Dating of the Biblical Text
After your thorough study of the material in Learning Activities #39 & 40 on this web site, along with the peripheral Learning Activities that impinge upon the early dating of the Book of Revelation, you must have formulated an opinion as to whether it seems logical or not to trust the earlier dating of the book over the later dating. Proceeding with this subject the following will assist in renewing your mind to one date or the other.
1. Do you believe in the earlier date of 68 AD for the writing of the Book of Revelation?
2. Do you believe there is convincing language in the Book of Revelation itself that is strongly convincing evidence of the earlier dating? I am here referring to such wording as, must shortly come to pass, I will come quickly, I come quickly, must shortly be done, and at hand. This sort of wording should indicate to the reader that the prophecy in the vision of Revelation was something that was to take place very close to it being revealed to John!
3. Do you agree that the city at the center of the destruction described in Revelation, which was called Babylon in the text, is none other than the ancient city of Jerusalem? If you agree, then the earlier dating of the book makes sense as Jerusalem had not yet been attacked by the Roman Army. If you believe in the later date it makes no sense at all as the city would have been sacked by the Roman Army by that date, the Temple would have been gone along with the Christians having evacuated the city to flee to Pella to escape the terrible massacre that took place in Jerusalem.
4. Do you agree that there was a Temple that stood in place during the Revelation? In Revelation 11:1, 2, John is asked to measure the Temple. If the vision was before AD 70 there was a Temple that could be measured. If the vision was given at the late date of AD 95 there was no Temple to measure as it had been destroyed in AD 70!
To my way of thinking it is inconceivable to think that if the Revelation had been given at the later AD 95 date that absolutely no mention of that catastrophic event recorded in the scripture which had just taken place a few years earlier in AD 70!
Some people respond by saying, Oh well it was just a war or skirmish that took place. The events of AD 70 were catastrophic in nature! But they still may say, God does not place that much emphasis on these physical wars anyway. Please note the following records of warfare in the Bible.
Genesis 14 – Abraham’s 318 against the armies of Shinar.
Exodus 14 – Pharoah pursues the Israelites in Exodus.
Exodus 17:8-16 – The Israelites fight back against the Amalekites.
Numbers 31:1-11; Matthew 19:14 – Israel opposes the Midianites and Moabites.
Exodus 23:24; Leveticus 18:21-24, 19:24, 20:2, 3; Deuteronomy 18:9-14 – Israel’s rules of war.
Joshua 6 – Israel marches on the city of Jericho.
Joshua 7, 8 – Israel’s struggle with he city of Ai.
Joshua 10; Deuteronomy 9:5 – Joshua leads Israel against the 5 Amorite kings.
Joshua 11 – King Jabin of Hazor with a great army opposes Joshua and Israel.
Judges 1:1-11 – Israel’s continuing conquests.
Judges 3:12-30 – Ehud leads Israel against the Moabites.
Judges 4 – Barak leads Naphtali and Zebulun against Sisera the commander of Canaan.
Judges 7, 8:21 – Gideon’s 300 rise up against the Midianites.
Judges 19, 20 – Israel wars with its own tribe of Benjamin.
1 Samuel 4:1-11 – The Philistines capture the Ark of the Covenant.
1 Samuel 7 – Samuel leads Israel to repent and repel the Philistines.
1 Samuel 11 – Saul leads Israel to save the city of Jabesh Gilead.
1 Samuel 13:16-24:23, 14:47, 48 – The battle of Michmash.
1 Samuel 15:1-9, 15:19, 33 – Saul leads Israel against the Amalekites.
1 Samuel 17 – The battle of Sochoh, David versus Goliath.
1 Samuel 23, 21:1-15. 22:1-5 – David saves the city of Keilah and out maneuvers King Saul.
1 Samuel 24 – Saul’s pursuit of David in the En Gedi.
1 Samuel 26, 27 – David’s strategic movements.
1 Samuel 30 – David saves the city of Ziklag.
1 Samuel 31 – King Saul’s final battle.
2 Samuel 2, 4 – War between David’s Judah and Ishbosheth’s Israel.
2 Samuel 5 – King David’s conquest establishes Jerusalem.
1 Chronicles 11:10-25, 12:1, 2, 8 – David’s mighty men and special training.
2 Samuel 8, 2 Chronicles 18 – King David’s great conquests.
2 Samuel 10 – The Ammonite rebellion.
2 Samuel 18, 2 Samuel 13-17 – Absalom’s rebellion.
2 Samuel 20 – Sheba’s rebellion.
2 Samuel 21, 1 Chronicles 29:26-30 – King David avenges the Gibeonites.
2 Chronicles 13 – Israel’s King ambushes Judah.
2 Chronicles 14 – Ethiopia’s Army, greater than one million, attacks Judah.
2 Chronicles 20 – King Jehoshaphat’s army of Judah worships and sings in the face of battle.
1 Kings 20, 22 – King Ahab of Israel battles with Syria.
2 Kings 3 – Israel and Judah joined together to defeat the Moabites.
2 Kings 6:8 -7:20 – The Syrian Army come to conquer Israel with Elisha.
2 Chronicles 21 – Edom revolts against King Jehoram of Judah.
2 Chronicles 25:1-16 – King Amaziah of Judah wars against Edom.
2 Chronicles 25:17-24 – King Amaziah stirs up Israel to battle.
2 Chronicles 26:1-15 – King Uzziah of Judah fights the Philistines.
2 Chronicles 28 – Judah is weakened by battles.
2 Kings 18-19, 2 Chronicles 32:20, 21 – The Assyrian invasion.
2 Chronicles 35:20-27, 2 Kings 23:29, 30 – King Josiah goes out to war against Pharoh Necho.
2 Kings 25 – The Babylonian captivity of Judah.
Warfare is not a topic that does not appear in the Scriptures. Much less would any war that was as intense and significant as the Roman Army victory in Jerusalem AD 70! Why would an invasion of Jerusalem where 1.1 million Jews were killed not be recorded in the Scriptures? That is the question those who believe that the book of Revelation was written in AD 95 must answer since the Fall of Jerusalem is historically dated at AD 70!
97,000 Jews were taken into captivity in AD 70. Why does that fact not appear in the Scriptures?
The Temple in Jerusalem was thought by the Jews to be the “center of their universe.” Why would God not have a written record in the Bible if the Temple was leveled to the ground and the area plowed over as is historically documented “if” the Bible was completed in AD 95?
The answer to the above questions is obvious to most. These events are not a part of the history recorded in the Scriptures because the Bible literature was complete PRIOR to the Fall of Jerusalem which actually took place in AD 70.
So, in view of the above data, do you believe that the Bible was completed in the year AD 95, or do you believe that the Bible had to have been completed prior to the Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple circa AD 70?