Note to the reader: The quotes by Cassius Dio cited in this website may be difficult to locate as popular translations of Cassius Dio’s Roman History are often presented in chronological order for ease of reading rather than the order in which it was originally written. This presentation can sometimes pull verses out of their natural sequence and order. If you need help locating a particular citation, I am happy to help. Also the comments sections of this website have been turned off so the best way to reach me is by email. I am glad to answer questions or address concerns and would love to know what you think of the site! God Bless!
Daniel Morais President and Founder | ||
socialmorais@yahoo.com | ||
Hi Daniel,
Thank you for your sharing.
Regards
Ivy Chow
You are very welcome!
Hi,
Very interesting site indeed!
So will the Earth keep going forever? It’s hard to imagine that, as it seems to be spinning out of control – economy, wars, ….. Sin!
Will the New Jerusalem come down from Heaven and the Earth be renewed or something – or does the Earth remain the Earthly realm forever and Heaven be the heavenly realm forever?
Thank you.
I believe that the earth will go on for a very long time, but forever, I doubt. I think if this earth is totally destroyed at some point, something similar to earth will be present to take its place, but I am only speculating. The earth goes through cycles but I believe as time goes on there appears to be greater and greater peace and prosperity for all humanity, with occasional oscillation from generation to generation. Looking at how bad people were to each other in the Old Testament, it appears that humanity has come a long way since then. We hear about all the bad things on the news, but we hear about it precisely because it is rare and therefore worth mentioning. If it were an everyday thing that happened to people all the time it wouldn’t make teh evening news because no one would care to hear it. Remember there are billions more people in the world now then there were a few hundred years ago and its amazing to me that bad things don’t happen far more often just because there are many more people around to make this world to sin.
You said…..’The goal is to design a life uniquely tailored to facilitate the next step in spiritual development’
This is not implying reincarnation is it?
So we only get one chance to grow spiritually.?
Can we only go up one level at a time? What if we begin in the bottom level, is there any way we can reach the top level in one lifetime? I’m just trying to understand? Thanks
Hi Janine, NDE’s often suggest that middle earth is a realm conducive to quick spiritual development but spiritual development continues even in higher heavenly realms (the cities of light described in NDE’s). However, in the higher and higher heavenly realms spiritual development occurs much slower according to some NDE testimony. I speculate that this is said because in these realms people are more spiritually developed/ “holier” and therefore there is less and less temptation and opportunity to sin and therefore grow and learn from mistakes. This does not necessarily imply reincarnation as a mode to salvation, because spiritual development occurs in all or nearly all vibratory zones. Though I believe one can not rule out reincarnation as having occurred at least in some cases. I do certainly believe it might be possible to ascend to the highest heavenly realm (where i believe God rules in the flesh, so to speak) in one lifetime, but I am only speculating. When Revelation says that heaven will descend to earth it is speaking about predestined spirits from higher heavenly realms voluntarily descending to earth to perform certain tasks, typically to aid in teh spiritual development of other people. See Revelation 21 commentary for more details.
Very, very interesting. Thanks for all of this information. I will be exploring your commentaries for quite a while. However, I am struck by one item that I cannot quite follow. Basically, I am having a hard time with the idea of a total rapture of still living Christians haven taken place at an early date. First, it is not recorded in Christian history, though it would certainly have been a striking development. It seems that those who were just being introduced to the faith would have noticed that their teachers had disappeared and made note of this and the general disappearance of Christians after they became (hopefully) Christians themselves. Second, I do not see how those who were learning about the faith could have been brought in after this. Most people were illiterate and depended on human teachers–who were no longer present. Third, there is no indication in secular records (as far as I know) of a sudden disappearance of Christians. At the least, there would have been a huge gap in the promulgation of the faith–it would be starting all over again from a very few individuals–most of whom would not have a full knowledge of it themselves and would be without teachers to tell them more. This doesn’t mean that the resurrection did not begin in terms of those who had passed, but as to the living I am not convinced.
Thanks again,
Steven Scott
You are welcome! I agree Scott. A rapture of the church in A.D. 70 is certainly unlikely for the reasons you described. I personally do not believe in a rapture at any time. I only mentioned it to make people aware that there are some preterists who ascribe to this idea.
There is one thing that occurred to me after my prior post, though I probably haven’t given it enough thought to speak: a rapture of the existing Christians might go a long way in explaining some of the confusion in early Christianity (and thereafter).
If the folks “in the know” were suddenly abstracted from the situation and the ones left were trying to understand and follow the faith based on the few extant bits of what would later become NT writings they could find and the incomplete introduction to the faith they had received as “seekers” all kinds of confusion would crop up and there would be no one with real knowledge to clear up misunderstandings. This is a recipe for chaos and doctrinal confusion as well as the loss of any oral or secret teaching that was not already committed to writing.
Indeed, since the Book of Revelations (and most of the “judgment” parables) are deliberately cryptic, it could result in a complete loss of understanding of what the apocalyptic prophecies and much of the NT is all about. Most prophecies of societal destruction would probably be projected to a distant future or individualized, with eschatology (personal and corporate) becoming totally confused and muddled in the process.
Hmm. This actually sounds like what things have been like for most of the past 2K years. And, if the hypothetical rapture took place (?) during a period of intense persecution the authorities would assume that those disappearing had fled, while others would assume that they had fled or been taken by the authorities. I.e., it seems possible that a “rapture” event could go virtually unnoticed in the midst of a strong and widespread enough period of persecution.
In any case, I’d be interested in getting your comments on the level and geographical extent of persecution at the proposed time of “rapture” as well as to the idea generally.
Steve
PS–I’m also not generally a “rapture” guy, but the idea is interesting to me from this standpoint.
You raise some interesting points. Along the same lines, preterists who believe in a rapture say that it explains why Christians today are still looking for a future parousia since those that experienced it where raptured out. Certainly, a rapture would help to explain all the various “Christianities” that existed not long after the death of Christ. But, thinking out loud, how many people were truly in the “know” at the time of the Neronic persecution and thereafter when the apostles were being martyred? Could 12 or thirteen people who were dying out really serve as effective checks to doctrinal error in the presence of Jesus’ perpetually cryptic way of teaching as it is recorded in the Gospels, an exploding religion and the absence of a swift and effective means of mass communication? It seems that Christian doctrine was destined to be in grave danger of frequent error in the presence of these factors, though a rapture would certainly accelerate these doctrinal divergences. Regarding the extent of the Neronic persecution there is certainly debate in the preterist, non-preterist Christian and academic communities. Of course, most preterists ASSUME that this persecution was three and a half years long. I would argue that it could have been beyond the bounds of the city of Rome since the frequent allusions to persecution which John mentions in his introductory letters to the Churches in Turkey suggests to me that Revelation could have been written during the Neronic persecution and that this persecution may have extended to Asia minor. (Though one could certainly argue that this persecution (Rev 2:9-11, 17, and the frequent references “to him who overcomes”) may just be persecution from fellow Jews.) Probably the biggest reason I do not believe in a rapture is that I believe the Christians that fled to Pella before the war returned to help repopulate Judea after the war. (though I cannot recall, at the moment, where I read this)
Hello, thank you for the great website. Just a few questions if you don’t mind.
Even if Revelation’s prophecies were all fulfilled once or twice, there could be future fulfillments also?
World War II was far worse on the jews than any previous wars in history. Do you see the holocaust (and the re-emergence of Israel as a nation) significant in bible prophecy?
Are the ten commandments still in force? I view them as possibly so, the symbolism of them being written in stone implies permanence.
And what about the rest of the mosaic law? Where do I look for guidance as to sexual conduct? The new testament warns against sexual sin, but then fails to define it. Pre marital sex is not mentioned anywhere in the old testament, am I right to think that it is ok?
Thanks for any insights, sir.
Hi Steven, Great questions!
1) Because I do not see any prophecies that have not been already fulfilled I do not see any evidence in the Bible to support future fulfillment to any end time predictions. That being said their are preterists called partial preterists who do believe that the events that fulfilled end time prophecies around the time of the Jewish Roman war were a type for the ultimate fulfillment of these prophecies again in the future. I find this view hard to accept since there were time constraints placed on these prophecies that seem to preclude any later fulfillment 2000+ years in the future.
2) I address this world war 2 question in v. 21 of https://revelationrevolution.org/matthew-24-commentary-that-generation-shall-not-pass/
3) I also address the fact that Israel is a nation now in #’s 18 and 19 of https://revelationrevolution.org/q-a/
4) Though I believe that the Law has been fulfilled, I do still revere the ten commandments. Even futurists recognize that the Law is no longer binding but still honor and follow the ten commandments. I believe the reason for this is that the ten commandments are not just religious customs, they are a sensible list of ethics that are timeless. In other words, we all know that it is wrong to steal and bear false witness.
5) Premarital sex or fornication is a sin according to Mark 7:20-23: “It is what comes out of a person that defiles. For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”
I believe fornication is wrong because it can creates life. If we engage in this type of activity without a life-time commitment there are real consequences to the child and mother. Furthermore, I believe that God allows us to be tempted strongly in this regard to see if we can master our appetites, and if we can I believe that there is great reward in the life to come.
Hi! Who is writing these articles? Are they all written by the same person? I wish comments were enabled so we could interact with the articles here. I just read “Preterism, the Rapture and the Resurrection” and am blown away! Awesome stuff here!
Anyway, I am sharing this article all over Facebook and would like to give credit to the author.
Thanks!
At the moment I have written all the articles. I am glad you like it! Thank you for helping me spread the message!–Daniel Morais
Dear sir, iam really enjoying your great articles and studies on preterism, and i was wondering if you have any plans to publish the Preterist commentary as printed book copy ? It should be great to publish it ? Any information i would like to hear. Kind regards from the Netherlands, in Christ,..Yours Ralph Wilms
Hi Ralph, Yes. I do plan on publishing the commentary in book format. I have not done so yet as I am still adding content/evidence to this commentary almost every day. If this ever stops then I will publish. Thank you! Regards from the US!
Maybe 1000 years from the original psalm 22:1
to the oldest copy of Psalm 22:1
My question is
How can you be sure that David opened his mouth and said my god my god why have you
forsaken me psalm 22:1 even though there
is 1000 years from the original psalm 22:1
to the oldest copy of psalm 22:1?
By the way psalm chapter 22 verse 1 is NOT in the dead sea scrolls.
My thoughts on this question are as follows–“What motive would Jewish scribes have to insert this verse if it were not already present?” It would appear to me to be more likely that scribes would fail to copy a verse because the scribe didn’t see it (there were no reading glasses for people over forty in ancient Middle East) then for them to add a verse that did not already exist. Though, of course, additions could have occurred (and if it did, perhaps this was also divinely inspired?). Given all of the textual critics that have worked on modern translations of the Bible, I would assume that there is at least some reason to believe that this verse could have been in the autograph, otherwise it probably would have been removed. Please elucidate how Psalm 22:1 is relevant to preterist eschatology?
Hello,
I cam across your site and wow! this is a lot of spiritual food to digest. At the same time I am so confused because Jehovah’s Witnesses teach that the end is coming using those same events in Revelations that you said have already happened and passed, right? So in a nutshell your saying that all prophesies have already been fulfilled? If I am understanding that correctly. And my other concern is do we all have hope to live again if we do good? What is our job NOW as a christian. Please help ?
Thank you looking forward to your reply
Hello Kittie, It is precisely because all end time prophecies have been fulfilled that we as Christians can have assurance of life after death. In MARK 14:61-62, JOHN 21:22-23 and MATTHEW 24, Jesus promises to return in his generation. If he was wrong and had not come back when he said that he would, then how can we believe with confidence Jesus’ promise that we shall have life with him in heaven after death? If he was wrong about the time of his return, then can we confidently believe him when he talks about heaven? But given the fact that there is compelling extra-biblical historical evidence that Jesus had come back and the prophecies that he stated about the end of the age had come to pass precisely as predicted that we can have confident assurance that the claims made in the Bible concerning the afterlife are also valid. In fact it is precisely because Jesus came back that we can enter heaven NOW in the first place. 1 Cor 15:54 teaches that though Jesus conquered death on the cross, this conquest of death does not take full effect until the time of the resurrection. The resurrection was to occur at the second coming, those who outlived the second coming (the saints today) are then immediately raised to heaven after death (1 thes 1:13-18). You might be interested to read the following article: https://revelationrevolution.org/1-corinthians-15-50-54-a-preterist-commentary/ Here I discuss the resurrection in more detail and the historical evidence of this event. You also might be interested to know that near-death experiences confirm the existence of heaven and hell overwhelmingly. I also wrote an article on this under the “articles” tab.
I have a question about the two witnesses… Could they not have been Peter and Paul who some say Nero crucified Apostle Peter who was the leader of the Jewish Christian and Apostle Paul he had beheaded who was leader of the Gentile Christians. Just looking for clarification.
Hi Glen, I assume that you have written this question after reading “Revelation 11: A Preterist Commentary–Who are the Two Witnesses?” If so then, you can see that there are several reasons why I believe that the two witnesses are Jesus Christ. One of which I will repeat here: I see the beast that comes out of the Abyss (the spiritual underworld of the dead) in Rev 11:7 as the Flavian Dynasty since they restored peace and stability to Rome after Nero’s death and as such are pictured as a beast that rises from the dead/Abyss (Rev 13:3, 17:8-13). This point I see as significant because it is this beast (the Flavians) that kills the two witnesses. I do not see Nero as the beast that rises out of the Abyss, he appears to be the wounded head of the beast in Rev 13:3. Furthermore, the two witnesses were killed in Jerusalem (rev 11:8). Church tradition places Peter’s death in Rome (the Vatican) and if I am not mistaken, I believe church tradition also places Paul’s death in Rome as well. I just finished reading David Chilton’s view of Revelation 11 in his book The Days of Vengeance immediately before I saw your post. If I understood him accurately, he appears to suggest that the two witnesses are Jesus Christ and the church. Thus Revelation 11 perhaps has almost as many interpretations as there are Preterist scholars. I think this may be because many Preterist Christians look for two people to fulfill these verses and this is hard to do because the historical record does not loudly point to two separate people who completely fulfill all these verses. Thus I believe the 2 witnesses were actually one man who appeared on earth twice–each time with an earthly ministry of three and a half years. And I think that Revelation 10 and 11 hint at this point. I hope this helps.
I just wanted to say thanks for your article on the two witnesses, which I find extremely interesting, and I agree that Jesus, son of Ananus seems to fit as the best possible candidate for the two witnesses.
A note in my archaeological study bible says about Zech 4 (where that rev passages alludes back to):
“On either side of the bowl stood an olive tree, together representing two men chosen by God to serve him–Joshua the priest (3:1-10) and Zerubbabel, the governor of Judah (Hag 1:1). Zerubbabel, the heir to David’s throne (Hag: 2:20-23; Mt 1:13), is not referred to as a king. The roles of priest and prince (king) melded together here, and the New Testament depicts Jesus as the fulfillment of this priest-king ideal.”
It’s pretty amazing, but it seems that you’re right that this son of Ananus is indeed the “two witnesses”.
I do though want to challenge you on something…
When the new testament talks about the “day of the Lord”, it is always hearkening back to the OT day of the Lord, which was in fact judgement and destruction, which would then be followed by something better after that destruction.
And so, instead of the “parousia” actually being the person of Jesus, son of Ananus, I think what it was, was the destruction of Jerusalem itself. The “coming” was the vindication of Christ’s words and deeds, and would usher in the church age, bringing a close to the Jewish age (whether or not it was literally fulfilled as seeing Christ literally in the clouds or not).
I think you have some amazing material here, but I think you are making stretches far beyond what the bible allows by actually saying that this Jesus was the second coming of Jesus of Nazareth. Your discoveries do NOT warrant identifying him as Christ himself, especially when we can clearly make the case that the destruction of the temple was in fact the “parousia”.
I think what you have discovered is who the “two witnesses” are, this son of ananus, which is pretty amazing… but your full preterism is then taking you off a different deep end.
I myself am an orthodox preterist (partial preterist), and I think you should reconsider that you may have made a mountain out of a really cool little hill.
Any thoughts would be appreciated,
-Jonathan Thomas
Subject: What to expect from God right now when Christendom is dead focused on Christ’s 2nd coming
Hi, your interpretation of end-time Bible prophesy is a true revelation and is the ultimate help needed to understand the binding of Satan for 1,000 years of Revelation 20 and his release, which you say happened at the time of the conquest of Jerusalem by Gog, Magog, etc from what is preset day Turkey and the rest of the muslim nations you mention.
All the preachers and book authors I have listened to and read from have sown confusion about the end times, then. Your writings turn the usual Biblical interpretation upside down in a positive way, as they are based on historical accounts.
Please let us know what we are to expect from God by way of prophetic fulfillment these days in your view then. All of Christendom is waiting for the ‘second’ coming of Christ to deal with the present date Antichrist, G W Bush as per Peter Hanchett’s book: George Bush the Antichrist.
The logical thing to wait for, in view of your interpretation of end-time events would then be the conflagration of 2 Peter 2:10-: (Oxford Edition) “But the Day of the Lord will come; it will come unexpected as a thief. On that day the heavens will disappear with a great rushing sound, the elements will disintegrate in flames, and the earth with all that is in it will be laid bare. Since the whole universe is to break up in this way, think what sort of people you ought to be, what devout and dedicated lives you should live! Look eagerly for the coming of the Day of God and work to hasten it on; that day will set the heavens ablaze until they fall apart, and will melt the elements in flames. But we have his promise, and look forward to new heavens and a new earth, the home of justice.”
I believe a rapture of believers to some place for safety and preservation will be the order of the day as per Isaiah 27:20-21 “Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut your doors behind you; withdraw for a brief while, until wrath has gone by. For see, the Lord is coming from his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their sins; then the earth shall uncover her blood-stains and hide her slain no more.”
My view is that the wholesome destruction of the planet and all it contains has already started since the discovery of atomic energy and of electromagnetic technologies like Haarp of the late 1800’s (Tesla), facts with terrible implications not covered in the present controlled media. You seem to have a very candid view of the condition of present humankind, but I would differ with you on that, given that unbelief, Satanism and indifference are at the root of the speedy destruction that a small hidden team of men is staging before our very eyes: ‘chemtrails’, manipulated or freak storms, the spreading of plagues with viruses created in military laboratories, the downing of airliners with undisclosed laser technologies, surveillance and manipulation of collective human behavior, the promotion of modified seeds that will inevitably render the soil infertile and turn our bodies into entities where experiments are being conducted , etc. Please access the website rense.com for lots to read to prove all of the above.
I’d appreciate some reflection on your part given your God given role of turning the usual interpretation full 180 degrees around.
Hi Maria, I do not believe that we as Christians are to await the fulfillment of anything. All Biblical prophecy has been fulfilled. As per the destruction of heaven and earth by fire see the commentary on 2 Peter 3. Regards.