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The Kingdom of Israel

John Shepard

April 8, 2002

Revelation - Key Issues

The purpose of this article is this article introduces key issues that are critical to understanding the book of Revelation.

I highly recommend the following book which is an excellent commentary of the book of Revelation:

"The Apocalypse and the Third Millennium," by George Montague.

Summary

Links to topics:

Date of Writing | Principles of Interpretation | Key Interpretation Points | System of Interpretation | Is There a Temple? | 3 1/2 Years | The Roman Emperors | The "Unholy Trinity"

Links to other articles:

Glossary of Symbols | Verse by Verse Commentary

Revelation - Key Issues

Date of Writing

According to Eusebius (link), Irenaeus, Jerome, and Victorinus of Petau, the apostle John was banished to the island of Patmos during the reign of Emperor Domitian who ruled the Roman Empire from 81 - 96 A.D. and he wrote the book of Revelation at that time. Irenaeus knew of John because he was a disciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple of John.

This date of the writing of the book of Revelation places the book several decades after the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 A.D. This is significant for two reasons:

1. Full Preterists claim that the book was written before the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and that the book is primarily a prophecy of that event. In fact this early date is a key cornerstone of their view and their view collapses if the book was written after 70 A.D. Full Preterists also claim that the second coming, or Parousia, occurred at that time and that there is no future second coming of Christ.
2. Modern-day premillennialists claim that the book concerns a yet-future great tribulation and a 1,000 year millennium, but in the historical setting at the time a futuristic interpretation would have been meaningless. The early Christians were feeling intense pressure in their faith, because in the time of Domitian, there was intense persecution of Christians in the Roman Province of Asia. In addition, the Jewish War against the Romans had resulted in the destruction of the Jewish nation. It was a very distressing time to be a Christian.

Intense persecution of Christians (atheists) by the Romans as a result of the cult of Emperor Worship began with Nero (64 A.D. until his death in 68 A.D.); intensified with the final "black years" of Domitian's reign (93-96 A.D.) when he demanded to be worshiped as Lord and God; and greatly intensified until the time of Constantine.

One line of evidence that the book of Revelation was written after the temple was destroyed is the use of the image of Rome as the destroyer of Jerusalem. This image appeared in Jewish literature after 70 A.D.

The destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. by the Romans provides the backdrop for the book of Revelation and is significant for these reasons:

• The destruction of Jerusalem clearly signaled to the church that the Church was the New Israel. When Israel was taken away into captivity by the Assyrians and the Babylonians, God promised that they would return after 70 years. There was no such promise to the Jews by a contemporary prophet regarding a restoration after the destruction in 70 A.D.
• At first the Christians were considered by both the Romans and the Jews to be merely a sect of Judaism. But the Jews quickly stopped thinking about them in these terms and the Romans soon targeted Christians as a separate group for persecution under Nero starting in 64 A.D.
• The early persecution of the church was from the Judiazers, who were Jews that wanted Christianity to conform to the Jewish law. The book of Acts and the various Epistles of the New Testament describe this persecution. But the persecution by the Romans which started with Nero and Domitian (and soon became much worse, lasting for centuries) was something far more severe and universal than anything by the Judiazers.
• The recipients of the book of Revelation are: (1) those Christians who were experiencing the Roman persecution under Domitian in Asia, and (2) the next few generations of Christians who would experience far worse persecution by the Romans.

Based on a date of the book of Revelation during the time of Domitian, and a rejection of the futuristic model, we have the following key interpretation points:

• Any references to the temple are either to: (1) the actual temple in Jerusalem which was destroyed by the Romans decades before, (2) the church as the temple of God, or (3) God who inhabits the temple.
• Any references to the destruction of Jerusalem are historical accounts, not future prophecy. However, these events are used as symbols for the great themes of history including God's final judgment of sin.
• References to martyrs are to encourage the believers of the time, as well as those in the next few generations to persevere in the faith even when under severe trials.
• Many references in the book of Revelation are to the Romans, and the events within the Roman Empire at the time of the writing, as well as the few decades from the time of Christ until the time of writing.
• The references to the seven churches are to the seven particular churches mentioned in the province of Asia, but there is application relevant to the church of all time.
• References to the immediacy of Christ's return in the book of Revelation as well as elsewhere in the New Testament concern either: (1) the destruction of Jerusalem, which did happen soon; (2) the possibility that Christ could return at his second coming at any time, that we should expect it to happen any day, and that we should be ready; (3) the idea that at the death of a believer Christ "comes" to take them to heaven -- thus His return is soon for every believer since a lifespan is less than 100 years or so; or (4) the increased persecution of the Church which would happen soon.
• The reference to martyrs concerns the believers of the day who were martyred or to believers who would be persecuted and martyred in the next several centuries.

When was Revelation written?

2 possibilities:

• 68 AD -- Nero was persecuting Christians in Rome.
  • The Jewish War had already started in 66 AD.
  • The Jewish War did not concern Asia, where the 7 churches were.
  • The destruction of the temple was still a future event. The Christians in Jerusalem escaped because they believed the prophecy of Matthew 24.
  • There was still to be future persecutions of Christians by Domitian and others.
  • Within a few hundred years the Roman Empire would fall to barbarian and Islamic invaders.
• 96 AD -- Domitian was persecuting Christians in Asia (where the 7 churches were).
  • The persecution of Christians in Rome by Nero in 68 AD had happened over 30 years in the past.
  • The temple was destroyed in 70 AD after a 3 years war in Israel.
  • There was now persecution in Asia (where the 7 churches were) by Domitian.
  • John was imprisoned in Patmos by Domitian.
  • Future emperors would significantly increase the persecution of Christians.
  • Within a few hundred years the Roman Empire would fall to barbarian and Islamic invaders.

Verses which shed light on the issue:

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Principles of Interpretation

The first readers were undergoing persecution and martyrdom and the book of Revelation was written to give them hope and encouragement. When people are giving their lives for something they want to know that:

(1) It is for a sufficiently good cause, and

(2) Those persecuting them will be judged for their evil deeds.

Revelation emphasizes these themes:

• Worship
• Martyrdom
• Judgment of the wicked

Keys to interpreting the book of Revelation:

• We must understand what the first readers thought the book meant.
• Revelation was written to comfort and encourage these early readers.
• Although there are passages here and there that apply to the future (the destruction of Jerusalem in 135 A.D.; the fall of Rome and the Roman Empire; the second coming of Christ; the destruction of the world by fire; final judgment; and the eternal state), the book of Revelation is primarily a book about the church age -- specifically in relation to current issues at the time it was written.

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Key Interpretation Points

There are passages in the book of Revelation with a clear meaning, which we can use as a framework for interpretation. These are:

1. Seven hills of Rome

   The seven heads are seven hills on which the woman sits. (Rev 17:9)

   This is an unmistakable reference to Rome. Therefore, chapter 17 is all about the Roman empire and its emperors.

   (Some say that this refers to the seven hills of Jerusalem, such as Mt. Zion, Mt. Moriah, and five others. I have not seriously considered this view).

2. New Heavens and New Earth

   Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. (Rev 21:1)

   Chapters 21 and 22 are concerned with the eternal state. Therefore all the images of end-time prophecy mentioned in these chapters refer to the eternal state. These include: (1) no sea, (2) the Holy City, New Jerusalem, (3) no more crying, (4) the bride of Christ, (5) references to the 12 tribes of Israel, (6) no temple, (7) river of the water of life, and (8) tree of life and its monthly crops for healing.

   Some Preterists claim that the New Heavens and New Earth refer to the church age which began around 30 A.D. I reject this view based on the following verse in which it is still future:

   But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth (2 Pet 3:13)

3. Not Chronological from start to end

   The book of Revelation is not a chronological narrative -- rather, it deals with a variety of topics that would be of concern to a church that is beginning to be persecuted and that will endure intense persecution into the next several centuries.

4. Trumpet and Bowl Judgments

   The trumpet and bowl judgments are parallel accounts, as can be clearly seen by comparing them. Therefore they concern the same events.

   Usage of the phrase "a third" in the trumpet judgments -- There are three relevant passages:

   "In the whole land," declares the LORD, "two-thirds will be struck down and perish; yet one-third will be left in it. This third I will bring into the fire; I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'" (Zech 13:8-9)

   Note that two-thirds are destroyed, but one-third are tested by fire and refined. Afterwards, they acknowledge God.

   A third of your people will die of the plague or perish by famine inside you; a third will fall by the sword outside your walls; and a third I will scatter to the winds and pursue with drawn sword. (Ezek 5:12).

   There are different judgments for different people as represented by the word "one-third."

   His [the red dragon's] tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. (Rev 12:4)

   The "one-third" refers to the fallen angels who followed Lucifer in his rebellion.

   The common themes in these three passages are:

   • One-third is used in the context of judgment.
   • One-third refers to a partial judgment of some sort.
5. Babylon the Great

   From Revelation 17:9 we know that "Babylon the Great" refers to the Roman Empire. Therefore, the Romans who persecuted the Christians because of the cult of emperor worship would be judged and destroyed. This is a prophecy of the ultimate demise of the Roman Empire centuries later.

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System of Interpretation

Every Biblical commentary uses a particular hermeneutic, or system of interpretation. In this section I describe the methodology I am using.

This system of interpretation is not allegorical; which takes passages as symbolic, and in which the symbols for particular images are chosen based on some overarching principle. A common example of the allegorical method is to first assume that all Old Testament prophecy speaks of Christ. Then all passages are considered to be symbols that in some way relate to Christ.

The problems with the allegorical method are:

• It is rather arbitrary.
• The first readers didn't understand these passages this way.

The steps I use in interpreting a passage:

1. Consider how the writers and the first readers would have understood the passage from their perspective.
2. Every passage is grounded on a literal meaning (even when there is figurative or symbolic language). Determine the literal meaning first.
3. Consider the basic message or messages of the book. For example, the key messages of the book of Revelation are:
   • Encourage believers who are being persecuted and martyred. Several messages of hope, encouragement, and comfort:

     -- That the gospel really is true and that they will ultimately be blessed.

     -- That the wicked who are persecuting them will ultimately be judged.

     -- To explain why God lets these bad things happen to His faithful children.

   • Demonstrate God's holiness and righteousness.
   • Demonstrate how believers will worship God in heaven as a model for how we should worship Him now.
   • Demonstrate that the battle is spiritual.
4. Piece the passages into this framework.
5. Use scripture to interpret scripture.
6. Use other information that would have been common at the time it was written. Examples:
   
   • Jewish millennial concepts
   • Nero Redivivus myth
   • Knowledge about Roman emperors
   • A special emphasis on the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 A.D. which was an event of major importance to the Church
   • Geography
7. Use symbols consistently.
8. Refer to interpretations of the Church Fathers and the historical church.

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Is There a Temple?

The book of Revelation was written:

• After the temple was destroyed (70 A.D.)
• After Domitian proclaimed himself to be god, demanded worship, and began his persecution of Christians
• Before Domitian died (96 A.D.)

(More info).

Note: Jesus prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in the Olivet Discourse, and Daniel prophesied about Domitian in Daniel Chapter 7.

The references to the temple in the book of Revelation refer to:

(1) God's presence in heaven -- emphasizing God's power, and the believer's restored relationship with God, or

(2) The physical temple in Jerusalem which was destroyed in 70 A.D. as a confirmation that "the church = Israel."

(1) References to the temple in heaven signify the presence of God in heaven, and that: (1) God is all-powerful, and (2) each redeemed believer has as restored relationship with God. Some verses:

Then I heard a loud voice from the temple saying to the seven angels, "Go, pour out the seven bowls of God's wrath on the earth." (Rev 16:1)

Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. (Rev 3:12)

Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm. (Rev 11:19)

Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. (Rev 7:15)

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. (Rev 21:22)

(2) References to the temple in Jerusalem (before 70 A.D.) signify the physical temple which was destroyed in 70 A.D. as a confirmation that "the church = Israel."

I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months." (Rev 11:1-2)

42 months -- The entire church age. Jerusalem and the temple are no longer the focal point of the worship of God. The temple of God is the church, and the unbelievers (Gentiles) will persecute them for the entire church age.

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3 1/2 Years

The time period of 3 1/2 years appears several times in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. This time period appears in several forms:

• 3 1/2 years
• 3 1/2 days
• 42 months
• 1,260 days
• A time, times, and half a time

This image refers to the church in the entire church age which:

• Is persecuted
• Has God's message of truth and redemption

Here are the six occurrences in chronological sequence with an analysis of each:

1. The 3 1/2 year famine of Elijah

   Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. (James 5:17)

   I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. (Luke 4:25)

   Now Elijah the Tishbite, from Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD, the God of Israel, lives, whom I serve, there will be neither dew nor rain in the next few years except at my word." (1 Ki 17:1)

   The purpose of the famine was to judge Israel for rejecting God. Elijah, himself, was affected by the famine and God had to supernaturally take care of him:

   You will drink from the brook, and I have ordered the ravens to feed you there. (1 Ki 17:4)

   For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the LORD spoken by Elijah. (1 Ki 17:16)

   During this time there was persecution of God's servants and they were in hiding.

   While Jezebel was killing off the Lord's prophets, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them in two caves, fifty in each, and had supplied them with food and water.) (1 Ki 18:4)

   Near the end of the famine God put on a mighty display to demonstrate that He is God. The godless leaders were destroyed.

   At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed: "O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things at your command. Answer me, O LORD, answer me, so these people will know that you, O LORD, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again." Then the fire of the LORD fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell prostrate and cried, "The LORD -- he is God! The LORD -- he is God!" (1 Ki 18:36-39)

2. The three year Jewish persecution by Antiochus Epiphanes

   This was prophesied in Chapter 8 of the book of Daniel. During Antiochus Epiphanes' last few years he tried to destroy the Jews. But exactly 3 years (1,095 days) later in 165 B.C. Judas Maccabees recaptured Jerusalem and rededicated the temple to the Lord. But this time period was three years, (1,095 days) not three and one half years.

3. Christ's ministry

   Christ's ministry before his death was three years or so.

4. Nero's persecution

   The cult of Emperor Worship began with Nero (64 A.D. until his death in 68 A.D.) when he persecuted Christians in Rome for about 4 years.

5. The Jewish War leading to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple

   The Jewish War lasted about 3 1/2 to 4 years from the time Nero declared war until Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed in August of 70 A.D.

   Nero declared war on the Jews between Nov 66 A.D. and the spring of 67 A.D. Assuming Nero declared war on Feb 67 A.D. (I selected this date out of thin air; I have no historical evidence at hand), it was 1,260 days later to the destruction of the temple in August 70 A.D.

6. The persecution under Domitian

   The persecution under Domitian lasted about 3 1/2 years in the final "black years" of Domitian's reign (93-96 A.D.) when he demanded to be worshiped as Lord and God.

The image of 3 1/2 years in all its various forms is based on Elijah's famine, which has the following elements:

• Persecution against the people of God by the godless.
• God taking care of His people (1) by hiding them, and (2) by supernaturally feeding them.
• The 3 1/2 year period is a judgment from God for the purpose of demonstrating that He alone is God.
• The period ends with a supernatural display of God demonstrating that He is God.

The image of 3 1/2 years applies to the persecution of the Church in the first few centuries, specifically from the time of Domitian until the time of Constantine.

The passages in the Bible using the image of 3 1/2 years:

• Daniel Chapter 7.

  He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. (Dan 7:25)

  This passage refers to Domitian who began the persecution against the Church and who was Emperor when the book of Revelation was written. His persecution represents the persecution until the time of Constantine.

• Daniel Chapter 12.

  The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, "It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed." (Dan 12:7)

  This passage concerns The Jewish War (67-70 A.D.) It was Nero who declared war on the Jews which, led to the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 A.D. Based on the Nero Redivivus myth, Nero escaped alive and would return to retake the Empire. John, the writer of the book of Revelation, uses this theme to represent Domitian as the incarnation of Nero. Both emperors persecuted Christians, and later emperors until the time of Constantine persecuted Christians even worse than those two .

• The woman of Revelation Chapter 12.

  The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach. (Rev 12:14)

  The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. (Rev 12:6)

  The woman represents the witnessing Church during the "Great Tribulation." which is the time of persecution from the date of the writing of the book of Revelation until Constantine.

• The two witnesses of Revelation Chapter 11.

  But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months. And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth. (Rev 11:2,3)

  For three and a half days men from every people, tribe, language and nation will gaze on their bodies and refuse them burial. The inhabitants of the earth will gloat over them and will celebrate by sending each other gifts, because these two prophets had tormented those who live on the earth. But after the three and a half days a breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them. (Rev 11:9-11)

  The two witnesses represent the witnessing Church during the "Great Tribulation." which is the time of persecution from the date of the writing of the book of Revelation until Constantine.

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