Scholarly Research

Chronicles of the Apocalypse

The Early Date of Revelation (written before AD 70)

Was Revelation written in Nero’s reign? (AD 60s) or Domitian’s reign? (AD 90s). The answer has important implications on the various views of Revelation.

Summary of the Early Date for Revelation
This is a series of about 6 posts by Adam Marschalk. The link starts with the first post, and then you can follow the links at the end of each post for the next post.

Before Jerusalem Fell
By Kenneth Gentry
The single best book on the dating of the book of Revelation. You’ve been taught that the book was written during Domitian’s reign, around AD 95. But this is completely false. The book of Revelation was written during Nero’s reign, and Gentry proves it from multiple biblical and historical sources. This is crucial to understanding the interpretation of Revelation. Get it and you’ll see why.

Redating the New Testament
by John A.T. Robinson
This is an important resource because it is written by a famous liberal textual scholar, but he proves that all the books of the New Testament, including Revelation, were written before A.D. 70 when Jerusalem was wiped out by Roman armies. This is important because it supports that Revelation predicted THAT fall of Jerusalem, not a future disaster to us.

The Early Christians in Ephesus and the Date of Revelation Again
by Mark Wilson
This essay examines Trebilco’s evidence for a late date and shows its ‘certainty’ is much more tenuous than Trebilco credits. Rather, this evidence is often contradictory and circular. Alternative interpretations of the data are considered with additional factors examined. The essay concludes that the historical and literary evidence instead favors an early date of around C.E. 69 rather than the late date.

Recommended FREE BOOKS on Revelation Issues

The Beast of Revelation
By Kenneth Gentry
The single best book on the topic of the Beast in Revelation. He covers everything, including the Mark of the Beast and who the Beast really was. Spoiler: He was Nero.

Rapture Fever
By Gary North
This book not only analyzes the unbiblical doctrine of the rapture, but it critiques the Dispensational system of end times that has proven itself wrong over and over again. Though this book is 25 years old, it is still relevant for today!

The Great Tribulation
By David Chilton
A great scholarly introduction to the issues of the Great Tribulation and the End Times from an orthodox preterist perspective.

Days of Vengeance
By David Chilton
A commentary on the book of Revelation from an orthodox preterist perspective.

The Seventy Weeks and the Great Tribulation
By Philip Mauro
A Study of the Last Two Visions of Daniel, and of the Olivet Discourse of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is a classic book that interprets the Danielic prophecies through a preterist lens as opposed to the Premillennial or Dispensational interpretation. Boy, does this reveal how distorted much of modern day prophecy teaching really is.

Antichrist
By Ernest Renan
Including the period from the arrival of Paul in Rome to the end of the Jewish Revolution. I used this classic book as a resource for my historical material in Chronicles of the Apocalypse.

FREE Articles on Revelation Issues

The Man of Lawlessness
By Kenneth Gentry
A fascinating article that aligns with the interpretation used in Chronicles of the Apocalypse.

The Mark of the Beast
By Gary DeMar
This is an excellent article that gives a compelling explanation for what the mark of the beast meant to first century Israelites to whom Revelation was written.

Daniel’s Seventy Weeks: A Study of Daniel 9:24-27
Part one of five parts. See the web page for following articles.
By Kenneth Gentry
Excellent article about Daniel’s 70 weeks. This demolishes the Dispensational interpretation so popular in evangelicalism.

A Brief Theological Analysis of Hyper-preterism
By Kenneth Gentry
This article explains why full preterism or hyper-preterism is not biblical.

Preterist Archive
This is a massive website with way too many resources:-). It covers many viewpoints including full preterism or hyper-preterism, which I do not subscribe to. But do not be afraid or avoid something just because you disagree with some things. Besides, it is good to expose yourself to the many viewpoints on this website. They even have articles from Dispensationalists and Premillennialists, so it is all about dialogue.

Persecution of the Early Church

The Early Persecutions of the Christians
by Leon Hardy Canfield
A free classic book detailing the persecutions of the early Church. A source used for the Chronicles of the Apocalypse.

The Early Days of Christianity
by Frederic Farrar
Another free classic book that includes some fascinating information on the Neronic persecutions as depicted in the Chronicles of the Apocalypse.

Persecution in the Early Church
by Herbert Workman
Another free classic book used as a source for Chronicles of the Apocalypse.

Antichrist
By Ernest Renan
Including the period from the arrival of Paul in Rome to the end of the Jewish Revolution. I used this classic book as a resource for my historical material in Chronicles of the Apocalypse.

Fatal Charades: Roman Executions Staged as Mythological Enactments
By K.M. Coleman
Free Article used as the basis for the fatal charades portrayed in Tyrant: Rise of the Beast.

A Historical Evaluation of the Evidence for the Death of the Apostles as Martyrs for their Faith
By Sean McDowell
This is a free thesis that was the basis for Sean’s new book, The Fate of the Apostles. I used this as a factual resource for Chronicles of the Apocalypse.

Did Jerusalem Christians Flee to Pella?
J. Julius Scott
Free Article. Evidence from biblical, historical, archaeological and critical studies. This is important because it proves that Jesus’ warning for them to flee the coming destruction of Jerusalem in Matthew 24 came true in AD 70.

Fleeing Forward: The Departure of Christians from Jerusalem to Pella
By P.H.R. van Houwelingen
A free scholarly article about the Christian flight to Pella. This is important because it proves that Jesus’ warning for them to flee the coming destruction of Jerusalem in Matthew 24 came true in AD 70.

The Origin and Significance of the Flight to Pella Tradition
by Craig Koester
Koester examines the evidence for the Christian flight to Pella and answers the arguments against it by Gerd Lüdemann.

The Roman Imperial Cult and Revelation
By Michael Naylor
This is an important free article because the Roman Imperial Cult was the mark of the Beast as depicted in Chronicles of the Apocalypse, so this shows how that imprint of ownership was related to the seven churches in Revelation.

The Emperor Nero Caesar

The Life and Principate of the Emperor Nero
By Bernhard Henderson
A free classic book about Nero.

Nero, the Christians and the Jews in Tacitus and Clement of Rome 
By Paul Kereszetes
An article on the connection of Nero and the Christians in the Biblical context.

Premium Online Course of the End Times

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Are We Living in the Last Days?:
The Truth About End Times Bible Prophecy

10 Intense Controversial Lectures by Brian Godawa
Powerpoint Videos with Powerful Visuals

You can watch online whenever you want, as often as you want for as long as you want!

There are so many Christians teaching outrageous things about Bible Prophecy these days. It’s enough to frustrate the serious Bible student. What would you think if you found out most all of it is simply mistaken? What if you found out that the ancient mindset of the Jewish writers was influenced by the Old Testament imagery of the past, and not a crystal ball gaze into our modern future? What if you found out that everything that modern prophecy pundits are looking for, Antichrist, The Beast, the Tribulation, the Rapture, was not what they thought it was, but something different?

These lectures of Bible Prophecy and the End Times deconstructs the popular “Left Behind” interpretation and reveals a redemptive historical preterist view of the Book of Revelation and the Olivet Discourse of Matthew 24.
Includes lots of colorful and helpful Powerpoint visuals, charts, pictures, and film clips for a much richer presentation of the material.

  1. Beginning of the End
  2. Israel in Prophecy
  3. The Last Days
  4. The Rapture
  5. The Great Tribulation
  6. AntiChrist
  7. The Beast
  8. The Coming of Christ
  9. The Millennium Part 1
  10. The Millennium Part 2

This is not newspaper exegesis, but intense Bible study. Guaranteed to inspire your love for God’s Word and His promises to His people.

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  • 2 FREE Bonus videos on Ezekiel 38 & 39: The Gog and Magog Prophecy by End Times expert Gary DeMar.
  • PLUS A free PDF of a Preterist Overview of the Book of Revelation by End Times expert Kenneth Gentry.
  • PLUS You will also get a FREE ebook of End Times Bible Prophecy: It’s Not What They Told You by Brian Godawa.
  • PLUS a FREE 100 page PDF booklet, “Matthew 24 Fulfilled: Biblical and Historical Sources,” by Brian Godawa.
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Recommended Best Resources to Purchase

American Vision
Gary DeMar and other authors
Basically, everything these guys publish on the End Times is FANTASTIC. I have bought every one of these books. Check out their video teachings too.

Kenneth L. Gentry
This is Ken Gentry’s website. I have everything this scholar has written on the End Times and you should too. He is the premiere scholar of orthodox preterism in my opinion, and when his commentary on Revelation comes out in 2017, it will be a game changer in Revelation studies.

Critiques of Full Preterism

I offer these links to good books that critique full preterism because when people discover orthodox preterism, they sometimes get pulled into this heterodox teaching that says ALL prophecies were fulfilled in AD 70. even the return of Christ and the Resurrection. The authors below reject full preterism and explain why it is unbiblical as opposed to partial preterism or orthodox preterism or even redemptive historical preterism. This orthodox view holds that there is still a return of Christ and Resurrection in our future.

Have We Missed the Second Coming: A Critique of the Hyper-preterist Error
By Kenneth Gentry
The hyper-preterist movement teaches that Jesus’ second coming occurred in the first century when the Jewish temple was destroyed in AD 70.  And that the great resurrection occurred at the same time. And that the resurrection body is spiritual rather than physical. And that the judgment of men occurred in AD 70 as well. And many other errors are gradually developing as it “integrates downward into the void” (to use an apt Van Til phrase). Hyper-preterism is a new theological construct in evangelical circles. It has developed a rather enthusiastic and combative body of followers. What they lack in numbers, they more than make up for in noise. This book offers a brief introduction, summary, and critique of the system. Don’t let your church and Christian friends be blindfolded to this new error. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.

We Shall All Be Changed: A Critique of Full (Hyper) Preterism
By Joel McDurmon
This is fantastic biblical scholarship. One of my favorites. Joel is a strong biblical exegete and sharp mind and a good writer. Was all Bible prophecy fulfilled in AD 70? Did the final resurrection of the dead, the end of the millennium, and the final coming of Christ take place in the first century?

Why I Left Full Preterism
By Samuel M. Frost
In this book, author Sam Frost’s wit and charm shine through the pages as he recounts, first-hand, on the reasons why he left full (hyper) preterism behind; providing a needed critique on its views and positions.