What does it mean for Christianity if Nero is the anti-Christ? I understand this is a loaded question, I'm opening many more questions up for debate but I'm interested to hear people's opinions.
If Nero is the anti-Christ (which much evidence points towards), does that not mean that most of Revelation was wrong in its apocalyptic prophecies?
Or, if Revelation was correct, is it not odd that the second coming of Christ and his battle with the anti-Christ went off without so much as a sound? And why are we not now living in the kingdom of God if that is the case? Is it not odd that there's a 2000 year gap between the prophecy for the end of the world coming to fruition?
I'm not an expert so I'm probably getting loads of stuff wrong, but I'm interested in hearing people's opinions on this issue.
Nero as the anti-Christ
Jesus mainly predicted the end of the second temple period, the "end times" to which many evangelicals refer are indefinite in terms of the scope of things to which they refer in history imo.
There have been many people motivated by the spirit of anti-christ without being THE Anti-Christ.
I don't think it's strange about the gap, considering the billions of years the Universe has existed, and our specific revelation of the Absolute Divinity to our species took so long to come to this level (from our animist days, until we could muster the intellectual altitude to be monotheist/latrist, until now with evidence of the Resurrection).
Nero was AN antichrist. Not the first one, not the last one but damn close. And as a type of THE antichrist, he shares many, many similarities. But there are certainly better types. Antiochus IV and Julian Apostate are closest, as far as I know. Stalin too if you think about it.
This.
I used to be confused like you OP, and you're probably reading some meme theologian blog or reddit post which is the source of your confusion, but the Bible is infallible and the Word of God is direct and to-the-point. Sure, it may take some spiritual discernment to understand some of the prophetic visions and utterances in the Bible, and perhaps nobody on this Earth will understand them fully until after this age passes by, but there will be a Mark of the Beast and there will be a Son of Perdition that will come after us believers in the very near future. This is important to get it down straight or else you'll be caught off-guard.
I can't pretend to be very well versed in the subject, but a lot of the arguments I've heard of "Nero as the beast of revelation" don't really explode the anti-Christ coming in the future. Like the wound on the head of the beast being healed being in reference to Nero's suicide; if this argument is correct, Nero may just be the archetypal frame of the "God-King" who would unite the world for his vanity, or he may literally be in league with the future anti-Christ, since from the experiences of exorcists we know that sufficiently evil people can become demonic after death (I've heard testimony from Father Ripperger that he has exorcised Judas Iscariot from victims of possession on more than one occasion).
I know what the mark of the beast is. Anyone saying it's muh microchips is a false prophet. Just stay traditional and avoid the """virtues""" of modernity and you'll be fine.
What do you think it is?
There's a lot of propaganda, disinfo, and political correctness to condition and mislead people so if I outright said it most normies wouldn't believe me. The hand and the forehead means it affects both thoughts and actions. It is almost always voluntary (though modernity will try to sway you towards it) and its effects are permanent. Look into other parts of the Bible where "mark" and "beast" are used and you should eventually be able to piece the message together. If you stay truly traditional minded you don't have much to worry about though.
Ah I see.
Well I'm not a normie so I think you can say it outright without any worry of me killing myself over the sheer shock.
He already stated what he thinks it is. It's a marking of the way people think, in the head they think and with the hand they act out their thoughts as spoken of in luke 12:34
And see matthew 16:11
Not that I entirely think he is complete in his interpretation of the mark. As where does the number of the name fit in if it is a thought proccess?
The only problem I have with this interpretation is that the mark is explicitly tied to commerce. It may be reflective of certain beliefs, but to my understanding it must be material in some fashion.
As a side note John Milton said it would be currency and the rise of industrial markets and society. Though not apocalyptic I'm convinced that those developments were wholly Satanic.
revelation 13:16-18
No his interpretation could be valid. They are denied for their marking of thoughts access to the financial system/buying/selling. Or denied if they haven't taken on the name of the beast like in marriage. Or the number of his name. But how would one determine the number of his name based off of already discerning it from the Bible? Let him that hath understanding delcare it so.
And how do the marked identify their own? It could be something as simple as a document, but it has to be something you can prove. Taking on a name, for example, you can prove with documentation.
By their way of thinking. Just like a liberal can walk up to a group of liberals based off of appearance and manner of speach. Just like how natsocs could walk up to a group of natsocs based off of manner of speach alone.
How do husbands identify their wife(s)? By their appearance and submissiveness/servitude towards the husband. Just like a wife takes on the name of her husband, so would these take on the name of the beast in revelation 13. And just like christians as members of the body of Christ are supposed to take on the name of Christ/God in marriage in revelation 19.
Now I am not saying I support his interpretation, as all this still doesn't explain the number of the name part. But that would be my understanding of it based off of the Bible.
I've heard the number could be carbon, gematria, or even just a meaningless spook.
Mmm. Thinking about the taking of a name as a submission to Christ/antichrist is something I never thought of before. I'm not entirely convinced that marked society would rely on impressions alone but you've certainly broadened my understanding of the concept.
*submission in the context of marriage I mean.
Something else of note along this topic that brings out meaning and biblical meaning because christians are the bride/members of Christ in 1 corinthians 6:15-17 is exodus 20:7
So are you saying it has to do with following a false doctrine in Christ's name? Revelation predicted both fake jews and fake Christians of our time?
What? See mark 7:7-8 and john 16:2 because following false doctrine in christs name is something that happens I honestly don't know what the mark of the beast is other then the Bible mentions the number of his name. I keep saying I don't entirely agree with user here's interpretation because I just simply don't understand how the number of his name would fit in with such a interpretation.
I only mentioned the exodus 20:7 verse and taking on the name of God in marriage because it is a event in revelation 19:7-9 that hasn't happend yet as we are espoused chaste virgins to Christ in 2 corinthinthians 11:2. But it was relevant to the "receive" or taking on of the mark in revelation 13.
Now this it did in revelation 2:9/3:9 because of romans 2:28-29.
That's Saint Stalin to you!
The carbon thing is retarded. 6+6+6=18, not 600 and 66. Remember, most of those get posted by schizoids who can't do basic math.
The spirit of the antichrist is one thing, the actual final antichrist another thing.
Time does not always flow in a linear way because man is free.
The final antichrist will come when the Earth is corrupt like in the time of Noah, but there is no set date. "not even the son knows, only the Father".
When will mankind be corrupted as it was in the time of Noah? It depends on men.
The Katechon is preventing that corruption. There is no set date because man is free to choose corruption or to choose God, and as long as many people choose God then the antichrist will be delayed.