World English Bible · Under Rome
Revelation 13
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Then I stood on the sand of the sea. I saw a beast coming up out of the sea, having ten and seven heads. On his were ten , and on his heads, blasphemous names. which I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his like the of a lion. The dragon gave him his , his , and great . One of his heads looked like it had been wounded fatally. His fatal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled at . They the dragon because he gave his to ; and they , saying, "Who is like ? Who is able to make war with him?" A speaking great things and blasphemy was given to him. to make war for forty-two months was given to him. He opened his for blasphemy against , to blaspheme his name, his dwelling, and those who in . It was given to him to make war with and to overcome them. over every tribe, people, language, and nation was given to him. All who on the earth will him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the of who has been killed. If anyone has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is to go into , he will go into . If anyone is to be killed with , he must be killed. Here is the and the of . I saw another beast coming up out of the earth. He had two like and it spoke like a dragon. He exercises all the of the first beast in his . He makes the earth and those who in it to the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed. He performs great signs, even making come down out of to the earth in the sight of people. He deceives my own people who on the earth because of the signs he was granted to do in front of , saying to those who on the earth that they should make an to who had wound and lived. It was given to him to give breath to the of , that the of should both speak, and cause as many as wouldn't the of to be killed. He causes all, the small and the great, the rich and , and the free and the , to be given marks on their right hands or on their foreheads; and that no one would be able to buy or to sell unless he has that mark, which is the name of or the number of his name. Here is . He who has understanding, let him calculate the number of , for it is the number of a man. His number is six hundred sixty-six.
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The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.