There is a huge serious problem with that! John wrote the revelation in the early 90's AD! Also being on teh isle of Patmos He would not have had access to much information as to what was going on in the empire! Patmos was a prison and John was a prisoner of Rome in that mining prosion.
Well he obviously had people visiting to and fro, to deliver news and take his letter, or how do we have Revelation?
Also an amill eschatology relies extra ordinarily on an allegorical hermeneutic and interpreting the symbols found in REvelation with fantastical concepts.
The AMIL position does that? Wow - I would have said ALL futurist positions do that - especially those that want to take 'the stars falling' as nuclear bombs or the insects coming out of the ground as soldiers with advanced mech suits or whatever other modern wonders John 'saw' but 'couldn't understand' because he was living in such primitive times. Talk about being patronising to John! If anyone rips a biblical or historical symbol out of context and applies it willy-nilly to whatever they want to, it's the futurists!
No wonder they keep getting it wrong! They're taking biblical symbols - sometimes mixed in with a bit of local imagery and history - and just applying it to whatever narrative they want to now about Russia and America and whoever or whatever they want. John didn't even
know about Russia and America! They were not even categories of his thought! The dimensions of the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven are pretty much married to what they thought of as the world - the symbol being that God's city was going to marry with the
whole known world.
As if John was writing about America or Russia or whatever else futurists want to plug in there.
If it is a vision to keep going- why repeat that after Jesus said so , so many times!
Because many thought Jesus, being Messiah, would have kicked out the Romans.
God's people - the church - we're about to be served up on a platter before Roman emperors.
It was going to get nasty! The early church's natural first question would be why, and then what does this mean, and how are we to react? Revelation answers these in a series of themes and then applications.
Also the "soon" of revelation is the greek word "en" which really doesn't mean quickly but at an or the appointed time designated.
The problem with AMill interpretation is that it takes the seals,trumpets and bowls and symbolizes the symbols. they just can't believe that all that mess will actually literally take place!
The problem with futurists is they contradict themselves all the time. They get all excited about us reading everything literally (which is the weirdest thing because it's obviously literary - strong apocalyptic metaphor - almost poetry - known to the Jews about 200BC to 200AD) and then try to excuse why Jesus isn't
literally a 7 eyed 7 horned space-lamb!
The warning to us now, yes.
No it was to recant Jesus and accept Cesar to live!
The specific example back then, yes.
NOt to gain fame, fortune or noteriety!
If we get to those chapters, I'll unpack it.
In order for ths REvelation to "fit nicely" with roman persecution one has to play twister with Scripture and gerrymander words until they no longer meran what is written.
Like '
soon' and John sharing
their tribulation and the
time being near and t
hat generation hearing and obeying his message?
It's just terrible how I'm twisting the clear phrases in the first Chapter of Revelation - the very chapter that tells us how to read the rest of the book!
REVELATION 1: SOON
How is the word SOON used in the rest of the New Testament?
The NIV renders Revelation 1:1 as:-
"The revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place."
The Hendrickson Interlinear bible renders it in the side-bar text:
"A revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him to show His slaves things which musts occur quickly."
Then, under the word for word greek to english translation, it reads:
"Must occur with speed".
Bible hub has it as ἐν τάχει, en tachei or "in quickness"
Revelation 1:1 Interlinear: A revelation of Jesus Christ, that God gave to him, to shew to his servants what things it behoveth to come to pass quickly; and he did signify it, having sent through his messenger to his servant John,
If you look up tachei it is most definitely about speed of development and is rendered quickly, shortly, short time, soon, quickness, etc.
Greek Concordance: τάχει (tachei) -- 8 Occurrences
Luke 18:8
"I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily."
EG: Acts 12:7
"He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists."
Acts 22:18
"and saw the Lord speaking to me. ‘Quick!’ he said. ‘Leave Jerusalem immediately, because the people here will not accept your testimony about me.’"
Acts 25:4
"4 Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea and that he himself intended to go there shortly."
Romans 16:20 is interesting, and could lend itself to a less immediate use of the word as instead of 'shortly' or 'soon' it could be the gospel sense of 'swiftly' which some commentators take as 'surely'. It's the one time in the New Testament where it does not literally mean SOON or QUICKLY.
"20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you."
1 Timothy 3:15
"14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that,"
Rev 22:6
6 And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”
This could be the 'soon' of either the imminent Roman persecution or the 'soon' of the 'swift' and sure gospel promise. As verse 6 goes back to the general subject of the book, it's not a conclusive proof of the judgement coming 'soon' and therefore not a conclusive proof that this tachei is frequently used as anything other than the literal meaning of SOON!
REVELATION 1: NEAR!
"3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near."
Near = engys
Revelation 1:3 Interlinear: Happy is he who is reading, and those hearing, the words of the prophecy, and keeping the things written in it -- for the time is nigh!
How is this used?
Again, pretty much both the English sense of nearness in time and nearness in place.
Greek Concordance: ἐγγὺς (engys) -- 30 Occurrences
REVELATION 1:3 KEEP = OBEY!
"blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it"
Surely this is the key?
John wants his original audience of 2000 years ago to hear and KEEP what is written in it. Keep for the future? Sorry - not allowed by Rev 14:12 which says "12 Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and their faith in Jesus."
It's the same word.
Greek Concordance: τηροῦντες (tērountes) -- 4 Occurrences
TRIBULATION
"I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus"
The 'tribulation' has already started with the Romans jailing John on the island of Patmos. So what's the book about? The first chapter shares that it's about pretty much what John is sharing - a gospel message from Jesus, about Jesus, about what John is modelling in his situation - patient endurance that are in Jesus - whatever history throws at us.