Before Jerusalem Fell

Th Identi@ of th Sixth King 151
he exhorted them to read, hear, and heed the book (Rev. 1:3; 22:7).
‘ As Stuart noted ofJohn: “He wrote, not only in order that he might
be read, but also that he might be understood. Why then should we
suppose, that a mind like his would not accomplish its design?” 13
Everywhere throughout the empire Rome was known as the city on
seven hills. When John wrote Revelation (whether in the A.D. 60s
or in A.D. 95-96) there was no other city conceivable that was so
universally noted for its seven hills. It should be expected that as
inspired Scripture, it would be profitable (2 Tim. 3:16) to its histori-
cal recipients. Indeed, this would be a major and distinctive differ-
ence between Revelation and the representatives of the uninspired
apocalyptic genre. All of this is especially compelling in that the
expectation of the book (as dealt with in the previous chapter) is of
the soon eventuation of the prophecies and their contemporary rele-
vance to the original audience. The matter of the relevancy of the
referent to the original audience should be a paramount concern for
the modern interpreter. Consequently, it should not be considered
an insoluble dilemma.
The Line of Kings
Now we come to the specific portion of the Revelation 17 state-
ment that is crucial for determining the date of Revelation. Verse 10
states factually and in a straightforward manner: “They are seven
kings; five have f~len, one is, the other has not yet come; and when
he comes, he must remain a little while.”
Here we learn that five kings have “fallen” (3mEoGzv) and one “is”
(#rev). If there is any chronologically precise statement in the book,
Revelation 17:10 should certainly be it. Reuss notes that “the time of
composition . . . may be closely fixed by xvii. 10.”14 Torrey is quite
certain of this passage’s utility: “This certainly seems to provide, as
exactly as could be expected of an apocalypse, information as to the
time – the precise reign – in which the book was composed.”15 Al-
though demurring from its acceptance as such (due to his liberal
13. Moses Stuart, Camrnda~ on tb Apoca@se, 2 vols. (Andove~ Allen, Merrill, and
Wardwell, 1845) 2:319.
14. Eduard Wilhelm Eugen Reuss, Histoy of ttw Sacred Scriptures of the New Testam.znt
(Edinburgh: T.& T. Clark, 1884), p. 160.
15. Charles Cutler Torrey, The Apoca~pse ofJohn (New Haven: Yale, 1958), p. 60.