As we previously looked at Revelation 6-11, many preterist approaches to these parts have been demonstrated adequately (with disagreements of course), showing their correspondence to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD. It is our opinion, that these are the things which “must soon take place” (Revelation 1:1).
This period leading up to 70 AD was also the “Great Tribulation”, as we have seen in our study of the Olivet Discourse as well as Daniel 11-12.
The Second Prophecy
And they said to me, You must prophesy again concerning many peoples and nations and tongues and kings.
Revelation 10:11 NASB
Revelation 10 ends with a new prophetic commission, to “prophesy again”. In our view, this is where John’s prophecy changes. As another commentator points out, very clearly with a literal interpretation, the entirety of Revelation must not be understood as “soon”, because the events after the Millennium in Revelation 20, v7 through the end of the chapter, must, of course, be at least 1,000 years from the date of John’s prophecy! That’s not “soon”.
Further, the focus of John’s prophecy changes (hence, a second prophecy). It is said in his second prophecy is to be concerning many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings. Where Revelation 6-11 appears to have been concerning Jerusalem, we now see a shift to many other things.
In that light, it is a matter of historical inquiry to see where chapters of Revelation 12-20, including a literal Millennium, transpired. We have the general framework of after 70 AD and the terminus of approximate 313 AD, when Christianity was legalized by Constantine.
Why an Early Fulfillment Fits Best
Considering a roughly 68-70 AD time for the writing of Revelation, the most important things in view are Jerusalem’s pending desolation, the fate of the Jews, and the Roman occupation. These are the things that are in focus, and so it is right that God should encourage His people through these words.
The Spirit of Prophecy has not departed from His people. God laid out a general overview of what would happen through the church before He came, but as it says in Revelation 19:10, the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy. God is also wanting to speak to each of us to tell us what to prepare for in our day.
Additionally, in Revelation 14:4, the 144,000 are called a firstfruits unto God. In our understanding, this is the first generation of the church passing, or those who lived during Christ’s day and in the age of the first apostles. Assigning another generation to be a ‘firstfruits’ would seem to belie the term.
Further, in Revelation 17:10 indicates that the sixth king, Vespasian, is currently reigning. We do not find any textual need to translate ‘kings’ into ‘kingdoms’, for everything else, including Domitian as the beast of Revelation 13 lines up. Seeing as they do, the burden of proof comes upon those who would say that Domitian isn’t the beast.
We further dismiss the ‘historicist’ claims using a ‘day-year’ principle as this has no warrant in scripture. Indeed, as the chapter on Daniel 9 brought out, Daniel 9:24 no where mentions ‘days’, but only ‘seventy weeks’, a Hebrew idiom for any group of seven, including seven years. As this does not establish a ‘day-year’ principle, and there are no others that suitably do so either, there is no reason to artificially adopt one. Further, the studies of Daniel 2 & 7 show, fairly substantially, that the events contained therein are indeed fulfilled, as well as the rest of Daniel, and so the application of such an idea seems not only artificial, but also false.
Standard preterism fails, as we indicated earlier, in that 70 AD does not provide sufficient fulfillment in itself for the body of End Times prophecy.
While the body of proofs are found in the Daniel texts, they prove to be consequential. The basis for the futurist claim is on the lack of a historical fulfillment for the Revelation text as well as a non-fulfillment of Daniel, particularly the six things of Daniel 9. Many further the claim with notions of a primarily physical Kingdom. Since we have showed what we believe what is a sound demonstration of the fulfillment of Daniel, and now Revelation, and additionally that the Kingdom is indeed spiritual, we remove the at least the requirement of a future fulfillment. Going beyond that, however, the various limiting factors already displayed, as well as the fact that a early fulfillment not only would fulfill the prophecy in all the details we are providing but and that it would thus prove to be the simple explanation of such, the body of proof shifts over to the futurist to demonstrate that this fulfillment is not correct. Leaving a margin of error on the part of the interpretation, in that some details are yet unresolved, and some, of course, might be interpreted wrongly or insufficiently, we yet see that the simplest explanation of events is what follows.
We further have no implication of the Roman Catholic church as the beast or antichrist, but we also make no claims at all as to its positive or negative essence. One fact of note, though, would be that if one were to consider Roman Empire to be the Daniel’s fourth beast, and if you some how still thought it was future, while we disagree with the conclusion, we do agree that the only way you could make this conclusion is by the implication of that institution. The statue is not missing its shins and ankles, but is a complete statue. For what it was, the Roman Catholic Church was the predominant church that spread through the world. Yet, as Jesus taught, and history demonstrates, there were always weeds in among the wheat. Is it unexpected that there were some errors committed in the name of the church? Of course not. Does it make the wheat wrong? Again, no. Precisely, the church is the expression of God’s government in the Earth, but everything done in the name of the church is not the church. We demonstrate ourselves to be sons of the Kingdom to forgive and bless the tares, while at the same time not harboring offense and bitterness at the whole field.
The Larger Picture
Piece by piece, through the demonstration of this position, not only our position of the End Times presented, but the logical possibility of the futurist and other cases is slowly worn down more and more. Since the point in view Jerusalem, the Jews, and Rome, and since the passages seem to deal directly and suitably with those, attempting to apply them to another scenario, especially in view of the increasing number of limiting factors, in our opinion, places weight of evidence more and more in our favor than for who would claim a future fulfillment. Not only that, but the direct logical inconsistencies presented throughout this book seem, to us, to demonstrate notable hurdles to which I have failed to see any exegesis overcome.
- The Daniel 2 statue is destroyed, so the fourth Kingdom is destroyed.
- The standard Futurist interpretation has little to no solid understanding for the “season and time” that the first three beasts occupy after the conquest of the fourth beast.
- The most plain reading of the Olivet Discourse, in light of the translations issues in Matthew 24:29 regarding ‘eutheos’, is that the Great Tribulation occurred in 70 AD.
- This agrees with the Daniel 12 position, as Daniel 11:40-43 clearly depict the battle of Actium, or the beginning of Rome.
- The argument that WWII was worse than 70 AD falls short, because it is not just about numbers, but proportion and degree of suffering. There was no time as bad as 70 AD, in our mind.
- The nature of the case for Israel and the Kingdom is wrong. God has always had a Kingdom since the foundation of the World, and it is an everlasting one. The Millennium is not the fullness of the Kingdom, only a period of it.
- The Kingdom is, in fact, Spiritual (Matthew 6:10; John 18:36).
- The Gospel of the Kingdom is the only Gospel and only Kingdom there is (Acts 28:30-31).
- These facts indicate that all of Daniel, more or less, is fulfilled.
- The plainest reading of Revelation 6-11 is that they were fulfilled in the fall of Jerusalem. But, Jerusalem is not Babylon!
- Revelation 12-19 will show the fall of Babylon, which is Rome by interpretation of Daniel 2.
This is just a brief overview of some of the larger points already discussed. At the forefront, of course, is the opening remarks of our book.
The topic of Eschatology is the topic of the Kingdom.
Only with a right understanding of the Kingdom of God can we reach the right conclusions, and, as John 3:3-5 says, in reverse, if an unbeliever can see it or enter it, it is not the Kingdom! Could this, then, be the explanation behind why there are so many varied opinions not only on the understanding of the Kingdom, but also on the End Times?
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1 Corinthians 2:14
We believe that it is. While a great many of well-intentioned people have studied these things, including myself in the past, it takes a spiritual mind, not a carnal one (Romans 8:7; Colossians 2:8), to understand the things of God. This is precisely the reason why the Pharisees missed it. Their sin was not their legalism–God was the original legalist! Their problem was their hypocrisy (Luke 12:1) in claiming to be righteous all the while every single one of them knew how much they broke and hated the law in its true form. The could tithe out of their herb garden, but they couldn’t mangage righteousness or justice. So, for the same reason the Pharisees missed Jesus’ first coming, man often misses the full implications of the Kingdom today–often while being a part of the very Kingdom they don’t understand in the first place!
The Transition
And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
Revelation 11:15
With this verse, a transition is made from the time of national Israel to the primarily the church. The church is not a paraenthesis, but is the body of which Christ is the head. It is the bride that He paid for with His life.
This is a key scripture in the transition. As the seventh trumpet signifies the destruction of the capital of Israel and the physical temple, it marks a transition in the government from the Earthly rule of Israel to Christ, as this verse indicates. Those Kingdoms of the Earth, that by virtue of being God’s, Israel was the head and not the tail. With its fall has now become the Kingdom of our Lord and His Christ, and His reign is now fully transferred. No longer is physical Israel the seat of David’s throne (not that that was ever truly what was meant), but it is the throne upon which Christ is now seated, high above all authority and dominion. With the passing of Jerusalem and the God-established nation of Israel, things have been transferred, as it were.
Christian histories record that after the time of the destruction of Jerusalem, in answer to the prophetic warning of Jesus and others, every Christian was saved by fleeing the city before the worst of the destruction came. Perhaps not even a single Christian perished.
Revelation 12 begins,
And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
Revelation 12:1-2
What we see is a picture of the constellation Virgo in the sky, with the moon under her feet rising and a crown of twelve stars under her feet. While this is not astrology, this is the demonstration of the providence of God in that the time of Christ’s birth was indeed marked by these signs in these very heavenly bodies. What God had ordained from the foundation of the world was carried out precisely and exactly at the very time God decreed it would be as demonstrated by the astronomical precision and it was carried out both by humans on the part of those surrounding the birth of Christ, as well as the evil demonic world in Christ’s death, coinciding perfectly with the counter sign of a lunar eclipse and an unexplained darkening of the sun at the crucifixion.
The next sign, Revelation 12:3-6, indicates the birth of Jesus and the church. As soon as Christ was raised, He was caught up to the throne of God. The woman, the then new church, fled to the place in the wilderness that was prepared for it. This was the place God had provided for her, Pella, through the time of the tribulation concerning Jerusalem, notably, a three and a half year period.
This was the war that broke out, casting the dragon to the ground. In a rage, he set out to destroy the rest who keep God’s commands and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
The Two Beasts
The next chapter then appears to flash forward after the time of 70 AD and the flight of the Christians to the reign of Domitian. We claim Domitian as the beast of Revelation 13. Let us consider the facts.
We first understand that the images of the animals given are merely the conglomeration of the first three beasts of Daniel. This again, implicates Rome and its emperors.
When we read from history on Domitian, we see that many even non-Christians actually referred to him as a “beast”. More than that, a decade or so before his rule, the Emperor Nero had been the first major persecutor of the Christians. When he died of a self-inflicted sword to the neck, keep himself from being executed, many looked at Domitian as Nero back from the dead. In this way, the fatal head-wound had been healed (v3).
In particular, Domitian also persecuted Christians heavily for the end of his reign for a three and a half year period.
The emperor of Rome was worshipped as a god by the people. In this, it is demonstrated that the dragon gave him his authority, in that they persecuted the Christians and accepted worship as a god himself, just as satan did at his fall.
As for the second beast, the false prophet, it is presumed to be the cult of the Emperor. Not only has all of the signs so far been literally fulfilled, so the sign of the image was fulfilled as well. Emperor Domitian, by way of the cult of the Emperor, had a 25 foot statue of himself erected in Ephesus.
On top of that, Domitian required the worship of himself by every citizen (world-wide). Every citizen was required to burn a pinch of incense to the Caesar and to say that “Caesar is Lord”. Those who participated in such worship, as we have studied, were apparently given a writ of paper signifying their compliance with the order. This piece of paper was called the emperor’s mark. Since the law was required, and the citizens had to perform this rite yearly, this mark was required for participation in regular trade. Since this was a blasphemous statement, usurping God, the Christians had no part in it.
And, finally, the mark of the beast, the number of his name. While many have conjectured Nero, and devised an alternate spelling of his name that would fit the beast’s number, Domitian’s name also fits, but without the need for a non-standard spelling.
By all accounts as we have seen, Domitian fits the beast of Revelation 13 here, and, in Revelation 17, appears as the eighth horn, or the eighth real emperor since Caesar Augustus.
Hence, the beast that was, now is not, and will be again, is Domitian–Nero back from the abyss.
The Church, The Three Angels, and the Jews
Chapter 14 indicates there is a remnant church that refuses to submit to Babylon. They do not worship the beast, and are willing to die to maintain their purity. These are the ‘firstfruits’, because they are the church alive to know Jesus and the first apostles. Applying this to an end-times generation denies the concept of ‘firstfruits’ of v4. We see here, as the time of Domitian comes and goes, that this first generation church is passing away, and goes on to be with the Lord.
The three angels that come forth are seen as messengers to that generation. The are edified by the first, being told to worship God. They are encouraged by the second, being told that Babylon will fall. And they are exhorted by the third, being told that to take the mark of the beast is to receive damnation.
At the end of this chapter, we encounter another prophetic picture, the great wine press of God’s wrath.
Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth’s vine, because its grapes are ripe.”The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great wine press of God’s wrath. They were trampled in the wine press outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses’ bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.
Revelation 14:17-20
We are looking, now, at the destruction of the Jews and of Rome. In Revelation 17, we will see that Babylon the Great is indeed Rome, and it’s destruction, and overthrow, looking realistically at the Third and Fourth Century (although the last emperor officially was in the Fifth), are the context for where we are looking. These few chapters, then, span this period, highlighting various events of importance. They are, after all, though, right there in the histories.
After the destruction of Jerusalem in the first Jewish Revolt of 70 AD, there was a Second Jewish revolt 55 years later, under a false Messiah. The Jewish records, however they are to be interpreted, record of the leader of this rebellion,
What was an example of Bar Koziva’s great strength? He would block the catapult stones with his knee and hurl them back, killing many soldiers.
From Jewish Talmud, Gittin 57.
He led a rebellion that culminated in a city called Betar outside of Jerusalem. Just as the text indicates, which resulted in the brutal slaughter by the Romans of hundreds of thousands of Jews to stop the uprising. The aftermath of this Second revolt resulted in the Jews being banned from Jerusalem completely, and many of the people being deported to the nations, in final fulfillment of the judgments spoken against them. This was the the ultimate culmination against Israel and Jerusalem, what was already a desolate and destroyed city. It was the final judgment was poured out upon the rebellious Jews. The number of those slaughtered devastated the Jews, and the loss of access to the Holy City demoralized them, as they were scattered and spread throughout the world. It is important to recognize the importance of this event.
In this way, it is only fitting that this would be one of the events recorded in John’s second prophecy, seeming to stretch from the immediate present, the evirons of 70 AD, to the fall of Rome at the beginning of Revelation 20. So, we see in the record of the Jews the manner of their destruction, and of the Winepress of God.
The account of the Bar Koziba’s death is fascinating, yet the manner in which he is recorded to have died corresponds exactly to another scripture, often recognized as pertaining to the end-times,
Bar Koziva became very angry and kicked him [a fasting rabbi], causing him to die. A voice was then heard from Heaven, saying: Woe to the shepherd of the idol, who has abandoned the flock, a sword on his forearm and on his right eye (Zechariah 11:17). You have broken the forearm of Israel and blinded her right eye. Therefore the forearm of that man [Bar Koziva] shall wither and his right eye shall be struck. The Jews’ own sins thus brought it about that Betar was captured and Bar Koziva was put to death.
From Jewish Talmud, Gittin 57.
So, here it is, that the “idol shepherd” prophecy of Zechariah 11, which many associate as a description of the antichrist of the book of Revelation, is completely, historically fulfilled, even in the Jewish histories corresponding to the year 135 AD.
And, while the record of the siege of Betar is fascinating, it is the end of this text that brings sharp attention to the book of Revelation. It was in this city, several miles outside of Jerusalem, where more than 500,000 Jews were killed.
Eighty thousand Romans entered Betar and slaughtered the men, women, and children until blood flowed from the doorways and sewers. Horses sank up until their nostrils and the rivers of blood lifted up rocks weighing forty se’ah and flowed into the sea where its stain was noticeable for a distance of four mil.
Hadrian had a large vineyard, eighteen mil [approximately 11.5 miles] by eighteen mil – the distance between Tiberias and Tzippori and he surrounded it with a wall made from the bodies of those slain in Betar. He also ordered that they not be brought to burial. The Sages taught: for seven years the gentiles harvested their vineyards without having to fertilize them because of the blood of Israel.
From Jewish Talmud,Gittin 57, emphasis mine.
These are publicly available Jewish texts. Yet, the description of the slaughter, outside the city, is the same, excepting, of course, the distance of the river of blood. The image, as it is explained, is not that liquid blood itself is as high as the horses’ nostrils, but it is an image of how high the blood splashes upon the horses as they walk through it. The similarities are striking, yet, where distances are in question, the correct answer is, of course, that the Bible is right, or that the Jewish text is representing something else. The near 200 miles of Revelation’s distance could be accounted for in any variety of different ways, including all directions combined, some representation of area rather than distance, or some other method. Additionally, this very well correspond to Daniel 9:27, that that which had been determined had been poured out on the already desolate city, and all Jews were banished after this point.
The Bowls of Wrath Against Babylon
After the wine press of wrath through the city of Betar, crushing the last hope of liberation of the Jews, the focus turns towards Babylon. As the Jews were finally crushed in 135 AD, the next major event in focus is the destruction of the oppressor, the complete removal of the Daniel 2 statue. The Rock had appeared, and, as it appears, it is falling. It was ‘set up’, and it will destroy completely the statue.
This is the principle for the operation of the bowls of wrath.
I saw in heaven another great and marvelous sign: seven angels with the seven last plagues–last, because with them God’s wrath is completed.
Revelation 15:1
Modern commentators, futurist ones, make the assumption here that “God’s wrath” being “completed” is an at-last, once-and-for all thing. Rather, it is God’s wrath at Rome that is completed. The text does not specify either way, and while either could be viewed as assumption, for us, it is proved in its fulfillment.
Chapter 15 shows forth the seven vials. As this is a narrative section, not depicting anything that has actually happened, there is not as likely to be a historical marker in this text for what takes place. It doesn’t meant there isn’t, or that it isn’t significant, simply, if you are looking for a historical fulfillment, one would do better to look for the physical things that happened on the Earth, rather than the temple that is in heaven.
Chapter 16 begins then, the vials of wrath. When to look in history can be a question, but since we see Rome spiritually defeated through Constantine’s conversion, and that this is likely the scene in view in Revelation 17, we begin to look between 135AD and 300AD.
During this time, there were two major plagues that swept through the Roman empire. The first of these was the Antonine Plague, or the Plague of Galen in 165-180AD. This plague was likely either smallpox or measles, and literally decimated (1 in 10) the Roman army. While many look to this plague as the beginning of the end of many things to do with the glory of Rome, it is the later plague of 250AD to which we look.
In particular, historians refer to the period of 235AD – 284AD, and that time period, as the ‘Crisis of the Third Century’. Rome nearly completely collapsed from the combined forces of plague, invasion, civil war, and economic collapse. In fact, some historians consider this period as the true beginning of the Middle Ages, and not the latter date of 476 AD, when the last emperor officially was removed from the empire. From this period, also, the Principate was never recovered, and the Roman form of government changed to the Dominate.
Most notably, at the end of this period, the empire had split into three separate and warring factions, in fulfillment of the words towards the endof this chapter,
And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell
Revelation 16:19a
But, let us look at each of these seven bowls. As discussed before, while the seals and bowls affected one fourth and one third, respectively, these plagues are said to affect the whole world, or land. This, of course, refers to the known, or civilized world, or that of the Roman Empire. These events, too, would have been of great concern for the Christians. There would be churches throughout the empire through to its fall, and these words were meant to encourage, exhort, and encourage God’s people in the time of crisis.
This, then, is our current understanding of the seven bowls of wrath poured out upon the world power of Rome, with the intent of breaking it’s power.
And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.
Revelation 16:2
The first bowl was a plague of sores. The Plague of Cyprian, presumed to probably be smallpox, swept through the nation. The nation had experienced the earlier Antonine plague, but this one, a hundred years later, devastated the land. At its height, some 5,000 a day were dying. But, the devastation of the plague was it’s length. It lasted for at least 20 years, raging and killing its thousands. It alone would have been devastating, but it was compounded by the other elements of the other bowls, which served to break the power of the spirit of the empire.
And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.
Revelation 16:3
The second bowl and third bowl are, perhaps, our greatest stretch. For someone who will be satisfied with nothing less than literal blood, perhaps our answers will not suffice. However, this is our case.
The actual water turning to blood may be in question, but the results are clear. What we find, historically, though, in this period, the results of a change in the waters and seas. The many fisheries and fishing industry is reported to dry up. In studying the production of ‘garum’, or fish sauce, historians have documented a dramatic decrease in the fishing industry, through the decrease in the garum, in the period of the crisis. While it is not nearly as cut and dry as some of the other aspects of these bowls, it is clear that something drastically affected the fishing, such as a mass dying of fish.
And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood.
Revelation 16:4
With the coming of the plague, the many public baths and aqueducts supplying the water supply of Rome would have become contaminated. Water-borne illnesses, or illnesses of any kind, thrive in un-isolated water supplies, and so the very thing that was Rome’s strength, with it’s abundant water and public baths would have been its own curse. The public baths would have been breeding grounds for disease, all the while a culture uninformed of modern standards of cleanliness would have been open prey for such germs. Further, Christians shunned the public baths, because they were debaucherous in their nudity. Thus, the water would have turned to blood to those who drank it, both in the city and in the land.
And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire.
Revelation 16:8
The other thing that this period is remarked for is climate change. Farm lands once very fertile were left deserted, and other factors from changing a environment dramatically affected the Roman countryside. This is evident in this period, and the effect on properties and people is well documented.
And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast;
Revelation 16:10a
The other marked thing about this period was the throne of the Kingdom. This period marked the end of the Roman Principate which had begun with Caesar Augustus. In this crisis of the third century, some 25 emperors reigned in 50 years. The confusion and chaos created by all of the soldier emperors promoted for such a short time brought such an instability to the region that it was never again to regain its grip of power. Considering that this was the express purpose of these plagues, to dismantle Rome, it is seen historically as the judgement of God upon that nation through the seven bowls of wrath in Revelation 16.
And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.
Revelation 16:12
This reference, unbeknownst to the average casual, modern reader, is a well-known historical reference to John’s audience. Babylon, situated on the literal Euphrates, was dried up for it’s capture by Cyrus. This historical fact, being so well known, makes this a more than plausible candidate for being a typological metaphor for something else, most probably another river. Since it was the Euphrates that protected the actual city of Babylon, and now Rome is in view, the actual Euphrates here is not likely the subject. Rather, it is noted that in this time, the invading forces of the Goths and other Germanic tribes pressured against the front of the empire, and, at this time, began to cross the Rhine and invade. Many great battles were fought, including the battle of Arbitus, which sent such a shocking defeat to the Romans that they didn’t fully know how to handle it. Hence, while we do not see the literal Euphrates dried up again as it was in ancient Babylon, we do see it fulfilled in historical Rome.
As we look at the place of the battle, ‘Har Meggido’, or ‘Armageddon’, we see that a literal mountain of Meggido does not exist. The valley of Meggido does, but there is no literal place called Armageddon. As such, it, too, bears at least a strong likelihood of representation of one of the battles, possibly Arbitus, in this period of history.
And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done.
Revelation 16:17
By the time the crisis was over, the empire was staggering. While soldier emperors continue to rule for another 200 years, the Principate was never restored. The empire split into three parts (thus, we see that the “city” being split in three portions was most likely a prophet metaphor for the nation itself as a whole), although they were later reunited in some form, but the power of Rome was undone. Shortly thereafter, within another 50 years, we see its empire converted, which marks spiritually the complete defeat of the beast of Rome, the ruling principality of Daniel 7.
Conclusion
As we look over these chapters, then, we see the Christian’s flight from Pella, followed by the rise of the Domitian beast rule, as the beast back from the pit in Chapter 13. In chapter 14, the last of the first generation church would have passed away (John lived slightly beyond Domitian’s end), and so the first-fruits offering to God was complete. At the end of Revelation 14, we read about the wine-press of God’s wrath in 135 AD, just outside the city, at Betar with the Second Jewish Revolt. While over a million died in 70 AD, some say around 500,000 Jews died then. Finally, after another hundred years, the bowls of wrath were poured out upon Rome.
But, that is still not the end. The end of Rome, though it tarries, will still come. God’s mercy in not too quickly removing it and perfect justice to wait until He is fully justified to remove it completely remains. While the Spiritual power of the kingdom is about to be completely removed, the remains of human government in some form have always been around, as Paul indicates that governmental leadership is from God Himself.
Summary
- John was told to “prophesy again”.
- John was to prophesy over many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings. This inidicates that he is no longer speaking of just Jerusalem.
- Preterism fails because they see everything end in 70 AD.
- Futurism fails because while 70 AD does not fulfill these prophesies, the time period of 60 AD – 313 AD does.
- As stated in the opening of the book, eschatology is the topic of the Kingdom.
- Christians fled to Pella before the Tribulation.
- Domitian is the beast of Revelation 13, and the Cult of the Emperor is seen as the Second Beast, the False Prophet.
- Domitian fits the prophesies of Revelation 13 very well, including the 25 foot statue in Ephesus.
- The first-fruits church all would have died shortly after Domitian.
- The wine-press of God’s wrath is Betar in 135 AD.
- Simon Bar Koziva was the idol shepherd of Zechariah 11:17.
- The bowls of Revelation 16 were poured out upon the Roman Empire from 235 AD to 284 AD.
- The final result was the nation split into three parts, and the Roman Principate was never recovered.