Gibo,

I have translations of the Dead Scrolls. There is not much there on the Beast or 666. These documents would suggest the quram/Wssence communities saw Jerusalem playing a bigger role in The End Days. Redemption according to some sect beleieces did apply to the Gentiles. It is hard to put together a date, so many times, peoples' predictions have been wrong. Personally, I think that the apocalypse was to -and obviously didn't- occur in the latter first to early second century. Four hundred and millennia dates are were/also popular.

Dating is also difficult because the Hebrews/Jews used Lunar calendar and we are related events to the Julian/Gegorian calendar. Herod the Great, I understand, died in 4 BCE; herein, Jesus may have been born 7 BCE making forty at the time of his death. If Jesus has a son latter rather than sooner his [illegitate] claim on the House of David would become stronger again broether James, who was born after Joseph and Mary were married [legitimate].

I think it is interesting Jesus referred to Peter as the Rock, which means Peter was the Mountain of Zion. Peter died before he became the Rock foudation. Moreover, Zion was Hellenised (Paul) and Romanised (Constantine). Very early in church history and James would have been a stronger contender from the House of David to ready for The End Days?

The idea [and in fact at times the practice] of transnationals exploiting the World goes back to at least 1601, wherein Elizabeth I granted monopolies to traders.