It turns out that the dating of Revelation has a HUGE impact on the potential interpretation of it, and the behaviour of its readers, and even entire countries.

If you believe that Revelation was written before 70AD, then it was written before the destruction of the second Jewish temple, and the destruction of Jerusalem. Knowing that, everytime the temple is referred to in the book, it is assumed to be probably talking about that actual temple that was standing at the time. It lends to a more “back then in history at the time of the early readers” type of intepretation. People who intepret it that way are sometimes called “preterists” or “partial preterists. They are not clamoring for a third temple to be rebuilt, and not thinking that Israel in the world today is God’s special country. This interpretation, leads to a less complicated outlook of the future, and they are not constantly watching the nation of Israel for everything it does, believing our future is tied to what happens there.

If however you think the book is written after 70AD when there was no temple, then people will conclude there is going to be a third physical temple built, and the believe that our future is somehow tied up with the present nation of Israel. Some are even donating money to the Temple Institute to build it as soon as the opportunity arises. Hundreds of thousands of people support Israel, and all it does, including the blockade of Palesinians in Gaza, and the clear human rights abuses that happen day after day against Palestinians, some of whom are even Christians or Jews. Christians support many terrible things like this believing it is God’s will to do so, and “whoever blesses Israel, will be blessed.” Then you have things like 9/11 that happen in retaliation against this apparent Christian support of Israel, because Al Qaeda understood it as a type of Christian persecution against Muslims. You can see this in the speeches of Osama Bin Laden. (just google for that)

There are some very real world decisions and actions taken based on assumptions made about Israel and the End Times, but a lot of this would be different, if a different date for Revelation was clear.

The Temple/Israel issue is just one thing that is important, that the dating of Revelation impacts.

Here is something on the date:

In recent times a large group of acaemics, and hence pastors who are taught by them at Seminary, have believed that Revelation was written later than other books in the NT – maybe around 90AD in the time of the Emporer Domitian. (From 81–96 AD). This late date is based on one half-reference by an early church father called Irenaeus.

Here is the quote:

“Had there been any need for his name to be openly announced at the present time, it would have been stated by the one (John) who saw the actual revelation. For it was seen not a long time back, but almost in my own lifetime, at the end of Domitian’s reign.” (Against Heresies, 5.30.3)

It sounds like John saw the Revelation in the time of Domitian’s reign. However if you know a little Greek, the grammar is completely unlike English, and it could equally have been translated something like this.

“Had there been any need for his name to be openly announced at the present time, it would be been stated by the one (John) who saw the actual revelation. He was seen not a long time ago, in my own lifetime, at the end of Domitian’s reign.”

Ireaneus was not clear with his words because they could mean that John saw the revelation later, or that John himself was seen by them later. And apart from that semi-clear reference, there is not much else to suggest a later date, but a LOT that suggests an earlier date.

The book which outlines it all is “Before Jerusalem Fell” by Dr Kenneth Gentry, which is roughly speaking a rehash into his PHD Thesis on the topic.

In recent times more and more experts are concluding that there is strong evidence that John wrote his revelation during the reign of Nero – around about 60AD. Then the events in Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple fit very nicely the things that were “soon to take place.” (Rev 1:1)

Interestingly, a nickname for Nero back then was “the beast.”