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By Floyd R.
Cox (Revised 4-01-16) |
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First Century “Mark of
the Beast” = 666
After the Pope crowned Charlemagne as Emperor of
the revived Holy Roman Empire in 800 AD, Protestants often identify the
“Universal Church” as the woman riding a beast found in Revelation 17:1. Even
Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) used this event to predict Christ would return
in 2060 AD, that is, 1260 years after Charlemagne was crowned in 800 AD. Allegedly,
these 1260 years are represented by 1260 days in Revelation 12:14 and 13:5;
“Power was given him (the beast) to continue 3½ years, 42 months” (interpreted
as 1260 “prophetic days”). |
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Instead of gullibly
accepting protestant claims, we should revisit the first century Revelation
to prove these claims are perhaps taken out of their proper context. The Context of Revelation First, Jerusalem fell at the end of a
sabbatical year, in 587 BC, and Babylon fell 49 years later, in 539 BC.
Revelation’s context concerns the fall of another “Babylon the Great”, the
final 3½ years. This is a clue. Another clue is that the Christian era
actually began in 37 BC, when Herod, an Edomite, conquered Jerusalem in
sabbatical year and when a “man child” was born at the end of his rein, in 4
BC (Luke 1:5; Mat 2:15; Rev 12:1). We know that Herod is figuratively
portrayed as a “dragon” in Revelation 12 because both he and the dragon
killed the children of Bethlehem in trying to kill the “man child”, the
promised Messiah, when he was born (see Revelation 12:5). Eventually, the “man child” finished his
mission and was caught up into heaven in 31 AD, and the remnant of his
brothers and sisters were stalked and pursued by the dragon, that is, Herod’s
three sons. One son killed John the Baptist and was involved with Christ’s
trial and crucifixion in Jerusalem in 31 AD. One beheaded apostle James in 44
AD. Second, it is well known that Saul
persecuted the church for about 3½ years, until his conversion, and he was
called after consenting to Stephen’s death in 34 AD (70 years after 37 BC).
34 AD was 1004 years (251 x 4) after David’s death in 971 BC, that is, 1000
years after the temple was founded in 968 BC. Stephen saw the heavens opened to reveal
Christ standing off his throne and poised ready to intervene. His first act
was to convert Saul and send him to the gentiles throughout the known world
after those final 3½ years. He continued his mission for 14 years, until he
returned to Jerusalem in 49 AD (Acts 15; Gal 2:1; II Cor 12:2). Context of 37
BC Third, we need to understand the context
of 37 AD. According to a world-renown Biblical chronologist, Kenneth Kitchen,
Solomon founded the temple in 968 BC, 931 years before 37 BC. The Jews
probably knew this at one time, because their Creation date is 3761 BC, that
is, 931 years times 4 before 37 BC (3724 years). The Jews also have 532 times
7 (3724 years) (532 = 4 x 7 x 19). |
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TABLE 1. Time Pattern Related to 37 BC
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From
3957 BC (corrected date of Creation) 3026 BC (corrected: Adam’s
death) 968 BC (Temple founded) 3761 BC 2830 BC
(Adam’s death) 3761 BC 3761 BC 331 BC (Alexander’s sabbatical grant) |
Years to 37 BC = 3920 |
= 427 x 7 (61 jubilees) = 931 x 4 |
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Note that (in TABLE 1), if
there were 427 x 7 years from Adam’s death to 37 BC, there would also
be 427 x 7 years from Adam’s birth in 3957 BC to the founding of the temple
in 968 BC, and there would be 427 x 7 from the temple until 2022 AD. This
should concern us today.
3761 BC begins the 19-year and 49-year cycles Again, the Jewish Hebrew calendar
date for Adam is 3761 BC. Again,
in the corrected calendar, 37 BC was 931 years (19 jubilees) (49 x 19
years) after Solomon founded the temple in 968 BC and 294 years (6
jubilees) after Alexander allowed Jerusalem to keep their sabbaticals after
331 BC. From
Josephus, the famous Jewish historian, we learn that Herod captured Jerusalem
in a sabbatical year, in 37 BC. This date should merge with the Jewish date
of creation in 3761 BC, and it does. 3761 BC minus 37 BC equals 3724 (49
times 76). This period also equals 19 jubilees times 4 or 4 jubilees times 19
years. Therefore, the new Jewish calendar would begin its new cycles for the
sabbaticals, jubilees and 19 years after
in 3761 BC. This implies a motive for the
Jews subtracting four jubilees (196 years) between 3957 BC and 3761 BC. They
removed 60 years between Abraham and his father and 136 years from their date
for Solomon’s temple (968 – 832 = 136 years) (136 + 60 = 196 years). Their
date is 832 BC, not 968 BC. Context of the 19-Year and Jubilee
Cycles
The first
century historian, Josephus, said Herod conquered Jerusalem in a sabbatical
year, in 37 BC. This was 196 19-year cycles after the Hebrew
calendar date of Creation in 3761 BC, as in TABLE 1. This also means that
3761, 968 and 37 BC all aligned with a Hebrew 19-year cycle. This also means that 37 BC was 19 cycles of
196 years (four jubilees) after the Hebrew date of Creation. 37 BC was also 502 years (251 x 2) after Cyrus
captured Babylon in 539 BC and 294 years (six jubilees) after Alexander
conquered Palestine and allowed the Jews to observe sabbaticals without
paying tribute after 331 BC. Another major clue is that Jerusalem and Rome had extensive commercial ties in the first century. The dragon and the beast (Jerusalem and Rome) were heavily involved with buying, selling, importing and exporting among the nations. A follower of Herod showed Christ a coin, which had an image of the Caesar. |
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TABLE
2. 427-Year and 931-Year Patterns from Adam down to 37 BC |
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After |
BC |
427-Year |
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Revised date for Adam 1 |
3957 |
(3957 – 3761 = 196) |
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Rabbi’s date for Adam 196 |
3761 |
4 jubilees |
931 years (49 x 19) |
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Date Adam died 931 |
3026 |
19 jubilees |
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Flood 1656 +52 |
2301 |
(1656 in King James) |
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3957 to 37 BC |
3761 to 37 BC |
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427 |
427 |
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Abraham’s calling at age 75 427 x
5 = 2135 |
1822 |
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427 |
427 |
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Revised
Exodus 427 x 6 = 2562 |
1395 |
(Amenhotep II) |
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427 |
427 |
(479 in I Kings
6:1 minus 52 = 427) |
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Temple Founded
427 x 7 = 2989 |
968 |
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931 |
-931 |
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968 to 37 BC |
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3920 |
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931 years (49 x
19) |
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37 |
37 |
Herod captures Jerusalem |
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Total:
3957 |
1 AD |
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For
details on the 427-year pattern from Adam to the flood, see TABLE 4 at http://code251.com/code427.pdf |
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Jubilees
> |
3920 years= 392 x 10 |
3724 years = |
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Note
on TABLE 2: Samaritan and rabbis agree that a jubilee cycle began at the
flood, when Shem was age 98 and allegedly age 490 when Isaac was born.
Whether or not the flood should be delayed 52 years (1656+52= 1708 = 427 x 4)
and 52 years are subtracted after the exodus, there are still 427 times 7
from Adam to the temple and 427 x 7 from the temple to 2022 AD. The
rabbis subtracted 196 years between Adam and the temple. They subtracted 60
years between Abraham and his father and their date for the temple is 832 BC
instead of 968 BC (968 – 832 = 136 years) (60 + 136 = 196). Moreover,
according to Acts 7:2, Abraham was called in Ur, before his father died in
Haran. |
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First Century ContextCommentators
often allege that the Revelation of apostle John was in about 96 AD, and that
he was killed long after the temple fell in 70 AD by Emperor Domition, the
brother of Titus. (These were two sons of Emperor Vespasian). Irenaeus has
been credited with dating Revelation in about 96 AD, but it is very likely
that he was unaware that Emperor Nero Caesar was born “Lucius Domitius
Ahenobarbus”. Domitius was Nero’s family name. His father was Gnaeus Domitius
Ahenobarbus. Nero was a tyrant. Legend
says that Apostle James’ brother, Apostle John (who allegedly wrote
Revelation) was boiled in oil perhaps before 70 AD. To
falsely associate John with Emperor Domitian after 70 AD instead of Emperor
Nero before 70 AD, many say that John survived and was exiled to Patmos to
hide his miraculous survival of the boiling oil, and returned to Ephesus to
die there in 98 AD. Contrary this view, Christ had told John and his brother,
James, they would both die, that is, “drink of the same cup” that he was
about to drink, which referred to his dying on the cross. James was martyred
in 44 AD. Therefore, 98 AD seems much too late for his brother, John, to die.
Moreover,
John wrote before 70 AD. In his gospel, he said, “Now there is at
Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew
tongue Bethesda…” This statement implies that John wrote before Jerusalem and
its pool were destroyed in 70 AD. The Beast of Revelation = 666The
dynasty of Herod (the dragon) served the Caesar dynasty (the beast). Because
of his persecution of Christians from 64 to 68 AD, many of those living in
the first century associated the name of Nero Caesar with the number 666 just
as we are told in Revelation 13:18. Therefore,
there are reasons to believe “the beast” lived in the first century, before
70 AD. Scrolls
from a cave, Wadi Murabba’at, refer to the second year of Nero (55 AD) as a
sabbatical year and spells his name “Neron Qsr” (Neron Kaisar) in Hebrew,
which counts to 666. However,
in Latin, the name is “Nero Caesar”, which equals 616 without the extra n
in Neron. NRON
KSR (in Greek) equals: N=50, R=200, O=6, N=50, K=100, S=60, R=200.
These total 666 (as in Rev. 13:18). 666
also points to the Roman numeric and monetary systems: I=1, V=5, X=10, L=50,
C=100, D=500. These count to 666. Again, note that money used in Judah had
the Caesar’s image on it (Mat 22:21) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julio-Claudian_family_tree. Julius
Caesar’s dynasty ended in 68 AD with the death of Nero Caesar, whose name
counted to 666 (Rev 13:17-18). His dynasty was replaced with that of
Vespasion and his two sons, Titus and Domition (Rev 13:11). Another
clue is that the Roman dynasty of Julius Caesar consisted of six successive
emperors after Julius Caesar, after 44 BC, until after Nero Caesar’s death in
68 AD (Rev. 17:9-10). “Here
is the mind which has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which
the woman sits… there are seven kings: Five are fallen, one is, and one is
yet to come” (Rev 17:10). These
are (1.) Julius Caesar (49-44 BC), (2) Augustus Caesar (31 BC-14AD, (3)
Tiberius Caesar (14-37 AD), (4) Gaus, i.e., Caligula Caesar (37-41 AD), (5)
Claudius Caesar (41-54 AD) and (6) Nero Caesar (54-68 AD). These were all
Caesars. The First Century JubileesNevertheless,
there has been some chaos in being very certain the 7-year sabbatical and
49-year jubilee cycles are correct. For instance, one version says the fall
of 34 AD began a jubilee year. It aligns with the false view that the first
temple was burned in 421 BC, which was 35 years after Josiah found the lost
book of Moses allegedly in 458 BC and began a new jubilee cycle at that time. Another
version says a jubilee cycle began in 457 BC, when Ezra returned to
Jerusalem. This aligns with jubilees in 604 BC (the first year of
Nebuchadnezzar, when Daniel was taken to Babylon) and 457 BC (the seventh
year of Artaxerxes), and 407 BC (14 years after 421 BC), and 34 AD (when Paul
was called, and 83 AD (14 years after the second temple was burned in 69-70
AD) and 132 AD (the jubilee during the Bar Kochba Revolt). These
two versions conflict with the jubilee cycle of 3957, 3761, 331 and 37 BC. Therefore,
“the last 3½ years” in Revelation have allegedly been so illusive that one
minister simply instructed his followers to observe the sabbaticals from the
years of their baptisms, and Christ will restore the year it should be
observed when he returns. The
First Century “Dragon” Well, the time has finally come to unveil the
context of Revelation 12 and 13. Google for “dragon and the beast”, and it
will receive over a million hits. This shows there is enormous interest, but
there’s little or no consensus on the proper first century context! Why isn’t
there just one satisfactory view on this? A major clue is that the dragon was poised ready to
devour a “man-child” (Rev 12:4). Therefore, the dragon seems to represent
King Herod, who killed the children of Bethlehem to remove a rival “King of
the Jews”. When did Herod the dragon appear? In the first
century! How did the “dragon” receive power from the beast? It came from Rome
and the Roman occupiers coming into Palestine out of the sea! But what is the true context? There are several
clues commentators seem to be eager to hide. A common assumption is that the woman represents a
“good church”, which would deserve to flee to a “place of safety” during the
“last 3½ years”, in our near future. The “rest of her seed” allegedly
represents another “lukewarm church”, which would allegedly remain behind and
pursued by the dragon. Actually, since the Garden of Eden, a particular
“woman”, Mary, would eventually give birth to a man child, the Messiah. After
his birth, he was killed and was “caught up” to heaven, and his mother had
“other seed”, which the dragon sought to devour (Rev 12:17). Why? Because her
offspring were descendants of David and were contenders for David’s throne
and rivals for the title, “King of the Jews” (as illustrated in TABLES 2
& 4). The “Master’s kin”, the “Desposyni”, were Davidites,
that is, princes and heirs of David, the line of “kings of the Jews”. Jesus
was considered to be a “son of David” (Mat 12:3, 23; 15:22; 21:9, 15; Lk
1:32). Herod had another line of kings of the Jews, but he was an Edomite. Some of the Desposyni became leaders of the church
of Jerusalem, which had seven branches (seven candles) listed in Revelation 2
and 3. The candlestick itself (with its seven branches) was in the temple.
Other Davidites, like Barabus and perhaps the apostle “Simon Zelotes” were
related to guerilla freedom fighters or “Zealots” of Nazareth and Galilee
(TABLE 4). When the branches had disputes, they brought the
issues to the apostles in Jerusalem (Acts 15). Perhaps commentators have a hidden motive for
defining the woman as a church. First Century 3½ Year Context
After the “man-child” was resurrected and “caught
up” into heaven, his mother fled into a wilderness for 3½ years (Rev 12:5-6).
If the crucifixion were in the spring of 31 AD, then the 3½ years ended in the
fall of 34. What is so special about this particular date, 34 AD? First of all, it is the end of seven years and
would, therefore, be a sabbatical year, and the jubilee is announced in the
fall of the seventh year (Lev 25:9) in 34 AD if the Jews considered a
previous jubilee to have occurred 14 years after the temple burned in 422 BC,
which is doubtful. This view conflicts with a jubilee in 37 BC. Second, the fall of 34 AD began a jubilee year if
the fall of 132 AD began a jubilee year (34 + 98 = 132 AD) as claimed by
those in the Bar Kochba Revolt. This view conflicts with a jubilee in 37 BC.
After the fall of 132, the Jews revolted against the Roman occupiers, because
they expected to get their land back from the Romans in a jubilee year. There
was allegedly a jubilee 14 years after Jerusalem fell in 70 AD, and there was
allegedly a jubilee in 574 BC, 14 years after Jerusalem fell the first time
(as the one believed to have occurred in Ezek 40:1). This means another
jubilee was allegedly in 34 AD and 83 AD (34 + 49 = 83 AD), 14 years
after the fall of Jerusalem (as the one believed to have occurred in Ezek
40:1). The Dragon and Mary’s “Seed” (Jesus’ Siblings) and the Apostolic SuccessionHere
is the fulfillment of Genesis 3:15: “I will put enmity between you {the
serpent} and the woman {Mary} and between your seed and her seed; it shall
bruise your heal, and you shall bruise his head.” Before his crucifixion, Christ said, “Now is the judgment of
this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out” (John 12:31). At this time, the temple veil was ripped in half to allow a new kingdom of priests to go behind the veil and have direct access to the Higher Realm. The man child arose from the dead, ascended into heaven, where Michael and his angels cast down to earth the dragon, “the accuser”, with his third of all angels. Revelation 12 is about a
mysterious “dragon” fixated upon devouring a certain woman’s offspring, her
“man child”. We can discern that the woman represents Mary, and her “man
child” represents Christ, who was to become the true “Prince of David”, and
“King of the Jews”. The dragon represents Herod, who pretended to be a Jew
bearing that same title (Rev 2:9; Rom 9:6). This is the first century
context. Herod rendered all of his
power to Caesar, the Emperor of Rome (Rev 13:4). He received power from Rome
to kill all the male children in Bethlehem and to “devour” his competition. Therefore, Herod and his
offspring pursue Mary, her “Man-child” and her other offspring for 33 years,
until her Man-child escapes by ascending into heaven, and she escapes by
fleeing into a wilderness for 3½ years, while the dragon pursues the “remnant
of her seed” (Rev 12:17). If the crucifixion,
resurrection and Christ’s ascension were in the spring of 31 AD, then these
3½ years would end in the fall of 34 AD, allegedly when the jubilee was to be
announced in the fall of the sabbatical year (Lev 25:9). Perhaps this becomes
a prime example of a jubilee during the Christian era. We know that 98 years later, 3,000 followers of Simon Bar Kochba believed there was a jubilee in 132 AD, when they revolted against the Roman occupiers in order to regain their land, which Joshua had given them in 1402 BC. Saul
persecuted the church after Christ’s ascension in 31 AD, until he consented
to Stephen’s death in 34 AD. After the 3½ years, the jubilee was to be
announced, and Paul was converted perhaps near the beginning of the new
jubilee cycle, and he began his mission to reach the Gentiles. So the gospel
first went to the Jews during the 3½ years. This
also implies that Mary had “seed”, other children, in addition to the
Man-child. We know that her son James (Gal 1:19) was a leader of the Church
at Jerusalem in 49 AD (Acts 15:13), and her other children were Jude “of
Galilee”, Joseph, Simon, Miriam, Salome and Anne. Seven Branches of the Jerusalem ChurchSeven
churches sprang from the Church at Jerusalem. First,
after the crucifixion, Mary came under the care of Apostle John (Jn
19:25-27), son of Zebedee, and, according to tradition, they removed to build
the first church mentioned in Revelation 2 and 3, the Church at Ephesus
in today’s western Turkey. Allegedly both died in or near Ephesus (Catholic
view). Timothy was the first bishop of Ephesus. Second,
the apostle John baptized Polycarp (in about 80 AD), and Polycarp became a
leader of the second of the seven churches (Rev 2:8), the Church at Smyrna,
after the sabbatical of 97 AD. This was in about the time of John’s
death. Polycarp proclaimed the teachings of the apostles until the sabbatical
of 168 AD, when he and 12 companions were martyred, burned alive. Third,
we can speculate that the third church, Pergamos, is somehow linked with
Simon Fourth, Irenaeus was ambiguous in
dating Apostle John’s visions in Revelation. He said, “For (John or John’s
book or John’s vision) was seen not very long ago, but almost in our day,
towards the end of Domitian’s reign” (Saint Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses
5, 30, 3). Domitian ended September 18, 96. Desposyni refers to the three
well-known legitimate bloodlines descending from the family of Jesus that
governed the Jewish Christians and the “Mother Church” at Jerusalem. After Constantine captured Rome
in 312, eight members met with Pope Sylvester to allow the desposynos bishops
to govern in Antioch, Ephesus, Alexandria as well as in Jerusalem. After the Nicene Council in 325, Constantine became an emperor
with the “last word” on even religious matters. He decided the Jewish
Christians could continue observing their memorials of Jewish history and
their laws. However, Christian non-Jews throughout the Roman Empire were not
part of that history. They would have their own governors. This decision led
to persecuting Jews, which had been making proselytes of the non-Jewish (The
Decline and Fall of the Roman Church, Malachi Martin). |
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TABLE 2. “Holy Family” or Desposyni down to
Emperor Constantine |
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Matthan |
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Jacob “Nasi” |
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m:1 |
m:2 Cleopatra |
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Bishop |
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Joseph |
Ptolas |
Cleophas |
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Androsieus |
Matthias |
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Jesus |
Saint
James “Major” 1st Bishop of Jerusalem |
Simon |
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James “Minor” “The Less” |
Jude “Thaddeus” “Labbarus” |
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Artesias |
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Jude |
John |
Zekkel |
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John & Jude |
Pape “Pappus” |
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Evarist |
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8 generations |
7-8 generations |
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8 generations |
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Adelphius |
Matthias |
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John visits Pope Sylvester |
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Constantine of Britain captured Rome in 312 AD |
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Did Mary have Other Children? The twin sons of Cleopatra (Ptolas and Cleophas) became viewed as
brothers of Joseph (Jesus’ step father). Why? After Ptolas died, his wife
(Escha) and children allegedly resided with Joseph and Mary. This supports
the view that Mary remained “immaculate” by not conceiving other children
with Joseph. Allegedly,
Ptolas’ offspring were: James
“Major”, Jose, Simon, Jude of Galilee, Mary, Salome and Anne. Allegedly, Clophus’ children were:
James “Minor”, Jose, Simon, Jude “Thaddeus”, Cyria, Salome, JoAnna, Lillian,
Susanna, Miriam & Dinah. If Joseph were their brother, he would likely
have used the same names. |
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