Why Is the Number of the Beast 666?
黙示録 (13:15–18) で言及されているように、666 という数字は獣の番号として特定されています。「666」の出現は、悪魔の呼びかけとみなされ、呪われているとみなされることがあります。(English) The number 666 is identified as the Number of the Beast, as mentioned in the Book of Revelation (13:15–18). The occurrence of "666" is sometimes viewed as an invocation of Satan and regarded as cursed.
Why Is the Number of the Beast 666?
//Summary -Level-C2//
The number 666, associated with the Beast in Revelation 13:18, has been widely debated. It is often linked to gematria, where letters represent numbers, but no conclusive identification of a historical figure has been found. The number is likely symbolic, contrasting with the divine sevens in Revelation and representing imperfection. The Beast embodies fallen humanity and warns against compromise with idolatrous culture throughout history. Spiritual discernment is urged to resist the deception of the enemy.
1)
Revelation 13:18 says, "Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for the number is that of a man: and his number is six hundred and threescore and six.
This is one of the most debated verses in the entire book of Revelation because there is widespread disagreement over the identification and meaning of 666. The most common line of interpretation is that of gematria: in the ancient world, letters of the alphabet were often substituted for numbers (our numerical system comes from later Arabic mathematicians). So each letter represented a number.
2)
EVALUATING THE OPTIONS
The problem is that there is no clear identification of 666 with any particular ancient historical name. Attempts have been made to change spellings and incorporate titles to make a variety of names fit, but nothing conclusive has emerged. Most commonly, the number has been identified with Nero, based on a Hebrew transliteration of the title "Nero Caesar".
However, this option runs into confusion over the exact Hebrew spelling of Caesar and does not fit with the fact that John's readers were largely Greek-speaking and that Nero had many titles other than Caesar. Furthermore, if John were using gematria, he would have warned his readers by saying something like "the number in Hebrew (or Greek) is ..." just as he uses the phrases "in Hebrew" or "in Greek".
3)
Unsuccessful attempts have been made to identify the number with other Roman emperors or combinations of emperors. (Over 100 names were proposed in Britain between 1560 and 1830.) In the last century, the names of the Kaiser and Hitler, among others, have also been calculated to be 666.
All attempts to identify the number with the literal calculation of a person's name run into difficulties because of the symbolic way language, and numbers are used in the book. None of the many proposed solutions using the literal gematria form of calculation is ultimately satisfactory because so many ancient and modern names could match the number.
The reason for so many proposals, as one commentator says, is that it is easy to turn a character into a number but complicated to derive the correct word from a number.
4)
OTHER FACTORS IN THE REVELATION
If the number were intended to be identified with a ruler by such a literal calculation, it would be a rare exception to how numbers are used elsewhere in the book. Numbers throughout Revelation have symbolic significance, symbolising some spiritual reality.
None involves any literal gematria calculation: for example, 24 elders, seven seals, 144,000, 3.5 years, two witnesses, seven heads and ten horns. This position is supported by the immediately following vision in 14:1 of the saints having the name of Christ and God "written on their foreheads".
The direct placement of this verse shows that a parallel contrast is intended between the name of the beast (i.e. its number) and the name of the Lord. If the Lord's name refers to a purely spiritual reality, which it does, then so does the beast's name and number.
5)
Furthermore, the word number (Greek arithmos) is always used figuratively to mean an uncountable multitude symbolically representing all the saved]; 7:9. Nor is the number meant to be calculated here. The number 7 refers to completeness and is repeated throughout the book.
But 666 only appears here. This suggests that the triple sixes are intended to contrast the divine sevens throughout the book, signifying incompleteness and imperfection. The sixth seal, trumpet, and bowl represent God's judgment on the beast's followers.
On the other hand, the seventh trumpet means the eternal kingdom of Christ (although it also includes the final decision). The seventh seal and the seventh bowl still represent a judgment, but one which (by implication and in the broader context of these two passages) culminates in the establishment of the kingdom.
6)
Furthermore, if the number of 144,000 saints in the following verse has the symbolic force of signifying the complete number of God's people, then the deliberate contrast with the number 666 in the previous verse would refer to the beast and his people as inherently incomplete.
The number 3 in the Bible signifies completeness, as expressed, for example, by the fullness of the Godhead, which is parodied by the dragon, the beast and the false prophet here in chapter 13.
7)
BETTER APPROACH
The repetition of six three times indicates what might be called the "completeness of sinful incompleteness" found in the beast. The beast represents imperfection while appearing to achieve divine perfection. Three sixes parody the blessed Trinity of three sevens. Sometimes the number seven is appropriate to apply to the devil or the beast to emphasise their thoroughly evil nature, severe persecution and universal reign of oppression.
The reason for using sixes instead of sevens to describe the beast in v. 18 is the repeated emphasis in vv. 3-14 on the beast as a counterfeit Christ and the second beast as a fake prophet.
If believers successfully resist the deception of the beast, they avoid being identified with the essence of his name, imperfection personified. To be determined by someone's name is to partake of that person's character.
8)
This discussion so far suggests that the number of the beast should be understood collectively and not just as a reference to an individual Antichrist figure. This is further indicated by the phrase "for the number is that of a man", which could be translated individually as "for it is the number of a particular person" or more generally as "for it is the number of mankind".
The word man (Greek anthropos) is often generic when it occurs without an article (as here), and as seen in 21:17, where the "measure of a man" (the literal Greek phrase) means a "human measure".
Similarly, the omission of the definite article ("a man" as opposed to "the man") in 13:18 suggests the general idea of humanity, not a particular individual who can only be identified by some esoteric method of calculation. It is a number familiar to fallen humanity.
This generic idea is consistent with 13:1, which affirms that the beast has its earthly origin in the sea of fallen humanity (for the latter view, see also 17:15). The beast is the supreme representative of unregenerate humanity, separated from God and unable to achieve divine likeness, but always trying. Humanity was created on the sixth day, but Adam and Eve would have been imperfect and incomplete without entering into the seventh day of God's rest.
The triple six emphasises that the beast and his followers fall short of God's creative purpose for humanity.
9)
The warning of v.18, here is Wisdom, teaches that believers must beware of compromise, not just with a historical individual such as Nero, but with all facets of the state throughout history, insofar as it colludes with the religious, economic and social aspects of idolatrous culture, all of which epitomise fallen humanity. Wisdom is best seen in the light of the words "wise discernment" and "understanding" used in Daniel 11:33 and 12:10.
Here, as there, the saints are to have spiritual discernment to comprehend the inaugurated end-time tribulation brought about by an evil kingly figure who deceives others into acknowledging his sovereignty. There is a similar warning in 17:9: "Here is the spirit that has wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits".
This verse also involves the symbolic interpretation of a number. John encourages the saints to spiritual and moral discernment, not the intellectual ability to solve a complex mathematical problem, which both unbelievers and spiritual Christians can mentally solve. Christians must be aware that the spirit of the Antichrist can express itself in the most unexpected places, even in today's church.
10)
The prophecy of Daniel 11:30-39 already warned that apostates from the covenant community would be allies of the ungodly state and infiltrate the believing community. Suppose John's readers and believers today have spiritual discernment.
In that case, they will remain faithful and "come out victorious from the beast and his image and the number of his name" (15:2). Revelation 13:18 is a warning against the activity of the satanic enemy in every generation, not just his training in the time immediately preceding Christ's return.
Why Is the Number of the Beast 666?
https://faculty.wts.edu/posts/why-is-the-number-of-the-beast-666/
666 - The Mark of the Beast
https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/what-does-666-mean-mark-of-the-beast
What does 666 mean?
The number 666 is identified as the Number of the Beast, as mentioned in the Book of Revelation (13:15–18).
Where did 666 come from?
In the King James Version, the assignment of the number is phrased like this:
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man, and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
The occurrence of "666" is sometimes viewed as an invocation of Satan and regarded as cursed.
How is 666 used?
On Friday, the Dow Jones industrial average plummeted 666 points. And while that news might be financially disturbing to people interested in money and American markets, that fact was overshadowed on Twitter by the shadow of the beast, the Lord of the Underworld, the Devil himself. Because, you know, 666 is the mark of the beast, which, no big deal, identifies followers of the Antichrist.
All About the Angel Number 999
https://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/a41002853/999-angel-number-meaning/
WHAT'S AN ANGEL NUMBER?
Angel numbers are repeating numbers that represent specific numerology codes. These angel numbers are considered to be encouraging cryptic messages from ancestors, spirit guides, and the universe. Whatever your belief system, they're clues from a higher source. Spotting these repeating numbers is like a lucky game of Guess Who?
WHAT DOES ANGEL NUMBER 999 MEAN?
Whenever you come across angel number 999, receive it as an indication that closure is coming. In numerology, the number 9 represents the ending of a cycle. Seeing this repeating number is one of the most spiritual messages you can go across because 9 represents enlightenment, lessons of self, and wisdom.
If you keep seeing 999, this is a time to be focused on yourself and your healing. Invest in healthy expressions of self-care. Whether retail therapy or finding a job that feels more aligned with you, angel number 999 says, you should make it happen! You're ready to move on from the old and let go. It's time to start anew.
Keep Seeing the Angel Number 999? Here's What to Do
https://www.womansday.com/life/a43688048/999-angel-number-meaning/
There's a Secret Meaning Behind The Devil's Number 666
https://www.sciencealert.com/watch-the-secret-meaning-behind-the-devil-s-number-666
six feet [and] sixty-six
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/666_(number)
666 or number of beasts [siks siks siks]
https://www.dictionary.com/e/religion/666/