The Sign of His Coming

For centuries, Hugo Grotius has been cited as one of the earliest and most influential interpreters of the preterist view of Matthew 24 and Revelation. Yet remarkably, his prophetic commentary on the Mount Olivet Discourse has never before appeared in English.

Until now.

This groundbreaking volume presents the first English translation of Grotius’ commentary on the Mount Olivet Discourse – Matthew 24-25 and the parallel passages of Mark 13, Luke 17,21 – allowing modern readers to encounter firsthand one of the great intellectual architects of early Protestant biblical interpretation.

What makes Grotius unique is not simply that he connected Jesus’ prophecy to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. Many readers already know that argument. What makes this work extraordinary is the depth of historical insight behind it. Grotius combines mastery of Scripture, Roman history, Jewish sources, geography, classical literature, and prophetic typology in a way few modern commentators can rival. Long before contemporary prophecy debates, Grotius carefully explored:

• the Roman siege of Jerusalem,
• the “abomination of desolation,”
• the sanctity of Judea and the Temple borders,
• the disciples’ “three questions” in Matthew 24,
• Christ’s “coming” as distinguished from the final judgment,
• and the covenantal significance of the fall of Jerusalem.

Grotius’ “proto-preterist” hermeneutic influenced centuries of later interpretation. Yet even seasoned students of preterism will discover fresh insights and forgotten historical details rarely discussed in modern books.

This is more than a translation.

It is the recovery of a lost interpretive tradition.