The Anti-Christ is Dead

And yes, I believe that.

I think the bible or more specifically Revalations was more about the time it was written than a prediction to the now. If you look at it, nobody even knows who really wrote Revelations (then called Apocalypse) and there was once considerable debate whether to even have it in the bible. People think it was John the Apostle that wrote it, but he would have had to have been over 100 years old when he did according to most scholars.

At that time, Rome was becoming more powerful and Emperer Nero was putting many Christians to death. Things seemed hopeless and bleak. Then along comes a powerful message of hope. Yes, that's right hope. Apocalypse really meant "uncovering" or "change" in those days and not the doom and gloom we all think of today.

So think about that. You have a time when Christians are being killed in large numbers, it seems evil is everywhere, and a writing that is essentally a propaganda message of hope springs forth about how Christ (or his message) will arise and win the day over evil. It's inspirational! It's the only book in the Bible that places a blessing upon its readers. It's not even a book, but a long letter written to tell Christians to be faithful even when faced with persecution.

Revelation 1:3, 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.

In Hebrew, 666 spells out "Caesar Neron." If you drop the last "n" the number becomes 616, which satisfies discrepancies some people point out in the writings.

Revelation 13:18, Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.

I think that it WAS prophetic, but still...it was a message of the time and was not meant to be carried on year after year to mean Y2K, Bush, Bin Laden, Bill Gates, or any other figure of today.

The "mark" often spoken of as a sign, may well have been the marks that many wore during those times. It was common for people to be marked as slaves or otherwise by symbols, tattoos, or even charcoal.

No, I think the beast was Neron Caeser and the message was to remain faithful to Jesus no matter the consequence. It was very relevant to the struggles Christians had at the time. It's message is powerful and it remains a strong story of faith for the future, but...the beast is long dead.

Hi Zedd,

Here's a link from a Christian, Stephen Meyer (of ID fame) that argues, more-or-less, in agreement with what you have here.

www.bibleandscience.com...

666 is the numerical Hebrew equivalent of Nero while 616, Meyer's argues, is the Latin equivalent (which accounts for the two different numbers found for the beast.) Nero was also known by many of his enemies as "beast." His persecution of Christians is widely known and accepted by scholars AFAIK that's not a controvercial statement. Further many believed he would return after his death. The link discusses all the various end-times prophecies (judgements, four horsemen, beast with the 10 heads etc..) and why he [Meyer] believes they have already happened. Interesting stuff and ties in perfectly with your post imo. Hope you find it helpful.

Regards.

oh poo.

What's left to talk about then? Did he have a cousin?