Nearly everyone who’s dared plunge into the mysteries of the book of Revelation has been captivated by the number of the beast – 666. Of course there are numbers everywhere – the 144,000 sealed, the 1,000-year reign, the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse, and many multiples of 7: seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls, seven churches. But 666 is such an unusual number, it strikes a different chord. Perhaps because the figure it represents is so terrifying – a monstrous beast, an antichrist figure, who dares to brazenly stand in defiance of the Lamb of God and his people – successfully for a time – worshipped by the inhabitants of the earth (13:8), with great and terrible powers.
Revelation is apocalyptic literature, steeped in symbolism and mystery. And here (13:17), we discover that the mark of the beast is his name – or the number of his name – 666. The author calls for wisdom and insight to ‘calculate’ this number – ‘for it is man’s number’. What does this mean? And WHO is this beast?
For centuries, biblical interpreters of all stripes have puzzled over this, and the Beast has been variously identified as the Pope, Hitler, Napolean, the EU, unpopular US presidents, or most strangely, Henry Kissinger! But step back a moment. Hebrews loved number symbolism. The OT is filled with it. But Hebrew has no numbers. Numbers are made from letters. Imagine A=1, B=2 etc. J=10, K=20, then S=100, T=200. Any name or word can be symbolised by numbers. My name (Daniel) adds up to 99. But here’s the catch. You can’t go backwards! If you start with 99, it could be my name – or lots of other names as well. This requires additional insight.
Someone might scribble, ‘I love the girl whose name is 545’. The girl would know it’s her (and his friends might figure it out), but no one else could be certain. There’s actually a name for this: isopsephy (word-value math). But Revelation was written in Greek, not Hebrew. So… in a clever twist, the word beast in Greek (θηρίον), AND the name of Nero Caesar (Νέρων Καῖσαρ), translated into Hebrew letters, BOTH add up to 666! The number 6 in Hebrew symbolised imperfection – man in relation to God. Three 6s is an unholy trinity of imperfection – a failed attempt to be godlike.
Every Jew in John’s day would have known that 666 referred to Nero Caesar. But that’s not all…
Addendum
Nero (and others, like Domitian) symbolised Roman imperial power (the evil empire of its day). Many future emperors and empires would exhibit the same ‘beastly’ qualities. In modern times, one might apply this to Hitler, the Soviet Union, the Ayatollah, or a future Anti-christ, take your pick. With a bit of manipulation, one might find ways to make any of these add up to 666. There may eventually be a truly epic antichrist figure who attempts to defy Christ, demand worship, and persecute God’s people – or perhaps it’s a system or the power behind it. But there have been many such through history, far worse than Nero. If John was indeed pointing to a future Antichrist (one like Nero), we should be warned. It’s not the mark of the beast we should fear, but our own response. Do we capitulate to evil, or resist and stand faithful to Christ?
*Credit to Ian Paul for the above insights into numerology.
