The Last Disciple

The Last Disciple #1

by Hank Hanegraaff, Sigmund Brouwer

First-century Rome is a perilous city as Nero stalks the political circles and huddled groups of believers. To be safe, Christians must remain invisible.

Gallus Sergius Vitas is the only man within Nero’s trusted circle willing to do what it takes to keep the empire together. He struggles to lessen Nero’s monstrosities against the people of Rome—especially the Christians. But as three Greek letters are scrawled as graffiti throughout the city, Nero’s anger grows.

As the early church begins to experience the turbulence Christ prophesied as the beginning of the last days, an enemy seeks to find John’s letter, Revelation, and destroy it. Meanwhile the early Christians must decipher it and cling to the hope it provides as they face the greatest of all persecutions.

Genres: Christian Fiction, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Christian, Biblical Fiction, Historical, Religion

395 pages, Hardcover

First published September 10, 2004

About the author

Hendrik "Hank" Hanegraaff, also known as the "Bible Answer Man", is an American Christian author and radio talk-show host. Formerly an evangelical Protestant, he joined the Eastern Orthodox Church in 2017. He is an outspoken figure within the Christian countercult movement, where he has established a reputation for his critiques of non-Christian religions, new religious movements, and cults, as well as heresy in Christianity. He is also an apologist on doctrinal and cultural issues.

Reviews

[Lee Harmon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m unaware of another book out there that presents the preterist view in a fictional story, and that alone earns The Last Disciple recognition. If you need a reminder, preterism is a branch of Christianity that believes most of the prophecies and covenantal promises of the Bible have been fulfilled. Armageddon is over. Much, if not all, of Revelation has occurred.

The setting for the book is the years of Nero Caesar’s reign, just prior to the war of 70 AD, when the Romans overran Jerusalem. Nero, of course, is the Beast of Revelation, and a beastly fellow he is! The story is told primarily from the viewpoint of Vilas, a trusted advisor, who recognizes Nero is in the throes of madness. He meets up with John the Apostle, the author of Revelation, and together they flee the tentacles of the Beast. This is the first of a series, though I haven’t yet seen evidence of future books.

Fiction is not Hanegraff’s bread and butter. I guess that’s where Brouwer comes in. For the record, I’ll say the fiction is moderately well-written and the plot engaging enough to hold my attention, but that hardly seems to matter to readers. Reviews are all over the map. If appears that you’re a preterist, you’ll love this book. If you’re a futurist, you’ll hate it. If you’re undecided, you should probably save the fiction until you can enjoy it, and study the Biblical foundations of preterism first.

[September · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this book quite disjointed. It was like the authors felt the need to manufacture drama. So, they'd give you a few paragraphs (A few pages, if you're lucky.), then jump to a new scene.

There were times when the authors would jump to a brand new setting/characters but leave out imperative details. It left the reader confused and hanging, as they quickly cut to a new scene.

I found the character development lacking

Honestly, it was pretty grueling to get through. To top it off, almost nothing was resolved in the end. After the fact, I learned that this is the first book in a new series.

On a positive note, I was impressed by the passion of Christos' followers, who would willingly die for their Master, as He had died for them.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was an excellent read!! It had me at the edge of my seat the entire time. The courage that these faithful Christians possessed (through the grace of God!) is awe inspiring. And the tortures that they endured for the sake of Christ brought me to my knees!!
I found this book to be very, very moving and encouraging. I strongly recommend this to 16 and up! *goes to read book 2, "The Last Sacrifice"*

[Christian Fiction Addiction · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in first-century Rome, The Last Disciple weaves together the stories of Gallus Sergius Vitas, a man within the inner circle of Emperor Nero, with the lives of Christians who are experiencing ever-greater persecution for their beliefs. Vitas has committed to serve justice equally for all, and is no longer able to stand by as Nero carries out horrific acts against Christian believers, or while other Roman rulers plunder and steal to their own benefit. Vitas sets out to Jerusalem to investigate the rule of Judea under Florus, the Roman procurator, and ends up witnessing first-hand the mistreatment of the Jews when Florus uses the Roman army to cover up his own abuses. When Vitas returns to Rome to give his report, it is discovered that he has married a Christian, a sect Nero has become increasingly focused on wiping out. Meanwhile, a divine prophecy has emerged from Jesus' last disciple, John, concerning a revelation he received, a revelation that appears to threaten Nero's reign. Nero's closest allies become consumed with deciphering the meaning of the prophecy, while events unfold that place Vitas' very life at risk, along with the lives of those he most holds dear.

Sigmund Brouwer and Hank Hanegraaff have woven a riveting tale, one that has been painted with vivid imagery and haunting details. The characters are well-fleshed out, with much to admire in such persons as Vitas or Sophia or the last disciple, John, but also characters who are so sinister that I shudder to imagine that they actually existed. The historical setting of Rome under the rule of Emperor Nero, combined with his ruthless persecution of Christians, makes for a compelling read, equally entertaining and disturbing at the same time. As I read, I was envisioning the Christians being mauled in the arena by animals or being hung in the city streets and lit on fire, and I found my own faith stirred and inspired by the experiences of the Christians who lived so courageously at that time. I loved the richness that this book brings to details of the Bible, and I am amazed that they were able to take passages of the Bible and debates about prophecies foretold by Jesus in the gospels or by his disciple John in the book of Revelation, and weave these elements into a tale of gripping suspense. Although not all readers may resonate with the stance on prophecy and end times that this book takes, I think that it serves as an excellent alternative to books like the Left Behind series, and it is sure to make you think. Regardless of your beliefs, the book is extremely well-written, fast paced and entertaining, and will give you a greater appreciation for what Christians experienced at the time of the writing of the book of Revelation. The conclusion is powerful and literally had me racing to the last page.

I highly recommend this book and award it 5 out of 5 stars. I can't wait to read the second book in the series!

Book has been provided courtesy of the publisher, Tyndale, for the purposes of this unbiased review.

[Emily Wolfenbarger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I practically read this in one sitting. Incredible, biblical, inventive. Amazing and highly recommended!

[Nadine Keels]

Because I really liked this novel's cover and the basic idea behind the story, I stuck with it for more than 100 pages.

But to find a story interesting, I need to have a good sense of the plot and why it matters for the characters, or I at least have to really care about a character or two. That didn't happen for me here.

I found the reading disjointed, cutting from one short scene to the next in a way that didn't pull me in. I think the choppy progression also hinders the character development. Much of the narrative's wording is stilted, almost like the story had been translated from a different language in places, and the style lacks subtlety and is sometimes repetitive. Because it was difficult for me to stay focused while still not knowing exactly what was going on, I decided not to finish the novel.

Even so, I've really enjoyed a different historical novel by Brouwer before (Thief of Glory), so it's likely I'll try another one of his in the future.

[Christopher Hughs]

Pretty good story. At first hard to get into the way it is written as it is divided up with multiple story lines in one chapter. After reading though it works. Has many tie ins to biblical accounts that of course can't be proven to be factual. Overall good book. Looking forward to the next book.

[Heitham Hammad · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Quite a page turner. It was very disturbing what things were done to people back then. Nero was not very nice to anyone. Great read, though. I am looking forward to seeing the other books in the series."

[Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hanegraaff's response to the LEFT BEHIND series is another interesting installment in the author's "What They Should Have Written" series. I made that title up, of course, but it was nicer than "What they Would Have Written if they Were as Smart as I am." **

That's too harsh for Hanegraaff, whose work merits more attention than it gets. His radio show (The Bible Answer Man) is excellent, and the speaker/author certainly does his homework. Sometimes I think he is frustrated that such poor books get the massive marketing campaigns that they do. But then, that's the frustration of everyone who is well-trained in a classical, non-pop discipline.

I enjoyed this book, probably as much as the completely different LEFT BEHIND series. But I was not so smitten that I read any others.

(**Another is his THE PRAYER OF JESUS (not on goodreads), an answer to Wilkinson's THE PRAYER OF JABEZ. Unfortunately, where Wilkinson has the advantage of offering analysis of an until-then obscure Old Testament prayer, Hanegraaff chooses for his subject the much more deserving, but well-known and prolifically analyzed "Lord's Prayer." Anyway, Hanegraaff has little unique insight to add, and his book cannot survive the comparison to Wilkinson's.)

[Ashlei A.K.A Chyna Doll · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know the Christian/Fiction Genre Stamp are going to put some people off… DO NOT LET IT!!!

This is a very Intriguing, Interesting, Insightful Beautifully told book!!! The Historical importance of the book is a large factor in getting more people reading it. But it shows the subject in a more “Personable” Light….(We all have heard the stories of Old Testament Christians, How it is Jammed down our throats…. this book does not do that, The opposite really. Its many POVs of many factions of life, We had Gallant Hero's, Loyal Freedmen, Greedy Temple Priests, Evil Femme Fatales, Sympathetic Slaves, Faithful to the end Christians, And the Empire NERO
Nero was made out as we have all probably heard him to be, A Insane, Evil, Wicked man Who rules with an iron fist and fear. His will is Law and he is “Divine”. I have read many Articles and books on his reign and all of them are pretty much the same in the end… But i do love books from this era, and this one was a great read…


But what happens to Sophia, To Vitas, The lil Baby…..Does Vitas brother figure out the man he has captured is not the man he is searching for?!?!?!?!
WHY STOP ON SUCH A CLIFFHANGER?!!?!


On to the next book….

[Ben Chenoweth · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK, I was hoping this would be better than "Apocalypse", but it wasn't. This was way too melodramatic. I really didn't feel the authors dealt with the book of Revelation in the context of the late 60's of the first century. They were more concerned about Mark 13 / Matt. 24. And when they did touch on Revelation towards the end, they didn't explain why the book was written to Christians in Asia Minor when the persecution under Nero was centered on Rome. Disappointing, and I won't go looking for the others in the series.

[Jim Maass · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a historical fiction set around the writing of Revelation by John. Instead of the end times happening in the future, it's set at the period of history when the Emperor Nero was torturing Christian believers. I thought this book was well written and looking forward to the next book in tis series.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This puts you in the time of Nero killing Christians. It shows how awful the Roman culture had become and is very violent. It gave me a new way to think about Revelations and I look forward to reading the next books

[Loraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read. Fiction but give another viewpoint to compare to the Left Behind series.

[Adrienna · Rating 1 out of 5]

there are very minimal parts that keeps my interest in the audio cds.

[Maurice Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The Last Disciple” is the first in a series of three books about the demise of The Temple and the Jewish nation that built The Temple. The point of view is how “Revelation” is interpreted. The interpretation in this series is preterist. Some of the visions in “Revelation” are predictions made to the Jewish people who encountered the Messiah warning them what will happen to them, their nation, and The Temple if they should reject God's appointed Messiah and try to defeat his mission. This makes sense to me because, if the futurist position is correct, than what good does it do warn the Jewish people twenty-six years after what was predicted has already happened. The futurist position holds that the predictions in Revelation are future even to us today. The preterist position holds that the Evangelist and probably the other apostles were aware of all of these visions and included some of them in their preaching.

Hanegraaff and Brouwer, I think, hoped that this series of books might capture the interest of many readers and get them to consider the logic of the preterist position. Unfortunately, even though the series was well-received, it did not surpass the popularity of “The Left Behind” series, a work based upon the futurist position, which popularity catapulted “The Left Behind” series, into a major best seller.

The opening scene in this adventuresome novel has Nero, disguised as Daniel’s fourth beast, led on a leash into a garden hut by his fictional henchman, Helius. Nero is taunting four Christian prisoners with Daniel’s prophecy, presuming the fourth beast refers to the Roman Empire. Three caged wild animals will soon be released to devour the prisoners. One of the prisoners is John the Evangelist, the last disciple, who, like Nero, is a real historical character. Approaching the hut is Gallus Sergius Vitas, Roman military hero recently returned to Rome to serve in Nero’s inner circle. Like Helius, Vitas is a fictional character.

The authors, Hank Hanegraaff and Sigmund Brouwer, have cleverly blended real historical characters and events with fictional characters and events to create a fast-moving, interesting, adventure story contrasting good with evil. Vitas, a good man, has become disgusted with Nero’s cruelty. The authors describe many other adventures, involving both historical and fictional situations. Vitas has a brother, Damian and a friend, Maglorius, both fictional. Damian is a close friend to Titus, a historical person who will later lead the Roman army to destroy Jerusalem and The Temple.

Powerful men in Rome conspire to save Vitas and John so they can escape Nero. They have them secretly placed on a boat headed for Alexandria. They gave Vitas one-third of a coded scroll, written in Latin. They gave one of the crew members a second portion of the scroll written in Hebrew with instructions to give it to John. When the ship reaches Alexandria, there will be a final portion of the scroll. The novel ends with John and Vitas on the ship. This first novel ends in A.D. 65. Nero is still alive, and The Temple is still standing.

I think a flaw in the author's novel is that they seem to think that “Revelation” was being written by John before the historically accepted date of AD 96. That's why they have John writing about things soon to come and someone given the code name of 666. The preterist position that I adhere to agrees with the commonly held position that “Revelation” was indeed written by John but in AD 96 while he was in exile on Patmos. However some of what the evangelist put into writing had already been preached by the Baptist during his ministry before he died.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent 1st Century historical fiction that supports the partial preterist eschatological position. That means it assumes an early date for the writing of the The Revelation of St. John (~65 AD), that Nero is the beast of Revelation, and that the first 18 chapters of Revelation were fulfilled within the 1st Century, culminating with Titus leading the Roman legions in the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

[By contrast, the Left Behind series is based on dispensational premillenialism, which assumes that the Revelation was written after the destruction of Jerusalem and predicts events in the 20th/21st century.]

The main character, Vitas, is a high ranking Roman military officer and adviser to Caesar. Vitas recognizes and abhors Caesar Nero's violent and perverted excesses, especially the persecution of followers of The Way, a Jewish sect that follows the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth (Christians). Vitas walks a dangerous path as he seeks to subvert Nero's evil acts while remaining a political insider. Meanwhile, the other high ranking advisers to Nero hate Vitas because he is upstanding and incorruptible.

The story line is fascinating and it's clear that the authors researched day-to-day life in the Roman Empire of the 1st Century. One of the authors, Hank Hanegraaff is a well known theologian and Christian researcher; in fact the President of the Christian Research Institute (and the voice of the Bible Answer Man call in radio show).

Why not 5 stars? The authors chose to weave a handful of story lines, alternating chapters with the various point of view characters (think of the Song of Fire and Ice or Wheel of Time series). This is handled imperfectly and left me scratching my head trying to remember who is who and what had been happening before. I suppose if I had read the book all in one setting, it would have worked alright. Apparently, even the authors realized the technique was not optimal: by book 3 of the trilogy the approach has been abandoned and the main character is the only POV.

That said, I enjoyed the books and do recommend them, especially to people interested in the various theories of the prophetic books of the Bible. The books include a cast of characters section, so if you get lost occasionally, as I did, you can flip to the list of characters and at least remember who you're reading about.

Final thought - the book includes the Apostle John himself (The Last Disciple, after all). I found his character very convincing and compelling. His charitable actions, wisdom, and fearlessness are surely a true reflection of Saint John the Revelator.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Roman Empire is in utter state of corruption. Nero is on the throne and things could hardly be worse, especially for the Christians who faced horrible persecution and unimaginable torture. Betrayal and fear face everyone who lived in that terrible time. A mysterious letter, written by John, has been circulating among the Christians. Their enemies are impatient to learn the meaning of the symbolism mentioned in the letter. Who is the Beast? Who or What does the numbers 666 stand for? When will the Tribulation ever end?

When I read this book I wished I could personally thank the author for writing it. Some of the modern interpretations of the Book of Revelation are questionable to me but this made more sense. Even though John would have written in code to dissuade the Romans, his message would have been very clear to his Hebrew readers. My understanding is that the Early Church knew they were facing the Tribulation and were quite aware of whom the Beast was. He wasn't a mysterious figure in an obscure future. What they were facing was very real and painful and John's letter was a source of comfort to them.

[Bobbie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish I would have read the reviews before reading this book! It has so many characters and jumps so frequently as to who is in the spotlight. It was hard to follow at times and leaves you wondering why did they throw this character and story line in there? This is the first of 3 books so I guess more of the story will unfold in the other books? It also has a take on the Bible and the end times I didn't know....for example, the author believes the first Christians have already gone through the great trib, which left me asking, "Are we in the millenial period which follows the trib? " It's been over a 1000 years since Christ's Resurrection, so where does that leave us? I don't understand their theology, which makes me go back to Scripture to find my answers on what I believe. I have book 2 and I'm wondering what happens next, but it's not enough that I'm dying to find out; it makes me pause as to whether I really want to find out.

[Priscilla King · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you liked "Ben Hur," "Quo Vadis," "The Silver Chalice," "The Robe," "I Claudius," maybe even "The Satyricon" or "The Golden Ass"--well, that's about a half-dozen novels you'll probably rate higher than "The Last Disciple." But you also like historical fiction and may enjoy another visit to first-century Rome. Hanegraaff apparently noted the success of "Left Behind" and felt moved to write a novel dramatizing his own view of how the biblical Apocalypse should be read. Meant to launch a trilogy, this novel solves only a few of the "mysteries" Hanegraaff claims John "The Revelator" encoded in his Book or Revelations, leaving others for volumes two and three. Meanwhile, it's first-century Rome, so there's no shortage of historical trivia, occasions for heroism or villainy, political intrigue, violence, and sweet romance. This longish book is a fast, adventure-packed read.

[Dena · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really liked the premise of this book. HOWEVER I found the episodic nature of the storytelling VERY hard to follow. So much so that I am forgoing reading the next one. I feel bad about about that because I loved the perspective on this story as being counter to the Left Behind series interpretations of Revelation. I even liked the characters and seemed to have finally grasped the vast cast of characters as the first book came to a close. I was not fond of new characters being introduced three hundred pages in when I found myself trying to recall if I’d met them before or coming to the end of the book wondering what happened to a character. Life is too short to read authors that I can’t connect with - especially since it doesn’t happen that often for me!

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is set during the reign of Nero, before the destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem. The authors postulate that the Tribulation described in John's book of Revelation refers to the persecution of Christians in the first century AD, rather than just before the Second Coming of Christ.

The "Last Disciple" refers to John, son of Zebedee and transcriber of Revelation. Nero is frantic to discover whether "the Beast" of Revelation, whose number is 666, refers to himself. Because in John's scroll, the Beast is defeated and killed. And in Rome, it is treason to even mention the possibility of the emperor's death.

Because the emperor is worshipped as a god. And a god cannot die ....

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had a hard time getting into this for a while because there are so many characters and the storyline kept switching around, so I found it hard to get interested in the characters at first. About a third of the way through it picked up for me as I finally felt I had a grasp of the characters and how they were related within the plot. I found the ending to be rather abrupt and it didn't provide enough closure for me. But of course that's because it's the first in a trilogy, and so now I guess I'm going to have to get the second and inevitably the third book!

[Lady Safari · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit all over the show.

I enjoy historical fictions, especially those that cover this particular time period.
However, this story was a bit all over the show. I didn't feel like any of the characters had development. It was like guessing who they were, where they were in their journey, and why we were introduced to them.
I also didn't find the the story flowing. It was hard to understand why characters were where they were.

I got the trilogy, so I sincerely hope the next two books will flow better than this one did.

[Pat Lane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably 4 for being my favorite genre of historical fiction and how it represents believers in the early church. But style bumps it back down a bit. A lot of back and forth between people and places makes it somewhat challenging to keep track. Interesting to consider the challenges of the early believers to live and carry out their faith in incredibly hostile situations. Only God’s sovereign will to grow His kingdom would have made it possible. I would recommend it if you like this genre and want to follow the story and timeline.

[Cojo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the ideas behind the story and the characters. I am intrigued to see where the story goes, but I’m not sure I will go to the next books. Some of the characters and their reactions felt forced. There are mature topics included such as suicide, torture, and sexual content (not graphic) which are difficult to listen to. These passages made me question whether the story was worth finishing.

This book is unsuitable for younger and/or sensitive readers.

[Kathryn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book, but way too long! And I didn't get to The Last Disciple until the last part of the book! Lots of characters to keep up with. If you are good at it, you may enjoy this. The main character is a Roman and asks a lot of questions about Jesus of Nazareth. He is too late to find Him, but He may find someone how knew Him.

[Patrick Moen · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting counterpoint to the Left Behind series. I don't buy the premise but I did enjoy the book. Before I became a believer in Christ I used to read books that were combat focused exclusively. This book harkens back to those days while also teaching a lot about Roman and hebrew history.

[Asha McDd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book used and didn't realise that it was part of a series. I wish that it could have been read as a stand alone, because now I must read the others in this series. This book was good describing the christians just after the time of Christ with John as the last disciple.

[Kwinters58 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story, great view of end times

The storyline is good and the characters are developed well. In addition, the view of end times as depicted in Revelation is refreshingly accurate.