So when, exactly, did Jesus come back in the clouds and everyone saw Him and nobody recorded it?
Revelation was thought to be penned about 81–96 AD. How does that fit with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD?
TWENTY EVIDENCES WHY REVELATION WAS WRITTEN BEFORE AD 70
There is much confusion about Revelation because people reach their conclusions from the daily newspaper and their denominational echo chamber. Is that how we should interpret the Bible? Shouldn’t we rely on Scripture itself, and secondarily men who were closest in time to writing of the New Testament? That’s what I do in this article.
The dating of Revelation is important because it influences the interpretation of the book. There are two views of when Revelation was written. One view is that it was written around AD 95-96 during the reign of Domitian. The second view is that it was written in the mid 60’s AD, during the reign of Nero—prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. I will show that the early date has the strongest support from both the internal evidence and external evidence.
INTERNAL EVIDENCE
1. Revelation 17:10 says that the book was written during the sixth king, who was Nero, who reigned from AD 54-68. (The previous five Roman rulers were Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, and Claudius.) Interestingly, the text also says that the seventh king to come would reign only “a little while.” The seventh king was Galba, who was ruler for only six months (AD 68-69).
2. Revelation 1:9 says it was being written during the Tribulation (Greek, thlipsis), which Jesus said would occur during his own generation (Matthew 24:15-34).
3. Scholars agree that the major theme of Revelation is a GREAT JUDGMENT upon “Babylon.” Babylon was an historic enemy of God’s people, and it is used symbolically in Revelation to represent Old Covenant Israel/Jerusalem who had become unfaithful. This is the theme of chapters 16-19. The Lord’s wrath, promised in Revelation, would come against “the GREAT CITY Babylon” (Revelation 16:19; 18:2, 10, 21; 19:2), which is clearly identified as the “CITY WHERE THE LORD WAS SLAIN” (Revelation 11:8-9). This unambiguously confirms that the Great Judgment was against JERUSALEM, and thus the identity of Babylon. Also confirming the identity of Babylon, is her description as a harlot (Revelation 17:1, 15; 19:2). Throughout the Bible, when Israel was unfaithful, she is characterized as a harlot or adulterer (Deuteronomy 31:16-18; Isaiah 1:21; Jeremiah 2:20; 3:6-9; Ezekiel 6:8-9; 16:15, 26, 28; Hosea 1:2; 9:1). The harlot is adorned in purple and scarlet (Revelation 17:4), which are the colors of the ritual dress of the high priest and the colors that adorn the temple (Exodus 28:5-6; 39:1-2).
4. Revelation contains over 30 passages that demand its imminent, i.e. radical nearness of fulfillment. We see such statements as “must shortly take place,” “soon,” “near,” and “about to happen” (Revelation 1:1-3; 22:6-20; etc.). The wrath of God and the Lamb (Revelation 6:16-17; 14:19; 15:1, 7; 16:1; 16:19; 19:15―especially note 16:6; 17:6; 18:24; 19:2), then, is consistent with Jesus’ astounding condemnation of his fellow Jews in Matthew 23, which He insisted would be judged for all the righteous blood ever shed on earth—IN THEIR GENERATION. This judgment was because of their sins, failure to accept Him as Messiah, and their participation with the Roman authorities in Jesus’ conviction and crucifixion (Matthew 27:25). There is nothing post AD 95 that could qualify as such an imminent (“must shortly take place”) judgment. Only a pre-AD 70 fulfillment (prior to the fall and judgment of Old Covenant Israel) makes any sense. Case closed about Babylon and the Great Judgment.
5. In Revelation 11:1, John was told to measure the temple. This implies that the temple was still standing when the book was written, thus prior to AD 70. While some argue that this is about a spiritual temple, it would be a bizarre instruction if given at a time when the physical temple was just a bunch of rubble. And of particular note, the destruction of the physical temple in AD 70 is not mentioned by John in Revelation. It is inconceivable that, if John was writing after AD 70, he would not have mentioned the destruction of the temple, it being the center of the Jewish faith.
6. Revelation 11:2 says, “They will trample the holy city for forty-two months.” This statement is consistent with Jesus’ statement to his contemporaries: “When YOU see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then you know that its desolation is near.” (Luke 21:20). Thus, some of those living in the first century would witness this. It cannot be coincidence that forty-two months is exactly the period of the Roman army’s final assault on Israel—from February AD 67 to August AD 70. So, Revelation had to have been written prior.
Continue here for the complete list:
https://prophecyquestions.com/twenty-evidences-why-revelation-was-written-before-ad-70/
>>So when, exactly, did Jesus come back in the clouds and everyone saw Him and nobody recorded it?<<
See
https://freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/4230383/posts?page=65#65
>>Revelation was thought to be penned about 81–96 AD. How does that fit with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD?<<
It is more likely The Revelation was written about 62 AD when there were exactly 7 churches in Asia.
Mr. Kalamata