Chapter 2 - The meaning of "666" in the Book of Revelation

 

Chapter 2: The meaning of '666' in the Book of Revelation

 

 

One of the most misunderstood topics in the Book of Revelation is verse 13:18. It is the most misinterpreted verse by various Christian personalities and groups throughout the history of Christianity. The verse states: "Here is wisdom. Let him that have understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six Hundred Threescore and Six". Interestingly enough, the verse is translated and located in English in two verses in the Old Testament: 1st Kings 10:14 and 2nd Chronicles 9:13." Hexakosioi Hexakonta Hex " is the transliterated Greek phrase used both in the Revelation 13:18 and the Old Testament sources. This coincidence would have influenced John to compose his treatise or Book. John, the writer of the Book of Revelation, thought that patterns of coincidence are “signs” of prophecy. The previous observation will be presented showing John’s assumptions to be in error. Nevertheless, the similarities will only present to us the reason why the Book of Revelation was meant to be fulfilled through A.D. 70 and A.D. 140. The beginning of Revelation chapter thirteen is a copy of the symbolism of the Book of Daniel when describing the spiritual resurrection of several symbolic beasts from the Earth. There are also other symbols and expressions which were borrowed from other parts of the Bible. The writer of the Book of Revelation, through allegorical symbolism, explains who and what are the "beasts" and "the dragon". The writer of the Book of Revelation used similar patterns and symbols to encrypt his message to the nascent Christian community. The encrypted messages, within the Book of Revelation, expresses the condemnation towards the Roman Emperor - Nero.



Therefore, the mention in the Old Testament verses concerning the number "666" will be shown to be outliers and a tool of convenience. In other words, it has nothing to do with something supernatural but rather something concerning natural probabilities. Revelation chapter thirteen is also an indirect borrowing and source of the double rule. The rule derives from Leviticus chapter sixteen describing the "scapegoat" ceremony. This opposite reflection and meshing of two entities into one is describing the Roman Emperor Nero and his chief adviser - Seneca. This is simply an attempt by the writer to present a similar relationship between Alexander of Macedonia and Aristotle. Therefore, the spiritual representation of Seneca is described in Revelation 13:2 - " ....and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority." This part of the verse, according to the writer of the book of Revelation, describes "Satan" giving power to the combined spiritual symbol of Nero and Seneca. The attack is directly against the philosophy of Seneca – Stoicism and psychological Hedonism – when “Satan” is mentioned. Seneca was well-known even in the Christian community but when he committed suicide, a “sin” amongst the Christians, a popular moniker was created. The reason as will be explained later, is that both individuals committed suicide, and both are represented through symbolic representation which is stated within a verse. Seneca, as will be described later, is part of the twin "scapegoat" opposite theme. John used the theme of the "scapegoat" ceremony of Leviticus chapter sixteen to combine the birth of the oppressive "spirit of Nero" which was persecuting the early Christian community. John, the writer of the book of Revelation, is attempting to show the threat to the early community by a twin threat of the past which threaten the Jewish community's cultural identity. The past twin threat were Alexander of Macedonia and Aristotle which through their influence threaten the cultural identity of the Jewish community with Hellenistic culture and this threat was expressed within the pages of the Book of Daniel. The writer was then conveying the threat of Roman culture and influence against the beliefs of the infant Christian community (Revelation 12:1-6).

 

 

Therefore, the twin interactive relationship was describing two prominent personalities which threaten the existence of the Christian community during the time of the writer. The twin of Nero and Seneca are the “spirit of Nero and anti-Christ”. Seneca's own personal characteristics are described in verses Revelation 13:3 through 13:10 while Revelation 13:11 through 13:18 is describing the Roman Emperor Nero himself. The reason is because "another beast" is located in verse 13:11. Revelation 13:11-18 is Nero because of the material transactions associated with the various gods at the Roman marketplace and obligations given to citizens under the Roman Empire located in the verses in Revelation 13:16-17. Also, Nero has been given similar characteristics to King Nebuchadnezzar borrowed from the Book of Daniel chapter three. The writer of the Book of Revelation has also given Nero a similar comparison of importance to King Solomon by stating - "wisdom" and "understanding" in Revelation 13:18 which tells any reader that he is attempting to make a metaphysical connection with 1st Kings 10:14 and 2nd Chronicles 9:13. Now, what is the main evidence that the “beast” described in Revelation chapter thirteen is not a future individual? Rather, it is a Roman Emperor by the name of "Caesar Nero". Three verses located in Revelation chapter seventeen are very definite or clear that the Book of Revelation was meant and intended to be literally fulfilled in the past or during the era of the writer, which is approximately A.D. 70 to A.D. 140. Therefore, the historical context of John's message was for the early Christian community and not later in the distant future or modern times. The importance of the dates between A.D. 70 to A.D. 140, in which the supposed predicted events was intended, will be explained in another chapter describing the meaning of "wormwood".

 

 

The three verses within Revelation chapter seventeen will now be presented as proof positive of the intended historical context of the writer's message. Revelation 17:9 states seven hills or the allegorical mountains of the city of Rome. There are two indirect references to the Roman Empire. These two verses are Revelation 1:7 and Revelation 17:9. However, there are four verses mentioning "Babylon" throughout the Book of Revelation. Only Revelation 17:9 makes it clear that the Book of Revelation was directly intended to be fulfilled between A.D. 70 and A.D. 140 by referencing the number of hills. Through an historical source Revelation 17:9 becomes alive and describes the hills by name: (1) The Palatine (2) Capitoline (3) Caeline (4) Esquiline (5) Aventine (6) Viminal (7) Quirinal - (Source: footnote of page 12, Ceasar and Christ by Will Durant ).

 

 

Next; the verse, Revelation 17:10, implicitly describes the five previous Roman Emperors. Through historical sources they are: (1) Octavian (2) Augustus (3) Tiberius (4) Gaius, a.k.a. Caligula (5) Claudius. Then according to historical sources and descriptive writing, the sixth ruler noted is Nero. The supporting evidence for Revelation 17:10 is also noted in historical sources and therefore the identification is made that Nero is pointed out in Revelation 13:18. The supporting evidence is Peter himself describing Rome as "Babylon" in 1st Peter 5:13. The previous evidence given by Peter himself refutes another argument presented in 2^nd Peter 3:8. Therefore, according to the previous evidence, Peter himself also believed Jesus would return during the era of the writer. In other words, Peter’s “Babylon” is also John’s “Babylon” which describes the Roman empire during their era. The characteristics of Nero is further elaborated by the modern author:

 

 

"On July 18, 64 (AD), a fire broke out in the Circus Maximus, spread rapidly, burned for nine days, and razed two thirds of the city. Nero was at Antium when the conflagration started; he hurried to Rome and arrived in time to see the Palatine palaces consumed" (page 280, Will Durant).

 

 

On the same page; the author of the book - Caesar and Christ, Will Durant, notes that there were rumors that Nero started the fire to rebuild Rome: " ...was watching it from the tower of Maecenas while singing his lines on the sack of Troy and accompanying himself on the lyre". Several Romans had already had suspicions based on Nero's behavior that he discreetly ordered the burning of Rome to rebuild it according to his vision of Rome. Will Durant says on page 281 of his previous stated book:" When the debris had been cleared away Nero undertook with visible pleasure the restoration of the city along the lines of his dream ".

 

 

The reason for the evidence above is to establish three things: (1) The date of the report (2) The unstable behavior of the Roman Emperor (3) Through the coded language, based on the behavior of the identified Roman Emperor, it will be shown that the writer of the book of Revelation was identifying Nero as his "beast" of Revelation chapter thirteen.

 

 

The symbolism of the 7th ruler stated in Revelation 17:11. The previous verse is describing the political chaos that ensued after the demise of Nero which resulted in further persecution of the Christian community. As it should be noted, the persecution of Christians, have been enacted during the previous reign of Tiberius. This has even been implicitly stated by Paul in 1st Corinthians 7:26 when he states: "...the present distress.. ". Will Durant in his book - Caesar and Christ states from another source (pg.688,Tacitus:15,44):" a race of men for their evil practices, and commonly called CHRESTIANI. The name was derived from Chrestus, who, in the reign of TIBERIUS, suffered under Pontius Pilate, Procurator of Judea. By that event the sect of which he was the founder received a blow which for a time checked the growth of a dangerous superstition; but it revived soon after, and spread with recruited vigor not only in Judea....but even in the city of Rome, the common sink into which everything infamous and abominable flows like a torrent from all quarters of the world. NERO proceeded with his usual artifice. He found a set of profligate and abandoned wretches who were induced to confess themselves guilty; and on the evidence of such men a number of Christians were convicted, not indeed on clear evidence of having set the city on fire, but rather on account of their sullen hatred of the whole human race. They were put to death with exquisite cruelty, and to their sufferings NERO added mockery and derision. Some were covered with skins of wild beasts, and left to be devoured by dogs; others were nailed to crosses; numbers of them were burned alive; many, covered with inflammable matter, were set on fire to serve as torches during the night.....At length the brutality of these measures filled every breast with PITY. Humanity relented in FAVOR of the CHRISTIANS. "

 

 

The previous historical statement is evidence concerning the context of the Book of Revelation. The intention of the writer, of the Book of Revelation, was meant to address the problems faced by the early Christian community (Revelation 18:2) and not a distant future event.

 

 

The meaning of the 7th Emperor in Revelation 17:11, highlighted the oppressive spirit of Nero. It was to address the continuing oppressive spirit ruling the empire after the demise of Nero. The writer, John of the Book of Revelation, is presenting to his audience the haunting spectre of the spirit of Nero (1^st John 2:18, 4:3) which is equated with oppression therefore leading into “eternal damnation” (1^st John 4:6) which is tied to buying and selling of foods with the Roman idols (1^st John 5:21). The 7th ruler of Revelation 17:11; historically speaking, is a combination of Servius Sulpicius Galba, Marcus Otho, and Aulus Vitellius, three out of four of ‘Year of the four emperors’. (These rulers were noted by Will Durant in the book - Caesar and Christ on pages 284 and 285). The verses of 17:10-13 is a summarized political commentary to the political chaos which appeared on the scene after the demise of Nero in A.D. 68, the year after Paul’s execution and martyrdom by the orders of Nero. They all had "one mind" (Revelation 17:13) which is a symbolic copy of the builders of the Tower of Babel (Genesis 11:1-9) therefore equating Rome with "Babylon" the first nation noted to have destroyed the previous Temple. In Other words, a similar mind set earlier by the builders of Babel and now a "Roman" expression for political power through brute force and greed. The writer of the Book of Revelation has exposed his meaning of “mystery” concerning “Babylon” (Revelation 17:5). 2nd Kings 9:15 presents to us the reason for Revelation 17:13 and explains the evolutionary process of the changing beast(s) in Revelation Chapter thirteen. The verse in 2nd Kings 9:15 states - " But King Joram was returned to be HEALED in Jezreel of the wounds which Syrians had given him, when he fought with Hazael king of Syria. And Jehu said, if it be your MINDS, then let none go forward nor escape out of the city to go tell it in Jezreel." It is very possible that John used this verse to expand on a story using a historical source like 2nd Kings chapter nine and then used it symbolically for Revelation 13:12 which expressly states "Healed" and Revelation 17:13 (and Revelation 17:9) which both contains the term "Mind(s)". It is highly probable that John borrowed ideas and even plagiarized or copied verses directly from other sources. Therefore, the "666" Old Testament verses mentioned earlier is a coincidence just like having a massive Earthquake after a heavy Thunderstorm or having someone with a name which equates to a "666" equivalent using the numerical values for letters. The other theory; which is more evident, the isopsephy of Nero, was more convenient than using the isopsephy of Vespasian or another emperor which did not calculate to the number -“666”. In other words, the isopsephy of Nero was the only calculation which could be traced back to the Old Testament sources so the calculation would seem to be supernaturally connected. The reason is clear that the Roman Emperor Vespasian ordered the destruction of the Jewish Temple in A.D. 70 but his name is not used and immortalized because of the previous evidence which is an example of “window of opportunity”. The previous term derives from a political scientist to describe the manipulation of events to further an agenda and in this case a seemingly religious figure employs the method at the time when the Christian community was being attacked physically and intellectually. The intellectual attacks came in two ways: The evidence presented by the doubters when the Temple was destroyed rather than desecrated in A.D. 70 and through Hellenistic philosophy promoted by the Roman government which threatened the early Christian world-view.

 

 

 

The primary meaning of the 7th ruler or the number “seven” for the verse Revelation 17:11 was to present to his readers and audience the combined spiritual manifestation of Nero/Seneca which has the opposite meaning of the ceremonial symbolism of the "scapegoat" located in Leviticus 16:7-26. The spiritual manifestation of both Nero and Seneca represented the oppressive Roman government and the corruptive influence of Roman hedonistic (materialism) philosophy. Nevertheless, the secondary meaning here is the possibility of a coup by the returning and physically alive Nero. The writer, through his proposed theory, was simply expressing the fears of the nascent Christian community during those times reflecting on the rumors of his day. Therefore, within the historical and textual context of the previous evidence, it would refer to a physical reappearance of Nero and helped by his Persian allies. The proposition is formed: John, the writer of the Book of Revelation, wanted to cover a broad span of possibilities knowing that he believed that an event was to occur seven decades after the destruction of the Temple by the Romans. The complete meaning of “seven”, for the writer of Revelation, is the complete revelation of a process which was borrowed from the Book of Joshua 6:3-16. John may have believed that through “God”, the new "Babylonians" would also repeat the fate of the previous nation which destroyed Solomon's Temple. The proposed "seven decades theory" is presented in another chapter detailing the meaning of "wormwood".

 

 

 

 

Within the Leviticus verses is the verse Leviticus 16:19 which states - "seven times". The "blood" in this verse signifies a social contract between the ruler and the ruled. The "blood" symbolizes this social contract and would represent and antithesis of "wiping away uncleanness" and would mean the seventh ruler - the Spirit of Nero - would spill the blood of the people unjustly and with uncleanness. The previous historical evidence, given by Will Durant, presents plenty of notes on this proof. The writer of the Book of Revelation had done this intentionally to show scorn towards Nero and his system. Therefore; only knowledgeable Jewish-Christians, which included Paul, and some his followers would have identified the allegorical meshing of two individuals into one oppressive spirit. The previous formualtion expressed earier by John himself: (Hebrews 7:23-28 and Revelation 9:11-14). The previous evidence showing John authored the Book of Hebrews will be presented in a seperate chapter. For instance, the difference between Paul and John is Paul's liberal stance on the buying and selling of foods sacrificed to idols (1st Corinthians 8:1-13 and Revelation 2:14-20). However, the similarity between Paul and John is that they share a non-violent creed towards the authorities. It will also be shown that James, the half-brother of Jesus, is the one directing both groups and the main one to have created the resurrection story by giving a Sunday morning (or after the Sabbath day observance) eulogy concerning Jesus’ supposed resurrection at the empty tomb. Nevertheless, the thesis and court document given by John, was to present an ideological synthesis for the current conflict among the early Christians concerning food sacrificed to idols. Another historical researcher and modern writer identify Nero as the '666' beast:

 

 

" In Greek the name 'Nero' was 'Neron',and his Greek subjects generally spoke of him as 'Neron Kaisar',that is to say 'Neron Caesar'. In Hebrew, wherein certain vowels are not expressed in writing, the name is spelt 'Nron Ksr'; and these letters correspond to the numerals:50,200,6,50,100,60,200 which add up to '666' the number assigned to the Apocalyptic beast, who was therefore none other than Nero-an interpretation of the cipher upon which scholarship is pretty well unanimous."(Nero, Arthur Weigall).

 

 

Even though; the information above by Arthur Weigall is completely true, the evidence above would not explain the proposed and supposed symbolic “spiritual” manifestation according to the writer of the Book of Revelation. For example, it is known that both Nero and Seneca committed suicide. It is also well known during that time rumors were circulating he survived and would return from the east. Why the east? There was a Persian empire, The Arsacid Parthian Empire, which Nero negotiated many treaties with and possibly through friendly relations with the Persian dynasty of the Arsacid he would return to take power back. This rumor was well known during the political power crisis which engulfed the Roman Empire before the demise of Nero. The crisis was known as the Year of the four emperors. Seneca, before the demise of Nero, was part of a supposedly orchestrated a coup against his emperor. It is known as ‘The A.D. 65 Pisonian conspiracy’ named after Calpurnius Piso, it was an attempt by the Roman citizenry to save the Roman republic from the supposed mismanagement and corruption of the Roman Emperor - Nero:

 

 

" Suddenly Nero's spies brought him word of a widespread conspiracy to put Calpurnius Piso on the throne (65 A.D.). His agents seized some minor personages in the plot, and by torture or threat drew from them confessions implicating, among others, Lucan the poet and SENECA. Bit by bit the whole plan was laid bare. Nero's revenge was so savage that Rome credited the rumor that he had vowed to wipe out the whole Senatorial class. When SENECA received the command to kill himself he argued for a while and then complied;..." (Caesar and Christ , pg. 282, Will Durant).

 

 

 

The most important reason for the writer of the Book of Revelation to imply this hypothesis or theory was to express a return to the land after the physical(also intended by the writer to be a spiritual captivity) exile of the supposed new chosen people of God - the Christians. In other words, the return of the People of the Lamb (Revelation 21:22) to Jerusalem after the supposed seven decades exile copying the earlier promise given to Jeremiah (Jeremiah 29:10, 29:28). Here the writer is imagining a new nation coming from the east, being used by his god, to remove the oppressive existence of the Roman Empire (Revelation 9:4, 14:20) to supposedly happen in A.D. 140.  In other words, seven decades after the Temple's destruction. The previous prediction is proven false, therefore the "666" beast was intended to describe the Roman Emperor - Nero himself, and now we have proof that "666" mention in the Old Testament (1st Kings 10:14 and 2nd Chronicles 9:13) was conveniently used to make it seem supernatural.

 

 

 The theory above has shown that it was a convenient method to use Nero and not Vespasian’s isopsephy. However, the difference is how many individuals fit the description and historical context of the Book of Revelation? Only one individual and that individual is Nero because of the term - "Perdition" in Revelation 17:11 and 2nd Thessalonians 2:3. This same deduction will be used in another chapter in describing Antiochus Epiphanes as the "beast" of the Book of Daniel. Furthermore, the use of the term “perdition” will be proven to be a primer of a false prediction or false prophecy. The reason is because the previous term is connected with Paul’s supposition that the Temple would soon be desecrated fulfilling a previous assumption of Daniel’s prophecy which was disproven through the Temple’s destruction by Vespasian.

 

 

The death or the perceived supposed death of Nero and the inclusion of the possible help from the supposedly friendly Persian dynasty was encrypted and therefore stated in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 16:12-13). The Arsacid Parthian dynasty was nicknamed Philhellenes - "Friend of the Greeks". It was a possible location for Nero to regroup and retake the Roman empire if he was still alive. Will Durant states in his book:

 

 

" As a new day dawned he heard the clatter of horses: the Senate's soldiers had tracked him down. Quoting a verse of poetry - "Hark! now strikes upon my ear the trampling of swift couriers" - he drove a dagger into his throat; his hand faltered, and his freedman Epaphroditus helped him to press the blade home. He had begged his companion to keep his corpse from being mutilated, and Galba's agents granted the wish. His old nurse, and Acte his former mistress, buried him in the vaults of the Domitii (68 AD). Many of the populace rejoiced at his death and ran about Rome with liberty caps on their heads. But many more mourned him, for he had been as generous to the poor as he had been recklessly cruel to the great. They lent eager hearing to the rumor that he was not really dead but was fighting his way back to rome; and when they had reconciled themselves to his passing they came for many months to strew flowers before his tomb. "(Will Durant in Caesar and Christ on pg. 284, Original source: Suetonius, 57)

 

 

The evidence above agrees with the Book of Revelation evidence of Revelation 16:12-13. The historical evidence would suggest that Nero was rumored to be alive and the only possible option of his return was through the hands of the current Persian dynasty. The Temple priests of Jerusalem were also one of the groups of opposition to the message. The issue concerning "frogs" is a hint that the temple priests in Jerusalem were described as one of the enemies of the Book of Revelation. The reason is because the "frogs" derive from an earlier confrontation between Moses and the Pharaoh's priests in Exodus 8:7. This is a direct condemnation of the Jewish Temple priests in Jerusalem. Furthermore, the evidence is located in the Book of Acts (Acts 25:24-27). The "miracles" of Revelation 16:13 is a reference to the intellectual arguments from the Temple priests against Christianity. The inference of this is stated in Matthew 28:11-15 even though it is in reference of a bribery it is a clue that people doubted the story of Matthew 27:51-54. The previous defense was further defended by John himself in the Gospel of John because these issues erupted again when the earlier “desecration” prediction, by Paul and Matthew, did not materialize during the Temple’s destruction through the hands of Vespasian. The previous Matthew passage is now connected to the eulogy of James using Hosea 6:1-3. The "spirits" are an example of the dangerous counter Christian culture and ideas deriving from the Roman authorities. The "false prophet" is the identification of Jewish priests within the Jewish community who are not loyal to the new Ten Commandments (Revelation 14:12) and a reference to Korah's rebellion (Book of Numbers 16:30). Just imagine a beast which evolves from birth to death. First, in early form - two separate entities coming together (Revelation chapter thirteen) then to its final spiritual form (Revelation chapter seventeen) which would then with its maturity and equipped with brute political force attacks the new Ten Commandments (Revelation 14:12). The beast then dies in its final gasp against the might of the new Ten Commandments (Revelation 19:19-20).

 

 

This is the allegorical image that the writer of the Book of Revelation was really trying to convey to his audience of early Christian believers or "saints". For instance, Revelation 19:19-20 is referenced to Korah's group which opposed Moses. Reason for this is because the "bottomless pit" phrase is located in several verses in the Book of Revelation. Korah's group is the first group of people to try to oppose Moses after the revelation of the original Ten Commandments. Therefore, both “beasts” of Revelation chapter thirteen includes the spirit of Korah into an opposing mixture and would represent an "unholy" entity. John describes the complete spiritual manifestations of the spirit of Nero (Revelation 17:11) and then it finally dies (Revelation 19:19-20). The idea of a spiritual opposition was noted and expressed, by John previously, through the spiritual imagery of 1st John 5:7-8. Therefore; the confrontation, developed by John, was between the spirit of Nero and the spirit of Christ. The spirit of Nero (or anti-Christ/spiritual Korah) is an expression of an irresponsible government or governance. Both deaths of Seneca and Nero were noted (Revelation 13:3 - Seneca / Revelation 13:11 - Nero) and by also Revelation 13:14 "...the wound by a sword and did live." is identifying both Seneca and Nero but primarily Nero. Ezekiel 30:24 also gives a similar allegorical expression "...groanings of a deadly wounded man." The writer of the book of Revelation presented to his audience a manifesto against Nero and his spiritual successors until A.D. 140 then ending, supposedly, in the return of Jesus. The return of Jesus may have not been the true intention of John but rather the creation of a theocratic government ruled by the future Christian leadership. The Ezekiel passage, and including other biblical passages, may have been seen by John as prophecies being fulfilled but actually ‘windows of opportunity’ and a convenience by connecting an isopsephy.

 

 

The summary of what is stated previously, by John within the Book of Revelation, is the life cycles of the Beast(s). It starts with its birth at Revelation Chapter thirteen where its heart, soul, and spirit are formed through the personage of the Roman Emperor Nero. Then the life duration of the beast(s) is then manifested through Revelation chapter seventeen where it performs its duty by testing the believers of their messiah - Jesus. The last performance of the beast is then manifested through Revelation chapter nineteen where it is finally killed through the hands of their messiah. All the previous statements are actually leading up to another theory which will be elaborated in another chapter explaining “parables”.

 

 

Furthermore; the Roman Empire was simply used, according to John, to purify the Christian community (Revelation 22:1, Revelation 22:14-15, Revelation 2:2, Revelation 3:18, Malachi 3:1-5 and 1st Peter 1:7) and to signal God's divorce from the fig tree or the Jewish temple nation (Revelation 6:13, Jeremiah chapter 24, Jeremiah 11:16, Isaiah 5:13, Luke 6:43-45, Luke 21:24, Matthew 12:33-37, Matthew 7:15-20, Jeremiah 29:28 and Ephesians 4:8) at A.D. 70 when the Temple was destroyed through the hands of the Roman Empire copying the previous events of the Babylonian captivity (Ezekiel 39:23, Isaiah 24:12, Isaiah 24:6, Jeremiah 8:13, Jeremiah 12:14-17, Jeremiah 25:12, Jeremiah 29:10). The use of the Babylonian captivity verses with New Testament verses is to present to the reader the hypothesis that John (and other followers of Jesus of Nazareth) had a vision of another seventy years “captivity” cycle which is a revision of the previous false prediction. Furthermore; the supposed return of Jesus returning at A.D.140, the year of its completion, never materialized forcing some within the Christian community to “spiritualize” the meaning of Jesus’ return through ‘Gnostic Gospels’. The seven decades cycle is why a new doctrine was developed by the writer of the Book of Revelation. The goal of the introduction of “wormwood” into the message was to correct Paul’s earlier dispensationalist theory and replace it with a seventy years doctrine, i.e. Millennialism. The real goal, shared among all of the New Testament writers, is the grafting of a new people into the Jewish "Olive tree" using the secondary tool of Jesus’ supposed resurrection and eventual worship. James; as the leader of the Christian community, accepted the revolutionary ideas, of Paul’s Dispensationalism and John’s Millennialism, these ideas introduced the liberation of the supposed ever occurring “curse”. The “curse” would have been removed through the inclusion of gentiles into the fold. The inclusion of gentiles would have eliminated the process of ‘the seven decades cycle’ every time the Temple is destroyed by a non-Jewish political entity. In other words, the incorporation of non-Jews into the fold would have stopped the “seven decades cycle”. The previous theory presented creates another proof that John’s Millennialism was intended to never be “fulfilled” during the year of A.D.140 but rather to extend the so-called “prophecy” beyond its expired date.

 

 

Therefore; presenting to the readers and early believers of the Book of Revelation, a false prediction and a false prophecy. When the false prediction became realized by the Christian community, because of the failure of the seven decades prediction, many individuals then composed the “Gnostic Gospels” expressing an early form of “Amillennialism”. The previous "protest" writings will be explained in another chapter explaining “Amillennialism”.