Revelation must have been written between 64-68 CE instead of between 90-100 CE.

The most popular opinion about the book of Revelation is that it must have been written anywhere between the year 90 CE and 100 CE.

But I think there is a good internal argument on why it must have been written between the year 64 and 68 CE.

This can be found in chapter 17 where a whore is riding a seven headed beast. Those heads are seven hills and seven kings according to verse 9 and 10

9 Here is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains upon which the woman sits, 10 and they are seven kings; five have fallen, one is, the other has not yet come; and when he comes, he must remain a little while.

The Whore is a depiction of the goddess Roma sitting on the seven hills of Rome.

Coin with goddess-whore Roma sitting on the seven hills of Rome.

The seven kings therefore must be the first seven rulers of the Roman empire, being:

Julius Ceasar (contemporary historians don't consider him to be the first, but Roman historians in those times, like Suetonius, did.)
August
Tiberius
Caligula
Claudius
Nero
Galba (only ruled for a couple of months)

Verse 10 says that five have been fallen (Julius to Claudius), one is (Nero) and one has not yet come (Galba).

Since Nero died in the year 68, the book of Revelation must have been written before the year 68.

In the year 64 Nero had set Rome to fire and blamed christians for it. Peter and Paul have died during the persecution that followed, with Peter being crucified upside down and Paul being beheaded. Revelation specifically talks about martyrs being beheaded (20:4) and severe persecution (6:10, 7:14).

Also Revelation 18 uses the burning of Rome as a metaphore for the end of the spiritual evil city Babylon.

Therefore it seems likely that Revelation was written after these events in the year 64. Then John might have been captured by Nero and banned to Patmos, where I received his visions and wrote his letters and books.

Comments

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Decoding the book of Revelation step by step

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