The Temple and the Date of Revelation
Despite many Christians, the Book of Revelation does not provide evidence that rebuts postmillennialism’s optimistic outlook on history. In other posts I have pointed out the importance of properly dating the Book of Revelation, which is so crucial for understanding the book. I believe it should be dated prior to the destruction of the temple in AD 70. One of the leading reasons I hold this conviction is due to the appearance of the Jewish temple in Revelation 11. Let me explain
In Revelation 11:1,2 John informs us:
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.
Here we find a temple standing in a city called “the holy city.” It seems indisputably clear that a Christian Jew, such as John, would have in mind historical Jerusalem, when he speaks of “the holy city.” This is so for two basic reasons: (1) Jerusalem is frequently called such in Scripture: Isaiah 48:2; 52:1; Nehemiah 11:1-18; Matthew 4:5; 27:53. (2) Verse 8 informs us that this is the city where “also our Lord was crucified.” The place of our Lord’s crucifixion was no other city than historical Jerusalem, according to the clear testimony of Scripture (Luke 9:22; 13:32; 17:11; 19:28).
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