*** Excerpt from the Final Message: Understanding the Book of Revelation
One of the biggest problems we have is no one tells us definitively what the 666 means. So, how can we ever hope to avoid it? The mark is not a literal or physical thing. Why would God condemn anyone for an external symbol? Jesus clearly taught us that it is not what is on the outside, but the inside of man that condemns (defiles) us before God.
St. Mark 7:18 “And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him;”
St. Mark 7:19 “Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats?”
St. Mark 7:20 “And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man.”
St. Mark 7:21 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders,”
St. Mark 7:22 “Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:”
St. Mark 7:23 “All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.”
We know all of God’s people have His seal. Likewise, everyone under the beast has his mark. The Lord can tell those who are his and those who are not. Concerning people not being able to buy or sell without the mark. This is a reference to the currency, of this particular period.
St. Matthew 22:18 But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, Why tempt ye me, [ye] hypocrites?
St. Matthew 22:19 Shew me the tribute money. And they brought unto him a penny.
St. Matthew 22:20 And he saith unto them, Whose [is] this image and superscription?
St. Matthew 22:21 They say unto him, Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's.
All Roman coins had the images of both dead or living emperor’s on one side and their accomplishments on the back. Putting national images on money is a common practice today, but it was still new during John’s day. The reference was used as a further clue to inform us the first beast was a government (kingdom). However, we see from Jesus’ statement, people were not condemned for using money. Next, we will look at the number of the beast.
The Bible is written in both Hebrew and Greek. The Old Testament is in Hebrew and the New Testament is written in Greek. It is important to note that neither of these languages have distinct numeric characters. Meaning they use letters to represent numbers. As a result, every letter in these languages has a corresponding numeric value. Unfortunately, the effect has been that we no longer look at the significance of the number, but we seek to construct the correct name or word from the value. This has led to a myriad of possible names for the beast, some ridiculous, some plausible, but none conclusive.
John challenges the reader to figure out the symbolism of this number, a challenge that has inspired mystics and would-be prophets ever since. Sadly, I have yet to find anyone who definitely states what the 666 really means. Nevertheless, John implies that if we have understanding, we will be able to calculate the number correctly and thereby comprehend its true meaning.
The understanding John is speaking of is not human intelligence, but spiritual insight. This means that we must get enlightenment from God, because the answer is hidden in scripture. In light of this, I will take a biblical approach to decipher the number. Six is God’s number for man. Therefore, “666” is man’s number that has been formed into a trinity. This number could indicate man is exalting himself as God (this was a common practice of the emperor’s of Rome). All who receive the mark of the beast shall be judged of the Lord. The Mark of the beast is the opposite of the Seal of God.
The Seal of God denotes ownership, specifically of royalty. When you apply the seal to people, it implies citizenship (Kingdom of God). The Mark of the Beast also denotes ownership, but when applied to humans it signifies slavery or bondage (literally property). We know the seal of God is not a literal stamp and yet all Christians bear His seal. From this, we then can safely conclude the mark of the world is not a literal imprint either.
Both the seal of God and the mark of the beast are on the forehead. This indicates that receiving it is a conscious act of our own volition. However, note only those who receive the mark of the beast have it placed on their right hand. The right hand is a symbol of power and strength. This signifies they have obtained or earned this mark by their work or service.
Finding anything resembling the number of the beast (666) in scriptures has not yielded much. Nevertheless, the Bible has a myriad of references to the Holy Spirit (the Seal of God). If we study the scriptures relating the Spirit of God, it may lead us to the meaning behind the mark of the beast, because the two are heavily contrasted in Revelation. In fact, the entire structure of the Trinity parallels Satan and his kingdom.
Holy Trinity
God (1st in the Trinity)
Jesus (2nd in the Trinity)
Holy Spirit (3rd in the Trinity)
People Sealed by the Spirit of God
Holy Spirit descends from above the Earth
God establishes His kingdom through Jesus (2nd in the Trinity)
The Spirit of God causes people to worship God (1st in the Trinity)
Unholy Trinity
Satan (1st in the Trinity)
1st Beast (2nd in the Trinity)
2nd Beast spirit of the Antichrist (3rd in the Trinity)
People Marked by the Spirit of the Antichrist
Spirit of the Antichrist ascends from below the Earth
Satan establishes his kingdom through the 1st Beast (2nd in the Trinity)
The Spirit of the Antichrist causes people to worship the Beast (1st in the Trinity)
*** If you want the full explanation of Revelation chapter 13, then read the Final Message: Understanding the Book of Revelation.
Sources:
The Final Message: Understanding the Book of Revelation
The Holy Bible King James Version (KJV)