Please watch this excellent 5 minute news video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zI9ub9AgF0

JIM JONES AND THE PEOPLE’S TEMPLE HISTORY: That tells you much of the story of Jim Jones that started in Indianapolis, moved to California, moved to Guyana, South America, and ended up in a mass suicide of over 900 people (270 of them children) in the agricultural farm called Jonestown. As Jeff Guinn says in the video, “The saddest part is that good, decent people died who were well intentioned”. Jones started with breaking down racial barriers, helping the poor, and had a multi racial congregation. Only God knows if his heart was right to begin with, but over time he changed. “He devolved into a narcissistic, paranoid, drug addicted, and abusive dictator. Jones was a sexual predator who was unfaithful to his wife and had sexual relationships with both men and women in his congregation. He demanded that members turn over all their assets, including homes and Social Security checks, creating complete economic dependency on him. Jim Jones regarded the Bible as a “paper idol” and a tool of oppression used to manipulate people, ultimately rejecting it in favor of his own ideology. While initially utilizing religious themes, he grew to criticize the Bible, eventually promoting atheism and Marxism, claiming to be a divine figure himself. He taught that traditional religion was an “opiate” and used it to manipulate followers, later admitting in 1976 to being an atheist and agnostic. ones preached that the United States was a racist, fascist society (“Babylon”) that was destined to be destroyed. He warned of a coming genocide against black people and racial minorities, telling his followers they would be sent to concentration camps in “gas ovens”. Jim Jones believed a nuclear apocalypse destroying the U.S. was imminent, which he used to justify moving his followers to California and eventually to the Jonestown commune in Guyana. He framed this apocalyptic event as a way to escape US government oppression and to establish a socialist utopia. Jones was heavily influenced by Father M. J. Divine, a charismatic African American preacher who claimed to be God and built a multi-racial, communal, and economically independent society. Jones visited Divine in Philadelphia and adopted the concept of creating a “Promised Land” (eventually Jonestown) that would be a haven for his followers during the end times. He framed the mass suicide/murder in Jonestown as a “revolutionary suicide” against capitalist oppression” (AI)

THE GUYANA TRAGEDY MOVIE: The movie “Guyana Tragedy” is long and graphic, but tells the Jim Jones story completely, even from the time of his childhood. “Much of what is known about Jones’ early life came from his own later recollections. He described being a young hellion in his Indiana hometown: “I was considered the trash of the neighborhood.” He identified with the underdog, fighting off kids who bullied other children, rescuing stray pets, and taking home beggars. He explored every church in town — Quaker, Nazarene, Methodist, Apostolic and the Church of Christ — throwing himself into their particular rituals before becoming disillusioned and moving on to the next. (That interested me since I come from a Church of Christ background. Jim Jones most likely once attended a Church of Christ service!) As a young man, while working as a hospital orderly, Jones met Marceline Baldwin, a nursing student, and they married in 1949. In Indianapolis, he served as a student pastor in the Methodist Church in 1952 but chose to found his own church, Peoples Temple, in 1956. The Temple joined the Disciples of Christ in 1960 and Jones was ordained in 1964. A major source of Jones’ unhappiness with various mainstream churches was segregation. During the 1950s and early 1960s, segregation was widespread across the country, and many religious congregations followed the practice of keeping the races separate. Having grown up an outsider, Jones empathized with the downtrodden, the poor, the non-whites in society. In 1961 he and his wife were the first white couple in Indianapolis to adopt a black child, Peoples Temple participated directly in the social shifts of the emerging civil rights movement. As the head of the Indianapolis Human Rights Commission, Jones desegregated movie theaters, restaurants, the telephone company, hospitals and the city police department. The Temple ran a free restaurant, and homes for the elderly and mentally ill.” (from PBS American Experience article https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/jonestown-bio-jones/?scrlybrkr=f2f8117f

FALSE PROPHETS AND CULT LEADERS: What caused a man who was doing a lot of good for poor people oppressed by racism to become a dangerous, perverted cult leader? Read 2 Peter 2 as Peter talks about false prophets. Some of his description of false prophets: ² Many will follow their indecent behavior, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; ³ and in their greed they will exploit you with false words. 13 “They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions as they feast with you, ¹⁴ having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having hearts trained in greed, accursed children; ¹⁸ For, while speaking out arrogant words of no value they entice by fleshly desires, by indecent behavior, those who barely escape from the ones who live in error, ¹⁹ promising them freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption.” Power, pride, sex, money, drugs. Back to what Jeff Guinn said, “The saddest part is that good, decent people died who were well intentioned”. They were “exploited with false words. They were promised freedom by a perverse man who was himself “a slave of corruption”.

PUT YOUR FAITH IN JESUS, NOT MEN: Most false prophets and cult leaders start out with some Biblical concept, like love, and then corrupt that. Often they prey on people looking for love and community. David Berg (Children of God, free love and flirty fishing); Charles Manson (The Manson Family and the LaBiana murders); David Koresh (The Branch Davidians and the 51 day Waco siege; all the women in his cult were his wives, including the married women); Warren Jeffs (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and his multiple wives, including young girls); Marshall Applewhite (Heaven’s Gate cult, mass suicides). The list goes on, even including very popular Christian church leaders of modern day churches. Good people looking for love and family are hurt and disillusioned. Their faith in God and in the Bible is often destroyed. Bottom line, don’t put your faith in men. Put your faith in Jesus.

I can’t overstate the importance of understand the correct meaning of the Greek word mello in the New Testament. It appears over 100 times and it always, always means some event that is “about to happen” or “about to be at a place”. When used of time, things which were imminent and expected to occur within a short time. Always. I will give a few examples and a site that gives every single usage of the word.

Jesus prophesied his coming crucifixion, he told his disciples that the Son of Man “is about to” [Gk: μέλλει : mellei] suffer at the hands of certain men (Matt 17:12).
Jesus repeated that prophecy, saying that the Son of Man “is about to” [Gk: μέλλει : mellei] be delivered into the hands of men (Matt 17:22).  The same in Luke 9:34. Matt 20:22 – Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am [Gk: μέλλω : mello : I am about to] to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” Luke 9:31 – who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to [Gk: ἤμελλεν : emellen : was about to] accomplish at Jerusalem. Luke 10:1 – After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to [Gk: ἤμελλεν : emellen : was about to] go. Here is the site for more examples. https://parousiafulfilled.com/mello-about-to-happen/index.php

Why is this word so important? B/c it helps us understand the New Testament in its original context and its relevance to those it was written to. But here’s the catch. The translators of the New Testament from the Greek have no trouble correctly translating the word mello as “about to” when it is used of an event about to happen or about to be at a place except when the word is used with the imminent 2nd coming of Jesus or the judgement that was “about to come” on that first century generation of Jews. They will usually translate the word as “certainly” going to happen, etc, but not “about to happen”. That totally destroys the context of the verse! They do not translate it correctly as “about to” b/c that would go against traditional church dogma that said that Jesus’ 2nd coming is still in the future (going on 2000 years and counting). Here are some examples. The usual incorrect translations of the word will be crossed out in these verses along with the correct translation. Only translations like Young’s Literal Translation translate mello correctly as “about to”.

Matthew 16:27 – the Son of Man is going to i [Gk: μέλλει : mellei : is about to] come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. The imminency of the 2nd coming is obvious when you read the next verse: 16:²⁸ “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” This is imminent 2nd coming and not the transfiguration that would shortly happen b/c there was no judgment involved in the transfiguration but there was to be a judgement in Matthew 16:27. The only predictions Jesus made of his 2nd coming all say that he was coming back within the lifetime of those he was speaking to: Matthew 10:²³ “But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you (i.e. the apostles that he is talking to)will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.” Matthew 24:³⁰ And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. ³⁴ Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (the Greek word genea in the New Testament always means a 40 year period or the people living in a 40 year period). Matthew 26:⁶⁴ Jesus *said to him, “You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you (at least some of those he was speaking to) will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” There are no other predictions of Jesus coming again at any time after the generation that he was speaking to. None.

Matthew 3:7 – But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to [Gk: μελλούσης : mellouses : which is about to] come? John the Baptist was predicting the judgment on the Jews that was about to come on the nation in 70 AD. The same in Luke 3:7. Acts 17:31 – because he has fixed a day on which he will i [Gk: μέλλει : mellei : is about to] judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.” 2 Timothy 4:1 – I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is [Gk: μέλλοντος : mellontos : is about to] to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom. Luke 21:36 – But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to i [Gk: μέλλοντα : mellonta : are about to] take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” In Luke 21 (also Matthew 24 and Mark 13) Jesus was predicting the destruction of Jerusalem that was “about to happen” in 70 AD.

Revelation 1:19 YLT – Write the things that thou hast seen, and the things that are, and the things that are about to [Gk: μέλλει : mellei : is (are) about to] iii ) come after these things.” The events predicted in Revelation were about to happen, not things to happen thousands of years later. The same in Revelation 2:10; 3:10,16; 6:11; 8:13; 12:5. The 2nd coming of Jesus was imminent when John wrote this letter, as seen from “I am coming quickly” (Revelation 22:7,12,20). Revelation 1:⁷ Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. Revelation begins and ends sayin that the events it is predicting will “shortly take place” for “the time is near” (Revelation 1:1,3; 22:6,10). To make the events predicted in Revelation to be things that haven’t even happened 2,000 years later (and counting) is to say that the predictions in Revelation failed to come to pass and that the book is false prophecy.

Hebrews 6:5 – and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to [Gk: μέλλοντος : mellontos : which is about to] come. That would be the Messianic Age about to come in its fullness in 70 AD when the Mosaic Age would end and the Law was about to “disappear” in 70 AD. Hebrews 8:¹³ When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is about to disappear (eggus: Near, close, at hand: a different Greek word than mello but same idea of “about to”. The book of Hebrews is all about the judgement to come on the Jews in 70 AD, trying to keep Jewish Christians from leaving faith in Christ and going back to trusting in the old covenant which would lead to them suffering the same judgment in 70 AD as the evil unbelieving Jews whom the Romans killed in the siege of the city (one million killed).

Romans 8:18,38 YLT ii – 18 For I reckon that the sufferings of the present time [are] not worthy [to be compared] with the glory about to [Gk: μέλλουσαν : mellousan : about to] be revealed in us; … 38 for I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor messengers, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things about to be [Gk: μέλλοντα : mellonta : about to (be)]. This is an important passage b/c Romans 8:18-24 predicts that the “creation” will be released from its suffering which many interpret to be the earth being re-created to its Garden of Eden form at Jesus’ 2nd coming. But notice that 8:18 says that whatever is about to happen with the creation is “about to” happen in the time frame of those Paul is writing to. Several opinions on whether the creation being released from its slavery is referring to people (which is what I believe) or the physical creation, but either way it had to happen in the first century and not at least 2000 years later (and counting). It makes sense that he is talking about people being glorified in 70 AD when it would be shown that the Chistians, not Jews, were the true people of God. Again, the word mello in 8:18 changes the whole way we look at the fulfillment of this prediction. 1 Peter 5:1 – So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to i [Gk: μελλούσης : mellouses : which is about to] be revealed (at 70 AD) . The same idea as in Romans 8:18. In 70 AD God would show world, once for all time, that Christians are His chosen people, not the Jews. Jesus predicted that he was going to take away the kingdom from the Jews and give it to a people who would produce fruit for him Matthew 21:⁴³ Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruit.” That “people” would be Jew and Gentile Christians. 1 Peter 2:⁹ But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; ¹⁰ for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 

I’m sure that many readers aren’t very interested in the study of Greek words or eschatology, but I urge you to do a serious study of the word mello. It changes the way you interpret many doctrines concerning the 2nd coming or the judgement. But it also shows you that the predictions of the New Testament came true in the time frame of the people they were made to. Otherwise someone could say that the New Testament made many predictions that were to be fulfilled in the first century that never came true, and thus that the New Testament is full of false prophecies (which is exactly what atheists say). Keep studying

WHO ARE THE INTERNATIONAL CHURCHES OF CHRIST? Have you ever heard of these churches? “First known as the Crossroads Movement and later the Boston Movement, the ICOC traces its roots to the late 1960s. The movement developed in the campus ministry of Chuck Lucas at the Crossroads Church of Christ in Gainesville, Fla., as that ministry began baptizing many college students. Lucas later converted McKean, who called 30 disciples to be totally committed to Christ. In 1979, McKean’s group planted the fast-growing Boston Church of Christ, which became the center of the discipling movement. In 1988, the Crossroads church disassociated itself from the movement.In the early 1990s, the ICOC formally split from the mainline Churches of Christ. The ICOC’s reported membership hit a high of 135,000 in 2002 — the same year worldwide leader Kip McKean stepped aside. Long-simmering concerns over the movement’s top-down hierarchy (i.e. everyone answering to McKean), aggressive discipling techniques and sectarianism seemed to threaten the ICOC’s future. By 2006, worldwide membership plummeted to less than 89,000 — a 34 percent decline. In the past, discipling partners sometimes exerted too much control and influence over converts. For example, controlling how they spent their time, who they date, pressure to convert others, pressure to attend Bible study groups, pressure to attend all church events, how much to give to the church, prying into your secret moral thoughts and activities, not to help you, but to get their hooks in you to stop you from leaving the church, manipulating you, using your secrets to shame you into obedience; forcing you to live with roommates instead of alone so a church member is usually around to keep an eye on you, being re-baptized b/c you didn’t make Jesus your “Lord” fully when you were first baptized even if you were baptized correctly the first time (I experienced that pressure when I was in college), pressure to cut yourself off from your family and stay around fellow members all the time instead, the music you listen to, the work and career you pursue. Some of its leaders did not consider members of mainline Churches of Christ to be Christians. I thnk one could say that the ICOC was definitely a cult! I have read of several who had to undergo counseling to overcome the stressful time they spent in the ICOC.

THE ICOC TODAY: (The Christian Chronicle, 9/1/2012). As of 2024–2025, the International Churches of Christ (ICOC) is a global movement with approximately 112,000 members across roughly 700 congregations in 148 countries. The fellowship is organized into 34–36 regional families of churches and maintains a focus on international evangelism and missions. They have acknowledged a lot of their errors from the past and seem to be doing better in their disciping methods. They are growing.

THE GREAT COMMISSION: MAKE DISCIPLES AND BAPTIZE The Church of Christ put a lot of emphasis on people being baptized by the right method (immersion), being baptized when old enough to believe, and being baptized for the remission of sins (not saved before baptism). This led to a lot of baptisms and re-baptisms of those who were not baptized “correctly”, but perhaps not enough emphasis on “making disciples” Matthew 28:¹⁹ Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” I was in college when the Crossroads Movement began in Gainesville, Fla. At first, it just seemed like an effort to make baptized believers become more committed disciples of Jesus. It spread to the Boston Movement and to other large cities. It spread to international cities. But many churches left the movement for reasons given in the paragraph above. There was a congregation in my city that went fully into the movement but left it many years later.

WHAT DOES MAKING A DISCIPLE OF JESUS MEAN? AI: “To disciple a believer in Jesus means engaging in an intentional, relational process of helping them follow, learn from, and become more like Jesus Christ. It involves mentoring a believer to obey Jesus’s teachings, grow in faith, and fulfill the mission of making other disciples, transforming them into a devoted follower.” The Greek word for “disciple” in Matthew 28:19 is mathéteuó: To make a disciple, to teach, to instruct: to disciple, i.e. helping someone to progressively learn the Word of God to become a matured, growing disciple (literally, “a learner,” a true Christ-follower); to train (develop) in the truths of Scripture and the lifestyle required, i.e. helping a believer learn to be a disciple of Christ in belief and practice.” (Biblehub.com) So in the Crossroads Movement, a discipling partner was assigned to a new baptized believer. That’s good. But the problem arose when the discipling partner began controlling and pressuring the would be disciple. I had a friend who had a mental and physical breakdown b/c of the pressure he was getting from his discipling partner while in college. The movement took a good thing and made it a cultish, control thing.

THE 3 ESSENTIALS OF DISCIPLESHIP IN LUKE’S GOSPEL There are many baptized believers who are not fully committed to following Jesus, being true disciples. Jesus gave 3 requirements for being a true disciple in Luke 14:²⁵ Now large crowds were going along with Him, and He turned and said to them, ²⁶ “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers, sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. ²⁷ Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. ²⁸ For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it? ²⁹ Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who are watching it will begin to ridicule him, ³⁰ saying, ‘This person began to build, and was not able to finish!’ ³¹ Or what king, when he sets out to meet another king in battle, will not first sit down and consider whether he is strong enough with ten thousand men to face the one coming against him with twenty thousand? ³² Otherwise, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and requests terms of peace. ³³ So then, none of you can be My disciple who does not give up all his own possessions.” Thus 3 essentials of discipleship in Luke’s gospel: 1) Love Jesus even if it means leaving your family (not literally hating your family). 2) Be willing to suffer for Jesus, to carry your “cross” as Jesus did his. 3) Count the costs of being a disciple and be willing to do whatever it costs you to be a disciple.

THE 3 PROOFS OF DISCIPLESHIP IN JOHN’S GOSPEL In the Gospel of John, Jesus gives 3 tests or proofs of true discipleship. 1) Continue studying and obeying the Words of Jesus. John 8:³¹ So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly My disciples.” 2) Love one another. John 13:³⁴ I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. ³⁵ By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.” 3) Bear much fruit. John 15:⁸ My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” In all 3 verses, the Greek word for “disciple” is mathétés: Disciple, learner, pupil: properly, a learner; a disciple, a follower of Christ who learns the doctrines of Scripture and the lifestyle they require; someone catechized with proper instruction from the Bible with its necessary follow-through (life-applications). Μαθητής designates a learner who binds himself to a teacher in order to embrace that teacher’s worldview and way of life. (Bibehub.com)

DON’T MAKE DISCIPLING A “LEGAL SYSTEM” OF WORKS It is obvious from these verses that Jesus demands full commitment from his followers. But we must be careful not to make that a legal system. How much fruit must a Christian bear in order to be a true disciple? Jesus said that some produce 30, some 60, some 100 (Matthew 13:23). How much time must a Christian spend in the Word to be a true disciple? How much must a Christian suffer to be a true disciple? We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus’s death. We can’t make the tests and proofs of discipleship a system whereby we demand certain amounts of all these things. We can’t pressure new baptized believers into a strict, authoritarian, controlling system of doing these things. Which is what the Crossroads Movement, the Boston Movement, and the ICOC did.. We should help new believers become more like Christ in their everyday lives, but always assure them that they are saved even if they aren’t perfect disciples.

I think so. Of course that means that I am going to tell you what I think the book is about and when it was written so as to clear up all confusion about the book! I know that means that I think I have the book figured out, but bear with me as I try to condense a summary as briefly as possible. Please look up all the verses that I cite. 4 basic points:

WHEN WOULD THE EVENTS PREDICTED IN THE BOOK HAPPEN? Revelation was the prediction of events that “must soon take place” for “the time is near” (1:1-3; 22:6,10). Many interpreters say that “soon” can be in God’s time frame and could be thousands of years. But notice that the letter was written to the 7 churches in Asia, telling them they needed to “read, heed, and keep” the words in the book (1:3) b/c the predictions applied directly to their imminent future. The Greek word mello (μέλλω), meaning “about to,” “going to,” or “ready to,” appears in Revelation 2:10 and Revelation 3:10. In Rev. 2:10, it signifies the imminent suffering of the church in Smyrna, while in Rev. 3:10, it refers to the “hour of trial” that is “about to” come upon the whole world. The phrase “I am coming quickly” is used several times to stress the need for immediate action by those reading the prophetcy. The phrase is used in 22:7,12,20 right after repeating the warning that the predictions in the book are going to happen “soon” for “the time is near”. These time statements “soon” and “near” obviously are in the time frame of the 1st century Christians in the 7 churches and not in God’s time frame. This same logic applies when Jesus said “the kingdom is at hand” (Mark 1:15). He was talking about the establishment of His spiritual kingdom, the church: “at hand” in the time frame of those he was speaking to and not God’s time frame that could be thousands of years. He did establish that spiritual kingdom, the church, within that generation. If that isn’t clear, Jesus also said, “Matthew 16:²⁸ “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Jesus predicted 4 times in the synoptic gospels that His 2nd coming would be within the lifetime of those he was speaking to (Matthew 10:23; 16:27-28; 24:30-34; 26:64). If He did not come within that generation as he predicted then he is a false prophet, which is what the atheists and unbelieving Jews say about him. But He did come within that generation in judgment on the Jews in 70 AD, so that just proves that He was “The Prophet”. There are no other predictions of another “coming” in the synoptics that was not to be within that generation. In Matthew 24, Jesus predicted the end of the Jewish Age (Matthew 24:14), the abomination of desolation of the temple as predicted by Daniel 9, 11, and 12 (Matthew 24:15), a tribulation of suffering of the Jewish people such as had never happened before (Matthew 24:21; Daniel 12:1-2), and the coming of the Son of Man “immediately” after the tribulation (Matthew 24:30) with stars falling from the sky. He then said, “³⁴ Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place” (Matthew 24:34). The Greek word for generation is genea, which in the New Testament always refers to a 40 year period or the people living in a 40 year period. Of course, that means that the stars falling is figurative language and not literally stars falling from the sky. Such figurative apocalyptic language was used regularly in the Od Testament of judgments of nations like Babylon, and is not meant to be taken literally. Since Matthew 24 and Revelation are both predicting the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, some have said that Matthew 24 is a mini-Revelation.

WHEN WAS THE BOOK WRITTEN? Revelation was written before 70 AD while Nero was emperor (17:9-10). At the time of writing, 5 kings (rulers or emperors of Rome) had “fallen” (were dead). Those 5 were Julius Caesar, then Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, The 1st century Jewish historian Josephus considered Julius Caesar to be the first ruler of Rome b/c he states that Augustus was the 2nd and Tiberius was the 3rd. Modern historians might not want to start with Julius, but it is obvious who was considered the 1st ruler when the book was written. Also the Gentile historian Seutonius in his Lives of the 12 Caesars starts with Julius as the first. So “5 have fallen, one is”. The emperor ruling at the time the book was written was the 6th ruler, Nero (54-68 AD). Thus the book was written before Nero died in 68 AD. Those who date the book as 96 AD rely exclusively on a single comment by the church father Irenaeus in the late 2nd century, saying that either the prophecy of Revelation was seen or even possibly that John was seen in the reign of Domitian (81-96 AD). But Revelation 17:9-10 gives us internal dating of the book that is far more valuable than a comment by an uninspired church father, especially one who said that Jesus died at the age of 50 which is what Irenaeus said. Irenaeus said that John was exiled to the aisle of Patmos by Domitian but other sources say that he was exiled in the reign of Nero. The “Muratorian Fragment,” dating back to 170-190 A.D., states that this work of John was written during the reign of Nero. The “Syriac version” of the New Testament, which dates back to the second century A.D., states that Revelation was written during the reign of Nero making a date of 64-68 A.D. The “Aramaic Peshitta” version has a remark that places its date prior to 70 A.D. The title page of Revelation states this work of John was written right after the reign of Nero.The “Monarchian Prologues,” that dates back to 250-350 A.D., claims that Paul also wrote to seven churches following the pattern of John’s Book writing to the 7 churches of Asia, thus placing the book even before some of the other Pauline epistles. That’s a lot of external evidence that says that the book was written during the reign of Nero, not Domitian.
 Also, some tradition says that John lived to the age of 100 and died a peaceful death, but that contradicts what Jesus predicted in Mark 10:35-40 that the brothers James and John would die a martyr’s death. James was martyred in Acts 12. Papias (60-120 AD) said that John died at the hands of the Jews just as Jesus predicted. Papias doesn’t say when that happened, but it could only have happened before 70 AD. After 70 AD and by the year 100 AD, the Jews would not have had the ability to martyr anyone. The conclusion is that John died before 70 AD, so he must have written Revelation (and his gospel and letters) before 70 AD. That explains why we don’t have any inspired writings from John talking about the fulfillment of the predictions of Revelation as an event that had already happened. That would have been nice, and surely John would have written something discussing the destruction of the temple at some point after 70 AD if he had lived to the year 100 AD. But he couldn’t b/c he died before 70 AD. BTW the temple was still standing when Revelation was written (11:2) so that is another argument that shows that the letter was written before 70 AD.

WHAT IS THE MAIN EVENT PREDICTED IN THE BOOK? Revelation is about the judgment of the harlot Jerusalem (17:1,5,15,16; 19:2) which would happen when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD, killing one million Jews. We know this harlot was Jerusalem b/c “this woman (harlot) you (John) saw is the great city” (17:18). The “great city” is identified as the city “where the Lord (Jesus) was crucified (11:8) which of course is Jerusalem. Many interpreters have tried to make Rome to be the “great city” but 11:8 clearly states that the great city is Jerusalem. The harlot has the name “Babylon” written on her forehead (17:5) so the harlot and the great city and Babylon all refer to the same thing, i.e. Jerusalem. The harlot is riding on a beast with 10 horns (17:3). That beast, arising out of the sea, was introduced in 13:1-2) and was like a leopard, bear, and lion. This imagery is the same as in Daniel 7:1-8 where Daniel is predicting the 4 empires to come: Babylon (lion), Medo-Persia (bear), Greece, (leopard), and Rome (the iron beast, Daniel 2:40; 7:7). So the beast in Revelation 13:1-2 and chapter 17 is Rome. The sea beast Rome would “will hate the prostitute and will make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire. (17:16).” That is clearly a prediction that Rome will destroy the city of Jerusalem soon after the book was written. That happened in 70 AD when Titus sieged the city for 5 months and then destroyed the city and the temple in 70 AD. This was the judgment of the harlot Jerusalem (17:1). Revelation 18 is about the destruction of “Babylon, the great city” (18:10,21) which again is Jerusalem, the harlot. Again, many interpreters have tried to make Babylon to be Rome, but it is clearly identified as Jerusalem. Why was Jerusalem called a “harlot or prostitute” in Revelation? B/c she was the wife or bride of God in the Old Testament (Isaiah 54:5,6; Jeremiah 3:14; Ezekiel 16:8) and she for most of her history had become an “adulteress wife, who takes strangers instead of her husband!” (Ezekiel 16:32). She had worshipped and served the pagan gods of other nations (Baal, Asherah, Molech, Chemosh, Dagon, Tammuz, the “queen of heaven” Astarte or Ishtar). This is called spiritual adultery or harlotry by the prophets (Isaiah 1:21; Jeremiah 2:20; Ezekiel 16:14-15); Hosea 9:1). Revelation 17:2 calls it “sexual immorality” of the wife of God turned harlot, Jerusalem. God sent the Romans to destroy his harlot wife Jerusalem in 70 AD. It was God who 17:¹⁷ has put it in their hearts (the Romans) to execute His purpose by having a common purpose (i.e. Rome’s purpose to put down the Jewish rebellion called the Wars of the Jews and God’s purpose to destroy his adulterous wife giving God and the Romans a “common purpose”), and by giving their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God will be fulfilled.” The nations (Rome) would trample the holy city Jerusalem for 42 months (11:2) which is the length of the Wars of the Jews (66-70 AD) in killing over one million Jews. Rome was given “authority by God to act (on His behalf) for forty-two months” (13:5) to put down the Jewish rebellion and destroy the city and temple.The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD is the main topic of Revelation.

WHAT IS THE MAIN THEME OF THE BOOK? Revelation is the “avenging of the blood of the “saints, apostles, and prophets” (18:20,24; 19:2) The harlot was “drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus” (17:6). Those were the martyrs under the altar in 6:9-11 who died for their faith and cried out for God to avenge their blood. They were those who “because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death” (12:11). The history of Jerusalem and Israel was filled with the killing of God’s prophets that he sent to rebuke them for their harlotry. Jesus had said that generation of Jews living when he spoke were the “sons of those who killed the prophets (in the past history of Israel) and that the cup of God’s wrath against the Jews was “full”, i.e. no more time given the nation before destroying it in 70 AD (Matthew 23:29-36). The judgment of Jerusalem would come upon “that generation” living when Jesus spoke. The destruction of the temple would be within that generation (Matthew 24:1-2,34). Over one million Jews were killed by the Romans to avenge the blood of the saints, apostles, and prophets. The unbelieving Jews were the ones who killed the Jewish Christians (the “saints”) right up till the wars of the Jews started in 66 AD. 1 Thessalonians 2:14-16) says that the unbelieving Jews had persecuted the Jewish Christians, killed Jesus and the prophets, and drove the apostles out. Paul said that generation of evil Jews would “reach the limit of their sins. But wrath has come upon them fully” (which refers to their judgment in 70 AD). That’s the cup full of God’s wrath against the Jews that Jesus spoke of in Matthew 23.

I hope this is all a correct interpretation of the book of Revelation.