>>20180414>Revelation 13:16" A libellus (plural libelli) in the Roman Empire was any brief document written on individual pages (as opposed to scrolls or tablets), particularly official documents issued by governmental authorities.
The term libellus has particular historical significance for the libelli that were issued during the reign of Emperor Decius to citizens to certify performance of required pagan sacrifices in order to demonstrate loyalty to the authorities of the Roman Empire. During later periods libelli were issued as certificates of indulgence, in which the confessors or martyrs interceded for apostate Christians.
Mark of the Beast: it already happened.
Verses 16-17. The mark is a figurative mark. The mark is a symbol of ownership. The mark of the beast is going to be contrasted with the mark the Christians receive in chapter 14. We have seen earlier that the servants of God were marked with the seal of God. These are symbols of ownership. The servants of God are marked showing that they belong to the Lamb. The inhabitants of the world are marked to show they belong to the beast. Though not literal marks, the meaning of the markings has a historical reference. There was going to be a time when those who did not submit to the emperor worship and emperor sacrifices would not be allowed to participate in normal marketplace activities. They would not be able to buy food at the marketplace or sell the produce of their land to make money to provide for themselves. "
definitely happened in the past, preterism makes sense for the most part of the Revelation. The new heaven and new earth have already been inaugurated by Christ in the New Testament (Isaiah 65:17-25 says that there will still be death, but the lives of people will become better because of the Gospel). The return of Christ is the consummation, it is the Revelation 21
So if Christ explicitly says that nobody knows that hour, then that it is. Revelation 13:16 can only be interpreted implicitly
