March 17, 2013
To the readers of this document…
Also, consider reading The Last Days Identified by Don K. Preston, The Day and the Hour by Francis X. Gumerlock, Who is this Babylon? by Don K. Preston. Also, check out David Curtis. At the very least, read the reviews on Amazon.
This truth can be yet another layer peeled off of you and another release from the dark hole of deception and lies! If you are a truth seeker and you love the truth, you will take action, no matter the topic and find it as you look for it…we have our part as God guides and graces us! The Lord bless you with new freedom in Him!
~A Lover of the Truth, Donna
Mat. 10:23–But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
Mat. 16:27-28–For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.
Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
Mat. 24:1-44
Mk. 13
Luke 21:6-36
Acts 2:15-21–last days for Israel/prophecy of Joel
Hebrews 1:1–last day for Israel
2 Peter 3:3-22–last days for Israel
1 John 2:18, 28–last time/His coming
1 John 3:2–appear
Jude 18–last time
Have you ever wondered about these verses I listed above? I certainly have, time and time again! We know that a good bible student is taught to notice WHO is speaking, and to WHOM is the person speaking to, and what TIME FRAME or customs, etc. are they speaking about. That is why I always had a difficult time trying to fit the verses into what I had heard or read. The vast majority of people have been taught that these verses above refer to the future, but that view has always puzzled me b/c Jesus was talking to His disciples about the present time of His age and THEIR NEAR FUTURE.
I do not have a label and I do not want one, but for the sake of understanding, I take what Jesus said and do not try to fit it into any other time frame except the one that Jesus was referring to. These words, (near, soon, & quickly), bracket the Book of Revelation and are also used in the gospels as Jesus gave His discourse to the disciples about His coming. Near, soon, and quickly do NOT mean thousands of years later.
Btw, if John wrote the book of Revelation in the 90’s the temple could not be measured b/c it was DESTROYED IN 70AD. But Rev. 11:1 says–And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.
Here are a few excerpts from this link.
http://www.ecclesia.org/truth/revelation.html There is much more to check out on this site to give your proof texts.
The Early Date Theory
“So, where can we turn to find evidence for the dating of Revelation? Within the book itself! It will be shown, from internal evidence, that Revelation was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.
John must prophesy again
The first point to consider in favor of the early date is the fact that John was told that he “must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings” in Revelation 10:11. Now, if Revelation was written in AD 95-96, John would have been over 90 years old and it would have been very difficult for him to travel to the various “nations and…many kings” and preach. However, with Revelation written earlier, John would have been in his mid 60’s and at that age, his traveling would have been more feasible.
The Seven Churches in Asia
Another point is that John wrote Revelation to a specific group of churches in Asia (Revelation 1:4). The importance of this statement cannot be overlooked (even though it has been by many scholars). There is only one small window of time in which there were only seven churches in Asia. The early AD 60’s. The apostle Paul established nine churches in that area, but only seven were addressed in Revelation. The reason for this is that the cities of Colosse, Hierapolis, and Laodicea, were all destroyed by an earthquake around AD 61. Laodicea was rebuilt soon afterwards, but the other two cities were not. This left only seven churches in Asia during the five years just prior to the beginning of the Roman/Jewish war.
Of particular importance is the message to the church of Philadelphia (Revelation 3:7-13). In verse’s 10 and 11, Christ told John to inform them that an “hour of temptation” was “about to come upon all the world,” i.e., the Roman Empire. Christ then told them that He was coming quickly and that they should hold fast. The reason this is important (besides the fact that this was directed to an actual church in the first century) is that the first persecution of Christians took place under Nero Caesar in AD 64. Therefore, Revelation must have been written before that time.
The Temple was still standing
One of the most compelling proofs that Revelation was written before Jerusalem was destroyed is the fact that the Jewish temple was still standing!
Revelation 11:1-2, “And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.”
How do we know that this was the temple of the first century and not some future one? First, there is not one verse in the entire Bible that speaks of a “rebuilt” Jewish Temple.Not one. That alone should be proof enough.
However, this passage is very similar to Luke 21:20-24. Notice that Jesus told the disciples that they would see this event. They had asked Him about their temple (verse 5), and Jesus told them it would be destroyed before their generation passed away (verse 32). Notice again what Jesus said in verse 24, “Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles.” This is the same thing Christ told John in Revelation 11:2. Therefore, since the disciples’ generation has long since passed away, Revelation must have been written before the nations trampled Jerusalem under foot in AD 70.” _________________
So I, along with many others believe that John wrote this book nearer to 70AD because the temple was still standing unto it’s destruction in 70AD.
There is much to write on this topic. I trust you will study it with your Teacher & find out for yourself. Truth DOES make a difference, as we so well know.
Please check out the videos for:
Matthew part 1 & 2, Revelation part 1 & 2, Josephus’ notes re: the destruction of Jerusalem.
The Second Coming in Matthew (Part 1) – Matthew 3:1-12; 10:23
The Second Coming in Matthew (Part 2) – Matthew 16:27-28; 24:34; 26:64
Understanding The Revelation Part 1 – Revelation 1:1-11
Understanding The Revelation Part 2 – Revelation 13:11-18
Excerpt–
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Brief summary of Josephus’ record: The Judgment on Jerusalem according to History and Destruction of the temple |
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Heavenly phenomena |
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Earthly phenomena (reported by priests) |
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John’s Revelation – “And there were noises and thundering and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth.” (16:18) |
John’s Revelation – “Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath.” (16:19)
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Love of the Bridegroom 