PMW 2026-031 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.
I often receive inquiries seeking recommendation on books on eschatology. And since the Olivet Discourse is a major eschatological passage in Scripture, I am most often asked about commentaries on this passage. The Discourse, Jesus’ only fully eschatological discourse, is found in the three Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. And since Matthew’s version is much longer, I generally focus on it for all the additional insights it offers. The Apostle devotes two whole chapters of ninety-seven verses to the Olivet Discourse. Mark’s is the second longest version but is much shorter, containing only one chapter of thirty-seven verses.
Recently I published an article introducing some of the best preterist commentaries on Matthew (“The Best Matthew Commentaries,” April 10, 2026). Those commentaries have been my go-to works on the Olivet Discourse for a good while. They are immensely insightful and compelling. And fully orthodox.
My new discovery
But since publishing that article just a couple of weeks ago, I discovered I have been overlooking an enormously helpful commentary. I have now remedied my library’s deficiency and have now purchased and skimmed it. I can also highly recommend it, and look forward to employing it in some detail in my research. One more Matthew commentary for my library; thus, one more entry in my Dewey Decimal Classification system: “220.7 EBTC Matt.” And my belief is: the more the merrier (that may be why Santa Claus is so fat).
The Beast of Revelation
by Ken Gentry
A popularly written antidote to dispensational sensationalism and newspaper exegesis. Convincing biblical and historical evidence showing that the Beast was the Roman Emperor Nero Caesar, the first civil persecutor of the Church. The second half of the book shows Revelation’s date of writing, proving its composition as prior to the Fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. A thought-provoking treatment of a fascinating and confusing topic.
For more study materials, go to: KennethGentry.com
So, I would like to briefly introduce another Matthew commentary for your consideration: Charles L. Quarles, Matthew from the Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary series. See: https://www.amazon.com/Matthew-Evangelical-Biblical-Theology-Commentary/dp/1683596587
This 830 page commentary was written by Charles Quarles, who is research professor of New Testament and Biblical Theology and Charles Page Chair of Biblical Theology at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He received his Ph.D. from Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary, and has written several other books, including three others on Matthew. His Matthew works include:
A Theology of Matthew: Jesus Revealed as Deliverer, King, and Incarnate Creator (2013) from Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing.
Matthew: Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament (2017), released by B&H Publishing.
Matthew: A 40-Day Bible Study, Fast and Reflective 10-15 Minute Scripture Deep Dive for Individual Quiet Time for Men and Women in the Planted in the Word series (2025), printed by Lexham Press.
His Matthew in the Evangelical Biblical Theology Commentary holds to a pre-AD 70 composition for Matthew’s gospel. Though this is not the dominant view in scholarly circles, thankfully a growing number of evangelical scholars is promoting this position. This happens to be the view that I hold.
Understanding the Olivet Discourse
By Ken Gentry
This 5 DVD lecture set was filmed at a Bible Conference in Florida. It explains the entire Olivet Discourse in Matt. 24–25 from the (orthodox) preterist perspective. This lecture series begins by carefully analyzing Matt. 24:3, which establishes the two-part structure of the Discourse. It shows that the first section of the Discourse (Matt. 24:4–35) deals with the coming destruction of the temple and Jerusalem in AD 70. This important prophetic event is also theologically linked to the Final Judgment at the end of history, toward which AD 70 is a distant pointer.
For more educational materials: www. KennethGentry.com
Features I appreciate
Quarles’ commentary also holds to a preterist (a fully evangelical, orthodox preterist) view of the Olivet Discourse, which is one of my key reasons for recommending it. In fact, he holds to the same view of the Discourse’s structure and function that I do. Quarles argues that Jesus focuses on both the destruction of the temple in AD 70 and the second coming of Christ at the end of history. He presents his case that the destruction of Jerusalem section stretches from Matthew 24 verses 4 through 35, then v. 36 marks “a shift from Jesus’s answer the to the disciples’ first question (‘When will these things [the destruction of the temple] happen?’) to their second question (‘What is the sign of your coming [parousia] and of the end of the age?’)” (p. 637). His presentation matches well with that of J. M. Kik, R. T. France, Jeffrey A. Gibbs, Jeannine K. Brown, David Garland, R. C. Sproul, Harold Fowler, Alistair I. Wilson, and others holding to an orthodox preterist view.
This understanding of the passage is extremely important for keeping one grounded in orthodoxy. And I am glad to see more and more authors adopting this viewpoint, especially given the gradual growth and continuing mutation into new schools of hyper-preterism.
His book is helpful for me as I am currently researching and writing on the two age doctrine of redemptive history. Quarles holds (quite correctly) the view that “this age” is human history from the fall of Adam until the return of Christ, the second Adam. At Christ’s visible, glorious, bodily resurrection at “the end of the age” temporal, fallen history will end. It will end as Jesus effects the corporate bodily resurrection and the final judgment to establish the consummate eternal order of a renewed physical creation.
Greatness of the Great Commission (by Ken Gentry)
An insightful analysis of the full implications of the great commission as given in Matthew 28:18-20. Impacts postmillennialism as well as the whole Christian worldview.
See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com
Yes, he believes the historic, corporate, public, universal, systematic Christian faith in its 2000 year history has been correct in affirming this complex of truths! He even believes that Jesus is still incarnate and remains united with us as the Son of Man, the God-man throughout eternity. I was afraid the New Kids on the Block were sweeping Christianity off its stand by employing a swarm invasion involving several new, competing brands of hyper-preterism. This battlefield tactic is designed to maximize target saturation, and thereby overwhelm or saturate the defenses of the principal target or objective, in this case: historic Christianity.
Quarles also recognizes the distinction between the two different “comings” in Matthew 16:27 and verse 28. Verse 27 presents the consummate, history-ending second coming, whereas verse 28 points to nearer anticipations of that consummate event, beginning with the transfiguration.
And just one additional positive note, which normally would not be essential except for the arrival of hyper-preterism in the midst of evangelical churches today: Quarles unashamedly holds to the historic, orthodox view of Jesus’ bodily resurrection (pp. 753ff). And he does not attempt the strange and innovative maneuver of many hyper-preterists who argue that though Jesus was physically resurrected, at the ascension his material body dissipated, being transformed into a body composed solely of spirit-matter. Though hyper-preterists seem to offer a reworked version of the resurrection that moves smoothly like a duck across quiet waters, beneath the surface there is a lot of fancy footwork going on.
One negative observation
Though I greatly appreciate this work, apparently Lexham Press has made a copy-editing mistake. They left out Quarles’ exposition of Matthew 13:36–43. This should have been number “9.” in his bolded outline, but the text skips from “8. Fulfillment of Prophecy (13:34–35)” (pp. 338–42) to “10. The Parable of the Treasure and Valuable Pearl (13:44–46)” (pp. 342–345). The Beatles tried to warn them about this when they recorded their prophetic song from the so-called “White Album” that repeatedly says, “Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9, Number 9.”
Apparently, Lexham believes in a new theory of the partial rapture, whereby certain blocks of materials vanish from books touching on eschatology.
There is so much more that I could say, but my wife just called out to me that supper is ready. And I always enjoy eating supper since at our house, it is a proleptic anticipation of the marriage supper of the lamb.
God’s Law Made Easy
(by Kenneth Gentry)
Summary for the case for the continuing relevance of God’s Law. A helpful summary of the argument from Greg L. Bahnsen’s Theonomy in Christian Ethics.
See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com
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