Stoned
John 8:3-7: A Preterist Commentary: Summary and Highlights
In John 8:3-7, a woman caught in the act of adultery is brought before Jesus. When asked if this woman should be stoned, Jesus’ responds with a prophecy concerning the fate of the whore of Babylon during the time of the end. For an explanation of his answer see the following Preterist commentary on John 8:3-7.
The following may seem unbelievable. However, all information is taken from unbiased historical records and is easily verifiable. Sources listed at the end.
In fulfillment of Revelation 16:21, Jerusalem, the Whore of Babylon, was stoned by Roman catapults during the Jewish War. Stoning is the prescribed punishment for adultery according to the Law.
Stoned
3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.”
Jesus’ reply to the woman caught in the act of adultery is a prophecy pointing to the destruction of adulterous Jerusalem, the Whore of Babylon, by stones hurled from Roman catapults in A.D. 70.
John 8:3-7: A Preterist Commentary: Called the Whore of Babylon in Revelation, Adulterous Jerusalem is stoned by Roman Catapults in A.D. 70 in fulfillment of Revelation 16:21. Stoning is the Prescribed Punishment for Adultery according to the Law of Moses.
The teachers of the Law and Pharisees who presented the adulterous woman to Jesus were themselves adulterers in Jesus’ eyes. In Matthew 12:39 Jesus labels these people an adulterous generation (Matthew 23:29-37; 24:21). With this epithet, Jesus links these wicked people to the whore of Babylon who commits adultery in Revelation 17:2. Jesus’ reply to the teachers of the Law and Pharisees is prophetic. His answer foreshadows the eminent destruction of Jerusalem by stones launched from Roman catapults in A.D. 70.
Called the whore of Babylon in Revelation 17, adulterous Jerusalem is ultimately stoned in Revelation 16:21—the prescribed punishment for adultery according to the Law of Moses. In this verse, giant hailstones fall from heaven onto Babylon. The fact that these stones are said to fall from heaven points to a heavenly executioner. Coming on the clouds of heaven at His return, Jesus, the one who is without sin, casts the first stone at the adulterous city. As is implied in Revelation 10:1-2, it is Jesus who guides the Roman army to attack Jerusalem.1 Therefore, it is Jesus that is ultimately responsible for the stoning of adulterous Babylon.
Boulders used in Roman catapults. According to Josephus each stone weighed a talent (about 100 lbs), the same weight as the hailstones that strike the Whore of Babylon in Revelation 16:21.
**NOTE** This is a NEW website. If you liked this article share it, like us on Facebook and follow on Twitter. Thank You!
Interested in THE PRETERIST VIEW OF ESCHATOLOGY, or are you a PRETERIST struggling with a prophecy or verse? It DID happen just like the Bible says! If you liked this essay, see PRETERIST BIBLE COMMENTARY for a detailed explanation of the FULFILLMENT OF ALL MAJOR END TIME PROPHECIES IN THE BIBLE. The more unbelievable the prophecy, the more amazing and miraculous the fulfillment!
Also see Historical Evidence that Jesus was LITERALLY SEEN in the Clouds in the First Century. For an explanation of how the end of the age and its fulfillment during the Jewish War mirror Genesis 1-3; how the Bible teaches that the resurrection of the dead is a resurrection of heavenly bodies to heaven, not a resurrection of perfected earthly bodies; and how the resurrection is a mirror opposite of the fall see How the Jewish War and Resurrection to Heaven Mirror Genesis and the Fall; and How Preterism fixes the Age of the Earth Problem and unravels the Mysteries in Genesis.
John 8:3-7: A Preterist Commentary: Conclusion
In the above Preterist commentary on John 8:3-7, the fulfillment of Jesus’ response to the teachers of the Law and Pharisees was explained in light of the fate of Jerusalem during its war with Rome.
- See the preterist commentary on Revelation 10:1-2.