First of all, the "scroll of the prophecy" (22:19) needs to be fit into its appropriate social and historical context in order for the prophecy to be understood. Therefore, some words need to be said about the authorship and the date of the writing.
The book is ascribed to someone calling himself Johannes (1:4). He writes from the Isle of Patmos (1:9). From the style of the writing, the author is a Palestinian Jew, familiar with the style of Jewish apocalyptic. The use of Hebraims throughout suggests that the author's first language was probably Aramaic and not Greek. The author has knowledge of the goings-on at various Christian assemblies throughout Asia.
The above information seems to rule out any speculation that the book could have been written after AD 70. Not long after this time, gentiles began to dominate Christianity. That this book is written by a Jew and addressed primarily to Jews cannot be disputed. Such a thoroughly Jewish mindset would not have been present in some "John the Elder" who lived in the second century. So, while some have theorized that a late first century or second century "elder" wrote this prophecy, the internal evidence speaks against this theory. Since tradition speaks almost unanimously in favor of authorship by Johannes the envoy, and since that Johannes fits the description of the author given in the work itself, it seems likely that the son of Zebediah the fisherman was the author of the Revelation.
As to the date, there are numerous internal considerations (aside from the Jewish nature of the book) which give rise to the necessity for an early date. The book, Before Jerusalem Fell (the information for which can be provided upon request), makes an excellent and well documented argument for the so-called early date, although John A.T. Robinson's Redating the New Testament must be recognized as the seminal work on the subject. Some of these internal considerations must and will be dealt with in this article.
To summarize, we place Johannes the envoy, the son of Zebediah, as the author of the work. Patmos was the place of writing. The date of composition was c.66-68 CE, before the death of Emperor Nero.
These major sections are divided into smaller parts throughout the book.
The introduction and conclusion are both important in the sense that they set the stage for the rest of the work. What is coming is to take place soon ("in a short time," 1:1, 22:6, 7). The "time is near" (1:4). Because the events are to take place so soon, Johannes is not to "seal up the words of the prophecy" (22:10). This is to be contrasted with the conclusion to Daniel, where Daniel is told, "seal up the words, and seal the scroll, until the time of the completion" (12:4). The content of Daniel's own interpretation of the vision (11:1-12:4) shows that the conclusion of the matter was circa 164 BCE, at the end of the reign of Antiochus IV, less than 400 years from when Daniel received his vision. The urgency of the writing is continued to the end, where we are again told that the matters in the prophecy would happen soon (22:20).
The letters to the assemblies continue to convey this temporal urgency. He addresses seven very real and specific groups of Christians, making warnings where appropriate. He refers to local matters for which the communities were known and formulates guidance based on these things.
The symbolic judgment sections are meant to add to this sensation that a swift and powerful judgment is on the horizon for the readers. Some will be spared from this judgment against Israel, but the sense conveyed in the sections is that nothing will be the same for Israel after the judgment takes place. While some of the specific symbols are meaningful, they have little to no bearing on the overall meaning of the book.
The explanation begins at 11:19. God's true temple is opened, making the mysteries of the previous visions known. This is where the careful discussion must begin.
At the start of the vision, we have no immediate clue as to the time frame, but one such clue emerges shortly. A woman appears "in the sky." This woman, like the other who will appear, is a city. This first woman is Jerusalem in her most pure form, and by extension, the true Israel. She is crowned with twelve stars, representing the twelve tribes. At the start of the explanation, she is about to give birth to a child, the Anointed One. This dates the beginning of the explanation to shortly before the birth of Jesus.
A dragon appears in the sky. This dragon is the Enemy, as we are told in 12:9. The Enemy, we are told, tries to destroy Jerusalem and her child Jesus the Anointed One. But as the Anointed One is born (v.5) and kept safe, the Enemy is metaphorically cast down. How? By the crucifixion of Jesus (v.11) and the message of those who adhere to Jesus' teachings. The dragon then pursues the woman and makes war with her offspring, the Jews, and specifically against those who have accepted Jesus as Anointed One (v.17).
The next figure to emerge is the first , or "beast," which makes its first appearance in 13:1. In this writing, the term "monster" is an acceptable rendering of the term. This wild animal is the Roman Empire. It has seven heads, which we are told are the Emperors, the Caesars (17:10). Another interpretation will be provided there as well. The heads also represent the seven hills of Rome (17:9), in case there is any doubt as to the animal's identity. The animal is fierce and all-conquering, as the Empire was. One of its heads was wounded to death. This is Nero, who was alleged to be resuscitated as Vespatian. The Empire first spoke against God and his people and then made war against the Jews (v.7). This germinated in 64 CE when the fire in Rome took place and rose to a full-scale conflict shortly before the end of Nero's reign in 68.
The ten horns also provide the identity of the Caesars, also including Galba, Otho, and Vitellius, who lasted less than a year total.
Another wild animal emerges. This is the Caesar, first Nero and then Vespatian. We are essentially told this in 17:10f.. "Five have fallen." These were: Julius, Augustus, Tiberius, Gaius, and Claudius. "One is," Nero. "The other has not yet come," Vespatian. In case we require further information, Nero's name is added up in Hebrew characters. 13:18 indicates that the wild animal is "a man" whose number adds to 666. In Latin, Nero's name added to 616. There is a variant manuscript here which uses 616 in place of 666, indicating that the identity of the wild animal was known to early readers, as it was supposed to be.
Finally the lamb, Jesus, emerges to lead those Jews who have accepted the Anointed One away from the violence. Jesus had informed his followers to flee to the mountains (Mt 24:15ff.) when they noticed the temple about to be destroyed, and Josephus records that they did just that.
Now the judgment is turned to be on the Empire, on Rome (14:8), and we receive a preparatory vision, the explanation of which begins at 17:1. We are introduced there to a prostitute (v.1) sitting on a scarlet animal (v.3) which has seven heads and ten horns (as above). This wild animal is the Empire, the original wild animal. Thus, Rome is depicted as now riding the Empire. She is called, metaphorically, Babylon (v.5), which was also a nickname of Rome given due to its prosperity. Rome sits on the seven hills of Rome, of course (v.9). The woman also rides the Empire on top of "many waters" (v.1). These are the other nations and peoples of the world which Rome has conquered (v.14). The emperors are described as hating, devouring, and essentially ruining Rome (and, by extension, the Roman people) (vv.16-7). In case there is any doubt that the prostitute is Rome, we are told this bluntly in 17:18.
The downfall of the Empire of the Caesars is forecasted in chapter 18, and indeed, after Vespatian died, his sons who followed him were murdered or died mysteriously. By 96 CE, the lineage of the Flavian Emperors was at an end. The Julian Emperors were wiped out by Vespatian's people. There were no more Caesars.
There is great praise in heaven (ch. 19), but what happens next? A messenger binds the Enemy for a long time ("thousand years," 20:2). There is judgment on the dead. This is not a judgment on everyone, but on those who died during the Jewish Revolt which culminated at Masada (20:4-6). The Enemy will try to destroy the New Jerusalem (v.9), but he cannot. That it was the dead who were judged is explicitly stated in 20:12.
Now comes the marvelous metamorphosis. Death is destroyed, and Sheol, Hades, the abode of the dead, along with it (v.14). This marks the conclusion of the age and the beginning of the post-Messianic period. The power of death is stripped away, death is metaphorically destroyed, for the Christian. This new state of affairs (21:1) is borrowed from Isaiah (65:17; 66:22). The New Jerusalem, Christianity, is here in all her glory, prepared as the bride of the lamb (21:9). There are still nasty people, but they are outside of the city and apart from God (22:15). The city, Christianity, was founded on the twelve tribes of Israel (v.12) and on the Twelve envoys to the Jews (v.14). Pure Christianity is a wonderful, precious, and yet fathomable thing (vv.15-21). There is no temple in the new city, which hearkens back to John 4:21-4, Acts 7:48-50, and Acts 17:24-5. Yet these too hearken back to Isaiah's prophecy (66:1-2), quoted by Stephen, which mentions true worship is apart from any physical structure.
Now, the prophecy and its explanation have concluded. The time of completion was so near to the time of writing that the evildoer was advised to continue in evil (22:10-12). As Jesus himself said, some of those who were alive in his day were alive when all of these things happened (Mk 9:1). For us today, the Enemy ought to be powerless. Death ought to be powerless. The grave ought to be powerless. For we can do all things with God, and our own deaths are but the beginning of a spiritual eternal life with God. Indeed, our everlasting life has already begun. Let us praise God, for he has kept his word and fulfilled his promises to us.
Brief Revelation Commentary/Frank Daniels/EgwEimi@aol.com