A Case for an Early Date for Revelation
I was asked by a good friend to provide some reasons for the position of an early date for Revelation. He was going to give it to another friend of his who wasn’t finding any good resources for this view. I gave the following information and thought I’d pass it on to you, dear reader.
There are two basic dates for the Book of Revelation: early (mid - late 60’s) and late (mid - late 90’s). In other words, before the fall of Jerusalem or after the fall of Jerusalem. I briefly addressed Revelation in my series on New Testament Eschatology (NTE), starting with “Letters 13.” To briefly touch on the points I made there:
Jerusalem = Babylon
Jesus claimed that his generation would be judged for “all the righteous blood” shed on the earth including prophets, wise men, and scribes (Matthew 23.34-36). In fact, he goes so far as to say that a prophet can’t die outside of Jerusalem (Luke 13.33).
In Revelation 6.9-11, we see the righteous under the altar of God asking when they’ll be avenged. They’re told to rest a little while longer until the deaths of their sisters and brothers, “who were about to be killed as they were.”
In Revelation 11.8, we’re told that the bodies of the “two witnesses” would “lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.”
And in Revelation 18.24, at the fall of Babylon, we find that she was judged because she was filled with the blood of “prophets, saints, and all who [had] been slain on the earth.”
In Revelation 6.9-11, we see the righteous under the altar of God asking when they’ll be avenged. They’re told to rest a little while longer until the deaths of their sisters and brothers, “who were about to be killed as they were.”
In Revelation 11.8, we’re told that the bodies of the “two witnesses” would “lie in the street of the great city that symbolically is called Sodom and Egypt, where their Lord was crucified.”
And in Revelation 18.24, at the fall of Babylon, we find that she was judged because she was filled with the blood of “prophets, saints, and all who [had] been slain on the earth.”
The Temple was still standing
In Revelation 11.1-2, John’s given a rod and told to measure the Temple, but not the outer court because that was “given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for forty-two months.” Surely this isn’t God’s Temple “in heaven.” The “nations” aren’t going to storm God’s city and Temple for three and a half years!
Nor can it refer to a supposed rebuilt Temple for a couple of reasons: First, the Bible nowhere claims that there will another rebuilt worldly Temple!
Second is the “two witnesses.” These two have the power to “shut the sky” so that it doesn’t rain and the power to “turn the water into blood” and “strike the earth with every plague.” The two witnesses are surely Elijah and Moses (cf. Matthew 17.1-8). Or, to put it another way, the Law and the Prophets! And as we saw above, the “two witnesses” would be killed in “Babylon,” “where their Lord was crucified.”
Nor can it refer to a supposed rebuilt Temple for a couple of reasons: First, the Bible nowhere claims that there will another rebuilt worldly Temple!
Second is the “two witnesses.” These two have the power to “shut the sky” so that it doesn’t rain and the power to “turn the water into blood” and “strike the earth with every plague.” The two witnesses are surely Elijah and Moses (cf. Matthew 17.1-8). Or, to put it another way, the Law and the Prophets! And as we saw above, the “two witnesses” would be killed in “Babylon,” “where their Lord was crucified.”
Six hundred sixty-six = Nero Caesar
I won’t go into all the details here (read this post for that), but John’s told the number of the beast is the number of a man and that his number is “six hundred sixty-six” not “six, six, six.” That’s an important point. This is an ancient puzzle called Gematria. This is where letters are assigned numeric value (think Roman numerals). But here’s the kicker — John wasn’t equating six hundred sixty-six to Nero’s name in Greek but in Hebrew! If it was Greek, anyone reading the letter would have read it outright and there would be no “need for wisdom” (Revelation 13.18). Only those who came from a Hebraic background could decipher the puzzle.
Also, the angel tells John the beast will persecute God’s people for forty-two months, i.e., three and a half years. Nero was the first emperor to persecute Christians beginning in roughly 64 CE and continued until his death in 68 CE.
Incidentally, the Lamsa Bible, an english translation of the Peshitta (the Aramaic Bible) by George Lamsa, has the following note about this passage: “This number represents the Aramaic letters which spell Nero Caesar.” And because of this, for a long time, the Peshitta did not contain the book of Revelation — they viewed it as pertaining to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE.
Also, the angel tells John the beast will persecute God’s people for forty-two months, i.e., three and a half years. Nero was the first emperor to persecute Christians beginning in roughly 64 CE and continued until his death in 68 CE.
Incidentally, the Lamsa Bible, an english translation of the Peshitta (the Aramaic Bible) by George Lamsa, has the following note about this passage: “This number represents the Aramaic letters which spell Nero Caesar.” And because of this, for a long time, the Peshitta did not contain the book of Revelation — they viewed it as pertaining to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 CE.
Nearness of the events
When John wrote this letter he stated that the “time [was] near” (Revelation 1.3) and the events “must shortly take place” (Revelation 1.1). To claim that it was actually about the fall of Rome (which would have been roughly 300-400 years after the late date theory) or about sometime in our life or future, it to twist the very plain and simple understanding of very plain and simple words.[1]
Silence
There is not one reference to the fall of Jerusalem and the Temple in the Bible. Not. One. It’s nothing short of the end of their world. Something of that magnitude would have caused more than a passing mention!
One of the biggest problems of the late date theory is it has to recreate the entire New Testament world — new Temple, new priesthood, new sacrifices, new Roman Empire, new Emperor, new antichrist (see 1 John 2.18), etc. ad nauseum. The simplest answer is right in front of us the whole time — Revelation is about the then very soon coming war between the Jews and the Romans, probably in just a couple of years after the letter was written in the mid to late 60’s.
Finally, there are some really good books on the subject: Before Jerusalem Fell: Dating the Book of Revelation by Ken Gentry.[2] Redating the New Testament by John A. T. Robinson;[3] The Parousia: A Critical Inquiry into the New Testament Doctrine of our Lord’s Second Coming by J. Stuart Russell.[4]
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In the Love of the Three in One,
Br. Jack+, LC
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[1] For those who would point to 2 Peter 3.8 as a rebuttal to this point, see “Background — Part 3” in my New Testament Eschatology series.
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