Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Dating the Book of Revelation

Dr. Kenneth Gentry's

"Before Jerusalem Fell"

(Dating the Book of Revelation)


Download this book here:
http://www.box.net/shared/f5zm511xtz


"Gentry convincingly demonstrates the fact the Book Revelation was written, as it in so many was declares, prior to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. It should receive a wide reading and ought to rattle many windows."-Jay E. Adams, Ph.D.
" A thorough and outstanding statement of the case for the early date of Revelation. No stone is left unturned to resolve the question."-George W. Knight III, Th.D.
"Gentry's thorough treatment is not only valuable, but it leads the reader through substantive passages of Revelation with illuminating insights."-Carl W. Bogue, Th.D.
At once arrest and bewildering the reader, the vivid imagery and dramatic message of Revelation have long captivated the attention of devout Christians. As indicated in contemporary literature, there is a widespread popular interest in Revelation today. Church historian Timothy P. Webber has noted that the "resurgence of the interest in prophetic themes is one of the most significant developments in American religion since the Second World War."

Unfortunately, most of the interest in Revelation is based on a radical misunderstanding of the very nature and purpose of the book. And much of this misapprehension is traceable to confusion regarding its original date of writing.In this work - the full text of Gentry's doctoral dissertation from Whitefield Theological Seminary - the important question of Revelation's date of composition is engaged. Characteristic of the work is a careful exegesis of critical passages, a diligent survey of the scholarly literature on Revelation, and a meticulous search through the writing of early church fathers and Jewish and Roman historians.The evidence may be garnered from Revelation's self-witness and from church tradition that John wrote Revelation prior to the destruction of Jerusalem, which occurred in August, A.D. 70, rather than in A.D. 95-96, as many scholars believe. Gentry convincingly argues for a date around A.D. 65 or 66, after the outbreak of the Neronic persecution and before the death of Nero Caesar.The demonstration of Revelation's date in this work sets before the reader, not only a resolution to this technical question, but also provides much exposition of Revelation's text itself. These provide the reader with a clearer understanding of the meaning of Revelation.

4 comments:

  1. Excellent! I had briefly read some of Dr. Gentry's arguments for the pre 70 AD date for Revelation, but wanted to get my hands on it. Thank you for posting this.

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  2. Unfortunately, most of the interest in Revelation is based on a radical misunderstanding of the very nature and purpose of the book. And much of this misapprehension is traceable to confusion regarding its original date of writing.

    Suppose Dr. Gentry later discovered that there is substantial evidence that Revelation was written at 96 AD that overturned his previous work. Would such a discovery alter how you interpret Revelation?

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  3. I'm happy to see there's an audio version for this. Thank you for sharing it.

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  4. Earl,

    If it were to be found that Revelation was written after the destruction of the Temple, it would, indeed, alter how Preterism (both partial and full) interprets the book.

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