Revelation 13:18 instructs us to treat the number of the beast as a human number and to count it as 666. Well-meaning, credentialed individuals have corrupted these instructions as a call to count the number of the beast's name by searching for some word or phrase whose characters have numeric values adding up to 666. Because the number of words and phrases adding up to 666 is almost limitless, the meaning must be pre-determined, followed by trial-and-error experimentation to find a word or phrase that proves the meaning. Yet, the instructions simply beckon us to count to 666 using the human counting system, and ignored is the fact that the Bible itself contains an Old Testament counting of 666, as well as a human counting of something evil. Finally, here is a book which presents a Biblical solution to the riddle of 666, without overlooking the intended spiritual lesson inherent in the understanding.
How much time has been spent and how much research has been done in trying to decipher the meaning of the number 666 found in chapter 13 of the book of Revelation, along with the other symbolism contained there? Often when a preacher or Bible interpreter seeks to certify or verify that his understanding of something from Scripture is correct, he will point to the fact that his Scriptural interpretation was based upon other Scriptures. Yet, much of the work done towards solving the ‘riddle’ of counting or calculating the number 666 has been based upon the idea of considering the numeric values of Greek or Hebrew letters in an attempt to come up with a word or phrase that will yield the sum of 666.
But where do we find such an example in Scripture? Do we see anywhere in Scripture that a word or phrase, whether the ‘name’ of something or not, has had the numeric values of its letters added to find the sum of the letters or the number of the name? I don’t think so. Not only that, but just because Revelation 13: 17 suggests that the mark of the beast, the name of the beast and the number of his name may all be synonymous, interpreters have taken the liberty of interpreting the call to count or calculate the number of the beast to mean ‘count the number of his name.’ But that isn’t at all what we are called upon to do: the instruction is specifically to count the number of the beast, and we are told that the beast’s number is 666. We are also told that it is ‘man’s number,’ and instead of taking this to mean that it is a number that can be counted to or calculated by a man using a measurement of man, many have taken this to mean ‘the name of a specific man.’ Others have seen that a ‘man’s number’ refers to a measurement system of man, but have still insisted upon counting ‘the number of his name’ instead of the number of the beast, which is 666.
About Vincent Sodano
Having read and studied the Bible for 35 years, Vincent Sodano writes about spiritual things as a spiritual person who believes in Jesus Christ. Degreed in electronics, his professional career has involved technical writing and traveling the world for the glass container industry. His interest in writing and numbers is a family tradition. His father, Emanuel M. Sodano, is famous for the 1965 Sodano Method for calculating global distances. His mother, Mary Morris Sodano, is the great-granddaughter of Henry Wadsworth Morris, grandnephew of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Counting Sheep: The Nature of the Beast is the first in a series offering spiritual insight to the Bible.
Revelation 13:18 instructs us to treat the number of the beast as a human number and to count it as 666. Well-meaning, credentialed individuals have corrupted these instructions as a call to count the number of the beast's name by searching for some word or phrase whose characters have numeric values adding up to 666. Because the number of words and phrases adding up to 666 is almost limitless, the meaning must be pre-determined, followed by trial-and-error experimentation to find a word or phrase that proves the meaning. Yet, the instructions simply beckon us to count to 666 using the human counting system, and ignored is the fact that the Bible itself contains an Old Testament counting of 666, as well as a human counting of something evil. Finally, here is a book which presents a Biblical solution to the riddle of 666, without overlooking the intended spiritual lesson inherent in the understanding.
Having read and studied the Bible for 35 years, Vincent Sodano writes about spiritual things as a spiritual person who believes in Jesus Christ. Degreed in electronics, his professional career has involved technical writing and traveling the world for the glass container industry. His interest in writing and numbers is a family tradition. His father, Emanuel M. Sodano, is famous for the 1965 Sodano Method for calculating global distances. His mother, Mary Morris Sodano, is the great-granddaughter of Henry Wadsworth Morris, grandnephew of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Counting Sheep: The Nature of the Beast is the first in a series offering spiritual insight to the Bible.