Rev, relevance to AD 70
A great theme of Rev is that "the time is near" -- these
things were about to happen (Rev 1:1,3; 2:16; 3:10,11; 22:6,7,10,12,20). The
relationship between the letters and the rest of Rev cannot be overlooked; what
was to happen to them in judgment was bound up with what was to come upon the
land of Palestine in AD 70. Mat 21:40 parallels the coming of the Lord with the
destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. This is exactly the sequence of events we
expect in the last days, according to Zec 14. There are many links between the
trumpets, seals and the Olivet prophecy; and also many links with Josephus'
descriptions of what came upon Palestine in AD 66-70.
Rev 6:1,2
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Mat 24:14
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Rev 6:3,4
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Mat 24:6,7
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Rev 6:5,6
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Mat 24:7
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Rev 6:7,8
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Mat 24:7
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Rev 6:9
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Mat 24:12
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Rev 6:11
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Mat 24:14
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Rev 6:12
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Mat 24:7
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Rev 6:13
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Mat 24:32
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Rev 6:14
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Mat 24:35
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Rev 6:16
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Luk 23:30
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Rev 6:17
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Luk 21:36
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Rev 7:1
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Mat 24:31
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Rev 7:3
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Luk 21:18,28
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Rev 7:14
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Mat 24:19,21
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Rev 8:3
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Luk 21:36
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Rev 8:5
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Mat 24:27
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It is clear enough that the Olivet Prophecy has application
both to the "last days" of AD 70 and also to our last days. Rev is the Lord's
expansion upon His words on Olivet -- and therefore we should use this as a
framework for interpreting the book. See notes in the following verses, which
trace some leading features of the AD 70 interpretation. The most powerful proof
is in private reading of Josephus' Wars Of The Jews -- it reads like a running
commentary on the seal and trumpet judgments upon Israel:
Rev 5:1; 6:2,3,9-11,14,15,16; 9:5; 11:2,8; 13:5-7; 14:20;
16:19; 17:7.
In the same way as the 1st century believers could not have
accurately predicted how all this would come about, but would have been
wonderfully encouraged as they saw it all happening, and perceived then the
interpretation -- so we will see the Rev come true, rather that be able to
predict its precise fulfillment, in our final "last days".
