Revelation and the Fall of Judea

About the Book

My book is a new interpretation of Revelation in which I view the visions from a different perspective than most other authors. I found a clue to interpret many of the visions from J. Massyngberde Ford in the Anchor Bible Series. Ford stated that many biblical scholars believe some visions came from the preaching of John the Baptist. Ford reviewed the evidence showing which visions came from John the Baptist. If true, then the early visions are the Baptist´s announcement that the Messiah has arrived and the Baptist´s warnings what would happen should his listeners not accept the Messiah and oppose him.

Some scholars claim that the earliest visions (Chapters four through eleven), were preached for about thirty years. A Christian disciple of John the Baptist revised and added more visions just before A.D. 66. Finally in A.D. 96, John the Evangelist added the letters to the churches and made the final redaction that we have today.

This caught my imagination. If many visions originated with John the Baptist warning the Judeans, then our perception of the historical events predicted by the visions would shift from modern times to a much earlier period.

All commentaries interpret Revelation from a futurist, preterist, spiritual, or allegorical viewpoint. In addition, they also view the visions from a premillennial, postmillennial, or amillennial perspective. Plus the author´s own Christian faith influences what he thinks. This triple layer of conflicting viewpoints results in widespread disagreement on any concrete historical events that might have been predicted by the visions.

This frustrates the average reader, who then picks an interpretation that appeals to him based on what he sees happening today. The result is that futurist, premillennial interpretations are the most popular and the most widely read commentaries.

I show that Judea suffered a terrible tribulation through the four winds and three woes. I show that the four winds compare very well with historical events between the crucifixion of Christ and late A.D. 66, when Vespasian conquered all Judea except Jerusalem.

The Judeans trapped in Jerusalem suffered even more acutely during the first woe when their three-year civil war destroyed all the stored food in Jerusalem, stripping them of their sustenance, just like a plague of locusts would. Disaster came during the second woe when Titus reinforced the Roman army with local allies. In A.D. 70, this army brutally conquered the starving people. The soldiers demolished the Temple and most of Jerusalem.

The third woe destroys Judea as an independent nation when Bar Kochba leads the Judeans to total defeat and exile. I provide more information about Bar Kochba and the war of A.D. 131-5 than any other book interpreting Revelation.

All of this is so harsh on Judea that, before I discuss the third woe, I try to get the reader to view Jerusalem through the eyes of history. I then describe seven important historical events that occurred on Mount Moriah, including the restoration of Israel, as God promised through Old Testament prophets.

My book then describes how the Judeans who survived Jerusalem´s destruction (the second woe) rebuild their nation over the next sixty years. While they are rebuilding their nation, Christianity spreads. The unbelieving Judeans once again try eradicating Christianity. At the same time, they accept someone who, in his own name, claimed to be the Messiah.

Under his, Bar Kochba´s, leadership, the Judeans , with 400,000 fighting men, defeat two Roman legions, liberate Palestine, and establish a fully-independent Judean commonwealth.

Rome sends Septimus Severus to reconquer Judea. Severus destroys every fort and city that harbors Judean fighting men. Severus defeats the last remnant at Bethar. The dead are left to rot unburied, most survivors flee or

About the Author

Maurice A. Williams is a technical writer experienced in researching literature. Coming from a different field, with no preconceived bias, he sees a more logical interpretation of Revelation than others have seen. He is a successful author explaining difficult subjects. He has forty-two articles published in journals around the world and has contributed chapters to six international text books.