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Chew on that a while.

I've chewed on Revelation for many years. I've got two good Catholic study Bibles, with extensive notes. Plus a separate book on just Revelation.

Some points I've taken from these books:

Revelation is not a detailed prophecy of the End Times. It's mostly a metaphor for a daily struggle against sin.

Who is the anti-Christ? We are all anti-Christ. Every time we sin, we are anti-Christ. We are literally against Christ. Yet every day, Christ through his resurrection defeats anti-Christ.

Revelation is also as a metaphor for the Holy Mass and the Eucharist -- which IS the Lamb of God. The eating of the Lamb of God fills us with the grace needed to defeat our temptation to sin -- which is the temptation to be anti-Christ.

Of course, Revelation is also a coded message about the Roman Empire of John's time. In this sense, 666 is a code for Nero.

The Beast is also a metaphor for all material idols (political power, wealth, etc.) of every historical era. Just as the False Prophet is a metaphor for all false religions.

And no, the modern nation of Israel is not in Revelation. No specific modern world leader or nation or organization are in Revelation. Of course, all who oppose Christ are anti-Christ, but none specifically.

As I said, Angelino, directly and rationally refute my argument and offer your own rational argument with scriptural support, because what you have here are empty assertions, conclusions, or parroting some kind of “theology” which doesn’t cut it.

Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment [word] of God, you hold the tradition of men... ...Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which you have delivered: and many such like things you do.

Mark 7:7-8,13.

The battles recorded in Revelation are ongoing and have been ongoing.

But that doesn’t prevent them from being historical and being prophetic of specific End Times events to come.

The same battles from Adam and Eve in the Garden, being tempted by the serpent, are ongoing. Yet at a certain time, near the beginning, those events actually happened.

Not only in Revelation, but in other places in the New Testament and in the Bible overall we have prophecies of these End Times and the news that this world will not continue forever.

666 - the Beast - does represent man. And the False Prophet represents man leaning on his own understanding, his reason. Never have we done that so much, collectively, as we do now do to our trust in “science and technology.”

“Advanced” modern societies worship them as gods, forgetting the point to life here is to go on to Heaven to live with God while incidentally not going to Hell and existing without Him and without hope.

The False Prophet of “reason, science, and technology” does wonders that make people turn away from God and lead them to worship the 666 Beast, Man. It’s always been this way to some extent, but in our times, we’ve taken this to unprecedented levels. So many people will say outright that they believe man should replace God as our highest authority.

And with that all said, the Beast and the False Prophet will also no doubt be actual persons. Call them the ultimate Beast and the ultimate False Prophet. Others have been like them throughout history, just not to the same extreme, and the predecessors helped pave the way for the final, supreme Beast and False Prophet.