Devil's number
For many centuries, three sixes have been perceived in the popular consciousness as the number of the devil. This attitude is due to the context in which the number 666 is mentioned in the New Testament, namely in its last book, The Revelation of John the Theologian (or Apocalypse). The Apostle described in it the events of the end of times, which were shown to him in a revealed vision on the island of Patmos.
666 - mystical number
“Revelation” mentions a mysterious person who, on the eve of the end of times, will be installed by the devil over all nations. The world ruler will demand from people unconditional devotion and religious worship of himself. With the help of Satan, he will perform great miracles to deceive people and lead them away from the true God. Therefore, in Christian theology, this person is called the Antichrist, that is, the opposite of Christ.
The world ruler will oblige people to wear a special mark on their forehead or right hand with his (Antichrist) name or number. Without it, a person will not be able to buy or sell anything. John the Theologian calls Satan's protege a "beast" and points out that his name is hidden in the number 666:
“He who has understanding, let him count the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man; his number is six hundred and sixty-six” (Rev. 13:18).
There is also a theory according to which the true number of the devil is 616, and not 666. The text of the “Apocalypse” in the first centuries of Christianity was distributed by rewriting, and in some early sources it is the number 616 that appears. However, it is not yet possible to determine whether it is genuine or arose as a result of a copyist error.
Why is this prophecy important?
Like many other prophecies of the Bible, it is not intended to instill fear in us of future disasters, but to remind us of the need to be more vigilant and attentive, first of all, to ourselves. As the Apostle Paul so well expressed it in his First Epistle to the Corinthians, everything is permissible for me, but not everything is profitable (1 Cor 6:12 ). Anything that takes our attention away from Christ, that pushes us to abandon the truth of the Gospel, that makes a person less and less human is unhelpful - and, moreover, very dangerous. And these can be very different things. Perhaps that is why the author of Revelation did not specify what these three sixes are. We ourselves must follow the call of Christ: Watch and pray, so that you do not fall into temptation (Matt. 26:41 ).
What does the number of the beast mean in the Bible?
Attempts to decipher the name of the beast have been made since the time of the first readers of the Apocalypse, that is, since the end of the 1st century AD. They tried to connect many historical figures with the number 666, in whom they saw features of the Antichrist. This was usually done using the method of isopsephy (or gematria). In many ancient languages, numbers were represented by letters. The decoding method was to sum up the numerical values of the letters. This is how they were supposed to find out the number of a certain word. Sometimes, in attempts to study the number of the beast, it was mistakenly split into three separate sixes. However, in the original Greek text of the Apocalypse it is referred to as six hundred, six tens and six units.
The number 666 was found in the names of the 1st century Roman emperors Nero and Domitian. Nero is known as a particularly cruel persecutor of the first Christians. Domitian also subjected them to repression, albeit on a smaller scale. The number of the Antichrist was also identified in the name of the 19th century French emperor Napoleon I. It was suggested that the Antichrist name would be Titan, Lampetis, Latinnik or Benedict. The letters that make them up also add up to 666. The early Christian theologians Irenaeus of Lyons, Hippolytus of Rome, and Andrew of Caesarea were involved in calculating the name of the Antichrist. The latter also suggested common names for the beast. For example, “ancient envious person” (“palevaskanos”). The word “beast” itself, if its Greek sound is written in Hebrew letters, also has a total of 666.
For those who are interested in why 666 is the number of the beast, Professor A. Osipov gives another version. This number is the biblical symbol of mammon, that is, earthly wealth, glory and prosperity. The Antichrist will have all this; he will accept earthly public power, which Christ refused. The roots of this symbol should be sought in the Old Testament. It mentions that the Israeli king Solomon, during the heyday of his state, annually received 666 talents (an ancient measure of weight) of gold (1 Kings 10:14). This was a voluntary payment by other kings of the Israeli lands for the protection of the wise and strong Solomon. Metropolitan Hilarion (Alfeev) notes that in the Orthodox tradition there is no generally accepted interpretation of the mysterious number from Revelation.
Numerology
Numerology has its own view of the number 666. And there is no particular negativity in it. The numerological chart speaks of a person’s family nature and his focus on marriage. Numerology also helps him immerse himself in magic and the world of magic, and 666 is the direct reason for this.
Since Mayan times, 666 has been a set of numbers that has been perceived in two ways - both as the devil and as a god. It's all about the shapes of sixes, which resemble a spiral; I attract information to myself like a well of knowledge. Angelic numerology interprets this as filling the body with such energy that the person himself then changes without knowing it, on a subconscious level.
3 6s are clear evidence of consistency. If three numbers come to you at once or appear periodically, do not worry - the angels are always with you, protecting your well-being and financial stability, and nothing is in danger at home. Your struggle for success and freedom has already begun, so you can come to care for loved ones and work on yourself in communication and help.
If the negativity remains within the personality, it will be extremely difficult to fulfill desires and achieve goals. Free yourself from passions, addictions, strive for light.
Devil's number: modern perception
As an element of devilish paraphernalia, this number is actively exploited not only in narrow circles of Satanists, but also in popular culture. Some rock bands use it to create an infernal ambience. The advertising campaign for the modern version of the film about the birth of the Antichrist, “The Omen,” was built on the value of the number 666. Its premiere was deliberately scheduled for June 6, 2006, so that the date (6.6.06) would be similar to the number of the beast. The use of diabolical themes for marketing purposes caused outrage among a number of religious public figures.
Many people have a superstitious attitude towards the number 666. For example, in the Netherlands, the World Community of Evangelical Christians called on all believers on June 6, 2006 to perform round-the-clock shift prayer for protection from the forces of evil. Often this number, even in everyday situations, is perceived as unlucky and fraught with danger. In this regard, many hotels do not have apartments with this number 666. Also, some transport companies avoid this number in the names of flights.
Other matches
It is interesting that Highway No. 666 in America was renamed not so much because of the notorious superstitions, but because of “stray hands” - many simply stole signs with the highway number for gifts. By the way, this route is known for too high statistics of accidents, and even fatal ones. The highway was renamed 491 - there were no fewer deaths.
The city of Reeves used to have a telephone code of 666. It was also changed at the insistence of residents. The first Apple sold for $666.66. Why? Because Steve Wozniak chose this number because it was easy to type with just one finger. There was also a markup of 30 percent of the wholesale price. By the way, the width of a dollar banknote is 6.66 centimeters.
And few people know, but the combination WWW is equal to three sixes! Because the Hebrew number “6” is “W”. What about the word VISA? Three sixes are encrypted in it! After all, VI is Roman 6, S is Greek, A is Babylonian. Total - the number of the demon.
In general, there are so many interesting coincidences as to why the number 666 is considered the number of the devil. In any case, you shouldn’t give in to superstitions too much.
Notes
- (unavailable link). Retrieved April 22, 2021.
- ↑
- Irenaeus of Lyon. Against heresies, XXX 3
- Hippolytus of Rome. About Christ and Antichrist. 50
- Engels F.
On the history of primitive Christianity, ch. 3 - E. Stauffer. 666 // Coniectanea Neotestamentica XI: In honorem Antonii Fridrichsen sexagenarii. - Lund Kopenhamn: CWK Gleerup, 1947. - Pp. 237-244.
- Letter from Professor Getzel to Barclay de Tolly in Barclay de Tolly’s collection “Image of the Military Actions of 1812. —— St. Petersburg: 1912.
- ↑
- ↑
- (unavailable link). Retrieved October 11, 2009.
- (unavailable link). Retrieved October 11, 2009.
- (unavailable link). "Arguments and Facts". Retrieved February 7, 2009.
- The key to understanding Holy Scripture. "Life with God", Brussels 1982, p. 440.
- New Geneva Study Bible. 1998. P. 1733
- Seventh-day Adventists Believe (2nd ed). — Ministerial Association, General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, 2005.
- Advent Review, Vol. I, No. 2, August, 1850.
- Revelation: its grand climax is at hand! - NY: Watchtower, 2007. - pp. 196-197
Interesting Facts
In general, there is little information about the number 666. It is difficult to say with absolute certainty why it is the number of the devil. But there are more than enough interesting facts about him.
For example, there are many people with psychological illnesses that are expressed precisely in the fear of the number 666. As a result, this illness was even given a name - hexakosioyhexekontahexaphobia.
And in the European Parliament there is a seat numbered three sixes. And no one ever takes it. What about roulette? Has anyone ever thought about why it is often called nothing more than a Ferris wheel? Many shrug their shoulders - probably because of the numerous losses and insanity of people who did not manage to win. Not at all. The fact is that if you add up absolutely all the numbers available in roulette, you will get exactly three sixes. There is even a legend: supposedly Francois Blanc, a French magician, gave his soul to a demon in order to learn the secrets of roulette. This may be the answer to the question of why 666 is the number of the devil. But this is just one version.
