I believe the Beast was Nero. There's to much evidence for that.
My question is Were John’s original readers meant to understand, the followers of the beast would receive a literal and visible mark on their hands or forehead? which I believe occurred in Nero’s day. Those who worshipped the emperor received a certificate or mark of approval – charagma, the same word used in Revelation 13:16 In addition, Nero had coins minted in which he was called “almighty God” and “Savior.” Nero’s portrait also appears on coins as the god.
The mark of the beast is the charagma. Charagma is the Greek word for mark. The charagma is a brand, etching, engraving, stamp or seal used to notarize official documents or documents of purchase, brand slaves as a mark of ownership, mark soldiers with the name of their general, and tattoo religious devotees of a particular god.
It was also the name given to the image of the emperor stamped on currency. Thus each Roman coin was literally “marked” with the face and name of Caesar. The presence of the charagma or mark of Caesar on Roman coins and deeds of purchase made it impossible to buy or sell without it. Thus one could accurately say that Roman coins and deeds of purchase were a physical aspect of the mark of the beast since they were literally marked with the name and image of Caesar, the beast.
Interestingly, Ignatius an early Christian writer who lived from A.D. 35 to A.D. 107 seems to confirm the above interpretation concerning the fact that the physical mark of the beast was Roman money: “For just as there are two coinages, the one of God and the other of the world, and each of them hath its proper stamp impressed upon it, the unbelievers the stamp of this world, but the faithful in love the stamp of God the Father through Jesus Christ.”131 Recall that charagma, the Greek word for mark, was the same word used to refer to the stamp on Roman currency.
As stated above, the saints and the wicked were marked on their hands and foreheads with the name of the one to whom they serve and are devoted (Revelation 7:3; 13:16-17; 14:1) just as a slave was often marked to denote the identity of their owner. In other words, the two marks of Revelation are distinct brands intended to separate the servants or slaves of God from the servants or slaves of the beast. And just as the seal of God sometimes had a physical manifestation or component (Exodus 28:36, Matthew 23:5), the mark of the beast also clearly had a tangible sign or component (Revelation 13:16-17). The tangible aspect of the mark of the beast were Roman coins and deeds of purchase which were said to be quite literally marked with the image of Caesar and Rome, the beast. The charagma or mark of the beast is the tangible manifestation of a spiritual mark of idolatrous service and devotion to Caesar and is therefore the dark counterpart of the seal given to those devoted to God in Revelation 7:3; 14:1; Exodus 13; and Ezekiel 9:3-6. Thus the mark of Revelation is a brand denoting the name of the true king to whom one is a devoted slave or servant132 If a person is a devoted servant of Christ, this person is spiritually marked with the name of the Father and the Lamb on their forehead (Revelation 14:1). If a person is only devoted to Caesar, the beast, (in this case because of greed) then this person is marked with “the name of the beast or the number of its name” as stated in Revelation 13:16-17.
During Jesus’ crucifixion, the wealthy elites chanted, “We have no king but Caesar” in John 19:15. Those who sought to have Jesus killed saying that they have no king but Caesar, of course, have the mark of the beast. These wealthy Jewish elites who sought to have Jesus killed while vociferously allying themselves with Caesar did so because of greed. The clear and inextricable Biblical and historical link between Roman money, the plot to kill Jesus and passionate devotion to Caesar over and above God will be thoroughly explained shortly, but before addressing this link it is necessary to highlight the idolatrous nature of Roman coins from the perspective of a first-century Jew.
--OR--
Or was the language John used metaphors of the hand representing one’s deeds and the forehead representing one’s thoughts? Maybe this is a reference to Moses’ instructions to the people of Israel that they were to bind the words of God “as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes” (Deuteronomy 6:8). In this case, the apostate followers of the beast would not be symbolically marked with the words of God, but with their allegiance to the one who stood opposed to God and His people.
All money was marked with Caesar's name and or image. No one could buy or sell unless he had the mark of the beast which was a coin.
When we read about a "mark" on the forehead, hand, heart etc. Right off the bat we should know this is figurative (symbolic) language not literal. Take for example Ezekiel 9:3-6 The Lord tells an angel to place a "mark on the foreheads" on the righteous and uses a writer's inkhorn. Do you really think an angel goes around carrying a writer's inkhorn dotting foreheads? No, this is a symbolic way of showing ownership. In this case people were set apart, the righteous from the unrighteous. And as we can see it didn't look good for the unrighteous. They did not have the spiritual mark on their forehead. God knows who is His.
In Revelation 14:1 God places His "mark" on those that are His and in Revelation 14:9-11 A "mark" is also received on those who worship the beast etc. Again this is symbolic language that separates the righteous from the unrighteous. It's meaning is spiritual not physical.
Let me ask you this, Isn't worship from the heart? Isn't Jesus stamped on your forehead. Jesus knows who are His and dwells within them. So, no matter what kind of stupid implants, barcodes, tattoos or vaccines are force on us, nobody cannot make us worship something that isn't in our hearts. Right?
I CAN GO EITHER WAY BUT FULFILLED IN THE FIRST CENTURY.
My question is Were John’s original readers meant to understand, the followers of the beast would receive a literal and visible mark on their hands or forehead? which I believe occurred in Nero’s day. Those who worshipped the emperor received a certificate or mark of approval – charagma, the same word used in Revelation 13:16 In addition, Nero had coins minted in which he was called “almighty God” and “Savior.” Nero’s portrait also appears on coins as the god.
The mark of the beast is the charagma. Charagma is the Greek word for mark. The charagma is a brand, etching, engraving, stamp or seal used to notarize official documents or documents of purchase, brand slaves as a mark of ownership, mark soldiers with the name of their general, and tattoo religious devotees of a particular god.
It was also the name given to the image of the emperor stamped on currency. Thus each Roman coin was literally “marked” with the face and name of Caesar. The presence of the charagma or mark of Caesar on Roman coins and deeds of purchase made it impossible to buy or sell without it. Thus one could accurately say that Roman coins and deeds of purchase were a physical aspect of the mark of the beast since they were literally marked with the name and image of Caesar, the beast.
Interestingly, Ignatius an early Christian writer who lived from A.D. 35 to A.D. 107 seems to confirm the above interpretation concerning the fact that the physical mark of the beast was Roman money: “For just as there are two coinages, the one of God and the other of the world, and each of them hath its proper stamp impressed upon it, the unbelievers the stamp of this world, but the faithful in love the stamp of God the Father through Jesus Christ.”131 Recall that charagma, the Greek word for mark, was the same word used to refer to the stamp on Roman currency.
As stated above, the saints and the wicked were marked on their hands and foreheads with the name of the one to whom they serve and are devoted (Revelation 7:3; 13:16-17; 14:1) just as a slave was often marked to denote the identity of their owner. In other words, the two marks of Revelation are distinct brands intended to separate the servants or slaves of God from the servants or slaves of the beast. And just as the seal of God sometimes had a physical manifestation or component (Exodus 28:36, Matthew 23:5), the mark of the beast also clearly had a tangible sign or component (Revelation 13:16-17). The tangible aspect of the mark of the beast were Roman coins and deeds of purchase which were said to be quite literally marked with the image of Caesar and Rome, the beast. The charagma or mark of the beast is the tangible manifestation of a spiritual mark of idolatrous service and devotion to Caesar and is therefore the dark counterpart of the seal given to those devoted to God in Revelation 7:3; 14:1; Exodus 13; and Ezekiel 9:3-6. Thus the mark of Revelation is a brand denoting the name of the true king to whom one is a devoted slave or servant132 If a person is a devoted servant of Christ, this person is spiritually marked with the name of the Father and the Lamb on their forehead (Revelation 14:1). If a person is only devoted to Caesar, the beast, (in this case because of greed) then this person is marked with “the name of the beast or the number of its name” as stated in Revelation 13:16-17.
During Jesus’ crucifixion, the wealthy elites chanted, “We have no king but Caesar” in John 19:15. Those who sought to have Jesus killed saying that they have no king but Caesar, of course, have the mark of the beast. These wealthy Jewish elites who sought to have Jesus killed while vociferously allying themselves with Caesar did so because of greed. The clear and inextricable Biblical and historical link between Roman money, the plot to kill Jesus and passionate devotion to Caesar over and above God will be thoroughly explained shortly, but before addressing this link it is necessary to highlight the idolatrous nature of Roman coins from the perspective of a first-century Jew.
--OR--
Or was the language John used metaphors of the hand representing one’s deeds and the forehead representing one’s thoughts? Maybe this is a reference to Moses’ instructions to the people of Israel that they were to bind the words of God “as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes” (Deuteronomy 6:8). In this case, the apostate followers of the beast would not be symbolically marked with the words of God, but with their allegiance to the one who stood opposed to God and His people.
All money was marked with Caesar's name and or image. No one could buy or sell unless he had the mark of the beast which was a coin.
When we read about a "mark" on the forehead, hand, heart etc. Right off the bat we should know this is figurative (symbolic) language not literal. Take for example Ezekiel 9:3-6 The Lord tells an angel to place a "mark on the foreheads" on the righteous and uses a writer's inkhorn. Do you really think an angel goes around carrying a writer's inkhorn dotting foreheads? No, this is a symbolic way of showing ownership. In this case people were set apart, the righteous from the unrighteous. And as we can see it didn't look good for the unrighteous. They did not have the spiritual mark on their forehead. God knows who is His.
In Revelation 14:1 God places His "mark" on those that are His and in Revelation 14:9-11 A "mark" is also received on those who worship the beast etc. Again this is symbolic language that separates the righteous from the unrighteous. It's meaning is spiritual not physical.
Let me ask you this, Isn't worship from the heart? Isn't Jesus stamped on your forehead. Jesus knows who are His and dwells within them. So, no matter what kind of stupid implants, barcodes, tattoos or vaccines are force on us, nobody cannot make us worship something that isn't in our hearts. Right?
I CAN GO EITHER WAY BUT FULFILLED IN THE FIRST CENTURY.