What Scripture says
Jesus predicted the temple’s destruction: “there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:2, ESV). He warned, “when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near… let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains” (Luke 21:20–21). He added, “this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (Matthew 24:34).
Revelation says its events “must soon take place” (Revelation 1:1) and “the time is near” (1:3, 22:10).
But it also describes events that seem not yet to have happened: Christ’s visible return (Revelation 19:11–16), the resurrection of the dead (20:12–13), and a new heaven and new earth where there is no more death (21:1–4).
What the evidence says
History
What happened in AD 70
In AD 66, the Jews revolted against Rome. In AD 70, after a long siege, the Roman general Titus captured Jerusalem and destroyed the temple. Josephus, who witnessed it, describes famine so severe that people ate leather and grass, mass crucifixions outside the walls, and the temple burning. He claims over a million died, though modern historians think that figure is exaggerated. The Arch of Titus in Rome still shows soldiers carrying the temple’s lampstand.
Early Christian tradition (Eusebius, Church History 3.5) says the Jerusalem Christians fled to Pella before the siege, following Jesus’ warning.
The views
| View | What it holds |
|---|---|
| Full preterism | All prophecy, including Christ’s return and the resurrection, was fulfilled in AD 70 |
| Partial preterism | Much of Revelation and the Olivet Discourse was fulfilled in AD 70 (or in Rome’s fall), but Christ’s return and the resurrection are future |
| Futurism | Most of Revelation (chapters 4–22) is still future |
| Historicism and idealism | Revelation covers church history, or timeless patterns (see 10.4) |
Partial preterism is held by many Reformed and some Catholic scholars, including R. C. Sproul and Kenneth Gentry. It points to the time statements (“soon”, “near”, “this generation”), the identification of the beast with Nero (see 10.5), and the possible early date of Revelation (see 10.3).
Full preterism is rejected by nearly all churches, since it denies a future return of Christ, resurrection and final judgment, all affirmed in the historic creeds (see 10.2). Paul warned against those who said “the resurrection has already happened” (2 Timothy 2:18).
Futurism, popular among dispensationalists and many evangelicals, reads most of Revelation as describing a future tribulation, Antichrist and return of Christ.
Interpretation
The time statements
How preterists and futurists read key phrases:
- “Soon” and “near”: preterists read them literally; futurists read them from God’s perspective, “with the Lord one day is as a thousand years” (2 Peter 3:8), or as meaning the events will happen suddenly.
- “This generation” (Matthew 24:34): preterists apply it to Jesus’ listeners; others to the generation alive when the final signs begin.
Dating matters
Whether Revelation was written before or after AD 70 (see 10.3) matters: if written around AD 95, it can’t be predicting the fall of Jerusalem. Partial preterists who accept the late date often see Revelation as about the fall of Rome instead.
Where they meet
Some see much of Revelation fulfilled in Jerusalem’s fall; most see future fulfilment too. Nearly all agree that Christ’s return, the resurrection and the new creation are still future.
What’s still open
How much of Revelation and the Olivet Discourse was fulfilled in AD 70.
Bottom line
Some see much of Revelation fulfilled in Jerusalem’s fall; most see future fulfilment too. This is rated Debated.