666

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SIX HUNDRED SIXTY-SIX
 

REVELATION 13:18 IDENTIFIES the Antichrist using the enigmatic number 666. This verse provides the means by which the intelligent reader can compute the number of the beast. The term “wisdom” (Greek, sophia) refers to the skill and understanding necessary to inter­pret the meaning of this number (see Daniel 9:22). The God-given ability to interpret this number will come from the special intelligence given to believers during the Tribulation period.

The calculation of the number is derived by “counting” (from the Greek word for “pebble,” since the ancients used pebbles for counting). The precise translation of the com­mand in this verse is, “Let [him] count the number.” Giving this phrase a general meaning with no arithmetic complexities, reducing it to a simple call to discern the identity of the beast from broad symbolism, is contrary to the plain meaning of the text and ignores the command to “count.” The view that 666 represents man in general overlooks the writer’s obvious intention that the number be understood to identify a specific individual.

Revelation 13:18 may be referring to the calculation technique called gematria. In ancient times, letters of the alphabet served as numbers. The first nine letters stood for the numbers one through nine, and the next nine for the numbers ten through ninety. Certain obsolete letters and signs supplemented the system. Every name yielded a number, the deciphering of which proved to be a fascinating riddle. An example of this practice occurs in the Sibylline Oracles 1.324-329, where the number of the name Iesous (“Jesus”) is 888.

Those who would apply gematria to Rev­elation 13:18 should heed a precaution that the early church father Irenaeus offered long ago: We should not speculate about the identity of the person represented by the number 666 until that person arrives on the scene. This pre­caution answers the objection based on the unreliable and imaginative speculations resulting from the use of gematria. The number 666 does have a secondary implica­tion regarding human limitation, but its pri­mary use will be to help believers of the future recognize the false Christ when he becomes a public figure.

The conjunction “for” (Greek, gar) offers the reason that the calculation should be made. It is because it is the number of a man. The inescapable conclusion is that the expres­sion means this is a mysterious hint about a man whose name gives the number 666. It is the name of the beast as well as that of one of the beast’s heads. He is a king or emperor who at times in the narrative is emblematic of the empire he rules.

If 666 is the number of a future Antichrist who will rise to power after the rapture, then all attempts to identify him with past or pres­ent entities are futile. Attempts to calculate his name as Nero Caesar or Caligula require the use of a Hebrew transliteration of the Greek or Latin forms of their names for a readership who knew little or no Hebrew. In the case of Nero, the identification involves a defective spelling that necessitates changing Nero to Neron in order to make the calculation work. Robertson (pp. 406-07) notes that some Greek manuscripts read 616 instead of 666, which may be based on the Latin form of Nero (without the final “n”).

The number is actually 666 (Greek, hexa­kosioi hexekonta hex). Its significance is not just three sixes; it must add up to 666. The clear purpose of the number is to help Tribula­tion-era believers to identify the Antichrist during the time when he will be in power. If one takes the pretribulational and futurist view of Revelation in general, the Antichristis identification is obviously a matter of future discernment.

Second Thessalonians 2:3-8 clearly states that the Antichrist’s identity will not be revealed until after the removal of the Restrainer, presumably at the rapture. The better part of wisdom then is to be content that the Antichrist’s identity is not yet known but will be revealed when he ascends to his evil throne. In the meantime, any human curiosity on our part will have to remain unsatisfied until the time of fulfillment arrives. Thus, church-age believers are told to keep watching (Matthew 24:42) for Jesus to come, not for the Antichrist’s arrival. Only after the rapture of the church will Satan be free to move the “man of sin” onto the world scene. Until then, he must wait until God makes the next move on the prophetic calendar of future events.

 

—ROBERT THOMAS AND ED HINDSON