Before Jerusalem Fell

348 BEFORE JERUSALEM FELL
from the Seven Letters and from Revelation’s allusions to emperor
worship as “external evidence” !43 New Testament scholars consider
external evidence to be drawn from tradition, not from within the
pages of the work in question.~ Their error points out a degree of
carelessness in their method.
In addition, all the “external” arguments they present for a late
date in that section have been answered in great detail above. The
arguments from the existence of the church at Smyrna, 45
the prevalence
of emperor worship,% the nature of the Neronic persecution, 47
the earthquake in Laodicea,w and spiritual decline in the Seven
Churches49 simply do not demand a Domitianic date. Furthermore,
I stand in wonder at the blatant schizophrenia of their argument!
House and Ice dogmatically argue that -
Revelation is to be interpreted
from a Jidurist viewpoint, that is, they aver that its prophecy
in Revelation 4:1-22:5 regards distantly future events .50 But then they
“prove” a late date by pointing to emperor worship in the text of
Revelation and apply it to Domitian. The references to emperor
worship, which are used by late date advocates, are found in Revelation
13 primarily! Which is it: Are those references reflecting a
Domitianic emperor worship (as used in the late date argument)? .
Or are they referring to the centuries distant Great Tribulation (as
used in the futurist approach to Revelation)?
Propheq and Jerusalem
Statements as fallacious as they are bold are made by House and
Ice regarding the destruction of Jerusalem in prophecy. In response
to Chilton’s comment that “Revelation is primarily a prophecy of the
destruction ofJerusalem by the Remans,” House and Ice ask:5]
If this were such a clear “fact,” then why did none of the early church
43. House and Ice, Dominion TholQgy, p. 256.
44. E.g., Guthrie, New Testament Introduction, p. 95% Kummel, Inhoduction to the New
Testament, pp. 466-467; Stonehouse, Origins, p. 1.
45. House and Ice, Dominion TheologY, p. 256. See above, pp. 322-326.
46. Ibid., p. 256. See above, chapter 16.
47. Ibid., p. 257. See above, chapter 17.
48. Ibid., See above, pp. 19-322.
49. Ibid., See above, pp. 326-329.
50. House and Ice, Dominion T/wology, pp. 260fi 278.
51. Though writing under the heading of “Internal Evidence,” here they slip into the
external evidence.