Hank Hanegraaf and Sigmund Brouwer, The Last Disciple (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, 2004). 11 Audio CD set.

The Last Disciple is written in reaction to the Left Behind series of successful novels. The Left Behind series dramatises end times prophecies. The viewpoint offered by the Left Behind series is that the book of Revelation (at least after Chapter 3) deals with events in the future: the rise of the antichrist, persecution of God’s people, calamity. In contract The Last Disciple adopts a position that is labeled “preterist.” 

A quick definition of preterist: The point of view that New Testament prophecies of the future were fulfilled in the destruction of the Jewish nation in AD 70 and subsequent years.

The book is set during the time of the last disciple, the apostle John. John actually figures very little in the plot, only making an appearance in the early and late parts of the book. The book presents Nero as the “beast” and the antichrist. A strength of the book is the portrayal of life in the early first centuries. At times, however, the book gets mired in details, and with so many characters the plot develops slowly. 

It appears that the authors wish to follow this book with a sequel.