The Church Fathers Acknowledged Jesus’ Coming in AD 70
The early church fathers acknowledged that Jesus came again in AD 70. In fact, in debates with Jews, they specifically pointed to this event as proof that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah. Consider the following quotes from some notable early church fathers/historians:
Eusebius (c. AD 265-339)
Eusebius of Caesarea, aka “the Father of Church history,” was a historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christian polemicist from the Roman province of Syria Palaestina. Eusebius was a scholar of the biblical canon and is regarded as one of the most learned Christians during late antiquity. Here’s what he said about Jesus’ coming in AD 70:
“When we see what was of old foretold for the nations fulfilled in our own day, and when the lamentation and wailing that was predicted for the Jews, and the burning of the Temple and its utter destruction can also be seen even now to have occurred according to the prediction, surely we must also agree that the King who was prophesied, the Christ of God, has come, since the signs of His coming [see Matt. 24:3f] have been shown in each instance I have treated to have been clearly fulfilled.”[1]
“And it was only after our Savior came [in AD 70], and even until our own time [AD 300], that all the families of the Jewish nation have suffered pain worthy of wailing and lamentation because God’s hand has struck them, delivering their mother-city over to strange nations, laying their Temple low, and driving them from their country to serve their enemies in a hostile land; wherefore even now every house and every soul is a prey to lamentation. And so the prophecy says ‘And family shall mourn by family.’”[2]
“One might also literally in another way connect fire and chariots with His [second] coming through the siege that attacked Jerusalem after our Savior’s Advent [first coming] or the Temple was burned with fire not long after it was reduced to extreme desolation, and the city was encircled by the chariots and camps of the enemy, after which too the promises to the Gentiles were fulfilled in harmony with the prophecy.”[3]
Eusebius repeatedly linked the events in AD 70 to Jesus’ (second) coming.
Athanasius (c. AD 296-373)
Athanasius, aka “the Father of Church Orthodoxy,” was the chief proponent of Trinitarianism against Arianism and a noted Egyptian Christian leader of the fourth century. Here’s what he said about Jesus’ coming in AD 70:
“But surely they [the Jews] cannot fight against plain facts. So it may be that, without denying what is written, they will maintain that they are still waiting for these things to happen, and that the Word of God is yet to come, for that is a theme on which they are always harping most brazenly, in spite of all the evidence against them. But they shall be refuted on this supreme point more clearly than on any, and that not by ourselves but by the most wise Daniel, for he signifies the actual date of the Savior’s coming as well as His Divine sojourn in our midst [see Dan 9:24-26, which mentions both Jesus’ sojourn (first coming) and second coming]. In regard to other prophecies, they [the Jews] may possibly be able to find excuses for deferring their reference to a future time, but what can they say to this one? How can they face it at all? Not only does it expressly mention the Anointed One, that is the Christ, it even declares that He Who is to be anointed is not man only, but the Holy One of holies! And it says that Jerusalem is to stand till His coming, and that after it, prophet and vision shall cease in Israel!…When did prophet and vision cease from Israel? Was it not when Christ came, the Holy One of holies? It is, in fact, a sign [see Matt. 24:3] and notable proof of the coming of the Word that Jerusalem no longer stands, neither is prophet raised up nor vision revealed among them. And it is natural that it should be so, for when He that was signified had come, what need was there any longer of any to signify Him? And when the Truth had come, what further need was there of the shadow?…So if there is still king or prophet or vision among the Jews, they do well to deny that Christ is come; but if there is neither king nor vision, and since that time all prophecy has been sealed and city and temple taken, how can they be so irreligious, how can they so flaunt the facts, as to deny Christ Who has brought it all about?…What then has not come to pass that the Christ must do? What is there left out or unfulfilled that the Jews should disbelieve so light-heartedly? The plain fact is, as I say, that there is no longer any king or prophet nor Jerusalem nor sacrifice nor vision among them; yet the whole earth is filled with the knowledge of God, and the Gentiles, forsaking atheism, are now taking refuge with the God of Abraham through the Word, our Lord Jesus Christ. Surely, then, it must be plain even to the most shameless that the Christ has come, and that He has enlightened all men everywhere, and given them the true and divine teaching about His Father.”[4]
Athanasius linked the events of AD 70 to Jesus’ (second) coming, and he said Jesus completed everything he was supposed to do.
Chrysostom (c. 347-407)
Chrysostom was an important church father who served as archbishop of Constantinople. He is known for his preaching and public speaking. Chrysostom is venerated by Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, and Eastern Orthodox alike. Here’s what he said about the second coming:
“Having in remembrance, therefore, this saving commandment and all those things which have come to pass for us: the Cross, the Grave, the Resurrection on the third day, the Ascension into heaven, the Sitting at the right hand, and the second and glorious coming.[5]
As these quotes show, the early church fathers pointed to Jesus’ second coming in AD 70 as proof he was who he claimed to be. Keep in mind, also, that the early church fathers were prolific writers, and very few of their writings have been translated and researched as of yet. According to Don Preston, president of the Preterist Research Institute, that number is only around ten percent! So we may yet find more evidence of early notable Christians who acknowledged Jesus second coming in AD 70.
Disclaimer: While these early church fathers/historians said Jesus came again in AD 70 and that all prophecy has been fulfilled, they also believed Jesus would come yet again (a third time?) at the end of time—which is highly inconsistent, to say the least. It seems they wanted to have their cake and eat it too. When debating against Jews/skeptics, they argued that Jesus came again in AD 70 and fulfilled everything he was supposed to. However, among themselves, they clung to their hyper-literal fulfillment expectations.
In all candor, though, the post-biblical church fathers were all over the place on just about every doctrine. One can find “proof” for just about any doctrine one wants by using their writings. Futurist Sam Frost once admitted:
“The apostolic fathers have been used to support everything from purgatory to Mariology. Arius [who opposed the doctrine of the Trinity] appealed to them, as well as Athanasius [who supported the Trinity]. Calvin [Reformed theologian] used them as well as Bellarmine [Roman Catholic theologian]. Luther [Reformed theologian] used them against Eck [Roman Catholic theologian], and Eck used them against Luther. Like a stream of water, they can be dammed and made to turn whithersoever one may wish, discarding those elements that are not useful for the argument (bolding mine).”[6]
Frost’s point is that the post-biblical church fathers were all over the place on doctrines. One can find support for just about any view using their writings. So while we can learn much from their eloquent writings, they were clearly not infallible. Their opinions need to be taken with a grain of salt. They need to be tested against the inspired church fathers…Jesus, the apostles, and the other biblical prophets and writers.
For more information about the topics discussed in this article, please see my book The End Is Here: How the New Testament Prophecies Were Fulfilled, available NOW on Amazon.
By Alex Polyak, Director of The Bible Fulfilled, 9/5/25
[1] Eusebius, The Proof of the Gospel, book 8, 147.
[2] Ibid., book 3, page 352.
[3] Don Preston, We Shall Meet Him in the Air (Ardmore, OK: JaDon Productions, 2009), 292.
[4] Athanasius, On the Incarnation of the Word, chapter 6, sections 39–40.
[5] Preston, We Shall Meet Him in the Air, 294.
[6] Samuel Frost, Misplaced Hope: The Origins of First and Second Century Eschatology (Colorado Springs: Bimillennial Press, 2002), 164.
