The Bible Only Revelation Commentary: Understanding the Destruction of Jerusalem

The book of Revelation is the easiest book in the Bible to understand—that is of course if you were a Jew living in Jerusalem in AD 66. Revelation is a Jewish document written by Jews for Jews. Much of the imagery was foreign and meaningless to 1st century Gentile converts to Christianity and even more so today. According to the research by Steven Rudd, the overarching theme of the book of Revelation is the extinction of physical Mosaic Judaism with the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple as the final phase of fulfilment of Jeremiah 31:31.

Dating and Chronology of the Revelation

As noted in the Bible Only Revelation Commentary, the work was written in AD 66. The key to unlocking Revelation is the direct synchronism between the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC and AD 70 triggered by the rebellion of the Jews against two of God’s “anointed servants” of Daniel 2 (Nebuchadnezzar and Titus). The two destructions happened on the exact same day of the year, the 10th Av. Both Nebuchadnezzar and Titus were crown princes when they captured Jerusalem and both went on to become kings. Chronology is an important tool to unlock the Bible, and the following timeline highlights the significant historical markers mentioned in the text:

  • Pentecost 1446 BC: The Law of Moses was given.
  • 967 BC: The double prophecy of 2 Samuel 7:12–17 predicted the temple of Solomon.
  • AD 33: The Law of Christ was given 1480 years later on Pentecost; resurrection of Christ.
  • Passover AD 65 – Passover AD 66: Josephus records 7 miraculous signs that began during this period.
  • Pentecost AD 66: The First Jewish War began and lasted 7 years.
  • AD 73: The Fall of Masada occurred on Passover.

Internal Evidences and Scriptural Proof

There are two key Revelation verses that prove when and why it was written: Rev 11:8 and 17:10. These two scriptures trump the “fluff statements” of uninspired church fathers like Irenaeus, commonly used by “Late-daters” as the primary support that John wrote Revelation in AD 96 and that Rome is the book’s target of destruction. This, in spite of the fact that Late-daters cannot pin a specific date for this event. For Late-daters then, the historical fulfillment is a fuzzy blur. Even worse, late-daters get the central message of the book wrong which they say is the superficial and overly simplistic “victory of Christians”.

The central synchronism is the Ezekiel’s account of the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC. In Daniel’s prophecy of the 70 weeks (Dan 9:27), it is exactly 490 years to the solar day from the decree of Artaxerxes in 458 BC (Ezra 7) to the resurrection of Christ in AD 33. Revelation opens with promises of persecution from the Jews among the 7 churches of the first century and warns to flee Jerusalem or be destroyed in AD 70. Following the prophecy of Jesus that the tribulation will fall upon “this generation”, it was exactly 40 years to the day from the crucifixion of Christ on Passover AD 33 and the Fall of Masada on Passover AD 73.

Symbolism and Historical Warfare

Understanding the imagery is crucial for a 5-minute beginner’s guide to totally understanding Revelation. For example, in Roman warfare: Hail Stones = Ballista and Scorpions = Catapult. Numerology also plays a role, specifically the use of 7 and 3 ½ in Revelation and Daniel. These elements served as a warning to the readers of the time that the extinction of Judaism was imminent.