Featured What is the Religion of the Beast

Very interesting, Bro. Clearly, His second advent is a very big deal. Could you clarify about when it would be the most populated?

 

I would have been quite surprised if you did associate any of the 1st Century scenario with the Jewish War with Revelation. I believe Nero was understood to be "666" even by the first Christians. However, I don't have the sources handy to back up this claim, and I don't want to just give you a link to a preterist website.

Even with the short time span given if Revelation was written prior to Nero's death, I believe it came as a "supplement" to the Olivet Discourse. You might even say that Revelation is John's expanded version of the OD.

It's not that Rome was pushing any religion, especially since they worshipped a plethora of gods. They didn't like the fact that the Jews and Christians only worshipped one God, and it wasn't the emperor.

 

While it makes sense that our population will continue to grow until His return, where does Scripture say that it will diminish some in the last days?

 

You are quite right about Rome, but it didn't stop with Nero. Greater persecution came under Decius and then Diocletian. Since then there have been persecutions by the Church of Rome down the ages, and in Pakistan today, you can't get a decent job unless you are a Moslem. Hindus and Buddists also persecute Christians. The two beats cannot be confined to the five or so years after you think Revelation was written. But God preserves His own people, which is the subject of Revelation 14:1-5.

Once again, I don't think the relevance of the book is confined to the five or so years after it was written. Nor is it confined to the age immediately before the end. The Great Harlot is the world down through the ages as it is opposed to God, with all its allurements and faux pleasures (1 John 2:15-17), and its hostility to the righteous requirements of God (Luke 19:14) and to His servants (Mark 12:1-12).

 

The Catholic church is a good example of a false church. I'm not saying that it is but the Catholic church is who began the unity crusade they have going at this time. I was watching a you tube stream of the Catholic and Mormon church uniting together to stop child abuse . Which seems a bit odd because Mormons don't usually associate them selves with infidels as they call all other religious organizations being so much like the Islamic's.Mormons fit right in to the scheme of things. They too seek to become god's
The reason for it being a type of false Christianity like Mormons or Catholic's is that Satan is an imposter. He will with out a doubt be imitating Christ second coming in order to deceive the whole world. Remember Satan did say He would be like God. At any rate it makes sense to me that he will announce him self as the real God
MB

 

Interesting. I'd never run across that interpretation of that verse before.
Fair questions, Brother.
I believe "the world" and "the earth" in the verses you quote refer to Jerusalem and the surrounding area. How did He intervene? As I see it, these passages refer to His coming in judgment on Jerusalem in AD 70. Regarding the horse which is the color of death, over 1 million Jews were killed during this time. This would include 1/3 of those living in Jerusalem.

War, famine, earthquakes, etc. are pretty well documented in the NT. Historically, there were great several great earthquakes in that time period: Crete around AD 46 (or 47), Rome in AD 51, Laodicea in AD 60, and several others.

 

I must respectfully disagree about the persecutions under Decius or Diocletian being worse than Nero's. That's not to make light of the others you mentioned. Our brothers and sisters in the Middle East are persecuted and killed at an alarming rate, and it seems that many Americans are unaware of it. But I digress.

I don't see why the two beasts' activities have to be extended beyond the Jewish War (AD 66-70) Even futurists see this as limited to 7 years. On your other point though, I agree. God does preserve His people as Rev 14 says.

Again, I must disagree. However, you certainly make a great point in we have been opposed through temptations and trials all throughout history. This will continue until our Blessed Lord comes, as we both know so well.

 

What about the false prophet who causes all to worship the beast? There is far to much talk of a one world religion in revelations. What do you think heretical means?
MB

 

If you don't mind a silly question, what specific verses in Revelation imply a one-world religion?

 

Everyone will worship the beast. In Revelations
Rev 13:12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
Rev_13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
MB

 

They must be preaching it as they see it

You are right about the word" all," Most experts have agreed that it is all inclusive. that's as about as simple as it gets..

As far as one world religion what else would you call it when all the people worship the beast or his image?
MB

 

True, the quakes occurred earlier. Still, it shows this area was prone to frequent earthquakes. Maybe it still is.
True, "earth" could refer to the entire region, but it could also refer to Jerusalem.
You made a reference to the Euphrates drying up (Rev. 16:12). I can neither confirm nor deny whether the Euphrates dried up at any point during the Jewish War. I can only guess that it probably did, since the rest of Revelation fits with the Jewish War of AD 66-70. The last couple of chapters are still in our future, though.

The events of Revelation are not about the end of the world, but about the end of the Jewish Old Covenant. This is not about a worldwide event, but a specific judgment on apostate Israel. This was such a huge deal that it does indeed warrant the hundreds of prophetic verses.

 

I thought that was what you had in mind. Personally, I believe this was emperor worship. The Beast whose fatal wound had been healed was the Roman Empire, which nearly collapsed with Nero's suicide in AD 68. Vespasian restored Rome in 69. Roman society was all about worshipping lots of gods. However, the emperors deemed themselves as gods, even though they also worshipped other gods themselves. What got their goat was that Jews and Christians only worshipped YHWH. Obviously this is not a popular view, especially in a Baptist forum. Still, it's how I see it.