Tag Archives: John

Dating The Writing of the Book of Revelation

If we are to understand the Book of Revelation, we must identify the approximate date of its writing. Historical context requires knowledge of the time factor. The date of the writing is crucial to its interpretation.

There are two main views of the date of the writing:

  1. In the time of the reign of Domitian during the persecution of 96 AD.
  2. In the time of Nero, before the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.

(1) Those who favor a date in the reign of Domitian, (AD 81-96), do so on the basis that:

  • (A) Mystery Babylon depicts the Roman empire and that:
  • (B) this date more accurately depicts the conditions of the empire at that time than at the time of Nero and
  • that the later date gives more time for the decline of the churches shown in the letters in chapters two and three.

(2) I favor the view that it was written

  • Immediately following Nero’s death, in Galba’s reign, in 68 AD.
  • That canonization of the Book depended upon its having been written by an Apostle.
  • That the identity of Mystery Babylon is not Rome, but rather the fallen Jerusalem.
  • That the external evidence from the Book of II Esdras, furnishes historical evidence for the time of Nero.

My View

My view is that the Book was written in 68 AD during the brief reign of Galba, immediately following the death of Nero.* Some of the evidence that favors this earlier date is that the temple is mentioned as if it were literally extant in Revelation 11:1-2 which favors a date in Nero’s reign and that the numerical value of Nero’s name, Neron Caesar, can be calculated to equal the cryptic number of the Beast, 666.

Further evidence for the writing having been during the reign of Galba will be dealt with in my Commentary on Revelation 17:9* showing that Galba was the sixth of the “Seven Kings,” who was the present King in the writing of Revelation.

Internal Evidence: Apostolicity:

One of the criteria for canonization of a writing in the early Church was apostolicity, that is, that it was written by or was based upon the witness of an apostle. The fact that it was accepted into the canon is evidence that the early Church believed it to be the work of John the Beloved Apostle. John would have been an old Man in 68 AD, although it is possible, but not probable, that he lived to Domitian’s reign, 25 years later.

The internal evidence of the Book itself, if we take it to be the inspired Word of God, should be determinative. The witness of the writing itself is that it was written by the Apostle John, the writer of the Gospel and the Epistles of John. (See my article “I, John.” **)

Blood Guilt: Jewish or Roman? The Identity of Mystery Babylon

The internal evidence is also that Babylon the Great was not Rome but rather the wicked city of Jerusalem which had been persecuting the Church of Jesus Christ and whose destruction had been predicted by Christ to be within the generation that heard Him.***

The identity of Babylon must be seen in relationship to the referent in Matthew 23:34-35. In the context of His condemnation of the scribes and Pharisees and His description of the predicted destruction of Jerusalem, Christ said: “Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them you shall kill and crucify, and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city: that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zecharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.”

The fact that it was the fallen Jerusalem who was to bear the guilt of “all the righteous blood shed on earth,” and the fact that it is Mystery Babylon in whom is found the blood of “all who have been slain on earth,” conclusively shows that Mystery Babylon symbolizes the fallen Jerusalem. Mystery Babylon is clearly said to have slain “the saints and martyrs of Jesus,” (Revelation 17:6). In the context of the Scriptures, then, Mystery Babylon can be none other than the fallen Jerusalem.

If Mystery Babylon is Jerusalem, then the Book would have been written prior to70 AD.

Jewish Persecution, Not Roman:

The entire New Testament witnesses to the fact that it was the Pharisaical sect of the Jews that persecuted and killed Christ and His Church, the Christian branch of the Jewish race. On the other hand, there are no references in the Scriptures to Roman persecution of Christians as such. Although the Romans did get involved in the legal disputes, that should not be called persecution. Secular historians show that the Roman government did not recognize that there was a difference between the Christians and other “Jews” until after the great fire in approximately 64 AD.

The Jewish nation as a politico/religious state was ruled by a class of priests, Pharisees, and scribes who curried the favor of Roman power in a love/hate relationship. On one hand, they coveted the power and economic gain from Rome; on the other hand, their conscience forbade them to neglect halakhah, the law of their religious traditions. Therefore, the people who observed the traditions, the Pharisees, were in rebellion, either overtly or covertly, against Rome throughout the New Testament era.

Although the Pharisaic Jews considered themselves persecuted by Rome, they were not persecuted as followers of Christ. Neither were the Christians persecuted by Rome as followers of Christ. Persecution of Christians by Rome was because they were perceived to be Jews who were in rebellion against Rome, not because they were followers of Christ. If the persecutor of the saints was Jerusalem, not Rome, then the Book of Revelation was written prior to 70 AD.

External Evidence:

The Book of 2 Esdras has many parallels to the Book of Revelation and is believed to have been written very near the same time, i.e., near the close of the first century AD. In 2 Esdras 12:18, some theologians believe a reference is made to the time following the death of Nero, 68 AD. The writer of 2 Esdras, however, is recounting a vision he has seen revealing events which were to come. If this is indeed a reference to the time following Nero’s death, then 2 Esdras would have been written before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The parallels to the Book of Revelation would serve as a second witness that the Revelation was written prior to 70 AD.

It is clear from these facts that the dating of the Book, as well as the attribution of authorship, depend upon the interpretation of the symbols of the Book; and the interpretation of the symbols depend upon the dating of the writing, a circular process. However, I believe the overwhelming evidence is for the earlier date. 

[This lesson is an edited excerpt from my book, Revelation In Contest, pages 11-13. For further discussion of historical, literary, and theological sources, please see the footnotes at that location.]

*See my book: Commentary at 17:10 “Roman Appointed Kings of Judea.“ p. 304-305.

** See my book, page 97.

***See my book, pages 74-94.

The Writer: “I, John”

Revelation 1:1. ““And he made it known by sending his angel to his servant John.”

The “I” and the “me” of the Book of Revelation is John, the writer of the Book, not the Church or any other entity, but John the writer, except when it is Christ speaking.

So Who Was ‘John’?

The internal testimony of the Book is that “John“ wrote it. Who was this “John”? The only reason for questioning the authorship of the Apostle John, disciple of Christ and author of the Epistles and Gospel of John, is the proposed date of the writing. If the Book were not written until Domitian’s reign, (AD 81-96), it would be unlikely that John lived to write it. However, if the date is placed in the reign of Nero, some twenty-eight years earlier, then it is more probable that the Apostle John wrote it.

Even so, it would seem that there was a tradition that the Apostle John lived to a great age as indicated by the saying in John 21:23: “Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what [is that] to thee?” John would have been quite old even in 68 AD.

Did John Live To See The Coming of Christ?

One reason for assigning the authorship to John the apostle is that there was a rumor that he would live to the coming of Christ, (John 21:22-23). Christ also taught that some of His disciples would “see the Son of man coming in his kingdom,” (Matt. 16:28; Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27). He also said that some of those living when He uttered His prophecy of the fall of Jerusalem would be alive to see the fulfillment, (Matt. 23:36; 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32). The fact that John lived to write the Book of Revelation is proof of the truth of Christ’s words.

Were There Two ‘Johns’?

The historian Eusebius believed that there were two “Johns” named in his source, (i.e. the historian Papias): one the apostle, and the other a presbyter in Asia in later years. However, it can be demonstrated that Eusebius’ reasoning concerning this is faulty. The source does not clearly determine that there were two separate “Johns.”

Eusebius also quotes Justin, (100-165?): “He refers to the Revelation of John, stating explicitly that it was the work of the Apostle.”

According to the tradition of the Old Testament, God revealed what He was doing through His true prophet, in this case, John. Consistent with Amos 3:7: “Surely the Lord does nothing, without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets.” The Book of Revelation is the revealing of the secret to John.

Who Was The Signifying Angel of Revelation 1:1?

As we shall show, the Angel which accompanied John through the Revelation visions was the spirit of the prophet Daniel. This Signifying Angel is introduced in Revelation 1:1 as the means of making the message known to John, “He sent and signified it by his angel….”

The Signifying Angel in Revelation 5:

It appears to be the same Angel in 5:2: “And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the book and to loose the seals thereof?’” Who would be more likely to ask this question than Daniel, who had been given the prophecy but had to seal it till the time of the end? (Dan. 12:4, 9).

The Signifying Angel in Revelation 10

In Revelation 10 we see a “mighty angel” who has a little scroll/book in his hand. This Angel is like the “man clothed in linen” of Daniel 12:7. Daniel had asked this “man” how long it should be to the end of these wonders. The “man” in Daniel 12 lifted his hand toward heaven and declared it was to be “a time, two times, and half a time.”

However, in the Book of Revelation, (10:6), this Signifying Angel also lifts his hand to heaven but here declares “the time is up”: “there shall be no more delay, but in the days of the trumpet call to be sounded by the seventh angel, (see below on 11:15), the mystery of God, as he announced to his servants the prophets, should be fulfilled,” (Revelation 10:6-7 RSV).

Who but Daniel would qualify for this angelic role in the Book of Revelation? The mystery had been propounded to him during his life on earth and he had questioned the Lord about it, (Dan. 12:8). Who would be more worthy than Daniel to be granted the privilege to see the fulfillment of the mystery?

The Signifying Angel Passes the Little Scroll to John

But this Signifying Angel of Revelation chapter ten, gives the little scroll, (i.e., what is left of the scroll that has already had six seals broken on it), to John and instructs him to eat it. When John eats it, it is sweet in his mouth but bitter in his stomach. He tells John “You must again prophecy about many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.”

This symbolic action signifies that Daniel’s prophecy, the “little scroll” which was only for Israel, was being incorporated into the larger prophecy, the Book of Revelation, that was to be to the whole world in the Gentile age, after they too had heard the Gospel. John was to internalize (eat) the prophecy so that he could apply (regurgitate) it to the Church Age. Who would be more qualified than Daniel to offer the remnants of his prophetic scroll to the prophet John?

Revelation 11

Revelation eleven  follows the same thought, for John is given the builders “measuring line” as described by Zechariah 1:16; 2:1-5 for the building of the New Jerusalem, the City of God, the Church, for the Old Jerusalem is destroyed. This New Jerusalem shall be inhabited as an unwalled village because of the multitude of men and cattle in it; unwalled in the sense that it is to be universal. The Lord Himself will be a wall of fire about her and the glory within her.

Zechariah chapter two continues with this same prophetic promise and the language is identical to that of Revelation 21 and 22 describing the New Jerusalem. Yes, the angelic spirit of Daniel “passes the baton” to John for the building of the New Jerusalem, whose Temple is then opened in heaven, (Revelation 11:19).

 Revelation 14

The Angel of Revelation 14:6-7 also appears to be that of the prophet Daniel for he declares that the hour of God’s judgment has come and calls the people to worship God. It was Daniel who was given the prophecy of the appointed time for the wrath of God on the earthly, fallen city of Jerusalem and the nation of Israel, (Dan. 8:15-19; 9:24-27; chapter 12). He was best qualified to announce that the appointed time had come.

Revelation 17

This Angel in Revelation 17:1, 7 is seen to be one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls of wrath. He, too, may be shown to be the Signifying Angel, Daniel. When the seventh trumpet call was sounded the seven bowls of wrath began. The completion of these bowls of wrath completed the seventh trumpet and finished the mystery, as declared in 10:7.

This Angel invited John to let him explain the mystery of the judgment of the great harlot, (Revelation 17:7). In 17:7-18 this Angel describes the beast and its horns in the same language used by Daniel in Daniel 7:7-8, 19-27. Who but Daniel could qualify so well to describe this beast and its horns and so to see the fulfillment of the mystery of the great harlot? For it was Daniel who had prophesied of the destruction of Jerusalem that was to come at the end of the appointed time.

Revelation 19

The Signifying Angel meets John again in Revelation 19:10. As John falls down to worship him, he says: “I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God. For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” In other words, this Angel was a prophet, a servant, and a man. Only Daniel could qualify for this identity.

Revelation 21

In Revelation 21:9, 15, 17, this Angel is the same as 17:1, 7; that is, “one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the last plagues.” This time, the Angel is revealing the mystery of the Bride, the New Jerusalem. In 21:17, the Angel’s measure of the wall is said to be “a man’s measure, that is, an angel’s.” Again this is a “man-angel” and who but Daniel would qualify for this role?

Revelation 22

Chapter 22 makes it even clearer that this “Man-angel” is the prophet Daniel. Revelation 22:6: “The God of the spirits of the prophets has sent his Angel to show his servants what must soon take place.” This is the same Angel that we met in Revelation 1:1 by whom God sent the Revelation to John.

22:8-9: 1 John … fell down to worship at the feet of the Angel who showed them to me; but he said to me, ‘You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brethren the prophets,’” (RSV). He was a Prophet. Which other prophet would qualify so well for the role of Signifying Angel?

The fact that this Angel is Daniel signifies the content of the Revelation; i.e., it is to be the fulfillment of the prophecies to Daniel concerning the “end” of the nation, city, and people, and which he did not understand previously, Daniel 12:8.

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