Question: Where did the number 666 come from? How was it calculated? What is its’ significance?

Steve

Answer: Dear Steve,

In Revelation the number 666 stands for the mark of the Beast. In order to understand any number or color or other symbol used in Revelation, one must first understand that Revelation is written in an apocalyptic style – a style which relies heavily on symbolism. Attempts to assign literal meaning and specific individuals and or situations to many of the symbols in Revelation have failed – again and again, primarily because those trying to understand the book have neglected to understand the style in which it is written.

Numbers in the Bible do not always have some mystical or secret meaning. According to Revelation 13, the number 666 is the number of the beast’s name. Throughout the Bible, the number six is often used to describe imperfection, often that of humans, compared to the perfection of God. Six is often used, in contrast to seven, which is often used to denote God’s perfection. Three six’s are used together – which would seem to indicate the number of man – the solutions and answers to human problems that man devises. The end product of human solutions and government.

Many attempts have failed to identify this number with a specific human, and the context of Revelation 13 does not encourage us to do so. (If any human might be considered for this "honor", then Nero would come the closest, for he epitomized evil at the time of the writing – but even that identification is not the primary message given to us by the timeless book of Revelation). Spurred on by the prospect of coming up with an incredible "find," many spend years trying to use elaborate codes applied to a variety of languages – and in the end it is impossible to find almost any human name, given a specific language and devising a code that will come up with the answer that is wanted – to conclude that almost any human name, in some language, given some code, equals 666.

That is not the teaching of Revelation 13. My book Revelation Revolution provides much more insight on this question, prophecy and the "end times," and of course the nature of the book of Revelation.

In Christ,

Greg Albrecht