Is the Book of Revelation History or Prophecy?

 Understanding Preterism

One of the most common attacks from skeptics against the Bible goes something like this:

"Jesus promised he would come back 'soon.' He told his disciples that 'this generation' would not pass away before the end came. Well, it’s been 2,000 years. That generation is long dead. Jesus was wrong."

Even some famous Christian thinkers, like C.S. Lewis, admitted that Matthew 24:34 (where Jesus predicts these things) was "the most embarrassing verse in the Bible."

But what if Jesus wasn't wrong? What if the problem isn't with Jesus' timeline, but with our interpretation?

This brings us to a theological view known as Preterism. The word comes from the Latin praeter, meaning "past."

In short, Preterism is the view that many of the prophecies in the New Testament—specifically those about the "end of the age," the "Great Tribulation," and the "coming on the clouds"—were fulfilled in the past, specifically in the events leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

Far from being a dusty academic theory, understanding this view can save your confidence in the reliability of Jesus’ words.

If you read the New Testament honestly, there is a sense of urgency.

Jesus says, "Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened" (Matthew 24:34).

Revelation begins by saying it concerns things that must take place "soon" (Revelation 1:1).

James writes, "The Judge is standing at the door" (James 5:9).

If "all these things" refers to the end of the physical world and the final judgment, then the skeptics are right: Jesus missed His deadline by 20 centuries.

But Preterism suggests that Jesus was talking about something else: The end of the Old Covenant Age.

In Matthew 24, the disciples ask Jesus about the destruction of the Temple. Jesus answers them by describing a time of "great tribulation" and judgment.

Forty years later—within the lifetime of "that generation"—the Roman armies under Titus surrounded Jerusalem. In AD 70, after a brutal siege, they breached the walls. They burned the city. They slaughtered over a million people. And, most significantly, they dismantled the Temple stone by stone, just as Jesus predicted.

For the Jewish people, the destruction of the Temple was the end of the world as they knew it. It was the end of the sacrificial system, the end of the priesthood, and the end of the Old Covenant age.

But what about Jesus "coming on the clouds"? He didn't physically appear in the sky in AD 70, did He?

Here is where knowing the Old Testament helps. In the Bible, "coming on clouds" is often symbolic language for God coming in judgment against a nation.

In Isaiah 19:1, God rides on a "swift cloud" to judge Egypt. God didn't physically float into Egypt on a fluffy cumulus cloud; He sent the Assyrian armies to judge them.

Preterists argue that when Jesus spoke of "coming on the clouds" in Matthew 24, He was using that same prophetic language. He was saying, "I will come in judgment against this city, and the instrument of my judgment will be the Roman armies." It was a vindication of His authority. He predicted the death of the system that rejected Him, and it happened exactly when He said it would.

The Arch of Titus in Rome stands today as a stone witness to this event, depicting Roman soldiers carrying away the Menorah from the destroyed Temple.

It is important to make a distinction here. Most orthodox Christians hold to Partial Preterism. This view says that many prophecies (like Matthew 24 and parts of Revelation) were fulfilled in AD 70, but we still await the future bodily return of Christ, the physical resurrection of the dead, and the final judgment.

(There is a fringe view called "Full Preterism" that claims everything happened in AD 70, but this contradicts the Christian hope of a future physical resurrection).

Partial Preterism is the sweet spot. It allows us to accept the "time texts" (soon, this generation) at face value without giving up the hope of the final victory to come.

Why does digging into this theology matter for your everyday faith?

It Vindicates Jesus: It answers the skeptic's hardest question. Jesus didn't lie. He didn't get the date wrong. He predicted a specific judgment on a specific generation, and it came true to the letter. It proves He is a true Prophet.

It Clarifies Scripture: Suddenly, confusing parts of the Bible make sense. When you read about the "beast" or the "harlot" in Revelation, you don't need to look for barcodes or modern politicians. You can look at the first-century Roman Empire and the corrupt Jerusalem priesthood. It grounds the Bible in history rather than wild speculation.

It Reduces Fear: Many Christians live in constant anxiety, trying to match news headlines to Bible verses, terrified that the "Great Tribulation" is around the corner. If the Great Tribulation was the siege of Jerusalem in AD 70 (as Jesus implies in Matt 24:21), then we don't need to live in fear of it. We can focus on the Great Commission instead.

The Preterist view reminds us that when we think the Bible is wrong, the error is usually in our understanding, not the text.

Jesus spoke to real people about real events that were about to crash into their lives. He warned them so they could escape (and history tells us the early Christians did flee Jerusalem before the siege, saving their lives because they believed Jesus' prophecy).

His word is true. The judgment He predicted came to pass, establishing His Kingdom which has been growing ever since. The Temple of stone is gone, but the Temple of His Body—the Church—stands forever.