Nero was the last of the Julio-Claudian family leaders. The 7 kings are all related. Of the same family. The Julio-Claudians. Julius Caesar was the first of the Julio-Claudians, but was not an emperor, but dictator for life. Thus is not in the list of emperors.
Julio-Claudian dynasty - Wikipedia
"The
Julio-Claudian dynasty was the first
Roman imperial
dynasty, consisting of the first five
emperors—
Augustus,
Tiberius,
Caligula,
Claudius, and
Nero[1]—or the
family to which they belonged. They ruled the
Roman Empire from its formation under Augustus in 27 BC until AD 68 (95 years),
when the last of the line, Nero, committed
suicide"
The 7 kings of Revelation 17:10 are:
1. Julius Caesar (dictator for life)
2. Augustus (1st emperor)
3. Tiberius (2nd emperor)
4. Caligula (3rd emperor)
5. Claudius (4th emperor)
6. Nero (5th emperor)
7. The end times little horn person (forthcoming leader of the EU)
Most futurist don't realize that by interpreting the beast of Revelation 17 as you have - a progression of ancient empires anything like this...
1. Julius Caesar (dictator for life)
2. Augustus (1st emperor)
3. Tiberius (2nd emperor)
4. Caligula (3rd emperor)
5. Claudius (4th emperor)
6. Nero (5th emperor)
7. The end times little horn person (forthcoming leader of the EU)
...makes it primarily a Preterist interpretation.
The problem in that interpretation is the 7th king is the beast that was, and is not, and yet is....
And the beast that was, and is not,
even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.
How would the EU fit into the seven?
The Rev. 17 beast with 7 heads and ten horns represents people that live in the last days, not millennia ago. It should be easy to see that by looking at the wording and context. Worse than that. I believe it's in error to attributed this to Rome who isn't involved in any beast.
Both the heads and horns are said to be kings. FIVE ARE FALLEN or five 'have fallen' is a mistake. ARE is present, fallen is past! The word ARE is a third person plural present indicative. This passage isn't a union of ancient world empires or people. It's a picture of a complete end-time beast.
There are seven kings, "FIVE FALL" is the correct translation.
www.scripture4all.org/OnlineI...Tpdf/rev17.pdf
The interlinear... ...AND KINGS SEVEN ARE THE FIVE FALL
Some interpret them this way...
Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece (who had fallen by John's time.) Some people used the Roman Emperor's listed above by Dougg.
These 'kings' can't be ANCIENT kingdoms because...
"They have received no kingdom as yet," and...
"They receive power as kings
one hour with the beast," and...
How can they "have
one mind," and "how shall they give their power and strength unto the beast," and...
HOW CAN THEY, "make war with the Lamb," ...
IF SIX OF THEM EXISTED THOUSANDS OF YEARS IN THE PAST!