"One of the oddest facts about the N.T. is that... the single most datable and climatic event of the period - the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70, and with it the collapse of institutional Judaism based on the temple is never once mentioned as a past fact."

Robertson asked himself, Just WHY any of the books of the NT needed to be put after the fall of Jerusalem." He said he felt it exceptionally "strange that this cataclysmic event was never once mentioned or apparently hinted at."

L. Michael Hall, Ph.D wrote in his "Apocalypse Then, Not Now":

"I did my own research... The further I went, the more I also felt compelled by the facts to limit all of the canonical books to pre-AD 70 dates. I could find no compelling evidence for doing otherwise. Can you?

"One fact that I found intriguing and convincing arose from a contrast with other books of that era. Nearly every document written after AD 70, both Jewish and Christian (of which many exist) refer to the destruction of Jerusalem. Yet not one document in the NT mentioned it as a PAST event. Robinson calls this "an arresting fact." And indeed it certainly should arrest our attention. For it strongly implies that every book in our NT cannon must have existed before AD 70. This marvel would exist on the order of a current historical writing about the 20th century Europe that never mentioned the holocaust of World War II."

Considering the above, does this not make the internal scriptural evidence found in Chapter 11 - that describes the Temple as still standing - as a strong argument for the pre 70 A.D. date of the Revelation's authorship?

"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. 11:1-3)

This passage gives us a symbolic imagery of a very specifically described physical temple - one possessing the exact nature of the stone Temple of Herod.

Ed Stevens addresses another important internal piece of evidence in his book, "What Happened in 70 A.D.":

"Those who interpret the book of Revelation in connection with Domitian and Rome are forgetting what the book is presenting. Revelation is NOT just discussin the death of a "beast," but also the downfall and destruction of some "Great City Babylon" and the end to some very threatening persecution.... What "Great City" which was important to the Christians and Jews fell "shortly" after 96 A.D.? What great persecution which was a grave threat to Christ's followers ended "shortly" after 96 AD? None did. Revelation (11:8) identifies who the "Great City" was ("the city where their Lord was crucified"): Jerusalem! Revelation (18:24) also identifies who the "Great City" was:

And in her was found the BLOOD OF PROPHETS and of saints and of ALL who have been slain ON THE EARTH.

"When this verse is compared with Jesus' statements in Luke 13:33-35 and Matt. 23:29-39, one can readily see that the "Great City" under consideration is Jerusalem. Jesus says that Jerusalem is the city that "kills the prophets," and that the "guilt of ALL the righteous BLOOD shed ON EARTH" would fall upon Jerusalem in that generation (Matt. 23:34-37). Upon comparing these statements of Jesus with Rev. 18:24, the conclusion is inescapable: Jerusalem is the "Great City". And, if the book of Revelation is dealing with the downfall of Jerusalem, it must have been written before 70 AD in order to predict it.

"What persecution is under consideration in Revelation? The other books of the NT speak of a serious persecution which the JEWS inflicted upon the Christians (see Matt. 10:16-23; Matt. 24:9,10,21; Acts 8:1; Gal. 1:13, etc.). This Jewish persecution came to a standstill in 70 AD. The death of Domitian in 96 AD did NOT stop the Roman persecution. Rome persecuted Christians for more than 2 centuries later.

"In Matt. 24:22, Jesus says that unless that "tribulation" was stopped, none of the "elect" would have been left to tell the story. The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD put a stop to this threat. And it completely stopped the sacrifices.

There are many other internal witnesses that make a late date improbable and the 70 A.D. as the most likely date of authorship. A thorough discussion on the dating question is offered in "Before Jerusalem Fell" by Kenneth L. Gentry (I.C.E., 1989). Internal evidence such as Nero's identity as the beast (the sixth king in Rev. 17:10 who IS.) is compelling, and Gentry's discussion of external evidence is also impressive.

For example one citation from Gentry's book quotes the sixth century writer Arethas in which he speaks of a pre-A.D. 70 writing and meaning for Revelation:

"When the Evangelist received these oracles, the destruction in which the Jew were involved was not yet inflicted by the Romans."

Works from Tertullian, Jerome, and Eusebius indicate that John was banished to the island of Patmos during the reign of Nero at the same time that Paul and Peter were martyred, not 30 years later under Domitian. (e.g. Turtullian, in 'On Prescription Against Heretics', 36, where he states: "Rome...where Peter endures a passion like his Lord's! Where Paul wins his crown in death...where the Apostle John was...thence remitted to his island exile!" "The Writings of Quintus Sept. Flor. Tertullianus, vol. II, translated by Peter Holmes (Edinburgh: T.&T. Clark, 1870) p. 43)

The sixth and seventh century versions of the Syriac New Testament contain as the title to the book of Revelation: "written in Patmos, whither John was sent by Nero Caesar."

THE SEVEN CHURCHES IN ASIA

"John, to the seven churches in the province of Asia..." (Rev. 1:4)

There was only one small window of time in which there were only seven congregations in the area of the Roman province of Asia (modern day Turkey). Paul had established nine congregations in that land (in nine cities), but the churches at Colosse and Hierapolis are not mentioned in the address and letters of Revelation. The reason is that these two cities, along with Laodicea, were subjected to a great earthquake in approximately A.D. 61, and all there were destroyed. Laodicea was rebuilt soon after the earthquake, but Colosse and Hierapolis were not rebuilt. Because these towns were quite close together (Hierapolis was about 6 miles north of Laodicea, and Colosse was about 10 miles east, forming a small "triplet" of towns, with Laodicea being the most prominent.) This left SEVEN churches in Asia Minor during the five years just prior to the beginning of the war, the most likely time for the writing of the Revelation and the letters of John (where he states "we know it IS the last hour" - I John 2:18).

We know these seven churches are not symbols because they themselves are symbolized later in verse 12 and then interpreted in verse 20 by Christ Himself:

"....I saw seven golden lampstands." "...The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches."

These literal and real congregations which John addressed the book to were in existence in that region at that very precise time of the beginning of the war in A.D. 67. The imperatives in the Apocalypse which are directed toward the reader are given in the second and third chapters. These letters to these 7 churches address specific situations and mention particular individuals. Their intent is obviously to address the circumstances that these churches were facing at the time. We would do well to heed the counsel and warnings in chapters 2 and 3, but the Apocalypse was written TO the seven churches in Asia - not to the twentieth-century. While the Apocalypse is relevant to believers in all ages, God specifically directed it to these first century churches.

As an ending note, some opponents of the early 70 A.D. date claim there is no support for it. Such claims are misleading, for it ignores the evidence and the many able proponents of an early date. Kenneth Gentry names over one hundred prominent scholars who believe the Apocalypse to have been written before 70 A.D. in "The Beast of Revelation" (I.C.E., 1989, pp. 83-84)

Concerning our second question, consider Chilton's comment:

"Reveation is the most "Biblical" book in the Bible. St. John quotes hundreds of passages from the Old Testament, often with subtle allusions to little-known religious rituals of the Hebrew people. In order to understand Revelation, we need to know our Bibles backward and forward."

The keys to understanding the symbols and images in the Revelation are found in the Bible, not the newspaper or evening news.

While the internal evidence is the most important evidence to consider in the dating question, it is also the most involved. It requires sound exegesis of more than the first eight verses of the Apocalypse, and that work has been done by others. (For example, "Days of Vengeance", by David Chilton)

References: Prophecy Fulfilled - God's Perfect Church, by David P. Crews Apocalypse Then, Not Now, by L. Michael Hall, Ph.D The Development of the New Testament, by Arthur M. Ogden What Happened in 70 AD, by Ed Stevens Redating the New Testament, by John A. T. Robertson A Reasonable Look at Reveation, by Christ Schlect

For further study on the internal evidence for the 70 A.D. date read Dr. Kenneth Gentry's books -"The Beast of Revelation - 666" and "Before Jerusalem Fell". Complete copies of these books can be downloadedfree at: http://entrewave.com/freebooks/sidefrm4.htm