is invented to save children that might
die.
3. Assuming baptismal salvation, sprinkling is invented to save if immersion is
impractical.
4. Assuming baptismal salvation, Roman Catholics go in utero in case of likely
miscarriage.
 5. Assuming baptismal salvation, baptism of desire is invented to save in other
difficulties.
6. Assuming baptismal salvation, Mormons invent baptism for the dead to contact their
Joe.
7. Assuming baptismal salvation, Orthodox dunk their infants thrice to preserve
immersion.
8. Assuming baptismal salvation, Campbellites invent age of accountability to save
infants.
9. Assuming baptismal salvation, Presbyterians invent covenant theology to save
infants.
10.Preterism, just as foolish as the nuts above, by presuming the full, final, and only
coming of Jesus Christ in 70 A.D., must face the heretical consequences against
truth, doctrine, and practice of jamming every event related to the second coming
into the first century.

There is no single greater evidence or proof of the divine origin of Christianity, the
great glory and power of the Lord Jesus Christ as King of the kingdom of God, and
the accuracy and reliability of the Bible than the prophecies and their fulfillments
regarding the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies under Titus in 70 AD.

This Study Exalts the Lord Jesus Christ

A. God made the same Jesus of Nazareth that the Jews crucified both Lord and Christ
(Acts 2:33-36).
1. God had raised Jesus from the dead, Whom the wicked Jews had profanely killed
(Acts 2:22-24).
2. In case they had forgotten, Peter quoted Psalm 110:1 to remind them of how He
treated enemies!
3. Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah and Christ: He was also David’s Lord
(Acts 2:35)!
4. The untoward generation of Jews that had crucified Him was in serious trouble (Acts
2:40)!
5. This sober warning in Peter’s sermon was due to a coming great and terrible day
(Acts 2:20-21)!
B. The regal prophecy of Jesus Christ crushing and humiliating his enemies in Psalm
110 is referenced at least six times in the N.T. (Matt 22:44; Mark 12:36; Acts 2:34; I
Cor 15:25; Heb 1:13; 10:12-13).
C. Read a regal prophecy of God mocking enemies and crowning Christ king (Ps 2:1-
12; Acts 4:25-28).
D. Read also a regal prophecy of Jesus Christ being crowned Lord of all (Psalm 8:1-
9; Heb 2:5-10).
E. Read a regal prophecy of God anointing His Prince with conquering power (Ps 45:1-
7; Heb 1:8-9).
F. Gabriel told Mary her great son would be King on David’s throne forever (Luke 1:31-
33; Matt 2:6).
G. Jews and Romans mocked Him as King of the Jews, but He was the King of God’s
kingdom; and at His ascension into heaven He took the throne of David (Ps 110:1-
7; Is 9:6-7; Rev 3:7; 5:5; 22:16).
H. They despised His authority, but He now had all authority from heaven to hell (Matt
21:23; 28:18)!
I. He humbled Himself to human birth and crucifixion, but God had highly exalted Him
(Phil 2:5-11).
J. He held His angelic legions back to die, but then brought them in judgment (Matt
26:53; 16:27-28)!
K. He is King at God’s right hand (Rom 8:34; Eph 1:20; Col 3:1; Heb
1:3; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; I Pet 3:22).
L. Though once a Child in a manger and once a Lamb at His slaughter, Jesus now sits as
King over all.
M. Falling on Him in repentance broke some; He fell on others to grind them to powder
(Matt 21:44)!
N. If a comely king is one that crushes his enemies (Pr 30:29-31), the Lord Jesus Christ
is most comely!
O. For those who have read God’s terrible judgments on disobedience and rebellion in the
Old Testament, is there any wonder that the destruction of the profane murderers of
the Son of God should far exceed those by every measure? And they do (Dan
12:1; Matt 12:43-45; 21:31-46; 22:1-7; 23:29-36; 24:21; Luke 19:11-27; 23:27-
31; I Thess 2:14-16; Heb 2:1-4; 6:4-8; 10:23-31; 12:25-29)!
P. The greatest visible demonstration of the glory, power, and reign of Jesus Christ is
based on the perfect fulfillment of His warnings and prophecies about crushing His
enemies. There is no other event quite like it in the N.T., which we can witness and
analyze from historical records and results.
1. There is little to no historical evidence of the person of Jesus of Nazareth and His
other works.
2. Of course, we believe the record written by the apostles more than anything written
by any man.
3. But what happened after His ascension? Did He truly take David’s throne? Is the N.T.
fully true?
4. Jewish destruction was preached everywhere for a witness before the judgment fell
(Matt 24:14).

There Is Value in Studying this Subject

A. It provides an historical, prophetical, and Scriptural framework to help grasp the New
Testament.
B. The prophecies confused by most and postponed for some irrelevant future date by
others are seen!
C. The Lord Jesus Christ is properly seen as the Blessed and Only Potentate, rather than
a theological concept, a longhaired hippie, a persecuted loser, a crucifix, or a
disappointed Dispensationalist!
D. The warnings of Jesus Christ the King to the church at Ephesus and others takes on
greater weight.
E. The seriousness that ought to characterize our love and devotion to Jesus Christ is
magnified greatly.
F. Such wonderful fulfillment of such great details can only confirm His other promises
and warnings.
G. It saves us from the numerous prophetic speculations and heresies that are popular
with many today.
H. The burden of the apostles’ Great Commission on saints today and the idea that Jesus
Christ cannot return until the gospel is preached worldwide by Billy Graham and Benny
Hinn are both wrong!
I. The goals of these sermons are to (1) exalt Jesus Christ as King of the kingdom of
God, (2) confirm clear Bible prophecies for faith, (3) give true understanding of the
Bible, and (4) create thanksgiving for worldwide preaching by the apostles that
brought the Gentiles into the kingdom of God.
J. The glory of Jesus Christ, the exaltation of His word, and loving service to Him should
be the prime motives of all human thought and activity, and of any Bible study,
including that of eschatology.
K. As Jewish legalism increasingly threatened the gospel preached by Paul and the other
apostles, the Lord Jesus tore the old covenant to shreds in its city, temple, priesthood,
altar, nation, and people.
L. Why did Jesus invoke heaven and earth passing away to confirm the truth of his
words? Many scoffers would reject His words and/or try to steal from Him the glory of
His great victory over His enemies by pushing His detailed prophecies into the distant
and vague future (Matt 24:34-35).
M. There is value in seeing God’s judgment on sinners, for it encourages to righteousness
(Ps 58:10-11).

This Event Is Ignored by Most

A. Most pulpits are totally silent about this subject, especially in casual and contemporary
churches, where acceptable kingdom worship of reverence and godly fear has been
rejected (Heb 12:28-29).
1. The entertainment of carnal hearers has replaced Bible preaching in most places (II
Tim 4:1-4).
2. Mel Gibson’s “Passion” innuendo that the Jews killed Jesus was blasted for anti-
Semitism, which showed how much men are ignorant of history and obsessed with
being politically correct.
3. Christians now want Jesus in a manger scene of a Christmas play or on a cross in an
Easter play.
B. Every text that teaches it is applied ignorantly to some sensational future events that
affect no one.
1. Most that make the warnings future, also teach that believers do not go through the
tribulation, so the warnings and instructions of leaving your stuff behind and fleeing
to the mountains are vain!
 2. When the warnings are applied to 70 AD, Hal Lindsay and Tim LaHaye cannot sell
lying novels!
3. After defrauding Jesus of His kingship and horrific judgment on His enemies, they
turn to debate whether He must be accepted as Lord or not in order to be saved and
go to heaven! What heresy!
4. Due to national and personal arrogance, Americans presume prophecy revolves
around them!
5. Sober readers must ignore their worthless generation and hear Jesus address the
Jews of His day!
C. This is a great event in the New Testament, near to our Lord’s death and resurrection
and Pentecost.
1. Much of the Old Testament is prophetic warning of coming judgment by Assyria and
Babylon upon Israel and Judah for sins far inferior to the Jews sins against Jesus
Christ and His apostles.
2. There is a large body of references in both testaments describing and warning about
this event.
3. It marked the change of God’s dealings with men and revealed Jesus as King of God’s
kingdom.
4. It ended the time of reformation, leaving only the new covenant (Heb 9:10; 10:8-
14; 12:28-29).
5. Satan uses this ignorance to confuse men with the New Testament and detract from
Jesus Christ.
D. Before 1830 and the lies of Irving, White, Darby, Scofield, et al, it was understood by
most saints.
E. Paul warned Titus of Jewish fables, so we should not be surprised that this event,
which obliterated the nation of Israel and its presumption of superiority, is ignored by
carnal millenialists (Titus 1:14).
F. Due to their ignorance of Scripture, many Christians have an ungodly affection for
national Israel, which contradicts God’s eternal mystery to bring in the Gentiles for a
new kingdom (Acts 15:13-18; Rom 2:28-29; 9:6-8; Gal 3:16,29; 4:21-31; 6:16; Eph
2:11-22; 3:1-21; Rev 2:9; 3:9).
G. Most of world Jewry – Ashkenazi Jews – has very little to do with Jesus Christ,
historical Israel, Hebrew, David, Moses, or even Shem. They are Gentile imposters as
Jesus prophesied (Luke 21:24).
H. Jesus is King of kings, and we should avoid leaving Him in a manger, hanging on a
crucifix, or waiting for some future carnal and earthly kingdom (Heb 10:12-
13; 12:2; Rev 2:26-27; 3:21; etc.).
I. The gospel of the kingdom obviously included God’s grace in Christ (Acts 2:22-
40; 8:12; 28:23,31).
1. After the resurrection of Jesus, the gospel included those very glorious details (I Cor
15:1-11,24).
2. The kingdom is not future – it is now – except for delivery to God (Heb 12:28-29; I
Cor 15:24).
3. The gospel of the kingdom must include Jesus as its King (Acts 2:33-
36; 4:11; 5:31; 10:36).
4. The generation that crucified the Lord of glory was the wickedest in the history of the
world, and their crime against the Son of God was clearly the most heinous crime in
the history of mankind.
5. Jesus proved Himself King by emphatically destroying His enemies, their city, and
their temple
A Complete Study Is Beyond these Sermons

A. Full knowledge of this great subject would require a verse-by-verse analysis of Daniel
9-12, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Matthew 3, 11, 12, 16, 17, 23, and 24, Mark 13,
Luke 17, 19, 21, and 23, Acts 2, Hebrews, the Jewish epistles, and Josephus’s “Wars
of the Jews,” among other objects of study.
B. It is foolish or scornful to take a Futurist position on 70 AD without detailed study of
these places and the historical facts concerning the overthrow of Jerusalem, the
temple, and the nation of Israel.
C. Confidence in interpreting Matthew 24 while ignorant of Daniel is foolish arrogance
(Matt 24:15).
D. Our attempt here is not to research every possible reference in the New Testament to
70 AD, but rather to use the more obvious ones to exalt the glory and power of our
ascended and reigning Lord.
E. Though the focus is on 70 AD in this study, it cannot be fully separated in some texts
from events surrounding the crucifixion, our Lord’s resurrection, the outpouring of the
Holy Ghost at Pentecost, the mighty signs and wonders of the apostles, the worldwide
spread of the gospel, or other things.
F. There are many details of the Roman-Jewish war that can be connected to the Bible,
which others have done in their desire to show the fulfillment of each detail of
Matthew 24 and other prophecies, but we will not attempt to repeat their efforts here,
as they are readily available in the links provided.
G. A study of prophetic language and prophetic similitudes is essential (Hos 12:10; I Pet
1:11; Rev 1:1).
H. The dramatic, fantastic language of prophets is found in Isaiah 13; 24; 34; Jer 4;
Ezekiel 32; Joel 2; and Acts 2, among many other passages of both the Old and New
Testament scriptures.
I. Studying God’s destruction of Jerusalem and Solomon’s temple earlier by
Nebuchadnezzar, which was prophesied in great detail by many prophets involving
many chapters of the O.T., is valuable.
J. The Bible is mainly a Jewish book, as God dealt mostly with Israel until the New
Testament; so there is good information in the Old Testament describing God’s
dealings with Israel and Jerusalem.

A Very Simple Timeline

26AD John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the fall and announced him as Israel’s Messiah
(John 1:29-42), which concluded week 69 and began week 70 of Daniel’s 70 weeks that
some in Israel had been calculating for obvious reasons (Luke
2:25,38; 3:15; 23:51; 24:21).
30AD Jesus laid down His life in the spring, at Passover, 3½ years after His baptism, in
the midst of Daniel’s 70th week, rose from the dead, and ascended gloriously to His
throne in heaven.
30AD The apostles received great power at Pentecost and took the gospel to Jews and
then Gentiles.
33AD The main confirming of the covenant with Jews came to an end, as Daniel’s 70th
week ended. Some identify this event with the stoning of Stephen, but there is
insufficient evidence.
66AD The gospel had been preached in all the world to every creature by this time,
which was the final condition Jesus had determined before the Romans could come and
destroy the Jews.
66AD Sign and revelatory gifts ended, as the New Testament scripture had been
written and collated.
66AD The Jews became more and more rebellious and revolted against Caesar and
Roman authority.
66AD Cestius Gallus brought the Twelfth Legion from Antioch in November, surrounded
the city, and could have taken it easily, but left for no reason and at great loss! This
enflamed the Jewish rebellion with false hope, and it angered Rome greatly to totally
destroy the Jews! But it began the 1290 and 1335 days prophesied by Daniel leading up
to the Jews’ scattering (Dan 12:1-13).
67AD Nero appoints Vespasian in charge of Judea, who brings several legions and
begins a slow and methodical campaign of destruction of the Jews from city to city that
lasts for 2 years.
70AD Believers in the city and country, knowing the warnings, and having witnessed
Cestius’s surrounding of Jerusalem, left for the mountains before Titus set his seige
(Luke 21:20-22).
70AD Titus, son of Emperor Vespasian and prince of Rome, united four Roman legions
and destroyed the city of Jerusalem and its temple in August after a five-month siege.
This ended the 1290 and 1335 days prophesied by Daniel leading up to the Jews’
scattering (Dan 12:1-13).
70AD The siege was bad enough for women to eat their children (See Josephus). But
the Jews killed more themselves due to demonical factions that had no mercy for life,
the city, or the temple.
70AD The total number of dead was over 1.1 million, for Titus besieged the city at
Passover, when it was filled with visitors for worship; and there were only 97,000
captives taken for slaves.
70AD No individual city had ever endured such pain. World War II was modest in
comparison. For example, Hiroshima only lost around 100,000, most of them dying
instantly and painlessly.
70AD Captives over 17 not taken to Rome for public display were carried by ship to
Egypt as slaves, where they were sold very cheaply due to the supply far exceeding the
demand (Deut 28:68).
70AD Titus ordered the city dug up, until it appeared to have never been inhabited;
and Terentius Rufus, commander of the Tenth Legion, plowed Mount Zion like a
farmer’s field (Micah 3:12).
73AD The fortress of Masada was besieged by Rome and 1000 final Jewish rebels
committed suicide.
Note: For more details, chronological tables, and timelines, see the links at the bottom
of this document.

A Reminder about Prophetic Language

A. God plainly told Bible students that prophets do not use express or literal language,
but rather the metaphorical language of similitudes and signs (Hos 12:10; Rev
1:1; John 12:33; 21:19; I Pet 1:11).
B. For devotees of C.I. Scofield’s literalism, consider a few examples of prophetic and
poetic language.
 1. Whose heel did Satan bruise (Gen 3:15)? Would shoes have helped? Was He still able
to walk?
2. What houses survived a land flowing with milk and honey (Ex 3:8)? Are wine and
meat inferior?
3. Jacob blessed his sons, and Solomon described old age, by metaphors (Gen 49:1-
27; Ecc 12:1-7).
4. Elijah did not literally return to Israel; he figuratively came in John the Baptist (Luke
1:16-17).
C. Sun, moon, and stars are common metaphors for prophets. Consider Joseph’s dream
(Gen 37:9-11).
D. If you have trouble with Matt 24:29-31, what will you do with Psalm 18:6-19? Make a
sci-fi movie?
E. Apocalyptic language is more metaphorical than ordinary prophetic language, for it
uses cataclysmic language in the natural realm to describe such events in the social,
religious, or political realm.
1. Isaiah 13 uses fantastic language to describe merely the overthrow of Babylon by the
Persians.
2. You have heard others say, “I have some earth shattering news,” but the earth was
not shattered!
3. What is the older description of the Middle Ages, when Europe was ravaged? The
Dark Ages!
4. Consider examples of sun, moon, or stars (Eccl 12:1-2; Is 5:30; 13:10; 34:1-
6; 58:8-11; 59:9-10; 60:15-20; Jer 4:23-28; Ezek 32:7-8; Joel 3:15; Amos 5:18-
20; 8:9; Micah 3:6-12; Zeph 1:14-15).
5. Consider a few examples of clouds associated with God’s judgment (Ps 18:9-
12; 68:34; 78:23; 97:1-6; 104:3; Eccl 12:2; Is 19:1; Jer 4:13; Ezek 30:3; Dan
7:13; Joel 2:2; Nah 1:3; Zeph 1:15).
6. Consider examples of the “day of the Lord” (Is 13:6,9; 34:8; Jer 46:10; Lam
2:22; Ezek 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1,11; 3:14; Amos 5:18-20; Obad 1:15; Zeph
1:7-8,14,18; 2:1-3; Zech 14:1-3).
F. See Rule #10, in the outline, “Knowing the Scriptures,” showing God’s rules of Bible
hermeneutics.
G. There is a temptation to run to extremes: it is easier to be a Futurist or Preterist, for
dividing of events similarly described is not required, but the apostles warned us well
(II Tim 2:15; II Pet 3:16).
1. Most men fall in ditches on either side, but we want the middle of the road of truth on
all points.
2. It is our duty to look past the mere words and determine by other rules how to
allocate verses.
3. Different things do not need dividing; they are divided already; similar things must
be divided.
H. Without history, Bible prophecies have very little value for those not living near their
fulfillment.
1. Some do not like the burden to know a little world history to understand the Bible,
but their resistance is no different than the modern man who refuses to improve his
reading for the KJV.
2. Modern science often confirms Scripture, which gives Bible readers great pleasure,
though they believed the Bible just as much before they knew the science (Gen
17:12; Amos 5:8; etc., etc.).
 3. Bible prophecy may threaten, warn, and instruct a few that are the direct objects of
the prophecy.
4. But Bible prophecy proves God’s glorious ability to predict and perform His purposes
to others, who are not direct objects (Is 14:24-27; 41:21-26; 42:8-12; 43:8-
13; 44:6-9; 46-5-13; 48:1-8).
5. The value of prophecy is its fulfillment, which may require history (John
13:19; 14:29; 16:4).
6. There are many Bible prophecies fulfilled within the Bible, but there are many that
are not.
7. It is impossible to appreciate Genesis 16:12 without knowing a little about Arabian
history.
8. It is impossible to appreciate Isaiah 44-45 without knowing a little about Cyrus the
Persian.
9. It is impossible to appreciate Daniel 7:6 and 8:8 without knowing a little of Alexander
the Great.
10.Daniel chapters 10-12 are incredibly confusing without knowing the Ptolemy-Seleucid
wars.
11.II Thess 2:3-12; I Tim 4:1-6; and much of Revelation are obscure without knowing
Catholicism.
12.And the many Bible prophecies about Jewish desolation are lost without learning
about 70 AD.

Prophecies of Moses

A. Moses foretold a Prophet that would destroy rebellious Jews (Deut 18:15-19; Acts
3:22-23; 7:37).
1. This prophet was the Lord Jesus Christ, Who came as a human Mediator between God
and men.
2. But this Prophet was also the executive branch of government and could destroy His
enemies.
3. If 70 AD did not occur, then either Moses lied about Jesus, or Jesus was not truly that
prophet!
4. Peter warned the profane Jews in the passage listed above that He would enforce His
ministry!
B. Moses foretold great trouble for Jewish rebellion in a list of curses (Lev 26:14-39; Deut
28:15-68).
1. Four times God promised to multiply judgment seven times (Lev
26:18,21,24,28; Mat 12:43-45).
2. He would make cities, sanctuaries, and land waste and desolate and scatter them
(Lev 26:31-33).
3. He would cause them to be smitten by enemies and scattered abroad (Deut
28:25,64; Luk 21:24).
4. A fierce nation would come from far to besiege and destroy them (Deut 28:49-53; Lu
19:43-44).
5. Josephus reported it was well known in Jerusalem and among the Romans of Mary, a
rich and noble woman, the daughter of Eliazar, a man from Bethezub, of roasting and
eating her own nursing son during the siege of Jerusalem (Deut 28:52-58; “Wars”
VI:3:iv).
 6. Josephus and Eusebius report of the many slaves that crushed the market, and how
Titus sent those over 17 to the mines in Egypt (Deut 28:68; “Wars” VI:8:ii; VI:9:ii).
7. Obviously, the Jews have been scattered throughout all nations and have lived in
relative terror since 70 AD, in perfect fulfillment of these two prophecies and others
of God’s judgment.
8. While many more examples of fulfillment of Moses’ words could be produced with
little effort, these three should be sufficient, since Bible believers are fully persuaded
with just a few.
C. The prophecies of Moses are very important to this subject by their fulfillments and
connections.
1. At the close of the Old Testament, Malachi reminded Israel of Moses’ statutes
(Malachi 4:4-6).
2. Throughout Hebrews, Paul reasoned that the punishment for rejecting Jesus Christ
would far exceed any of the strict and severe judgments of Moses (Heb 2:1-4; 6:4-
8; 10:26-31; 12:25-29).

Prophecy of David

A. David had warned the kings of the earth and the rulers of Israel of terrible judgment
(Psalm 2:1-12).
1. The early church by the Holy Spirit applied this psalm to our Lord’s crucifixion (Acts
4:23-28).
2. Our brother Paul quoted it two other times about Christ’s resurrection (Acts
13:33; Heb 1:5).
3. In depraved ignorance and rebellion, the Jews, Pilate, and Herod conspired to crucify
God’s Son.
4. But the God of heaven laughed and ridiculed their rebellion, and He vexed them in
His wrath!
5. Regardless of their mocking efforts about His kingship, God had set Jesus as King on
Zion’s hill.
6. For those not kissing the Son, they were going to perish from the way from just a
little wrath.
7. If this psalm does not foretell 70 AD, then it does not apply to anything, for it fits this
event best.
8. Jesus Christ, though using different language, described the options just as clearly
(Matt 21:44).
B. David prophesied of Jesus sitting at God’s right hand with His enemies as His footstool
(Ps 110:1-7).
1. His rule is used six times (Mat 22:44; Mark 12:36; Acts 2:34; I Cor 15:25; Heb
1:13; 10:12-13)!
2. He sat down at God’s right hand after His ascension (Mark 16:19; Eph 1:20; Heb
1:3; 10:12).
3. The Jews that crucified Him were His greatest enemies, so He miserably destroyed
those wicked men, ground them to powder, had the murderers slain before Him, and
burned up their city!
4. If this psalm does not foretell 70 AD, then it does not apply to anything, for it fits this
event best.
5. Peter used it on Pentecost while warning the Jews of coming judgment for their
wickedness.
 6. This psalm gloriously presents the Lord Jesus Christ as the conquering King of God’s
kingdom.
C. David prophesied of man having all things under his feet, which is fully true in Christ
(Psalm 8:1-9).
1. Ordinary man may be crowned with some glory and honor and have some things
under his feet.
2. But the true fulfillment occurred at the ascension and coronation of Jesus Christ (Heb
2:5-9).
3. He was made King of His kingdom, and He ground the Jews into powder under His
feet.
D. David prophesied of the King that would be known to all generations for His greatness
(Ps 45:1-17).
1. But this fair and gracious King was also a mighty and terrible conqueror over His
enemies.
2. His kingdom would extend to all the earth; His name would be remembered in all
generations.

Prophecies of Isaiah

A. Isaiah prophesied of a rebellious and wicked generation of Jews best fulfilled by 70 AD

(Is 66:1-6).
1. Of course, there may have been some fulfillment by Nebuchadnezzar’s judgment on
Jerusalem, but the Jews adoration of their temple and hatred for Jesus Christ fulfills
this prophecy far better.
2. He began with disdain for the temple, which Stephen applied to his audience
(66:1; Act 7:47-50).
3. He described the Jewish ceremonial worship as abominations (66:3; Daniel
9:27; Mark 7:6-13).
4. He foretold their horrors for not recognizing His kind visitation and calls (66:4; Luke
19:41-44).
5. The Jews cast out those believing on Jesus, but He rescued them (66:5; Mal 3:13-
18; John 9:22).
6. Consider the voice of the LORD of vengeance coming from the city and the temple, or
the sanctuary (66:6; Dan 9:26-27; 12:11; Micah 3:12; Matthew 24:1-3; Luke 19:41-
44)!
B. Isaiah connected the acceptable year of the Lord with the day of vengeance of our God
(Is 61:1-3).
C. Are there more prophecies of 70 AD in Isaiah? Surely, but they are beyond the scope
of this study.

Kingdom Prophecies

A. The gospel of the kingdom included fulfilling prophecies of a kingdom under Jesus
Christ as King, for both John and Jesus announced the kingdom of God at hand
(Matthew 2:6; 3:2; 4:17).
B. A time had been fulfilled … “in the days of these kings” … “69 weeks.”
C. Isaiah had prophesied of Jesus as the Mighty God and ruling over David’s kingdom
(Isaiah 9:6-7).
D. Daniel said the God of heaven would set up a kingdom during the Roman Empire
(Daniel 2:44).
E. John and Jesus announced the kingdom present in 26 AD (Matt 3:1-2; Luke 3:1-
6; 11:20; 16:16).
F. Paul said Haggai’s shaking was bringing in the New Testament kingdom (Hag 2:6-
9; Heb 12:25-29).
G. Many, many more prophecies could be raised of the New Testament era under Jesus of
Nazareth being called a kingdom either directly or indirectly i.e. Isaiah 55:3; Jeremiah
23:5; 33:14-26; Ezekiel 34:23-24; 37:24-25; Hosea 3:5; Amos 9:11.

Prophecies of Daniel

A. Daniel prophesied plainly of the destruction of Jerusalem when writing of Messiah

(Daniel 9:24-27).
1. Here is a wonderfully timed and dated prophecy, which was determined by the God of
heaven, that specifically identifies Jesus Christ and Jerusalem’s final ruin (Daniel
9:24 cp Acts 4:27-28).
2. If a man does not start the 70 weeks with Cyrus, he has rebelled against the Lord
and sold his soul to man’s chronologies (9:25 cp II Chron 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-
4; Isaiah 44:26-28; 45:1-13).
3. Israel finished the transgression, or filled up their sins, or filled up their iniquity, by
killing Jesus their Messiah (9:24; Gen 15:16; Matt 21:33-46; 23:29-36; Luke 19:41-
44; I Thes 2:14-16).
4. This prophecy is plain and straightforward, given for skill and understanding (Daniel
9:22-23).
5. The prince and people that shall come shall destroy the city and sanctuary, which is
exactly what Titus the prince did with the Roman armies under his command, 531
years later (9:26b)! Here is a very plain revelation of God’s determination to destroy
the city of Jerusalem and the temple.
6. The abomination of desolation was the abominable idolatrous Roman armies
encompassing Jerusalem and making it desolate through an overwhelming war
(9:26b; 12:11; Luke 21:20).
7. God determined desolations upon the city by a war, with the end being overwhelming
(9:26c).
8. Messiah would make the city and sanctuary desolate for many Jewish abominations
(9:27b).
9. God had determined that the desolate and forsaken city would be utterly consumed
by pouring out His wrath upon it (9:27c; Matt 3:7; 22:7; 23:38; Luke 19:41-44; I
Thessalonians 2:14-16).
10.There is much understanding in the details and cross-references for Daniel’s “Seventy
Weeks.”
B. Daniel gave many details in three chapters about the end of the Jewish nation, which
should not be lost to any other place in history but leading up to desolation in 70 AD
(Dan 10:14; 11:14; 12:1,7).
1. The prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 is a four-verse summary to the end of Daniel’s
people and city.
2. But Daniel chapters 10-12 goes into intricate detail about events culminating in the
Roman war.
 3. Gabriel identified the angelic conflict that exists out of sight in the affairs of nations
(10:13,21).
4. He told Daniel things noted in the scripture of truth (10:21), which included the
details of many political events affecting Israel during the 400 years between Malachi
and Matthew.
5. An unprecedented time of trouble is the subject. Does this sound familiar (12:1
cp Matt 24:21)?
6. But the elect, written in God’s book, would be delivered. Sound familiar (12:1 cp Matt
24:22)?
7. Jesus said His disciples could determine the approaching desolation from Daniel,
which must be this reference, for it identifies and times an abomination that makes
desolate (12:11; Matt 24:15).
8. Matthew and Mark say to check Daniel, but Luke explains it plainly as surrounding
armies; but the understanding from Daniel’s vision in 12:11 would give a timeframe
identifying the end.
9. The prophecy defines 1290 days between the abomination of desolation (surrounding
armies according to Luke 21:20) and the ending of the daily sacrifice, which is the
amount of time from the arrival of Cestius Gallus with the Twelfth Legion to the
besieged Jews ending the sacrifice.
10.The prophecy adds 45 further days for blessing and mercy, which is how long it took
for the Romans to gain the entire city with unexpected ease and shorten the days for
the elects’ sakes!
11.There is much understanding in the details and cross-references for Daniel’s “Time of
Trouble.”
12.The historical details of Daniel’s prophecies are seen in, “Kings of the North and the
South.”

Prophecy of Joel

A. Joel foretold in dramatic language great changes and a great and terrible day on Israel
(Joel 2:28-32).
B. Peter applied his fantastic words to Pentecost, the time of reformation, and 70 AD
(Acts 2:14-21,40).
C. The drastic prophetic language described the religious changes of Pentecost and the
New Testament.
D. Those who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ would be saved from the coming
judgment, for Peter connected the great and terrible day of the Lord with a judgment
on that generation (Acts 2:40).
E. The untoward generation of Peter’s day was the same contrary and devilish generation
that John, Jesus, and Paul condemned for their behavior (Matt 3:7; 12:34,43-
45; 23:33,36; 24:34; I Thess 2:16).

Prophecy of Amos

A. God prophesied He would raise up the ruined kingdom of David to its former glory
(Amos 9:11-12).
1. In a future period of time, He would restore the kingdom of God as it had been under
David.
 2. This restored and prosperous kingdom would conquer and take the Edomites and
other Gentiles.
3. A hint at interpretation is provided by these heathen being limited to those called by
God’s name.
B. James, at the council in Jerusalem, applied this prophecy to conversion of Gentiles
(Acts 15:13-18).
1. Peter and Paul first related their ministerial labors and successes among the heathen
Gentiles.
2. James was inspired to say God was rebuilding David’s kingdom with Gentile converts
to Christ.
3. He declared that this work, like all the other works of God, had been determined from
eternity.
4. While God deserted the Jewish nation, He was rebuilding a spiritual one with Gentile
converts.
5. As the householder gave the kingdom to others, so God took it from the Jews and
gave it to the Gentiles, just as the King invited Gentiles to His marriage supper
(Matthew 21:33-46; 22:1-10).
6. The Jews had squandered their kingdom privileges, so they gave way to the elect of
the Gentiles.

Prophecy of Haggai

A. God would shake the heavens and the earth in conjunction with the coming of Messiah
(Hag 2:1-9).
1. The former house is Solomon’s temple; the latter is Zerubbabel’s temple, enhanced
by Herod.
2. The Desire of all Nations is Messiah, the Christ, Immanuel, the Lord Jesus Christ of
Nazareth.
3. God would make the latter house more glorious, not with gold or silver, but with
peace by Christ.
4. The earth-shattering events would end the old covenant and usher in the new for the
Gentiles.
B. Paul applied the words to the time of reformation and disappearing Jewish economy
(Heb 12:25-29).
1. The one shaking would get rid of the temporal Jewish kingdom and leave the
kingdom of Christ.
2. Paul identified a present kingdom requiring acceptable worship to avoid God’s
consuming fire.
3. He connected Christ’s spiritual kingdom with Sion and other aspects of heaven (Heb
12:22-24).
4. God shook away the Jewish economy with apostolic preaching and then with Roman
armies.

Prophecy of Micah

A. Micah prophesied during the reign of Hezekiah that Jerusalem would be plowed like a
field, which was a powerful proof of conquest that required the tearing up of even a
city’s buildings’ foundations for the plow to pass through the ground (Micah 3:12).
B. Israel’s elders in the days of Jeremiah quoted Micah’s prophecy to defend Jeremiah,
and they inform us that God withheld the judgment from the generation under
Hezekiah, so it must have been fulfilled by Nebuchadnezzar later and/or Titus with the
Roman armies (Jeremiah 26:17-19).
C. Josephus, and the Jews in other sources, identified Terentius Rufus, commander of the
Tenth Legion, left in charge of Jerusalem after Titus departed, as responsible for
literally plowing Mount Zion.

Prophecies of Malachi

A. Malachi prophesied of a messenger coming to prepare the way for God’s Messenger
(Mal 3:1-6).
1. The book of Malachi was a prophesy of God’s burden toward Israel – judgment for sin
(1:1).
2. This is John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus Christ (Matthew 3:1-
3; 11:10; Mark 1:1-9).
3. He was not coming only with peace, for who may abide or stand His refining presence
(3:2)?
4. He destroyed the unbelieving priests and made a new order of New Covenant priests
(3:3).
5. He divided the nation between the righteous and wicked and purified His saints
(3:4; Rev 1:5).
6. Jesus would come with judgment as a swift witness against the wicked in Israel
(3:5; Jas 5:1-6).
7. He had His determinate purpose for the Jews, and it was by His counsel the Jews
were still alive, and it was by His counsel they would receive a warning from John the
Baptist (3:6).
8. This Judge made a great difference between the righteous and wicked (3:16-
18; Matthew 24:22).
9. Applying these prophecies to the Second Coming take away all their force and
meaning, for they apply to the days following John the Baptist, and Israel ceased to
exist a full 1935 years ago.
10.Poor C.I. Scofield cannot imagine how this prophecy and the next is not Christ’s
second coming.
B. Malachi foretold a great and dreadful day of the Lord following John the Baptist
(Malachi 4:1-6).
1. A coming day of judgment was described as a burning oven to consume the proud
rebels (4:1).
2. John plainly foretold this baptism of fire that would burn up the chaff or stubble (Matt
3:11-12).
3. The burning would be so thorough and consuming it would leave nothing of Israel
(Dan 9:27).
4. God had purposed to burn up the city of the rebels that persecuted His Son (Matthew
22:7).
5. There would be a great difference made between the righteous and the wicked (4:2-
3; 3:16-18).
6. This was the comforting and gracious ministry of our Lord’s first coming, not His
second.
 7. Jesus declared clearly that 70 AD was to fulfill all the prophecies of vengeance (Luke
21:22).
8. Moses’ Law was given terrifyingly and contained the conditions for blessing or
cursing, which Israel had profanely rejected for their own traditions, and God was
about to bring the curses.
9. Elijah would come before the great and dreadful day of the Lord, which would then
follow (4:5).
10.This is the same day as Joel prophesied and Peter identified (Joel 2:28-32; Acts
2:14-21,40).
11.There is no doubt John the Baptist was prophetic Elijah (Matt 11:7-15; 17:10-
13; Luke 1:13-17).
12.His purpose would be revival, but if it failed would bring God’s promised curses on
Israel (4:6).
13.The object of His curse – the earth – is no wider or broader than Moses’ law or John’s
preaching.
14.Jesus did curse that generation of Jews, just as Moses foretold (Matt 23:29-38; Heb
4:1; 6:8).

Prophecy of John the Baptist

A. John the Baptist condemned that specific Jewish generation with imminent judgment
(Matt 3:7-12).
1. As Malachi had prophesied, John was coming before a great and dreadful day (Mal
3:1-6; 4:1-6).
2. If the Jews did not repent as a nation, God would curse them and destroy them, just
as He had promised through Moses (Malachi 4:4-6; Deut 29:19-29; Heb 6:7-
8; 10:26-31).
3. John preached two main facts – the time was fulfilled, and the kingdom of heaven
was at hand.
4. The time to Messiah from Daniel was ended, and a kingdom with Jesus as King was
announced.
B. He limited his severe warning, as Malachi had described, to that specific generation of
vipers (3:7).
1. The word “generation” means the men living at one time. It is a simple word. Believe
it.
2. You know what “this generation,” or, “generation gap,” or, “my father’s generation,”
means.
3. There is no question about “generation,” if Scofield and other men promoting Jewish
fables had not tried to destroy our Lord’s plain prophecy (Matt 24:34-35; Mark
13:30-31; Luke 21:32-33).
4. In these verses, a man must either deny the words of Jesus, because he cannot
handle the figurative language, or believe the words of Jesus and look for the
figurative fulfillment of them.
5. Futurists are no better than Charismatics, who deny the literal fulfillment of Acts
2:14-21 by rejecting the figurative language and concluding Peter prophesied of
Benny Hinn and friends.
6. The illustrating parable of a budding fig tree in the immediate context, showing all
men that spring is near, limits it to a generation, the time covering one group of men
(Matt 24:32-33).
7. The word generation means the group of men born about the same period of time; it
does not mean a race or nation of men of all time, because then “race” or “nation”
are used (Gen 7:1; 15:16; Ex 1:6; 20:5; Judges 2:10; Ps 78:1-8; Joel 1:1-3; Matt
1:17; Acts 13:36; Heb 3:10).
8. The above is especially true when the words “this generation” or “that generation”
are used (Gen 7:1; Exodus 1:6; Judges 2:10; Psalm 12:7; 71:18; 95:10; Hebrews
3:10).
9. John, Jesus, and Peter used this word 30 times, but Paul never used it when writing
Gentiles, because it did not apply to them. John, Jesus, and Peter unloaded on the
Jews of Jesus’ lifetime.
10.It always means the same thing – those alive at a given time (Matt
3:7; 11:16; 12:34,39,41,42,45; 16:4; 17:17; 23:33,36; 24:34; Mark
8:12,38; 9:19; 13:30; Luke 3:7; 7:31; 9:41; 11:29-32,50-
51; 16:8; 17:25; 21:32; 2:40; I Peter 2:9). We use the word in precisely the same
way to this day.
11.It meant exactly what it should mean – the Jews at the time of Jesus Christ were
cursed under God’s judgment and would be utterly destroyed for their profane
wickedness in crucifying Jesus.
12.It should be plain to any thinking Bible reader that those who killed Jesus deserved
fiery wrath.
13.The Bible defines a generation as approximately 40 years (Num 32:13; Deut 1:35; Ps
95:10-11).
14.The parables of Jesus dealt with the men then living that would crucify Him (Matt
21:41; 22:7).
15.The Pharisees knew Jesus meant them, not a vague national idea 2000 years later
(Matt 21:45).
16.The Jews distinguished themselves as a generation distinct from their fathers (Matt
23:29-36).
17.The Jews begged for Jesus Christ’s blood on them and their children – a generation;
and like at other times, their foolish and profane request was granted by a terrible
King (Matt 27:25)!
18.Jesus destroyed Jerusalem for missing His day of visitation – in that generation (Luke
19:41-44).
19.All the prophecies of vengeance would come to pass on those specific wicked men
(Luke 21:22).
20.Mothers presently living and their children were the ones to be terribly affected (Luke
23:27-31).
21.It was that generation Paul said was under the uttermost wrath of God (I
Thessalonians 2:14-16).
22.The kingdom came with power in 40 years, when Jesus came in judgment on that
wicked generation and fulfilled the prophetic vengeance (Matt 16:27-28; Mark
8:38; 9:1; Luke 9:26-27).
23.They were a bunch of vipers, or poisonous snakes, that needed to be put out of their
vile misery!
24.Josephus wrote several times about the profane wickedness of the generation Titus
destroyed.
25.Malachi had defined and limited his ministry to the Jews at the arrival of Christ; he
was not warning their cousins 2000 years later of some other vague future wrath
(Malachi 3:1 – 4:6).
 26.John did not know there was a second coming, and he surely did not preach about it
(Matt 11:3).
27.Wrath did come 40 years later – in 70 AD – which perfectly fulfilled this and every
other usage.
C. John mocked the Jews hypocritical presence at his baptism about avoiding the coming
wrath (3:7).
1. This wrath is the judgment of 70 AD by its imminence, for he mocked their vain
efforts to flee it.
2. Malachi defined John’s ministry as warning of near wrath, cursing, and burning (Mal
3:5; 4:6).
3. Paul said God’s uttermost wrath was upon the Jews then living in his lifetime (I Thess
2:14-16).
4. Jesus warned in a parable of wrath, destroying murderers, and burning up their city
(Matt 22:7).
5. The adversaries of Jesus Christ were to be devoured with fiery indignation (Hebrews
10:26-31).
6. The following words describe the axe and the fire to be imminent threats to the Jews’
safety.
7. There is not a word or thought in his warning of the second coming, which he did not
know.
8. The wrath to come was not the Day of Judgment, but rather the great tribulation of
Jerusalem.
D. John told them the axe of God’s judgment was beginning to be applied for the great
burning (3:10).
1. John did not say, “The axe shall be laid to the root”; he said, “The axe is laid.” Get
the timing!
2. This was not a judgment far off that they knew nothing about; it was a judgment
very imminent.
3. God was not pruning branches, but cutting down evil trees to be burned up in a fire
(Mal 4:1).
4. We had just read that God’s burning judgment would not leave either root or branch
(Mal 4:1)!
5. John’s ministry was entirely related to the setting up of Christ’s kingdom, not its
second coming!
E. John promised that Jesus Christ’s baptisms would be far greater and severer than his
by water (3:11).
1. The baptism of the Holy Ghost is simple enough – the giving of the Holy Ghost at
Pentecost.
2. The baptism of fire is simple enough – the burial in an overwhelming flood of Roman
armies.
3. The Romans burned up their city, their temple, their altar, their priests, and their
whole nation.
4. This was the refining fire of the Messenger of the Covenant to eliminate base metals
(Mal 3:2-3).
5. This was the fire to burn up their city for rejecting His offer of the kingdom (Matthew
22:1-7).
6. Paul referred to this fiery indignation that would devour the adversaries of Jesus (Heb
10:27).
7. Paul presented God as a consuming fire, burning up rejecters of His kingdom (Heb
12:25-29).
F. John used language obviously taken from Malachi to describe the coming conflagration
(3:12).
1. Honest readers will rejoice at the clear and distinct connection to Malachi (Malachi
3:2-3; 4:1-3).
2. Jesus Christ already held the fan of judgment to heat the furnace of fiery judgment
for the chaff.
3. What is the chaff? The reprobate Jews He had described by the synonym “stubble”
(Mal 4:1)!
4. What is His floor? The kingdom of God compared to a threshing floor with wheat and
chaff.
5. The Lord Jesus Christ came to save His elect and to destroy His enemies. It could not
be plainer.

Prophecies of Jesus

A. Jesus said He was come to send fire on the earth, and His fire was already kindled
(Luke 12:49-50).
1. The best application of this fire is to consider Malachi and John, where it is the
refining and damning fire of His judgment on the wicked among the Jews (Malachi
3:2-3; 4:1; Matt 3:10-12).
2. It was already kindled in the sense that He had His fan in His hand and was ready to
burn rebels.
3. But this fire could not burst forth until after His baptism of the crucifixion (Luke
17:24-25).
4. The fire already kindled was not hell’s fire, but the fiery judgment on adversaries
(Heb 10:27), when the King would send forth His armies and burn up the city of His
enemies (Matt 22:7).
5. It is a fearful thing to fall into God’s hands, because He is a consuming fire (Heb
10:31; 12:29).
B. He prophesied He would come in that generation (Matt 16:27-28; Mark
8:38; 9:1; Luke 9:26-27).
1. Observe “verily” in Matthew and Mark’s account, and Luke’s variation, for strong
affirmation.
2. The audience was broader than the twelve by virtue of what we are told elsewhere
(Mark 8:34).
3. By tradition we know only one disciple that made it, but there were other people also
addressed.
4. He did not say many, for speaking to adults and considering 40 years, “some” is the
right word.
5. If the event were 20 years or less, everyone standing there would be alive; if the
event were 60 years or more, no one standing there would be alive; 40 years fits the
bill with perfection!
6. Either we have 2000-year-old saints, or Jesus came in His kingdom some way 2000
years ago!
7. No matter what coming of Christ a person places on this text, it cannot be the
Second Coming.
8. He would come with divine glory and power and His angels as a true Judge of His
enemies: it is this cross-reference and others that tell us Matthew 24:29-31 is not to
be separated from 70 AD.
 9. The warning of these passages is limited to those in that adulterous generation (Mark
8:38).
10.The angels of God have been involved in divine judgment on many other occasions
(II Sam 24:16; II Kgs 19:35; Ps 35:5-6; Dan 12:1; John 1:51; Acts 12:23; Rev
12:7).
11.He told His disciples at His ascension that He had all power in heaven and earth (Matt
28:18).
12.This coming was the demonstration of His kingly authority by judging His enemies
and saving His elect, which He did by the use of Roman armies and the invisible
activities of His angels.
13.This cannot be His transfiguration six days later, for (a) no one came close to dying in
those few days, (b) the ones attending were by Christ’s choice rather than survival,
(c) no kingdom activities took place, (d) no kingdom power was present, and (e) no
judgment took place, as described in the context (Matt 16:27; Mark 8:38; Luke
9:26).
14.Peter did not confirm in II Peter 1:16-18 the transfiguration as the power and coming
of Jesus Christ; he rather confirming his previous teaching by his personal experience
(I Pet 1:3-9).
15.If the thought of angels being involved bothers you here, what about seeing angels
in John 1:51?
C. Luke recorded a lesson of our Lord that combined warnings of 70 AD differently (Luke
17:20-37).
1. The occasion of this lesson was a question by the Pharisees about His kingdom, for
they sought a Messiah to deliver them from Rome, but His kingdom was an internal,
spiritual one (17:20-21).
2. He did not respond with second coming information, but rather with a gospel
kingdom on earth.
3. While the Pharisees wanted a carnal, earthly King to save them from Rome, Jesus
now told His disciples that His kingdom would come with a dramatic Roman
destruction of the Jews. Glory!
4. He told His disciples that some terrible days were coming in which they would wish to
return to the gentle and peaceful days they had spent with the Son of Man (Cp Luke
23:27-31).
5. They would be tempted and threatened with imposters pretending to be the
Messianic deliverer, but they were to ignore such obscure and vague descriptions, for
His coming would be dramatic!
6. The Son of Man, Jesus Christ, would have a day in which He was revealed as King
(17:24,30).
7. The timing of this event would closely follow His crucifixion by that wicked generation
(17:25).
8. This is the coming in a kingdom display He had told His disciples about before, which
some of them would live to witness (Luke 9:26-27 cp Matt 16:27-28; Mark
8:38; 9:1; Luke 21:32-33).
9. This similitude, a comparison to the obvious presence of lightning, is not the second
coming.
10.The crucifixion had to occur first and the righteous leave Judea for the Romans to
take the rest.
11.The day the Son of Man was revealed … shortly after His crucifixion … was related to
great judgment, which would take away all the wicked, just as in the days of Noah
and Lot.
 12.This is not the second coming, for the warning is to not worry about stuff in the
house, which is connected to Jerusalem’s tribulation (Matt 24:15-21; Luke 21:21-
24; Mark 13:14-19)!
13.Those taken are the ones killed by the Romans; those left are those that fled to the
mountains.
14.The disciples asked where this great tribulation would occur, and Jesus explained that
wherever the dead carcass of the Jewish nation was found, the Roman eagles would
be there devouring it. God and Jesus had left the Jewish nation and their temple; it
was now a mere carcass (Jas 2:26).
15.If you run the second coming through this passage, you end up with absurdities, for
the saved do not wish for one of the days of the Son of Man, and they will not desire
the stuff in their houses!
D. Jesus foretold the specific surrounding of Jerusalem and leveling of it to the ground
(Luke 19:41-44).
1. This was the end of earthly Jerusalem. The one in Palestine today is a Gentile city
unrelated to the Christian religion and us (Luke 21:24; Gal 4:26; Heb 12:22; Rev
2:9; 3:9).
2. His words came as He viewed the city, which ceased to exist in that form long ago, in
70 AD.
3. For the poor Futurists obsessed with obsessing about the antichrist and 666 chips in
your brain, here is a plain prophecy about the Lord Jesus Christ’s judgment on
Jerusalem for rejecting Him.
4. He described the siege of Jerusalem with a trench around the city allowing none at all
to escape.
5. The city would be leveled without temple or city stones still together for rejecting the
Messiah.
6. Jesus made this prediction about the stones in other places (Matt 24:2; Mark
13:2; Luke 21:6).
7. This prophecy was fulfilled literally by Titus after the war. See Josephus “Wars”
(VII:1:i).
8. The Lord Jesus Christ is a great King, and you had better kiss the Son (Ps 2:12; Acts
3:22-23)!
E. He warned the women that accompanied Him to the cross about their children (Luke
23:27-31).
1. Even on the way to the cross, Jesus Christ was still thinking and speaking of 70 AD.
Hear Him!
2. He told them to weep for themselves and their children, a generation, rather than
Him (23:28).
3. The days of great tribulation would make it terribly painful to have children suffer
through it.
4. Suicidal fear, grief, and guilt were coming due to the horrifying experiences of
Jerusalem.
5. They had asked for the guilt of His blood to be on them and their children, and it was
granted!
6. The Lord concluded with a proverbial expression meaning, the Jews and Romans
were so contrary to justice and mercy during a time of abundant peace and
prosperity to an innocent Man, what would they be like during factious war and a
siege with a very guilty nation?
F. He warned of retribution against that generation for all the world’s righteous blood
(Matt 23:29-38).
 1. That generation, the men living then, would be punished for all the righteous blood
(23:33,36).
2. This guilt for blood of prophets and apostles fits His parables perfectly (Matt 21:33-
46; 22:1-10).
3. He left their house – their temple – desolate, for He had determined its desolation
(Dan 9:24-27).
4. Those profane rebels had begged for His blood to be on them and their children (Matt
27:25).
G. Jesus promised Caiaphas and friends that they would see Him coming in judgment
(Matt 26:63-64).
1. Mark and Luke have similar accounts of this personal warning (Mark 14:61-62; Luke
22:67-69).
2. Jesus responded to the oath in God’s name to answer Caiaphas, who had no love of
God or truth.
3. Jesus moved from the singular to plural to tell them they would see Him coming in
judgment.
4. The language is identical as that to His disciples (Matt 16:27-28; Mark
8:38; 9:1; Luke 9:26-27).
5. Jesus was seated at the right hand of God in 40 days (Acts 7:55-56; Heb
1:3; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2)!
6. Stephen declared the terrible news that he saw Jesus in glory at God’s right hand,
which was a Bible prophecy that profane and wicked generation could not bear (Acts
7:55-56; Ps 110:1-2).
7. Jesus Christ came in judgment just as He had come before and had promised He
would come (Mal 3:5; 4:5-6; Matt 16:27-28; 21:40; Jas 5:8-9).
8. If the thought of angels being involved bothers you here, what about seeing angels
in John 1:51?
H. Jesus described that wicked generation as being exceedingly devil possessed (Matthew
12:43-45).
1. Both Titus and Josephus testified that no generation had ever been so wicked and
depraved.
2. Jesus compared what they did to Him to a time when things would be far worse
(Luke 23:27-31).

Prophecy of Caiaphas

A. Caiaphas unknowingly prophesied Jesus should die for all God’s elect by
substitutionary atonement, though he meant nothing of the kind by the words he
spoke (John 11:49-53). Give God the glory!
B. The chief priests and Pharisees conspired to kill Jesus to save the nation and temple
(John 11:47-53)!
1. Consider how their most malicious and wicked conspiracy backfired in perfection
upon them!
2. They profanely killed the Son of God to save the nation and temple from the Romans;
but God sent the Romans to miserably destroy those murders and burn up their city
for this very reason (Matt 21:41; 22:7; Luke 19:41-44)! Give God the glory, reader!
3. If Caiaphas did not know the truth he prophesied (11:51), why not the whole council
(11:47-48)?
 4. Should we be surprised (Ps 7:10-17; Pr 1:10-19,29-31; 5:22-23; 8:36; 11:5-
6; 14:14)? Not at all!

Prophecy of the Jews

A. The Jews at Christ’s trial took the guilt from Pilate upon themselves and their children
(Matt 27:25).
1. When Pilate washed his hands publicly from His innocent blood, they gladly took it
(Mat 27:24).
2. The Lord gave them their request and ignorant prophecy of judgment to come (Matt
23:29-36).
3. Consider His words to warn the daughters of Jerusalem on the way to Calvary (Luke
23:26-31).
4. They denied the idea later, but the apostles applied it (Acts 2:22-36; 3:12-23; 4:8-
12; 5:28; 7:52)!
B. This is God’s method of dealing with rebels: He gives them their desires rather than
His blessings.
1. They complained about dying in the wilderness, so God helped them realize it (Num
14:20-35).
2. They asked for Moses to speak to them, so they got the great Lord Jesus Christ (Deut
18:15-19).

Prophecies of Peter

A. Peter used many words on Pentecost to warn believing Jews against that very
generation (Acts 2:40).
1. He had already identified the coming great and terrible day of the Lord on Israel
(Acts 2:20-21).
2. He quoted Psalm 110:1 as an emphatic climax that God had made Jesus of Nazareth
Messiah and Lord, whom they had crucified, and who would use His enemies as a
footstool (Acts 2:32-36).
3. He used “generation” to describe the men then living, just as John the Baptist began
(Matt 3:7).
4. This word and other related words and phrases were used repeatedly by the Lord
Jesus Christ and His apostles to define the objects of His wrath – the specific murder
of the Son of God.
5. Untoward is the same as vipers, demon possessed, contrary to all men, and
stiffnecked and uncircumcised (Matt 3:7; 12:34,43-45; 23:33; Acts 7:51; I Thess
2:16).
6. Peter’s warning here was identical to that of the Lord Jesus Christ Himself (Luke
21:20-28).
7. Those who heard and obeyed Peter saved themselves by escaping from Judea (Matt
24:16-22).
B. Peter exhorted his readers to prayerful watchfulness, for the end of all things was at
hand (I Pet 4:7).
1. The words of timing, at hand, require us to deny any Second Coming application (II
Thes 2:1-2).
 2. All the things that were ending were the Jewish system, the old covenant, the
temple, etc., etc.
3. They were to be sober, watchful, and prayerful, identical to the Lord’s warning (Mark
13:33-37).
4. Paul and James gave very similar warnings for this generation of Jews (Heb
10:25; James 5:8-9).

Prophecy of Stephen

A. The Jews accused Stephen of teaching Jesus of Nazareth would destroy the temple
(Acts 6:9-15).
1. Why did they accuse him of such a thing? Because he surely preached such a gospel,
for the Lord Jesus Christ and Peter had done it before him (Matt 24:2; Luke 19:41-
44; Acts 2:40)!
2. Notice, Peter had used many other words in warning his godly hearers to flee this
judgment!
3. Preachers full of the Holy Ghost will preach this subject just like Stephen in following
his Lord.
4. The false witnesses were liars, for he did not blaspheme Moses, God, the temple, or
the law.
5. As with the Lord, they twisted his words in ignorant rebellion (John 2:19-21; Matt
26:61; 27:40).
6. The Jews tried to kill Stephen for the very same reason they tried to kill Jeremiah
(Jer 26:4-9).
7. Jesus did destroy the temple and change Moses’ customs (Luk 19:41-44; Heb 9:1-
12; 12:22-29)!
B. Consider Stephen’s attitude and words to the Jews, while he was on trial before them
(Acts 7:1-60).
1. Stephen was allowed to speak in order to defend himself against the accusations
brought (7:1).
2. He reminded them of God’s judgment for rebellion against Moses, a type of Christ
(7:35-43)!
3. He reminded them the temple did not mean anything to the Lord (7:44-50; Is 66:1-
2; Jer 7:1-15)!
4. He blasted them for killing the prophets and Jesus, the sins for their destruction, just
like the wicked generation God had judged in Babylon from another temple, (7:51-
53; Matt 23:29-36)!
5. Then he told them the most horrifying thing he could have said … he saw the Lord
Jesus Christ right where He had promised them He would be when coming in
judgment on them (Mat 26:64)!
6. And Jesus was not sitting! He was standing! Meaning He was rising to come to
judgment! Glory!

Prophecies of Paul

A. Paul told the Thessalonians that God’s uttermost wrath on the Jews was imminent (I
Thess 2:13-16).
 1. They killed the Lord Jesus, their prophets, and had persecuted Paul, just like our
Lord’s parables!
2. John and Jesus had described this character and wrath (Matt 3:7; 22:7; 23:33-
36; Luke 21:23).
3. While the wrath was “to come” in John’s preaching; it was “is come” from Paul’s
perspective!
4. God had forsaken those wicked men, and their many devils made them contrary to
all men.
5. They filled up their sins, which was to finish the transgression and fully deserve God’s
wrath.
6. The wrath of God was not in the future; it was in the present; it was to the
uttermost; and it resulted in tribulation that had not been nor ever would be matched
in the history of the world!
7. Titus and Josephus described the Jews in Jerusalem as the most depraved and
wicked possible.
8. Untoward is the same as vipers, demon possessed, contrary to all men, and
stiffnecked and uncircumcised (Matt 3:7; 12:34,43-45; 23:33; Acts 7:51; I Thess
2:16).
B. Paul warned the Hebrews of severe judgment for apostates (Heb 2:1-4; 6:4-6; 10:26-
31; 12:25-29).
1. These four passages describe irremediable judgment on any Hebrew Christians
backsliding to Judaism, for the wrath of God was about to reduce the Jews and their
religion to desolation!
2. God swore in wrath against Moses’ generation; He also swore against Paul’s (Heb 3:7
– 4:11)!
3. These passages that cause so much difficulty for so many are easily resolved when
viewed as Paul’s warnings comparable to John, Jesus, and Peter about the judgment
ready to fall on Israel!
4. These four passages are great Bible study material to learn to put verses in their
context, which in this case is the destruction of Israel in 70 AD by the Romans that
would punish any backsliders.
5. Paul wrote this epistle before 70 AD, and he wrote it to the Hebrews, Jewish Christian
converts.
6. If they apostatized from their professions of faith, they would be realigning
themselves with the murders of the Son of God and would consequently partake of
the judgment coming on them.
7. Adam Clarke, the Methodist commentator, wrote about Hebrews 6:8, “Thus the
apostle, under the case of individuals, points out the destruction that was to come
upon this people in general, and which actually took place about seven years after
the writing of this epistle! And this appears to be the very subject which the apostle
has in view in the parallel solemn passages, chap. x. 26-31; and, viewed in this light,
much of their obscurity and difficulty vanishes away.”
8. Regarding Hebrews 10:27, Adam Clarke wrote, “Probably the apostle here refers to
the case of the unbelieving Jews in general, as in chap. vi. to the dreadful judgment
that was coming upon them, and the burning up their temple and city with fire….”
C. Paul told the Hebrews to assemble often for exhorting due to Jerusalem’s destruction
(Heb 10:25).
1. The day approaching could be seen, which is not true of the Second Coming of Jesus
Christ.
 2. Paul is writing Jews (Hebrews); the day was very near; and the following verses
prove it clearly.
D. Paul warned the Hebrews that they should fear in their generation as the one long
before (Heb 4:1).

Prophecy of James

A. He comforted Jewish saints to patience and mocked their enemies of coming judgment
(Jas 5:1-9).
B. Remember, as with John, Jesus, Peter, and John, James was also a minister to the
Jews (James 1:1).
C. Consider his mocking of the wicked Jews, who had lived voluptuous lives of greedy
covetousness.
1. He promised miseries upon them, with no context or wording to indicate eternal
judgment (5:1).
2. Their riches by violence were treasures of wickedness to justify judgment in the last
days (5:3).
3. The Lord of sabaoth, Lord of hosts, had heard the cries of the oppressed (5:4
cp Malachi 3:5).
4. Whether the just is Jesus Christ (Acts 3:14; 7:52; 22:14) or just men collectively
considered (Jas 2:6), these wicked Jews were guilty of blood, which perfectly fulfills
the prophecy and expectation of the approaching vengeance of 70 AD (5:6 cp Matt
23:29-36)!
5. The coming of Christ was at hand, which is not true of His Second Coming (5:8; II
Thess 2:1-2).
6. The Judge was at the door, which meant He was about to make His judgment
(5:9; Matt 24:33).

Parables of Jesus

A. The parable of the householder clearly describes the coming vengeance on the Jews
(Matt 21:33-46).
1. The details are clearly about Israel, the prophets, Jesus, His crucifixion, judgment,
and Gentiles.
2. When the Lord looked for a return of His blessings on Israel, there were none (Ezek
16:35-59).
3. The clear response to His Son’s death was miserably destroying the wicked
murderers (21:41).
4. The Jews were guilty for the blood of prophets, apostles, and the Lord Jesus (I Thess
2:14-16).
5. The vineyard is God’s kingdom, which was taken from Jews and given to Gentiles
(21:41,43).
6. The Lord Jesus Christ, rejected by the Jews, became the head of the corner of the
church (21:42).
7. Any opposing this king, the Lord Jesus Christ, would be ground to powder
(21:44; Acts 3:23).
8. The chief priests and Pharisees were keen enough to know this prophecy was for
them (21:45)!
 9. Jesus did not have the second coming in mind, because a kingdom transfer is not
part of it at all.
10.The coming of the lord of the vineyard has nothing to do with the second coming, but
70 AD.
B. The parable of the marriage supper clearly describes coming vengeance on the Jews
(Matt 22:1-10).
1. This is a parable of the kingdom, which requires a King and citizens, which are easy
to identify.
2. John the Baptist and Jesus announced the kingdom to the Jews, but they rejected it
(22:1-5).
3. The Jews also spitefully mistreated the apostles and prophets and killed some of
them, but their greatest crime was killing God’s Servant, His only begotten Son
(22:6; 21:38; Phil 2:7).
4. The King was wroth; He sent forth His armies; He destroyed the murderers; and He
burned up their city (22:7). Words could not be plainer of what Jesus Christ did to
those that killed Him!
5. The Lord Jesus Christ sent His angels to direct the Romans in obliterating that Jewish
generation.
6. The King then sent out gospel ministers and gathered the Gentiles into His kingdom,
which is exactly what He will teach in prophetic language in the Olivet discourse
(22:8-10; 24:31).
7. Paul made the turning point, shortly after which Jerusalem was burned up (Acts
13:46-48).
8. If 70 AD does not fulfill Matthew 22:1-7, then neither language nor the Bible has
meaning.
9. There is not even indirect reference to other events, for the switch to Gentiles is 1950
years old!
10.What are the armies of this King? The angels directing the Romans (Dan 12:1; Matt
16:27-28)!
C. The parable of the talents clearly describes the coming vengeance on wicked Jews
(Luke 19:12-27).
1. The parable was given to correct the carnal ambitions of the Jews for a kingdom here
and now, when there was a space of time before 70 AD in which they were to endure
unto the end (19:11).
2. Luke’s version includes a revolt by the King’s citizens with special words (19:14; John
19:15).
3. The servants are God’s ministers measured for faithfulness; the wicked citizens are
the evil Jews.
4. The Jews at the trial of our Lord testified profanely that they had no king but Caesar
(Jn 19:15).
5. They begged for His righteous blood to be upon them and upon their children
(Matthew 27:25).
6. The King calls for vengeance on His enemies that would not let Him reign over them
(19:27).
7. The kingdom connection of this parable does not have anything to do with the second
coming.
8. Wise readers will stop reading the New Testament as if its primary message was for
the 21st century and grasp the context of our Lord and the generation of Jewish
vipers that He addressed.
 9. The return of the nobleman has no more to do with the second coming than does the
coming of the Lord of the vineyard or the sending of the King (19:15; Matt
21:40; 22:7). It is 70 AD!

Olivet Prophecy of Jesus

A. The Olivet Discourse is the longest and most detailed prophecy of the great events
around 70 AD.
1. It was given on the Mount of Olives and recorded three times (Matt 24; Mark 13; and
Luke 21).
2. See the three gospel accounts compared at the bottom of this study for easy
reference and study.
3. We will only summarize it here, as there are more detailed expositions in the links
listed below that show in detail the fulfillment of every aspect of this prophecy about
Jerusalem’s destruction.
4. The Olivet Discourse was at the end of our Lord’s ministry, and it depends on lessons
elsewhere.
5. No one has a right to interpret the Olivet Discourse until he studies the Old and New
Testament prophecies related to it, especially those of Daniel, Haggai, Malachi, John,
Jesus, Peter, and Paul.
6. Jesus said reading and understanding Daniel will help, so wise students start there
(Matt 24:15).
7. Daniel told of a war by a prince after Messiah to destroy the city and sanctuary (Dan
9:26-27), when abominable armies would desolate Jerusalem and scatter the holy
people (Dan 12:1,7,11). All of Daniel 10-12 was fulfilled perfectly by the historical
events affecting Israel up to 70 AD!
8. We do not start with “clouds” in Matthew 24:30 and work backward, forcing our
futuristic ideas upon a prophecy that is clearly limited by time descriptions and
clearly referenced elsewhere.
9. We do not allow “Left Behind” nonsense and all the other carnal and childish
imaginations about the future influence the study we have made to this point of
prophecies against Israel.
10.In these chapters we will face choices to wrest words or trust the Lord and prophetic
language.
11.Your caution and methods in rightly dividing the word of truth will be put to the test
right here.
12.Our Lord’s emphatic statements summarizing the timing of the prophecy deserve
close attention.
B. The errors made in interpreting and applying this passage by futurists like C.I.
Scofield are Legion.
1. Matt 24 teaches Christ’s second coming, the rapture, and the signs preceding (SRB,
p.1033-35).
2. Luke 21:21-24 answers the first question of Matt 24:1-3; Matthew 24:4-33 answers
the others!
3. Believers do not go through the tribulation, for they are raptured out in the
pretribulation scheme.
4. Jewish missionaries (144,000) will preach the gospel worldwide after the rapture
(SRB, p. 1033).
 5. These converted Jews announce that the kingdom is “at hand” again, 2000 years
after John!
6. The abomination of desolation is a pagan idol in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem (SRB,
p. 1033).
7. The warnings of Jesus are for these tribulation Jews in Jerusalem to flee from the
antichrist.
8. The great tribulation is 3½ years of persecution of regathered Jews by antichrist
(SRB, p. 1033).
9. The Son of Man and the angels will regather Jews to Jerusalem for a carnal Jewish
millennium.
10.Generation cannot mean generation, because not one event in Matthew 24 occurred
in 70 AD!
11.If you force gaps here, then why not Genesis 1, Daniel 2,7,8,9,11,12, and II
Thessalonians 2?
12.Do not let anyone take sound bites from these chapters and try to apply them to
current events.
C. The lesson was caused by the disciples admiring the temple and Jesus foretelling
its destruction.
1. If they had read their Bibles, they would have known Isaiah and Daniel foretold this
event, and they would have asked Jesus about the temple’s destruction, not its
beauty (Is 66:6; Dan 9:26).
2. Josephus and others described the stones and construction of the temple buildings as
glorious.
3. While Zerubbabel had laid the foundation, Herod the Great added forts and much
grandeur to it.
4. There are only two temples – the former and the latter – Solomon’s and Herod’s
(Haggai 2:1-9).
5. They asked four questions – one about when, three about signs – mostly in ignorance
(Acts 1:6).
6. They did not leap to the second coming as you do, for they knew of another (Matt
16:27-28).
7. The end of the world can refer to Christ’s parables or their focus on Israel (Matt
13:39-43,47-50).
8. Rather than ignorant questions driving the interpretation, Christ’s answers direct our
application.
D. There would be various conditions characterizing Israel and the Roman world
before the destruction.
1. These are not truly signs, for they do not identify the destruction; there was to be
one main sign.
2. Josephus, other historians, and/or scripture confirm these conditions as occurring in
30-70 AD.
3. There would be false Christ’s pretending to bring Messianic deliverance (Acts
5:36; 8:9; 21:38).
4. While the end of Jerusalem would result from a war, war and rumors of war were to
be ignored.
5. These things were preliminary conditions: they did not indicate Jerusalem’s end was
imminent.
6. Famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places would be bad, but are just
the beginning.
 7. There was a serious famine throughout the world that affected Hebrew Christians
(Acts 11:28).
8. Do not let anyone create sound bites from these words and try to apply them to
current events.
9. The “end” is defined for us – the end of Jerusalem – for He is leading to it by listing
conditions as only the beginning of sorrows, not the great tribulation of the city (Matt
24:6,8,13-14).
E. The apostles would face terrible persecution by family, friends, the Jews, and the
Gentiles.
1. A review of the book of Acts will confirm every single statement in this prophecy of
persecution.
2. Many would be offended and betray one another (Matthew 24:10 cp II Timothy
1:15; 4:10,16).
3. Many false prophets would arise and deceive many (Matthew 24:11 cp Acts 5:36-
37; 21:38).
4. Because iniquity would abound, the love of many would wax cold (Matthew
24:12 cp Rev 2:4).
5. Those who endured these persecutions would be saved (Matthew 24:13 cp Daniel
12:12).
6. The end under consideration here is the end of the desolation of Jerusalem (Matt
24:13 cp 24:2).
7. The days were shortened to save the elect, but their endurance was required (Matt
24:6,8,13,22).
F. The gospel of the kingdom – Jesus Christ as King – would be preached to all nations
for a witness.
1. Since this is the primary theme of this study, there is much more on this point that
follows below.
2. The gospel of the kingdom of heaven is the same as the gospel of grace (Acts 20:24-
27; 28:31).
3. The gospel was most surely preached to all nations by the apostles (Acts
1:8; 2:5; Col 1:5-6,23).
4. The end under consideration here is the end of the desolation of Jerusalem (Matt
24:14 cp 24:2).
5. Matthew’s account makes this the final condition before the end could occur (Matt
24:14-15).
6. While Paul was living, before Jerusalem’s violent end, the gospel was preached just
as described.
7. It is heresy and a travesty of Bible interpretation to say Jesus cannot come the
second time yet!
G. The specific sign of Jerusalem’s total and utter ruin as prophesied would be
encompassing armies!
1. Believers would be able to see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel
(Matt 24:15).
2. The reference is Daniel 12:11, not Daniel 8:13 (Antiochus) or Daniel 9:26-27 (war for
sins).
3. Matthew and Mark use “abomination of desolation,” Luke plainly calls it armies (Luke
21:20).
4. While Matthew and Mark’s readers would need to understand, Luke’s description is
obvious.
 5. The abomination OF desolation is an abomination that MAKES desolate (Dan
12:11; 9:26-27).
6. The abominable armies of pagan idolaters would make the city and sanctuary
desolate. Easy!
7. If this is an idol in a rebuilt temple, who would be able to see it and flee? Wouldn’t
the city already be occupied? Why would God call Satan’s synagogue or temple a holy
place? There is no way that abomination and desolation can combine to describe
merely an idol as futurists say.
8. The “holy place” simply and only refers to the holy land and city of Jerusalem
(Matthew 27:53).
9. Having seen the armies encompassing Jerusalem, the disciples were to flee (Matthew
24:15).
10.History records that they did flee and not a single Christian is recorded lost in the
desolation.
11.The days of Daniel became significantly important to those who fled to the hills (Dan
12:11-12).
12.The entirely practical nature of the warning is seen by the hindrances described (Matt
24:17-20).
13.The response was to flee Jerusalem and Judea for the mountains to miss this military
destruction.
14.Since it is impossible to escape a city surrounded by armies, how did Christians obey
the Lord’s precious warning? Cestius Gallus surrounded the city and then left in 66
AD! Glory! Vespasian and Titus then began a terror campaign throughout Judea
leading to Jerusalem in 70 AD!
15.If Cestius Gallus surrounded the city in 66 AD, why the sense of urgency from the
Lord about not taking any thing out of a house? Because Daniel’s timeframe guided
them (Dan 12:11-12), and Jesus was giving a general exhortation to sober
watchfulness, not literal neglect of assets.
H. The greatest tribulation in the history of the world would now take place as
Jerusalem was besieged.
1. Luke defines the “great tribulation” as the “days of vengeance” (Luke 21:22 cp Matt
23:29-38).
2. For the foolish dispensationalists that fuss about the great tribulation, it is now 1935
years past!
3. This was the time of unprecedented national trouble that Michael would initiate
(Daniel 12:1).
4. This was the time of the consummation and desolation of the city and sanctuary (Dan
9:26-27).
5. God poured out His uttermost wrath and vengeance on the Jews (Lev 26:14-39; Deut
28:15-68; Matthew 3:7; 21:41; 22:7; 23:29-38; Luke 19:44; 21:22; I Thess 2:16).
6. If Jesus Christ had not cut those days of tribulation short, they would have consumed
the elect hiding in the hills from the Romans. Consider their terrible plight trying to
survive in mountains.
7. Observe the Lord’s very practical concern for His people, by virtue of the very specific
instructions and concerns, regarding this event (24:19-20; Luke 23:27-31).
8. These warnings have nothing to do with the second coming or any difficulties coming
before it.
9. The Lord cut the days short with severe famine in the city from the factions burning
up each other’s grain stores and the Jews foolishly giving up their forts; Titus could
not believe his luck!
 10.It was patient endurance of trials that brought blessed deliverance (Matt
24:13,22; Dan 12:12).
11.Luke wrote that his Gentile readers ought to lift up their heads, for their redemption
drew nigh – their receiving of the kingdom, and the destruction of their rabid
enemies, the Jews (Luke 21:28).
12.The city would be trodden down until the times of the Gentiles are totally fulfilled
(Luke 21:24).
13.Christians went through this tribulation, making pre-, mid-, or post- tribulationism so
much folly!
I. The Lord again warns about false Christ’s and prophets attempting to deceive the
people of victory.
1. These pretenders would show wonderful signs and wonders, but the elect would not
be deceived.
2. Claiming that the Messiah was in the desert was nothing unusual (Acts 5:36-
37 cp Acts 21:38).
3. Since Jesus had warned so carefully of this matter, there was no reason to believe
any imposters.
4. No matter where they might say Christ could be, His presence would be as obvious as
lightning.
5. This coming is not related to the second coming at all. He would come with Roman
vengeance.
6. Whether the “eagles” are figurative or the Roman ensigns, they would devour the
Jewish corpse.
7. Jesus Christ would not be hidden; He would be consuming the dead nation in obvious
judgment.
8. The two verses are closely related: the Son of man would come as the devouring of
the carcass.
9. The armies were the Lord’s armies, for the devouring of the nation was the Lord’s
great work.
J. After the siege and destruction, the religious world would be turned upside
down with great change.
1. We are fully bound by “immediately” (24:29) and “this generation” (24:34) to make
this 70 AD.
2. Jesus used metaphorical language opening this section: we should expect metaphors
(24:27-28)!
3. The language here is the same Joel used to describe the same religious change,
which Peter said was fulfilled in the spiritual event of speaking in tongues on the Day
of Pentecost (Acts 2:12-21).
4. If you think these words describe Christ’s second coming, you must think it in Acts
2 as well.
5. As shown in the section on prophetic language, it is used in other places in the Bible
as well.
6. Go back and read about the Persian destruction of Babylon as a turning out the lights
(Is 13:13)!
7. God promised to shake away the old kingdom of Israel, and He did (Hag 2:1-9; Heb
12:26-29).
8. The end of the Jewish economy, state, temple, city, and nation was an earth-
shattering event!
 9. This purely the figurative, cataclysmic, and apocalyptic language of a prophet
describing major political and religious change! Only those who have never read the
Bible would think otherwise.
K. With this great religious change came the obvious evidence of Jesus Christ
reigning in His kingdom.
1. We are fully bound by “immediately” (24:29) and “this generation” (24:34) to make
this 70 AD.
2. Jesus used metaphorical language opening this section: we should expect metaphors
(24:27-28)!
3. The Jews rejected Him as their king, but He took the kingdom anyway (Luke
19:14; John 19:15).
4. What is the sign of the Son of Man in heaven? Treating His enemies as His footstool
(Ps 110:1)!
5. How was it known He was seated at God’s right hand? His feet grinding His enemies
to powder!
6. This cannot be the second coming for numerous reasons, but one is that there is no
sign for it.
7. The tribes of the earth mourning are Jewish tribes for what they had cost their nation
and selves.
8. The coming in clouds with power and great glory is figurative of His glorious reign
and victory.
9. What the Jews clearly saw was the obvious hand of God in their utter destruction and
desolation!
10.Everything Jesus and His apostles had taught against the Jews and temple came to
pass perfectly.
11.Not until the temple and altar were totally destroyed was it obvious there would be
no deliverer!
12.Such similitudes are common in the Bible, as the section above about prophetic
language shows.
13.Jesus had already stated that He would come in glorious judgment in this very
fashion within the present generation (Matt 16:27-28; 26:63-64; Mark
8:38; 9:1; 14:62; Luke 9:26-27).
14.And Jesus is just about to state clearly that this event and all the others were
generational events!
15.Why do you want to take these clouds literally, but not those in Psalm 18:11-
12; Isaiah 19:1; and many other places in Scripture that simply use them to
metaphorically present God’s judgment?
16.Stop watching Star Wars or Left Behind! Read the Bible! Learn its apocalyptic
language!
L. The reigning King would send forth gospel ministers to gather His elect from
among the Gentiles.
1. We are fully bound by “immediately” (24:29) and “this generation” (24:34) to make
this 70 AD.
2. Jesus used metaphorical language opening this section: we should expect metaphors
(24:27-28)!
3. Since He identified earth shattering events (24:29) and the effect on the Jews
(24:30), what was the next event or effect on the Gentiles? The gospel was now for
the Gentiles without the Jews!
4. Remember the parable of the householder; Jesus gave the kingdom to Gentiles (Matt
21:33-46).
 5. Remember the parable of the marriage; Jesus gave the kingdom to the Gentiles
(Matt 22:1-10).
6. One of the great events connected to Jerusalem’s end was the formal changing of the
covenants.
7. It had been the times of the Jews; now it was the times of the Gentiles (Luke
21:24; Rom 11:24).
8. Are gospel ministers ever called angels? Indeed (Eccl 5:6; I Cor 11:20; Rev
1:20; 14:6-7)!
9. Is gospel preaching, or prophetic warning, or God’s call, ever called a trumpet?
Indeed (Ps 47:5; 89:15; Isaiah 18:3; 27:13; 58:1; Hosea 8:1; Zech 9:14; Rev
1:10; 4:1)!
10.Is this interpretation hard? What about Daniel 12:1-4, which was fulfilled by 70 AD
(Dan 12:7)!
11.Either you choke on the figurative language and wrest our Lord’s plain language
(24:29,32-35), or you accept our Lord’s plain language and compare Scripture to
explain the figurative words.
12.We have a specific event, a very clear time limitation, and Bible usage of such figures
of speech!
M. The first internal time limitation of the prophecy is the parable of the fig tree
(Matthew 24:32-33).
1. When trees produce buds and leaves, it is very obvious that we are very close to
summertime.
2. You can know with total certainty that summer will come and that it will come very
quickly.
3. When the conditions and signs Jesus had described were visible, then Jerusalem’s
end was near.
4. Compare “it is near, even at the doors” here with James, “standeth before the door”
(James 5:9).
5. During the discourse, without all signs present, Jesus said the end was not yet nigh
(Matt 24:6,8).
6. Consider – “it” must be divided from “all things,” since the all things were signs to
know “it” was near. Therefore, “all things” were signs of Jerusalem’s end, and “it” is
the immediate events.
7. Everything in the previous verses, 24:1-31, must be either signs of “it” or “it” itself,
which does not allow for any division, gap, or change of subjects in the preceding
verses!
8. Here is further evidence that the second coming is not being considered, for what
things are we to see in order to know that it is even at the doors? There are no signs
of the second coming!
N. The second internal time limitation of the prophecy is the focus on that
generation (Matt 24:34-35).
1. The generation then present would not pass away, entirely die, before all these
things occurred.
2. The emphasis on that generation began with John and continued to Peter (Matt
3:7; Acts 2:40).
3. John, Jesus, and Peter made 30 references to that generation, as shown in John’s
prophecy above.
4. A generation not passing is the very same as “some of you shall not taste of death”
(Matt 16:28).
 5. A generation not passing is the same as “weep for yourselves, and for your children”
(Lu 23:28).
6. The exact fulfillment of these prophecies from 30 to 70 AD is incredibly remarkable
and true.
7. Observe that the Lord wants your attention by His words of emphasis, “Verily I say
unto you.”
8. And the Lord emphasized the prophecy’s certainty by exalting His words above the
universe.
9. These factors imply, if not prove, the efforts Jews and futurists would make to negate
His words.
10.Though these are the two most important verses in the prophecy, they are wrested
by very many.
O. The Lord then exhorted them to watch based on the uncertainty of specific
timing (Matt 24:36-51).
1. While signs would show its general timing, the day and hour were unknown to angels
or men.
2. They would be unable to nail down whether on a Sabbath Day or in the winter
(Matthew 24:20).
3. Men can hardly remember warnings that involve forty days, let alone those involving
forty years; there was great reason to exhort to watchfulness in spite of knowing the
general timeframe.
4. Luke combines verses from this chapter to show them clearly as 70 AD verses (Luke
17:20-37).
5. The warnings about Noah, carelessness, and two in the field all apply to the Roman
destruction.
6. The ones taken are those taken by the Romans in judgment; the ones left are the
elect delivered.
7. Why in the world would a person be concerned about what he took with him in the
rapture?
P. There are several strong reasons as to why there is no gap of 2000 years here
to the Second Coming.
1. The Lord plainly declared all the things He listed, signs and end, would come on that
generation, which were the men then living, as is described clearly in many other
places (Matt 24:34-35).
2. The verses hardest to grasp are tied to Jerusalem’s destruction by the timing,
“immediately” which does not allow for any time lapse. These things followed directly
after the tribulation.
3. The reason for the lesson was the destruction of the temple, regardless of how the
disciples phrased their questions. They were not asking questions from a post-Pauline
perspective.
4. Those hearing the prophecy had the potential to see all the signs listed and the
object of those signs; but the second coming has no signs nor 2000-year-old disciples
to see it (Matt 24:32-33).
5. The most difficult verses of the prophecies were witnessed by some still living (Matt
16:27-28).
6. The Holy Ghost in Luke’s account takes verses from both halves of Matthew 24 and
combines them in one warning about 70 AD, which simply denies any gap or new
topic (Luke 17:20-37).
 7. There would be no question about “generation,” if Scofield and other men promoting
Jewish fables had not tried to destroy the prophecy (Matt 24:34-35; Mark 13:30-
31; Luke 21:32-33).
8. Daniel testified in similar language that everything would be done by 70 AD (Daniel
12:1-13).
9. The rest of the New Testament confirms all those things definitely came on that
generation.
10.History confirms all those things definitely came on that generation i.e. Josephus,
Eusebius.
11. There is no sign for the second coming, for we are not to run to mountains or
anywhere else, nor are we to worry about what we are leaving behind in our houses,
nor will pregnant or nursing women be at any disadvantage in the second coming
(Matt 24:36-51; Luke 17:20-37).
12.The language Jesus used was the same language prophets used to describe national
disasters; for examples, see the section above dealing with prophetic language.
13.The metaphors Jesus used were just like the language of Pentecost (Joel 2:28-
32; Acts 2:12-21).
14.A man must either deny the words of Jesus, because he cannot handle the figurative
language of a prophet, or believe the words of Jesus and look for the figurative
fulfillment of His words.
15.The futurists are no better than Charismatics, who deny the literal fulfillment of Acts
2:14-21 by missing the figurative language and concluding Peter spoke of Jimmy
Swaggert and Benny Hinn.
Q. But what about the arguments of those who cannot apply this chapter or 24:29-31 to
70 AD?
1. Our Lord’s words of timing and the perfect fulfillment of the prophecy require past
fulfillment.
2. What about “end of the world” in 24:3? Answer: (a) the position of the Lord’s
deadline still stands, (b) the disciples’ were very ignorant, (c) Matthew 25 answers to
the end of the world, (d) the time then present by ending the old covenant was the
end of the world (I Cor 10:11; Heb 9:26), and (e) “end of the world” can mean the
end of Israel or a nation (Is 24:1-12; Nah 1:1-6).
3. What about “this generation”? It could mean the Jews as a distinct nation.
It could mean the Jews in a future generation when these things would be
fulfilled. It could mean many other things. No, the word “generation” means the
men then living, as it always has. There is no reason at all to twist the meaning of
this word, expect to protect some pet theory about the preceding verses! If you need
more evidence, then read the section above pertaining to John the Baptist’s
prophecy.

Was the Gospel Preached in all the World?

A. Jesus said the gospel would be preached to all nations before the end of Jerusalem,
which provided a glorious witness of Himself, His prophecies, the New Testament, and
His enemies’ sins (Mat 24:14).
B. The Lord charged His apostles to preach the gospel to the whole world (Matt 28:19-
20; Acts 1:8).
1. They did this with all the signs and wonders He promised them (Mark 16:15-
20; Hebrews 2:1-4).
 2. They had the full range of revelatory gifts including prophecy, wisdom, knowledge,
and tongues.
3. If Paul was able to do all that is stated about him, as listed below, then what did the
others do?
4. We are the effect of that incredible charge and powerful blessing, as the gospel went
worldwide.
C. No man alive today, or in the last 1900 years, can keep the Great Commission as the
Lord gave it.
1. Preaching was accompanied by powerful signs and wonders that disappeared before
70 AD.
2. No one living today has seen Jesus Christ after His resurrection to witness like the
apostles, who were literal witnesses of Jesus Christ (Luke 24:47-48; Acts 1:8,21-
22; 10:36-42; 22:15; 26:16).
3. No one living approaches their ministry as the apostles were directed (Matthew 10:5-
11). Why?
4. Those who object to this teaching on the Great Commission have never done
anything like it!
5. Jesus Christ specifically included “both” Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and the world;
but there is not a missionary alive today that has followed that specific order (Acts
1:8).
D. Since that time, the gospel has been preached in various nations by ordinary
evangelism (II Tim 4:5).
1. Paul’s epistles to Gentile churches are silent about any duty to fulfill the Great
Commission.
2. Many churches make this their primary purpose for existence, but it is not mentioned
even once!
3. Paul’s epistles to Gentile churches give all the other duties that Christian saints are to
fulfill.
4. The modern concept of an “evangelist” traveling from church to church is profane
heresy.
E. The fulfillment of our Lord’s prophecy about preaching in all nations was fulfilled
(Matthew 24:14).
1. The apostles went forth and preached every where, obeying the great commission
(Mark 16:20).
2. Jews out of every nation under heaven heard the gospel on the Day of Pentecost
(Acts 2:5-11).
3. Persecution quickly scattered the gospel abroad in the regions of Judea and Samaria
(Acts 8:1-8).
4. Our enemies testified that Paul and his friends had turned the world upside down
(Acts 17:6).
5. Paul labored so diligently in Asia that he was free from all men there (Acts
19:10,26; 20:26).
6. The Jews charged Paul with teaching all men everywhere the gospel of Christ (Acts
21:28).
7. The Jews charged Paul in court for affecting all the Jews throughout the world (Acts
24:5).
8. Paul said the faith of the Roman believers to be known throughout the whole world
(Rom 1:8).
9. Paul said Christ had been preached in all the earth and to the ends of the world (Rom
10:16-18).
 10.Paul had preached round about unto Illyricum, present-day Albania and Serbia
(Romans 15:19).
11.Paul wrote from Italy, visited Crete, and planned for Spain (Rom 15:24; Titus
1:5; Heb 13:24).
12.Paul said the obedience of the Roman saints had come abroad unto all men (Romans
16:19).
13.The preaching of Jesus Christ had been made known to all nations in Paul’s day (Rom
16:26).
14.The truth of the gospel had gone to the Colossians and to all the world at that time
(Col 1:5-6).
15.The gospel had been preached to every creature under heaven while Paul was alive
(Col 1:23).
16.Paul said the mystery of godliness included preaching to Gentiles and world faith (I
Tim 3:16).
17.Paul told Titus the preaching of grace bringing salvation had appeared to all men
(Titus 2:11).
F. Our Lord’s deadline for gospel preaching in all the world to all nations was done in that
generation, which we should believe from the Faithful and True Witness (Matt
24:14,34; Mark 13:10,30)!
1. Newly converted Christians and their families in all nations had their faith confirmed
by the fulfillment of prophecies about the destruction of Jerusalem, the temple, and
the Jewish nation.
2. Every Gentile that believes the gospel at a distance from Jerusalem should rejoice
greatly!
3. No soul is at risk, if we put the fulfillment before 70 AD, for two reasons: Jesus will
not lose a single one of those the Father gave Him (John 6:39; 17:2; Rom 8:29-39),
and ordinary evangelism by ordinary ministers will reach those since the apostles (II
Tim 4:5).

For a Witness to all Nations

A. Jesus said the gospel would be preached to all nations before the end of Jerusalem,
which provided a glorious witness of Himself, His prophecies, the New Testament, and
His enemies’ sins (Mat 24:14).
B. Some prophecy is to warn of coming events in order to avoid their danger (Matthew
24:15-28).
C. All prophecy proves the identity and ability of the living God (Isaiah 41:21-29; 44:6-
8; John 13:19).
D. The single most impressive event to confirm the New Testament for new converts was
70 AD.
1. They had not seen the resurrected Lord, and the sign gifts of Pentecost were fast
disappearing.
2. They had the New Testament scripture in whole or part, and these events confirmed
much of it.
3. The Old Testament in every respect was wiped out with the razing of the temple (Heb
9:10).
4. The subversive and heretical efforts of the Judaizers came to a screeching and bloody
end!
E. The single most impressive event to prove Jesus Christ as King was His blasting of
Israel in 70 AD.
1. The apostles preached kingship often (Acts 2:33-36; 10:36; 17:6-7; Col 2:10; I Tim
1:17; 6:15).
2. Jesus of Nazareth was not recognized by the world, and especially not as a king of a
kingdom.
3. Though of an obscure beginning and ignominious death, He was the Son and Lord of
David.
4. Prophecies about Him and prophecies by Him about His enemies would prove His
kingdom.
5. What greater confirmation that He is Judge of quick and dead than demolishing the
Jews!
6. A witness of the New Testament under Christ the King was fully established (Heb
12:28-29).
F. From apostles or their immediate hearers that fulfilled the Commission, we have heard
the gospel.
G. The testimony of Jesus in the gospel includes destroying the Jews (Acts 6:14; Rev
12:17; 19:10).
H. The announcement of the kingdom would be a testimony of Christ’s power (Luke
5:14; 9:5; 21:13).
I. The spread of the gospel after the destruction of Jerusalem increased even more due
to the witness!
J. Considering the very many prophecies of 70 AD, consider how much the event
confirmed Scripture!

Then Shall the End Come

A. Jesus said the gospel would be preached to all nations before the end of Jerusalem,
which provided a glorious witness of Himself, His prophecies, the New Testament, and
His enemies’ sins (Mat 24:14).
B. The end here is primarily the end of the temple (Matt 24:1-3), but also ceremonial
worship, Jerusalem, and the Jews as a kingdom, which Peter described as the end of
all things (I Peter 4:7).
C. This is not the end of the world as you may think it, for the disciples had no idea of it
as you do, and Jesus was still providing the preceding conditions and signs that would
mark the coming destruction.
D. He referred to the end earlier, which Daniel says is the end of Israel (Dan 9:26-
27; Matt 24:6,13-14).
E. The end here has nothing to do with the Second Coming of Christ and the final Day of
Judgment.
F. And the gospel was preached in all the world to all nations before 70 AD by many
other N.T. verses.
G. The confusion, division, and muddling of this chapter with the Second Coming is full of
fallacies.
1. The topic at hand is the total destruction of the temple of the Jews (Matt 24:1-
3; Mark 13:1-4).
2. The end would not immediately occur when the signs began, for the first signs were
only the beginning of sorrows (Matt 24:6-8; Mark 13:7-8).
 3. The end has already been identified as requiring endurance in the previous verse,
which would be sufficient by the shortening of those days for the elect to be saved
(Matt 24:13,22).
4. The disciples were confused men, and the Lord’s answer limited the time, so their
question regarding the end of the world has no power to alter the interpretation of
this chapter.

Why We Are Not Preterists

A. What is a Preterist? Someone that believes there is absolutely nothing left in the
future for the elect!
1. Of course, there are degrees of preterism, like degrees of Calvinism; but let’s blast
the original!
2. They take every scrap of Bible prophecy and put it in 70 AD, no matter the
gymnastics required.
3. Do you mean we have already had the resurrection, judgment, and new heavens?
You got it!
4. Jesus has already come for his saints and redeemed our bodies from the grave? You
got it!
5. This is as good as it gets? We suffer and die in spite of glorification and a new earth?
You got it!
6. Preterism is the profane, vain babbling, and cancerous doctrine of Hymenaeus and
Philetus, whom Paul condemned for ungodliness, leaving the truth, wrongly dividing
the word of truth, and overthrowing the faith of some (II Tim 2:14-18). How? They
said the resurrection was past!
7. They must spiritualize many passages, just as Ellen G. White had to spiritualize the
coming of Jesus Christ in 1844 to keep her hold on the shattered remnants of the
Great Disappointment.
B. Are there some good reasons to condemn Preterism as heresy? As much as
Dispensationalism!
1. Preterism rejects dividing the scriptures by jamming everything into 70 AD;
Dispensationalism divides it frivolously to defend Jewish fables and provide for sci-fi
novels. The truth is rightly divided: if there were not divisions to be carefully made,
then Paul wasted ink (II Timothy 2:15).
2. While a complete refutation of Preterism is beyond this study, we will provide a few
simple arguments or thoughts to show the ridiculous nature of a theory that leaves
us living for nothing.
3. Preterists, of course, deny this. Who is right? Ask them to show you your blessed
future! A primary trait of Christianity is the believer’s hope, but they leave the
believer with nothing. But be careful, because they may spiritualize anything on the
run. Ask for Bible and historical proof.
4. Preterism denies the literal and bodily coming of Jesus, which the angels promised,
which was not figurative or spiritual in any way, for they saw Him leave bodily and
literally (Acts 1:9-11).
5. Preterism denies a bodily resurrection of saints and sinners, and Jesus Christ has not
secured the victory until our mortal physical bodies obtain immortality, which is far
more than a mere spiritual resurrection (John 5:28-29; Act 24:15; Rom 8:23; I Cor
15:51-57).
 6. Preterism denies sleeping and rising of dead bodies at the coming of Christ, which is
not a spiritual sleep but rather a waiting in the graves of physical bodies (I Thess
4:13-18; Acts 13:36).
7. Preterism denies Paul’s careful and sober warning that Christ’s coming, which
included angels and flaming fire, was not imminent (II Thess 1:7-11; 2:1-12). There
had to be an apostasy first and a man of sin revealed that sat in a false church and
professed himself to be greater than God.
8. Preterism denies Noah’s earthly flood, for if the heavens and earth that shall melt
with fervent heat are spiritualized into the old covenant, then so should the world
that then was (II Pet 3:5-7).
9. Preterism denies the rise of a little horn that persecutes the saints after the Roman
Empire degenerates into ten minor kingdoms (Daniel 7).
10.Preterism ignores Roman Catholicism, which is a great object of Bible prophecy,
including Daniel’s little Roman horn, Paul’s man of sin, and John’s beast, great whore,
and false prophet.
11.Preterism is a hopeless gospel, which proves it false, for it has nothing for saints
living today.
12.For those wanting more arguments, consult some of the documents and websites
linked below.
C. If we are not futurists or preterists, what are we? If you must give us a label, we are
historicists, which means we believe Bible prophecy has been fulfilled and is now
fulfilling in world history.
1. It is not all past or future. Much was fulfilled in 70 AD, and the second coming is still
future.
2. The Roman Catholic Church fulfills Daniel 7, II Thessalonians 2, and portions of
Revelation.

Conclusion:

1. If you have not believed on the Lord Jesus Christ as the Son of God, you should kiss
the Son this moment.
2. In spite of the world’s casual worship, kiss the Son and fall on Him to be broken, for as
this study has shown, He is able and willing to grind His enemies to powder (Psalm
2:12; Matt 21:44).
3. Not only did Jesus rise, ascend to heaven, and destroy His and our enemies, but He
sent the gospel to you by the commandment of the everlasting God (Rom 16:25-27)!
4. If you are a child of God and baptized follower of Jesus Christ, you are a member of a
secret nation called the kingdom of God, which the world cannot recognize, and Jesus
Christ of Nazareth is your King and Saviour (I Cor 2:15-16; Gal 3:26-29; Eph 2:11-
22; Heb 12:22-29; I Peter 2:9-10; I John 3:1).
5. The Lord’s Supper is not a pitiful little memorial: it remembers the glorious King of
Zion’s death for our sins, which put away the first covenant and brought in the second,
our eternal inheritance (Heb 10:8-14; 12:22-29)!
6. There is no room for Gentiles to gloat, just as Paul exhorted the Romans to humility
and fear (Rom 11:12-24).
Denied: The Jewish fable of an earthly kingdom of God, with its
capital in Jerusalem, where Jesus Christ will reign on a worldly
throne, in a worldly temple, overseeing a revival of animal
sacrifices, with the righteous and wicked living side by side
peacefully, and physical Jews exalted in restored superiority over
Gentiles.

Affirmed: John the Baptist and Jesus Christ established the final
kingdom of God, which is the spiritual reign of Christ that will
endure until the Second Coming, which is the fulfillment of
blessings promised by Old Testament prophets, and the joyful
rest of the people of God under gospel truth, with the Son of
David on His throne in heaven.

“Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the
truth.”

Titus 1:14

In Acknowledgement:

Robert L. Whitelaw, wrote an article, “The Gospel Millennium and

Obedience to Scripture,” which was published in the Baptist
Reformation Review in the Winter Edition of 1974. Robert L.
Whitelaw was Professor of Mechanical and Nuclear Engineering,
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, and was
Visiting Professor, Chung Yuan Christian College, Chungli, Taiwan,
Republic of China. He was born of missionary parents in
Kweichow, China, and graduated in engineering physics, cum
laude, from the University of Toronto in 1940, with later graduate
studies in England, at Oak Ridge, Tennessee, and in California.
During twenty-five years in engineering practice in Canada,
England, and the United States; he was active in many local
Baptist churches in teaching and leadership. He is a member of Pi
Tau Sigma, the A.S.M.E., the American Nuclear Society, and the
Creation Research Society, which published his well-known paper,
“Time, Life and History in the Light of 15,000 Radiocarbon Dates.”

The Gospel Millennium

What an inspired Jewish apostle told Christian Jews about

the present realities of Jerusalem and the kingdom around
60 A.D.!
22
But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the
living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable
company of angels, 23 To the general assembly and church of the
firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of
all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, 24 And to Jesus
the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling,
that speaketh better things than that of Abel. 25 See that ye
refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who
refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape,
if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 26 Whose
voice then shook the earth: but now he hath promised, saying,
Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also
heaven. 27 And this word, Yet once more, signifieth the removing
of those things that are shaken, as of things that are made, that
those things which cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Wherefore
we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have
grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and
godly fear: 29 For our God is a consuming fire.
Hebrews 12:22-29
A. Baptized Jewish converts to Christianity left the Old Testament ritual, the priesthood,
the temple, the carnal hopes of fleshly Israel, and the love of Jerusalem to follow
Jesus Christ and His apostles and avoid the terrible persecution of their own
countrymen (Acts 8:1; I Thess 2:14; Heb 10:32-34).
B. Paul did not comfort these Jewish converts with a future millennial kingdom centered
in Jerusalem, with them as the master race, and with animals being offered again
 before a manmade temple! In fact, he would have abhorred any such notion as heresy
(Gal 3:28-29; 4:21-31; Heb 4:1-11; 9:11).
C. He told them that their conversion brought them into union with the true Mount Sion,
the real city of God, the heavenly Jerusalem, the angelic host of heaven, the universal
church of the elect, the book of Life, the great God, the spirits of all the saints, and to
Jesus and full redemption from sin!
D. There is no millennial kingdom even possible on earth that could come close to this
glorious description, and any talk of such a competing kingdom is heresy and
blasphemy, and it is merely rehashing ancient Jewish fables (Luke 17:20-21; John
4:20-24; 18:36; Eph 2:11-22; 3:1-13)!
E. God’s promise to shake the heaven and earth was given through Haggai to comfort
Zerubbabel and the Jews in rebuilding the temple, when God promised to send the
Desire of all Nations to that temple and make peace by His cross, Who did just that
2000 years ago (Hag 2:6-9; Mark 15:38)!
F. This final religious shaking would dislodge and get rid of the weak and beggarly
elements of the Old Testament and leave the permanent form of worship of the New
Testament, where Jews and Gentiles would form one body (Matt 21:40-46; Luke
16:16; Gal 4:9; Col 3:11; Heb 9:10).
G. What was left after this shaking? A kingdom that could not be moved – the final
kingdom that saved Jews would desire, enjoy, and use to the glory of the great God!
There is no other kingdom coming after the gospel kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The premillennial kingdom is a lie!

What is a millennium?

A. “Millennium” is from the Latin mille for thousand plus annus for year, thus a period of
1000 years.
B. A millennium is a period of 1000 years, a century that of 100 years, and a decade that
of 10 years.

Does “millennium” occur in the Bible?

A. No, the word “millennium,” which means 1000 years, does not occur anywhere in the
Bible.
B. However, a passage in Revelation does refer to a thousand years six times (Revelation
20:1-7).
C. But it does not contain even a tithe of the ideas taught as dogma by prophetic
speculators.

Is understanding the millennium important?

A. Yes, it is important because it is in the Bible, though we do categorize it by its

prophetic context.
B. Yes, it is important because it is in the Revelation, which promises a blessing to
readers (Rev 1:3).
C. Yes, it is important for a number of reasons that the unlearned might not readily
recognize.
 1. It deals with the methodology of understanding the Bible – strict literalism or spiritual
wisdom.
2. It deals with the issue of the kingdom of God, which drastically affects Bible
understanding.
3. It deals with modern Israel, the Palestinian conflict, and determines your position on
Zionism.
4. It deals with the importance or unimportance of Christ, the gospel, the Gentiles, and
the gospel.
5. It is involved with corruptions of many other prophecies and an ignorant approach to
the Bible.

What effect will correct understanding have?

A. Correct understanding will exalt the Lord Jesus Christ to the throne of God and of
David to you.
B. Rather than distraction or speculation about the future, our lives should be focused on
the present.
C. Rather than see Gentiles as second-class citizens and the church a parenthesis, we
have a kingdom!

Should we start with Revelation 20:1-7?

A. No! Revelation is a book of signs, figurative symbols, and metaphorical

representations, which even the most learned Bible students struggle with and end up
opposing their peers (Rev 1:1).
B. The Lord Jesus signified its message to John – He communicated it by obscure sign
language, which is the typical method of prophets (Hos 12:10; I Pet 1:11; Heb
9:8; John 12:33; 18:32; 21:19).
C. Jesus and Paul taught expressly about the kingdom of God, so we should study them
before trying to decipher the Bible’s most figurative book (Matt 4:17; 10:7; Mark
1:14-15; Acts 20:25; 28:31).
D. Revelation has locusts shaped like horses with the hair of women and the power to
sting in their tails like scorpions; a garishly dressed woman riding on a beast with
seven heads and ten horns; a cavalry of 200,000,000 horses that have fire and smoke
and brimstone coming out of their nostrils; a woman that had two wings of a great
eagle to fly into the wilderness; 144,000 virgin men who knew a special song; all the
birds of heaven eating kings, nobles, and military men, etc., etc.
E. It is dangerous and heretical to take any passage, but especially a figurative one,
interpret it literally, and presume to teach a novel doctrine that is denied by the rest of
the Bible (II Pet 1:20).
F. It is much wiser, and the only way to arrive at right conclusions and correct
interpretations, to learn the methods of prophets and read express truth about Christ’s
kingdom from other Bible writers.
G. The most popular theories about the millennium have little basis in Revelation 20, for
the carnal details they assign to their ideas of the millennial kingdom are simply not
found in that passage.
H. They know most of the symbols are figurative i.e. key, bottomless pit, and chain, yet
they presume the 1000 years in the very context is literal! You cannot have it both
ways without a strong reason!

What are the main millennial views?

A. Premillennialism is belief the Second Coming is PRE – before the 1000-year kingdom
of Christ, meaning that a rapture of saints occurs, a tribulation transpires, and an
early kingdom is then set up.
B. Postmillennialism is belief that the Second Coming is POST – after the 1000-year reign
of Christ, meaning that Christians will usher in the millennium through their preaching
and political activism.
C. Amillennialism is belief that the 1000-year reign of Christ is spiritually taking place
right now – the prefix A usually means no or not, but amillennialists do believe in a
millennium, a spiritual one.

What is the most popular view today?

A. Premillenialism is the most popular view today, held by most conservative

evangelicals, who form a majority of the Christians left who believe the Bible enough
to think it deals with future things.
B. The original Scofield Reference Bible greatly assisted the craze among fundamentalists
in 1909.
C. Since then, Dallas Theological Seminary, Clarence Larkin, Hal Lindsay, Salem Kirban,
Jack Van Impe, Tim LaHaye, and many other popular speakers have promoted this
sensational theory.

What was the most popular view in history?

A. The most popular view in history was amillennialism, held by most of the Reformers
and Puritans.
B. Dispensational premillennialism is a radically different school of Bible prophecy than
seen before, by virtue of its literal hermeneutic and confusion in Daniel 9, Matthew 24,
and elsewhere.

Are the kingdom of God and the millennium the same?

A. Yes! The issue at stake is the promised reign of Jesus Christ as David with saints over
the world.
B. There is no Bible reference to a millennium or 1000-year reign of Christ other than
Revelation 20.
C. Scofield and other heretics identified the kingdom of heaven as the future millennial
kingdom on earth and the kingdom of God as His universal rule over His creations,
forming two kingdoms!
Are the kingdom of heaven and kingdom of God the same?

A. Absolutely! Daniel prophesied the God of heaven would set up a kingdom under the
Roman Empire; therefore, it could be called either the kingdom of God or kingdom of
heaven (Dan 2:44)!
B. Luke gave a lengthy description of this empire when recording John’s preaching of this
kingdom
C. Why would C.I. Scofield say they are not the same thing? Because he had to come up
with a fable to protect his Jewish obsession with an earthly kingdom of Jewish
preeminence on earth.
D. Though many passages prove our point, see how Jesus used them as synonyms (Matt
19:23-24)!

When was the kingdom of God set up in the earth?

A. It was set up in the days of the Roman Empire, just as Daniel clearly prophesied
(Daniel 2:44).
B. So Luke was careful to describe the ministry of John and Jesus under Rome (Luke 2:1-
7; 3:1-3).
C. Any idea or statement to the contrary is heresy and destroys the integrity of Daniel’s
prophecies.
D. John and Jesus taught the time fulfilled and the kingdom at hand (Matt
3:2; 4:17; 10:7; Mark 1:15).
E. There were righteous and wise people walking in the Spirit who expected it (Luke
2:25,38; 23:51).
F. Men pressed in during the ministries of John and Jesus (Luke 16:16; Matthew
11:12; 21:28-32).
G. Did Jesus cast out devils by the Spirit? Then the kingdom had come! (Matt
12:28; Luke 11:20)!
H. Some of those living would see the kingdom of God come in greater power (Mark
8:1; Luke 9:27).
I. Jesus promised the apostles a table in His kingdom, which table is in the church (Luke
22:28-30)!
J. Peter used his apostolic keys on Pentecost and preached Christ on David’s throne (Acts
2:30-38)!
K. Paul knew the Colossian saints had already been translated into the kingdom
(Colossians 1:13).
L. John was quite confident that believers he wrote were in a kingdom with him
(Revelation 1:6,9).
M. A loud voice in heaven declared the kingdom to have arrived at Christ’s ascension
(Rev 12:10).
N. If the kingdom of God is yet in the future, then these are the next to last days, not the
last days!

How did men and how do men get into the kingdom?

A. By repenting of sins and following Jesus Christ in baptism (Matt 11:12; 21:31-
32; Luke 7:29-30).
B. This was the very same message Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:33-
39; 8:12).
C. This was the very same message Philip preached in Samaria shortly after Pentecost
(Acts 8:12).

Is any other kingdom described or foretold in the Bible?

A. No, Paul actually told the Israelites that the gospel kingdom was the last kingdom
(Heb 12:22-29)!
B. The “heavenly kingdom” is only that part of Jesus Christ’s kingdom that is in heaven
(II Tim 4:18).
C. The kingdom will be delivered up to God in the last day to be an eternal kingdom (I
Cor 15:24-28).

Did Jesus offer the Jews a future kingdom on earth?

A. No, He opened His ministry by preaching time fulfilled and the kingdom at hand (Mark
1:14-15).
B. No, He preached glad tidings about the kingdom, which was not 2000 years away
(Luke 8:1).
C. No, He told His preachers to declare to cities that the kingdom was nigh to them (Luke
10:9-11).
D. No, He declared that His miracles proved the kingdom of God had come (Matt
12:28; Luke 11:20).
E. No, He told Jews that Gentiles would come from all lands to take it (Matt 8:11-
12; Luke 13:28-29).
F. No, He spoke of the end of the world involving the wicked being taken first (Matthew
13:24-43).
G. No, He spoke of the kingdom’s small beginnings turning into a large thing indeed (Matt
13:31-33).
H. No, He spoke to Peter about his kingdom privileges as his authority in the church (Matt
16:15-20).
I. No, He condemned the Pharisees for neglecting and blocking a present kingdom
(Matthew 23:13).
J. No, He offered them His gospel kingdom and then gave it to the Gentiles (Matt 21:33-
46; 22:1-7).
K. No, He told His hearers some would live long enough to see the kingdom (Mark
9:1; Luke 9:27).
L. No, He blessed men who had already left the things of this life for the kingdom (Luke
18:29-30).
M. No, He pressed kingdom duties when He was pressed about the appearance of it (Luke
19:11-27).
N. No, He rather described a fuller manifestation of the kingdom within a generation
(Luke 21:29-33).
O. No, He declared at the Last Supper that He would shortly fulfill it in the kingdom (Luke
22:16).
P. No, He offered blessings in this life or in the world to come, but not in a millennium
(Mark 10:30).
Q. No, He told a scribe at least 2000 years before the millennium that he was close to it
(Mark 12:34)!
R. No, He said His kingdom came not with observation, precluding any earthly one (Luke
17:20-21).
S. No, He said that His kingdom was not of this world, which precludes millennial ideas
(John 18:36).
T. No, He rejected their attempts to forcibly make Him a king for filling their bellies (John
6:15,26).
U. No, He told them their house was left desolate to them and was no longer God’s
(Matthew 23:38).
V. No, He told them they were imposter Jews of the synagogue of Satan (John 8:44; Rev
2:9; 3:9).
W. No, He told His apostles that Nathanael was an Israelite indeed, unlike the nation
(John 1:47).
X. No, He spoke of the kingdom to His disciples, but He said nothing about a millennium
(Acts 1:3).
Y. No, He did not even correct the thief who expected Jesus to arrive in His kingdom
(Luke 23:42).
Z. No, He told His apostles that the church was the only kingdom He had for them (Luke
22:28-30).

Did Paul offer the Jews a future kingdom on earth?

A. No! He taught the hope of Israel was the resurrection of the dead, not a millennium
(Ac 28:17-22).
B. No! He preached the gospel about Jesus Christ as the glad tidings of the kingdom
(Acts 28:23-31).
C. No! He persuaded men about the kingdom in Ephesus without any millennium (Acts
19:8; 20:25).
D. No! He declared the kingdom to be a thing very different than a Jewish millennium
(Rom 14:17).
E. No! He told them they related in God’s sight to the rejected Hagar and Ishmael (Gal
4:21-31).
F. No! He told Jews they had been united with Gentiles in one body by Christ (Eph 2:11-
22; 3:1-13).
G. No! He told Jews they had already received the final kingdom of God (Heb 12:25-
29; Hag 2:6-9).
H. No! He told Jews the prophecies of a new covenant were fulfilled in Christ (Hebrews
8:6-13).
I. No! He told Jews the glorious rest of God promised by David was the gospel (Heb 3:7
– 4:11).
J. No! He told Jews that Abraham their father had never wanted a kingdom on earth
(Heb 11:8-16).
K. No! He told men that true Jews were spiritual seed by election (Rom 2:28-29; 9:6-
8,24; Gal 6:16).
L. No! He taught the Corinthians the second coming would merely deliver it to God (I Cor
15:23-28).
M. No! He only told the Gentiles that some of them might be converted to the gospel
(Rom 11:23-31).
Did Peter offer the Jews a future kingdom on earth?

A. No! He declared that Jesus Christ raised up to heaven fulfilled David’s prophecies (Acts
2:30-36).
B. No! He told them the times of refreshing from the Lord were now being fulfilled (Acts
3:19-26).
C. No! He told them instead they had an eternal inheritance in heaven waiting for them (I
Peter 1:3-7).
D. No! He told them their rejoicing with great glory was the blessing of God’s kingdom (I
Pet 1:8-12).
E. No! Peter described three stages of history to the Jews, but left out the millennium (II
Pet 3:1-14).

Was God or Jesus surprised by the Jews rejecting the kingdom?

A. Not a chance! The very thought of this question is profanely blasphemous and
heretical to the core.
B. Not a chance! David foretold their rejection about 1000 years before (Ps
118:22 cp Matt 21:33-46).
C. Not a chance! Isaiah foretold their rejection about 700 years before (Isaiah
53:1 cp John 12:37-38).

Was the church an afterthought to God?

A. Not a chance! God had an eternal purpose to manifest His wisdom by the church (Eph
3:9-11).
B. Not a chance! God had an eternal purpose for Christ to buy the church (Acts 20:28; I
Pet 1:19-20).
C. Not a chance! God had an eternal purpose to raise up David’s house with Gentiles
(Acts 15:13-18).

Will God ever give fleshly Jews a kingdom again?

A. Never! The Lord Jesus Christ, David the King, gave the kingdom to the Gentiles (Matt
21:33-46).
B. Never! The true seed of Abraham and the true Israel of God are Christians (Gal
3:16,29; 6:16).
C. Never! The holy nation that counts in God’s sight are Jewish and Gentile Christians (I
Pet 2:4-10).

What is the hope of Israel?

A. The hope of Israel was Messiah to save them from their sins (Luke 1:67-79; 2:25-
38; Ac 28:23-31).
B. The hope of Israel was to be saved by the grace of Jesus Christ even as the Gentiles
(Acts 15:11).
C. The hope of Israel was the resurrection from the dead (Acts 23:6; 24:17,21; 26:6-
8; 28:17-22).
D. The hope of Israel was to obtain the rest in the gospel prophesied by David (Hebrews
3:7 – 4:11).
E. The hope of Israel was to become a citizen of God’s Zion as described by Paul (Heb
12:22-24).
F. The hope of Israel to the father of Israel was a heavenly city and heavenly country
(Heb 11:8-16).
G. Nowhere was there any offer or any hope by instructed Jews for an earthly kingdom in
Palestine.

What else does a premillennialist believe?

A. We will not worry about historic premillennialism, since most have never heard of it
nor studied it.
B. The world could not contain the speculative ideas of dispensational premillennialism,
reprint their cartoons and charts of comings, judgments, and dispensations, and index
their novels and movies.
C. Typically, they believe Christ’s Second Coming is both pre-tribulationary and
premillennial, meaning that Matthew 24 has not been fulfilled and occurs after Jesus
Christ returns for believers.
D. The Dispensationalists among them have a large collection of additional fantasies, both
about the first coming of Jesus Christ and the Second Coming, Israel, the church, the
law, the kingdom, etc.
1. Israel rashly chose law at Sinai, exchanging grace for law! Can you even grasp such
heresy?
2. Christ’s ministry was primarily to offer an earthly kingdom to Israel, settling later for
the cross.
3. The New Testament church age is a mystery parenthesis, unknown by the prophets,
and filling the time between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel, ending at the secret
pre-tribulation rapture!
4. Jewish distinctions, supremacy, and restoration of Moses’ law must prevail in the
millennium.
5. The “second coming” of Christ is in three phases, with various resurrections and
judgments of various persons at various times for various purposes, per Scofield,
Larkin, and Lindsay.
6. The millennium is a “golden age” of fleshly peace, plenty, and prosperity for the
wicked and righteous alike, with Christ and David and the twelve apostles on their
respective thrones, ruling a mixed population of carnal and glorified bodies, and with
Satan chained. Yet there will still be pain, tears, injustice, sorrow, death, hunger,
thirst, and growing wickedness. And mankind, in surly obedience to the King’s “rod-
of-iron” rule, will itch for the day to rebel and hurl Him from His throne! So we are
told!

What is a summary of the Premillennial timetable?

A. They believe prophecy is for speculation about future events rather than comfort and
faith during them (Isaiah 41:23; 42:9; 44:7-8; 46:9-10; 48:5; Matt 24:25; John
13:19; 14:29; 16:4).
B. Here is a simple summary of the main events and time gaps in their eschatological
fantasies.
1. The gospel must be preached worldwide for a witness, and earthquakes and wars
must increase.
2. Jesus will come again in a secret rapture to resurrect saints only and take them
safely to heaven.
3. The antichrist will help Jews restore the O.T. for 3.5 years; then he will oppose them
for 3.5.
4. During this time of antichrist swings, 144,000 Jewish missionaries will convert many
to Christ.
5. Jesus comes a third time to destroy antichrist and 200,000,000 Chinese cavalry at
Armageddon.
6. Jesus will take the throne of David in Jerusalem, restore animal sacrifices, and rule
the earth.
7. The wicked will submit for 1000 years, but then Jesus will come a fourth time to
defeat them.
8. After that, we have the great Day of Judgment and the books are opened to find our
destinies.
9. Finally, we get a new heaven and new earth, where Gentiles and Jews are almost
comparable.
10.These theories were unknown before 1830. They were popularized by men like
Edward Irving, John Darby, C.I. Scofield, Clarence Larkin, Hal Lindsay, Salem Kirban,
Tim LaHaye, Bob Jones, John R. Rice, John Walvoord, Dwight Pentecost, Jack Van
Impe, etc., etc.

Can we reject Premillennialism as a system of lies?

A. Absolutely! They show profane disregard for scripture with even the simplest of Bible
prophecies i.e. Daniel’s 70 weeks and our Lord’s Olivet Discourse (Daniel 9:24-
27; Matthew 24:1-35).
B. Though they have more errors than the Gadarene did devils, we will consider only a
few big ones!
C. Scofield and cronies base much of their scheme on unfilled land promises to Israel;
but Israel got all the land, and the Lord does not owe them any more; the promise of
the land was conditional anyway; and Abraham never wanted it to begin with (Joshua
21:43-45; Neh 9:7-8; Heb 11:8-16).
D. God was confused and forgot an indeterminate period of time of about 2000 years in
the middle of Daniel’s 70 weeks, which makes His determination a failure, turns the
Messiah into the antichrist, and despises the new covenant, though the New
Testament and history shows complete fulfillment.
E. The Desire of all Nations will come to a millennial temple to give peace, though Paul
confirmed the prophecy as fulfilled when writing Israelites, and the house Haggai
spoke of was torn apart stone-by-stone by the Romans in 70 A.D. to end any further
role for it (Hag 2:6-9; Heb 12:25-29).
F. The prophesied Elijah the prophet is not really John the Baptist, but the literal Elijah,
whom they say will come before the Day of the Lord, just as the Jewish fables
 prescribed in the days of the apostles (Mal 4:5-6; Matt 11:7-15; 17:10-13; Luke
1:17; John 1:21; Matt 16:14)!
G. The kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God are not the same thing, according to
Scofield’s notes at Matthew 6:33, in spite of the Bible (Matt 19:23-24; Matt 4:12-
17 cp Mar 1:14-15; etc.).
H. They claim from Matthew 24:14 the gospel must be preached in all the world for a
witness before Jesus can return, but the verse applies to the “end” of Jerusalem in 70
A.D., and the gospel was preached in all the world (Mark 16:19-20; Rom
1:8; 10:18; Col 1:6,23; I Tim 3:16).
I. They teach the abomination of desolation is some one-eyed Cyclops head of the United
Nations with a glowing 666 for his heart, but Luke tells us plainly it is Roman armies
surrounding Jerusalem (Luke 21:20-22), which Daniel had clarified 500 years earlier
(Dan 12:5-13)!
J. A secret rapture will occur pre-, mid-, or post-tribulation relative to the great
tribulation of Matthew 24; but this great tribulation was the tearing down of Jerusalem
and temple in 70 A.D., and even if it were not, Jesus Christ does not come until after it
occurs anyway (Matt 24:34)!
K. They say Jesus tried to set up an earthly kingdom, but the Jews refused; we say Jesus
did set up His kingdom and crushed the Jews; and His kingdom was pointedly not of
this world anyway (Luke 11:20; 16:16; John 6:15; Heb 12:28-29; Matt 21:33-
46; 22:1-7; Luke 17:20-21; John 18:36).
L. The Jews are still God’s chosen people and have a preeminent role in the future, in
spite of Paul teaching they are a spiritual seed, and the promises are to be understood
spiritually in Christ, especially those to Abraham, the father of the Jews (Gal 3:16,38-
29; 4:21-31; 6:16; Heb 11:8-16).
M. They say Jesus Christ will return the second time before the man of sin is revealed,
the antichrist to them, even though Paul plainly declared the opposite timing of these
events (II Thess 2:1-3)!
N. They talk of a secret rapture and multiple resurrections, but there is only one
resurrection of both wicked and righteous at the same time (John 5:28-29; Acts
24:15; Matt 13:30,40; II Thess 1:7-10).
O. There is no space for choosing law instead of grace at Sinai, seven dispensations
instead of three the Bible recognizes (Rom 5:14), the gospel of the kingdom and the
gospel of the grace of God are two different gospels (Acts 20:24-25), and a corruption
of David’s tabernacle (Acts 15:14-16).

What else does a postmillennialist believe?

A. They believe they will take the world for God and truth, if they home school their
children, practice courting instead of dating, attend God-and-country rallies, and get
active enough in politics, etc.!
B. The world is getting better and better! Can you not see the godly improvement on
every side?
C. This view today is connected to Christian Reconstructionism, Dominion Theology, and
Theonomy.

Can we reject Postmillennialism as a system of lies?

A. Absolutely! The New Testament does not teach anywhere that the world is going to
get better.
B. It teaches the last days will get much worse (II Thess 2:1-12; I Tim 4:1-3; II Tim 3:1-
5,12; 4:3-4).
C. It teaches that Satan knows the time better than these heretics and fights harder (Rev
12:12; 20:3).
D. Those who follow this heresy would have a state church and eventually put us to death
for heresy!
E. Nowhere does the Bible teach us to get involved in politics and seek to “Christianize”
government.

What else does an amillennialist believe?

A. They believe John the Baptist and Jesus Christ set up His spiritual kingdom at His first
coming.
B. The elect of God of Jews and Gentiles are the true Israel of God and fulfill all the
Jewish promises.
C. Regeneration brings a person into a vital relationship with Jesus Christ on His throne in
heaven.
D. They believe there is one final all-inclusive event of a resurrection, judgment, and a
new earth.
E. They esteem the New Testament over the Old and allow for spiritual things over
physical things.

What are some pillars of premillennialism?

A. Hermeneutics – Scripture, even prophecy, should be interpreted literally, as by an

original reader.
B. Land – The Jews have never received the unconditional promises of land given to
Abraham.
C. Jerusalem – They have a fixation on this decrepit city, with the Mosque of the Rock its
chief asset.
D. Jews – God still regards them as His chosen people and considerably more important
than Gentiles.
E. Jesus – The promise to David of a Son to sit on his throne has not been fulfilled yet in
Jesus Christ.
F. Jews – God will restore them at a future date to a revival of their ancient kingdom in
Palestine.
G. Satan – There has been no binding of the devil, since he was thrown out of heaven
before Eden.

What about their literal hermeneutics?

A. The Holy Spirit taught that prophets do not use literal or plain language, instead
relying on similitudes – or metaphors, comparisons, figures, and signs (Hoses
12:10; John 12:33; 21:19).
B. The Spirit can speak expressly (I Tim 4:1), but He does not by the prophets (Rev
1:1; I Peter 1:11).
C. Which heel did Satan bruise (Ge 3:15)? How do you travel in a land flowing with milk
and honey?
D. Shaking heaven and earth would make a lot of dust! The hairy Elijah must still come
(Mal 4:5-6)!
E. Old Testament prophecies that are already fulfilled illustrate this figurative language
(Isaiah 13).
F. Only the Holy Ghost taught apostles to correctly apply O.T. prophecies (Acts 2:14-
21; 15:12-18).
G. The premillennialist idea of taking prophetic words, especially of the Old Testament, in
their ordinary, literal, or normal sense is scornful heresy. True ministers will divide
words (II Tim 2:15).

What about God’s promises of the land?

A. God gave Israel all the land He ever promised them, so stop slandering Him (Josh
11:23; 21:43-45; 23:14-15; I Kings 8:34,56; Neh 9:7-8,22-25; Ex 23:27-31; Num
34:1-15; Deut 11:22-25; Ps 44:1-3; 105:43-45; 135:10-12; Acts 7:45; Josh
2:24; 3:9-11; 22:4; 24:13; II Chron 6:25; Jer 32:21-23).
B. If you do not think Joshua got all the land to fulfill earlier geographical descriptions
and locations, then compare Deut 7:22; II Samuel 8:1-6; I Kings 4:20-21; I Samuel
27:8-9; and II Chron 9:26.
C. The land of Canaan was only offered conditionally, and Israel violated the terms, so
Israel forfeited their deed to Canaan by disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:63-68; 29:21-
28; 30:17-20; Josh 23:16).
D. Why would there be a restoration to Palestine, since even Abraham did not want it
(Heb 11:8-16)?
E. No child of God would want to leave the heavenly Jerusalem for the earthly one (Heb
12:22-24)?

But what about God’s promise of the land “forever”?

A. This question reveals a carnal perspective of things that is obsessed with this earth
(Heb 11:8-16).
B. These skeptics get hung up on God’s promises to Abraham and his seed (Gen
13:15; 17:8; 48:4).
C. The land of Canaan was only offered conditionally, and Israel violated the terms, so
Israel forfeited their deed to Canaan by disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:63-68; 29:21-
28; 30:17-20; Josh 23:16).
D. God used “forever” toward Israel and the land in a very limited perspective, as with
other things.
1. He told them that circumcision was an “everlasting covenant” (Genesis 17:13 cp Gal
2:3-5).
2. He told them that the Passover was an ordinance “for ever” (Ex 12:14,17,24 cp Luke
22:16).
3. He told them that the Levites were for an “everlasting priesthood” (Ex 40:15 cp Heb
7:11-28).
E. The “forever” aspect of the land is heaven above, which is as Abram understood it
(Heb 11:8-16).

What about the city of Jerusalem?

A. The Lord Jesus Christ burned it up and leveled it to the ground (Matthew 24:1-
35; Luke 19:41-48).
B. He promised the Gentiles would control and use it during this age (Luke 21:24).
Ashkenazi Jews?
C. He told the woman at Samaria that His religion no longer had any connection to it
(John 4:20-24).
D. Paul told the Galatians that the Judaizers were connected to the wrong Jerusalem (Gal
4:21-31).
E. Paul told the Hebrews that they had come to a better Jerusalem, one in heaven (Heb
12:22-24).
F. Abraham did not look for an earthly city – he wanted one with real foundations (Heb
11:8-16).
G. Jesus Christ refers to it spiritually as Sodom and Egypt, a big step down from Hagar
(Rev 11:8)!

What about the Jews as God’s chosen people?

A. Physical Jews were God’s chosen nation under the Old Testament, but things have
greatly changed.
B. His relationship with them as a nation was conditional, and they forfeited all rights by
rebellion.
C. From the beginning, His covenant and promises were based on a spiritual seed
anyway (Is 6:9-13).
D. There is no longer any such distinction after the cross (Eph 2:11-22; 3:1-13; Gal
3:28; Col 3:11).
E. The true Jew in the sight of God is a regenerated person of either nation (John
1:47; Rom 2:28-29).
F. Paul made it clear that only some within the nation of Israel were God’s elect (Romans
9:6-8,24).
G. The Lord declared His hatred for those Jews claiming to be God’s people (John
8:44; Rev 2:9; 3:9).
H. Believing Gentiles in Jesus Christ are the true seed of Abraham and heirs to the
promise (Gal 3:29).

What about Jesus getting the throne of David?

A. Gabriel, who probably had things right, thought Jesus would have David’s throne
(Luke 1:26-33).
B. The inspired crowd at His entry to Jerusalem knew it (Mat 21:1-16; Mark 11:7-
11; John 12:12-16)!
C. Peter certainly thought Jesus was sitting on David’s throne on the Day of Pentecost
(Acts 2:30-36).
D. He is sitting on a throne (Mark 16:19; Eph 1:20-22; Col 3:1; Heb
1:3; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2; Rev 3:21).
E. He has had the key of David since His ascension, proving David’s authority and power
(Rev 3:7).
F. The tabernacle of David has been rebuilding since the early days of the apostles (Acts
15:12-18).
G. He has received the rod of iron rule, which was connected to David’s throne (Ps
9:9; Rev 2:27).
H. The Lord Jesus Christ was given His own throne and scepter at His resurrection and
ascension (Heb 1:8-9), in spite of all Scofield’s heretical denials to the contrary.
I. The Lord Jesus Christ after His ascension fulfilled the prophecy of Psalm 8 (Hebrews
2:5-9).
J. All He has left to do is deliver up the kingdom to God, not get a lousy kingdom on
earth
K. There is no mention of any other throne, so we must conclude that Premillennialists
are wrong.
L. For the skeptics who think the throne of God and the throne of Christ and the throne
of David are different thrones, compare I Kings 2:12; I Chronicles 29:23;
and Revelation 3:21.

What about the rod of iron rule?

A. Jesus said His Father had given it to Him before 70 A.D. (Rev 2:27). Should we believe
Him?
B. David seemed to understand that Jesus received this rule at His resurrection (Ps 2:7-
9; Acts 2:33).
C. John’s revelation from Jesus Christ connected this rule to His ascension into heaven
(Rev 12:5).
D. A political globe clearly shows the dashing of the nations into 200+ pieces after
several world empires: no man has been able to build a world empire again, though
many have tried.

What about Bible promises of their restoration?

A. The burden of proof is on the Premillennialists to produce the many texts that they
assume exist.
B. One of their great favorites is Isaiah 11, yet it has nothing to do with earthly Israel on
this earth.
C. Will Abraham change his mind and want the bondwoman and her son back home (Gal
4:21-31)?
D. No child of God would leave the heavenly Jerusalem for the earthly one (Heb 11:8-
16; 12:22-44).
E. Will the restoration of Israel be a national or spiritual kingdom, since Christ’s is not of
this world?

What about the binding of the Devil?

A. Satan has a kingdom of demonic princes and soldiers (Luke 11:18; Dan 10:13,20),
but Jesus Christ delivered the possessed, proving Satan bound (Luke 10:17-19; Matt
12:22-29; Lu 11:19-22).
B. Jesus prophesied that Satan would be cast out of heaven at His death (John 12:31),
which was accomplished by Michael the archangel after a war in heaven at Christ’s
ascension (Rev 12:5-11).
C. Before Christ, Satan accused our brethren to God, but not any more (Job 1:6:
2:1; Rom 8:33-34).
D. Jesus claimed all power after His resurrection for gospel preaching (Matthew 28:18-
20), which meant the gates of hell could no longer prevail against the truth in Gentile
nations (Matt 16:13-20).
E. He had allowed Satan to have the nations in the past, but now it was over (Luke 4:5-
6; Acts 14:16).
F. And guess what? The gospel went into all nations, which were now free from Satan’s
bondage, so that all sorts of men believed it (Matt 24:14; 28:19; Luke 24:47; Rom
1:5; 16:26; I Tim 3:16).
G. Though Satan was bound from deceiving the nations, yet he deceived individual men,
irritated our brother Paul, and tempted Christian saints (Acts 13:10; Eph 6:16; II Tim
2:25-26; I Peter 5:8).
H. The Premillennialists, in their rabid pursuit of Jewish fables, ruin the glorious victory
that Jesus Christ had over the devil and his angels at the cross (Colossians 2:15; Heb
2:14-15; I John 3:8).

Is the gospel of the kingdom and the gospel of grace different?

A. Absolutely not! They are precisely the same thing, and they include one another as to
any perceived emphasis or differences, for there has always been only one gospel (Gal
1:6-7; 3:8).
B. C.I. Scofield hallucinated that the gospel of the kingdom was our Lord’s attempt to set
up an earthly kingdom, and the gospel of grace is the Pauline message of salvation
that had to take the kingdom’s place until the seven-year tribulation. And his groupies
parroted the fantasy after him.
1. “Two preachings of this gospel (the gospel of the kingdom) are mentioned, one past,
beginning with the ministry of John the Baptist, continued by our Lord and his
disciples, and ending with the Jewish rejection of the King. The other is yet future
(Mt. 24:14) during the great tribulation, and immediately preceding the coming of
the King in glory” (SRB, p.1343).
2. “The gospel of the kingdom is the glad tiding that Christ is to set up his kingdom on
earth… the gospel of the kingdom will be the peculiar testimony of the believing
remnant during the great tribulation….” But, “the gospel of the grace of God is the
glad tiding … that ‘God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son…”
(Question Box, p.72).
C. Jesus preached both messages at the very same time, if we trust the Bible (Mark
1:14; John 3:16).
D. If the gospel of the kingdom had been postponed until the tribulation, why were Philip
and Paul preaching it during the apostolic period of grace preaching (Acts
8:12; 19:8; 28:28-31)?
E. Paul preached both gospels at the same time, if we simply read the inspired record
(Acts 20:24-25).
F. Dispensational premillennialists are either the most ignorant Bible students or the
greatest liars!
G. John preached the kingdom of the Spirit (Matthew 3:1,11), and Paul confirmed it
(Romans 14:17).

What will happen at Jesus Christ’s second coming?

A. The dead will be raised – believers and sinners – for the final judgment (John 5:28-
29; Acts 24:15).
B. The Final Judgment will occur, where each man will formally hear His eternal fate (Rev
20:11-15).
C. He will deliver up the kingdom to God, not accept the kingdom and rule on earth (I
Cor 15:23-28).
D. He will burn up the earth and heavens as we know them for new heavens and earth
(II Peter 3:13).
E. The second coming of Jesus Christ is the end! It is not next to the end or near the end
(I Cor 15:23).

Why are premillennialists so confused and speculative?

A. They are literalists just like Jews in Jesus’ day, thus missing the spiritual intent of
prophecies.
B. They are Jew-lovers, in that they believe God chose a race for superiority for time and
eternity.
C. They have relegated the church and most of the New Testament to a mere parenthesis
in God’s plan of racial superiority for the Jews, so they disregard Paul’s clear rejection
of their heresies.
D. They pander to their audiences, who have been made drunk with their sensational
storytelling.

But what about the lion and the lamb?

A. It is only carnal and naïve literal thinking that suggests Isaiah 11 is about no cages at
public zoos.
B. This passage by clear statements at the beginning and end is about Jesus Christ
(Isaiah 11:1-10).
C. Paul quoted Isaiah 11:10 in Romans 15:12 as being fulfilled by the conversion of the
Gentiles!
D. The descriptions in this chapter are describing the peace of believers in the gospel
church of Christ.

But what about other Old Testament passages?

A. Old Testament prophecies fit a few categories, and none of them is about an earthly
millennium.
 1. There are prophecies of Israel regathered as a prosperous nation from Babylon in
456 A.D.
2. There are prophecies of Israel regathered as a spiritual nation through the gospel of
Christ.
B. Start with Amos 9:11-15 to see premillennial confusion! It is Gentile conversions (Acts
15:13-18)!
C. Zechariah 6:12-13 describes Jesus Christ’s dual offices of King and Priest over the
church!

What hermeneutical rules must we follow?

A. We always interpret the Old Testament in light of the New, not the other way around,
as Scofield and others, who corrupt the New to keep their Jewish fables taken from
literal readings of the Old.
1. Why would anyone choose dark and obscure shadows to light (Col 2:17; Hebrews
8:5; 10:1)?
2. If the prophets did not know what they wrote (I Pet 1:10-12), how will you without
the N.T.?
B. We always interpret prophetic similitudes and signs very carefully, remembering that
they are not express language and are not to be understood literally (Prov 1:6; Matt
13:10-11; John 16:25,29).
1. We use prophecies with stated fulfillments to learn (Is 13:1-22; Acts 2:14-21; Heb
12:26-28).
2. We use clear statements to govern the use of figurative language i.e. Matt 16:27-
28; 24:29-35.
C. We generally exalt the spiritual over the fleshly: though there are earthly prophecies
with earthly fulfillments, we do not carnally consider them of superior value (II Cor
4:16-18; Luke 17:20-21).
D. We always exalt Paul over any other writer: if we cannot find any hint of it in Paul, we
reject it: He is the apostle to the Gentiles, and he taught us how to follow Jesus Christ
(Rom 11:13; I Cor 11:1).
E. We remember that Revelation was to show John things that were to come to pass
shortly (Rev 1:1).

How do we know Revelation 20 is not Premillennial?

A. The last kingdom was in place in 65 A.D., and it cannot be moved; there is no future
shaking to introduce a radical kingdom of Jesus ruling in an earthly temple with Jews
(Heb 12:22-29).
B. Jesus Christ is coming one more time to gather His elect and burn up the wicked (II
Thess 1:7-10).
1. Paul is very plain that all things are wrapped up with the second coming (II Thes 1:7-
12; 2:1-8).
2. This denies multiple comings before and after a millennium of various premillennial
schemes.
3. There would be no wicked nations in the four quarters of the earth for Satan to stir
up to battle!
C. There is no new kingdom after His second coming – He delivers up the kingdom (I Cor
15:23-28).
D. The “rapture” of saints to glory occurs at the judgment of the wicked (I Thess 4:13-
18; 5:1-11).
E. Peter, an informed and inspired Jew, was looking for new heavens and new earth (II
Peter 3:1-18).
1. If he looked for a new heaven and earth at Christ’s coming, he did not expect a
millennium.
2. If he looked for melting elements by fervent heat, he surely knew Paul’s day (II
Thess 1:7-9).
F. No future kingdom is described, offered, or taught by Paul in any place in the New
Testament.
G. There is only one bodily resurrection of righteous and wicked in the Bible (Jn 5:28-
29; Ac 24:15).
H. There is no word of anything having to do with Israel, Jerusalem, a temple, or
sacrifices in Rev 20.
I. The symbolic language must be subject to the rest of the Bible, especially the New
Testament.
J. The end of time as Paul understood it was to occur at the second coming of Christ (I
Cor 15:23-28).
K. We discover that the features of the premillennial kingdom i.e. on earth, in Jerusalem,
in a temple, of Jews, with lions and lambs together, animal sacrifices, and other ideas
are nowhere to be found.

What about Revelation 20?

A. We begin any interpretation of Revelation by remembering the warning about signs

(Rev 1:1).
B. We begin any interpretation of Revelation by remembering the warning about timing
(Rev 1:1).
C. If the deception of nations is a chief trait, we see the gospel already in all nations (I
Tim 3:16).
D. If priests to God and Christ are important, then it was already in effect in John’s day
(Rev 1:6).
E. If Satan being bound is an important element, then it was during the gospel era
(Matthew 12:29).
F. If the saints are still on earth, the previous verses must occur before the second
coming (20:9).
G. If the dead are raised for judgment, the previous verses occur before the second
coming (20:12-13).
H. The view of Revelation 20, covering the same time period as earlier chapters, is a
spiritual view.
I. We do not allow any interpretation of the symbols of Revelation to overthrow the rest
of the Bible.
J. We understand Revelation 20 to be a panoramic view of spiritual aspects of the
kingdom of Christ and its great enemy the devil from the first coming of Jesus Christ
to His Second Coming.
What does Revelation 20:1 mean?

A. The chapter opens with obvious figurative language, reminding us to avoid literal
interpretations.
B. The angel, key, and chain signify heavenly power limiting Satan’s influence. These
words cannot be literal, because a spirit is not chained in a pit with no bottom and
locked up by a chain and key!
C. If it were truly a bottomless pit, things would fall out the bottom into oblivion, or be
able to escape.
D. If he were literally bound and locked in a bottomless pit, he would not be walking
about (I Pet 5:8)!
E. We already learned that Michael fought against the devil and cast him out of heaven
(Rev 12:7-9).
F. The bottomless pit is a symbol of authoritative and inescapable incarceration – very
similar to us using the figure “throw away the key.” We do not do any such thing, but
use a figurative sense.
G. By reading ahead, we can learn that the bottomless pit is a prison where Satan is
confined (20:7).
H. John earlier warned that Satan being cast out of heaven brings danger to earth
(Revelation 12:12).
I. As we are going to read shortly, the binding pertains only to his ability to deceive
nations (20:3).

What does Revelation 20:2 mean?

A. Satan is limited in international activities and power for a period of time called a
thousand years.
B. A thousand years is a figurative sign meaning mainly the long time between Christ’s
two advents.
C. The term thousand years is used only in this place for Satan’s binding and Jesus
Christ’s reigning.
D. The term thousand is used to signify all that are under consideration or many in a
figurative way.
1. Many have said, “I have a thousand things to do,” or, “It is a thousand times worse
than that.”
2. A thousand years seems like forever to us, but it is nothing to God (Psalm 90:4; II
Peter 3:8).
3. A thousand years is a hyperbolic way of speaking of a very long time for men (Eccl
6:3-6).
4. God’s covenant is described in a similar way by this term (Deut 7:9; I Chron
16:15; Ps 105:8).
5. We know that God owns the cattle on all hills, not just those on a thousand hills
(Psalm 50:10).
6. If we must take 1000 years in this place literally and exactly, what should we do with
“one hour” (Rev 17:12; 18:10,17,19)? What about “ten days” (Rev 2:10)?
7. Men use the same expression of a thousand to this day as meaning forever i.e. the
Third Reich.
E. When was Satan bound and cast down? At the first coming of Jesus Christ the
Stronger Man!
 1. Why do premillennialists and their stooges forget that Jesus Christ was sent to
destroy the works of the devil at His first coming (Hebrews 2:14-17; I John 3:8)?
And He did it (Col 2:15)!
2. The exact language of binding Satan is used by Jesus of His earthly ministry (Matt
12:22-30)!
3. Jesus described Satan’s fall from heaven under the preaching of His apostles (Luke
10:17-20)!
4. And it was brought to an even greater and more formal defeat by His death (John
12:27-33)!
5. He who had accused the brethren to God could no longer do so (Job
1:7; 2:2 cp Romans 8:33)!
6. In fact, John has already rehearsed this victory obtained at Christ’s first coming (Rev
12:5-11)!
7. Jesus has been breaking the nations in pieces ever since (Rev 2:26-27), and Satan
has been unable to form a world empire and deceive all people into the same
darkness, as he once did.
8. How in the world can we take Revelation 20:2 and apply it to some future date in
light of this!
9. No wonder we call it the gospel millennium, because Jesus Christ is the power of the
gospel!
10.This does not mean Satan is not active, using fiery darts against us, or capturing
individual men according to his will, as the next verse will declare (Eph 6:16; II Tim
2:25-26; I Peter 5:8).

What does Revelation 20:3 mean?

A. Again, we have signs and symbols representing spiritual realities in this chapter
(Revelation 1:1).
1. The Holy Spirit began the book by telling us about signs, so we should not be foolish
literalists!
2. What is a bottomless pit? Sort of like a bottomless glass or salad? Or is it an
inescapable pit!
3. What kind of a door holds a spirit being, and what kind of a seal keeps him from
escaping?
4. These signs indicate heavenly authority restricting the devil from universal hatred of
the gospel.
B. After Christ’s first coming, Satan no longer had dominion over the nations to prohibit
the gospel.
1. Note very carefully that the binding of Satan is from deceiving the nations – not from
activity!
2. Satan had power over the nations, but Jesus Christ took it away as King of kings over
all angels and devils (Dan 10:13,20-21; Luke 4:5-8; John 14:30; Act 10:38; Eph
1:20-23; 2:2; II Cor 4:4)!
3. Jesus had prophesied to His apostles that the gates of hell could not stop them
(Matthew 16:19).
4. Before He charged them with all nations, He reminded them of His power (Matthew
28:19-20).
5. They took this great power and preached everywhere (Mark 16:14-20; Acts 1:8; Heb
2:1-4).
 6. This fulfilled ancient promises made to Abraham about his influence in all nations (Gal
3:8).
7. This fulfilled ancient prophecies made about Gentiles seeing great light (Is 9:1-
2; 49:6; 60:1-3).
8. The Holy Spirit’s ministry included apostolic use of the gospel to judge Satan (John
16:7-11).
9. This is the great mystery of godliness – the gospel of Jesus Christ was preached unto
the Gentile nations and believed on in the world – contrary to all national tendencies
(I Tim 3:16).
10.Jesus charged them to teach all nations, and they did (Luke 24:47; Act 14:16; Rom
1:5; 16:26)!
11.The book of Acts contains excellent examples of apostolic authority over the power of
Satan in the nations (Acts 5:3; 8:20-23; 13:6-12; 16:16-18; 26:16-18).
12.Paul saw success in spite of the god of this world blinding men (II Cor 4:3-6; II Tim
2:25-26).
13.The previous texts are excellent for seeing a division between national and individual
blinding.
C. Satan was cast out of heaven into the earth at Christ’s resurrection and ascension
(Rev 12:7-12).
1. This angelic war in heaven took place when the man-child took His throne (12:5-7; I
Pet 3:22).
2. The consequence of this war was Satan cast out of heaven into the earth by Michael
(12:8-9).
3. Observe that Satan is here identified as the one deceiving the whole world, the
nations (12:9).
4. Satan can no longer accuse the brethren as he once did Job (Job 1:9-11; 2:4-
5; Romans 8:33).
5. The kingdom of Christ is connected to this binding of the strong man (12:10; Luke
11:17-20).
6. Though heaven is free from Satan’s presence; the saints still face him personally
(Rev 12:11).
7. However, they overcame him by Christ’s blood and their willingness to die for truth
(12:11).
8. A warning is issued of his great animosity for Jesus Christ’s saints yet on earth
(12:12).

What does Revelation 20:4 mean?

A. It describes a life of reigning with Christ for the duration of the period of time under
consideration.
B. The thrones and sitting in judgment are symbolic representations of spiritual authority
from Christ.
1. The beast, its image, and its mark in foreheads and hands signify obedience to false
religion, primarily pagan and papal Rome, which is the beast and woman riding it
(Dan 7; Rev 17:18).
2. The mark of the beast involves literal foreheads and hands no more than a “frontal
lobotomy”!
3. This verse, in full agreement with 2:26-27 and 3:21, is simply confirming the hope of
martyrs!
C. If saints truly live and reign with Jesus Christ, how do they do this, and when do they
do this?
1. Our understanding of the context here is of Christ’s first coming, not of His second
coming.
2. John already offered reigning positions in heaven to overcoming saints (Rev 2:26-
27; 3:21).
3. The same encouragement that Paul had given to those suffering for Jesus Christ (II
Tim 2:12).
4. And John already described our spiritual position as being kings and priests in Christ
(Rev 1:6).
5. Saints are translated by regeneration into the kingdom of Jesus Christ (Colossians
1:12-13).
6. They are raised up vitally to sit in heavenly places by vital connection to Christ (Eph
2:4-7).
7. They are in close, vital connection to the heavenly Jerusalem and passed saints (Heb
12:22-24).
8. The apostles were encouraged with reigning during the gospel era (Mat 19:28; Luke
22:28-30).

What does Revelation 20:5 mean?

A. Those not being resurrected to live and reign with Christ remained in death for the
whole period.
B. The use of the word “until” here does not require any sense of change at the end of
the time period.
1. Other examples in Scripture showing that “until” requires no change (Psalm 110:1; I
John 2:9).
2. When a change is to take place after the “until,” the Spirit can make it obvious, as in
20:3!
C. The first resurrection brings some to life while passing others and leaving them in a
state of death.
1. Since there is only one physical resurrection, we do not see two (John 5:28-29; Acts
24:15).
2. Since the physical resurrection is yet to take place in this chapter, we forget it here
(20:13).
3. Is there another resurrection that meets all the characteristics of this glorious
resurrection?
4. Indeed! John himself saw two resurrections – a spiritual one and a bodily one (John
5:25-29).
5. The rest of the dead do not live again between Christ’s comings, for they were not
born again!
6. It is regeneration that delivers us from the second death or an eternity in hell (John
5:24-25).
7. It is regeneration that translates us from Satan’s kingdom into Christ’s kingdom (Col
1:12-13).
8. This new birth makes all the difference in the world according to John (John 1:12-
13; 3:1-8).
9. Being born again … or a resurrection … makes us kings and priests (I Peter
2:5,9; Rev 1:6).
 10.Are there other “first” resurrections? Yes! We are resurrected legally in Christ (I Cor
15:23)!
11.Since we understand the first resurrection to be spiritual, then “the dead” are
spiritually dead.

What does Revelation 20:6 mean?

A. Here is a great key to the whole chapter, for it describes blessings taught elsewhere in
the Bible.
B. What “first resurrection” is a blessed event that makes men holy, makes them kings
and priests of God and of Christ, makes them members of God’s kingdom, and saves
them from a second death?
1. We choose John’s own comparison of two resurrections in John 5:25-29 for
regeneration.
2. This new birth makes all the difference in the world according to John (John 1:12-
13; 3:1-8).
3. We choose Paul’s detailed and perfect description of regeneration’s effect
in Ephesians 2:4-7.
4. John has already declared to his readers that he and they are kings and priests of
God (Rev 1:6).
5. It is translation from the kingdom of darkness to Christ’s kingdom taught here (Col
1:12-13).
6. And Peter also declared this emphatically to the Jewish audience he addressed (I Pet
2:4-10).
7. A man that is born again has a new man created in righteousness and true holiness
(Eph 4:24).
8. While we could explore a legal connection with Christ here, we prefer the most direct
solution.

What does Revelation 20:7 mean?

A. What thousand years is under consideration here? The one pertaining directly to Satan
from 20:2.
B. His loosing is the opposite of his binding – he will be free to blind and deceive nations
once again.
C. The very next verse describes his activity after loosing – he goes out to deceive
nations to war.
D. The thousand years is used loosely, for it ended for Satan, but not for saints living and
reigning!
E. How long will he be loosed? Not long. It is called a little season before his final
destruction (20:3).
F. What will Satan do? He will use his little season to oppose the saints of God (Rev
20:3; 12:12-17)!
1. He was upset when cast out of heaven, but now he is more upset knowing judgment
is near!
2. We could be living in this little season or be very near it at this present time. Are you
ready?
 3. Instead of thinking about a flesh and blood battle, see increased spiritual warfare
(Eph 6:12).
4. The prophecies about pagan and papal Rome have been mostly fulfilled (Dan 7; II
Thes 2:1-4).
5. There is an increase in Satanism, Eastern religions, Islam, New Age movement, and
so forth.
6. There is an increase in paganism, witchcraft, murder, abortion, sexual perversion,
etc., etc.
7. There is an increase in rebellion, hatred, variance, and strife against legitimate
authority.
8. There is an increase in obsession with materialism and apathy toward truth and the
true God.
9. There is an increase in the hatred and intolerance of the world for true Bible
Christianity.
10.There is an increase in the ignorance and compromise of so-called Christianity with
the world.
11.There is an increase in self-love, self-will, and deception to perilous degrees (II
Timothy 3:1-5).
12.What happened in the 19th century? The SDA’s, the JW’s, Mormons, Darwinism,
Communism, Socialism, Textual Criticism, Modernism, Bible Perversions, etc., etc. Is
this the little season?

What does Revelation 20:8 mean?

A. Satan will blind the nations again in darkness and deceive them to oppose Christ and
His church.
B. Instead of worrying about the geography of “four quarters,” see Satan’s worldwide evil
influence.
C. Instead of worrying about Gog and Magog, see the Bible for God’s enemies (Gen
10:2; Ezek 38:2).
1. Instead of thinking this is Russia, China, Iraq, or the PLO, note that it describes
earthly nations!
2. Van Impe and other false teachers waste far more time on Gog and Magog than they
deserve.
3. The words, “Gog and Magog,” have no more literal value than Babylon in chapters
17-18.
4. These ferocious Gentile enemies persecuted Israel, but now symbolize the church’s
enemies.
D. Should we use the number here literally or figuratively? It is simple hyperbole of a
great multitude.
E. Why think very far beyond the perilous times of compromising Christianity (II Tim 3:1
– 4:5)?
F. What is this battle? It is a spiritual battle of some sort against the saints of Jesus
Christ on earth, but since the Bible does not give us any details, we rely on the
epistles of Paul and Peter for warnings.

What does Revelation 20:9 mean?

A. The breadth of the earth and the camp of the saints must be understood relative to
the beloved city.
1. The beloved city is not Jerusalem on earth, which John calls Sodom and Egypt (Rev
11:8).
2. Forget earthly Jerusalem: see God’s true city (Gal 4:25-26; Heb 11:10,16; 12:22-
24; 13:14)!
3. John knew this city was the bride and church of Christ (Rev 3:12; 21:2,10,14-
27; 22:14,19).
4. The camp and city here are the church and kingdom of Jesus Christ, yet vulnerable
upon earth.
5. Do not think military encirclements; think worldwide opposition or persecution of true
saints.
6. The kingdom of Jesus Christ is being assaulted today by carnal Christianity (II Tim
3:1 – 4:5).
B. We have scriptural authority from an apostle that used express language to see literal
fire here.
1. How will the wicked nations be destroyed? By the flaming fire of Jesus Christ (II
Thess 1:7-8).
2. When will the wicked nations be destroyed? At Christ’s second coming (II Thes
1:7,10; 2:1,8).
3. How long will the judgment of this fiery event last? For the remainder of eternity (II
Thes 1:9).
4. Does any other apostle declare the same event? Yes, Peter also did expressly (II Pet
3:7,10-18).
5. What comes after Christ’s second coming in fire and glory? The new heavens and
new earth!
C. What is this battle? It is a spiritual battle against the saints of Jesus Christ on earth;
but since the Bible does not give us any details, we rely on the epistles of Paul and
Peter for further warnings.
D. Why think very far beyond the perilous times of compromising Christianity (II Tim 3:1
– 4:5)?
E. What can we do? Preach the word and be not moved from it (II Timothy 4:1-4; II Pet
3:14,17-18)!

What does Revelation 20:10 mean?

A. The devil, that old serpent, Satan, is finally destroyed once and for all by the Lord
Jesus Christ.
B. The devils admitted when facing Jesus on earth that they knew Him and His coming
judgment!
C. When does this event take place? When the righteous and wicked are judged together
at the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt 25:41; II Thessalonians 1:7-
12; 2:1-8; II Peter 3:5-18).
D. With His enemies destroyed, Jesus Christ will deliver up the kingdom to God (I Cor
15:23-28).

What does Revelation 20:11 mean?

A. The heaven and earth as we know them, polluted with sin, will flee this holy and
righteous Judge.
B. The white throne is a symbol of the holiness and purity of the living and true God of
the Bible.
C. Of course, Catholic followers of the effeminate and longhaired hippie at the door
cannot imagine Jesus as Judge, but they better learn it (Matt 25:31-33; John 5:21-
29; Acts 10:42; 17:30-31; 24:25; Rom 1:17-18; 2:5,16; 14:9-12; I Cor 4:5; II Cor
5:9-11; I Tim 6:13-16; II Tim 4:1,8; I Pet 4:5).

What does Revelation 20:12 mean?

A. The physically dead are all resurrected to stand before Jesus Christ for the Final
Judgment, just as He warned while on earth (John 5:25-29).
B. The books are God’s records of all that men have done (Eccl 12:14; Rom 14:10-12; II
Cor 5:9-11).
C. Wise men will worry much more about these verses than Gog or Magog or any other
mere symbol!

What does Revelation 20:13 mean?

A. Here is the formal sentencing of all men, even those who have been dead and in hell
for millennia.
B. There is often some time between conviction and sentencing in our own judicial
system, even when you get a ticket (charged) and wait 30-60 days for the fine to be
assessed (sentence executed).

What does Revelation 20:14 mean?

A. The resurrected wicked from the grave (their bodies) and hell (their spirits) are
sentenced by God!
B. God and His angels execute the sentence by casting the wicked into eternal torment
for their sins.
C. The second death, a death far worse than the death of your body, is eternal torment
from God.

What does Revelation 20:15 mean?

A. The only hope of deliverance from eternal torment is to have your name in the Book of
Life.
B. No wonder Jesus told His apostles to rejoice in this fact more than miracle power
(Luke 10:20)!
C. How can you know if your name is there? By adding to faith in Christ (Acts 16:31; II
Pet 1:5-11)!
D. Do you believe the testimony you have heard about Jesus Christ (II Thess 1:10)?
Believe today!
What happens next?

A. With the devil, man of sin, and wicked out of the way, the righteous get a new heaven
and earth.
B. We then enter into the eternal state of the righteous, which with Jesus Christ will
surpass all things.

For further study:

1. The booklet, “The Gospel Millennium and Obedience to Scripture,” by Robert L.

Whitelaw. This was originally printed in the “Baptist Reformation Review” in Winter,
1974 – Volume 3, Number 4. It is now hard to find.
2. The web document, “What About the Land?” proves from the Bible that God fulfilled all
land promises to the Jews, therefore any man like C.I. Scofield who preaches that the
millennium is based on unfulfilled land promises is wrong.
3. The sermon outline, “The Israel of God,” shows from numerous angles that physical
Jews are no longer God’s people.
4. The web document, “Making Sense of Daniel,” provides a thorough outline and
explanation of Daniel’s prophecies.
5. The web document, “Knowing the Scriptures: How to Read and Understand the Bible,”
teaches sound hermeneutics.
6. The book, “His Truth Is Marching On,” by Ralph Woodrow, simply refutes much of
dispensational millennialism.
7. The sermon outline, “The Book of Life,” describes in detail the features of this most
important book for your future.

Is God the Author of Confusion?

God justly blinds and confuses men,

even by the scriptures themselves,
when they do not approach Him rightly.

“And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the
LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now
nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there
confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. So the LORD scattered them
abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name
of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence
did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.”
 Genesis 11:5-9

God is the Author of Confusion

A. He confused the earth’s population at Babel, so they could not communicate and finish
their humanitarian project for world unity.
B. Just imagining the utter chaos and anger at being unable to achieve even the most
elementary communication should humble us.
C. Jehovah had told them to multiply and replenish the earth, and they rebelled with
haughty ambitions of unity in their own name.
D. If some think God would not confuse rebellious men, they stand in the same ignorant
wickedness of those confounded souls.

God is Not the Author of Confusion

A. Paul told Corinth God did not approve the confusion in their assemblies as a result of
chaotic speaking in tongues (I Cor 14:33).
B. He ordered all things be done decently and in order (I Cor 14:40).
C. God does not want saints confusing the orderly things He ordained, but this does not
mean He will not ordain their confusion!
D. The need to make the division on this page is enough to confuse many who think the
Bible should read like a child’s primer.

Why the Study?

A. So we may learn the true character of God, contrary to the cotton candy caricature
taught in most churches (Job 12:16; Ps 50:21-23).
B. So we will be bound to give thanks to God always for the truth He has revealed, which
is His gracious gift (Gen 32:10; II Thess 2:13).
C. So we will tremble before Him, lest He blind and confuse us, as He has many before us
and around us (Isaiah 66:1-2; Prov 28:14).
D. So we may learn why the vast majority of mankind and Christians are blind and
confused (Ps 81:12; Isaiah 29:10; 44:18-20; Acts 28:23-29; Rom 1:18-32; 11:25-
28; II Thess 2:9-12; Rev 17:17).
E. So we may learn that truth is a blessed privilege, not a right, that it is revealed, not
discovered (Ps 119:18; Acts 16:14; Eph 1:17-19).
F. So we may be convicted to read and study more carefully and to apply the things
learned more diligently (Jas 1:21-25; John 7:17).
G. So we may be comforted in reading many verses that lend themselves to supporting
false doctrine (II Pet 3:15-16; John 6:60).
H. So we may be encouraged to the work that is involved in properly interpreting
scripture (I Tim 4:13-16; II Tim 2:15; II Chr 19:5-11).
I. So we may learn that the true God of heaven does not play around with men who
disobey or defy Him (Pr 1:20-33; 8:36; 29:1).
J. So we may with adamant boldness and absolute dogmatism declare the truth, defend
the truth, and practice the truth (Job 32:1-10; Ps 119:98-100,128; Isaiah 8:20; Gal
1:6-9; I Tim 6:3-5,20-21).

Why So Important?

A. Only a sovereign God will reveal truth to some and deceive others.
B. It boosts the value of each jot and tittle of truth to be very precious.
C. It crushes the popular ideas of God and scripture taught by others.
D. It humbles the most intelligent and intellectual men to the ground.
E. It explains and comforts that only a small minority will have truth.
F. It adds excitement to Bible study for God to reveal secret wisdom.
G. It warns against playing with God’s religion for dire consequences.
H. It exalts Jehovah, Who is known for mind control, good and bad.
I. It should scare every idol out of your heart, house, family, and life.
J. It exalts hard verses as God’s rope by which men hang themselves.
K. It shows the greatest facts in the universe are mysteries given to us.
L. It crushes man’s rights into nothing and exalts God’s rights over us.
M. It exalts the Bible as the most incredible, supernatural book of all.
N. It proves God’s love to us more than anything but Christ’s death.
O. It destroys the idea of evangelism that methods affect conversions.
P. It proves God can move you, benefactors, or enemies to anything.

God Does Not Owe Men the Truth

A. We chose a lie in Eden against His true word, so He is only giving us what we want,
when He allows or sends lies (Gen 2:17; 3:1-6).
B. The human heart has no truth, for men are born liars (Job 15:14-16; Ps
51:5; 58:3; Pr 22:15; Isaiah 48:8; Jer 17:9; Rom 3:13-14).
C. By our corrupt nature, we follow our moral father the devil, who loves lies (John 8:44-
45; Eph 2:1-3; I John 5:19; Rev 12:9).
D. Men do not want truth; they would rather believe a lie (John 8:45).
E. It is our incumbent duty to be thankful for any truth, for truth is a gift from God (Gen
32:10; 24:27; Micah 7:20; II Thess 2:13).
F. God is truth; and because He is truth, He will not let you despise Him or His truth
without judging you in kind (I Kings 22:1-40).
1. He sent His prophet Micaiah to lie first to Ahab (22:14-17).
2. He sent a lying spirit into all of Ahab’s prophets (22:18-23).
G. Our glorious Creator deprived the ostrich of wisdom, and He glories in it and expects
us to do so as well (Job 39:13-18). Her foolish instincts and lack of understanding are
by His holy choice.
H. He owes more to pigs than to man, for they never rebelled against Him nor chose to
believe a lie over His truth; but He did not show their minds or will or instincts any
respect at all (Mark 5:13).
I. A look at the nations shows that God has deprived men of wisdom. Some never had
the wheel, a written language, a number system, agricultural knowledge, basic
morality, and many other aspects of wisdom, though Noah was the father of us all just
4400 years ago.
J. Consider sailors (Ps 107:23-32). God commands storms that cause terror and reduce
them to their wits’ end. It is His goodness that gets them to their desired haven, and
He is to be praised for it!
K. God allowed men to live ignorantly for thousands of years without giving them much
more than the natural creation (Deut 4:5-8; Psalm 19:1-6; Amos 3:2; Acts
14:16; 17:30; Rom 1:18-23).
L. God can shine the light of truth anywhere, but He chooses not to in the holy exercise
of His sovereign power (Psalm 147:19-20; Matt 10:5-6; 11:20-24; Acts 16:6-
10,14; Romans 3:1-2; II Cor 4:3-7).
M. If acknowledging the truth is only by His gift of repentance, why does He not give it to
all (II Tim 2:25-26; I Tim 2:4; Matt 13:11)?
N. When His market survey revealed what men wanted to see and hear, He sent them
something foolish and offensive (I Cor 1:17-24; Matt 12:38-45; Is 8:13-16; I Pet 2:6-
8). He did not adjust to men.
O. When eloquence and presentation would win hearts, the apostle of the Gentiles came
in fear and weakness (I Cor 2:1-5; 1:17).
1. His presence was weak; his speech despicable (II Cor 10:10).
2. Our Lord ordained uneducated, crude fishermen (Acts 4:13).
P. Does a Creator God, Who laughs at men opposing Him, sound like He owes man (Ps
2:1-12; Prov 1:24-32; Rom 9:14-24; 11:33-36)?
Q. Does our Lord, Who described ripping up Pharisees, Who called those learned doctors
of the law blind leaders of the blind, Who desired them and their followers to fall in a
ditch, and Who said to leave them alone, sound like He owes them truth (Matt 15:12-
14)?
R. God is Jealous; do not play with Him, for He will deal in fury toward those who
provoke Him (Ex 34:14; Josh 24:19; Nah 1:2).

God Judges Men by Confusing Them

A. He glories in His ability to confuse haughty men as one of His marvelous works (Job
5:8-14; 12:14-25; Is 44:24-25; I Cor 3:19).
B. He judges men sometimes by giving them their own foolish lusts and requests (Psalm
78:17-33; 81:11-12; 106:15; Prov 1:29-32).
C. He blinds men to basic natural knowledge, when they disregard and disobey Him. He
darkens their understanding and gives them over to a reprobate mind, until they do
perverse and inconvenient things greedily and viciously (Rom 1:18-32; Eph 4:17-19).
1. He darkens their hearts for rejecting creation truth (19-21).
2. He hates professors of wisdom i.e. intellectual teachers (22).
3. He perverts their minds for choosing their own gods (22-28).
4. He rewires their minds to do inconvenient things (24,26-27).
D. God promised in advance to harden Pharaoh’s heart and get Himself great glory upon
Pharaoh and Egypt (Ex 4:21), and then He blinded Pharaoh to take his chariots down
into the Red Sea after ten plagues that should have warned him (Ex 9:16; 14:4).
E. Consider Nebuchadnezzar, the king of kings! God reduced this proud monarch to a
grass-eating beast of the field and totally removed his reason from him for seven
years (Dan 4:28-37).
F. God is in the business of mind control … bringing the nations against Israel in battle
for their destruction (Deut 2:30; Josh 11:20) … but causing them to overlook all the
 men leaving their homes to worship God in Jerusalem (Gen 35:5; Ex 34:24; II Chr
17:10).
G. For further examples of mind control, which God can use for various ends, consider
what God did to or for Eli’s sons (I Sam 2:25), Saul (I Sam 16:14-16), David (II Sam
24:1; I Chr 21:1; II Sam 16:10), Solomon (I Kgs 11:14), Rehoboam (I Kgs 12:15),
Jehoshaphat (II Chr 18:31), Hezekiah (II Chron 32:31), etc.
H. God blinds man to miss the most obvious fallacies in thinking, even using the leftover
third of a tree for a god. He takes away ability on man’s part to reason and see his
folly (Is 44:9-20), and then He mocks them for such stupidity (Ps 115:1-8; 135:15-
18).
I. God judged Egypt’s wise men and princes with blindness and a perverse spirit of
madness (Isaiah 19:11-17).
J. God can help Josiah find the word of God when it is lost and be humbled by it (II Kgs
22:8-11). He can cause a famine of the word of God to the same nation (Amos 8:11-
12). He can bring blindness and confusion on those who have His word (Isaiah 29:9-
16).
K. God hates hypocrisy and deceived the hypocrites of Israel into gross wickedness of
bad laws and profane religious practices, even offering their children to pagan idols
(Ezek 20:1-3,25-26,39).
L. God blinded His own people to the truth for their sins, which is never mentioned when
many use Isaiah 6:8 to call the uncalled to the mission field (Isaiah 6:9-
12; 63:17; 66:3-4; Ezek 7:26-27).
M. God judged those Jews who rejected the Messiah of God with deceived and blinded
hearts (Ps 69:20-28; Isaiah 6:9-12; John 12:37-41; Acts 28:23-29; Rom 11:7-10,25-
28).
N. God sends strong delusion and deception to truth-rejecters, so that they will believe
lies, and He can damn them with superstition (II Thess 2:9-12; I Kings 22:7-23; II
Chron 18:6-22; Jer 4:9-10).
O. He glorifies Himself by hiding truth from the wise and educated and revealing it to
ignorant babes, which exalts revelation over education and rationalization, and which
identifies seminaries as actually being cemeteries for truth and wisdom (Matt 11:25-
27).
P. When belly-worshipping Jews tried to make Jesus king, He confused them about bread
and eating and drinking Him in a context of God’s sovereignty until they left Him (John
6:60-69)!
Q. He mocks our sciences, or knowledge, and rightly so, describing them as “science
falsely so called” (I Tim 6:20). And no wonder!
1. It is not science in any sense to believe the earth came from an explosion, monkeys
from slime, and man from monkeys!
2. It is a religion of opposition to God and His word, like Babel.
3. Only a deceived idiot could accept or imagine such asininity!
4. Consider also sociology, astrology, psychiatry, anthropology, psychology, philosophy,
textual criticism!
5. Anything contrary to the Bible is profane and vain babblings!
6. A liberal arts college education is almost guaranteed insanity!
R. When a people rebel, He takes from them wise and honorable men and leaves women
and children to oppress them (Isaiah 3:1-15).
S. In the perilous times of the last days, when men would choose a form of godliness and
love pleasures, deception and deceivers would get worse, and truth would be
impossible (II Tim 3:6-9,13).
T. Jesus came into the world for judgment: He gave sight to the blind and blindness to
the seeing (John 9:39-41; Luke 8:18; 9:24-26).

Is the Bible Confusing?

A. Many Christians claim to use the Bible for their faith and practice, but they believe all
sort of different things that are contrary one to another even on basic points of
doctrine. The so-called church fathers are a great example of unbelievable confusion
and disunity.
1. Note baptism’s mode, subject, purpose, administrator, result.
2. Note salvation – sacramentalism, Arminianism, Fatalism, etc.
3. Note prophecy – Preterism, Futurism, Historicism, dates, etc.
4. Note texts – I Cor 11:24; 15:29; Heb 6:4-6; I John 5:7; etc.
B. Peter wrote that Paul’s writings contained things hard to understand, which caused
men to wrest them to their own destruction (II Pet 3:15-16). If he thought them hard,
what of us?
C. The Bible contains many proverbs, parables, and riddles, which are dark and difficult
sayings (Prov 1:5-6; Matt 13:10,34-35; John 16:25,29; Ezek 12:22-23; 17:2).
D. Consider a few examples of proverbs and riddles (Judges 14:12-18; Prov
20:30; 26:2; 30:15; Ezek 18:2; John 16:16-18; etc.).
E. Consider a few examples of parables and riddles (Judges 9:7-21; Matt 9:15-
17; 13:36; Luke 5:36-39; 16:1-9; 18:1-8; etc.).
F. Why did the Lord put seven verses in the Bible that surely sound like baptism saves
us, though it does not (Mark 16:16; John 3:5; Acts 2:38; 22:16; I Cor 15:29; Gal
3:27; I Peter 3:21)?
G. Why did the Lord put at least nine verses in the Bible that sound like we can lose
salvation, though we cannot (Matt 12:31; 24:13; Gal 4:5; Col 1:23; Heb 3:6; 6:4-
6; 10:26-31; Rev 3:5; 22:19)?
H. Why did the Lord hide the five phases of salvation? Why did He not lay it out plainly
like a handbook? By using words and concepts of salvation loosely, there is much
confusion of the doctrine of our own redemption. Are there differences between Prov
23:14; Matt 1:21; I Cor 15:2; Titus 3:5; and Rom 13:11?
I. Did He know Mormons would stumble over I Cor 15:29? William Miller over Daniel
8:14? Arminians over John 3:16? Charismatics over Acts 2:17? Catholics over John
6:53-61? JWs over Matthew 5:33-37? Primitives over Daniel 3:25; John 13:1-17; Acts
18:1-3?
J. Numerous “contradictions” lead many to deny the integrity of the Bible. There are
internal differences that require extensive study to resolve satisfactorily. But they may
lead to precious truth, as with Ahaziah’s age (II Kgs 8:26; II Chron 22:2; Matt 1:8).
K. If the Bible were easy to understand, then it would only take reading it to know the
truth. But God must send gifted and called men to study it and give the right sense
(Ezra 7:6; Neh 8:8; Mal 2:7; I Tim 4:13-16; II Tim 2:2; 3:16-17; 4:1-2; Titus 1:9-
11).
L. The first rule of Bible interpretation causes many to quit, because they do not want to
read the whole thing (II Pet 1:20). The third is not much easier, comparing scripture
with scripture (I Cor 2:13).
M. Ministers must rightly divide the scriptures or be shamed (II Tim 2:15). There are
many words and concepts that must be divided, separated, and pulled apart, which
 appear similar. This rule crushes the practice of quoting mere sound bites from various
versions.
N. The truth of the gospel is a mystery and a great mystery, which can only be revealed
by faithful men to faithful men (I Tim 3:16). See the sermon outline “Mysteries of
Hidden Wisdom” from Aug 01.
O. Why did God use the pronoun he in Daniel 9:27, when He knew that unbelieving men
would grab Titus the prince from 9:26 as the antecedent, rather than Messiah the
Prince from 9:25-26?
P. Why did God allow the chronologies of the Persian Empire to be destroyed by
Alexander and others, so that men would reject the decree of Cyrus as the starting
point for the 70-weeks of Daniel?
Q. See the outline for “Understanding the Bible” to have hundreds of examples of
confusion resulting from misinterpreting the Bible.
R. Everyone claims to use the Bible for their faith and practice, but they end up believing
all sort of different things that are contrary one to another even on basic points of
doctrine.
S. Satan quoted scripture perfectly … but out of context … applied it wrongly … and
overlooked verses that limited it (Matt 4:5-6). But our Lord quoted other scripture to
correct his abuse of the Bible and set the matter straight (Matt 4:7). Such misuse of
scripture by those deceived by the devil continues to be popular.
T. The Pharisees and scribes of Israel quoted scripture, but they had put their limitations
on God’s intent that Jesus had to restore in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt
5:21,27,33,38,43; 19:1-9).

Could God Write a Plain and Simple Bible?

A. Yes, of course! He has infinite foreknowledge to know which verses would be

misunderstood, why they would be misunderstood, how they would be misunderstood,
and what changes would make them more understandable.
B. Yes, of course! He has infinite wisdom to know how to put difficult things into the
fewest and best words possible! He created language, and He knows best how to use
it to communicate truth.
C. Yes, of course! He has infinite power to enable men to write with the plainest use of
any language, whether fishermen or kings (Ps 45:1; Jer 36:32; II Pet 1:21).
D. Yes, of course! He made Balaam’s ass speak wisdom, and Jesus confounded all the
doctors of Israel with the shortest of arguments, for God had given Him the tongue of
the learned (Isaiah 50:4; Matt 22:46; Mark 12:37; Luke 2:46-47; John 7:46).
E. Yes, of course! He knows the difference between dark speeches and plain speaking
(Num 12:6-8; John 16:25,29; II Cor 3:12-14).
F. Yes, of course! He promised His apostles immediate inspiration to speak irresistibly
before kings without preparation or study (Luke 21:12-15; Acts 6:8 – 7:58).
G. Yes, of course! His choice and ability to inspire minute accuracy for tight reasoning is
very obvious (Matt 22:23-33,41-46; Gal 3:16; 4:9; John 8:58; 10:33-36; Heb
8:13; 12:26-27).
H. But such a Bible would not accomplish His holy purpose of concealing truth from the
proud and revealing it to mere babes. For so it seemed good in His sight!
I. The Bible is plain to those who fear God, tremble at His word, and approach it
obediently with diligent study (Prov 8:8-9; 9:10; 14:6; Matt 24:15; II Tim 2:15; II Pet
1:19-21).
J. You should love reading and studying the Bible in total faith, even with its challenging
design, in light of His literary genius!

Why Is the Bible Hard to Understand?

A. Because God wrote it in such a way to conceal truth from skeptics, hypocrites, and
wicked men, and to reveal truth to those who fear Him, love Him, and want the truth
to please Him more perfectly.
B. Because God will not play with hypocrites, even His own people, who treat Him or His
word lightly. He will do a marvelous thing by confounding their religious and spiritual
understanding (Is 29:9-16). They will not be able to read and know. They will fall
down.
C. When a man approaches a prophet with an idol in his heart or a stumblingblock of
iniquity before his eyes, God will deceive the prophet to tell a lie and/or the
hypocritical man to believe a lie and bring His obvious judgment upon them both (Ezek
14:1-11).
D. Jesus spoke in parables, which even the disciples found so difficult they questioned His
methods, to keep the people from knowing the truth, for He did not want to convert
them (Matt 13:10-15,34-35; Mark 4:33-34). They had already rejected His word, so
He took even what they thought they had to give to others (Luke 8:18).
E. Because the Lord of heaven and earth designed it to reveal or conceal truth,
depending on how men approach it, as it seemed good in His sight (Matt 11:25-27).
F. God has gloriously chosen in judgment to blind and snare His enemies and preserve
His disciples by the same means (Is 8:9-22).
G. Jesus was chosen to be a stone of stumbling and rock of offence to some and precious
to others (Is 53:1-3; I Pet 2:6-8; Rom 9:33).
H. The gospel, which is the good news of Christ, which is preached by the Bible, is
designed to do the same (I Cor 1:17-24; I Pet 1:25).
I. The same tedious method that teaches sound doctrine to some is the very cause of
others seeking unto fables to their own destruction, as in our own day (Isaiah 28:9-
13; II Tim 4:2-4).
J. Because God Himself has chosen to send a famine for true preaching in our land, just
as He did to Israel (Amos 8:11-14). So in spite of great literacy, easy publishing, great
prosperity, witty Bible study tools, and the great Internet, men are starving to death!

The Situation

A. There are 6.8 billion people in the world as of September 2009.

B. There are 4.8 billion confused in pagan religions that worship ancestors, cows, a
crescent moon, totem poles, man, nature, etc.
C. Then there are 1.5 billion that claim Christianity, but they are confused in the
darkness of Roman Catholicism and the Orthodox churches, where little or no regard is
given to the Bible’s authority.
D. Of the remaining 500 million that claim Christianity and honor the Bible, over 90% of
them are confused in the Bible and by the Bible, such as Mormons, Charismatics,
Seventh Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Protestants, many Baptists, and others.
E. Of the remaining 50 million that claim Christianity and study the Bible occasionally,
over 90% of them do not interpret it or do not know how to interpret it, so they are
confused by many passages.
F. Of the remaining 5 million that claim Christianity and have some understanding of the
Bible, over 90% of them hold severe errors in theology, soteriology, eschatology, or
other branches of doctrine.
G. Of the remaining 500,000 that hold the truth or are close to the truth on some points,
over 90% of them are confused by passages that they consider to be problems texts
without known explanation.
H. Of the remaining 50,000 that have few problem texts, there is still a selection of
passages that they cannot explain, for God has not revealed all the scriptures to any,
unless to a very small minority.

What Should We Do?

A. If the Lord can and does blind men to the truth for His own glory and their sin, then
we must glorify Him and leave off our sins!
B. We should tremble before the great and dreadful God, Who owns the deceived and
deceiver (Job 12:16)!
C. We should tremble before His word with awe and fear, for that is what He requires
(Isaiah 66:2)!
D. We should thank Him greatly for making so much plain and easy to understand (Gen
32:10; Matt 11:25-27; 16:17; II Thess 2:13-17).
E. Let God be true, but every man a liar; we should never apologize for the truth (Rom
3:4; Isaiah 8:20; Ps 119:98-100; Job 32:6-10).
F. We must pray for further enlightenment (Ephesians 1:15-19; 3:18; Proverbs 2:1-
9; Psalm 119:18,131; Colossians 4:2-4; Jas 1:5).
G. We must pray for the pastor (Eph 1:15-18; 6:19-20; Col 4:2-4).
H. We must search the Scriptures (Ac 17:11; I Thess 5:21; Job 23:12).
I. We must hate pride, and love humility (I Kings 3:7; Psalm 131:1).
J. Since He is jealous, we must love only Him (Matt 15:8; Ex 34:14).
K. We must have a holy motive in studying (Jer 9:23-24; Ps 119:11).
L. We must recall God sees the heart and judges accordingly, which we cannot see
(Psalm 44:20-21; Ezek 14:3; John 2:25; Heb 4:12).
M. We must obey what we hear and learn (John 7:17; Rom 11:19-22; Heb 2:1-3; Prov
1:20-32; 8:32-36; Deut 17:8-13).
N. We must oppose the false learning of carnal Christianity prevalent in our generation by
preaching the word (II Tim 3:1 – 4:4).
O. We must love the truth (II Thess 2:9-12; I Cor 16:22; II John 1:1).
P. We must keep that committed to us (I Tim 3:15; 6:20; Jude 1:3).
Q. We must not have any idols or stumblingblocks (Ezek 14:1-11).
R. Hypocrisy will destroy you (Is 29:13; Matt 15:7-9; Ezek 33:30-33).
S. We must remember we are as others (Rom 3:9-19; Eph 2:1-3; Tit 3:3), for pride will
cause Him to blind us again (Rom 11:18-25; Ps 25:9; Is 66:2; I Cor 10:12; Rev 3:17-
18).
T. We must give thanks for the gospel news and our understanding of it (II Thess 2:13-
15; Romans 10:15; Nehemiah 8:8-12; Psalm 119:14,111,162; Jeremiah 15:16; Ps
89:15).
U. We must not despise sound doctrine and sober preaching (I Thess 5:20; II Tim 4:2-
4; Jer 23:25-32; Acts 17:11; Isaiah 30:8-14).
V. We must obey what we hear and learn to keep it (John 7:17; 8:31-32; Luke
8:15,18; Isaiah 29:9-14; Job 29:1-5).
W. We should glorify God all saving us wretches (I Cor 1:26-31).
X. We must walk as children of light (Ep 5:8; I Thes 5:6; Tit 2:11-14).
Y. The mysteries of God are still hidden wisdom, for the form of godliness here today is
not true Christianity at all, but a latter attempt of Satan to destroy truth (II Tim 3:1-
7,13; 4:3-4).

For Further Study

A. Mysteries of Hidden Wisdom

B. Worst Contradiction in the Bible
C. Understanding the Scriptures
D. Why I Believe the Bible
E. Dominion of God
F. Eating Christ (John 6)
G. Rude Preachers
H. Instant Preaching
I. Jesus or Paul? Whom Do We Follow?
J. Importance of Teachers
K. I Corinthians 2
L. Every Word of God
M. Great Mystery of Godliness
N. The Prophets of God
O. Why Preach the Gospel?
P. The Search for Wisdom

Preterism and the Book of Daniel

The book of Daniel is a key source for material on eschatology, and
there is apparently no end to the interpretations offered. For our
purposes, the primary question is what relevance Daniel has to
the Olivet Discourse and the "Son of Man" sayings.
Daniel 7:3-6
And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.
The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings
thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made
stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it. And
behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself
on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth
of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After this I
beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it
four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was
given to it.
Few commentators, even Daniel "late daters," disagree as to the
identification of Beast #1: This is clearly Babylon. Beast #2 is
identified by liberals as Media, and Beast #3 as Persia. We argue in
this piece that such an interpretation is off the mark, and that #2 is
Medo-Persian, while #3 is Greece.
Daniel 7:7-8
It is with Beast #4 that things become relevant for our topic here:
After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast,
dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron
teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with
the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before
it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there
came up among them another little horn, before whom there were
three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this
horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great
things.
Liberal commentators try to make this sound like the Seleucid Empire
of Antiochus, but that won't work at all -- Rome is clearly in view here.
The Seleucids were neither strong nor crushing; Rome was. But in
terms of eschatology, this is where a division of opinion occurs.
Dispensationalists (those who adhere to the standard "Left Behind"
view) see in this beast a dual fulfillment part ancient Rome, but part
fulfillment by an Antichrist figure in our future. But can this really be
justified? If the whole of Daniel's words finds fulfillment in 70 AD,
secondary fulfillments become possible, of course, but essentially
superfluous in context.
My own findings on this subject may not be new. Indeed, my
identification of the "little horn" in Daniel 7 has been proposed before;
for example, though he identified the little horn differently, the Jewish
commentator Rashi (1040-1105) thought of the ten horns in the same
way I have. The reader will have to decide whether the connections
made are plausible. Our questions for this passage are:
 1. What's the empire? As noted, all on the conservative side agree
that Rome is in view in some way. But is it just ancient Rome, or
another as well? Or could it be said that Rome never really
ended, since the modern nations of Europe essentially carry on
the same dominion? The answer turns upon what follows.
2. Who are the ten horns, the three horns, and the little horn? The
standard dispensational answer: These ten horns are ten kings to
come, or else ten nations in a federation headed by the Antichrist
figure. But does it bear out?

A sub-question here is whether we should expect ten literal entities,

whether kings or nations. Miller [Daniel commentary, 203] notes that
ten may merely symbolize completeness. The actual number of
entities may be different; one might justly argue that the ten horns are
programmatic, after the ten toes of Daniel's statue.
That may indeed be the case. But it is worth notice that the first
century era provides us with an intriguing basis for total fulfillment of
this passage.
The Roman historian Suetonius authored a biographical account
entitled The Twelve Caesars [Penguin Books, 1989], which provided
historical data about twelve Roman Caesars from Julius Caesar to
Domitian at the end of the first century:

1. Julius Caesar, 49-44 BC

2. Triumverate: Marc Anthony/Octavian (Augustus)/Lepidus 44-31
BC
3. Augustus, 31 BC-14 AD
4. Tiberius, 14-37
5. Caligula, 37-41
6. Claudius, 41-54
7. Nero, 54-68
8. Galba, 68-69
9. Otho, 69
10. Vitellius, 69
11. Vespasian, 69-79
12. Titus, 79-81
13. Domitian, 81-96

In the year 49 BC, Julius Caesar assumed the title of dictator of Rome.
In 44 BC, he assumed the title of dictator perpetuus, or dictator for
life. He was assassinated before he could enjoy it for long, but he laid
the foundation for what would become a dynasty.
The Triumverate is not included in Suetonius' work. However, it
consisted of two men who were relatives of Julius Caesar: Marc
Anthony, who was a grandson of one of Julius' uncles, and Octavian,
who later became Augustus and the first of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.
Lepidus was part of the triumverate but was not part of Julius' family.
Of particular interest to us, however, is the place of Vespasian in the
list. He is 11th, just as the little horn is 11th in Daniel's order.
Vespasian, and his son Titus, were of course responsible for the
destruction of Jerusalem in 70. Vespasian was Emperor, and originally
the military leader, and Titus was the military commander who
actually downed Jerusalem. Now the question: Does Vespasian fit the
remaining descriptors of Daniel 7's little horn?
The little horn is given these primary characteristics in Daniel 7:
"Eyes like a man" -- Miller comments [202] that eyes in Scripture are
"instruments of observation and learning and are therefore
appropriately symbolic of intelligence, insight, and wisdom...This
individual will be extremely intelligent and clever." Goldingay [Daniel
commentary, 164] states that the eyes signify arrogance (see below).
Tatford [Daniel commentary, 111] sees a reference to "intellectual
shrewdness and perspicacity," or keen observation and insight.
Is Vespasian the Horn?
Does any of this fit Vespasian? Suetonius' description of Vespasian is
of a man who was a survivor, a shrewd politician (he "behaved most
generously to all classes", giving out plenty of money), and a patron of
the arts. He lived an orderly and structured life, "was nearly always
just as good-natured, cracking frequent jokes," had "a knack of apt
quotation from the Greek classics..." Daniel's description is quite
general; it would fit Vespasian's son Titus just as well (Titus had,
according to Suetonius, a phenomenal memory, great artistic talent,
and excellent skills as a forger!). But of course, for our thesis, it would
have to at least fit Vespasian, and it arguably does.
"A mouth speaking great things" ("very great things", 7:20) -- the word
for "great" (rabrab) is used only in Daniel in the OT and is used to refer
to "great gifts" given by Nebuchadnezzar, and "great signs" given by
God. Commentators take this as a description of arrogance [Miller,
202].
Was Vespasian arrogant? Suetonius has little bad to say about
Vespasian, and does not indict him for this sin. As it happens, though,
Dan. 7:25 tells us a bit more about the horn's sort of arrogance: "And
he shall speak great words against the most High..." This would also
not be surprising from any Roman, of course, since the Romans
regarded Judaism as a foolish superstition. Yahweh was likely
blasphemed by Romans on a daily basis across the Empire. Suetonius
offers us some interesting tidbits that may be of relevance:
In Judaea, Vespasian consulted the oracle of the God of Carmel and
was given a promise that he would never be disappointed in what he
planned or desired, however lofty his ambitions. Also, a distinguished
Jewish prisoner of Vespasian's, Josephus by name, insisted that he
would soon be released by the very man who had now put him in
fetters, and who would then be Emperor.
Josephus himself has some interesting tidbits. Since Vespasian was
his sponsor and actually reviewed his work, we would not expect him
to recount cases where Vespasian spoke against God, if he did, but he
does tell us (War 4.10.7):
...Vespasian's good fortune succeeded to his wishes everywhere, and
the public affairs were, for the greatest part, already in his hands;
upon which he considered that he had not arrived at the government
without divine providence, but that a righteous kind of fate had
brought the empire under his power...
A righteous kind of fate? Not God? Credit where it is due -- who does
Daniel know who has a problem doing that?
Daniel 4:25 That they shall drive thee [Nebuchadnezzar] from men, and
thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make
thee to eat grass as oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of
heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the
most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever
he will.
They took different tacks, but both Nebuchadnezzar and Vespasian
clearly had problems knowing who ruled in the kingdom of men and
gave out the power cards. Arrogant? Yes -- since it is a "righteous"
fate that he thought brought him to power. It wasn't as bad as
Nebuchadnezzar crediting himself, but in either case it is an arrogant
insult to the Most High.
"Looked more imposing that the others" (7:20) -- the word for imposing
is rab, a form of the word noted above. The word "look" (chezev) is
also unique to Daniel and refers to appearances; it is the word used to
refer to Daniel's "visions". The descriptor is actually of the horn of the
vision itself, not the person it represents [Miller, 212], so there is no
need to go into whether Vespasian himself looked more imposing than,
say, Nero; from a Jewish perspective his role in destroying Judaea
may have been enough to earn such a reckoning.
Vespasian certainly seems a plausible candidate for the little horn. (I
referred to Rashi earlier; he also identified the horns with Rome's
emperors, but made Titus the little horn.) This granted, we are left
with two questions. First, what of the three horns that are uprooted?
I believe the answer remains in our list of Emperors -- the three horns
are to be identified with Galba, Otho, and Vitellius, military men who
died in one year, 69 AD. The first and third were murdered by their
troops; Otho was compelled to suicide.
Does this fit Daniel's words? Let's consider what actions are effected
on these three horns throughout Daniel:

1. "Before who three were plucked up by the roots" -- the verb here
is the same used to describe the hamstringing of horses (Josh.
11:6, 9). Miller [202] says that the word "denotes a violent
overthrow and does not imply that an individual will merely
succeed a previous king (or kings) to the throne..." or merely
displace the previous kings.
2. "Before whom three fell" (7:20) -- the preposition here can mean,
among other things, before, after, or because of. The verb
behind "fell" is used only 11 times in the Bible, once in Ezra and
10 times in Daniel. It is used of Nebuchadnezzar falling on his
face in worship (2:46), several times of people falling for worship
before Nebuchadnezzar's gold idol, and once for a voice coming
down from heaven (4:31).
3. "He shall subdue three kings" (7:24) -- the word subdue is taken
within a dispensational paradigm to mean that the little horn king
will himself demote three of the kings. But does the word require
direct intervention? It is used in the OT only in Daniel, and is
found in Dan. 5:19 referring to Nebuchadnezzar ("And for the
majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages,
trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and
whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; and
 whom he would he put down.") The word (shephal) means to
abase or humble.

Does this work out with Vespasian and the three deposed emperors?
Technically items 1 and 2 don't have to -- these are descriptions of the
horn in the dream rather than of the king in question. Only the third
entry actually describes an action of this king in relation to the other
three. But as it happens this does fit well what happened anyway.
Did Vespasian in any sense "put down" or "debase" the three kings?
He was not involved directly in any way with their overthrow or deaths
that our sources record. Yet the year 68-9, the time of our three rapid
Emperors, is known as the time of the Roman civil wars precisely
because of this infighting that produced four different emperors in one
year. Each of these fellows was a military man with troops that were
(at least at some point) loyal to him.
By the rules of war, Vespasian was the winner -- and therefore can be
said to have indeed humbled, or put down, the other three. He was the
winner, in essence, of the Roman civil wars among four candidates for
the highest post, and also the winner of the contest of honor that was
ingrained with the conflict.
Daniel 7:9-12
I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did
sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like
the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as
burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him:
thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten
thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were
opened. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which
the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body
destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of
the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were
prolonged for a season and time.
Daniel, by our view, is predicting the abrupt end of the Roman Empire.
The other three kingdoms -- which we see as Babylon, Media-Persia,
and Greece -- are said to be given extra time to live, though stripped of
their authority. This is seen as fulfilled, under any paradigm, in that
these kingdoms continued to exist, albeit absorbed, by the power that
conquered them. Rome, however, when it fell, didn't have that option.
(I do not see that it is necessary to suppose that the fall of Rome, to
match this vision, would have had to occur at the time that Vespasian
died; verse 11 gives no indication that the fate of the little horn was
delivered at the same time that Beast #4 was slain. If
dispensationalists wish to argue this, I may point out that it is
certainly no less reasonable than their idea that there is a spread of at
least 2000 years now in the life of the fourth beast!)
Daniel 7:13-14
I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came
with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they
brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and
glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should
serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not
pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
With this passage we return to the main subject of our eschatology
project. We know that the Son of Man envisioned here is Christ. What
should be especially noted for our purposes is the Son of Man's mode
of transportation, and the direction he is going in. The Son of Man is
riding with "the clouds of heaven" (the LXX has the Son of Man
actually "on" the clouds) and heading towards the Ancient of Days to
be enthroned.
Miller [207] believes that the Son of Man rides from heaven to earth in
this picture, but this is quite unlikely in view of the setting of God's
heavenly court (7:10). Goldingay [164] acknowledges that the scene of
God on a throne of fire, surrounded by attendants, "locate the scene in
heaven"; but counters that where "it is specifically a matter of God
judging...the scene is normally on earth." The verses he uses in
support of this, however, could be said to fall to circular reasoning; for
example, Jer. 49:38: "And I will set my throne in Elam, and will destroy
from thence the king and the princes, saith the LORD." Did
God literally set his throne in Elam? (Other passages, like Ps. 96:10-
13, say God will come to judge the earth, but how does this equate
with God being physically present on earth?)
The scene fits the placement in heaven better than it fits a placement
on earth. Nor does it do to object that the scene must be on earth
because of the earth and the sea seen by Daniel (7:3-4). Again, if we
are thinking literal geography and envisioning here, then the Mormons
must be right about God having a human body!
Casey [Case.SOM, 22, 24-9], for his own purposes, insists that the
scene of the AoD is on the earth. He admits that "If the judgment is on
earth, God will have to come to earth in order to carry it out" -- then
adds that this is not stated explicitly, "because it is not an important
aspect of what the author wanted to say!" This does not answer the
problem, it merely tries to explain it away with silence!
We will return to this issue in our dealing with the Olivet discourse. For
now, we need to round out our treatment of Daniel. Verses 7:15-20 only
record Daniel's inquiry and repeat previous information. We may move
to this:
Daniel 7:21-2
I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed
against them; until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given
to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints
possessed the kingdom.
Did Vespasian "make war" with the saints and prevail against them? If
by "saints" Daniel means Jews then the obvious answer is yes; but it
is clear here that "Jews" cannot be intended, if we are to take this
prophecy as correct, since the Jews did not in any sense come to
possess a kingdom. On the other hand, as we shall argue, this does
make sense if the saints are interpreted as the Christians.
But then the question is, "Was war made on the Christians? This was
a war against the Jews!" It was indeed in the main -- but there is
evidence that Christians were targeted here also. A fragment of
Tacitus' Histories, now preserved for us only by Severus tells of
deliberations by Titus as to whether to destroy the Jewish temple. In
the end he decides to do so, because although the two religions were
in conflict, "they nevertheless developed from the same origins. The
Christiani arose from the Jews: With the root removed, the branch is
easily killed."
If this is right, then Christians were a real, albeit by far secondary,
target of the Romans in the successful attack on Jerusalem.
(Josephus reports this conversation as well, but does not mention the
Christians -- War 6.4.3.)
We will talk more about the "kingdom" language in another essay. For
now, more on Daniel. Verses 23 and 24 repeat earlier material; on to:
Daniel 7:25-6
And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear
out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws:
and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the
dividing of time. But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away
his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.
The first part of verse 25 repeats what is said earlier, and adds this:

 "Change times and laws" -- Miller [214] interprets this as referring

to a desire to eliminate religious holidays and laws. As noted
before, the Romans under Vespasian's ultimate command
thought to destroy the Temple as a way of destroying Judaism.
Their thinking was misplaced, but this was certainly in mind if we
are to believe Tacitus.
 The saints will be given over "for a time, times and half a time" --
most see this as referring to a period of three and a half years,
and this is the case under any paradigm. The question is, when
was this three and a half year period? Can it fit into events of 70
AD?

Yes, it can. The Jewish war lasted 7 years, from 66-73 AD.
Jerusalem was destroyed in the middle of this period, in 70. The
3 1/2 years would correspond well with the period from 66-70, or
perhaps from 70-73, though the latter is less likely since by this
time Christians would have followed Jesus' instructions to flee,
and the former fits in line with the statement from Tacitus that
there was enmity against the Christians as a branch of Judaism.

 His power "will be taken away and completely destroyed

forever." Vespasian of course did not remain Emperor forever; he
died in 79 AD. This statement could be made of any human leader
and does not indicate any special sort of judgment. It is made in
contrast to verse 27 and the everlasting kingdom therein.

Daniel 7:27
And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom
under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of
the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all
dominions shall serve and obey him.
We believe that this refers to the established rule of Christ in 70 AD
and will address this matter, again, in our Olivet study.
Daniel 9:24-27
With this Daniel 7 comes to a close, but there are a few more verses
we need to consider. Our study continues in Daniel 9, with part of the
"70 weeks" prophecy.
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city,
to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make
reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness,
and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the
commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the
Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the
street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And
after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for
himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the
city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and
unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall
confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the
week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for
the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even
until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the
desolate.
Many have written on the subject of how the coming of Jesus precisely
fulfilled the timing of this passage in terms of the first 69 weeks, and
we have no reason to dispute or discuss that here. What is at issue is
the last or 70th week. The dispensational paradigm holds that this
70th week is on hold until a future time called the Tribulation.
I disagree. The 70th week, or last 7-year period, transpired around the
crucifixion of Jesus (ending around the time of Paul's conversion),
giving the Jews time to accept him as Messiah (during which the
punishment for this rejection was determined). The war on the Jews
from 66-73 AD (which some preterists argue is the 70th week, and may
have allowed a 40 year gap, programmatic of the Exodus, for Jesus to
still be accepted, between 30-70) need not be part of Daniel's 70 and
indeed likely is not.
Gerhard Hasel in a study for Andrews University Seminary Studies
titled "The Hebrew Masculine Plural For 'Weeks'..." notes that the
grammar of the verse is done in a way that is "purposeful and by
design so as to stress the unitary whole, the totality, and the
completeness" of the 70 week block. The weeks "cannot be split apart
in such a way as to separate the final 'one week' " as
dispensationalists require.
Recently in response to this view, futurist Thomas Ice in The End
Times Controversy defended the dispensational view against specific
preterist arguments; we will comment only where Ice addresses
claims that we hold to, which turns out to not be much. The first point
needful to address is how the list of six requirements relates to the
first century:

1. "to finish the transgression" -- It can be agreed with Ice that this
refers to a specific sin of the Jewish people. Ice must see this in
his view as the rejection of the Messiah and does not even ask
what a preterist would suggest; we would say that it is the
broader sin of rejecting YHWH as He really is and for what He
really offered. Rejection of YHWH was a hallmark of Jewish
history.
2. "to make an end of sins" -- Without any explanation, Ice says that
this can only be after the installation of Messiah in the millenial
reign; so he thus admits that even by his view, this is not
something that Israel will realistically accomplish in that future
period he sees. Thus it is just as well to say that it is a deadline
given to Israel of the ancient world, to stop sinning or else.
3. "to make reconciliation for iniquity" -- Ice makes no specific
dispensational application here; it is little more than a
restatement of "clean up your act" in the phrase above. However,
Ice makes a critical error [315] in saying, "if [these three
phrases] are descriptive of elements that have yet to be fulfilled,
then the seventy weeks of Daniel have yet to be fulfilled" and
week 70 is yet in the future.

This misses the salient point that these are but goals for Israel to
meet, and there is nothing to say that they will succeed in
meeting them prior to the Messiah's arrival. In other words Ice
begs the dispensational question yet again.

4. "to bring in everlasting righteousness" -- Ice once again merely

states what he thinks this must be in his futurist view; for the
 preterist, this is as well to say that warning is given of the need
to recognize and honor the Messiah when he comes in the first
century AD.
5. "to seal up the vision and prophecy" -- Ice notes Gentry's view
that Christ did this on earth, and offers a response that this
cannot be since there were later visions and prophecies in the
New Testament. What this fails to note is that the six phrases
are contingent upon Israel "doing it right" and recognizing the
Messiah. As I note here, "Plan A" would have Jesus recognized
as Messiah and enthroned as King of Israel -- and thus, there
would be no need for any more prophecy. Because we have "Plan
B" instead, the need for prophecy continued a bit longer.
6. "to anoint the most Holy" -- Gentry relates this to Jesus' baptism;
I would say it would relate to the anointing of Jesus as king that
should have happened under "Plan A". Ice objects to Gentry in a
way that relates to my own view, noting that "most holy" is
"never used of a person, only of things" -- but then turns right
around and quotes someone else who says that it refers to
"Daniel's people Israel"!

We are constrained to ask what it is about the words "most holy"

that keeps it from being applied to the person of Jesus. That it
was used before only to apply to the Temple means nothing
against such an identification.

Defense in the Gap

In defense of the idea of a "gap" separating the 70th week, Ice's
bibliography is notably missing Hasel's article (which defeats his
plea that because it says the seventieth week come "after" the 62, a
"gap" is implied). He presents a defense for a gap that is frankly
absurd. He claims that "Israel had violated the sabbatical year 70
times" -- based on a deductive reading of 2 Chron. 36:20-1, which
says that the land "enjoyed its sabbaths" while the Jews were gone
70 years! It's bad enough that he bases this logic on deduction
alone, but he argues that since Judah was in the land about 800
years (1400 BC-c.600 BC), and they must have ignored the Sabbath
during only 490 of those years to earn that punishment, there must
have been "gaps" in their observation of the Sabbath!
Even if this numerological contrivance could be substantiated with
actual data showing that the Israelites historically failed to
observe exactly 490 years of Sabbaths, it ignores the point that this
did not make for any sort of "gap" in the punishment (!) of 70 years
in exile, which is the only number that is actually declared by God.
It is not as though we have a prophecy that says, "you will be
disobedient about the Sabbath for a period of 490 years" (not, "a
period that adds up to 490 years") is dated to 1400 BC and from
which we can look forward and say, "ah, they failed to observe
Sabbaths for 5 weeks in 1010 BC, then 3 weeks in 1009," etc.
An irony in this is that Ice quotes Wood as noting that Daniel would
see the 70 weeks as represented in the 70 years of Exile -- a period
which was NOT an exile of 69 years, followed by a "gap", and a
remaining year that was not served for years afterwards. His own
quoted analogy only reinforces the preterist position denying that a
gap can be allowed!
 "The people of the prince that will come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary" -- obviously
this is fully interpretable as the Romans under Vespasian (with Titus perhaps, as Vespasian's son,
qualifying as the "prince") destroying Jerusalem and the Temple. It was so interpreted by
Josephus, by ancient rabbis, and by medieval rabbis [Miller, 268].
It's also possible to see Jesus as the "prince" using Rome's armies to judge Israel (as God used
Assyria and Babylon previously) and noting Jewish responsibility for the war, thus making the
Jews the "people".
Oddly, Ice disdains this identification because Christ was earlier "cut off" -- as if Jesus had no
power to do anything in heaven!
 "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he
shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he
shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon
the desolate." -- the dispensational paradigm sees this as a case of the Antichrist ("he") signing a
peace treaty with the Jews, and then halfway through the Tribulation period putting a stop to re-
established Jewish sacrifices.
But this interpretation works its way by applying the pronoun "he" back to the "prince" of the
people who will come. "Prince" is of course the most obvious antecedent, if placement is all that
is to be considered, but the object of the phrase is the people, not the prince.
The week here may or may not be identical with the 70th week. Whatever the case, we have two
possible interpretations: 1) it was in the midst of the 7-year war -- in 70 -- that "he", meaning not
the prince of the people, but rather, the Messiah in verse 26 confirmed (which is to say, verified
-- the word here means to strengthen or prevail, not merely make or create) the covenant with
"many" (if the Jews are in mind, why not say the "your people"? -- on the other hand, cf.
Matthew 26:28, "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the
remission of sins.") by delivering the promised judgment against Jerusalem, predicted in more
detail in the Olivet Discourse. In the middle of this week -- in 70 -- this God-ordained judgment
"cause[d] the sacrifice and the oblation to cease".
Ice [338] calls upon Hebrew lexicologists who note that by the rules of Hebrew, the closest
antecedent is the one that is referred to, and here, that cannot be the "Messiah" but the prince, in
his view, the Antichrist. For what it is worth, liberal commentators who make the "Messiah" out
to be Onias III or another Maccabbean-era priest see the "Messiah" as the one who confirmed the
covenant; see Hartman and DiLella, 251, and Lacocque, 993, who presumably are not ill-
informed when it comes to Hebrew.
However, Ice admits that a sound "contextual reason" overrules that rule. Knowing that this traps
him, he alleges that only "theological bias" will make the move, and in a sense he is right -- just
as "bias" compels him to reject it, and also compels him to on the one hand admit that the
"people" of the prince to come were indeed the Romans under Titus, but the "prince" himself is
not Titus, but a future Antichrist. In this light, let it be asked who is doing less gymnastics to
satisfy their "bias".
There is one final point that shows Jesus to be the one who "confirms the covenant": The NT
thought so. Compare:
 "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week..." (Dan. 9:27)
 "Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a
ransom for many." (Matt. 20:28; cf. Matt. 26:28, Mark 10:45, 14:24)
Ice misses this because he again vets preterist thought through a dispensational lens, thinking
that preterists believe that Christ here makes a covenant with the Jews. He also clearly does not
recognize Matthew's adaptation of Daniel's "many" to Christians [340].
It is also amazing that Ice can quote Wood as saying that Christ cannot be the one referenced
because Christ did not "make" a covenant; God did. Daniel says that the person
will confirm (not make) the covenant, which is exactly what Christ did in his role as broker of the
covenant, and would also be what he did in calling down judgment on Jerusalem in 70.
What About Antiochus?
On the side now, what of claims that Daniel 9:24-27 was fulfilled in the time of Antiochus?
Attempts to prove this are rather labored and overstated. A typical example tells us:

1. That the "anointed one" who is "cut off" is one of many of Anticohus' rivals whom he
killed;
2. That Antiochus' invasion of Israel amounts to the "destruction" of Jerusalem and the
Temple, when in fact he was let into Jerusalem by his own supporters without a fight
(Jos. Ant. 12.5.3) and only plundered money from it, and later also plundered the Temple
and profaned it, but did not destroy it;
3. Thereby also read into these events a "desolation"

In short, to meld Daniel 9:24-27 into the Maccabbean era requires making a rose garden out of a
weed and vastly overstating the events of 167-164 BC.
Daniel 12:1-3
And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy
people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to
that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found
written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to
everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine
as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever
and ever.
The last resurrection? No, for what is referred to is many being raised -- and this matches
Matthew's resurrected saints. Indeed Matthew's use of "many" implies a hearkening back to
Daniel (though he does not mention those resurrected to shame and contempt, who would
probably not be eligible to walk around anyway).
In sum: Daniel's words suit a preterist interpretation quite well -- and lay ground for a related
interpretation of the Olivet Discourse and the "coming" of the Son of Man. As a final note, we
are aware of an answer to preterist interpretations of Daniel offered by Dr. Thomas Howe, and
hope to procure that for analysis at a later date.
The Olivet Discourse and Preterist Interpretation
Matt. 16:28 Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which
shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his
kingdom. (Mark 9:1)
Matt. 24:34 At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds
with great power and glory.
2 Peter 3:4 And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since
the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the
beginning of the creation.
We have been taught time and time again by popular works, ranging
from The Late Great Planet Earth to the Left Behind series, and now
also in books like John MacArthur's The Second Coming, that the
quotes from Matthew and parallels concern a Temple yet built, a
coming yet made, and a tribulation yet suffered.
But is it? And is preterist eschatology just an "excuse" to cover up an
error by Jesus?
The charge implies that the interpretation is somehow "new," a
construction invented by modern believers who are resisting the past.
Actually, dispensationalism and it's own idea of a Rapture are the new
kids on the block; preterism, and the idea that the Olivet Discourse
and other passages refer to 70 AD events, has a much longer pedigree.
Commentators such as Lightfoot (1859), Newton (1754), and Gill (1809)
predated dispensationlism and agreed that 70 AD was in view in these
passages. [Dem.LDM, 59]
To be sure, some in the early church held a view that what was
recounted in places like the Olivet Discourse was a reference to a far-
flung future event (though their views didn't match exactly with
dispensationlism); but others held views akin to preterism as well, so
the preterist view is not a new view, but an older one revived.
Research has confirmed to me that the preterist standpoint of
eschatology -- the idea that much of the prophecy of the Bible was
fulfilled in 70 AD -- is the correct one, although I am still looking into
finer details. (I am distinguishing this view from a view Seraiah
calls pantelism -- and others, "full preterism" -- the idea that all Bible
prophecy is now fulfilled, including prophecies of the resurrection; this
in particular I do not agree with, for example.)
A critical text in these matters is Matthew 24, and we'll use it as our
basis, providing parallels in Mark and Luke where they differ
significantly. If the differences are minimal, we will simply note them
after the cite.
Matthew 24:1-2
And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples
came to him for to show him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus
said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you,
There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be
thrown down.
Our first verses of Matthew 24 set the stage and establish context.
There is no controversy of interpretation here; most agree, regardless
of stance, that Jesus predicts here a destruction of the Jerusalem
temple standing in his own time, and will agree that this was literally
fulfilled, to the point that critics use this as evidence that the Gospels
were written after 70 AD. This merely sets the stage for the question
of the disciples:
Matthew 24:3
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him
privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall
be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Mark 13:4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the
sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?
Luke 21:7 And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these
things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come
to pass?
All of what is recorded here is inarguably related to the statement of
Jesus in the previous verse concerning the Temple's destruction --
with the exception of one argument. Mark and Luke provide no
distraction, but Matthew, so it seems from the KJV, records Jesus as
referring to the "thy coming" and to the "end of the world." Isn't this
clear evidence of the dispensational view?
No, it isn't. These considerations, first, about "the end of the world":

 The coming and the close of the age are grammatically linked.
[Keener, commentary on Matthew 563n] These are meant to be
taken as simultaneous events.
 The word for "world" is not a reference to the physical world, but
is the Greek aion, or "age." The question is about the end of
the age, a time period, not the end of the world. Had that been
the intent, the Greek word kosmos would have been used.
 That leads to point 2: What "age" is referred to here? The answer
is found in knowing that the Jews divided time into two great
ages: the age of law, and the age of the Messiah. This belief is
commonly reflected in the Jewish apocalyptic era [Harrington,
Matthew commentary, 352]. As Wright puts it [New Testament
and the People of God, 299-300]:

The present age was a time when the creator god seemed to
be hiding his face; the age to come would see the renewal of
the created world. The present age was the time of Israel's
misery; in the age to come she would be restored. In the
present age wicked men seemed to be flourishing; in the age
to come they would receive their just reward. In the present
age even Israel was not really keeping the Torah perfectly,
was not really being YHWH's true humanity; in the age to
come all Israel would keep Torah from the heart.

There were various views about what this age would constitute;
not all views involved a Messianic figure, and the disciples
themselves show some confusion when they ask if the kingdom
will be restored to Israel (Acts 1:6). They are in line with certain
Messianic expectations when they ask this; they are expecting
that now that the Age of the Messiah has dawned, Israel will be
restored properly again.
It boils down to this: the "end of the age" refers back to the
destruction of the Temple and the end of the covenant, and the
beginning of the new covenant 40 years prior. "The age to come,
the end of Israel's exile, [was seen] as the inauguration of a new
 covenant between Israel and her god." [NTPG, 301] (Cf. Matt.
12:32, "And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man,
it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy
Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither
in the world to come." "World" in both cases is aion.)

 One counter to this idea has been that in other places Matthew
uses the phrase "end of the world/age" to indicate a time of final
judgment (Matt. 13:39, 49). The latter example reads:

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was

cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it
was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the
good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at
the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever
the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into
the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of
teeth.

The verse 39 example has the same theme, only it uses the
analogy of a harvest. (One other use, Matt. 28:20, offers no
contextual clues.) This would sensibly fit in with Matt. 24:31, a
later part of the discourse ("And he shall send his angels with a
great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect
from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.")
How could this refer to the "end of the age" in 70 AD? I think
rather easily. Dispensational commentators see here a reference
perhaps to the "Rapture" and/or final judgment. But neither a
harvest nor a fishing expedition is such a quick event. Harvests
took days to process in the age before tractors. Fishermen
stayed out fishing for extended periods (as Peter and co. stayed
out all night, until Jesus lent a hand).
No commentator would disagree that upon death the wicked, and
the justified in Christ, are encountering their final judgment (Heb.
9:27) -- and the "field" here is the "world" (kosmos), the entire
world. The seed sown by Jesus is sown over the entire kosmos.
We'll note the significance of this when we get to verse 12.
What it comes down to is this: With the "end of the age" in 70,
the "angels" -- there is a special issue with this word as well --
 were sent out to harvest, based on reaction to the Gospel. The
harvest (and the fishing expedition) is still going, and people are
still being separated based on their reaction to the good news.
We'll discuss this more when we get to a later part of the
discourse.
But what, then, of Jesus answering regarding his "coming"? The word
Matthew uses is parousia, and Matthew alone among the Gospels
uses this word. The word means presence or arrival. Here is how it is
used in an "everyday" sense:
2 Cor. 10:10 For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his
bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.
1 Cor. 16:17 I am glad of the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus
and Achaicus: for that which was lacking on your part they have
supplied.
Some observations on this word:

 Prior to the NT and into the second century, the word was used
"for the arrival of a ruler, king or emperor." It is used for example
of a special visit by Nero to Corinth, when coins were cast in
honor of his visit.
 However, the term was also used in Hellenistic contexts to
refer to a theophany, or a manifestation of deity. In the Greek
form of several Jewish apocryphal works (Testament of the
Twelve Patriarchs, Testament of Judah, Testament of Levi) it is
"used to refer to the final coming of God." Josephus uses the
term to refer to OT theophanies (Ant. 3.80, 202-3; 9:55).

In our examination of the Pauline use of this word, we will be tying

together some issues and Paul's own use of parousia to refer to the
time of the resurrection. For now, it should be remembered
that parousia has several shades of meaning (including an "everyday"
meaning whose "everyday" use by Paul suggests that it is not a
technical term referring to one event), and is also clearly a word
choice of Matthew. I believe that these word choices were
made independently and may have caused the confusion referred to
by Paul in the Thessalonian church.
But we will reserve that commentary for the other article, and will
return to the word parousia in Matthew 24:27 and following, where it
is next used, and discuss in that context what it means and how
Jesus' "coming" could have occurred in 70 AD. It is enough for now to
observe that the disciples are asking about Jesus' parousia in terms
of expecting Jesus to take the throne of David as the Messiah.
Matthew 24:4-5
And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man
deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and
shall deceive many.(cf. Mark 13:5-6)
Luke 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many
shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth
near: go ye not therefore after them.
In order to show that the Olivet Discourse found fulfillment in 70 AD, it
has to be shown or suggested that these events came to pass in that
time. Did we see many coming and claiming to be Christ?
I have noted in other contexts that until the time of Bar Kochba, there
is no evidence of any person actually coming forth and saying, "I am
Messiah" or any person being identified as such, and I have argued
that to make such a clear identification of one's "Messianic self" was
likely not permitted socially. We do of course have people who took
some putative military action against Rome, and failed miserably; one
suggests that they might well have made a claim had their little
schemes succeeded -- Theudas and Judas are two examples (Acts
5:36-37), as perhaps was the Egyptian Paul was mistaken for; Simon
Magus has been cited as one who claimed to be God, in a non-Jewish
Messianic context; a Samaritan named Dositheus claimed to be the
lawgiver prophesied of by Moses [Dem.LDM, 73-4].
That's five for sure (enough to qualify for "many" in the context of
pretenders), and there may have been more who were spectacular
failures not worthy of the record. Josephus in his Antiquities 20.8.5
says, "Now, as for the affairs of the Jews, they grew worse and worse
continually; for the country was again filled with robbers and
impostors, who deluded the multitude." Pretenders of various types
undoubtedly abounded -- yet does this contradict that we have no
evidence of these claimants saying, "I am Messiah"?
Not at all -- here is an important point: Only in Matthew is the word
"Christ" actually used in the text -- Mark and Luke leave it implied, and
the KJV and other versions add it in for clarity in Mark and Luke.
Matthew's addition of "Christ" is redactional, his own addition for
clarity; the claimants, in line with the restraint of Messianic self-
identification, will mirror the claim to divine power by saying, "I AM"
(ego eimi, as in John's Gospel, as from Exodus; "name" here is used in
the sense of authority) and leaving the rest to be worked out.
There were indeed false prophets claiming to represent God in plenty
[Josephus War 6.5.2 refers to a "great number of false prophets" who
gave false hope to the people]; these tried to initiate various signs to
"activate God's eschatological salvation" [Keener, 567-8], and they did
indeed deceive many. Though there do continue to be pretenders
around, this word was fulfilled between 30-70 AD.
(And of course there is more to this: While some may have made
"messianic" overtures, you won't find anyone other than Jesus who
claimed to be God's Wisdom, a much stronger and clearer claim to
divinity in context than "I am Messiah" would have been at any rate.)
Matthew 24:6
And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not
troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
(Mark 13:7; Luke 21:9)
Wars and rumors of wars have always been part of human history, and
the time between 30-70 AD was no exception. The Jews suffered
tumult under a series of incompetent and insensitive Roman leaders,
who did not hesitate to kill people.
Skeptics have often said, in this light, "What's the big deal about these
predictions, then?" In a sense they are right -- the key here is not
Jesus' predictions of such things, but his admonition, "the end is not
yet" -- in other words, he is in a sense giving the same advice, "Don't
read too much into the times." But of course we need to show that
such events did happen in the time specific, and here is a list of such
events in this period [DeM.LDM, 78-9; Keener, 569]:

 Caligula tried to erect his statue in the Jewish temple; the Jews
resisted.
 In Caesarea, Jews and Syrians went at each others' throats for
mastery of the city; 20,000 Jews were put to death. Similar
bloodshed occurred in Alexandria and Damascus.
 The Jewish rebellion itself took place in 66 AD.
  Tacitus in the Annals refers to disturbances, insurrections, war,
and commotions in as diverse places as Germany, Africa, Gaul,
Parthia, Britain, and Armenia.
 Josephus says that Roman civil wars in this era were so common
that he didn't see a need to write about them in detail. The
Roman civil wars were especially pronounced between 68-70
when three emperors held the top spot in short order and their
rival troops fought it out.

Matthew 24:7-8
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and
there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers
places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.(Mark 13:8)
Luke 21:11 And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and
famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there
be from heaven.
As in our previous verse, these are things that (except for signs) have
continued to happen, but again, we should provide evidence of such
between 30-70 [DeM.LDM, 79ff]. Acts 11:27-9 alludes to the famine in
the time of Claudius. Tacitus speaks of signs in the form of "repeated
earthquakes," a shortage of grain resulting in famine (at one point
Rome had only 15 days' worth of food); Josephus reports of famine
during the siege of Jerusalem; the earthquake in Philippi (Acts 16);
Pompeii suffered quakes as a preliminary to the eruption of Vesuvius;
Josephus reports a severe earthquake in Judea, and quakes were
reported by secular historians as occurring throughout the Greco-
Roman world.
Again, none of this is surprising; much of the Roman Empire was
subject to quakes (see map here), and famine was extremely common
in the ancient world. Pestilence was also common; indeed, it was more
normal to be sick than healthy! The point again, though, is that these
are not signs to look for as signs of the end (as is often supposed in
dispensational treatments); rather, Jesus is warning his disciples to
not give them undue significance.
What about Luke's signs from heaven? Tacitus reports a comet during
the reign of Nero in 60 AD, and Halley's Comet came for a visit in 66.
Josephus also records a third astronomical phenomena, a "star
resembling a sword" which stood over Jerusalem, and a comet that
"continued a whole year."
Matthew 24:9-10
Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye
shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many
be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Mark 13:9 But take heed to yourselves: for they shall deliver you up to
councils; and in the synagogues ye shall be beaten: and ye shall be
brought before rulers and kings for my sake, for a testimony against
them.
Luke 21:12-19 But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you,
and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into
prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. And
it shall turn to you for a testimony. Settle it therefore in your hearts,
not to meditate before what ye shall answer: For I will give you a
mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to
gainsay nor resist. And ye shall be betrayed both by parents, and
brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause
to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's
sake. But there shall not an hair of your head perish. In your patience
possess ye your souls.
There can be little doubt that such events as alluded to here took
place between 30 and 70, and of course, such things do continue even
today. Paul was himself a persecutor, and took the stripes from the
synagogue himself (2 Cor. 11:24); we may doubt that it had anything
uniquely to do with him or his preaching.
Peter and John were flogged; Peter was thrown in jail; James the
brother of Jesus was martyred -- Acts reports regular harassment and
persecution at intervals. Tacitus and Josephus confirm persecution of
Christians, and the social background data provided by Meeks' The
First Urban Christians tells us enough about why. Such events of
course lay enough of a background for enmity between and betrayal by
family.
Matthew 24:11-13
And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And
because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he
that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
Little needs be said here, again -- we have already referred to false
prophets; iniquity is a commonality, though Caligula and Nero between
30 and 70 took pains to exemplify poor morals. Paul and John also
refer to false prophets within the church (Acts 13:16, 2 Tim. 2:16-17, 1
John 4:1). In context of course the "end" here must refer to the end of
the age alluded to earlier.
Matthew 24:14
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a
witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Mark 13:10 And the gospel must first be published among all nations.
(no Lucan parallel)
Most everything so far, few would dispute happened between 30 and
70, but what about this one? Surely, the critics and dispensationalists
say, the gospel wasn't preached to the entire world by 70; it hasn't
even reached some people now!
But we need to look behind a key word: world -- this time, it
isn't aion, and it also isn't kosmos, the word which indicates the
broadest possible connotations, as we noted earlier -- this time, it
is oikoumene, a word used to express only the Roman Empire (cf.
Acts 11:28, Luke 2:1).
It is significant that this is the only place Matthew uses this word; he
has selected it carefully as a geographical delimitation; it is also
significant that he has used this word rather than kosmos as he did
with reference to the spreading of the Gospel correspondent with the
separation of the justified and the wicked. The gospel had to be
preached to the Roman Empire as a whole before the end of the age.
Was this fulfilled? According to the NT, it was (Rom. 10:18, 16:25-7; cf.
2 Tim. 4:17; see also Rom. 1:8 and Col. 1:6, which
uses kosmos hyperbolically). Secular history would agree that there
were churches as far away from Judea as Italy; evidence of
evangelism in places like Britain and Germany are based only on
tradition. Nevertheless, with a church in Rome by the 50s, it could
hardly be argued that evangelism in Britain, the farthest-flung part of
Rome's Empire with respect to Judea, was not likely by 70.
Matthew 24:15
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of
by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him
understand:)
Mark 13:14 But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation,
spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him
that readeth understand,)
Dispensationlists tell us that this refers to a yet future Temple, and to
the actions of one called Antichrist with a capital A. But here for the
first time, Luke offers a very interesting divergence:
Luke 21:20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies,
then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
Luke as a Gentile writer has a propensity to explain peculiar Jewish
twists to his Gentile readership; "faced with a cryptic allusion to
Daniel, they would not be in a position to obey the command" to read
and understand [Wr.JVG, 359]. It seems clear -- especially since the
Greek word for "desolation" is the same in all three Gospels -- that he
thinks that the "abomination of desolation" has to do with Jerusalem
being surrounded by armies.
A few observations, now that we have looked at Daniel and its own
fulfillment in 70 AD.
First, it is worth noting that Josephus, not at all having the Olivet
Discourse in mind, saw the Daniel prophecy as fulfilled with the
destruction of the Temple in 70 and regarded the shedding of priestly
blood in the sanctuary as the desecration or abomination that caused
the 70 desolation [Keener, Matthew commentary, 576]. Josephus
called the Temple "no longer a place fit for God" [War 5.1.19] and said
that God was the author of its destruction.
Second, Luke's indication is that the coming of the armies signifies
that the "abomination" is soon to take place, and that the desolation
will occur soon thereafter. So do we have a pre-70 event that fits the
bill?
We do indeed -- it happened when the Jewish Zealots, those ancient
terrorists, occupied the Temple and committed various acts of
sacrilege, including using sacred materials for war and crowning a
"high priest" in a farcical ceremony. The retired priest Ananus himself
used the word "abominations" to describe what happened. They
committed bloodshed in the temple sanctuary, thereby profaning it by
killing the innocent [Keener, ibid. -- and it was exactly three and a half
years after this "desecration" that the Temple was destroyed; for the
relevance of this, see our Daniel article].
As an added note, some have brought this verse against Daniel 11:31,
which is interpreted as fulfilled by Antiochus. The argument is that
Jesus clearly regarded 11:31 as yet unfulfilled. This argument fails on
two counts: First, the abomination alluded to in Daniel would be that of
9:24-7, not 11:31. Second, commentatators overwhelmingly agree that
the details match the career of Antichous, other than some
controversy over 11:44-45.
Matthew 24:16-20
Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: Let him
which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his
house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his
clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give
suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter,
neither on the sabbath day: (Mark 13:14-18; Luke 21:21-23)
This passage is transitional and offers us some clues of a 70 AD
intention. The coming down from the housetop is in line with the
Ancient Near Eastern practice of living and working on a flat roof.
Other aspects here are more flexible and may refer to any given time;
though as N. T. Wright notes, quoting Caird, the advice here is "more
useful to a refugee from military invasion than to a man caught
unawares by the last trumpet." [Wr.JVG, 359] The passage also alludes
to Ezekiel's warning to flee from the destruction by Babylon (7:12-16)
and to 1 Maccabees 2:28 and the warning to "flee to the hills."
The latter allusion is especially interesting. Wright [Wr.JVG, 511] notes
that the Maccabees reference describes the flight of Matthias and his
sons to the hills, "as the necessary prelude to their eventual
victory...and the establishment of their royal house." We will argue
that a "royal house" has already been established with the events and
70. We will see the relevance of this later in the discourse with our
analysis of the "kingdom of heaven" phrase (Matt. 25:1).
As an added note, we might ask how one could flee from a city
surrounded by armies. One might surrender to the Romans, of course --
Josephus records examples of people doing this (War 5.10.1); but of
more relevance, he records that early in the war the Roman
commander Cestius withdrew his troops from around Jerusalem,
"without any reason in the world." (War 2.19.7) The Jews took this
chance to harry the Roman troops; alert Christians would use the time
to flee the city.
[A reader also passed me this note: In A.D. 68 generals Vespasian and
Titus "had fortified all the places round about Jerusalem ...
encompassing the city round about on all sides" (Josephus, Wars
4.9.1). But when Vespasian and Titus are "informed that Nero was
dead" (4.9.2), they "did not go on with their expedition against the
Jews" (4.9.2; cf. 4.10.2) until after Vespasian became emperor in 69.
Then "Vespasian turned his thoughts to what remained unsubdued in
Judea" (4.10.5)]
Matthew 24:21
For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the
beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.(Mark 13:19)
Dispensationalists identify this as a tribulation with a capital T --
associated with a seven-year period headed by an Antichrist figure.
According to one leading proponent of this idea, this cannot have been
a 70 AD fulfillment, because there have been greater tribulations; the
70 AD tribulation, while bad, "has been superseded by scores of far-
worse calamities and holocausts" [Mac.SC, 78] such as the
extermination of Jews in World War II.
Certainly no one would minimize those later tribulations -- but a couple
of clues work against such an argument. First of all, note Luke's
"translation" of this verse:
Luke 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be
led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden
down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
Our proponent offers no comment at all on this verse, which clearly
shows that Luke anticipated a fulfillment in terms of Jerusalem
only -- the final Diaspora, and the trodding down of Jerusalem by the
Gentiles.
Added July 2012: I was pointed to a rather strained explanation
recently which claimed that Matthew 24 and Luke 21 "are clearly not
the same teaching by Jesus." The manifest idiocy of this argument is
made plain by a simple comparison of the two passages in terms of the
content: Luke 21:7/Matthew 24:3; 21:8/24:5; 21:9/24:6; 21:10-1/24:7;
etc, as well as by their respective timing during Passion Week. It is
also claimed that the teachings are in different locations, but even if
true -- Luke is far from clear on the precise location -- this is entirely
irrelevant: even if they were, the content is so clearly matching that is
is obviously the same "lecture".
Finally, the incoherence of making Matt 24 and Luke 21 two different
discourses is made clear by these contexts:

 In Mark 12:41-4 and Luke 21:1-4, we have the parallel accounts of

the poor widow and the treasury, which occurred within view of
the treasury.
 Both Mark (13:1-2) and Luke (21:5-6) follow this up immediately
with a scenario in which Jesus has the stones of the Temple
brought to his attention, and replies by noting that one stone will
not be left on another. Mark says it is "one of his disciples"
speaking, while Luke merely refers to a person speaking, without
specifically saying it is a disciple.
 Then, Mark and Luke immediately relate what is clearly, by
content, the Olivet Discourse. Mark places it on the Mount of
Olives, and says it is Peter, James, John and Andrew who query
about the signs of the times; Luke does not specify the location,
and the query is made by unnamed and unspecified persons.

Now here is the clincher. Those who try to divorce Luke 21 from Matt
24 will also say that Mark 13 is the same as Matthew 24. So in
essence, they must hold to the following idiotic chronology:

 Jesus had the encounter with the widow and the treasury;
 Then he had the stones of the Temple brought to his attention,
and gave the answer about its destruction.
 He was then asked by some unspecified person the specific
questions about when these things would happen, and answered
with the words of Luke 21.
 And then, after that, he went up to the Mount of Olives where his
four apostles asked the very same question with reference to
the overturning of the stones, using essentially the same words,
as the unnamed and unspecified person in Luke 21; and Jesus
then replied with an answer that was in most fundamental
respects the same, but which, according to those separating
Luke 21 and Matt 24, was actually an entirely different answer!
Frankly, it takes a great deal of obscurantism to believe such
nonsense. It requires us to believe that Luke was unaware of, or
refused to use, the teaching of Matthew 24; it requires us to
believe that Jesus gave different answers to the same question,
related to the same issue of the Temple stones, to two different
people (one a disciple, one an unknown person) who had brought
these same stones to his attention, and did so in the hearing of
the same disciples (Peter and Co.) who then went ahead and
asked about the very same thing (apparently they weren't paying
attention!) when they got to the Mount of Olives. It also requires
us to believe that there was no dramatic orientation to the
speech of the Biblical world (or that Jesus just happened to be
an exception, in communicating to his contemporaries who all
did have one -- and I should add that such things were not limited
to apocalyptic discourse, but were part of everyday speech); that
there is no connection to the images used in the three listed OT
passages, and that Matthew and Luke are conveniently ignoring
each others' versions from the historical record which was
clearly available to both of them.
The simpler answer -- one in line with the social, literary, and
cultural practices of the NT world -- is that these are the same
discourse; that Luke has simply not specified the persons or
place of the discourse (which are irrelevant to his reader), and
has "translated" the discourse at points so that his reader
(chiefly Theophilus, who was certainly a Gentile) may better
understand what it means in his own terms.
This leads to the second clue -- the warnings in Matthew and
Mark hearken back to an OT precursor:

Ezekiel 5:9 And I will do in thee that which I have not done,
and whereunto I will not do any more the like, because of all
thine abominations.

Joel 2:2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of

clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon
the mountains: a great people and a strong; there hath not
been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to
the years of many generations.
 Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the
great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:
and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since
there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time
thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found
written in the book.

What's Ezekiel talking about here? This is a warning about the

destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of the Babylonians. It is
less clear who Joel is talking to, since he identifies no enemy,
but he was speaking to people of his day, and that meant the
enemy was either Assyria or Babylon. Daniel speaks in light of
the crisis of Antiochus (Dan. 11). DeMar correctly recognizes that
the language in both cases is "proverbial and hyperbolic"
[Dem.LDM, 120] and clearly alludes to the former passages.
(Keener adds that the reference to there being no similar
tribulations after this one works against this being identified as
a "final" tribulation, as is preferred by dispensationalists; and,
Josephus used similar verbiage to describe the period from 66-73
AD [interestingly also, a seven year period -- 580; see again our
essay on Daniel].)
Moreover, note Matt. 24:32-4 and its parallels. In the three Olivet
parallels – Matt 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 -- Jesus seals his
message with the same chronological warning. The
dispensationalist claim is that Luke 21 is a warning only to first
century Christians about events in their time, while Matthew 24
is a warning of the far future. Yet for this to be so, the same
“this generation” warning recorded by Matthew and Luke must
be read to mean two different times! In other words, it must be
held that Matthew’s Jesus is warning of a “generation” in the far
future, while Luke’s Jesus is warning of one within 40 years.
Clearly, the disassociation of Matt 24 and Luke 21 is a ridiculous
one, which is why the scholarly consensus is that they refer to
the same essential teaching made at the same time.
The literalist is left with the desperate option of thoroughly
ignoring both the OT precursors to Matt. 24:21 (or forcibly
reinterpreting those as well), and the dramatic orientation of
the social world of the Bible, and asserting that Jesus was
speaking like a modern fundamentalist preacher who used
wooden literalism. The tragic consequences of this are not
apparent to the literalist dispensationalist, who will be either
forced to read every use of extreme language by Jesus this way,
or, more likely, to resort to the convenience of picking and
choosing when hyperbolic language is being used, in accord with
their predetermined preferences.
Matthew 24:22-26 repeats earlier warnings and does not need to
be analyzed in depth here. (See also Mark 13:20-23.) The only
extra point is a misinterpretation offered by some Bible versions,
which takes the statement of "no flesh" being saved to mean the
entire human race. But this phrase hearkens to Jer. 12:12, "The
spoilers are come upon all high places through the wilderness:
for the sword of the LORD shall devour from the one end of the
land even to the other end of the land: no flesh shall have peace."
It is used within the context of the limited area of Judah in
Jeremiah; thus in Olivet it is likewise restricted.
Matthew 24:27

For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even
unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man
be.

With this verse we return to the use of the key

word parousia (coming). The comparison to lightning works
under any scenario; it is a symbolic way of saying that the
parousia will be quick and unexpected. Lightning also signified
the presence of the Lord (Ex. 20:18, Deut. 33:2, etc.).
But now is the time to talk a bit further about this word parousia.
As we have noted, this word is used in the Synoptics only by
Matthew. Where Matthew uses parousia, Mark and Luke use a
different Greek word, erchomai. Matthew does use this word in
other contexts, including one which refers to Christ's "return"
(Matthew 24:48).
What is the difference in nuance here? Erchomai is used over
600 times in the NT, and has a broader connotation of arrival or
movement (Matt. 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the
Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to
worship him.) It lacks the "advent" aspect of parousia, and can
mean either "coming" or "going" [Wr.JVG, 361 -- for example,
John 8:59, "Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus
hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst
of them, and so passed by,"; "going through" is dierchomai.].
The point here: The words themselves say nothing about the
means or process of "arrival" or of the direction, the destination,
or whether from the sky or however -- only parousia hints that it
involves an accession of power; but the nature of the "coming" is
to be determined by further context -- which we will get to
shortly.

The Acts 1:11 Conundrum

One verse that often is seen as causing a problem for
preterism, and which is of relevance here, is Acts 1:11: "Which
also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into
heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into
heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go
into heaven." This is connected to the "Son of Man in the
clouds" passages because it is said of Jesus, "a cloud received
him out of their sight." (1:9) Thus the argument is, Jesus will
return quite literally on a cloud, as he left on one.
But once again, "come" is erchomai, a word that can mean
"coming" or "going." The angelic messengers therefore refer
to the "going" of Jesus to the throne of God as the ascended
Son of Man in Daniel 7.
Of relevant interest is the Lukan parallel to this verse (not found
at all in Mark), which is outside of Luke's version of the Olivet
teaching:

Luke 17:24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the

one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under
heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.

Luke here apparently equates the "day" of the Son of Man with
Matthew's "coming" of the Son of Man. The relevance of this may
be seen in our essay on the phrase "the day of the Lord". This
phrase was associated with final judgment, but more often, by far
with an immediate judgment upon one nation at one point in
time, or any time that God acted decisively. This would suggest
that Luke did not understand the "day" of the Son of Man as a
final judgment of necessity.
Matthew 24:28

For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be

gathered together.(Luke 17:37)

Jesus here alludes to Jer. 7:33, "And the carcases of this people
shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of
the earth; and none shall fray them away." -- a warning to Judah
of the coming destruction at the hands of the Babylonians. This
verse too fits both a dispensational and a preterist scenario.
Most commentators regardless of orientation would render
"eagles" as vultures, though the word, aetos, seems to refer to
any big bird and elsewhere would suggest an eagle (Rev. 4:7,
12:14). Perhaps both are in mind -- with the Roman eagle (it's
national symbol, like ours) doing double duty as a scavenger over
the dead.
With the next verses we enter into a divergence in opinion once
more:
Matthew 24:29

Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun

be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the
stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens
shall be shaken...(Mark 13:24-5)

Luke 21:25-6 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the
moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of
nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those
things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of
heaven shall be shaken.

There's no way you can say that this took place in 70 AD, it may
be said. Sure, Josephus reports some signs in the skies, but
nothing like this, correct?
So say the skeptics; so likewise the dispensationalists. But if this
hasn't happened, what about these things?
 Is. 13:10 For the stars of heaven and the constellations
thereof shall not give their light: the sun shall be darkened in
his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to
shine.

Is. 34:3-5 Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink
shall come up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall
be melted with their blood. And all the host of heaven shall
be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a
scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off
from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. For my
sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down
upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.

Ezek. 32:6-8 I will also water with thy blood the land wherein
thou swimmest, even to the mountains; and the rivers shall
be full of thee. And when I shall put thee out, I will cover the
heaven, and make the stars thereof dark; I will cover the sun
with a cloud, and the moon shall not give her light. All the
bright lights of heaven will I make dark over thee, and set
darkness upon thy land, saith the Lord GOD.

Amos 8:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the
Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I
will darken the earth in the clear day:

These are not descriptions of final judgment. They are oracles

against Babylon (Is. 13) and against Edom (Is. 34) and Egypt
(Ezek. 32) and the northern kingdom of Israel (Amos). Point at
issue: We are not dealing with literal events here,
but apocalyptic imagery -- material like that found in Ezekiel, in
which God sits on a physical throne, and angels are
amalgamated zoos, and eating a scroll is not only possible but
gives you heartburn. None of these things literally happened to
Babylon, Edom, etc. -- and Isaiah, et al. did not think that they
would. "These passages all tell a story with the same set of
motifs: YHWH's victory over the great pagan city; the rescue and
vindication of his true people who had been suffering under it;
and YHWH's acclamation as king." [Wr.JVG. 356-7]
Matthew 24:29 is symbolic for judgment, for the vindication of
the new covenant over the old covenant, and their respective
members, and Christ's new reign -- and thus fits within the
paradigm of a 70 fulfillment. Some points as proof [Dem.LDM,
143; Wr.JVG, 354ff] :

o Stellar symbols are used in the Bible to represent nations,

entities, angels or people (Gen. 22;17, 26:4, 37:9; Deut. 1:10;
Is. 14:4ff; Job 38:7; Neh. 9:23; Mal. 4:2; Jude 1:13; Rev. 1:20)
as they are used today on many national flags, including Old
Glory herself. [Dem.LDM, 143]
o The sun and moon are connected intimately with governing
functions in Genesis (ruling over the day and night; the
same word "rule" is used in 1 Kings 9:19: "And all the cities
of store that Solomon had, and cities for his chariots, and
cities for his horsemen, and that which Solomon desired to
build in Jerusalem, and in Lebanon, and in all the land of
his dominion.")
o Stellar imagery is used in "reverse" as well, not just as
judgment signals, but as signs of blessing (Is. 30:26).

The combined imagery of sun, moon and stars reflects complete

political entities. Jesus' prediction refers to nothing more or less
than the judgment upon the nation of Israel. As Witherington
writes, "That something cataclysmic is being described is sure,
but bear in mind that this same sort of language is used when
describing the fall of Babylon, and we may be sure that all the
stars did not fall from the sky on that occasion, nor is it likely
that God only acts when there are eclipses!" [commentary on
Mark, 347]
I would like to close this section with a respectful observation
concerning a major proponent of the dispensational theory,
whose work in other arenas I have high respect for [Mac.SC,
120ff]. This writer observes, as even skeptics do, that "[n]o great
cosmic signs like this ever occurred in connection with the
destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70." He then accuses preterists
of "imposing an interpretive grid" of allegory to force events into
70 events.
I think it is telling that this writer's answer to the parallels in the
OT, in particular Is. 13, is to first admit that, yes, there is some
symbolism in Matthew 24 -- "Almost no one expects the stars to
fall to earth literally" -- and then goes on to suggest that Is. 13
is also a scene of worldwide judgment!
Dispensationalism must offer in turn it's own "interpretive grid"
which sees in OT passages like these an oracle telling of "both
near and far events." There is some room within the conception
of typology for such an idea in this context; Is. 7:14 predicts
events both in the day of Isaiah and in the day of Jesus. Yet even
under this paradigm, the problem of Jesus specifying "this
generation" indicates a complete fulfillment in 70 A. D. one way
or the other.
It cannot be gotten around so easily. The dispensationalists, as
Wright notes, are engaged in "the folly of trying to fit the
hurricane of first-century Jewish theology into the bottle of late-
modern western categories..." [Wr.JVG, 513] We should no more
expect blood on the moon or falling stars than we should expect,
from Daniel, four literal monsters literally dripping and slathering
their way out of the Mediterranean like Godzilla: "We must never
forget that first-century Jews, reading a passage like Daniel 7,
would think of being oppressed, not by mythical monsters, but by
real Romans."
Matthew 24:30

And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven:
and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they
shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven
with power and great glory. (Mark 13:26)

Luke 21:27-8 And then shall they see the Son of man coming
in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these
things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your
heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

We can't say that Jesus came in the sky on a cloud in 70 AD, can
we? We'll refer the reader again to our corresponding study on
Daniel with specific reference to the Son of Man imagery therein.
For convenience, we will reproduce the most relevant paragraphs
here:
We know that the Son of Man envisioned here is Christ. What
should be especially noted for our purposes is the Son of
Man's mode of transportation, and the direction he is going in.
The Son of Man is riding with "the clouds of heaven" (the LXX has
the Son of Man actually "on" the clouds) and
heading towards the Ancient of Days to be enthroned.
Miller [207] believes that the Son of Man rides from
heaven to earth in this picture, but this is quite unlikely in view
of the setting of God's heavenly court (7:10). Goldingay [164]
acknowledges that the scene of God on a throne of fire,
surrounded by attendants, "locate the scene in heaven"; but
counters that where "it is specifically a matter of God
judging...the scene is normally on earth."
The verses he uses in support of this, however, could be said to
fall to circular reasoning; for example, Jer. 49:38: "And I will set
my throne in Elam, and will destroy from thence the king and the
princes, saith the LORD." Did God literally set his throne in
Elam? (Other passages, like Ps. 96:10-13, say God will come to
judge the earth, but how does this equate with God
being physically present on earth?) Bottom line: The scene fits
the placement of heaven better than it fits a placement on earth.
Nor does it do to object that the scene must be on earth because
of the earth and the sea seen by Daniel (7:3-4). Again, if we are
thinking literal geography and envisioning here, then the
Mormons must be right about God having a human body!

How then does this relate to the Olivet Discourse? The scene of
Daniel 7, as Caird says [Wr.JVG, 341], involves not "a primitive
form of space travel" but "a symbol for a mighty reversal of
fortunes within history and at the national level..." The scene is
one of a victorious enthronement and vindication over enemies.
To emphasize this, we will also need to pull in a verse from
another part of the Gospels:
Matthew 26:64 Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said:
nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son
of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the
clouds of heaven.(Mark 14:62)
 Luke 22:69 Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right
hand of the power of God.
Jesus' retort to Caiaphas, in light of the primary charge that
Jesus threatened the Temple, is of great significance in this
context. "As a prophet, Jesus staked his reputation on his
prediction of the Temple's fall within a generation; if and when it
fell, he would thereby be vindicated." Jesus also promoted
himself as the new Temple which would replace the old one, with
his predictions that he would raise a new one -- his body -- in
three days.
If the Temple did NOT fall, he would be proven a charlatan. But if
the Temple did indeed fall, he would be vindicated -- just like
Daniel's "Son of Man" which he claimed to be. In saying he will
ride the clouds, Jesus is not saying, as Wright wryly notes, that
Caiaphas would one day walk by a window, look outside, and see
Jesus popping a wheelie on a cumulus. Rather Jesus is saying,
"You will see me vindicated; you will see my predictions come
true."
The "coming" -- as noted, using the word erchomai, which
specifies neither destination nor direction -- alludes to the
"going" of the Daniel 7 Son of Man from earth to heaven to be
enthroned. Caipahas (or more likely, the collective assembled for
the trial; as well as the "tribes of the earth" -- Matthew uses
"tribes" elsewhere only of Israel [19:18], and the word is used in
the Septuagint to refer to them; and "earth" is ge, or land, can
mean a limited area or the entire globe; in context, and in the
light of the use of "tribes," as well as the allusion to Zech 12:10
["And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications:
and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and
they shall mourn for him"] it most likely means Jerusalem or
Judaea only) will see the rise of the Christian movement ("from
now on" or "hereafter" in the KJV), followed by the destruction of
Jerusalem just as Jesus predicted -- thus proving that he was
and is the true Messiah, "the one in and through whom the
covenant god is acting to set up his kingdom."
Jesus also speaks, in all three versions, of being at the right
hand of power -- alluding throughout again to Daniel 7 and the
enthronement of the Son of Man. Hearken now back to the
disciples' original question. They want to know, in essence, when
Jesus will assume the kingship. Jesus replies by indicating that
"the Temple's destruction would constitute his own vindication."
[Wr.JVG, 342] His parousia, his enthronement as king, would be
"consequent upon the dethronement of the present powers that
were occupying the holy city." [346]
In the Jewish mindset, the establishment of a Temple was
intertwined with kingship. Solomon built the first temple; Herod
rebuilt the temple as a sign of his kingship; Bar Kochba showed
intentions to rebuild the temple in the 130s AD as part of his
pseudo-messianic program. In the new era, the temple of God is
now the individual believer (1 Cor. 3:16-17, 6:19) and the body of
believers (Eph. 2:21). The Spirit indwells in the believer, where
the Shekinah once dwelt in the Jewish temple. Christ now sits at
the right hand of the father (Heb. 12:22, Eph. 1:20, Acts 2:33,
etc.) and rules his kingdom. Paul sees Christ reigning now,
though all is not yet accomplished in that reign (1 Cor. 15:25).
This is NOT to say that, as pantelists maintain, the resurrection
has occurred already and Christ is through with the world. That
can't be read from the Scriptures. But it is clear that with the
events of 70, the reign of Christ is confirmed in a very unique
way.
This leaves a couple of loose ends to tie up. Matthew does say as
well that a "sign" shall be seen, seemingly in heaven; what of
that? DeMar [165] explains that it is not the sign which is in
heaven, but the Son of Man; thus what is seen is a sign which is
not given any location. The word here is semeion, used by John
often to refer to Jesus' miracles; the word itself denotes a token
of identification or verification. The destruction of Jerusalem and
the Temple itself fits this bill.
Finally, Luke relates this event to "redemption" -- this word is
used elsewhere in the NT to refer to salvation in a spiritual
sense, but it could hardly mean this in any context, whether
preterist or dispensational. What does it mean? Stein
(commentary on Luke, 525) sees in the term an idea of
consummation of hopes; one might relate this, then, to the
tangible evidence of the enthronement of Christ that the
destruction of Jerusalem and the "old order" provided.
 Temple and Redemption
I have been asked how the destruction of Jerusalem,
considering that it resulted in increased tensions between the
Jews and Christians [who were then expelled from the
synagogue and lost any claim to the Romans that they fell
under the protected umbrella of Judaism] would have been
understood by Christians as their "redemption". The answer
lies in the difference of ancient personality. Such tensions
upon individuals would have been placed, in the ancient
mindset, secondarily to that which was better for the group
and its efforts as a whole.
Believe it or not, they would have taken the expulsion and
persecution, not happily of course, but would have considered
the redemptive sign worth the price. For more on this matter
of ancient psychology, see Malina and Neyrey's Portraits of
Paul.)
Matthew 24:31
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a
trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the
four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.(Mark 13:27)
Dispensational paradigms have taught us that in this passage we
have a picture of a "rapture" of believers, of divine beings picking
us up by the ears and taking us home. But we should take some
caution before jumping into this interpretation. All agree that
"four winds" and "one end of heaven to the other" indicates a
worldwide gathering, and the "elect" are believers, but the rest is
open to examination.
First: "Angels" is aggelos, and while it is used of supernatural
beings (Matt. 1:20, 13:40, 16:27, 28:2, Luke 1) it is also used of
humans like John the Baptist (Matt. 12:10, Mark 1:2, Luke 7:27)
and Jesus' disciples (Luke 9:52) in the NT and in the Septuagint
[DeM.LDM, 175]. The word does not denote a divine being per se,
but a function, that of a messenger.
Second: the "trumpet" sounding admits to several options.
Keener [587] notes that the trumpet was usually in the OT a call
to war, and that this is found in pagan contexts as well, but this
obviously won't bear on this context. A trumpet is also used at
the resurrection of the righteous (1 Cor. 15:52), which has often
been cited in favor of a "rapture" interpretation. But there are
other uses as well. A trumpet was used for various
proclamations, for kingship, a celebration of triumph, for a call to
worship, and for the assembly of God's people.
Third: to "gather" means to collect in one place. This word
(episunago) is used sparingly in the NT, and seems often to refer
to a physical gathering, but not always: "O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are
sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy
children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her
wings, and ye would not!" Jesus' intent here was not to
physically gather together all the Israelites; the protective
umbrella was the Messianic kingdom. The Greek word is also
related to the word "synagogue" (sunagoge).
To tie it all together: We noted earlier that it is predicted that the
end will come when the gospel is preached to the Roman
Empire. Now Jesus tells us that following the destruction of
Jerusalem, the messengers or "angels" or the gospel will take
that gospel worldwide, to gather his elect, the body of Christ,
the "people of God" (1 Peter 2:9-10).
Matthew 24:32-39
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet
tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is
nigh: So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things,
know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you,
This generation shall not pass, till all these things be
fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words
shall not pass away. But of that day and hour knoweth no
man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But
as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son
of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they
were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage,
until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not
until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also
the coming of the Son of man be. (Mark 13:28-32; Luke
21:29-33)
Of course we now come to the central point of contention that
got this started. Jesus speaks of these things happening within
"this generation." The dispensational paradigm is required to
understand "this generation" in other ways (i.e., the race of
Jews, for example) but we have seen that there is no need for
this. The generation Jesus spoke to saw these things fulfilled.
At this point the discourses diverge substantially. Mark 13
continues the discourse to verse 37 with admonitions to be
watchful. Luke 21:34-6 does the same; Luke however, does place
the "Noah" warning at 17:25 and adds a comparison to Sodom
and Gomorrah. The warnings are good to go under any paradigm,
and with that we leave Mark's version of the discourse behind.
We pick up with Matt. 24:40 and parallel:
Matthew 24:40-1
Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and
the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the
one shall be taken, and the other left.
Luke 18:35-6 Two women shall be grinding together; the one
shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the
field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Another "rapture" passage? "Taken" into the air, perhaps? Maybe
not, and maybe the "taken" one is not the good guy at all:
Jer 6:11 Therefore I am full of the fury of the LORD; I am
weary with holding in: I will pour it out upon the children
abroad, and upon the assembly of young men together: for
even the husband with the wife shall be taken, the aged
with him that is full of days.
Furthermore, note the parallel in the previous passage in which
the wicked are the ones "taken" by the Flood [Keener, 592;
Gundry, commentary on Matthew, 494]. Those taken, are taken in
judgment by the impending judgment on Jerusalem and Judaea,
which would be no respecter of persons. That this is not a
"rapture" verse is clear in that this is where Luke places the
Matthew 24:28 remark about carcasses.
We now leave also Luke's unique material. Matthew 24:42-
51 continues with more warnings of watchfulness that work
under any paradigm. We now close out with some items unique to
Matthew, in chapter 25.
Matthew 25:1-2
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten
virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the
bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five were
foolish.
The parable of the wise and foolish virgins (25:1-13), followed by
the parable of the talents (25:14-30), are both parables of general
warning that fit under any paradigm. References to the
bridegroom "tarrying" (25:5) do not necessarily comport with a
substantial wait -- as DeMar rightly notes, the bridegroom and the
master return to the same people the story starts with.
A "tarrying" within the generational period is more than sufficient
to account for this, and if 2 Peter is to be reckoned, the doctrine
of generation return was known to mockers and was being jeered
at as early as the 50s and 60s, as we would expect.
But what of the apparent pictures of final judgment? They are, as
Wright observes, actually threats to the "present nation of Israel"
[JVG, 185] warning them to repent. "In the sad, noble, and utterly
Jewish tradition of Elijah, Jeremiah, and John the Baptist, Jesus
announced the coming judgment of Israel's covenant god on his
people, a judgment consisting of a great national, social and
cultural disaster, ultimately comprehensible only in theological
terms." Like other signs in the Discourse, these are
eschatological word-pictures -- to be taken seriously enough as
they stand.
This leaves the enormous account of Matthew 25:31-46, the
sheep and the goats. We'll offer enough to make the point clear:
When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy
angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his
glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he
shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd
divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the
sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall
the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed
of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world...Then shall he say also unto them
on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting
fire, prepared for the devil and his angels...And these shall
 go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into
life eternal.
But surely this has not happened? Actually it has, and still does.
All agree that the Bible teaches that judgment is entered upon
death (Heb. 9:27). We cannot assume that what we are being
offered here is a literal picture of events -- no more so than
people are actually sheep or goats, or that the millions of blessed
and wicked will respond with exactly the same words at once as
though they were some sort of Greek tragedy chorus. As DeMar
rightly says, this depicts a "judgment over time" [DeM.LDM, 200].
Jesus is now exalted to his throne and is passing this sort of
judgment as more and more pass on. His remarks to the sheep
and goats, and their responses, are typified and stereotyped; this
should also be obvious since they cannot be a complete catalog
of virtuous and wicked acts. Matthew 25:31-46 is taking place
even now -- it is not a future judgment (exclusively), but it is a
final one.

In conclusion: The impetus for this analysis, as noted at the

beginning, was skeptical claims that the Bible wrongly taught a
"soon" coming of Jesus. Dispensationalists try to solve this
problem by redefining "soon". Our solution is that all along they
and others have mis-defined "coming".
I have expected, and still expect, certain reactions to this
argument. Skeptics I believe will continue to do as one critic has,
merely giving a brief description as though the arguments are
refuted by exposure. Fellow believers may react "violently" (as
one letter writer has, though providing no more refutation than
the skeptic has), but I hope readers will explore this view, and
allow scholarship rather than popular fiction and literature to
govern their eschatology.
John MacArthur is right at least in saying that eschatology is a
central doctrine, inseparable from others and particularly the
authority and divinity of Christ. We cannot afford to be satisfied
with easy solutions.
 Dating and Interpreting Revelation: A Preterist Perspective
Date
The interpretive turn of Revelation depends strongly upon its date, so
much so that the date of the book has implications as serious within
Christianity as the date of the Gospels has outside of Christianity.
Having looked closely at the dates of the Gospels we have already
laid some groundwork in terms of what is to be considered.
Let's draw some guidelines, somewhat modified (since we are not here
defending the other central pole of authorship, but assuming John to
have been Revelation's author) from that previous work, in which we
used Tacitus' Annals as a point of comparison, beginning with
external testimony.
External corroborative evidence. If others attribute a work to Tacitus
at a certain date, then this is clear testimony that he wrote the
document in question at a given date. On the other hand, if some
writer at some point (the closer to the time of Tacitus, the "better")
either denies that Tacitus wrote a given work at the time specified, or
else offers a different date, we may have reason to suspect the date of
authorship.
At the same time, if the works of Tacitus are found referred to in other
documents, this may be taken as evidence for the date of Tacitus'
works, in accordance with the dates of the works quoted. (Absence of
such quotes would not necessarily prove a later date, but it would add
suspicions if other reasons to be suspicious were present.)
The latter factor, reference by other writers, is of no issue here, for all
would agree that Revelation was written prior to the earliest patristic
quotes of it. The turning issue is, how much earlier?
A range of suggestions have been made (even one as early as
Claudius, 40 AD) but most favor one of two dates: In or near the reign
of Nero (54-68) or that of Domitian (81-96). The answer to this question
makes or breaks an interpretation of Revelation for preterist purposes.
If written in Nero's reign, we are able to at least have some basis to
begin an understanding that Revelation was mostly or to some extent
fulfilled in the 70 destruction of Jerusalem (as the Olivet
Discourse was). If written in Domitian's reign, then Revelation offers
nothing for the preterist at all.
External Testimony
After due consideration of the leading work proposing a pre-70 date for
Revelation (Gentry's Before Jerusalem Fell, 45-107) I have been
surprised to find so far that the external evidence points slightly to a
pre-70 date; but there is nevertheless a great deal of conflicting
evidence. Let's have a look at the people who mention Revelation first
and tell us more about when it was written.
Irenaeus (180-90 AD). We encountered Irenaeus last in our
consideration of the date and authorship of Luke. Irey also had
something to say about Revelation, but it was not as clear as what he
said about Luke:
We will not, however, incur the risk of pronouncing positively as to the
name of the Antichrist; for if it were necessary that his name should
be distinctly revealed in this present time, it would have been
announced by him who beheld the apocalyptic vision. For that was
seen no very long time since, but almost in our day, towards the end of
Domitian's reign.(Against Heresies 5:30:3)
This quote, preserved for us by Eusebius, offers a puzzle: Who, or
what, was "seen" almost in Irenaeus' day? Is it "him" who saw the
vision? Or was it the vision itself? Domitianists (as we will call late-
daters) naturally say it was the vision, but Ireneaus presents some
ambiguities.

1. Ireneaus usually uses "for" when referring back to the main idea
in the previous sentence -- and here, the main idea is the "him"
not the vision.
2. Ireneaus likes to use the word "seen" with reference to persons,
but not for things (like visions). The use of "that (was seen)"
rather than "he (was seen)" is countered by two points: a) the
translation is in a very poor Latin; b) it is only a small textual
corruption from one to the other (visus est versus visum est).
3. If the referent is the "him" then the passage makes sense: If
giving the name was needed, John would have done so; and he
also lived after the time of the book and had plenty of chances to
explain himself, and the explanation would have been preserved
for us had he given it. If the referent is the vision itself, Irenaeus'
comments are senseless.
4. Eusebius also cites Irenaeus as saying that "...this number is
found in all the approved and ancient copies, and those who saw
John face to face confirm it..." The emphasis on personal
 knowledge of John corresponds better with the referent being
back to John in the main quote, rather than to his vision. Indeed,
"saw" here is the same verb.
5. Elsewhere Irenaeus says that John "continued with the Elders
until the time of Trajan." It is argued that this means that
Irenaeus would not refer to John as being seen until the time of
Domitian; hence the referent in question must be the vision.

This is countered by the point that Irenaeus only says that John
was seen until Domitian's reign, not that he died at the time.
What Irenaeus seems to be indicating is that John was still
making public appearances until the time of Domitian, but
withdrew from public discourse (due to his advanced age, no
doubt) and then lived until sometime in Trajan's reign.
At the very least Irenaeus's evidence is ambiguous and open to
interpretation. But we have in some ways a more clear and compelling
statement from Clement of Alexandria (189-215), writing just after
Irenaeus. Referring to John he states:
When after the death of the tyrant he removed from the island of
Patmos to Ephesus, he used to journey by request to the neighboring
districts of Gentiles, in some places to appoint bishops, in others to
regulate whole churches...
The argument here turns on what seems an ambiguous descriptor --
"the tyrant." One side says this is Nero; the other says it is Domitian.
Who earns the title better? Without doubt, it is Nero -- in fact, we have
clear evidence that he was called by this name:

 Apollonius of Tyana directly says of Nero, that he was "commonly

called a Tyrant" (and he also refers to him as a "beast"!)
 Nero fit the definition of "tyrannical" of a certainty: He "put to
death so many innocent men" (Tacitus); "the destroyer of the
human race", "the poison of the world" (Pliny the Elder); "cruel
nature" (Tacitus); "cruelty of disposition" (Suetonius); "cruel and
bloody tyranny" (Juvenal). He committed acts of perversion and
atrocity so nasty that we won't be printing them here. Nero was
heavily mocked and hated in later works as a cruel and vindictive
leader, and was widely recognized as the first Emperor to
persecute Christians.
 "Well, wasn't Domitian a tyrant also? Didn't he also persecute
Christians?" On the latter, it's not so clear that Domitian was out
for Christians as he was out for anyone who bothered him, which
sometimes happened to be Christians near him -- there is no
evidence of a general persecution across the board. Significantly,
later Christian writers speak of Domitian in terms of Nero -- not
vice versa.
As for being a tyrant, let Suetonius (The Twelve Caesars) tell the
story. Domitian was not a nice fellow, to be sure, but to call him
a "tyrant" would be to waste the word needlessly when there is
someone else who deserved it better.

 Nero found hobbies in all manner of perversions and persecuted

and killed many innocents. Domitian's favorite activities were
recreational sex, throwing dice, taking walks, and stabbing flies
with a pen (which he spent hours doing at the beginning of his
reign). One of his later projects, as he grew bald, was a book on
caring for one's hair.
 Late in his reign Domitian did a few irrational things of relevance
-- executing a boy because he looked and performed like an actor
Domitian disliked; had an author executed, and his secretarial
slaves crucified, for putting some allusions into a literary work;
put Senators to death for conspiracy; put another person to death
for wanting to celebrate a previous Emperor's birthday.

Later Domitian invented a new form of torture. His various

irrationalities made him hated and feared everywhere. But he
never reached the level of cruelty and irrationality that Nero did.

 How did the general public react to the respective deaths? With
Nero there was "widespread general rejoicing" as "citizens ran
through the streets wearing caps of liberty." A few oddballs still
supported Nero, but not many. On the other hand, at Domitian's
death, the general public "greeted the news...with
indifference...", though the military was upset, and the senators
of Rome were delighted.

Obviously one could justifiably call either Nero or Domitian a tyrant.

But I agree with the patristic writers who described Domitian in terms
of Nero. By comparison Domitian was a "tyrant wannabe" and
Clement's references make much more sense applied to Nero
(especially as the actual word "tyrant" was used of him in literature).
By the same token, the activities Clement ascribes to John -- running
all over Asia, riding a horse chasing after an apostate church leader --
make more sense attributed to a man in his 50s or 60s than they do to
a man in his 90s or 100s.
Finally, elsewhere Clement states that the teaching of the Apostles
was completed at the time of Nero.
Gentry offers other external evidence, some of it equivocal. Of what
remains the most compelling and relevant points are:

 Origen (185-254) refers to John as condemned to Patmos by the

"king of the Romans." The Julian emperors, of which Nero was
the last before generals took over the title of Caesar, was the
last to be hailed by this title.
 One of the few clear advocates of a Domitianist date is
Victorinus (304 AD) who refers to John being sentenced to go to
Patmos, to work in the mines, by Domitian. Gentry points out that
it would be odd for John, at the age of 90-100, to survive the
journey to be tried, the public scourging, and the lash in the
mines, and then go on to do more work in Asia. John would have
had to be fitter than Jack LaLanne!
 The Acts of John reports that John was indeed exiled under
Domitian, but the reason given for the exile was that Domitian
heard of John's influence, and of his teaching that he spread
around that Rome would be rooted up and overthrown. Because
of this John was sent to Patmos.

Gentry notes that [100] the teaching described matches what is

found in Revelation and suggests that John may have been exiled
more than once, the first time under Nero.

 Eusebius is one of the strongest Domitianist witnesses, as he

notes that John was condemned to Patmos, though he does not
directly state that this is the time that John wrote Revelation (for
in fact, he does not think John wrote Revelation at all!), and he
does clearly depend on Irenaeus.

Eusebius also offers contradictory data: in one place he speaks

of John's exile under Domitian, but elsewhere "speaks of the
 execution of Peter and Paul in the same sentence with the
banishment of John," [103] which suggests a Neronian date. (A
double exile would solve the matter, though at the affordable
expense of dulling Ockham's Razor!)

 Epiphanius (315-403) places John's banishment

under Claudius and says that this is when he wrote Revelation.
Some suggest that he is confusing Claudius with Nero, for one of
Nero's secondary names was Claudius.
 Jerome (340-420) directly states that John wrote Revelation
while under exile in the time of Domitian.
 The Syriac History of John directly states that John was exiled
under Nero, and the two Syriac versions of Revelation (600s AD)
in their title say John was banished by Nero.
 Andreas of Cappadocia (6th century) clearly stands for a
Domitianist date, but acknowledges in a commentary on
Revelation that there are several commentators in his time who
disagreed and preferred a Neronic date. One of these was
Arethas, a contemporary.

At the very least, the external evidence for the date of Rev is
equivocal. But the detail-weight of the earliest clear witnesses throws
the verdict slightly to an earlier date.
Internal Evidence
With that we now turn to interior corroborative evidence. Again we lift
our walking papers from the previous work on the Gospels: If a work of
Tacitus tells us that Nero opened a refrigerator, took out a burrito,
and stuck it in the microwave oven, we have some cause to doubt a
second-century author like Tacitus was responsible for that material!
On the other hand, one would also expect that Tacitus would write
about things prior to or during his time.
Gauging the internal evidence of Revelation inevitably means taking a
stand upon the exegesis of passages. In other words, we now get into
the nitty-gritty of deciding whether Revelation makes sense within a
pre-70 paradigm.
We begin with a summary and evaluation of several general early-date
arguments [115]:
1. "The peculiar idiom of Revelation indicates a younger John,
before his mastery of the Greek language, a mastery evidenced
in his more polished Gospel from a later period." Westcott is
quoted as adding [113] that Revelation is "less developed both in
thought and style" compared to the Gospel.

On the other hand, it is argued that the differences may be due to

subject matter, an argument which does hold some weight in
dealing with other NT works, or some have argued (as Beale) to
the use of a Hebrew background.
Another possible point is that John's Gospel and letters were
written with help from a scribe; while Revelation, written in exile
(alone), was not.

2. Only seven churches in Asia Minor indicates a date before later

Christian expansion. There is nothing that says that these are
then the only seven churches in Asia Minor, though it may be that
they were the major churches at the time, and Gentry notes that
the number may be symbolic.
3. Judaizing heretical activity (Rev. 2-3) should be "less
conspicuous" after a broader circulation of Paul's anti-Judaizing
letters. This is a point with a stronger aspect: after 70, Judaizing
activity would have hardly had the impetus it would have had
before 70. Likewise with this point:
4. Jewish persecution of Christianity (Rev. 6, 11) indicates "the
relative safety and confidence of the Jews in their
land." However, it is a mistake to assume that all elements of
the heretics or persecutors would simply throw up their hands
and leave; Christianity was a subversive movement that would
always be persecuted when not in power (see here).

Furthermore, bear in mind that the 60s (Nero's time) was also the
time of the Zealots, who would have had strong objections to the
evangelism of Gentiles.

5. The Temple is said to still exist (Rev. 11). This is one of J. A. T.

Robinson's strongest points for dating the Gospels before 70, and
it should hardly be bypassed here!
6. The reign of the 6th emperor (Rev. 17) indicates a 60s date. We'll
explore this more below, as this one:
 7. It is easy to apply the prophecies of Rev to the Jewish War of
70. We'll have a look at this in detail below.
8. The matter of Emperor worship. One of the leading evidences for
a Domitianist date is the assumption that Emperor worship,
which Revelation seems to allude to, did not start until Domitian.
But even proponents of this view admit that Julius Caesar was
worshipped, and that there is some evidence of an emperor cult
under Augustus and Nero. [See Gentry, 263ff, for a roundup of
evidence of emperors being accorded worship from Julius
through Nero.]

Interpretation
With this matter of date established, we turn now to matters of
interpretation.
Rev. 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to
show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and
he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John...(cf. 1:3, 19;
3:10, 22:6-7, 12, 20)
"It's been two thousand years," the skeptics say. "So where's this
Jesus who was to come 'shortly'?" In previous times I have noted that
the word for "shortly" also carries the meaning of "with absolute
certainty." Of course either meaning can also carry if Rev was mostly
fulfilled in the first century. But can we find an acceptable first century
fulfillment?
Rev 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him,
and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall
wail because of him.
Haven't we seen something like this before? Yes, we have, but the
KJV may make it a little confusing:
Matthew 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in
heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall
see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and
great glory. (Mark 13:26)
Despite the difference in English, "kindreds" and "earth" in John are
the same words in Greek as "tribes" and "earth" in Matthew
(phule [also used in Rev. 5:5 of the "tribe" of Judah, and in 21:12 of the
"tribes" of Israel] and ge) -- and yes, "pierced" is the same word used
in John 19:37 of the centurion's poke with the spear. We have a
definite clue here that John is about to talk about the same thing that
the Olivet Discourse did (as well as having something that points to
John knowing the Synoptic traditions!). Let us remind the reader what
we wrote of that Matthean-Markan passage:

Jesus' retort to Caiaphas, in light of the primary charge that Jesus

threatened the Temple, is of great significance in this context. "As a
prophet, Jesus staked his reputation on his prediction of the Temple's
fall within a generation; if and when it fell, he would thereby be
vindicated." Jesus also promoted himself as the new Temple which
would replace the old one, with his predictions that he would raise a
new one -- his body -- in three days. If the Temple did NOT fall, he
would be proven a charlatan. But if the Temple did indeed fall, he
would be vindicated -- just like Daniel's "Son of Man" which he
claimed to be.
In saying he will ride the clouds, Jesus is not saying, as Wright wryly
notes, that Caiaphas would one day walk by a window, look outside,
and see Jesus popping a wheelie on a cumulus. Rather Jesus is
saying, "You will see me vindicated; you will see my predictions come
true."
The "coming" -- as noted, using the word erchomai, which specifies
neither destination nor direction -- alludes to the "going" of the Daniel
7 Son of Man from earth to heaven to be enthroned. Caipahas (or
more likely, the collective assembled for the trial; as well as the
"tribes of the earth" -- Matthew uses "tribes" elsewhere only of Israel
[19:28] and "earth" is ge, or land, can mean a limited area or the
entire globe; in context, and in the light of the use of "tribes," it most
likely means Judaea only) will see the rise of the Christian movement
("from now on" or "hereafter" in the KJV), followed by the destruction
of Jerusalem just as Jesus predicted -- this proving that he was and is
the true Messiah, "the one in and through whom the covenant god is
acting to set up his kingdom."

John has given us a tremendous clue here. He has clearly alluded to

the Olivet Discourse -- thus giving us the double bonus of proof of
Johnannine knowledge of the Synoptic tradition and and interpretive
key for what follows. If Olivet was fulfilled in 70, then clearly, this
allusion suggests that Revelation was done to some extent in 70 as
well.

From Revelation 2 to 5, there are descriptions and events which might

easily be fitted into any paradigm. But the descriptions of the churches
bring forth some Domitianist arguments.

 Laodecia's wealth (3:17) is said to be countered by the

destruction of that city on 60-1 by an earthquake. But it is clear
that John here refers to spiritual riches that would be of no
relevance to an earthquake and material prosperity (cf. 1 Cor.
4:8, Hos. 12:8), and even if the riches were material, Tacitus
indicates that the city was so well off that it did not need an
imperial subsidy to rebuild [321].
 It is said that the church in Smyrna (2:8-11) did not exist until
after Paul's death. This is based upon the letter of Polycarp to
the Philippian church which says that his church did not "yet"
know Paul, and so it is concluded that Smyrna's church had not
yet been founded. But others have noted that the time reference
is to when the Philippian church was founded, which was much
earlier than the 60s. Smyrna was likely evangelized before the
year 60, but after Philippi.
 Some note the spiritual decline in three of the churches as a late
date indication, assuming it takes time for such a decline, but if
the Corinthians and Galatians (especially) could so soon come up
with odd ideas, why would it be odd for one of these churches to
decline so quickly? (The social pressures to change would have
been tremendous; see here.)

With Revelation 6 we enter into some more specific territory.

The four horses of 6:2-8 -- conquest, war, famine, and death -- are
attributed by dispensationalists to the Tribulation. They of course fit
perfectly conditions in Judaea in 70 as described by Josephus (and the
word "earth" in 6:4, 10, and 17 is that word ge that we have seen also
means a smaller land). The souls of the martyrs, often taken as
Tribulation saints, is easily read as the martyrs persecuted in
Jerusalem, like Stephen and James the Just. The acts of judgment
listed in 6:7-8 (famine, wild animals, sword, pestilence) match the four
"sore acts of judgment" referenced in Ezekiel, which are in turn
derived from the punishments laid out in Deuteronomy against the
covenant people. These might be fitted into either paradigm as well.
However, it is noteworthy that these warnings and themes also match
those found in the Olivet Discourse: war and strife, famine, pestilence
(death), and persecution.
Rev. 6:2 And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him
had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth
conquering, and to conquer.
The usual dispensational view regards the rider of the white horse as
an antichrist figure. To see the rider as an enemy would perhaps be
amenable under a preterist view -- but some clues tell us that this rider
is actually our friend:

1. Rev. 19:11ff has another rider on a white horse who goes out to
war -- and that rider is Jesus. The crown he wears here in 6:2 is
one given to victors, which is incongruous with an antichrist
figure or with one associated with Satan.
2. The "bow" being carried hearkens back to Habakkuk 3:9-11:
"Thy bow was made quite naked, according to the oaths of the
tribes, even thy word. Selah. Thou didst cleave the earth with
rivers. The mountains saw thee, and they trembled: the
overflowing of the water passed by: the deep uttered his voice,
and lifted up his hands on high. The sun and moon stood still in
their habitation: at the light of thine arrows they went, and at
the shining of thy glittering spear."

This is a picture of Yahweh as a warrior king (see also Ps. 45:3-

5). One may also see an allusion in Gen. 9:13-17 and the setting
of the "bow" (the same word used for an archer's bow, here used
for a rainbow) in the heavens to symbolize God's respite from
judgment, now picked up again.

3. And as in Rev. 19, the rider has a crown (though this one of a
king).
4. The Greek word for "conquering" is the same word used to
describe Christ's actions in 3:21 and 5:5.
The "oil and the wine" (which I have seen applied to modern Middle
Eastern oil!) ties in with oil and wine kept in a special place in the
Temple by the priests. Josephus describes the plunder of the temple in
the time of Titus by one of the Zealots who distributed it to his fellows.
Josephus goes on to suggest that this act of sacrilege warranted the
destruction of Jerusalem! There may also be a link to Titus' order to
his soldiers not to harm the olive groves or the vineyards.
Rev. 6:10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord,
holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that
dwell on the earth?
The cry to avenge upon those that "dwell on the earth", and the places
where this phrase is used, is often interpreted in light of a future
worldwide government and nation, but the first century provides
enough of a key. Ford [100] cites a parallel in the Dead Sea Scrolls
(1QH 8:19-36) where "dwellers on earth" is used to describe those
opposed to the army of the holy ones. In essence, it needs only be read
as "the enemy" and not in reference to a worldwide consortium.
Note as well a pattern:

 White horse/white robes

 Red horse/moon like (red) blood
 Black horse/sun black as sackcloth
 Pale (chloros) horse/Green (chloros) grass

6:12-14 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there
was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of
hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto
the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is
shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it
is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of
their places.
Is the language familiar? Yes:
Matthew 24:29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall
the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the
stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be
shaken...(Mark 13:24-5)
Is. 34:3-5 Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come
up out of their carcases, and the mountains shall be melted with their
blood. And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens
shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as
the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.
For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down
upon Idumea, and upon the people of my curse, to judgment.
The language here is the same used for the fall of Jerusalem in
Isaiah's time and in 70.
6:15-17 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich
men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman,
and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the
mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide
us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath
of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be
able to stand?
Familiar? It should be:
Luke 23:30 Then shall they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us;
and to the hills, Cover us.
It is arguable that Luke and John are calling upon oral variants of the
same saying made by Jesus concerning Jerusalem's coming fall in 70
(which also calls on Hos. 10:8, prophesying destruction on the
Northern Kingdom). Gentry [242] adds the point that 6:4 refers to the
loss of "peace" from the earth. The decade of the 60s is recognized as
a significant time when the pax romana (the peace of Rome) was
interrupted by the Roman civil wars and by the war in Judaea.

At Rev. 7 we encounter our next interpretive puzzle. All agree that the
holding back of the winds upon the "earth" (the word is again ge and
could mean a limited space) represents a holding back of divine
judgment until the 144,000 witnesses are sealed.
Who are these folks? Jehovah's Witnesses? If we find that this fits the
time of 70 then that puts a major stake through the heart of JW
doctrine. And as it happens, we have something that fits.
It is likely that the number 144,000 is a symbolic figure indicating
wholeness; in any event we have a large number. Under the preterist
scheme these 144K (or whatever the exact number may be) from the
various tribes of Israel represent the Jews who convert from within
the Roman Empire prior to 70. The total number of Diaspora Jews was
several million; conversion of even 144,000 by AD 70 would not be out
of the question, or could just as well reflect conversions of persons
alive before 70 but converted beyond that time. (Note as well that
these are "first fruits" -- not the only ones to get to heaven, contrary to
JW impressions.)
Corresponding to this view is the reference to the 144,000 learning a
"new song" (14:3). As Duane Christensen has shown in Song of Power,
Power of Song, the book of Deuteronomy -- the contract offering the
original covenant -- was itself designed to be remembered as a song.
The new song fits well as understood as the new covenant.
Interestingly the 144,000 are described as having no "guile" in their
mouths (14:5) -- the same word used to praise Nathanial, who went on
to acknowledge that Jesus was the Son of God and the King of Israel
(John 1:47).
There are some relevant words from Ezekiel 9:4-6:
And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through
the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men
that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the
midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after
him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye
pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and
women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin
at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were
before the house.
Note well that the judgment yet again is on Jerusalem. The regular
recurrence of such parallels makes it difficult to justify a "worldwide"
action (other than by expansion to typological action, which is
allowable).
Under any understanding the great multitude in 7:9-17 would represent
a broader range of converts, including Gentiles. But what of that they
came out of a "great tribulation" in 7:14? Dispensational thought
applies this to a specific 7-year period, but we should not be so quick
to identity it as such. This very word is used to refer to "tribulation"
that arises because of preaching of the word in the normal course of
life (Matt. 13:21, John 16:33, Rom. 8:35), in the Olivet Discourse
concerning what believers will experience, as we show, prior to 70
(Matt. 24:9), but most significantly, in John, of the experience of a time
of birth (John 16:21).
We would suggest that the "great tribulation" here refers to the "birth"
of the messianic age in 70 and represents all of those saved and to be
saved in the messianic age. These are said to have "come out" of the
tribulation; the word here has a great variety of applications,
including come, go, grow, and appear. Surely we can say that the
conversions out of the multitude may be in a real sense understood as
the product ("coming out of") the birth of the messianic age.

Chapter 8 begins with an ominous silence -- perhaps an indicator of

judgment in the offing. But upon whom, and when? We all know the
standard dispensational interpretation which seeks to apply the
trumpet judgments to things like nuclear war or comets. Creative, but
is it necessary?
Rev. 8:7-12 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire
mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third
part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. And the
second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with
fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life,
died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed. And the third
angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it
were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the
fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and
the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of
the waters, because they were made bitter. And the fourth angel
sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part
of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of
them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and
the night likewise.
Dispensationalists strive to figure how some of these might be fulfilled
literally; I once noted an interpreter, in the service of finding nuclear
war here, who stated that "Wormwood" was an acceptable English
translation of "Chernobyl"! Whether that is true or not I cannot say (a
reader recently passed a letter from someone in the area who said it
meant "forgetfulness"), but it is clear that this passage offers some
typical judgment language. Hail, fire and blood hearken back to the
plagues upon Egypt, and judgment against Gog in Ezekiel 38.
The "third", which many take literally, is understood more simply as a
portion of unspecified amount (cf. Ezek. 5:12-17). The "sun and moon"
hearken to the Olivet Discourse. "Wormwood" hearkens back to
Jeremiah 9:12-15 and a promise of judgment:
Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to
whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for
what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, that none
passeth through? And the LORD saith, Because they have forsaken my
law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither
walked therein; But have walked after the imagination of their own
heart, and after Baalim, which their fathers taught them: Therefore
thus saith the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed
them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall
to drink.
In short, there is no need to interpret these judgments as nuclear
devices setting off or as meteors plunging into the sea. They are
metaphors of divine judgment brought out of OT motifs, and hyperbolic
language known even later in Judaism (as Ford reports [132] a rabbi
told of his excommunication replied, "The world was then smitten: a
third of the olive crop, a third of the wheat and a third of the barley
crop.")
And yet we also note a certain amount of literal fulfillment in even 70
AD. Destruction of trees and greenery was in line with the Roman
"scorched earth" policy as recounted by Josephus (War 6.1.1):
The countryside, like the city, was a pitiful sight, for where once there
had been a multitude of trees and parks, there was now an utter
wilderness stripped bare of timber...
According to Telford (The Barren Temple and the Withered Tree,
119)the Temple Mount was referred to as "the mountain" -- making
some sense of the "burning mountain" cast into the sea. We have
noted in our analysis of the Olivet Discourse the meaning of
astronomical objects in terms of earthly leadership.
Rev. 9:5 And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but
that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as
the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.
The creatures described in Rev. 9 have been reckoned to be anything
from demons to helicopters. But before we take the origin of these
creatures from the "bottomless pit" too literally, let's remember this
warning:
Ezekiel 26:19-20 For thus saith the Lord GOD; When I shall make thee
a desolate city, like the cities that are not inhabited; when I shall bring
up the deep upon thee, and great waters shall cover thee; When I shall
bring thee down with them that descend into the pit, with the people
of old time, and shall set thee in the low parts of the earth, in places
desolate of old, with them that go down to the pit, that thou be not
inhabited; and I shall set glory in the land of the living;
I have defended the validity of the Tyre prophecy for many years, but
have yet to meet a skeptic, even, who thinks this flood of water
literally came from Hades. But we also have an interesting correlation
to two five-months period, either of which may fit the bill: the first, a
time from May of 66 when the Roman procurator Gessius Florus
terrorized the Jews in an effort to incite rebellion; or, a period of five
months from April of 70 until September, in Titus' siege of Jerusalem.
During this five month period the city saw some of the most barbarous
conduct of the war within its walls: Josephus speaks of that time as
one when evil was so great within the city that he expected a
judgment like unto the Flood or the fire of Sodom. The former period
seems more likely.
The locusts (9:7-10) bespeaks an army of great military strength. We
need not look beyond the forces of Rome for an acceptable preterist
interpretation. The binding of the Euphrates (v. 14), so often seen as
letting the way in for the armies of China, represents no more than a
barrier to Israel's classical enemies (Babylon, Assyria, Persia) which is
now also lifted, symbolically, to admit another invader.
The "heads [which] were as it were crowns like gold" matches with
the burnished gold helmets of Rome's military, and so match also the
iron breastplates; "faces as the faces of men" notes their humanity.
"Hair as the hair of women" (think of Samson and his strength) and
"teeth were as the teeth of lions" both indicate strength. "Tails like
unto scorpions" corresponds with known pagan imagery of man-
scorpion combinations and would suit a description of a pagan army.
Literalists may insist that we still need an army of 200 million coming
over the Euphrates. Given the nightmarish descriptions above, it is
hard to see why, but for their satisfaction, here is an interesting note.
Jerusalem was originally attacked in the Jewish War by 4 military
sections of Cestius, composed of strong cavalry, that came from near
the Euphrates to invade Palestine [Ford, 154]. Those who wonder
whether Cestius had 200 million with him once again need to read this
portion in light of the OT:
Ps. 68:17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of
angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.
The expression here is intended to do no more than indicate an
incalculable, indefinite number -- and is also intended, in Revelation, to
allude to the army of God coming in judgment (though perhaps in this
case, as more of an evil parody -- which Revelation does in other ways
as well; see below.) Much of the imagery here is also borrowed from
the description of Leviathan (Job 41:18-21). It is out of line to read into
these passages descriptions of shoulder-launched nuclear missiles
and helicopters and tanks. The ancient world provides all the
antecedent language that we need.

Rev. 10 offers nothing that specially favors any paradigm. We move to

Rev. 11:
Rev. 11:1-2 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the
angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the
altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without
the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the
Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two
months.
Forty two months, or three and a half years. As with Daniel, many see
this as the second half of a 7 year "Tribulation" of our modern
Jerusalem and a rebuilt Temple. But as we have noted regarding
Daniel, this matches just as easily to the period after 70 -- when, in the
second half of the seven-year Jewish war, from 70-73, Rome trampled
the city underfoot.
Gentry refers to the dispensational view of this as a future rebuilt
Temple (when the destruction of the 70 one remains unmentioned!) as
a "suppressed premise" -- and he is right. (The lack of the mention,
under this rubric, of the 70 destruction was one of Robinson's primary
reasons for dating Revelation before 70.)
These two witnesses are given a description reminiscent of Moses and
Elijah (with the ability to call down fire and plague). Literalist
interpretation will insist that the actual figures of Moses and Elijah will
return and revive their old powers. But once again, one may consider
instead the OT background:
Deut. 17:6 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he
that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one
witness he shall not be put to death.
The implication? It is not that there needed to be two literal persons
acting as witnesses, but that there was given a certain, undeniable
witness. And what of bringing down fire?
Jer. 5:14 Wherefore thus saith the LORD God of hosts, Because ye
speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and
this people wood, and it shall devour them.
The method of literalists has ever been to make these "unreal" images
into "real" scenarios. Let us note here with clarity that in the genre of
an apocaylptic vision, this is an unwise approach, and the same sort of
premise that causes Mormons to take Ezekiel 1 as giving God a
physical human body.
The mistake is the same in both cases. Apocalyptic literature (such as
Daniel, Ezekiel, Revelation, and the Enochian literature) brings reality
"through the looking glass" and makes the real into unreal. In such
cases, allusion tells us more than just literal history.
Rev. 11:7-10 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the
beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against
them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. And their dead bodies
shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called
Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. And they of the
people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead
bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to
be put in graves. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over
them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because
these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
In light of the quote from Severus (see here) showing that part of
Titus' attempt was to destroy Christianity, this is able to be
understood as the beast (the Roman Empire -- see more below)
overcoming the Christian witness in Jerusalem (the great city where
"our Lord" was crucified -- note as well that it is
called spiritually Sodom and Egypt, which suggests that the plagues
of Egypt, as noted above, are also "spiritually" applied rather than
literally) -- or, we may see here (perhaps more likely) a hint of the
Neronian persecution which was the first attempt to destroy the
Christian faith (with those in Jerusalem being the Jerusalem church,
and men like James the brother of Jesus, being persecuted and
martyred).
In either case, the Romans probably thought this was a killing blow for
the Christian witness, and for a short period (symbolically represented
by the 3 1/2 days) thought the mission a success. The idea of not
burying the bodies corresponds with the great shame of not being
buried; so it is that Rome undoubtedly thought they had put the
Christian opposition to shame through defeat. They were wrong:
Rev. 11:11-12 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from
God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear
fell upon them which saw them. And they heard a great voice from
heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to
heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.
The resurrection of our witnesses signifies the vindication of God. The
Christian movement would not die off with either Nero or Jerusalem,
but would be vindicated by its own survival.
Rev. 11:13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the
tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men
seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to
the God of heaven.
If we take this chapter, as is more likely, to represent the first "killing
attempt" of the Neronian persecution, the "tenth" of the city that falls
alludes to God taking a "tithe" of Jerusalem as a warning of what is to
come. Those who take the 7000 killed literally may consider the
symbolism of the number in terms of the 7000 who were faithful
remnants in Elijah's day -- in this case, we have a reversal where the
7000 are killed and the remainder respond with fear.
In this we are perhaps approaching the initial stages of the Roman war
against Judea, just after the Neronian persecution which failed to
destroy Christianity.

Rev. 12 offers a picture of the birth and life of Christ which can be
interpreted favorably under any paradigm. We move to Rev. 13:
Rev. 13:3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and
his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the
beast.(cf. 13:14, 17:8, 11)
In these passages Domitianists may employ a "secret weapon" the
elements of which we have alluded to in our work on Tacitus: that of
the myth of a "revived Nero" in the time after that Emperor's death.
Revelation is seen as employing this myth, and hence, is seen as
giving an indication of a post-70 date.
Gentry notes that not all dispensational commentators consider this
argument worth the effort [304ff], and that some early-daters,
including J. A. T. Robinson, have no problem with the allusion even at
an early date! The reason they do not see it as a problem is that the
"revived Nero" myth had its roots the prediction of soothsayers early in
his reign that he would rule the East and that his fortunes would be
restored. Once he went mad, such predictions would have easily
evolved into an idea of a "revived" Nero.
Indeed Suetonius records that the few who mourned his death
"continued to circulate his edicts, pretending he was still alive and
would soon return to confound his enemies," and one of Tacitus' "false
Neros" appeared just a year after his death.
That said, it is more probable that this beastie offers a double
representation -- that of the Roman Empire itself, which was, at the
time John wrote, headed by Nero. Hence we may expect to see
something of a dual allusion. The beast will always represent Rome,
but Nero was only the head of Rome for a short period.
The description of the beast makes it a combo figure of Daniel's
various beasts, showing Rome to be an aggregate representation of all
of the empires which preceded it. What is the wound in the head?
There are a couple of good ideas, and perhaps the truth is a mix of
both:
Acts 17:6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain
brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the
world upside down are come hither also...
"World" here is that word oikoumene which was used of the Roman
Empire. The wound in the head may be the subversive "war" of the
apostolic church against Rome: the values and beliefs of the church
subtly undermined Roman values. Alternatively (or in complimentary
fashion) we may have here an indication of the Roman civil wars. I
consider the former more likely, in light of an allusion to Gen. 3:15
(referring to the wound in the head of the serpent by the woman's
seed, Christ) and in light of Rev. 13:5-8:
And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and
blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two
months. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to
blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in
heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to
overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and
tongues, and nations. And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship
him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world.
Forty-two months, as it happens, corresponds with the period of
Neronian persecution from November 64 to June 68 -- and the
remainder corresponds with the premise of the Empire paying homage
to Nero as Emperor. (The word for "worship" means to fawn, crouch, or
do homage to and does not necessarily imply religious devotion,
although it can mean that, and here might in terms of Emperor
worship.) 13:9-10, tellingly, alludes to Jer. 15:2, a reference (again!) to
Jerusalem, but in Jeremiah's time a premonition of the Babylonian
Exile.
Rev. 13:11-12 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth;
and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon. And he
exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the
earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose
deadly wound was healed.
Dispensational commentators link this passage with a Jewish "false
prophet" who will speak on behalf of the Antichrist figure. They are not
far off. A preterist view understands the horned lamb in terms of the
Jewish leadership prior to 70 which joined with the Roman beast to
persecute the church (with notable attention here to James the Just,
the martyr par excellence who was slain at the discretion of the high
priest and an assembled sanhedrin of judges.
One may perhaps also see here allusions to false prophets warned of
by Jesus (and whose existence is verified by Josephus) or to Judaizers
within the church; in any event there are ample correspondences in
the first century, rendering any connection to a modern figure
superfluous.
Rev. 13:13-14 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire
come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And
deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles
which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that
dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast,
which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
The bringing of fire from heaven and doing miracles here represents,
using apocalyptic "neverland" imagery the ability to persuade of one's
prophetic ability. The accusation here, at any rate, is made against the
leadership in Jerusalem which aligns itself with Rome against the
church.
Rev. 13:15-17 And he had power to give life unto the image of the
beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that
as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond,
to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no
man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the
beast, or the number of his name.
No passage in Revelation has encouraged more speculation than this
one. The infamous "mark of the beast" has been rendered in terms of
everything from tattoos to implanted computer chips. Perhaps
someday we will see such a thing, but in the meantime, the first
century already has a correlation.
Let us keep in mind the meaning of "image" (eikon) as we learned from
a study of the use of that word, with respect to Mormonism. An
"image" is merely a contact point through which the authority of some
deity is expressed. We are God's "image" because we exercise his
authority on earth.
The charge here is that the leadership of the Jewish nation gave Rome
a place of authority to persecute the church. How? Let it be kept in
mind that the Jews were given immunity from Emperor worship. By
disassociating the church from themselves, the Jews essentially
caused the church's protection from the "Jewish exception rule" to be
withdrawn.
The "mark" here is no literal mark -- it is a reverse parody of the "seal
of God" on the foreheads of the 144,000, and of the allegiance marker
specified in Deut. 6:8, "And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine
hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes." The Jewish
disassociation of Christian believers with Judaism removed, in effect,
the ability of believers to be protected from Emperor worship, and that
(as is amply attested by works like The Christians as the Romans Saw
Them) led, in a collectivist society in which deviant behavior was
punished with sanctions, to more official sanctions which would
include an inability to do the most basic things -- like buy or sell (an
economic boycott).
To see computer chips in this premonition is simply unnecessary.
(There is also an allusion here to Ezekiel 9:4-6 and the "mark of
destruction" placed upon the disloyal -- in Jerusalem!)
Rev. 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the
number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is
Six hundred threescore and six.
Does anyone need wisdom? The linking of this triple 6 has been done
to Prince Charles, Mikhail Gorbachev, and Ronald (6) Wilson (6) Reagan
(6) in my time; there are various plays upon this number using every
conceivable language. But if we stick closest to the context we will do
just as well as any, if not better.
By now everyone has figured that the triple 6 is an exercise in
gematria, or numbers that express a numerical equality. We do know
the Romans played this game; a piece of graffiti in Pompeii says, "I
love her whose number if 545." This could have been one of many
Greek feminine names, but the beloved at least could figure it out.
Seutonius reports a Greek lampoon, "A calculation new. Nero his
mother slew." In Greek the numerical value of Nero's name was 1005,
the same as the words "the slayer of one's mother." It didn't start with
Michael Drosnin and probably won't end there.
By now you may guess, if you have been through the rounds, that the
preterist equates 666 with Nero. This can be done easily, and there is
a bit of confirmatory evidence that this was what was intended
[Gentry, 136ff]. Some mss. variants of Rev give the number as 616.
Why? The Hebrew spelling of "Nero Caesar" -- as found in rabbinic
writings and in one Qumranic document -- renders a 666. But when
written out in Latin, we have a value of 616.
Objections against this are sparse; even dispensationalists will often
admit that Nero is in mind here. The only objection that seems to have
any weight is that John's readers would not "get" the Hebrew
connection; but there were plenty of Jews in Asia Minor who could
have done the job of interpreting.

The first part of Rev. 14 speaks again of the 144K witnesses. Note that
their descriptions as "virgins" corresponds not necessarily with
physical sexual purity, but with the OT conception of those who
worship false gods and commit "harlotry" against the God of Israel.
Preterism sees in the remainder of this chapter an allusion to the war
against Judaea and the fall of Jerusalem (14:8), the home city of a
people that was intended to be witnesses to God's truth before the
Gentile nations, but misled the nations by failing to accept their true
Messiah.
Rev. 14:20 And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood
came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space
of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
Dispensationalists comment upon the distance indicated and note that
it matches the present state of Israel. But it also matches the ancient
lands of Judaea up though Galilee, and fits well the aftermath of the
Jewish War of 70. Gentry [245] quotes Josephus on several points
concerning the graphic and bloody deeds accomplished in Judaea,
with corpses everywhere clogging the waters and the streets, and
blood to the extent that, it is said, it quenched "the fire of many
houses."

Rev. 15 depicts the preparation in heaven of further judgments and is

easily fit into any paradigm. Rev. 16 offers yet more parallels to the
Egyptian plagues -- a parody of the judgments of Israel's enemies being
placed now in Israel, who has (with respect to the church) become the
enemy. The method whereby this was communicated is not
unparalleled. Beale [197] notes that the Pesqita de Rab Kahana 7.11,
a later rabbinic work, "affirms that the same ten plagues God sent
against Egypt will be sent against Rome and Gog." B. Hil. 92a states
that all nations will drink same cup as Egypt; in other Jewish works,
including the Dead Sea Scrolls, it is claimed that the Exodus plagues
will be enacted against the world at end of history.
The Egypt plagues were understood as typologies of later plagues to
come upon humanity later on. John is making use of this conception
here: the Egypt plagues are used as types of what would come. (The
exception is the plague of scorching heat; however, the Palestinian
Targum on Exodus 13 says that Israel was covered by the cloud of
Yahweh as a protection from hail, rain, and heat; this plague
represents a withdrawal of the protecting cloud -- Ford, 272 -- and
alludes to Ps. 121:5-6, "The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade
upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon
by night.")
We have already discussed the first century parallels to the forces
coming from the Euphrates region (though it is of note that Titus also
called further reinforcements from that area). There is also a historical
parallel to the judgment of 16:4. Josephus reports of the aftermath of
the battle upon the Sea of Galilee:
One could see the whole lake red with blood and covered with
corpses, for not a man escaped. During the following days the district
reeked with a dreadful stench and presented a spectacle equally
horrible. The beaches were strewn with wrecks and swollen
carcasses: these corpses, scorched and clammy in decay, so polluted
the atmosphere that the catastrophe which plunged the Jews in
mourning inspired even its authors with disgust.
Literalists see a worldwide battle in the offing further, but is this
intended?
Rev. 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which
go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather
them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
We would note here that "world" is once again oikoumene -- the
Roman Empire.
Rev. 16:16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the
Hebrew tongue Armageddon.

Today your average ten-cent tour of Israel will be sure and take you by
the plain of Megiddo so you can catch a glance at where the world will
end. It makes for profitable tours, and perhaps someday we will see
something drastic happen there, but the first century and the OT tells
us quite enough. The plain of Megiddo is Israel's "Waterloo" -- a symbol
of where it has suffered great defeat, notably in the OT the loss of
Josiah, the last good king before Judah was taken into captivity. There
is not even a need to suppose a battle at this plain, though it did make
for a good place for the Romans to assemble their forces. The battle
here is around Jerusalem, the Jewish "Waterloo" -- not the actual plain
of Megiddo.
Rev. 16:19 And the great city was divided into three parts, and the
cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance
before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of
his wrath.
History tells us (Josephus' War 5.1-4) that the besieged Jerusalem
divided into three factions that fought it out within the walls as Titus
was besieging from without. Once again the apocalyptic "looking
glass" language is not fully literal, but is language signifying the
judgment of God. The cities of the nations (Gentiles) do not
necessarily fall militarily themselves, but fall in light of the new
covenant and the subversive order of the Kingdom of God, which
proleptically causes the old order to pass away.
However, this may as well correspond with the civil wars which
racked the Roman Empire from the time of Nero's death in June of 68.
Rome itself saw the destruction of its own "temple" -- that of Jupiter --
in December of 69, and Tacitus describes brutal mob violence and
street wars, not so serious as what happened in Jerusalem, but
startling enough in the capital of the supposed Pax Romana.
And yet, as with all apocalyptic (and as even dispensational
interpreters will say), now and then pockets of literal fulfillment peek
through:
16:21 And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone
about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the
plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.
Dispensational commentators expect a literal plague of meteorological
hail. And perhaps there will be one. But 70 saw this fulfilled already:
Josephus makes record of catapults used to batter Jerusalem during
the siege of 67-70. The stones thrown by these catapults were of the
same weight -- one talent -- and were white like hailstones.

Rev. 17:9-11 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven
heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there
are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet
come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the
beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven,
and goeth into perdition.
Commentators from all schools have no significant disagreement
about what John means when he refers to "seven mountains." The
seven hills of the city of Rome are undoubtedly in view. Some say we
have a view here of the Roman Catholic church. More commonly it is
said that Rome will be the HQ for a coming anti-guy.
But who is the harlot? Some say that is Roman Catholicism, but in light
of what we have seen so far, the woman who rides the beast is a
parody of the pure bride of Christ, and represents the rejected and
apostate Jerusalem which did not recognize its Messiah, riding upon
Rome in order to take advantage of its protection and authority and
persecuting the church (17:6). The many images of apostate Israel as
a harlot in the OT (Is. 1:21, Jer. 2:20-3:13, Hosea 9:1, Ezekiel 16)
support this view.
And the seven to eight kings? Well, that's a crux to behold.
Dispensationalists see the number as symbolic. Some see it as
representing successive kingdoms. Obviously a preterist view sees
these as the Caesars, the list of which we saw in our study of Daniel:

1. Julius Caesar, 49-44 BC

2. Triumverate: Marc Anthony/Octavian (Augustus)/Lepidus 44-31
BC
3. Augustus, 31 BC-14 AD
 4. Tiberius, 14-37
5. Caligula, 37-41
6. Claudius, 41-54
7. Nero, 54-68
8. Galba, 68-69
9. Otho, 69
10. Vitellius, 69
11. Vespasian, 69-79
12. Titus, 79-81
13. Domitian, 81-96

A count works out from Daniel, as we saw, but what about here? Some
count first with Augustus (as the first "official" emperor); some knock
out the three quick-draw emperors of 69. Gentry [154] starts it with
Julius, on the grounds that it is with he whom, overwhelmingly, the
contemporary lists begin, and that despite his refusal of the title of
king, Julius did take the title of Imperator or Caesar.
But there is something of a difference from the time of Daniel and that
of John. By this time, the triumvarate was viewed as something of a
hiccup, and Augustus was viewed as #2 on the list. In other similar
lists (Epistle of Barnabas 4:4, the Sibylline Oracles) the three "quick
draw" emperors are also counted.

1. Julius Caesar, 49-44 BC

2. Augustus, 31 BC-14 AD
3. Tiberius, 14-37
4. Caligula, 37-41
5. Claudius, 41-54
6. Nero, 54-68
7. Galba, 68-69
8. Otho, 69
9. Vitellius, 69
10. Vespasian, 69-79
11. Titus, 79-81
12. Domitian, 81-96

Five are fallen -- from Julius to Claudius. One is -- Nero. One is yet to
come, and must continue a short space -- Galba, the first of the quick
draws. But what then of number eight? There are a couple of views.
According to Gentry, that's Otho, but how can he be "the beast that
was, and is not," that goes into perdition?
We should note first of all that the "was, and is not" phrase is yet
another parody -- that of the divine "was, and is, and is to come" (Rev.
4:8). Literalists who propose some sort of ruler who seesaws in and
out of power are missing the point entirely.
How does Gentry work the Otho equation? He reports a most peculiar
event from the work of Suetonius that hauntingly fits this description.
Otho upon returning to the palace at Rome, in the midst of adulations
of the crowd, "was hailed by the common herd as Nero" and "made no
sign of dissent" and "even made use of that surname in his
commissions and his first letters to some of the governors of the
provinces." Tacitus also reports that Otho celebrated Nero's memory
hoping to gain further favor, and was acclaimed as "Nero Otho." He
even recalled Nero's procurators.
Ford [290], however, provides a more convincing view. Noting the the
three "hiccup" emperors never had power over Judaea, she skips over
them and makes Vespasian number 7, and Titus number 8. This has
the eerie advantage of a more clear explanation of the eighth
"belonging to" the seventh -- Titus, of course, was Vespasian's son.
The "was, and is not" parody is especially appropriate when we
consider that Josephus tried to apply Jewish Messianic prophecies to
Vespasian!
What then of the ten kings (17:12)? I have seen this applied to anything
from the European Economic Community (which passed 10 members
long ago) to the former Soviet Union's 10 subsidiary powers (with
Gorbachev as anti-guy). In the preterist view, some see this as the 10
governors of Palestine on Rome's behalf. Others [DeMar, 272] suggest
Rome's 10 provinces in the first century (Italy, Achaia, Asia, Syria,
Egypt, Africa, Spain, Gaul, Britain, Germany). Some generalize the
number 10 and see it as a reference to all client kings and nations
under Rome's power.
In any of these cases we do have powers that receive power in the
short term with the Roman beast ("one hour") and do not have their
own kingdom as yet, and do "have one mind, and shall give their power
and strength unto the beast." I consider the ten provinces the most
likely, given the warring upon or persecution of the church, and the
turning back of these powers upon the Jewish population (17:16)
which continued to be persecuted throughout Rome before and after
the Jewish war.

Rev. 18:3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her
fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with
her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the
abundance of her delicacies.
First century Jerusalem, of course, was a center of trade. The land
bridge at the center of three continents -- Europe, Asia, and Africa --
was, and still is, a center for commerce, and the riches brought
through that area are well known: Ford [305] notes that "foreign trade
had a great influence on the holy city, and the temple drew the largest
share." Merchants and kings could not help be upset by her fall in spite
of all else (18:9) -- the interruption of trade would affect pockets as
surely as Sept. 11 did.
Rev. 19:13-15 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and
his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in
heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white
and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he
should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and
he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty
God.
Now, in the preterist view, a new "war" began, and is still going -- this
time with the "Word of God" as the weapon, subverting the nations
with its message of salvation. "For the word of God is quick, and
powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the
dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is
a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Heb. 4:12)
Literalists see a final battle of military nature. Preterists see a war of
the heart, and I think they are right to do so.
Rev. 20:1-3 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the
key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid
hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and
bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and
shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the
nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after
that he must be loosed a little season.
What now of the millennium? Literalists see an actual thousand year
reign; those who know OT imagery see merely "a very long time"
indicated by a round number. Ps. 50:10, "For every beast of the forest
is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills." The cattle on the 1001st
hill belong to God also; this only means that all cattle are His. So how
long is the 1000 years? It cannot be said. Jewish thought estimated
the Messianic reign to last anywhere between 60 and 7000 years. The
point is that we have a long epoch, at the end of which (20:7ff-22) will
be judgment and resurrection.

Conclusion
Some may respond that a preterist interpretation of Revelation
requires too much stretching. I disagree -- and respond that the
exegetical flights are far less fancy than those that see Middle Eastern
oil (6:6) or tanks and helicopters. As with the Olivet Discourse, we may
indeed see a "repeat performance" in the future of some sort, but the
language of Revelation that speaks of Christ coming quickly (22:20)
suggests that a first-century fulfillment is also necessary.

Dating the Book of Revelation

With the dating of Revelation, you establish the true historical prospective. If
you date it early, you have its fulfillment in God's judgment on Israel. If you
date it late, you have every man's idea. So dating plays a very important part
in its interpretation.

There are differences of opinion as to when this book was written. These can
be summed up as the "late date" and the "early date" theories. First, we'll
cover the late date theory. Then we'll examine the facts which support the
early date theory.

The Late Date Theory

Those who hold to the "late date," have Revelation written during the time of
Domitian Caesar (AD 95-96). This date is determined by the following
statement by Irenaeus (AD 130 to AD 202), as quoted by Eusebius, the
church historian, in AD 325: "We will not, however, incur the risk of
pronouncing positively as to the name of Antichrist; for if it were necessary
that his name should be distinctly revealed in this present time, it would have
been announced by him who beheld the apocalyptic vision. For that was seen
no very long time since, but almost in our day, towards the end of Domitian's
reign."

There are things about this statement that need to be noted. First, Irenaeus
did not witness this. He referred to Polycarp (who supposedly knew the
apostle John). Secondly, the key part — "it is not long since it was seen" — is
ambiguous. According to Irenaeus recollection, Polycarp saw "it" sometime in
AD 95-96, during the last part Domitian's reign. Thirdly, we do not know if the
"it" Polycarp was referring to was John, the visions he saw, the name of anti-
christ, or the book itself and we do not know if he meant that the book was
written at that time or not. Furthermore, it comes to us through three people
separated by three centuries. Simply put, this is hear-say.

This statement, even with all of this uncertainty, is the only evidence used to
support the "late date" theory. It has been accepted by generations of people
without really questioning it or examining it in light of the book itself. The late
date has been passed on to us in the same way it was passed on to
Eusebius, "…it [was] handed down by tradition…" Tradition is not the way to
interpret Scripture.

Another statement by Irenaeus seems to indicate the earlier date also. In his
fifth book, he speaks as follows concerning the Apocalypse of John and the
number of the name of the Antichrist: "As these things are so, and this number
is found in all the approved and ancient copies." Domitian's reign was almost
in his own day, but now he speaks of the Revelation being written in ancient
copies. His statement at least gives some doubt as to the "vision" being seen
in 95 AD which was almost in his day, and even suggests a time somewhat
removed from his own day for him to consider the copies available to him
as ancient.

The Early Date Theory

So, where can we turn to find evidence for the dating of Revelation? Within
the book itself! It will be shown, from internal evidence, that Revelation was
written before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.
 John must prophesy again

The first point to consider in favor of the early date is the fact that John was
told that he "must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and
tongues, and kings" in Revelation 10:11. Now, if Revelation was written in AD
95-96, John would have been over 90 years old and it would have been very
difficult for him to travel to the various "nations and…many kings" and preach.
However, with Revelation written earlier, John would have been in his mid
60's and at that age, his traveling would have been more feasible.

The Seven Churches in Asia

Another point is that John wrote Revelation to a specific group of churches in

Asia (Revelation 1:4). The importance of this statement cannot be overlooked
(even though it has been by many scholars). There is only one small window
of time in which there were only seven churches in Asia. The early AD 60's.
The apostle Paul established nine churches in that area, but only seven were
addressed in Revelation. The reason for this is that the cities of Colosse,
Hierapolis, and Laodicea, were all destroyed by an earthquake around AD 61.
Laodicea was rebuilt soon afterwards, but the other two cities were not. This
left only seven churches in Asia during the five years just prior to the
beginning of the Roman/Jewish war.

Of particular importance is the message to the church of Philadelphia

(Revelation 3:7-13). In verse's 10 and 11, Christ told John to inform them that
an "hour of temptation" was "about to come upon all the world," i.e., the
Roman Empire. Christ then told them that He was coming quickly and that
they should hold fast. The reason this is important (besides the fact that this
was directed to an actual church in the first century) is that the first
persecution of Christians took place under Nero Caesar in AD 64. Therefore,
Revelation must have been written before that time.

The Temple was still standing

One of the most compelling proofs that Revelation was written before
Jerusalem was destroyed is the fact that the Jewish temple was still standing!
Revelation 11:1-2, "And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the
angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and
them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out,
and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall
they tread under foot forty and two months."

How do we know that this was the temple of the first century and not some
future one? First, there is not one verse in the entire Bible that speaks of a
"rebuilt" Jewish Temple. Not one. That alone should be proof enough.

However, this passage is very similar to Luke 21:20-24. Notice that Jesus told
the disciples that they would see this event. They had asked Him about their
temple (verse 5), and Jesus told them it would be destroyed before their
generation passed away (verse 32). Notice again what Jesus said in verse
24, "Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles." This is the same
thing Christ told John in Revelation 11:2. Therefore, since the disciples'
generation has long since passed away, Revelation must have been written
before the nations trampled Jerusalem under foot in AD 70.

The Tribes of the Earth

Most writers consider the theme of the book to be Revelation 1:7. This verse
is very similar in context to Matthew 24:30.

Revelation 1:7, "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him,
and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds [Greek word #5443] of the
earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen."

Matthew 24:30, "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven:
and then shall all the tribes [Greek word #5443] of the earth mourn, and they
shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great
glory."

It may not be conclusive standing alone, but you can see that just based on
the language, a case can be made that the two verses are speaking of the
same event. Matthew 24:30 is a verse that speaks of the fall of Jerusalem.
And that is just the case that I am making about the book of Revelation -- it
speaks of the fall of Jerusalem.
Notice also the language of Revelation 1:7. It speaks of those
who "pierced him." Although we know that the Romans crucified him and
pierced him, the apostles accused the Jews of the act. In Acts 2:23,36, Peter
says that they crucified Jesus. He continues to state this in his following
sermons (Acts 3:15; 4:10; 5:30). Stephen, in Acts 7:51-52, calls them
murderers. And Paul, in 1 Corinthians 2:8, speaks of the Jews killing the Lord.
And also in I Thessalonians 2:14-15, he speaks of the Jews that killed both
the Lord Jesus and the prophets. So perhaps the book concerns itself with the
Jews.

This view is further reinforced with the phrase, "kindreds of the

earth." ("kindreds" is from the Greek word phule, which means "tribe"). This is
a direct allusion to the Jewish tribal system. Now, we must identify, from
Scripture, who those "tribes" were. To do that, we must keep in mind this
simple rule of interpreting the Bible: let Scripture interpret Scripture. We can
do that quite easily by looking at Zechariah 12:10-14.

Zechariah 12:10-14, "And I will pour upon the...inhabitants of Jerusalem, the

spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they
have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only
son...In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem...And
the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house
of David apart, and their wives apart; the family of the house of Nathan apart,
and their wives apart; The family of the house of Levi apart, and their wives
apart; the family of Shimei apart, and their wives apart; All the families that
remain, every family apart, and their wives apart."

Obviously, this is the foundation for John's statement that "every eye shall see
him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth (or land)
shall wail because of him" So, in essence, Zechariah was saying that
the "tribes of the land" would mourn for Him whom they had pierced. Who
were those tribes? "The inhabitants of Jerusalem." This also helps us identify
the "earth" in Revelation 1:7. According to Zechariah, the "earth" is the land of
Palestine, specifically, Jerusalem. Also, it is those tribes, i.e., the nation of
Israel, who would "look upon Me whom they have pierced." And because of
that, "the mourning in Jerusalem" would be great. With all of this information,
we can see that the "tribes of the earth" in Revelation 1:7 are the nation of
Israel. The "earth" is Palestine. The land that would mourn is Jerusalem.

So, the main purpose of Revelation would be to reveal Jesus to the nation of
Israel. The place of this revealing would be Jerusalem. Lastly, this revealing
would be to those who pierced Him, i.e., the Jews. This is not a general
reference to the Jewish nation, but to Christ's contemporary generation. That
generation was destroyed in AD 70, by the Roman Legions. Therefore, the
book of Revelation must have been written before that event.

The Woman

The next thing that we need to look at is "the woman" found in chapters 17
and 18. John wrote that he saw a "woman drunken with the blood of the
saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus" (17:6). The "woman" had
this name written on her forehead: "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE
MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (17:5). The
angel said that "the woman" was a poetic symbol of "that great city" (17:18); in
whom "was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were
slain upon the earth." (18:24). Then John wrote, "Rejoice over her, thou
heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on
her… Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and
shall be found no more at all." (18:20, 21). So who was this "woman?" This
"great city?"

John gave us a clue in Revelation 11:8, where he wrote, "And their dead
bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom
and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified." This shows us, as we saw
above, that John was referring to the Jerusalem of his day.

To prove this assertion, Let's look at the term "Sodom." John wrote that this is
a "figurative" name. That means it does not tell us the actual name of the city,
but it's spiritual condition. Once more, in letting the Bible interpret itself, we
find this is a reference to Jerusalem. In Isaiah, chapter 1, after declaring that
he had a "vision…concerning Judah and Jerusalem" (verse 1), Isaiah
wrote, "Hear the words of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom." In Jeremiah 23:14,
because of the adulterous prophets, God said that Jerusalem and her
inhabitants were "all of them unto me as Sodom."

But what about "Egypt?" No where in the Bible is Jerusalem called Egypt.
However, the first century generation was also in an exodus. While Old
Testament Israel's exodus was from the bondage of Egypt, the New
Testament Israel's exodus was from the bondage of the Old Covenant Law.
The most recognizable passage that depicts this "new exodus" is found in I
Corinthians 10:1-11. Paul wrote, "Now all these things happened unto them
for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends
of the world are come." His contextual foundation for this statement was the
Old Testament exodus from Egyptian bondage. He wrote that they had
passed through the sea (verse 1). They ate manna and drank from the rock
(verse's 3-4). He then relays how they wandered in the wilderness (verse 5),
became idolaters (verse 7), tried the Lord and were destroyed by serpents
(verse 9). This shows us that, just like the "type and shadow" of the Old
Testament and their deliverance from bondage, the New Testament saints
were undergoing the same exodus. The only difference was that Paul's
generation was the reality to which the Old Testament example pointed.

Furthermore, in Luke 13:33-34, Jesus said, "[T]oday and tomorrow, and on

the following [day], I must travel on, because it is not possible [for] a prophet
to perish outside Jerusalem. Jerusalem! Jerusalem! The [one] killing the
prophets, and stoning those having been sent to her." Then, in Matthew
23:29-37, Jesus blasted the Jews of His day for killing the prophets and the
apostles. He declared that they are the children of their fathers who also killed
the prophets. Then in verse 32, Jesus said that they would complete the sin
that their fathers started. But the most crucial evidence is found in verse 35,
where Jesus said, "upon you (i.e., the Jews of His day) may fall the guilt of all
the righteous blood shed on the earth." Then He said, "I tell you the truth, all
of these things will happen to you people who are living now. Jerusalem,
Jerusalem! You kill the prophets and stone to death those who are sent to
you" (verse's 36-37). In both passages, Jesus told the Jews of His day that
they were guilty of "all the righteous blood shed upon the earth" (see also Acts
7:51-52).

Therefore, since both of these passages deal with the same crime and the
same judgment, the "great city" of Revelation must be the Jerusalem of
Christ's generation. Which further proves that Revelation was been written
before Jerusalem fell in AD 70.

The Sixth King

So far we have seen that Revelation deals with the revealing of Jesus to first
century Israel. As noted above, "the woman" John saw was first century
Jerusalem. The "kings," therefore, were the rulers of the known world of
John's day, i.e., the Roman Empire. The "kings" were not ruling at the same
time, for the text stated "five fell," meaning that five of those kings had come
and gone. Then "one is," meaning the "king" who was ruling at the time
Revelation was written. Here in this verse, we have one of the clearest proofs
for dating this book. If we simply examine the list of Roman Emperors, we will
be able to determine who the sixth king was, and the time Revelation was
written.

Here are the Roman Emperors: Julius Caesar; Augustus; Tiberius; Gaius
(Caligula); Claudius; and the sixth emperor was…Nero. Nero reigned from
54AD to June of 68AD, with Galba to follow who reigns but six months. Here
we find the terrible persecutors of the Christians (at whose hand Peter and
Paul were martyred), whom God used to destroy the Jews. Nero was in power
and he gave the command to Vespasian to destroy Jerusalem. This was the
sixth king, proving beyond any doubt that Revelation was written before the
Roman/Jewish war.

Historically, Nero is the one that persecuted Christians beyond all comparison.
St. John's banishment to Patmos was itself a result of the great persecution of
Nero. The apostle Paul was tortured and then beheaded by the evil Emperor
Nero at Rome in A.D. 67. The apostle Peter, who was crucified upside down,
was another victim of Nero.

The Song of Moses

To anyone familiar with the Law of Moses and Jewish tradition, Revelation
15:2,3 will have meaning. It says that those martyrs "who had come off
victorious from the Beast" were singing "the Song of Moses."

Question: if these martyrs are Christians living 2,000 years after Christ,
why would these Christians be singing the Song of Moses? Does any
Christian alive today know how to sing this song? Deuteronomy 32:1-43 is the
song that John has reference to.

The Jews were to sing this song to remind themselves of what would befall
them "in the latter days" (Deuteronomy 31:29). the song talks about "their
end" - the Jews (verse 20), and details their destruction by a
consuming "fire" (verse 22), "famine" (verse 24), "plague" (verse 24)
and "bitter destruction" (verse 24). God calls them a "perverse
generation" (verses 5 and 20), and says He will "render vengeance" upon
them and "vindicate His people" (verse 41 and 36 respectively). Why would
Christian martyrs of the 21st century be singing this song about the Romans,
when the song had reference to the Jews living in the 1st century? It wouldn't
make much sense.

Aren't these the same martyrs who cried out earlier, "How long, O Lord, wilt
Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood" (Revelation 6:10)? Who
was it who had all the "blood of the righteous" martyrs imputed against them?
Clearly, it was Christians who had kept their faith in Jesus, in spite of the
intense persecution, and "had come off victorious from the Beast." (See
Matthew 23:35 and Luke 13:33)! This passage (Revelation 15:2,3) points very
clearly to followers of Christ living in the first century.

In Revelation 16:10,11, it says that the people in the Beast's

kingdom "gnawed their tongues because of pain." They had great sores on
their bodies along with other plagues that had been poured out on them. We
know from Josephus when the Jews literally gnawed their tongues for lack of
food during the siege of AD 70! And, it is interesting that Josephus even calls
the Jewish Zealot forces a "wild beast" in several places (Wars V.1.1; IV.7.4;
IV.9.8; V.2.5)! This point is emphasized even more by the fact that the whole
context of the Song of Moses is full of references to "beasts," "serpents," and
"dragons" (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28-32; Deuteronomy 32:24,33).

The Time Element

Next consider the expectations of the author, Jesus Christ. He tells John to
expect the fulfillment of the prophecy soon (Revelation 1:1,3; 2:16; 3:11;
22:6,7,10,12,20).

In Revelation 1:1,3, right off the bat, John informed his readers, the seven
churches of Asia (verse 4), that the contents of this
volume "must shortly come to pass." Please note, that John did not write
that some of the events, or even most of the events must shortly take place.
He wrote that all of the events contained in Revelation "must shortly come to
pass." Why? Why must those things "shortly come to pass?" Because "the
time (was) at hand." At hand for whom? The seven churches of Asia,
specifically, and to the church of the first century in general. The time for what
was at hand? "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." Remember, as we saw above,
this is the main episode of Revelation.

In Revelation 22:6, John wrote that the Lord sent an angel to John "to shew
unto his servants the things which must shortly be done." Here, at the end of
the book of Revelation, John recorded the exact same message that he did in
chapter 1. This again emphasizes that all of the events contained in
Revelation were about to take place in the first century — not stretched
throughout time, and certainly not for any future generation.

In Revelation 22:10, the angel of the Lord said to John, "Seal not the sayings
of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand." Once more, we have
proof that the events of Revelation were about to take place in the first
century. However, another element was added to this warning. The angel told
John not to seal the Scroll. Why is this important? To answer that, let's look at
the book of Daniel.

After Daniel had received visions concerning his people (the nation of Israel),
he was told, "thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found
written in the book" (12:1). Daniel is then told how they would be rescued —
by resurrection, some would be rewarded with "everlasting life" and others
with "everlasting contempt" (verse 2). But then, Daniel is told something very
peculiar. In verse 4, Daniel was told, "shut up the words, and seal the book,
even to the time of the end." Please note that this verse says the "time of the
end", and not "the end of time". There is a huge difference between the end of
time and the time of the end. Now, we must ask "Whose time of the end?"
Verse 1 told us that Daniel's visions concerned the nation of Israel, not
mankind in general.

Next, Daniel saw two angels talking about the fulfillment of all that he had
seen (verse 6). One asked the other, "How long shall it be to the end of these
wonders?" The answer was, "when he shall have accomplished to scatter the
power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished." (verse 7). But
Daniel could not understand what they meant, so he asked again, "When?"
The angel answered "Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and
sealed till the time of the end." Now that we have looked at this passage, how
does it relate to Revelation 21?

Did you know that there is only one other place in the Bible where a sealed
book is referred to? Revelation, chapter 5. How Daniel relates to Revelation is
that Revelation is the opening of Daniel's sealed book!! Remember, Daniel's
visions were concerning the "time of the end" of Israel, and Revelation is
about God's judgment on Israel. They are one and the same. The reason this
has direct bearing on Revelation 21, is that Daniel was told to seal his book
concerning the end "for it pertains to many days in the future" (Dan.8:26),
but John was told not to seal his book "because the time is at
hand" (Revelation 22:10). The end of Old Covenant Israel was at hand. All
things written had to be fulfilled by the time Jerusalem fell in AD 70 (see Luke
21:20-22). Therefore, since Revelation is the opening of Daniel, then it must
have been fulfilled by the summer of AD 70.

Our next time statement is found in Revelation 21:12. There, Jesus told
John, "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every
man according as his work shall be." Notice that Jesus did not say that "when
I come, I will come quickly," He emphatically said that He was coming
"quickly." But He also said something else. He said that His reward was with
Him to give every man according to his works. Now some state that this has
not happened yet. However, we must let Scripture interpret Scripture, and turn
to Matthew 16:27-28 and Mark 8:38-9:1 and Luke 9:26-27.

Jesus said the exact same thing in these three verses that He did in
Revelation 21. In Revelation 21, He said He was coming and "he shall reward
every man according to his works." These are the exact same "comings" with
the exact same "rewards." But, Jesus also said in these three verses, "There
be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of
man coming in his kingdom." Notice that Jesus tied His coming to the lives of
His disciples. He said that some of his listeners would not die until He came.
But to whom is He coming? And what will be their reward? Jesus said that the
"coming" would be to the first century generation of Israel (Matthew 24:34,
Mark 13:30, Luke 21:32). Daniel told us that the "rewards" would be that some
would be resurrected to "everlasting life" and others to "everlasting contempt".
Now, let's put these two passages together. Jesus said He was coming and
He was going to reward each according to his works, and that some of the
disciples wouldn't die until they saw this take place. Therefore, since all of the
disciples are dead, Jesus must have returned and rewarded each according
to his works. Furthermore, in Revelation, He said the same thing, therefore it
must be fulfilled!

Conclusion

If a person doesn't believe the first three verses of Revelation (i.e., the near
expectation of the events), neither will he believe the rest of the book. For if a
person is unwilling to accept the time constraints of the text, the rest of the
document can mean anything that the reader desires.

If the Apostle John was banished to Patmos under the reign of Nero, as the
internal evidence indicates, he wrote the book of Revelation about AD 68 or
69, which was after the death of that emperor; but the gospels and epistles
some years later. One of the oddest facts about the New Testament is that
what on any showing would appear to be the single most datable and
climactic event of the period — the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 — is never
once mentioned as a passed fact.

The inscription to the book of Revelation, in the Syrian version, first published
by Deuteronomy Dieu, in 1627, and, afterwards in the London Polyglot, is the
following, "The Revelation which God made to John the evangelist, in the
Island of Patmos, to which he was banished by Nero Caesar."

This places it before the year of our Lord 69AD.

When was the Revelation

of Jesus Christ written?
The Testimony of the Church Fathers

“I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the
kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for
the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.” - Rev 1:9

by Rusty Entrekin

T he writing of the Revelation of Jesus Christ has been traditionally assigned to

around AD 96. Because this date does not fit into their theological scheme, Full
Preterists, who claim that all of Bible prophesy was fulfilled in AD 70, argue for an
earlier dating of the book, prior to AD 70.

However, the testimony of the Church Fathers is that the Revelation of Jesus
Christ was written by John near the end of the reign of Domitian in AD 96. According
to them, John was banished by Domitian to the lonely Isle of Patmos, a desolate
Greek island in the Aegean Sea only 11 square miles in area. Victorinus, in
his Commentary on the Apocolypse of the Blessed John, recorded that John labored
in the mines of Patmos.

Domitian was a particularly cruel and ostentatious Roman emperor, who reigned
from AD 81 - 96. He regularly arrested, imprisoned, and executed his enemies, even
Roman noblemen and senators, and confiscated their properties for his own
use. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "The years 93-96 were regarded as a
period of terror hitherto unsurpassed."

The Britannica also informs us that “A grave source of offense was his insistence on
being addressed as dominus et deus (‘master and god’).” Perhaps this aroused in
Domitian a hatred of faithful Christians, who would have refused him this demand.
Domitian did in fact launch a persecution of Christians. In Book three, chapter 17 of
his Ecclesiastical History, Eusebius writes,

Domitian, having shown great cruelty toward many, and having unjustly put to death no small number of well-born
and notable men at Rome, and having without cause exiled and confiscated the property of a great many other
illustrious men, finally became a successor of Nero in his hatred and enmity toward God. He was in fact the second
that stirred up a persecution against us, although his father Vespasian had undertaken nothing prejudicial to us.

Tertullian (b.160 AD, d. 225 AD) is an early Christian writer who also testifies to this
persecution. However, according to Tertullian, Domitian was somewhat more
restrained than Nero had been in his persecution of Christians. In chapter five of his
his Apology, Tertullian wrote:

Domitian, too, a man of Nero's type in cruelty, tried his hand at persecution, but as
he had something of the human in him, he soon put an end to what he had begun,
even restoring again those whom he had banished.

According to the Church fathers, the Apostle John was not among those released,
but even if he had been, the fact that Domitian's reign did not begin until AD 81
means that the Revelation must have been written after that date.

Domitian was so hated for his excesses that own wife participated in the plot to
assassinate him. Upon his death, his successor, Nerva, reversed many of the cruel
judgments of Domitian, and John was subsequently released. Domitian’s reign ended
in AD 96, and this has provided the traditional means for dating the writing of the
book of Revelation.
 Direct References to the Date
Although there are many indirect references to John being banished to Patmos
under Domitian in the Church Fathers, there are also direct references to John’s
banishment under Domitian. The earliest of these is that of Irenaeus (c. 130-202). He
was bishop of Lyons in Gaul. In Against Heresies (A.D. 180-199), Book V, Chapter 30,
we read:

We will not, however, incur the risk of pronouncing positively as to the name of
Antichrist; for if it were necessary that his name should be distinctly revealed in this
present time, it would have been announced by him who beheld the apocalyptic
vision. For that was seen no very long time since, but almost in our day, towards the
end of Domitian's reign.

The church historian Eusebius Pamphili was born about 260 and died before 341. Bishop of
Cæsarea in Palestine, he is known as the "Father of Church History." Eusebius confirms the
authenticity of the testimony of Irenaeus. In chapter 18, Book 3 of his Church History,
we read:

It is said that in this persecution the apostle and evangelist John, who was still alive,
was condemned to dwell on the island of Patmos in consequence of his testimony to
the divine word. Irenaeus, in the fifth book of his work Against Heresies, where he
discusses the number of the name of Antichrist which is given in the so-called
Apocalypse of John, speaks as follows concerning him: a "If it were necessary for his
name to be proclaimed openly at the present time, it would have been declared by him
who saw the revelation. For it was seen not long ago, but almost in our own
generation, at the end of the reign of Domitian."

Regarding the reliability of the testimony of Irenaeus, in Barnes Notes on the New
Testament we read:

It will be recollected that he [Irenaeus] was a disciple of Polycarp, bishop of

Smyrna, who was himself the disciple of the apostle John. He had, therefore,
every opportunity of obtaining correct information, and doubtless expresses
the common sentiment of his age on the subject. His character is
unexceptionable, and he had no inducement to bear any false or perverted
testimony in the case. His testimony is plain and positive that the book was
written near the close of the reign of Domitian, and the testimony should be
regarded as decisive unless it can be set aside. His language in regard to the
 book of Revelation is: "It was seen no long time ago, but almost in our age, at
the end of the reign of Domitian."—Lardner, ii. 181. Or, as the passage is
translated by Prof. Stuart: "The Apocalypse was seen not long ago, but almost
in our generation, near the end of Domitian’s reign." There can be no doubt,
therefore, as to the meaning of the passage, or as to the time when Irenaeus
believed the book to have been written. Domitian was put to death A.D. 96,
and consequently, according to Irenaeus, the Apocalypse must have been
written not far from this time.

Writing around AD 236, Hippolytis, in chapter one, verse 3 of On the Twelve

Apostles, penned:

John, again, in Asia, was banished by Domitian the king to the isle of Patmos, in
which also he wrote his Gospel and saw the apocalyptic vision; and in Trajan's time
he fell asleep at Ephesus, where his remains were sought for, but could not be found.

About AD 270, Victorinus, In the Tenth Chapter of his Commentary on the

Apocolypse of the Blessed John, wrote

...when John said these things he was in the island of Patmos, condemned to the
labour of the mines by Caesar Domitian. There, therefore, he saw the Apocalypse; and
when grown old, he thought that he should at length receive his quittance by suffering,
Domitian being killed, all his judgments were discharged. And John being dismissed
from the mines, thus subsequently delivered the same Apocalypse which he had
received from God.

Jerome was born about 340. He died at Bethlehem, 30 September, 420. Jerome wrote in the
Ninth Chapter of Illustrious Men,

In the fourteenth year then after Nero, Domitian, having raised a second persecution,
he was banished to the island of Patmos, and wrote the Apocalypse, on which Justin
Martyr and Irenaeus afterwards wrote commentaries. But Domitian having been put to
death and his acts, on account of his excessive cruelty, having been annulled by the
senate, he returned to Ephesus under Pertinax(1) and continuing there until the tithe of
the emperor Trajan, founded and built churches throughout all Asia, and, worn out by
old age, died in the sixty-eighth year after our Lord's passion and was buried near the
same city.

In Against Jovinianus, Book 1, Jerome also wrote:

"John is both an Apostle and an Evangelist, and a prophet. An Apostle, because he
wrote to the Churches as a master; an Evangelist, because he composed a Gospel, a
thing which no other of the Apostles, excepting Matthew, did; a prophet, for he saw in
the island of Patmos, to which he had been banished by the Emperor Domitian as a
martyr for the Lord, an Apocalypse containing the boundless mysteries of the future."

Sulpitius Severus was an ecclesiastical writer who was born in Aquitaine in 360. He
died about 420-25. In chapter 31 of Book 2 of his Sacred History, we read:

THEN, after an interval, Domitian, the son of Vespasian, persecuted the Christians. At
this date, he banished John the Apostle and Evangelist to the island of Patmos.

Conclusion
The testimony of these ancient witnesses indicates that the Revelation of Jesus
Christ was written around AD 96. This leads us to the reasonable conclusion that
many of the events prophesied in it must occur later than the fall of Jerusalem in 70
AD. When any interpretation of scripture flatly contradicts multiple historical
witnesses, especially scholarly, respected and reliable Christian witnesses who lived
much closer to the time of writing than us, this should be cause to carefully reconsider
that interpretation as possibly being in error.

Christ's Soon Coming and the Words That

Describe It

Certain so-called “time” references in the NT will now be touched on—such as at

hand, near, quickly, shortly, soon—which Preterists point to as supposedly lending
support to their theory, but the true bearing of which they completely miss and distort,
given their failure to grasp the true nature and position of God’s heavenly people in
Christ Jesus, the Church—His heavenly Body and Bride—and the resulting expectant
posture in which she has been divinely placed and of which she ought always give true
heart-expression: toward the imminent (possible at any moment) coming of her Beloved
to take her everlastingly unto Himself to the Father’s house (Pre-Tribulational/Pre-
70th Week Rapture).
 “Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave him to shew his servants things
which must shortly come to pass; and sending by his angel he signified it to his
servant John.” (Rev. 1:1)
“Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of the prophecy and
keep the things written in it; for the time is at hand.” (Rev. 1:3)
“Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the
hour of trial that is about to come on all the habitable world, to try those that
dwell on the earth. I am coming quickly: hold fast that which thou hast, that no
one take thy crown.” (Rev. 3:10-11)
“And he said to me, These words are faithful and true; and the Lord God of the
spirits of the prophets hath sent his angel to shew his servants the things which
must come to pass shortly. And, behold, I am coming quickly: blessed is he
that keepeth the words of the prophecy of this book.” (Rev. 22:6-7)
“And he saith to me, Seal not the words of the prophecy of this book: for the time
is at hand.” (Rev. 22:10)
“Behold, I am coming quickly; and my reward with me to give each as his work
is.” (Rev. 22:12)
“He that testifieth these things saith, Yea, I am coming quickly. Amen! Come,
Lord Jesus.” (Rev. 22:20)

Preterists hold that these so-called NT “time” references (such as at hand, near,
quickly, shortly, soon), particularly in the book of Revelation, teach
a particular “imminency” which requires . . . necessitates . . . demands a first century
fulfillment of all prophetic truth or promises (within the sphere of these “time” references)
—specifically, as of, or in, 70AD, in connection with the destruction of Jerusalem by the
Romans. Preterists also use these so-called “time” references in the book of Revelation
to argue that it requires . . . necessitates . . . demands a pre-70AD date for its
composition, “within a period of one to five years” prior to the 70AD destruction of
Jerusalem by the Romans.

Keep in mind that “partial” Preterists hold to a non-literal, non-personal, non-

physical, providential Second Coming of Christ in the Roman destruction of Jerusalem
in 70AD; whereas “full” Preterists claim to hold to a literal (!), personal, physical Second
Coming of Christ in, or immediately after, the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in
70AD. But, in either brand of Preterism, the kingdom inaugurated at His 70AD
Second Coming is mysticalized/spiritualized. [Of course, the “partial” Preterist notion
is also contradicted entirely, e.g., by Matt. 24:29-31. The Roman destruction of
Jerusalem in 70AD cannot be the providential Second Coming; nor can it be
the result of the providential Second Coming. For the coming of the Son of Man on the
clouds of heaven with power and great glory is declared by Scripture to take place after
—immediately after—”the tribulation of those days,” which, in the spiritual alchemy of
Preterism, is the very destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD. To thus teach that the
destruction of Jerusalem takes place after the destruction of Jerusalem is utter
nonsense!]
It has already been demonstrated at some length that the Preterist approach or
methodology is a selective, isolated, pseudo-literal one (2 Pet. 1:20), which reads
into their select texts that which cannot be found there or anywhere else in God’s Word,
and which mysticalizes the kingdom, and overthrows the genuinely plain, normal, literal
sense of all other prophetic scriptures—including, e.g., the myriad of OT prophecies,
and the very Olivet Discourse itself and the book of Revelation as a whole—bearing on
the future of Israel, the promised kingdom, the coming of Christ, etc, etc. As such, the
Preterist take on these so-called NT “time” references is completely illegitimate and
cannot possibly be true.

Further, it has already been conclusively shown that the period of time covered by Matt.
24 (Mark 13 and Luke 21:8-11, 25-36) of the Olivet Discourse is necessarily, the post-
70AD, and thus yet future, Tribulation Period/70th week of Daniel (the reader is directed
to the discussions under Matt. 24:34 and Matt. 16:28 for careful consideration in this
regard; particularly on the key bearing of Matt. 24:15 and Luke 21:12). Therefore,
Chapters 4-20 of the book of Revelation (i.e., the Tribulation Period, the coming of the
Son of Man on the clouds, the Millennial Kingdom) must be fulfilled sometime
subsequent to 70AD . . . in connection with (during and after) the accomplishment
of the yet future 70th week of Daniel. As such, the Preterist take on these so-called
NT “time” references is, again, completely illegitimate and cannot possibly be true—
regardless of whatever date Preterists wish to arbitrarily and groundlessly assign to the
book of Revelation.

It should be stressed, however, that if the God-breathed book of Revelation was indeed
written after the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD—i.e., during the 90s, as all
the earliest external evidence indicates—then the whole Preterist theory is blown clear
into oblivion, including its notions about what is supposedly required . . . necessitated . .
. demanded by the imminency of these “time” references (at hand, near, quickly,
shortly, soon) in the book of Revelation. For the book of Revelation, penned after 70AD,
declares, as such, that the Tribulation Period/70 th week of Daniel, the coming of the Son
of Man on the clouds, the Millennial Kingdom, the creation of a New Heaven and a New
Earth, etc., are things which are yet to “come to pass shortly” . . . the time is yet “at
hand.”

Quite frankly, any doctrinal scheme or theory which depends for its very life on
assigning a particular date (or date range) to the composition of a NT book should be
dismissed out of hand on that basis alone. [Note: dating related to establishing first
century human authorship is quite a different (legitimate) matter than that of dating
related to establishing some doctrinal scheme or theory.] In total contrast, recognizing,
heeding, taking to heart the Futurism of the book of Revelation, does not depend at all
on whether it was composed at some particular pre or post-70AD date;
rather, Futurism is based on a genuinely plain, normal, literal interpretation of “the
words of the prophecy of this book” (with all due allowance for genuine figures of
speech and symbols)—in accord with the vast connected whole of God’s prophetic
truth (2 Pet. 1:20). Preterism, however, depends for its very life, not only on the
particular date (pre-70AD) which it conveniently, arbitrarily, and groundlessly assigns to
the book of Revelation, but also on its departure from a genuinely plain, normal, literal
interpretation of “the words of the prophecy of this book,” a scheme which is inherently
forced to mysticalize/alchemize the God-breathed book itself—in isolation from the vast
connected whole of God’s prophetic truth.

The following points are presented as further conclusive proof of the utter speciousness
and hollowness of the Preterist’s isolated, pseudo-literal eisegesis of these so-called NT
“time” references (as teaching a particular “imminency” which requires . . .
necessitates . . . demands a first century fulfillment of all prophetic truth or promises
within the sphere of these “time” references—specifically, as of, or in, 70AD, in
connection with the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans).

“Partial” Preterists actually do not believe that all of “the words of the prophecy of this
book” of Revelation have been fulfilled as of, or in, 70AD, in connection with the
destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. Rather, they believe, e.g., that there is yet
a future second coming of Christ (actually a third coming, according to their scheme),
based on a few NT passages, including Rev. 20:7-9.

But the so-called “time” references of Rev. 1:1, 1:3, 22:6, and 22:10 do
not exclude such passages as Rev. 20:7-9, but rather encompass all prophetic truth of
the book of Revelation.

“Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave him to shew his servants things
which must shortly come to pass; and sending by his angel he signified it to his
servant John.” (Rev. 1:1)
“Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of the prophecy and
keep the things written in it; for the time is at hand.” (Rev. 1:3)
“And he said to me, These words are faithful and true; and the Lord God of the
spirits of the prophets hath sent his angel to shew his servants the things which
must come to pass shortly.” (Rev. 22:6)
“And he saith to me, Seal not the words of the prophecy of this book: for the time
is at hand.” (Rev. 22:10)

But even “partial” Preterists acknowledge that such prophetic words as Rev. 20:7-9
(which they take as a reference to the yet future second [actually, according to their
scheme, a third] coming of Christ), have yet to be fulfilled—not for the past 2,000
years! Thus, these so-called “time” references (shortly and at hand) allow for the
fulfillment of prophecy 2,000 or more years later—teaching an imminency which
does not require . . . necessitate . . . demand a first century fulfillment after all!

“Revelation 22:6 is passage #6 on DeMar’s list of ‘time indicators’ in Revelation . .

. . In contrast, Gentry cites Revelation 20:7-9 as a reference to the yet future
second [actually third] coming. This creates a contradiction within Gentry’s brand
of preterism. Since Revelation 22:6 refers to the whole book of Revelation, it
would be impossible to take tachos [soon, shortly] as a reference to A.D. 70 (as
 Gentry does) and at the same time hold that Revelation 20:7-9 teaches the
second [actually third] coming. Gentry must either adopt a view similar to futurism
[particularly as to the true significance of these so-called ‘time’ references] or shift
to the extreme preterist [and even more vacuous] view that understands the
entire book of Revelation as past history and thus eliminates any future second
coming and resurrection.”
“Since [Rev.] 22:10 is at the end of the book and refers to the total [prophetic]
message of Revelation, it is inconsistent to interpret part of the [prophetic]
message as having already been fulfilled and the other part [any part] as still
future. It is better to see eggus [at hand, near] as a term that teaches imminency
of a period of time that could begin to happen without the warning of signs.”—
Thomas Ice (Preterist “Time Texts,” pp. 105, 106, in The End Times
Controversy, Tim LaHaye & Thomas Ice (General Editors). Harvest House,
2003) [Bracketed comments mine.]

Now suppose that your dearest friend, your closest family member, or your beloved
spouse was preparing to depart on a trip, and when the day of his departure arrived he
bid you, “Let not your heart be troubled, for my return is at hand . . . I am coming back
soon, quickly.” Now what would you think of him and his comforting words if he actually
returned, not merely a few days or a few weeks or even a few months later, but (as he
always planned to) a year, two years, three years, four years, or five years later!!

Or suppose that your friend or family member implored you, begged you to lend him
your brand new car, telling you not worry and promising that he would return it shortly,
soon, quickly. You thus agree to let him borrow your brand new automobile. Now what
would you think of him and his reassuring words if he actually returned with your car,
not merely a few days or a few weeks or even a few months later, but (as he always
planned to) a year, two years, three years, four years, or five years later!!

What is the point of these illustrations? To demonstrate that the meaning which
Preterists seek to impose on these so-called “time” references, in their NT context, is
completely bogus, self-defeating, and could not possibly be true—even granting the
arbitrary and groundless pre-70AD date for the composition of the book of Revelation
“within a period of one to five years” prior to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem. For
the particular meaning which the Preterists would assign to these “time” references, in
their biblical context, have the effect of making God a liar (!!) and every Preterist man
true. “Far be the thought: but let God be true, and every [Preterist] man false.”

Yes, the Preterist’s isolated, pseudo-literal eisegesis of these so-called “time”

references proves too much (more than any professing Christian would ever wish to
“prove”!); but that which proves too much, proves nothing at all, except its own disproof!
The Preterist understanding, therefore, of the significance of these “time” references—
as teaching a particular “imminency” which requires . . . necessitates . . .
demands a first century fulfillment (not to mention a specific 70AD fulfillment!) of all
associated prophetic truth or promises—is utterly false.
Preterists would actually have to espouse, and prove (not merely speculate and
assume) a date of composition for the book of Revelation at mere days prior to its
fulfillment in connection with the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD (or certain
events leading up to it, which varies according to Preterist whims)—in order for their
view of these “time” references to have even a show or glimmer of plausibility for itself.
But even then, not only would all of the other scriptural facts established above and
throughout this paper contradict and refute this Preterist scheme—irrespective of where
the God-breathed book of Revelation is dated in the first century—but other, and earlier,
NT Epistles would do likewise, as they utilize the very same kind of so-called “time”
references.

“For yet a very little while He that comes will come, and will not delay.”
(Heb. 10:37)
“But the end of all things is drawn nigh: be sober therefore, and be watchful
unto prayers.” (1 Pet. 4:7)
“Let your mildness be known to all men. The Lord is near.” (Phil. 4:5)
“This also, knowing the time, that it is already time that we should be aroused out
of sleep; for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far
spent, and the day is near; let us cast away therefore the works of darkness,
and let us put on the armour of light.” (Rom. 13:11-12)
“But the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” (Rom. 16:20)
“Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts; for the coming of the Lord is at
hand. Murmur not, brethren, one against another, that ye be not judged. Behold,
the judge standeth before the door.” (James 5:8-9)

It seems that Preterists not only have to re-date the book of Revelation to
mere days prior to its fulfillment in connection with the Roman destruction of Jerusalem
(and necessarily “adjust,” accordingly, their mystical interpretation of many of the words
of the prophecy of this book), but they have to similarly re-date several other NT
Epistles as well! (Not that this would actually support the Preterist scheme anyway. For
Futurism/Dispensational Truth is not in the least dependent upon or affected by
such dating-setting.)

For there is a spread here of upwards of 20 years prior to 70AD (the composition of the
Epistle of James is dated by most at around 45-50AD). The two illustrations above may
now be revised accordingly, to indicate: “he returned, not merely a few days or a few
weeks or even a few months later, but (as he always planned to) a year, five years, ten
years, fifteen years, twenty years, or twenty-five years later!!”

Thus a spread of twenty-five years, fifteen years, five years, or only one year simply
does not square even with the Preterist’s own out-of-context meaning which he seeks
to foist upon these so-called “time” references (at hand, near, quickly, shortly, soon). It
boomerangs right back at him, delivering a fatal, smack-dab blow to his flighty head. (By
“out-of-context” we mean, in part, out of context to the true character of the position of
the heavenly people of God in Christ Jesus, His Body and Bride, and to the expectant
posture in which we have been set by His grace as partakers of the heavenly calling—
which will be developed briefly below.)

To all of this might be added another set of texts which, when viewed through Preterist
lenses, actually provides a spread of upwards of 40 years prior to 70AD; i.e., those texts
connected with the gospel of the kingdom which our Lord preached during His earthly
ministry (as did His disciples, and as did His forerunner, John the Baptist), heralding,
“Repent, for the kingdom of the heavens is at hand” (cf. Matt. 3:2; 4:17; 10:7; Mark
1:14-15; Luke 10:9,11). When this is viewed through Preterist lenses (for they reject the
truth of a “kingdom offer” to Israel conveyed in this gospel of the kingdom), we have the
preaching of the kingdom as “at hand” (or “near”) over 40 years prior to the
destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD, in which Preterists claim that the Son of Man
came on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory and established that very
kingdom (in a mysticalized manner, of course).

Further, this set of passages is completely immune to the obfuscations or manipulations

of any proposed re-dating of Matthew, Mark, and Luke that Preterists might conceivably
suggest. For it is not a matter at all of where the God-breathed Synoptic Gospels are
dated in the first century; rather, it is a matter of dating the historical events themselves
which these Gospels record. So it seems that Preterists now have to re-date, not only
several NT books, but the very historical events themselves in the earthly life of our
Lord, so as to have them take place mere days prior to the Roman destruction of
Jerusalem in 70AD! Impossible!!

The bottom line is that the kind of “imminency” which Preterists assign to these so-
called “time” references is self-defeating for the Preterist theory, and completely
unscriptural.

Such terminology really speaks to the position and expectant posture in which we,
the heavenly people of God, Christ’s Body and Bride, have been divinely placed and of
which we ought always give true heart-expression: toward the imminent—possible at
any moment—coming of our Beloved to take us everlastingly unto Himself to the
Father’s house—via the Pre-70th week Rapture.

“But I would not dwell further upon these points of contrast, only praying that we
may remember, day by day, that our place, the church's only right and
befitting place, is to wait for Christ from heaven. It is not judgments that we
expect to be in; it is not the hour of temptation we have to await and dread (Rev.
3: 10), for we shall be kept out of it in the grace of Christ. Our business is to
wait, as a heavenly bride, for our heavenly Bridegroom. Those who link the
church with earthly circumstances will be misled in their ways now, and at times
pass on miserably disappointed. Not so the hearts which the Spirit directs,
animates, and sustains in the longing cry, Come, Lord Jesus. May it be so
 with us, beloved, increasingly as the moment, unknown to us, draws
nearer! Amen."—William Kelly (Elements of Prophecy)

“ ‘The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come.’ Such
is the normal position, such the primary testimony which the church
renders. After that, it can turn towards others and say, ‘And let him that is athirst
come,’ for living waters already flow there; ‘and whosoever will,’ etc. But for
Christians this is the Spirit's last behest to the church pointing out her true
position. Her sentiments are based upon her relationships to Christ, and
the Spirit demands that those who hear should be in unison with this desire
of His heart. Is it wrong to engage those who have heard the voice of the
good Shepherd, to take the position of the bride and to join in the cry,
‘Come’? But the doctrines of the presence of the Holy Spirit here below in the
Church, and of the return of Christ, are identified with its unity upon earth, with
the position of bride, or rather of her who here below is espoused to be
presented as a chaste virgin unto Christ, and with the desire of His coming,
which detaches us from all that is not of Him, and attaches us entirely,
exclusively, to Himself.”—J.N. Darby (The Collected Writings of J.N. Darby,
Vol. 1, pp. 304-305)

True biblical Imminency does not mean that He must come for His heavenly Bride at
any moment, but that He may come for her at any moment. It is imminent at all times to
the not-of-this-world Church, and certain at one time to God (hidden in His eternal
counsels). And as the Rapture is thus imminent/at hand, then everything that will come
to pass thereafter may likewise be said, as a whole, to be imminent/at hand. For the
imminent coming of the Lord Jesus to rapture His heavenly people—to remove them
from this world unto their home with Him in Heaven—triggers the onset all of
subsequent events.

"In Daniel's time, expressly to Daniel himself, the book was to be sealed [Dan.
12:4], and even the old oracles were sealed then: not so John's. 'And he saith
unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand'
[Rev. 22:10]. In Daniel's time it was not at hand. But now Christ is come [First
Advent], and is dead, risen, and glorified. To the church the end is always
near. In her own course, and in the matters of her portion, the church does
not know time at all. All that instinctively belongs to the body of Christ is
unearthly and unworldly. The church is heavenly; and in heaven are no
times or seasons. There may be lights of the heaven to mark times and
seasons for the earth; and to the lamp of prophecy we do well to pay heed.
But the church consists of souls called out from the earth, and is not of the
world: consequently to the Christian the time is always at hand. When Christ
at God's right hand was announced even from the very beginning, He was ready
to judge the quick and the dead. He remains in this condition of readiness
from the time when He sat at God's right hand till the present. The church
goes on according to the will of the Lord, who might according to His own
purpose lengthen or abridge the space. It is entirely in God's hand, and in
none other's. Whereas for the [earthly] Jew, there are necessary dates and
momentous changes that must take place; and hence, as Daniel represents the
Jew, we have the difference kept up. To the Christian this book [of Revelation] is
not sealed. All is opened, and this because we have the Holy Ghost dwelling in
us; 'for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.’ ”—William
Kelly (Introductory Lectures on the Revelation)
"But he [John] adds more [in Rev. 22:10], and a very important thought it is,
practically, for God's children. You may remember in the last chapter of Daniel it
is written (verse 4), 'But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book,
even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be
increased.' Now mark in what a wonderful place God has put His church, as
we gather from comparing Revelation 22.
"He was sending His word to the most favoured man that could be found among
all the favoured prophets of the Old Testament—'a man greatly beloved.' But
although there had been given him so plain and distinct a prophecy of Christ's
coming and death, other words were added, as to which it was said, 'But thou, O
Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book even to the time of the end.' Here
the same Spirit addresses John, and says to him, 'Seal not the words of the
prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand' (verse 10). How comes this to
pass? The whole calling of the church is at the time of the end. From the
day that the church began its actual existence here below, it was the time of
the end; and all through her history, still it is the time of the end. Of course I
do not mean that it is distinctively the time of the end for the Jews, who must wait
for the development of all on the platform of literal facts; but therein lies the
peculiarity of the church's calling. She is above times and seasons, though
she knows them [cf. 1 Thess. 5:1]; she has nothing to do with dates, or
signs, or outward events, any more than with the world, of whose history
they are the natural and necessary accompaniment. The church is lifted up
above such a scene; she is heavenly. Such is the place where we are put by
the grace of God, entirely outside all the computations which refer to the
government of this world.
"As for the Jew, of whom Daniel was the type, he must wait till the time of the end
is historically come, till the knowledge is given by God to those who have
understanding then. Until that time all is sealed up for Israel. This is not the
case with the church represented by John. To him it is said, 'Seal not the
words of the prophecy of this book.'
“But here is the error made by many excellent persons. Sir Isaac Newton, a man
of the highest reputation in human science, applied this shutting up and sealing of
the book in Daniel to the church. The consequence was that he gave it up as a
thing that could not be understood till the time of the end. Had he compared the
passage in Daniel with the closing words of St. John's Revelation, he would have
learnt that the very words that were hidden from the Jewish prophet are expressly
opened to the Christian. If Daniel was to seal, John is expressly told not to seal.
And why? Because Christ had come, and is gone into heaven, and is on the right
hand of God, ready to judge quick and dead; He was rejected, and from that
moment it is morally the time of the end. And so the New Testament writers
speak. The apostle John says, 'Little children, it is the last time;' Peter
writes, 'The end of all things is at hand;' James, 'The Judge standeth before
the door.' So wrote St. Paul: 'Now all these things happened unto them as
ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends
of the world are come' {or ends of the ages are met}. And so Heb. 9:26.
Thus you have substantially the same great truth from the Epistles of Paul,
of Peter, and of James, down to the Revelation."
"This it is, I conceive, that is supposed, when John is told not to shut up the
words of the prophecy of this book. It is to be used and understood now in virtue
of the knowledge of Christ and with the Holy Ghost given by Christ as an unction
whereby we know all things. To us the time is always at hand. The words of
this book are not sealed to us; so that it is unbelief, if instead of taking the book
as it were to Christ who is the light to reveal this as all else, we submit it to the
world and its wisdom which can but darken. This, I doubt not, is the root and
reason of the mistakes and difficulties so prevalent with regard to the
interpretation of the book. In order to understand this and every other part of
scripture, I must see what God is doing for the glory of His Son. As a Christian I
am encouraged to read the prophecy: its sayings are not sealed to those who
have the mind of Christ. If I were a Jew, I should have to wait till the time of the
end arrive in the full prophetic sense, i.e., the end of the age. Then the wise
among the Jews shall understand; they are the godly intelligent remnant. With
such a remnant in principle (called, it is true, into better hopes) the church
began."—William Kelly (Lectures on the Book of Revelation)

“Furthermore, the time is said, and said repeatedly (Rev. 1, 22), to be at

hand; and this as a reason why its sayings were not sealed to John as they were
to Daniel {12:4}. The work of redemption being done, Christ gone on high, and
the Spirit sent down to be in the Christian and the church, the time of the end is
always near to us, as the Lord is ready to judge the quick and the dead. Still
the ground taken from first to last is, not that we are in the scenes of the
prophecy, but that "the time is at hand," not present. It is very possible that
the prophetic warning it contains may be the divine preservative against the sins
which at length draw down the closing strokes of God's wrath on the apostasy of
Christendom. Into this worst, this rebellious, corruption the professing mass sink
during, if not before, the hour of temptation {trial} which is to try them that dwell
on the earth {Rev. 3:10}. Out of this hour the Lord has pledged Himself to
preserve such as keep the word of His patience. The faithful, His church, will not
be in that hour or scene. The Lord keep this promise, full of comfort, before our
souls!"—William Kelly (Elements of Prophecy)

“The whole outlook of this current age is built upon the imminency of our
Lord's return, which will at last trigger the final week of years for which
Daniel so longed. Therefore, the events of the book of Revelation are said ‘to be
at hand’—that is, they are to be the next season of events that will occur. God will
not intervene with another new program like the church. We can be sure that the
 next phase of history is the Tribulation and then the millennial kingdom. John F.
Walvoord is correct when he says, ‘The expression ‘at hand’ indicates nearness
from the standpoint of prophetic revelation, not necessarily that the event will
immediately occur . . . . The time period in which the tremendous consummation
of the ages is to take place, according to John's instruction, is near. The
indeterminate period assigned to the church is the last dispensation before
end-time events and, in John's day as in ours, the end is always impending
because of the imminent return of Christ at the rapture with the ordered
sequence of events to follow.’
“Revelation is not the only book to speak about future events as imminent and ‘at
hand.' Paul admonishes godly living in light of the fact that the ‘night is almost
gone, and the day is near’ (Romans 13:12). Peter says, ‘The end of all things is
near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer"
(1 Peter 4:7). This passage also makes the best sense when ‘at hand’ is
understood to mean ‘overhanging’ or ‘the next imminent event.’ As in Romans
13:12, this also means that the practical admonitions to live a godly life are still in
effect, since the end of all things has not yet come.
“James joins the chorus of John, Paul, and Peter in his admonition that ‘you too
be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near’ (James
5:8). Were believers only supposed to be patient towards those who wronged
them until the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70? Of course not! This passage
is speaking about a still-future return of our Lord. Because it is imminent, ongoing
patience is required by believers in our day.”—Thomas Ice (Preterist “Time
Texts,” pp. 107-108, in The End Times Controversy, Tim LaHaye & Thomas
Ice (General Editors). Harvest House, 2003) [Emphasis mine.]

We close this section with a very fitting extract on Romans 16:20—“But the God of
peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ be with you.”

“In this verse believers have been given the wonderful promise that our war with
Satan will shortly come to a complete and final end, with Satan totally vanquished
and with God’s saints sharing in the glorious victory.”
“When will this great defeat of Satan take place? It will happen ‘shortly, quickly,
suddenly, soon.’ Believers are encouraged by the fact that the battle, though
difficult, will not be long. We can expect it to be soon. Satan’s time is short and
his defeat is certain.
“Prophetically we know that at the mid-point of the tribulation Satan will be cast
out of the third heaven and execute his fury upon the earth, knowing that his time
is short (Rev. 12:12). He knows his doom is impending. Three and a half years
later he will be cast into the abyss . . . . His final and ultimate doom is described
in Revelation 20:10 (and compare Matthew 25:41).
“When Paul wrote to the Romans, Satan had not yet been [experientially]
defeated, nor is this the case today (1 Pet. 5:8-9; 1 John 4:4). Believers of the
first century, as well as believers today, are joyfully expecting the imminent return
of Christ (Tit. 2:13; Rom. 13:11; 1 Cor. 1:7; etc.). We know that once this event
takes place (which may be at any time), Satan’s defeat will soon follow. It is from
the perspective of imminency that we may speak of Satan’s defeat as ‘soon.’
Believers of any period of church history should be encouraged by the fact of
Christ’s soon coming and Satan’s soon defeat!
“This Greek phrase ‘soon’ or ‘shortly’ is also found in Revelation 1:1 and 22:6
—‘the things which must shortly come to pass.’ . . . Romans 16:20 serves as an
argument against such thinking [i.e., against the thinking of Preterists]. Obviously
Satan is an active and dangerous foe today and he has not yet received his
[experientially] crushing and defeating blow, even though it has been nearly 2000
years since Paul promised that this would soon take place! And yet, from the
perspective of believers both then and now, this event may be anticipated to take
place ‘shortly.’
“I wrote to, Gary DeMar, a very prominent author, anti-dispensationalist and
defender of the view that says that most prophecies have been fulfilled in the
past, in or around 70 A.D. I simply asked him when he believed Satan would be
crushed in light of Romans 16:20. I also asked him if he thought this has already
taken place in 70 A.D. Here is his response:
The primary reference is the Roman Christians to whom Paul is writing
("your feet" not "their feet," that is, not the feet of people who were not
alive when Paul wrote his letter). The crushing is to take place "soon."
"Soon" means "soon." Since nearly 2000 years have passed, whatever
Paul was describing, it is history. Satan could refer to the apostate Jews
who Revelation describes as a "synagogue of Satan" (Rev. 2:9; 3:9), the
same ones that Jesus describes as being related to the Devil in John 8:44
("ye are of your father the devil"). The Jews were the ones "who both killed
the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove us out," Paul writes. "They
are not pleasing to God, but hostile to all men, hindering us from speaking
to the Gentiles that they might be saved, with the result that they always
fill up the measure of their sins. But wrath has come upon them to the
utmost" (1 Thess. 2:14-16). This "wrath" might be Paul’s crushing
mataphor. (5/21/01)
“Notice that DeMar, in seeking to understand ‘soon’ [via his isolated, pseudo-
literal, Preterist eisegesis] . . . is forced to understand the verse in a very non-
literal way. He says that ‘soon’ means ‘soon’ but then goes on to explain that
Satan does not really mean Satan but it is merely a metaphor for the unbelieving
Jews who will be crushed in 70 A.D. This is typical of the preterist position. By
insisting that most prophecies find their fulfillment in the first century they are
forced to understand most prophecies in a very non-literal way. (See our
booklet, The Great Tribulation—Future or Fulfilled?)—George W. Zeller
[Bracketed comments mine.]
 CONCLUSION

Our Lord gave the following warning in Luke 21 of the Olivet Discourse: “See that ye be
not led astray, for many shall come in my name, saying, I am he, and the time is
drawn nigh: go ye not therefore after them.” (Luke 21:8)

The Lord Jesus warns of these false christs, who claim “I am He.” But why does our
Lord make a point of mentioning their other claim, i.e., that the time is “at hand”?
Why should that be a clear indication (to those who will live during the Tribulation
Period/70th week of Daniel) of the blasphemous counterfeit claims of these false christs
on earth? For the very simple reason that, if the true Christ had actually returned to this
earth, the results would be universally, unmistakably and incontrovertibly evident . . . the
time would no longer be, and could no longer be said to be, merely “at hand” . . . the
time would have actually arrived . . . His literal, world-wide Kingdom—precisely as
promised and depicted in the OT prophetic word—would be installed and underway!
(with all living unbelievers having been judged and purged off the face of the earth,
leaving no more room for the competing claims of false christs!).

There is a principle in this warning of our Lord that may be applied today—i.e., prior to
the days of the future Tribulation Period/70th week of Daniel (with no implication that
Preterists themselves are false christs, though their teachings are indeed false, in
peddling a preterized date-setting scheme): see that ye be not led astray . . . go ye not
therefore after Preterist mysticalizers . . . go ye not after modern-day Hymenaeus and
Philetus: men who concerning the truth went astray . . . and overthrow the faith of
some. For if the Lord indeed returned to this earth in 70AD, the results would be
universally, unmistakably and incontrovertibly evident!

“Preterism rises and falls upon the validity of the preterists' so-called ‘time texts.’
Once preterists have confidently [and baselessly] asserted that the texts are
related to A.D. 70, they use that starting point to expand their preterist [and
mysticalizing] framework, until it has swallowed up the entire New Testament
[and Old Testament]. However . . . their starting point—the ‘time texts’—is not
valid. . . . If the infection is stopped at its source, then there is no danger of the
gangrene spreading throughout the rest of the body.”—Thomas Ice (Preterist
“Time Texts,” p. 108, in The End Times Controversy, Tim LaHaye & Thomas
Ice (General Editors). Harvest House, 2003) [Bracketed comments mine.]

“Let not your heart be troubled . . . I am coming again and shall receive you to Myself,
that where I am ye also may be.” (John 14:1a, 3b)

"Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice . . . . The Lord is near." (Phil. 4:4-5)
"And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come. . . . [And in
the last utterance of the breath of inspiration:] He that testifies these things says, Yea, I
come quickly. Amen; Come, Lord Jesus." (Rev. 22:17a, 20)

“Ever keep, brethren beloved, according to this charity, the doctrine which is
connected with the cross and resurrection of Jesus—the justification of the
believer and of the church; and seek to awaken the church from her torpor,
by the doctrine of her position as the bride of the Lamb—one and
beloved. Take for a banner this testimony of the Spirit—‘The Spirit and the
bride say, Come!’ such is the desire, which comes out of the fulness of the
heart. Encourage in grace (for this is all in grace) those who hear, but who have
not the persuasion of being the bride of Christ, to come and join their cry to yours
and to say with you, Come! And certainly if the heart has entered into the love of
Christ in secret, the same Spirit which has made you taste the joy of His love, will
make you turn toward the world, and say in the consciousness of that joy and of
the possession of those living waters, ‘And let him that is athirst come; and
whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.’
“The same Spirit which makes us enjoy Christ and desire His coming, urges us to
call others to the same enjoyment. In fact, this verse (Rev. 22:17) is the
expression of the position of the church and of the presence of the Holy
Spirit; but it has been left to her as a last testimony, on the part of the Lord,
in order to define that position.
“The thought of the coming of Christ and the persuasion of our obligations to Him,
as Bridegroom, give to our souls and to our testimony an energy which nought
else could give. He who recognises the Holy Spirit down here, soul of the unity of
the church which is the body and bride of Christ, witness of His glory on high, and
consequently ardently—yes, ardently—desiring His return, will not cease on this
account to enjoy that third great truth which is the foundation of the others—
Christ delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification. On the
contrary, he will enjoy it the more, he will understand it the better. But to avail
oneself of the last named truth in order to deny the others, is at least to provoke
God to take from us the strength even of that which we desire to retain.”—J.N.
Darby (The Collected Writings

The word “eschatology” derives from the Greek word, eschatos, meaning
“last.” It has to do with the biblical doctrine of “last” or “end-of-time” things.
The term embraces such matters as the return of Christ, the end of the world, the
day of judgment, and the resurrection of the dead.

One philosophy of eschatology is known as “preterism.” The term “preter”

issues from an original form meaning “past.” Preterism, therefore, is an
interpretive ideology which views major portions of Bible prophecy,
traditionally associated with the termination of earth’s history, as having been
fulfilled already.

But the term preterism is flexible. Some scholars, for instance, have dated the
book of Revelation in the late sixties A.D. They contend that virtually the whole
of the Apocalypse, therefore, was fulfilled by A.D. 70—when Judaism was
destroyed by the invading Roman armies.

A more moderate form of preterism moves the fulfillment of Revelation forward

somewhat. These scholars hold that while Revelation was penned near the end
of the first century, the major focus of the book is upon the fall of the Roman
Empire (A.D. 476). Consequently they feel there is little beyond that date that is
previewed in the final book of the New Testament.

While we do not agree with either of these concepts of the book of Revelation,
we consider them to be relatively harmless. They represent ideas upon which
good men can honestly disagree with no significant error being involved.

On the other hand, there is a form of preterism that is quite heretical. This
theory argues that all Bible prophecy has been fulfilled. Nothing remains on
the prophetic calendar.

This radical preterism was championed by James Stuart Russell (1816-95), a

Congregational clergyman in England. Russell authored a book titled, The
Parousia, (from a Greek word meaning “coming” or “presence”), which first
appeared in 1878.

Russell set forth the idea that the second coming of Christ, the judgment day,
etc., are not future events at the end of the current dispensation. Rather,
prophecies relating to these matters were fulfilled with Jerusalem’s fall in A.D.
70. There is, therefore, no future “second coming” of Christ. Moreover, there
will be no resurrection of the human body. Also, the final judgment and the
end of the world have occurred already—with the destruction of Jerusalem.

Advocates of this bizarre dogma claim that the preterist movement is growing
wildly. It probably is expanding some—though likely not as prolifically as its
apologists would like everyone to believe.

Occasionally the sect will get a thrust when a prominent name becomes
identified with it. For example, noted theologian R. C. Sproul has apparently
thrown his hat into the preterist ring—at least to some degree. He characterized
J. S. Russell’s book as “one of the most important treatments on Biblical
eschatology that is available to the church today” (quoted in The Christian
News 1999, 17).

Radical preterism (also known as “realized eschatology” or the “A.D. 70

doctrine”) is so off the wall—biblically speaking—that one wonders how
anyone ever falls for it. But they do. And, as exasperating as it is, the doctrine
needs to be addressed from time to time. One writer, in reviewing the A.D. 70
heresy, recently quipped that dealing with radical preterism is like cleaning the
kitty litter box; one hates to fool with it, but it has to be done. He can just be
thankful that cats aren’t larger than they are.

The Basis for the Dogma

Preterists strive for consistency in their view of Bible prophecy. The goal is
admirable. But when a series of propositions is linked and they are grounded on
the same faulty foundation, when one of them topples—like dominos in a line—
they all fall. So it is with the A.D. 70 theory.

Here is the problem. In studying the New Testament material relative to the
“coming” of Christ, preterists note the following.

1. There are passages which seem to speak of the nearness of the Lord’s
coming—from a first-century vantage point (cf. James 5:8).
2. They observe that there are texts which indicate a “coming” in connection
with the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 (cf. Matthew 24:30).
3. Combining these, they conclude that the Savior’s “second coming” must
have transpired in A.D. 70.
4. Furthermore, since the Scriptures are clear as to the fact that the
resurrection of the dead, the judgment day, and the end of the world will
all occur on the day the Lord returns, the advocates of realized
eschatology are forced to “spiritualize” these several happenings,
contending that all will take place at the same time. In this “interpretive”
process, a whole host of biblical terms must be redefined in order to make
them fit the scheme.

And so, while preterists attempt to be consistent, it is nonetheless a sad reality

that they are consistently wrong!
Prophetic Imminence
A major fallacy of the preterist mentality is a failure to recognize the elasticity
of chronological jargon within the context of biblical prophecy. It is a rather
common trait in prophetic language that an event, while literally in the remote
future, may be described as near. The purpose in this sort of language is to
emphasize the certainty of the prophecy’s fulfillment.

Obadiah, for instance, foretold the final day of earth’s history. Concerning that
event, he said: “For the day of Jehovah is near upon all the nations” (Obad. 15).
This cannot refer to some local judgment, because “all nations” are to be
involved. And yet, the event is depicted as near.

There are numerous prophecies of this nature, including passages like James 5:8
—“the coming of the Lord is at hand.” James could not have been predicting the
literally imminent return of the Savior, for such knowledge was not made
available to the Lord’s penmen. Not even Jesus himself knew of the time of his
return to earth (Mt. 24:36).

The Components Explained and Briefly Refuted

Let us give brief consideration to the four eschatological events that are
supposed to have occurred in A.D. 70—the Lord’s second coming, the
resurrection of the dead, the day of judgment, and the end of the world.

The Comings of Christ

First, was there a sense in which Christ “came” to folks at various times and
places?

Yes, and no serious student of the Bible denies this. Jesus “came” on the day of
Pentecost via the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (see Jn. 14:18). The coming
was representative, not literal.

The Lord warned the brethren in Ephesus that if they did not repent, he would
come to them in judgment, and they would forfeit their identity as a faithful
congregation (Rev. 2:5).

In describing the horrible judgment to be inflicted upon rebellious Jerusalem,

Jesus, employing imagery from the Old Testament, spoke of his “coming” in
power and glory (Mt. 24:30). Again, this was a representative coming by
means of the Roman forces (cf. Mt. 22:7). Verse thirty-four of Matthew 24
clearly indicates that this event was to occur before that first-century generation
passed away. For further consideration of this point, see the essay on Matthew
24.

The Lord’s “second coming,” however, will be as visibly apparent as his

ascension back into heaven was (Acts 1:11). Indeed, he will be “revealed” (2
Thes. 1:7) or “appear” to all (2 Tim. 4:1; Heb. 9:28).

It is a mistake of horrible proportions to confuse the symbolic comings of

Christ with the second coming (cf. Heb. 9:28). And this is what the preterists do.

No Literal Resurrection

Secondly, it is utterly incredible that the preterists should deny the eventual
resurrection of the human body—just as the Sadducees did twenty centuries ago
(Acts 23:8). The entire fifteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians was written to counter
this error: “How say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead
[ones – plural]?” (1 Cor. 15:12).

But those who subscribe to the notion of realized eschatology spiritualize the
concept of the resurrection, alleging that such references are merely to the
emergence of the church from an era of anti-Christian persecution. In other
words, it is the resurrection of a cause, not a resurrection of people.

The theory is flawed in several particulars, but consider these two points:

First, the Scriptures speak of the resurrection as involving both the good and
the evil, the just and the unjust (Dan. 12:2; Jn. 5:28-29; Acts 24:15). Where,
in the preterist scheme of things, is the resurrection of the “evil”? Was the
“cause” of evil to emerge at the same time as the “cause” of truth?

Second, as noted above, the resurrection contemplated in 1 Corinthians 15 has

to do with the raising of “dead ones” (masculine, plural)—not an abstract
“cause” (neuter, singular).

Significantly, the bodily resurrection of Jesus is cited as a precursor to the

general resurrection—in this very context (1 Cor. 15:20, 23). Christ charged that
those who deny the resurrection of the body are ignorant of both the Scriptures
and the power of God (Mt. 22:29).
No Final Judgment Day

The Bible speaks of a coming “day of judgment” (Mt. 11:22). Preterists limit
this to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans.

But the theory simply does not fit the facts. The devastation of A.D. 70
involved only the Jews. The final day of judgment will embrace the entire
human family—past, present, and future (Acts 17:31). The citizens of ancient
Nineveh will be present on the day of judgment (see Mt. 12:41), as will other
pagan peoples.

But these folks were not in Jerusalem in A.D. 70. How can clear passages of this
nature be ignored?

Here is an interesting thought. When Paul defended his case before the Roman
governor, Felix, he spoke of “the judgment to come,” and the ruler was
“terrified” (Acts 24:25). Why would a Roman be terrified with reference to the
impending destruction of Judaism—when he would be on the winning side, not
the losing one?

The End of the World

According to the preterists, the “end of the world,” as this expression is

employed in Bible prophecy, does not allude to the destruction of this planet.
Rather, “world” has reference to the Jewish world, thus, the end of the Jewish
age. This, they allege, occurred in A.D. 70.

But this view simply is not viable. Consider these two brief but potent points.

The responsibilities of the Great Commission—to teach and immerse lost souls
—was commensurate with that era preceding the “end of the world” (Mt. 28:18-
20). If the end of the world occurred in A.D. 70, then the Lord’s Commission is
valid no longer. This conclusion, of course, is absurd.

Next, in the parable of the tares, Jesus taught that at “the end of the world” the
“tares” (i.e., evil ones) would be removed from his kingdom and burned (Mt.
13:39-40). Did that transpire with the destruction of Judaism? It did not.

The notion that the end of the world is past already is false.
The dogma of preterism—or realized eschatology—is erroneous from beginning
to end. For a more detailed consideration of this matter, see our book, The A.D.
70 Theory.

A Common Method of Propagation

The doctrine of preterism is so radically unorthodox that its advocates realize
that their efforts to win converts represent a formidable task. Consequently, they
have developed a covert strategy that seeks to quietly spread their novel dogma
until such a time when congregational take-overs can be effected. The
distinctive traits of this discipling methodology are as follows.

 It is alleged that this system represents an attractive, consistent method of

interpretation. But there is no virtue in consistency, if one is consistently
wrong!
 Preterists criticize what they call “traditional” views of interpreting Bible
prophecy. They suggest they have a new, exciting approach to the
Scriptures—with a spiritual thrust. Of course the “new” is always
intriguing to some.
 The messengers of realized eschatology frequently are secretive in their
approach. They select only the most promising candidates with whom to
share their ideas. Eventually, then, the A.D. 70 theory will be woven
subtly into classes, sermons, etc.
 When ultimately confronted relative to their teachings and methods, they
will argue that eschatological issues are merely a matter of opinion and
that divergent views—especially theirs—should be tolerated. This, of
course, ignores plain biblical implications on these themes (cf. 2 Tim.
2:16-18; 2 Pet. 3:16). If church leaders fall for this ploy, more time is
gained for the indoctrination of the entire congregation.

Conclusion
Wise church leaders will inform themselves relative to the theory of radical
preteristic eschatology. If such ideas are discovered to be circulating within a
local church, the proponents of such doctrines should be dealt with quickly and
firmly. It is a serious matter.