From history and the background of the study of Daniel, we see that the major concerns at the time of the Revelation of John were apostate Jerusalem and Rome, or the fourth kingdom of Daniel’s Babylon.
This is the background into which John received and wrote down his revelation, and those are the conditions which any reader of his day would have read into them.
The Dating of the Book of Revelation
There are two generally accepted time frames for the book of Revelation. The earlier of the date places the writing before the 70 AD destruction, and the later date places it in the latter part of Domitian’s reign, which ended in 96 AD. The sources outside of the Revelation are inconclusive. In support of a later date, about the only reference we have is one statement made by Iraneaus which is altogether inconclusive. Several other writers referenced this statement, which could be read as indicating a late date, but it is not clear. In support of an earlier date, one commentator said this,
In support for the early date, the Syriac version of the New Testament (dating back to the 2nd century A.D.) says the book was written during the reign of Nero. The Muratorian Fragment (170-190 A.D.) and the Monarchian Prologues (250-350 A.D.) claim that Paul wrote to seven churches following the pattern of John’s example in Revelation, placing the book of Revelation even before some of the Pauline epistles (Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 12; p. 406).
Mark Copeland, http://executableoutlines.com/rev/rev_00.htm, Accessed 5/23/2014
The internal evidence, that from inside the book itself, also seems to point to an early date. We first see that the temple appears to be still standing in Revelation 11, with no explanation of it having been destroyed. Second, we read in Revelation 17 of the eight kings, five who have fallen, one who is, and another who will come. Understanding this to be the emperors of Rome, even as Daniel saw them (with the exception that the three short-lived emperors are not mentioned–it is said that they did not rule in Judea), then this would point to a time after the death of Nero, the fifth king. This, indeed, is our line of thinking, placing the writing of the book sometime between the death of Nero in 68 AD and Titus’ destruction of the the temple in 70 AD. This is our preferred date of interpretation.
Of interest, is this quote by Phillip Schaff concerning the early date,
The early date is best suited for the nature and object of the Apocalypse, and facilitates its historical understanding. Christ pointed in his eschatological discourses to the destruction of Jerusalem and the preceding tribulation as the great crisis in the history of the theocracy and the type of the judgment of the world. And there never was a more alarming state of society.
The horrors of the French Revolution were confined to one country, but the tribulation of the six years preceding the destruction of Jerusalem extended over the whole Roman empire and embraced wars and rebellions, frequent and unusual conflagrations, earthquakes and famines and plagues, and all sorts of public calamities and miseries untold. It seemed, indeed, that the world, shaken to its very center, was coming to a close, and every Christian must have felt that the prophecies of Christ were being fulfilled before his eyes.
It was at this unique juncture in the history of mankind that St. John, with the consuming fire in Rome and the infernal spectacle of the Neronian persecution behind him, the terrors of the Jewish war and the Roman interregnum around him, and the catastrophe of Jerusalem and the Jewish theocracy before him, received those wonderful visions of the impending conflicts and final triumphs of the Christian church. His was truly a book of the times and for the times, and administered to the persecuted brethren the one but all-sufficient consolation: Maranatha! Maranatha!”
History of The Christian Church, Vol. I, pp. 836-837
The Two Prophesies
This would, then, set the stage for what the book is speaking prophesying. John would have been aware of Nero’s persecution of Christians, and the fall of Jerusalem is what is primarily in view.
What is made plain through the reading of the book of Revelation, however, is that the book actually contains two prophecies, and not just one. The first prophecy is commissioned in the first chapter by Jesus,
Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall be hereafter;
Revelation 1:19
This prophecy will detail the things which must “soon take place” (Revelation 1:1). Looking at the time-frame of the likely writing of Revelation, the immediate concerns, and the distinct overlap between the seal judgments of Revelation 6 and the signs leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in the Olivet Discourse, we understand that this is specifically referring to the destruction of Jerusalem.
By and large, much of the detailed interpretation of these chapters, Revelation 6-11, is much more thoroughly studied out in the wider body of Preterist thought. While we will make our remarks about them, especially where they differ, it is generally not that difficult to build a case for a Preterist understanding of these chapters, if one ignores or minimizes the rest of the book, or regards it as a recapitulation of the first half, as some do. But, for specific and detailed historical references, including period writings and citations of the specifics of certain events, we do not feel a need to repeat here what is readily available elsewhere.
But, where we differ strongly with the typical preterist, either the partial or heretical full preterist is on the basis of what should be recognized as the Second prophecy in the book of Revelation. It’s commission is listed in the tenth chapter,
And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.
Revelation 10:11
Throughout the book, just before the last of a series of seven judgments, God releases a hope or a promise of something good in the future. This commission of the Second prophecy to John is part of that promise, and falls between the sixth and seventh trumpet of Revelation.
We realize this to be a second, distinct prophecy from the first in that the contents are only here delivered to John. It is not to say that it is unrelated to the first, but the angel specifically said “prophesy again”, and the scroll that John ate are undoubtably the contents of the revelation which He recorded.
Thus, as we see the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11 symbolize the final destruction of Jerusalem, God had instantiated His prophecy concerning the judgement of the early Church’s other main concern–the Roman Empire.
The Second Prophecy, from Revelation 12-20 or thereabouts, encompasses the continuing wrath against the apostate Jews and the coming destruction of Babylon, Rome, along with a thousand years of the rule of Christ, and onward. We tend to indicate the end of the Second Prophecy in Revelation 20, or thereabouts, because at the end of Revelation 20 we see the end of this natural world. The elements are destroyed by fire at Christ’s coming, and Revelation 21-22 are about the New Heavens and the New Earth, and Jesus Himself sealing the book. The words of Revelation 22:20, then, refer specifically to the “soon” of the first prophecy, and the general onset of them all. Of note, as another commentator pointed out, so long as one takes a literal view of Revelation 20:1-6’s millennium, the entire contents of the book cannot ever be seen to be “soon” in our understanding, because what is before must always be at least be 1,000 years separated from the events listed afterwards. In this regard, Revelation 20:7-15 and beyond could not ever be “soon” in regards to the writing, by cause of the millennium.
The Prologue and the Throne
The first three chapters of the book are not generally look at as Chronological. While the first chapter is introductory, the second and third are written to the churches of Asia. These were literal churches to which letters needed to be written, as well as conditions of the church throughout the ages. Some, also, have considered them to be ages of Church development. Whether that is the case or not is not clearly spelled out via Scripture, but we agree one could make the parallel.
Revelation 4-5 depict the scene before the throne. This is similar to the throne room that was seen by many others throughout Scripture, including Micaiah in 1 Kings 22:19. John is seeing the heavenly reality. As such, we must make a clear distinction. John is seeing a vision here, but the vision is of a specific place. He is seeing a certain time in that throne room, opening of the scroll by the Lamb, and so the passage certainly is prophetic, but the description of the throne room of God is most likely simply what the room looks like. How much future, revelatory content one wants to extract from the room itself is debatable. To us, the description of the throne room speak more of the Lord Himself and His courts, which always is, rather than, specifically, something coming.
Now, consider for a moment the first verse of these chapters.
After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter.
Revelation 4:1
Now, some have concluded that this must correspond to some sort of rapture of the church at this point. While I suppose God can interpret His Word however He chooses, it appears to us that the primary purpose of this chapter is to indicate the narration of the revelation, not the content of it. To clarify this, when one reads Daniel 9 where it says that the angel Gabriel visited Daniel, one does not confuse the narration of the receiving of the revelation with the actual revelatory content of Daniel 9:24-27. While we may seek to understand why he came at the hour of the evening sacrifice (Daniel 9:21), we do not try to read future details into this fact, or say that Daniel’s record of Gabriel’s arrival is somehow a prophecy that Gabriel will arrive sometime in the future.
So, the same goes with the prophecies of Daniel. To someone unschooled in the language of heavenly encounters, the idea of being “in the Spirit on the Lord’s day”, or a door standing open in heaven, might seem like just as much metaphor and symbol as anything else. But, we do not regard God’s throne to be anything but a throne. So, too, when we begin to understand the dimension of God’s Spirit, and the doors, voices, and travel that is a part of that realm of the Kingdom, we begin to recognize that John here is merely conveying the method of his receiving the revelation. Again, whether there would be any future significance to how John received the revelation is debatable, but basing a doctrine such as the Rapture upon it seems doubtful at best.
So, if the door standing open in heaven was merely the conveyance of the revelation, the content seems then to begin in the next verse.
And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
Revelation 4:2
When John was caught up into the Spirit, then we understand that the future revelatory portion of the prophecy begins, for he was in the Spirit. The content of these two chapters depicts the throne room and the Lamb receiving the throne. While we do not definitively attribute any specific chronological attribution to the timing of the receiving of the scroll, we believe that it was probably the same receipt of the Kingdom in Daniel 7. This distinction is not a point a division, merely a speculation, based on various factors. But, as for the actual progression of the chronological portions of the book of Revelation, we look to begin in Revelation 6.
The Seven Seals
Beginning in Revelation 6 are the seven seals. The first four of these are regarded as the “four horsemen of the apocalypse”. In general, these are regarded to be a parallel of the things listed in Matthew 24, and, from all appearances, it appears that the intent to make these equivalent seems satisfactory.
We do not need, for the purpose of this study, to positively identify the four horsemen, of the white, red, black, and pale horse, bringing conquest, war, famine, and death.
What is noted here, is the use of metaphor and symbol. For example, in the hands of third horseman, that of the black horse, was a pair of scales. This rider represents famine. But, the scales here merely represent famine. They may have some specific spiritual significance, but simply understanding that the trade of food will be affected in the symbol of the scale is sufficient. The text does not explicitly say that the scale is merely a symbol, but it is clear from the context. In reading it, then, we do not expect to see a literal “scales” brought to the Earth, but we understand, simply from a plain reading, that both the horseman and the scales represent something coming on the Earth, not as something specifically visible and manifest in the physical realm.
Of further note here is that the rider of the fourth seal, or the pale horse, had power over only over one fourth of the land. This will be in contrast to one third and the whole of the land for the trumpets and bowls, showing a progression of severity.
These things, as said, parallel the beginning of “birth pangs” in Matthew 24:4-8 and are seen to be synonymous. This, indeed, is the purpose of these things. The seals for the final judgment upon Jerusalem, which will signify the complete transition from the age of Israel and it’s temple to the Kingdom of God and Christ. Revelation 11:15, at the seventh trumpet, the city will be destroyed, and the strength of the Jewish nation will be broken. After this, history shows at least nearly 2,000 years have transpired without them being a nation.
The fifth and sixth seal show forth and continue to bring the ominous foreshadowing of the doom coming to Jerusalem. The fifth seal sees no direct correlation to the Earth, as it is the martyrs under the altar, but the sixth seal shows forth a great shaking. As with all the ‘earthquakes’ in Revelation, the Greek merely says ‘shaking’, and so it is not immediately apparent whether it is truly an ‘earthquake’ or merely a ‘shaking’ in the spirit, except perhaps by context. As such, we do not need to see a direct correlation here to a physical earthquake, although it would be hard to pinpoint one anyway. But, the text itself does not require one.
The sixth seal seems, at least to us, that the language must be somewhat figurative. It is coming to the time of the last of the birth pangs, and the signs demonstrated, as dramatic as they seem, do not prefigure the totality of what they seem. The stars falling to the Earth and the heavens receeding as a scroll, and every mountain being removed must be taken as somewhat figuratively or as a figure of speech by all or most interpreters, simply because this is not the end of anyone’s chronology, past or future.
A Preterist Reasoning
We do not, generally, like the label ‘preterist’, although our conclusions would generally fall in the mildest end of this. One could try to classify them as “historicist”, but that usually is an effort to implicate the Catholic church and often uses a year-day” principle not inherent in Scripture. However, for the most part, the only reason that non-preterists disagree with the preterist interpretation of events leading up to 70 AD as fulfilling the seals and most of the bowls is that 70 AD did not seem to culminate the fullness of the prophecies.
It should be understood that it wasn’t that the preterist events for the lead up to 70 AD do not fit the prophecies, it is that 70 AD does not adequately meet the remainder of the outstanding words. In particular, here are the words of a prominent futurist of the Apostolic PreMillennialist thought, Mike Bickle.
The events of 70 AD do not fulfill the prophecies about the End Times. Jesus prophesied that the Great Tribulation will be the most severe time in world history. It will surpass all other times of crisis. Some seek to minimize this prophecy by reducing it to symbolism or by seeing it as being totally fulfilled in 70 AD. The Great Tribulation will be so severe that God shortens it to three and a half years to keep the entire human race from being physically killed (Mt. 24:21-22). One million people died in 70 AD and in World War II, 50 million died. Neither 70 AD nor World War II came close to threatening the existence of the human race as the Great Tribulation will, and neither of them was the worst time in history. The events of 70 AD were clearly a prophetic foreshadowing of the Great Tribulation. However, they did not fulfill most of the details given about the Great Tribulation in Scripture. For example, Jesus said the Great Tribulation would not happen until after we see the abomination of desolation that results in an unprecedented number of deaths (Rev. 6:8; 9:15). The details concerning the abomination of desolation in Revelation 13:11-18 include a talking image, the mark of the beast, a healed head wound, mandatory worship of the Antichrist that is worldwide, and a false prophet. None of these details were fulfilled in the Jewish revolt against Rome (66-70 AD). In that crisis, Jerusalem and the second temple were destroyed in 70 AD (Masada fell in 73 AD). Then in the Bar Kochba rebellion against Rome (132-135 AD), the Jews revolted against Rome again, resulting in 500,000 Jews being killed and 1,000 villages being destroyed. Israel was driven into exile (the Diaspora) and Jerusalem was rebuilt and renamed as Aelia Capitolina.
Mike Bickle, 150 Chapters on the End Times
While we have already presented a case why 70 AD was, in fact, the Great Tribulation, and was indeed far worse than WWII in terms of proportion and degree of suffering, we also take note that many of the above introductory statements rely heavily upon the assumption of a “world-wide” context of application, as understood by us today, and not then. For example, when it spoke of the time being shortened lest no flesh would be saved, is it speaking of Jerusalem, Israel, the entire Roman empire, or the entire globe of the Earth. Many commentators today say only the last possibility fits, but this would not have been the necessary conclusion based on the language John was using, in reference to his day. So, as with many things, context is everything.
But, specifically, the writer is absolutely correct concerning the failure of 70 AD to meet many of the criteria of Revelation. We disagree with the connection of the abomination to Revelation 13 (see our discussion elsewhere), but Revelation 13 does speak of the erection of an image, the mark of the beast, a healed head wound, mandatory worship, and a false prophet. Just from Revelation 13 we see that 70 AD did not fulfill these events. This doesn’t stop the preterist from offering supposed fulfillments, but most of them are laughably weak and not in any way a convincing evidence of their fulfillment.
So, while we do not see any either coherence or substance to the Preterist claims of the events after Revelation 11, we do see that the events leading up to Jerusalem in wider Preterist thought tend to be the accurate fulfillment of these things.
The author, above, was right, in part. The events of 70 AD do not fulfill the prophecies of the End Times. However, the events of 60 AD – 320 AD, or so, do fulfill Revelation 6-19, and the thousand years after fulfill Revelation 20:1-6 & 7.
The Church of the 144,000
Revelation 7 takes a break before the seventh seal, and the opening of the scroll. Of note, are the 144,000. This is seen as the first century church by us. This is because, in Revelation 14, the apparently same 144,000 are called the first-fruits. They are, thus, the ‘first-fruits’ church, the church that was alive during Jesus’ life, or who got to see in person the apostles of the Lamb as the church was founded. Calling any other group other than the first church a “first-fruits”, to us, seems to miss the mark. At the end of the beginning of birth pangs, this church was led forth from Jerusalem at the predicted warning from Jesus. History records that the Christian community fled from Jerusalem when Cestius Gallus surrounded the city and then unadvisedly withdrew. The Christians then fled to the city of Pella and it is quite possible that none of them perished in the siege when Titus came back later and set up a siege wall around it and destroyed it.
The 144,000 are sealed before the breaking of the seventh seal. The seventh seal will bring forth the trumpets, signifying judgment. This sealing it seems, then, signifies their protection from the coming siege, and their physical removal from Jerusalem to the place prepared for them in the wilderness (Pella).
And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Revelation 7:14
Regarding the great multitude also found in this chapter, it is seen as the church of all ages. The words ‘came out’ could also be translated ‘grew out’ or ‘who are coming out’, in that, they are what is produced from or coming out from the tribulation. They are not necessarily those who have personally gone through it, therefore, but those who are coming, as it were, from those who did.
When he opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
Revelation 8:1-2
After the Christians were protected, the end of the birth pangs would begin. The trumpets, signifying the judgments concerning the 70 AD destruction and the 3 1/2 years leading up to it are now in view. This, again, follows the general preterist line of thought, with the difference that they do not include the events after Revelation 11. In our study, we see Jerusalem and the temple destroyed at the end of Revelation 11, and the Revelation 12-19 stretching out for the next couple hundred years.
The Seven Trumpets
As the trumpets sound, various judgments on Jerusalem are in view. These are cataloged through the fall of Jerusalem, through the activity of the siege and the work of the Roman army.
The first trumpet sounds and hail and fire mixed with blood are hurled to the Earth. Even in a futurist position, this is not, most likely, literal blood being cast at the Earth (although some would still claim it does). But, like the scales in the hands of the rider, this indicates the war of the Romans. True to their normal tactical procedures, the Roman’s ‘scorched earth’ procedure would have seen that they would have destroyed and burned the country side, using available timber for their fires and various war engines, and destroying anything else to put down the rebellion.
Of note is that this involves 1/3 of the Earth. Remembering that the prophecies of Daniel 11 indicate the “King of the North” and the “King of the South”, we see the Israel is located squarely between these two faction, Rome and Europe to the north of Israel and Egypt and Africa to the south. Israel, and the land surrounding the Jews represent the third of this land, and is the focus of this conflict, in our understanding.
For the second trumpet, a third of the waters turning to blood, this very likely could refer to the war at Gennesaret. During the putting down of the rebellion of the Jews, there were so many bodies slain in and around the region that the water of the lake seemed to be as blood, according to the record of Josephus.
The third and the fourth trumpet indicate the a third of the waters becoming bitter and the sky being darkened. These are seen reflected in the ongoing siege of the city and the first Jewish rebellion.
The last of the three trumpets, referred to as the three woes, are what come next.
The Three Woes
These three trumpets prophesy the final siege of Titus on Jerusalem, lasting five months. There will of course be differences of opinions.
However, in what appears to be the case, the locust army of the fifth trumpet, while it appears to be a demonic hoarde in the text, and could represent both, it appears as if it also speaks of the Roman legions surrounding the city. In particular, there were four legions that attacked and surrounded the city. Here, the text records “twice myriad myriad”, where myriad is often ten thousand, but is also a somewhat indeterminate number. What appears from the text is that, indeed, while there were to be only two legions, Titus gathered two more, making it “twice”. As a legion is typically in the order of about 5,000-6,000, but can be of variable size, it would fit the text quite well to call them a ‘myriad’ instead of by their clearly identifiable Roman designation. Hence, twice myriad myriad could well entail twice two legions, or, for legions.
The leader of the locusts is Abaddon, or Apollyon. While this appears to be a demonic leader, it is also signified by Titus, who was the “destroyer” of the temple and the city. Further, it is interesting to note that Titus commanded the Apollo legion, and that these legions, according to some commentators, were assigned certain zodiac symbols. As such, the characteristics of the army such as the hair, crowns of gold, lion’s teeth, and the other descriptions in Revelation 9:7-11 could very well refer to the zodiac emblems that they represented.
Thus, it was the Roman legions, and possibly an invisible demonic storm, that was released against the city for five months that destroyed it. And, Titus, the destroyer, at their lead them. This was the first two woe’s, or the fifth and sixth trumpet.
The Second Commission
Now, like with the seals, God saw fit to make provision before the end of the old. That is, before the final death blow of Jerusalem, John is given another prophecy.
It is our position that Revelation constitutes two distinct prophecies. The first prophecy was of the things that must ‘soon take place’, and happened within a few years of the prophecy. Here, however, John is given another commissions, separate from the Revelation 1:1 one,
Then I was told, You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.
Revelation 10:11
It is not clear that the Seven Thunders speaking has any bearing on history. It may be that they were merely part of the visionary experience, much like the coming of the angel. With the coming of each messenger, we do not expect to see this repeated in history, but it was merely bringing to John, in the Spirit, the next portion of the vision. The thunders speaking, then, may be something that will happen, or it may only have been what John saw while receiving the scroll, and not part of predictive prophecy.
But, where Revelation 9 brings us to the 6th trumpet, Revelation 10 is the preparation for the next prophecy which will begin in Revelation 12. Revelation 11 will then finish the series of trumpets and its results, and the new prophecy that John just received will begin.
The Two Witnessess
Revelation 11 opens, then, with the two witnesses. Before the last trumpet sounds, the two witnesses are said that they will be given authority.
This for us is, admittedly, the weakest point of our interpretation. While we do not have a clear identity for the two witnesses, we also do not find the preterist understanding adequate as well. Now, bear in mind, of course, every system of interpretation out there has weak spots, which is, of course, why there is so much a variety of opinion. This is ours, and, as it stands, we do not have an answer. We think the standard preterist interpretation of these things is empty, and yet we have not found a suitable alternative. But, while the futurist yet chimes in and says, “wait and see”, all we can do is say “we have not found a solution, yet“. Our understanding is growing, research is expanding, and some things simply come in the course of time and study. In the weight of the bulk of the evidence, a few loose ends are part of the process. We have, however, seen, more and more “loose ends” cleared up, the longer we have looked. These haven’t been in trite or trivial ways, but in ways that make sense with the text, and with the apparent original intent of the author.
For us, then, we while we do not have a positive answer on the first half of this chapter, we have two avenues of thought which seem appealing. First, is that these two, which are seen to reflect those of Zechariah 4, are merely two ‘prophetic offices’. Established at the building of the second temple, they were the means, spiritually, which guaranteed the building and protection of the temple. These would have been two ongoing roles throughout the 490 years of the construction and life of the Second Temple period which would have safeguarded the temple and been the institutions whereby God guaranteed that His purposes would be instilled upon the Earth. In this way, it was said to Zechariah, that it would be not by might nor by power, but by His Spirit. That is, God had spoken it, and established two prophetic offices to continue to speak the Word of the Lord concerning the rebuilding and maintenance of the temple. These two prophetic offices, of crouse, would have been filled by different individuals throughout this time, but their role would be in the spiritual safeguarding of God’s house, and the speaking forth of His purposes in its protection. In this perspective, the specifics of their abilities, namely those of Revelation 11:5-6 are not what they specifically will do during the three and a half year period, but what they have done throughout the existence of these offices. They could not be killed, but would destroy people with their prophesying if someone tried to harm them. Their role was to safeguard the temple, and see to its full 490 year role. The giving of authority at the end of the 490 years, then, if this argument is correct, would be the last 3 1/2 years of their ministry, before the offices were completely removed from the Earth.
In a second interpretation, it is noted that v7 says that it is the beast of Revelation 13 that will kill them. As we see Domitian as this beast, it is possible that, since this is the interim between the sixth and seventh trumpet, that their time of prophecy falls toward’s his reign, which began in 81 AD. Because the bulk of the efforts to the identification of these are specific human individuals has searched in the time period leading to 70 AD, it may very well be that the giving of authority to these two fell after the destruction of the temple, and not before. In this way, if Domitian indeed was the one who killed them, and if this was during his reign, the identity of these might be found a decade or two later than expected.
Regardless, it is also quite possible that they are symbolic in some way, without specifically resorting to the standard preterist definition, which identifies them as the Law and the Prophets, or some such thing. While this view is not nearly as satisfying, we recognize that in it does lie some possibility, nevertheless. As this is only one detail out of hundreds, we have adopted a “wait and see” attitude. The honest pursuit of these things should reveal them in due time.
The Seventh Trumpet
Finally, the seventh trumpet sounds, which we reckon as the final 70 AD destruction of the city.
The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.
Revelation 11:15
The kingdoms of the world are now said to be that of Christ, in that, even as David was crowned king and had to wait for the death of Saul, Jesus’ Kingdom had come, but it appears there was something specific about the physical destruction of the Jewish temple that made it be established. So, too, at the end of the chapter, we see that, as we understand it, the physical temple was destroyed, the one in heaven was opened.
We need to point out here, however, that the seventh trumpet, being the “last” in the series of seven, is by no means the “last trumpet”, spoken elsewhere in Scripture. Too much has been made of this unnecessary connection, which then attempts to make Revelation 11 the end of the book, rather than Revelation 22. Simply because this is also the last mention of a trumpet in Scripture by no means makes it the last that will sound. Rather, when Christ comes back, which we see at the end of Revelation 20, we have already been told there will be a trumpet sounded. That will be the “last trumpet”.
As we see Revelation 11 being the conclusion of the judgment upon Jerusalem, and there have certainly been many trumpets blown since, at least physically, this would not be the last trumpet of history. The uniting of the two is simply interpretive for those who want to see this as the end of history (which still won’t generally work, because there would more than likely be a trumpet of some sort blown during the Gog Magog war of Revelation 20:7-10).
The 24 elders however make a few interesting points in their declaration.
And the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying: We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.
The nations were angry, and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your people who revere your name, both great and small–and for destroying those who destroy the earth.
Revelation 20:16-18
The elders say that at this point Jesus takes His power and begins to reign, here, apparently at 70 AD. As we indicated, this appears to be because of the removal of the “Saul” type leadership, and its replacement with the true “David”, namely, Christ.
Second, we see that God’s wrath had come (v18). This ties us back to Daniel 11:36, where it said that the Roman Emperor would be successful until the time of wrath was completed. The rest of v18 is seen as a whole of what will come due to the scattering of the Jewish power and the full reign of Christ being initiated.
Considerations On The Timing
If we look back at the statue of Daniel 2, we can now begin to make some further conclusions, at least in supposition, about some of the actual timing of some of the events that we have only heretofore briefly passed over.
We understand that the statue stood, as it were, as a whole, and was destroyed through the rock striking the statue on the feet and toes.
Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshingfloors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth.
Daniel 2:31-35
So, we have a progression that is listed here. Some might find fewer or lesser stages, but, for the sake of demonstrating the sequence, we will enumerate our list here.
- The statue stood before Nebuchadnezzar and beheld it.
- He saw a rock was seen that was cut out without hands.
- Then, the rock fell, perhaps taking a period of time to fall in and of itself.
- The rock struck the statue on the toes, shattering it.
- The statue was shattered, becoming life chaff, and the wind carried it away.
- The stone became a great mountain and filled the Earth.
In the first, we see no particular time reference, simply because it existed at the time of the stone’s appearance. This was the state of Rome.
Next, we consider when it was that the “stone cut out without hands” was seen. While various aspects of this must be considered, we look to Mark 14:58, where Jesus was apparently misquoted by his accusers, but the point is made here that Jesus indicated He would build a temple made without hands. What we see, then, is that the Rock was certainly Christ, and Christ came as an example of the Kingdom, but we see that the rock set against the statue was at His resurrection and that it probably began “falling” at 70 AD. A similar case could be made for Pentecost, but specifically, the statue was what the rock was coming against in Daniel 2.
Now, differentiate this, as well, from the coming of the Kingdom to the Disciples. From the parable of the leaven of Matthew 13:33, we understand that the Kingdom of God was the Holy Spirit operating through the life of a believer. This is in contrast to the typical Old Covenant type of leaven being sin, because, before Pentecost, the only spirit a person had was a human spirit or an unclean spirit. Jesus said the Kingdom also worked on the same principle of an active, invisible agent like leaven, in that the Holy Spirit would come in and change an individual from the inside.
So, while we see that Jesus operated in the Kingdom, and that the apostles most certainly had the Kingdom after Jesus’ ascension (Paul preached the Gospel of the Kingdom in the last verse of Acts), the Kingdom did not necessarily fall against the statue of Daniel 2 until now.
As it appears, there would have been a time of falling, as the proclaimed judgments against Rome, Babylon, were decreed, but in the process of coming forth and fulfilled. The rock was falling, but had not yet hit the statue on its feet.
Ultimately, the rock striking the statue resulted in the worst catastrophe the kingdom of darkness could possibly imagine, the conversion of its emperor, Constantine. This was the ultimate defeat, as, whoever you submit yourself to, you are slaves to obey. The conversion of the emperor meant the dragon and the beast were defeated. In fact, there are even coins minted from Constantine’s era showing him riding atop serpent, defeating it, in apparent proclamation of the victory of Revelation 20:1-6. Whereas there was open conflict between the materials of the statue, it was a spiritual overthrow in the conversion of Constantine that, if nothing else, marked the destruction of the statue of Rome. Interesting to note, too, is that the Principate, the first phase of Roman rule, had shortly expired in 284 AD, whereas Constantine did not make Christianity legal until 313 AD, with the Edict of Toleration. This shift in government may well be the toes of iron mixed with clay, as the Roman government never recovered from the “Crisis of the Third Century” (235 AD – 284 AD), seen to be the outpouring of the bowls of wrath against Imperial Rome from Revelation 16. The last portion of the statue was not even of the same material as the first, although it still had some in portion.
So, when the spiritual power of Rome was shattered, it was “broken together small” (YLT), and its pieces were scattered to the wind, and no place was found for them. This is indeed what happened. The fact that the Eastern Roman Empire continued is a part of this. There were still human governments, but there was no longer the Roman Empire. There were still demonic factions that attempted to control regions, but they lacked the world-wide, one-world-government dominion that had existed since the day of Nebuchadnezzar. Lacking the spiritual unity to maintain a cohesive whole, the Roman empire did not “fall”, but we read that it “declined”. The wind, over a few centuries, scattered the broken fragments of the empire, and they became the various nations of the Earth. This then, would explain the continued existence of the Eastern Roman Empire until the 15th century. This also corresponds to the beasts of Daniel 7, where the fourth beast, Rome, was immediately destroyed by fire, but the first three, the previous three demonic governments, were allowed to continue to exist for a “season and a time”, but with their authority or dominion, their ability to rule the whole world, stripped.
This then, also reminds us of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4, where Nebuchadnezzar had claimed that by his own arm he raised up Babylon the great. God merely declared that his sovereignty was removed from him, and he went insane until he recognized God Almighty. This then, is why the other three beasts could no longer rule the whole world, because God, in perfect justice through the whole process, took it from them (after having given it them in the first place to punish Israel). At no point in any of this was the devil in control of anything, but, rather, by the decree of the Sovereign Lord, all these things were established and perfected, from start to finish.
Finally, in the last step, the rock grew and became a huge mountain and filled the whole Earth. As we will see in the next chapter, Constantine’s legalization of Christianity so secured it that it would be 1,000 years from that time until Foxxe’s Book of Martyrs records another martyr. Literally, for a millennium, the church of Christ grew into a huge mountain and filled the whole Earth. Right or wrong, whether you want to associate the historical fact with Daniel 2:35 or not, this is precisely what happened, and fits the Daniel and Revelation prophecies precisely.
Conclusion
The only thing left, then, is the second half of the book. Do the prophesies of Revelation 12-19 fit with any reasonable history in the timeline of Rome between the periods of 70 AD and the conversion of Constantine in 312 AD, a year before Christianity was legalized? In every detail we have encountered, they do.
This concludes the first prophecy of Revelation, the things that must “soon take place”, which was commissioned in Revelation 1:1 & 19. Revelation 12-20, then, will fulfill the mandate given in Revelation 10:11, and John will ‘prophesy again’.
Summary
- The two major concerns in John’s day to his audience were apostate Jerusalem and Rome.
- There are two dates generally looked at for the writing of Revelation: 60-70 AD and 90-96 AD.
- The external evidence is inconclusive on the date, with Iraneaus possibly indicating a Domitian era date (95-96 AD), and the Syriac version pointing to the time of Nero.
- The internal evidence appears to support an early date, with talk of the temple, eight kings representing the Roman Emperors, etc.
- The book of Revelation really contains two prophesies.
- The seal judgments coincide with the signs leading up to the fall of Jerusalem from the Olivet Discourse.
- There is a need to differentiate between the transmission of the vision and the contents of the vision. John being caught up to the throne was apparently part of how he received the vision, not necessarily part of the vision itself. As such, we do not need to equate the “come up here” with a future rapture.
- The preterist understanding of the events leading up to 70 AD seem to suffice.
- The events of 70 AD, however, do not fulfill all of the End Times.
- The events of 60 AD – 320 AD, however, do.
- Through a brief study of the beast of Revelation 13, it becomes fairly apparent that 70 AD does not fulfill the requirements of Revelation, despite the attempt of some preterists.
- The 144,000, also referenced as the first-fruits in Revelation 14, appear to be the first church. Their sealing apparently is their removal from Rome and subsequent flight and provision in the city of Pella.
- The trumpet judgments commence, consuming 1/3 of the world, probably the whole region of and surrounding Judea.
- The last three trumpets, the three woes,
- The fifth and sixth seals seem to detail the five month siege of Titus, the “destroyer” it appears, against Jerusalem. This was the length of his seige of the city.
- The name could be a play on words representing the Apollonian legion of which he commanded.
- The makeup of the locust army with their descriptions could be indicative of the astrological signs that identified the legions that surrounded Jerusalem. Each legion was identified with a zodiac symbol from their astological system for the gods they worshiped, and the arrangement could indicate which legions would be present.
- “Twice myriad myriad”, often translated as 200,000,000, could simply be the four legions that surrounded Jerusalem.
- Before the seventh trumpet, John is given his second commission to prophesy. The seventh trumpet will sound, and then the second prophecy will commence in Revelation 12.
- We see no clear identification of the two witnesses, nor do we prefer the traditional preterists approaches to this passage.
- This is admittedly, our weakest point.
- The two witnesses could be two prophetic offices, stretching back to Zechariah 4.
- They could also be two individuals towards the reign of Domitian instead of 70 AD, as it written that the beast back from the pit will kill them.
- The seventh trumpet marks the fall of Jerusalem.
- The Elders say that Jesus has begun to reign. Judgment for the dead would be coming.
- The progression of the rock of Daniel 2 falling can be seen in the progression through history of the resurrection and triumph of the church over Rome.
- The church became a great mountain and filled the whole Earth.