The Winepress of God's Wrath: A Commentary on the Book of Revelation From a Near-Historic Perspective

By Steve A. Hamilton

Without exception, this is the most revealing commentary of the book of Revelation in decades! This fresh and historically researched commentary reveals what early Christians had known so many years ago about the apocalypse. After 1,900 years, present-day Christians finally have a reliable document that explains Christ’s prophetic book. This commentary contains amazing insights.

One of the main adversaries in the book of Revelation was a prominent historical figure. He was known as the savior of the church. People looked up to him and worshipped him. The apostle Paul called him the man of sin and the son of perdition (2 Thessalonians 2:3). The apostle John, in one of his earlier writings, called him the Antichrist (1 John 2:18). Those who failed to get their names written in the Book of Life marveled at his presence in eternal punishment (Revelation 17:8). That person is identified by name in this commentary.

Armageddon is more than a great battle in the book of Revelation. It is the one defining event that will affect everyone’s life. The number of combatants “is as the sand of the sea.” Yet the battle will be over before it ever begins (Revelation 20:8–9).

The bowls of God’s wrath were poured out on a wicked and unsuspecting world. Historically, “a foul and loathsome sore came upon the men who had the mark of the beast and those who worshipped his image” (Revelation 16:2). This plague was described in detail by writers who lived as it occurred. This commentary includes their firsthand accounts.

The Winepress of God’s Wrath depicts God’s anger at a wicked society while providing hope and comfort to believers. The theme in the book of Revelation is clear—the wicked will not escape destruction. Only obedient Christians will avoid the winepress of God’s wrath.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Jun 29, 2021
• ISBN: 9781662429538

Book preview

Dating the Revelation of Jesus Christ

It is extremely important to clearly define when the book of Revelation was written to accurately determine the approach used in the book’s interpretation. History can help determine when a document was written. Dates often emerge by comparing known historical facts with the text. Of course, there must be some confidence in the historical sources; otherwise, extreme views could undermine a proper understanding of events. Many theologians have failed to properly interpret the book of Revelation for this very reason.

The apostle John identifies himself up front in the book of Revelation and states he was on the island that is called Patmos for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ (Rev. 1:9). John reveals he was on the island for the word or testimony he received in the writing of the book of Revelation. He does not disclose why he was on the island nor the actual date when he wrote the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

There are several historical sources that place John on the island of Patmos. One of the most descriptive sources comes from Victorinus, who was an elder for the church at Pettau and was martyred in AD 304. He wrote in his Commentary on the Apocalypse about AD 260, When John said these things he was in the island of Patmos, condemned to the labour of mines by Caesar Domitian. There, therefore, he saw the Apocalypse; and when grown old, he thought that he should at length receive his quittance by suffering, Domitian being killed, all his judgments were discharged. And John being dismissed from the mines, thus subsequently delivered the same Apocalypse which he had received from God.¹ Victorinus believed John was imprisoned on the island of Patmos during the reign of Emperor Domitian. It seems John was released from captivity after Domitian was killed. Historically, Domitian became an emperor in AD 81 and was murdered on September 18, AD 96. If his statement is true, John wrote the book of Revelation in late AD 96 to AD 97. However, Victorinus made this comment roughly 163 years after the fact.

Irenaeus provides one of the earliest historical sources that places the writing of the book of Revelation near the end of Domitian’s reign. While discussing the identity of the Antichrist in his book titled Against Heresies, Irenaeus writes, It would have been announced by him who beheld the apocalyptic vision. For that was seen no very long time since, but almost in our day, towards the end of Domitian’s reign.² This statement was written about AD 180, some eighty years after the reign of Domitian.

Hegesippus may provide an earlier testimony than Irenaeus, with much more detail to the circumstances surrounding the apostle John at Patmos. His testimony comes through Eusebius, a fourth-century historian who preserved many early writings. Eusebius quoted also Hegesippus’ testimony that John returned to Ephesus upon being released from exile after the accession of Nerva in AD 96 (HE III. xx).³ Eusebius actually attributes Tertullian to this quote, but a rather scholarly investigation of the original text purports that Hegesippus may have been the author of the statement (H. J. Lowler, Journal of Theological Studies, April, 1907, VIII, no. 31, pp. 436–444). The statement reads, Domitian had also once attempted the same against him, who was, in fact, a limb of Nero for cruelty; but I think, because he yet had some remains of reason, he very soon suppressed the persecution, even recalling those whom he had exiled. But after Domitian had reigned fifteen years, and Nerva succeeded to the government, the Roman senate decreed, that the honors of Domitian should be revoked, and that those who had been unjustly expelled, should return to their homes, and have their goods restored. This is the statement of the historians of the day. It was then also, that the apostle John returned from his banishment in Patmos, and took up his abode at Ephesus, according to an ancient tradition of the church.⁴ If this statement belongs to Hegesippus, then it could have been written as early as AD 150. Regardless, this statement clearly establishes that the apostle John was on Patmos at the end of Domitian’s life.

Clement of Alexandria provides testimony that John went to Ephesus after he left Patmos. He writes of a narrative about the Apostle John. For when, on the tyrant’s death, he returned to Ephesus from the isle of Patmos, he went away, being invited, to the contiguous territories of the nations.⁵ This was written about AD 193. The tyrant would most obviously be Domitian, given the previous sources. This also defines the date of John’s departure from the island to a time after Domitian’s death.

Tertullian writes an interesting statement about John in The Prescription Against Heretics. It reads, The Apostle John was first plunged, unhurt, into boiling oil, and thence remitted to his island exile!⁶ This statement agrees with what is thought to be a late second-century work by an unknown author titled Acts of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. It is a detailed account of John’s testimony before Emperor Domitian and his subsequent exile to Patmos. Many scholars hold this work as scurrilous because of the detailed narrative and the miraculous events recorded in the work, including John being boiled alive. Even if the work is spurious, this unknown author believed that John wrote the book of Revelation. And straightway John sailed to Patmos, where also he was deemed worthy to see the revelation of the end. And when Domitian was dead, Nerva succeeded to the kingdom, and recalled all who had been banished.⁷

All six of the above references support the premise that the apostle John wrote the book of Revelation, received the vision on the island of Patmos, and was banished there by Emperor Domitian. These sources were all written prior to the third century. By contrast, there are no other historical sources prior to the third century that places John at Patmos any earlier than the reign of Domitian. There is an argument that assigns the Syriac version of the New Testament to an earlier date. A title was inserted into a translation known as the Syriac Vulgate Bible, which was dated to the sixth century. The uninspired title asserts that John wrote the Apocalypse on Patmos, where he was sent by Nero Caesar. The title is not part of any earlier manuscript from which that version was translated. The oldest Syriac version of the New Testament is called the Peschito. "The Old Syriac Peschito version does not contain the Apocalypse."⁸ Subsequent Syriac versions do include the book of Revelation but not the oldest ones that date back to the second century.

Logically speaking, if an earlier date prior to the destruction of Jerusalem was possibly correct given the sources already cited, then John was in exile for some thirty years since he was released after Domitian’s death. This position requires Domitian to have placed John in exile some thirty years earlier while Domitian was not an emperor. This is a near impossibility, as Domitian had no political power whatsoever until AD 69, when his father Vespasian became emperor of Rome. It would be highly doubtful that his father gave him the means to exile political prisoners before the destruction of Jerusalem. Further, if John wrote the book of Revelation while on the island of Patmos, then we are left wondering how he got the document off the island in time for it to provide comfort to the readers before the destruction of Jerusalem (AD 70). That also assumes John had access to scarce writing materials while he was a prisoner on a secluded island. Remember, John said he "was on the island that is called Patmos" (Rev. 1:9, emphasis added). The past tense implies he wrote the book of Revelation after he got off the island. No matter how one wishes to interpret these sources, John could not have written the book of Revelation any sooner than late AD 96 unless all six sources are dismissed as unreliable.

---

¹ Victorinus, Commentary on the Apocalypse, in Ante-Nicene Fathers, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (Hendrickson Publishers, 1995), vol. 7, p. 353.

² Irenaeus, Irenaeus Against Heresies, in Ante-Nicene Fathers, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (Hendrickson Publishers, 1995), vol. 1, p. 559–560.

³ Merrill C. Tenney, ed., The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible (Zondervan, 1976), vol. 5, p. 93.

⁴ Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History (Hendrickson Publishers, 1998), book III, 20, p. 85.

⁵ Clement of Alexandria, Who Is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved? in Ante-Nicene Fathers, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (Hendrickson Publishers, 1995), vol. 2, p. 603.

⁶ Tertullian, The Prescription Against Heretics, in Ante-Nicene Fathers, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (Hendrickson Publishers, 1995), vol. 3, p. 260.

⁷ Acts of the Holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, in Ante-Nicene Fathers, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (Hendrickson Publishers, 1995), vol. 8, p. 562.

⁸ A. R. Faussett, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) (Zondervan Publishing House, 1935) p. 547.

Timing the Book of Revelation

Timing is everything for the proper interpretation of the book of Revelation. Various theories have developed concerning the interpretation of the book of Revelation that have ignored when it was written or when it concludes. These theories take advantage of the symbolic nature of the book to express ideas that are beyond the scope of the book itself. We are directed to confine ourselves to the things written in the book without adding to it or taking away from it (Rev. 22:18–19). Identifying the beginning and ending points in the book of Revelation will ensure we do not step outside our given guidelines.

Timing the Beginning Point

The apostle John, the author of the book of Revelation, opens the book defining when the prophecies will begin. In the very first sentence, he writes, Things which must shortly take place. Two sentences later, he adds, For the time is near. The prophecies in the book of Revelation began shortly after John wrote the book. In fact, the first observable prophecy was near the time he finished writing the book.

A little later in the first chapter, Jesus tells John, Write the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which will take place after this (Rev. 1:19). The emphasis is not on past events. A prophecy is not prophetic if it reveals those things that already took place. It would defy the very definition of the word prophecy. John declared, "Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy" (Rev. 1:3, emphasis added).

According to many historical sources, John wrote the book of Revelation about AD 97. This date will serve as the starting point for all prophecies contained in the book of Revelation. The first observable prophecy in the book of Revelation was recorded in the opening of the fifth seal. When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held (Rev. 6:9). In the year AD 107, ten years after John wrote the book of Revelation, Emperor Trajan was persecuting Christians unto death.

Pliny the Second…seeing the lamentable slaughter of Christians, and moved therewith to pity, wrote to Trajan, certifying him that there were many thousands of them daily put to death, of which none did anything contrary to the Roman laws worthy of persecution.⁹

Ignatius, an early church father, an elder of the church in Antioch, and a disciple of the apostle John, was martyred reportedly in the ninth year of Emperor Trajan’s reign.¹⁰ Trajan himself examined Ignatius and sentenced him to be fed to wild animals in the amphitheater of Rome.

Timing the End Point

The ending of the prophecies in the book of Revelation is also definable. Apart from chapters 19 to 22, which clearly refer to the end of time and the judgment to come, John’s vision tells us the point when the prophecies end. It is described for us in Revelation chapters 17 and 18.

And he cried mightily with a loud voice, saying, ‘Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird!’ (Rev. 18:2). Babylon in this prophecy is the city of Rome. In the previous chapter, the woman that rides the beast is called Babylon the Great (Rev. 17:5) and is further identified as that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth (Rev. 17:18). The city of Rome was the capital of the Roman Empire.

The destruction of Rome in this prophecy was so complete that it’s ruin was described as desolate. They threw dust on their heads and cried out, weeping and wailing, and saying, ‘Alas, alas, that great city, in which all who had ships on the sea became rich by her wealth! For in one hour she is made desolate’ (Rev. 18:19).

Arthur Ogden, a well-known preterit among churches of Christ, insists that Rome could not be the symbolic Babylon because it was called the Eternal City and it has never been destroyed.¹¹ However, history would disagree.

There are at least two historical references that state Rome was destroyed. Procopius of Caesarea (c. AD 500–c. AD 554) was a historian who wrote this description of Rome as it existed in AD 546: In Rome he suffered nothing human to remain, leaving it altogether, in every part, a perfect desert.¹² This quote is believed to be derived from his book History of the Wars. Therein, Procopius wrote in some detail, As for the Romans, however, he kept the members of the senate with him, while all the others together with their wives and children he sent to Campania, refusing to allow a single soul in Rome, but leaving it entirely deserted.¹³

Marcellinus Comes was a chronicler in Constantinople (d. AD 534). An unknown writer wrote in his chronicle The Chronicles of Marcellinus, this statement about Rome: "Everything that had belonged to the Romans was carried away, and also the Romans themselves were led into Campania—captives. And after this devastation, Rome was so desolate, that, for forty days or more there was to be seen in it not a single inhabitant, but only wild beasts"¹⁴ (emphasis added). The word desolate is the same word the apostle John used to describe the end result of the symbolic city of Babylon (Rev. 18:19).

Edward Gibbons, in his work The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, echoed the same understanding that Rome was destroyed and abandoned. The Gothic King Totila took Rome in December AD 546 and decreed that Rome should be changed into a pasture for cattle.¹⁵ The remaining citizens of Rome were taken captive and during forty days Rome was abandoned to desolate and dreary solitude.¹⁶ Afterward, a Roman general visited with pity and reverence the vacant space of the eternal city.¹⁷

The eternal city was first given that nickname by the Roman poet Tibullus in the 1st century BC.¹⁸ The designation was nothing more than a romantic idea of a beloved city with the hope for a long existence. The nickname has nothing to do with the reality of history.

Regardless, Rome, which is called Babylon in the book of Revelation, says it shall not be found anymore (Rev. 18:21). Obviously, Rome still exists to this day. However, the original site with its antiquity laden structures have not been reconstructed since the destruction took place. The sight remains an archaeological treasure, not to mention the fact that it’s the third most significant tourist site in the world.

Much of the prophetic description given in the book of Jeremiah (Jer. 50, 51) to describe Babylon’s destruction is similar to the description of Rome’s destruction in the book of Revelation. It seems the apostle John is literally describing Babylon as it prophetically alludes to Rome in the book of Revelation. It should not trouble us that a phrase that historically depicts Babylon as not being found is applied to Rome as an empire.

Further, it should be argued that Rome was the capital and embodiment of the Roman Empire. As Rome goes, so does the empire. The Roman Empire was never resurrected after Rome fell in AD 546. The Roman Empire certainly has never been found anymore.

These facts should serve as ample evidence for the ending point of the prophecies through chapter 18 in the book of Revelation. If the book of Revelation is basically chronological in order, then all the events or circumstances from chapters 6 through 18 should be found between the years AD 97 and AD 546. Any interpretation outside these dates for these chapters would add to the things contained in the prophecy of the book of Revelation. Ignoring the things historically contained within these dates for these chapters would take away from the words of the prophecy in the book of Revelation (Rev. 22:18–19).

---

⁹ John Foxe, Foxe’s Book of Martyrs, NTS Library, last accessed October 20, 2020, www.ntslibrary.com/PDF Books/Foxes Book of Martyrs.pdf, chapter II.

¹⁰ The Martyrdom of Ignatius, in Ante-Nicene Fathers, ed. Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson (Hendrickson Publishers, 1995), vol. 1, p. 129.

¹¹ Arthur M. Ogden, The Avenging of the Apostles and Prophets (Somerset, KY: Ogden Publications, 1991), pp. 443, 446.

¹² John Miley, Rome as It Was under Paganism and as It Became under the Popes (London: J. Maddon and Company, 1843), vol. 2, p. 196.

¹³ Procopius, History of the Wars, VII, xxii.

¹⁴ Miley, vol. 2, p. 196.

¹⁵ Edward Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, ed. Robert Maynard Hutchins (Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., 1952), vol. 2, p. 57.

¹⁶ Ibid.

¹⁷ Ibid.

¹⁸ Wikimedia Foundation, Wikipedia: Rome, last modified October 16, 2020, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome.

Commentary on Revelation 1

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to shew unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John. (Rev. 1:1)

The Apocrypha or Revelation of Jesus Christ was made available to our Lord so that it might be revealed to His slaves. Throughout the book of Revelation, His servants are called slaves in the original Greek (Rom. 6:16–23). This book is not intended for the slaves of sin but for the slaves of righteousness. Most people who read this book have failed to properly understand it because they are not slaves to Christ.

The book of Revelation will reveal things that will shortly take place. Christ signified its message by His angel. By means of signs or indications, His angel showed the apostle John the things that would come to pass in the near future. Those signs or indications make use of symbols to prevent unbelievers from understanding the message. This is the main reason why the book of Revelation has long been the subject of many fantastic and farfetched theories. It remains the mission for true slaves of Christ to correctly interpret the prophetic book of Revelation.

Who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. (Rev. 1:2)

The apostle John was a firsthand witness to the life of Christ, His words, His deeds, and the gospel that was revealed through the apostles by the Holy Spirit. In this book, John will bear witness to God’s Word and to Christ’s testimony, not to mention all the things that he saw in his prophetic vision. As John writes in the third person, he identifies himself as uniquely qualified to pass on the prophetic Revelation of Jesus Christ to his fellow servants (2 Pet. 1:21).

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. (Rev. 1:3)

The book of Revelation is said to have its own set of beatitudes (Rev. 1:3, 14:13, 16:15, 19:9, 20:6, 22:7, 22:14). This first of seven beatitudes is a blessing for the reader and hearers that observe the things written in the book of Revelation. John infers that his immediate audience of early Christians would be wise to give heed to the things written in this book because the time is short. The fulfillment of this prophetic message is about to begin.

John, to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from Him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven Spirits who are before His throne. (Rev. 1:4)

The apostle John opens the book of Revelation by addressing it to the seven churches of Asia. The actual author of the book is Jesus Christ. John is used as a scribe or a conduit through which this important prophecy is being transmitted to the reader. Him who is and who was and who is to come would be a description of our eternal God. The offering of grace and peace not only comes from God but also from the Holy Spirit, represented as the seven spirits before the throne as well as from Jesus the Christ.

The number seven is used extensively throughout the book of Revelation to depict an ultimate identity, a supreme being, or a complete collection. The seven churches of Asia would infer a complete representation of all churches. The seven spirits would relate to a supreme being. The seven-headed beast would represent an ultimate identity and the seven crowns it wears as a complete collection of all Roman emperors. The idea of perfection comes to mind with the number seven.

And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (Rev. 1:5–6)

Jesus Christ was further described for the reader by fitting accolades. He was the faithful witness because the things that His divine being had seen and can relate are the only source of information beyond this world. Jesus spent His life declaring God