70AD Recommended Books
Parousia
by James Stuart Russell
This book written in 1878, is the most popular introduction to and defense of the preterist view of Bible prophecy in print today. Most theologians in Europe a century ago took a preterist approach, so it is not surprising to read some of Russell's well-known contemporaries say nice things about his book. Charles H. Spurgeon, who did not hold to the preterist view, stated that the book "...throws so much new light upon obscure portions of the Scriptures, and is accompanied with so much critical research and close reasoning that it can be injurious to none and may be profitable to all." Dr. R.C. Sproul (Ligonier Ministries) states, "I believe that Rusell's work is one of the most important treatments on Biblical eschatology that is availbable to the church today." Gary DeMar says that Russell's book is a breath of fresh air in a room filled with smoke and mirror hermeneutics.
http://www.americanvision.org/store/pc-114-9-parousia.aspx (Paperback, 570 pages)
Expectations Demand a First Century Rapture
by Ed Stevens
The first book from a Preterist in this generation teaching a literal rapture of all true Christians at the time of the Parousia in AD 66-70. Five scholars a century ago (J. S. Russell, Milton S. Terry, Richard Weymouth, William S. Urmy, and Ernest Hampden-Cook) took a similar view. This book takes their somewhat sketchy theory and fully develops it. Includes answers to all the major objections and a phrase-by-phrase grammatical analysis of the rapture text (1 Thess. 4:13-18). Ground-breaking new work. The "next wave" in Preterism! Walt Hibbard, Arthur Melanson, and many others join with Stevens in offering this theory for your consideration.
http://www.preterist.org/preteristbookstore.asp (158 pages, paperback)
by Ian D. Harding
Harding examines every NT text that says anything about what the first century Christians EXPECTED to experience at the Parousia. He exhaustively proves from scripture that those saints not only expected to KNOW when Jesus returned, but to see, hear, and experience it in a literally TRANSFORMING way (by being "changed" and "caught up" into the air to meet with Jesus at His descent from heaven at the Parousia). If you are looking for a book which argues the case for a literal rapture in AD 70 strictly from Scripture, this is it! This will be one of the defining books of the Preterist Reformation for all generations to come. A "must read" for all preterists!
http://www.preterist.org/preteristbookstore.asp (335 pages, paperback)