Why the Modern View of the Book of Revelation may be Flawed.

ADW ^ | 25th November 2012 | Msgr Charles Pope

[maro]

Excellent analysis. Something to think about.

[who knows what evil?]

Bkmrk.

[dangus]

For those who don’t know why 666 refers to Nero: Caesar Nero’s name in Hebrew would be Qsr Nrn. Hebrew uses letters for numerals, with a numerical value for each letter. Qsr Nrn adds up to 666. Here’s the kicker: some ancient texts say the number of the beast is 616. Some people would translate Caesar Nero to Qsr Nr (IIRC), which adds up to 616. This suggests that ancient copiers of Revelations wanted to make sure their local communities with their slightly different dialects still got the reference! (If I’ve misstated any translation facts, the error is mine, not those of the Nero=666 theory; I’m going from memory.)

[circlecity]

And Nero is symbolic for a global one world empire

[HombreSecreto]

This view does not explain the following (not all inclusive):

Daniel’s 70th week
The 144,000
The two witnesses...
Their death at the hand of the beast
Lying out for all in the world to see
Their resurrection and subsequent earthquake
The mark of the beast
The false prophet
All the judgments (e.g. when did all the green grass burn up? when did all living things in the sea die?)

Could there be an interpretation that may be a partial or dual interpretation where some things took place in the past but a greater and complete fulfillment is in the future?

Regardless, the key event in history is the cross of Christ and the things associated - His life, His sacrifice, His blood, His death, His burial, His resurrection, His return - according to the scriptures. There is no other name by which we must be saved than that of Jesus.

[kelly4c]

Bkmrk

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Too many people spend too much time trying to prove everything in the first chapter of Genesis.

Too many people spend too much time trying to prove everything in the book of Revelation.

It is what is between those they should be reading and comprehending.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Now, you don’t want to bring inconsistencies from his interpretation into this!

[Old Forester]

An excellent view of the subject is “Encountering Jesus in Revelation”, by Ben Boeckel. It’s a very good read and is available on Amazon.

[TexasFreeper2009]

unless Daniel is describing the end of the world while Revelation is describing the end of the Temple and ancient Israel.

[delchiante]

Quote
VII. It will be noted that there are two beasts described in Revelation 13, one from “the land” and one from “the sea.” Hence there are two adversaries: Unbelieving Jews (The beast from the Land, for Land = “Promised Land”) and Rome (the beast from the Sea, for “Sea” is a common symbol of the Gentiles).
......

Beast of the Land in Revelation 11:11 desribed as having:
2 Horns like the Lamb, but spoke like the Dragon

Unbelieving Jews resembling the Lamb is quite a stretch...

[impactplayer]

I also believe that the author of Hebrews (Paul, I believe) had read a copy of Revelation and wrote Hebrews afterward as a last-chance warning to the Jews before their destruction.

[GMThrust]

Those are broad-brush statements. Who is to say that those trying to dig into Genesis and Revelation aren’t reading and understanding everything in-between? It’s just another analysis to possibly better understand Revelation. I know people who are afraid to read Revelation because it’s too scary. Newsflash, it’s about the end of things which isn’t going to be pretty, so yes, it is scary. BUT, there is a great hope and future talked about as well.

[Reily]

Hebrews is very loosely attributed to Paul. Luther didn’t think Paul was the author.

[odawg]

“Lying out for all in the world to see”

The New Testament writers referred to the Roman Empire generally, and the Middle East in particular, as “the world.”

Genesis says the whole world went to Egypt for food, when in actuality that would have been impossible. Transverse oceans?

Paul said they had preached the gospel unto the whole world.

The mark of the beast was a requirement by the average Roman citizen to swear loyalty to the emperor or they could not get a license to engage in business.

“All the judgments (e.g. when did all the green grass burn up? when did all living things in the sea die?)”

If you get to take that literally, than why do I not have the right to take literally what Jesus said in Rev. 1:1 —that these things will happen shortly?

[lurk]

Not even close. Who comes up with this stuff? The author is a stranger to the OT prophets.

No events in the First Century, even the raid by Titus in 70 ad, remotely resemble the scope, sequence and finality of prophetic scripture.

[Tell It Right]

Another possibility for 666 (note: anything I or anybody else says in eschatology should be taken as a possibility and not certain) is that the number 6 in the Semitic root language had a dual meaning that meant "incomplete". And the number 7's dual meaning was "complete". Saying it 3 times was the linguistic equivalent of putting it on a three-legged stool to certify the importance of it.

So 666 means certainly incomplete, and 777 means certainly complete (as "certain" as we can be with eschatology, but I'm talking about how a symbol 3-peated meant).

[null and void]

If Rome is the harlot city, as the majority opinion presumes, there is a problem in that it was never destroyed. It was sacked many centuries after Biblical times (in the late 4th and early 5th Centuries AD), but it was never burned or destroyed as depicted in Revelation.

Not yet.

Italy needs a few more muslim refugees first.

We might not have long to wait...

[Angelino97]

Too many people spend too much time trying to prove everything in the book of Revelation.

True. Jesus said in Matthew 24:36

“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

Jesus is telling us not to focus on the End Times, yet so many people continue to do so.