The distinct set of apocalyptic ideas associated with moderate nonconformity incorporated the grudging acceptance of – or at least the lack of militant opposition to – the political settlement of 1660 and criticism of the imposition of laws by civil and ecclesiastical authorities that impeded freedom of religious worship and conscience. While the presence of apocalyptic beliefs in support of moderate dissent dispels the opinion that the continued articulation of these convictions in the later seventeenth century was inevitably associated with radicalism, their use within Restoration nonconformity may not be so surprising: apocalyptic prophecy has often been the domain of groups seeking to understand their marginalization within society. However, the expression of millenarian and apocalyptic convictions by adherents of the established Church and proponents of the restored monarchy supplies an even further dissociation between apocalypticism and such marginalization, as well as radicalism.

Anglican apocalyptic thought shared the same Reformation roots with nonconformist writings, and similar anti-Catholic themes were predominant in both. However, in the Restoration there were also newer threats closer to home. For Anglican writers radicalism and dissent from the Church of England became more immediate insular menaces, especially during the 1660s and 1670s. In the face of criticisms of the Restoration settlement, Anglican apocalyptic views were used to authorize, endorse, and promote the Church and government of England. In contrast to the mere resignation to the legitimacy of civil magistracy and the discontent with the re-established national church found in the apocalyptic exegesis of moderate nonconformists, Anglican authors championed the restored state and church through their prophetic eschatology, finding in it confirmation of the religious and political order instituted in the Restoration.