05-13-2008, 04:45 PM
Shlama Christina,
Did you read my post on Nero Caesar? His name in Aramaic can account for the two Greek readings of 666 and 616. What more evidence do you need that it not only had to do with the Romans, but had to do with Nero Caesar himself? What are the chances that this one name, Nero Caesar, could give both numbers, using a variant spelling of the name without the Nun at the end of Nero(n) Qisar (666) and Nero Qisar (616)? Show me another name that renders both numbers by Gematria.
The Aramaic mss. of Revelation say at the start that John was exiled by "Neron Qisar" to the Isle of Patmos. John did not want to broadcast that publicly in his epistle for obvious reasons; that was added later after Nero was dead (AD 68), but he put it in coded form so his readers would understand the spiritual and prophetic significance of the times in which they were living, even relating it to Daniel's prophecy over 600 years before concerning "the fourth beast with ten horns , which shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all kingdoms, which would "devour the whole earth"- Daniel 7:7-25 (all of which was written in Aramaic in Daniel, by the way). Does anyone doubt that The fourth beast of Daniel was the Roman Empire? Daniel foretold the Babylonian,Persian, Greek and then the Roman Empire (7:1-7). The viciousness and terror of that empire culminated in the reign of Nero in the first century, so Nero represented the beast and was one of the ten horns, or "another horn, a little one, with eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words." Dan. 7:8
Nero was primarily responsible for two significant actions. He declared Christianity a crime, which remained Roman policy thereafter. He also enforced this policy by exterminating multitudes of Christians:"Some were clothed in animal skins and torn to pieces by dogs.; others were impaled on crosses in order to be set on fire to afford light by night after daylight had died..." (Tacitus, early 2nd century writing of the Roman historian). Tacitus also was the first heathen author to document that Christ was executed under Pontius Pilate and that His followers were called "Christians" by the populace.
It was in the reign of Nero, after the fire of 64 AD, that the first hostile step was taken by the government against the Christians, earliest account of which is given by Tacitus (Ann. xv.44). Nero???s reckless career had given rise to the rumor that he was the incendiary, that he wished to see the old city burned in order to rebuild it on more magnificent plans. See NERO. Though he did everything possible to arrest the flames, even exposing his own life, took every means of alleviating the destitution of the sufferers, and ordered such religious rites as might appease the wrath of the gods, the suspicion still clung to him.
A third significant fact is that the apostles Peter and Paul were executed in Rome in AD 67 or 68, under Nero. I have no doubt that these are the two witnesses written of in Revelation 11. Nero's persecution policy started in AD 64 and continued, of course, until his death about 4 years later. WIthin a 3 & 1/2 year period, he had executed Christianity's two most prominent and powerful apostles, and yet, their influence only greatly increased after their deaths (were raised up and glorified-Rev. 11:12). Nero's policy remained throughout the Roman Empire until Constantine in AD 313, though not all Emperors enforced it; in fact only a few were so inclined, Domitian being one of them, starting in AD 73 and lasting until AD 96. Nero, no doubt, thought he would quench, or at least quell, the fire of Christian faith, by killing their two chief apostles and exiling John, the third most prominent. He was greatly mistaken, of course! Christianity never really took off until that persecution arose and scattered the church and converts across the globe.
Nero started two fires in Rome: the literal fire which threatened to destroy the city of Rome (of "Nero fiddling while Rome burned" fame) and the policy of making Christianity illegal and sanctioning the violation of his policy by death. This fire of persecution policy lasted for over 200 years in Rome. Different Emperors had different views of this policy, but the policy itself was there for whichever Emperor saw fit to implement it. This meant that no Christian would be safe at any point during the first 250 years of Christian history anywhere in the Roman world. At any moment, one man's will or mood could determine that he would level this charge of Christian hatred of mankind (odio humani generis) and they would be susceptible to imprisonment, torture and death. It would require true faith to declare oneself a follower of The Christ during this time of Roman rule.And this was persecution specifically aimed at a particular faith, not a race, which means the Christian could have denied his faith and recanted to save his life.
Blessings,
Dave
Did you read my post on Nero Caesar? His name in Aramaic can account for the two Greek readings of 666 and 616. What more evidence do you need that it not only had to do with the Romans, but had to do with Nero Caesar himself? What are the chances that this one name, Nero Caesar, could give both numbers, using a variant spelling of the name without the Nun at the end of Nero(n) Qisar (666) and Nero Qisar (616)? Show me another name that renders both numbers by Gematria.
The Aramaic mss. of Revelation say at the start that John was exiled by "Neron Qisar" to the Isle of Patmos. John did not want to broadcast that publicly in his epistle for obvious reasons; that was added later after Nero was dead (AD 68), but he put it in coded form so his readers would understand the spiritual and prophetic significance of the times in which they were living, even relating it to Daniel's prophecy over 600 years before concerning "the fourth beast with ten horns , which shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, which shall be different from all kingdoms, which would "devour the whole earth"- Daniel 7:7-25 (all of which was written in Aramaic in Daniel, by the way). Does anyone doubt that The fourth beast of Daniel was the Roman Empire? Daniel foretold the Babylonian,Persian, Greek and then the Roman Empire (7:1-7). The viciousness and terror of that empire culminated in the reign of Nero in the first century, so Nero represented the beast and was one of the ten horns, or "another horn, a little one, with eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking pompous words." Dan. 7:8
Nero was primarily responsible for two significant actions. He declared Christianity a crime, which remained Roman policy thereafter. He also enforced this policy by exterminating multitudes of Christians:"Some were clothed in animal skins and torn to pieces by dogs.; others were impaled on crosses in order to be set on fire to afford light by night after daylight had died..." (Tacitus, early 2nd century writing of the Roman historian). Tacitus also was the first heathen author to document that Christ was executed under Pontius Pilate and that His followers were called "Christians" by the populace.
It was in the reign of Nero, after the fire of 64 AD, that the first hostile step was taken by the government against the Christians, earliest account of which is given by Tacitus (Ann. xv.44). Nero???s reckless career had given rise to the rumor that he was the incendiary, that he wished to see the old city burned in order to rebuild it on more magnificent plans. See NERO. Though he did everything possible to arrest the flames, even exposing his own life, took every means of alleviating the destitution of the sufferers, and ordered such religious rites as might appease the wrath of the gods, the suspicion still clung to him.
Quote:"Accordingly in order to dissipate the rumor, he put forward as guilty (subdidit reos) and inflicted the most cruel punishments on those who were hated for their abominations (flagitia) and called Christians by the populace. The originator of that name, Christus, had been executed by the procurator Pontius Pilatus in the reign of Tiberius, and the baneful superstition (exitiabilis superstitio) put down for the time being broke out again, not only throughout Judea, the home of this evil, but also in the City (Rome) where all atrocious and shameful (atrocia aut pudenda) things converge and are welcomed. Those therefore who confessed (i.e. to being Christians) were first arrested, and then by the information gained from them a large number (multitudo ingens) were implicated (coniuncti is the manuscript reading, not conuicti), not so much on the charge of incendiarism as for hatred of mankind (odio humani generis). The victims perished amid mockery (text here uncertain); some clothed in the skins of wild beasts were torn to pieces by dogs; others impaled on crosses in order to be set on fire to afford light by night after daylight had died. .... Whence (after these cruelties) commiseration began to be felt for them, though guilty and deserving the severest penalties (quamquam adversus sontes et novissima exempla meritos), for men felt their destruction was not from considerations of public welfare but to gratify the cruelty of one person (Nero)."-International Standard Bible Encyclopedia
A third significant fact is that the apostles Peter and Paul were executed in Rome in AD 67 or 68, under Nero. I have no doubt that these are the two witnesses written of in Revelation 11. Nero's persecution policy started in AD 64 and continued, of course, until his death about 4 years later. WIthin a 3 & 1/2 year period, he had executed Christianity's two most prominent and powerful apostles, and yet, their influence only greatly increased after their deaths (were raised up and glorified-Rev. 11:12). Nero's policy remained throughout the Roman Empire until Constantine in AD 313, though not all Emperors enforced it; in fact only a few were so inclined, Domitian being one of them, starting in AD 73 and lasting until AD 96. Nero, no doubt, thought he would quench, or at least quell, the fire of Christian faith, by killing their two chief apostles and exiling John, the third most prominent. He was greatly mistaken, of course! Christianity never really took off until that persecution arose and scattered the church and converts across the globe.
Nero started two fires in Rome: the literal fire which threatened to destroy the city of Rome (of "Nero fiddling while Rome burned" fame) and the policy of making Christianity illegal and sanctioning the violation of his policy by death. This fire of persecution policy lasted for over 200 years in Rome. Different Emperors had different views of this policy, but the policy itself was there for whichever Emperor saw fit to implement it. This meant that no Christian would be safe at any point during the first 250 years of Christian history anywhere in the Roman world. At any moment, one man's will or mood could determine that he would level this charge of Christian hatred of mankind (odio humani generis) and they would be susceptible to imprisonment, torture and death. It would require true faith to declare oneself a follower of The Christ during this time of Roman rule.And this was persecution specifically aimed at a particular faith, not a race, which means the Christian could have denied his faith and recanted to save his life.
Blessings,
Dave