And the city of Jerusalem shall be trampled underfoot for 42 months

The Objection: Did the Gentiles trample the city of Jerusalem for 42 months?

Recently, a friend of mine challenged me on my preterist reading of Revelation 11:2. The objection is that although the First Jewish War lasted roughly 42 months — Spring of AD 67 to the end of September AD 70 — the Roman troops were never inside the city until sometime in the last six months. This is a significant objection because Revelation 11:2 closely parallels Luke 21:24.

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Interpretation of Matthew 24 – From the Early Church to Today

How have Christians understood Matthew 24 throughout history?

From the early church to modern evangelicalism, interpretations have shifted dramatically — especially around one controversial phrase:

“This generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Matthew 24:34)

This article traces the development of the four major interpretive frameworks and explains how this single verse became the dividing line between them.

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Daniel 12 in Preterist Perspective

Does Daniel 12:2,3,12 refer to the General Resurrection and the Final Judgment?

While the allusion to Daniel 12:1 in Matthew 24:21,22 strongly points to a fulfillment by AD 70, the next two verses in Daniel 12:2,3 seem to refer to the General Resurrection, the Last Judgment and the Everlasting Kingdom. In fact, Daniel 12:2,3 is one of the most frequently used proof texts for these eschatological events. This is certainly one of the most difficult passages in Daniel to interpret from a preterist perspective.

Does Daniel 12:1 speak of events in the first century only to jump thousands of years in the future to speak of events at the end of human history in Daniel 12:2,3?

If we look at how Daniel uses parallelism throughout the chapter, it becomes apparent that the purpose is not to point to a General Resurrection, but to say that the prophecy would be fulfilled long after Daniel had died in the “end of days.”

In short, the passage shows that Daniel and the Jews of that era certainly believed in General Resurrection and a Final Judgment, and the language does refer to these two great events that are yet in our future. But the allusion to a final Resurrection and Judgment is used to delineate the “wise” from the “wicked” – between those who would “understand” the prophecy and receive their inheritance of everlasting life – and those who would not understand and suffer “everlasting contempt” at the Final Judgment. The confusing portion from a preterist viewpoint is the elaboration on what will happen “at that time,” which then speaks of the dead awakening.

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