CLAIM: John writes, “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him” (Rev. 1:7). Preterists interpret this to refer to Jesus’ “coming” via the armies of Rome to destroy Jerusalem in AD 70. They offer a few arguments for this interpretation:

“Even those who pierced Him.” Matthew writes that the Jewish crowds cheered for Jesus to be crucified, and as a result, they deserved judgment for this grave mistake (Mt. 27:22, 25). Jesus claimed that the first-century Jews were responsible for Jesus’ death (Mt. 20:18; Lk. 9:22) as did the apostle Peter (Acts 2:22-23, 36; 3:14-15; 4:10; 5:30; 10:39) and Paul (1 Thess. 2:14-16). As a consequence, they were to be judged for this horrific sin (Mt. 21:33-44). Preterist Kenneth Gentry writes, “John’s reference to Christ’s piercing demands a first-century focus if the theme is to be relevant and true, for those who pierced him are now long since deceased.”^[1] Since the people at the end of human history didn’t pierce Christ, this wouldn’t be applicable to them.

“Coming on the clouds.” Preterists argue that the language of “coming on the clouds” comes from prophetic OT scenes signifying divine judgment (Isa. 19:1; see Ps. 18:7-15; 104:3; Joel 2:1-2; Mic. 1:3-4). Thus, this passage refers to all of the first century Jews “seeing Christ” when he invisibly came in judgment of Jerusalem.

“All the tribes of the earth.” Preterists hold that this should not be translated “earth,” but “land” instead. Gentry writes, “We should probably translate the Greek word hē gē as ‘the land’ rather than ‘the earth’ in the great majority of the cases where this word occurs in Revelation.”^[2]

Is this interpretation plausible?

RESPONSE: We reject the Preterist interpretation for a number of reasons:

First, the Preterist reading is inconsistent. Under a Preterist view, only one part of this verse taken literally—the part that fits their interpretation:

“Coming with the clouds.” Jesus wasn’t literally “coming with the clouds” in AD 70. Rather, this symbolically refers to Jesus judging the nation of Israel via the Roman Empire in AD 70.

“Every eye will see Him.” No one literally saw Jesus according to Preterism. Rather, Jesus invisibly judged the nation of Israel through the Romans.

“Mourn over Him.” As the Romans were sinking their swords into Jewish soldiers and carting the Jews away into slavery, none of the Jewish people were literally mourning over Jesus. Rather, this symbolically refers to Jerusalem’s suffering from judgment (?).

Preterist interpreters take all of these statements symbolically, but they demand that we understand “those who pierced Him” to be literal! Moreover, this verse still cannot be taken literally on a Preterist view. Only a handful of Romans literally pierced Jesus’ hands and feet. Furthermore, many of the religious leaders who called for Jesus’ death were already dead by AD 70. Caiaphas died in AD 36, and Annas likely died around AD 40. People simply didn’t live long in the ancient world. At the very least, Preterists need to admit that at least some of those who conspired to kill Jesus had died in the intermittent years between AD 33 and AD 70.

Second, the Greek word for earth (gē) should not be understood as the land of Israel alone. Just two verses earlier, John refers to Jesus as “the ruler of the kings of the earth [gē]” (Rev. 1:5). Of course, John uses this word to refer to the entire globe—not just the “land” of Israel. In Revelation 3:10, Jesus equates “those who dwell on the earth” with “the whole world.” While this term (gē) can be translated as “land,” we see no justification for that translation here, as Preterists claim.

Third, this interpretation doesn’t fit with Zechariah 12. John is no doubt quoting from Zechariah 12:10 in this passage (“even those who pierced Him”). As a result, Preterists claim, Jesus will judge Jerusalem for rejecting him as the Messiah. However, look at the context of Zechariah 12. Verse 9 teaches just the opposite. There we read the God will defend Jerusalem—not judge Jerusalem: “In that day I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.” Moreover, the inhabitants of Jerusalem are said to repent and mourn for killing Christ—not despair over this: “They will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son… In that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity” (Zech. 12:10; 13:1). Can we honestly believe that this describes judgment on Jerusalem?

Fourth, the language of Revelation 1:7 is universal and visible. John writes that “every eye will see Him” and “all the tribes of the earth” will be at Jesus’ coming (Rev. 1:7). This fits with what Christ said regarding his Second Coming being visible—not invisible—as Preterists assert (Mt. 24:30; Mk. 13:26; Lk. 21:27). In fact, Jesus warned that we could identify false teachers by this very fact. He said, “If they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them. ²⁷ For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Mt. 24:26-27). In contrast to these invisible or disguised comings of Christ, Jesus’ Second Coming will be visible. In fact, the angels told the disciples that Jesus would return in the same way that he left Earth: “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Since Jesus left visibly into the clouds, we should expect him to return visibly from the clouds.

Fifth, in the book of Revelation, Jesus’ coming is associated with Christ’s rescue of his people. For instance, Jesus says, “Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. ¹¹ I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown” (Rev. 3:10-11). Here Jesus claims that his “coming” will bring protection for his people. But how did Jesus’ “coming” in AD 70 bring protection for believers?

Sixth, the rest of the book of Revelation is universal in scope. Since the rest of Revelation is universal in scope, we should consistently treat this passage as universal too. Consider a number of passages:

(Rev. 3:10) Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

(Rev. 6:10) They cried out with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

(Rev. 11:10) And those who dwell on the earth will rejoice over them and celebrate; and they will send gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.

(Rev. 13:8) All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain.

(Rev. 13:12) He exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.

(Rev. 13:14) And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.

(Rev. 14:6) And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people.

(Rev. 15:4) “Who will not fear, O Lord, and glorify Your name? For You alone are holy; for all the nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed.”

(Rev. 17:2) With whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.

(Rev. 17:8) The beast that you saw was, and is not, and is about to come up out of the abyss and go to destruction. And those who dwell on the earth, whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, will wonder when they see the beast, that he was and is not and will come.

The Preterist interpreter shoulders the burden of proof for limiting the scope of this passage to Israel, rather than the entire world.

^[1] Kenneth L. Gentry Jr., “A Preterist View of Revelation,” in Four Views on the Book of Revelation, ed. Stanley N. Gundry and C. Marvin Pate, Zondervan Counterpoints Collection (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998), 48.

^[2] Kenneth L. Gentry Jr., “A Preterist View of Revelation,” in Four Views on the Book of Revelation, ed. Stanley N. Gundry and C. Marvin Pate, Zondervan Counterpoints Collection (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1998), 48.