The devil, represented by the dragon in Revelation 13, grants authority to a beast—the anti-christ—that emerges from the sea. The first beast is worshipped by the inhabitants of the world after a second beast emerges from it. “Let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666,” is what we learn about the first beast at the end of the chapter. Thus, the anti-christ is identified in one manner or another by the number 666.
Greek language
Throughout history, a lot of individuals have attempted to determine who “666” is alluding to. Every letter in the Greek language, the original language of Revelation, has a numerical value. Numerous computations have been performed that have led to different historical figures. But no name that has been widely approved has ever been suggested. Thus, the likelihood that this approach is the best one is very low.
Number 7 in Revelation
Seeing that in Revelation [frequently the number 7 is used] is a more viable strategy. The number 7 represents God’s totality. It is the total amount of excellence. 6 is not up to the perfection of God. It is an attempt at deity, albeit an unsuccessful one. We honor God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit as the Holy Trinity. An unholy trinity—the devil, the anti-Christ, and the false prophet—are mentioned in Revelation 13. But they cannot equal God’s strength, not even in concert. They are sixes, not sevens.
Suffer for our faith
We should be prepared to suffer for our faith and to hold fast to it whenever the devil’s power is revealed on earth through those who serve him (antichrists): “If anyone is to be taken captive, he goes to captivity; if anyone is to be slain with the sword, he must be slain with the sword.” This is a cry for the saints’ perseverance and trust (Revelation 13:10). That is the principal thing that Revelation 13 has to teach us. That is considerably more significant than trying to decipher the meaning of 666 through calculations.
One final manifestation
The Bible indicates that before the second coming of the Lord Jesus there will be one final manifestation of the antichrist (see 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12), and it seems that Revelation 13 especially refers to him. It is possible that the number 666 will point out that person when he manifests himself, but it serves no purpose to speculate about that now. What is more important for us is to recognize that even now the devil is using people for his plans. Elsewhere the apostle John writes: “Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come” (1 John 2:18). So we should recognize the devil’s deceptions even now and hold on in faith to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who died for sinners, rose from the death to conquer satan, and one day will come back to judge the living and the dead.
What did you learn from the Bible this week?
