Category Archives: AD 70

INTRODUCING REVELATION

AD 70, Revelation of John, Uncategorized September 22, 2026 Leave a comment

PMW 2026-074 by Larry E. Ball

Gentry note:
I am continuing introduces Larry Ball’s insightful primer on Revelation, titled Blessed Is He Who Reads. This article provides a brief review of some important issues necessary for entering into the Book of Revelation. I think you will find these words — and the whole book! — a valuable resource. And now from Larry Ball:

A Short Review

Before I look at the first few verses of Revelation chapter 1, I will review the principle of historical limitation that I described previously. Even though the Bible is written for us, not everything in the Bible is written to us. This is not being disrespectful to the Bible, nor does it deny that God through the ministry of the Holy Spirit can speak to us in his Word as we read it or hear it preached. It is simply being honest in recognizing that the Bible as a whole was not written directly to us. I will apply this to Revelation, but first I need to clarify a few things, and consider some significant points made by John in the first few verses of Revelation. Afterwards I will return to our main premise about how historical limitation applies to this text. Continue reading →

BLESSED IS HE WHO READS

AD 70, Revelation of John, Uncategorized September 18, 2026 Leave a comment

PMW 2026-073 by Larry E. Ball

Gentry note:
Victorious Hope Publishing released this book by long-time (now retired PCA pastor, Larry E. Ball. It is an excellent, fully orthodox, (partial) preterist commentary on Revelation. Larry’s pastoral experience and excellent research has allowed him to compose this very readable, very insightful Primer on the Book of Revelation. This article is his Introduction to the work. I highly recommend your buying it for yourself, and to recommend for a Sunday school or small group Bible study. Now for Larry’s introduction:

What is a Primer?

This book is intended to be a primer (pronounce like “prim and proper”) on the book of Revelation. A primer is a book for beginners, presenting the most basic elements of a field of study. It is a first step toward understanding something more complicated. Actually, a primer assumes you know very little about a particular subject. It is an introduction to a particular topic that may encourage you to pursue your own study in more detail and depth. Continue reading →

THE KEY FOB TO OLIVET

AD 70, Interpretation, Olivet Discourse August 14, 2026 Leave a comment

PMW 2026-062 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Matthew 24 is a well-known text that speaks of great prophetic judgments. Who has not heard of “wars and rumors of wars” (v. 6)? “False prophets” (v. 11)? “Enduring to the end” (v. 13)? “The abomination of desolation” (v. 15)? “Great tribulation” (v. 21)? “The powers of the heavens shaken” (v. 29)?

Unfortunately, for the most part, futurism controls the popular approach to Matthew 24 today. Futurists place all the events of Matthew 24:4ff thousands of years off from Jesus’s day and into our own approaching future. This is categorically wrong for various reasons that flow readily from the text itself. I am offering this running survey as a sample of a modern preterist exegesis. You will see many agreements with Grotius, but also some areas of disagreement. Preterism is not monolithic.

The most significant key for interpreting the Discourse is the Lord’s own express declaration in Matthew 24:34 regarding the timing of the “great tribulation” and other judgment events. In fact, this is a key fob that controls all things automatically. For that verse declares: “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” Here we have an authoritative, clear, and compelling pronouncement of the time of the events recorded in 24:4-33.

Continue reading →

GROTIUS AND GENTRY ON MATTHEW 24

AD 70, Matthew 24, Olivet Discourse August 11, 2026 Leave a comment

PMW 2026-061 by Jay Rogers

Gentry note: The following comparative summary is taken from the recently published commentary on the Olivet Discourse by Hugo Grotius. Jay and I were co-editors highly motivated to get this first-ever English version of Grotius’ The Sign of His Coming (2026).

Rogers writes:
This is a journal-style comparative article, integrating Grotius and Kenneth L. Gentry Jr., highlighting agreements, differences, and why those differences do not undermine the shared preterist framework.

Continue reading →

HELPFUL WORKS ON ORTHODOX PRETERISIM

AD 70, Interpretation, Preterism August 7, 2026 Comments: 2

PMW 2026-060 by Ken Gentry

Preterism has certainly developed a following among evangelicals. Unfortunately, a cult-like version of historic preterism is turning off some people to the proper preterist exegesis of certain passages. Hyperi-preterism is developing a cult following, though thankfully is still small. I therefore would like to recommend some helpful orthodox works that my reader might appreciate and find helpful in their own studies. The more important academic works are marked with an asterisk (*)

Adams, Jay E. Preterism: Orthodox or Unorthodox? Stanley, N.C.: Timeless Texts, 2003.

Adams, Jay E. The Time Is At Hand. Nutley, N.J. Presbyterian and Reformed, 1966.

Bahnsen, Greg L. and Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., House Divided: The Break-up of Dispensational Theology. 2d. ed.: Tyler, Tex.: Institute for Christian Economics, 1997.

Ball, Larry E. Blessed Is He Who Reads: A Primer on the Book of Revelation. Chesnee, S.C.: Victorious Hope, 2022.

*Brown, Jeannine K. The Disciples in Narrative Perspective: The Portrayal and Function of the Matthean Disciples. Boston: Brill, 2002.

*Brown, Jeannine K. Matthew (Teach the Text). Grand Rapids: Baker, 2015.

*Brown, Jeannine K. and Kyle Roberts. Matthew (THNTC). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2018.
Continue reading →

OLIVET’S TWO QUESTIONS (2)

AD 70, Second Coming, Uncategorized July 28, 2026 Leave a comment

PMW 2026-057 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

I am continuing my presentation of the evidence that the Disciples of Christ ask him two questions in Matthew 24:3, not three questions. See preceding posting.

Eighth, disciples’ confusion tendencies. In their question the disciples confound two separate issues. In their interaction with Jesus in Matthew 24:1–3, their tendency to confusion leads them to associate the destruction of the temple with “your parousia and the end of the age.” And this despite the fact that they had already heard from the Lord that “the end of the age” was the end of time brought about with the final judgment (Matt. 13:39, 40, 49). Of course, the implied reader would also know of Jesus’ soon-coming great commission reaching to “the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20). And the disciples’ confusion on this matter becomes even more evident to us in that Jesus’ prophetic statement (which gives rise to the disciples’ question) focuses solely on the temple’s destruction. Continue reading →

OLIVET’S TWO QUESTIONS (1)

AD 70, Second Coming, Uncategorized July 24, 2026 Leave a comment

PMW 2026-056 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

The Olivet Dscsourse is prompted by the Disciples questioning Jesus about his prophesying the destruction of the temple (Matt. 24:2–3). It is important to understand their questions in order to follow Jesus’ answer. I believe the evidence is clear that they ask only two questions, not three (as per John Walvoord and some others). The exegetical support for the two-question view is as follows.

First, lexical observation. Lexically the disciples’ questions present only two interrogatives, not three. They ask “when” (Gk., pote) and “what” (Gk., ti): “when [pote] will these things happen, and what [ti] will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age? Continue reading →