What does 666 represent? Revelation 13

What does 666 represent?

"Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six." (666)

Is the number ‘666’ mentioned somewhere else in the Old Testament?

Goliath (1 Samuel 17:4-7). His height is six cubits. He had six pieces of armor. His spear head weighed 600 shekels of iron (iron, the metal of Rome, Dan. 2). Goliath's brothers had 6 fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot (2 Sam. 21:20).

It should be noted that the only place the number ‘666’ appears in the Old Testament is with King Solomon when he met the Queen of Sheba after building a house for Yahweh. The number refers to the weight of gold talents that the kings and queens gave him as gifts in one year. "Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred and threescore and six talents of gold (2 Chr 9:13, I Kings 10:14);"

Although the number is hidden in a mystery, it appears again in the Bible in the dimensions of the golden image built by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the number of musicians who played at the celebration. The image was 6 cubits wide and 60 cubits in height. There were also 6 musicians present which gives the number 666 (Dn. 3:1-7). At the time that the musicians played, everyone was required to bow to this golden image. If they did not, the king ordered them to be thrown into the fiery furnace. Three Israelites Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego refused and they were thrown into the furnace (Dn. 3:14-20). For their obedience to the Law of Moses, Elohim delivered them, miraculously saving them unsinged (Dan. 3rd Chapter).

What does the number 6 represent?

In Hebrew theology, the number ‘6’ has special meaning. It represents the number of a man who was created on the 6th day of Moses’ vision. Now ‘6’ is one short of the number ‘7’ which in Hebrew theology represents perfection. Elohim worked 7 days to complete or perfect creation. The three ‘6s’ represent man being incomplete state. The number ‘6’ symbolically represents man in an undeveloped spiritual state which Paul called being carnal minded (Rom. 8:6). 

The number of “the wild beast” is 666 and is called “a man’s number,” indicating that it has to do with imperfect, fallen man, and it seems to symbolize the imperfection of that which is represented by “the wild beast.” The number six being emphasized to a third degree (the six appearing in the position of units, tens, and hundreds) therefore highlights the imperfection and deficiency of that which the beast represents, or pictures

The Beast:

Ec 3:18  I said in my heart, It is because of the sons of men, that God may prove them, and that they may see that they themselves are but as beasts.

Ec 3:19  For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; and man hath no preeminence above the beasts: for all is vanity.

Psalem 49:20  Man that is in honor, and understandeth not, Is like the beasts that perish.

Mankind has observed the characteristics and habits of animals and has applied them in a figurative or symbolic sense to persons, peoples, governments, and organizations. Thus the beast is a symbol of human consciousness organised collectively in opposition to God and his kingdom

—The Barbarian nations are figuratively described as "evil beasts" (Tit. 1:12).

Usually the number 666 is understood has a numerical equivalent of a word or name, both Hebrew or Greek, use the letters of their alphabets as numbers.

"for the number is that of a man":

Mankind was made on the 6th day therefore the number 6 is a man's number

Six is the number of Sin

Sin is symbolized by the number 666. Six is twelve divided. Twelve is the number symbolizing GOVERNMENTAL PERFECTION. (As contrasted to the number seven, which symbolizes SPIRITUAL PERFECTION.) Six--half of twelve. Six--half whole, not whole, un-whole, unholy.

All sin, error, evil, and negativity are the result of lack of true understanding, with or without the accompaniment of malice or violence. Sin and evil are words which refer to ANY HUMAN ATTEMPT TO nullify the DIVINE teachings.

Six, repeated three times, could symbolize repeated attempts to nullify the meaning of 144,000 the number symbolizing spiritual wholeness or rightness and perfect completion

And so the number of the man of sin -- 666 -- will give way to the number of the man of righteousness -- the 144,000 on Mount Zion, who have the name of the Lamb and of his Father (in contrast to the name of the Beast: Rev 13:17) written on their foreheads (Rev 14:1)!

Here is the simplest "explanation" of the 666: there are six Roman numerals that, taken in various combinations, account for all the smaller numbers. They are I (= 1), V (= 5), X (= 10), L (= 50), C (= 100), and D (= 500), Thus the SIX common Roman numerals have a total value of 600 (500 + 100), 60 (50 + 10), and 6 (5 + 1). These are all the numerals involved in the Roman system, at the lower level, until the number 1,000 is reached (which is denoted by "M" -- for "mille", or thousand). This is itself is significant: the lesser numbers, in all their possible combinations, represent all men, or all mankind (Roman, at least!) -- until we come to the "M" (the SEVENTH numeral) -- which, obviously, represents the Millennium! When the Millennium begins, all the numbers of "man" (totaling 666) will cease!

The Papacy

Revelation 13:18. Here is wisdom. He who has understanding must calculate the number of the beast, [the papacy]: for it is the number [standing or value] of a man. The Man of Sin, the Papacy. — Rev. 19:20; 2 Thes. 2:3.; and his number is 666.

From the second century A.D. onwards, the interpretation "LATEINOS" has been given, because the numerical values of the letters add to 666. This identification was given by Irenaeus, the disciple of Polycarp (born A.D. 70) who was contemporary with the apostle John

The official name or title of the popes is "Vicar of the Son of God" -- 'Vicarius Filii Dei'
V	I	C	A	R	I	U	S		F	I	L	I	I		D	E	I
5	1	100	0	0	1	5	0		0	1	50	1	1		500	0	1	=	666

 

The Hebrew word for this power is 'ROMIITH' -- the Hebrew value being:
R	O	M	I	I	TH
200	6	40	10	10	400	=	666

 

The official signature of the Pope is "DUX CLERI" which means "High" or "Chief Priest." Being Latin this adds to:
D	U	X		C	L	E	R	I
500	5	10		100	50	0	0	1	=	666

[666—is the total value of the pope’s crown inscribed with this title translated means Vicar of the Son of God and by accepting such a one as an earthly head, it would constitute one as a part of the anti-Christ].

The mark of the best is the number of a man that is the man of sin so who is the man of sin?

The distinctive marks of the man of sin, identified in 2 Thessalonians  2:

The Apostasy	abandonment of truth.	2:3
The Man Of Sin	an individual apostate.	2:3
The Man Of Sin	a religious organisation continuing from Paul’s time to Christ’s return.	2:3 to 2:8
Exalts Self Above All That Is Called God	claim to be vicar and vice-regent of both God and Christ.	2:4
Coming After The Working of Satan	disguising Apostacy under forms of Christian religion.	2:9
With All Power, Signs and Lying wonders	claiming power of priesthood, mediatorship, secular and spiritual government, and miraculous signs and healings.	2:9
Have Pleasure	In Unrighteousness - profligate, licentious and immoral.	2:12

• Antichrist is the Greek word “antichristos” transferred directly, and untranslated, into English.
• Antichrist has a meaning, translatable into English, which is “One instead of Christ”
• Antichrist is therefore someone who claims to be in Christ’s place.
• Antichrist is identical in meaning to the Latin term: “Vicarius Christi” - “Vicar of Christ”
• Vicar of Christ is one of many evidences which identify the papacy and Roman Catholicism with Antichrist.
• At the close of the council of Rome in AD 495, the assembled bishops shouted in honour of the pope “We see thou art the Vicar of Christ”!

• In assuming the title Vicar of Christ the papacy has identified itself as the Antichrist.

Thus, every time the Pope of Rome officially signs a document, he writes the Latin equivalent of the number 666.

The number 666 has been attributed to many different persons at different times, since John was given the Revelation. Many believe it was a warning from John. The number 666 has most often been attributed to the Emperor Nero--who was the first to persecute Christians.

The number 6 in scripture represents Mankind (created on the 6th day); as such, it does not refer to any one person or thing.

[The Hebrew, Greek, and Latin languages use letters to represent a numerical value. Over the past few years, with the advent of computers, many scholars are attempting to decipher "The Bible Code." ed.]