666 - The Number of the Beast

The Number of the Beast is mentioned in the Book of Revelation of the Christian New Testament and has long been accepted to be 666 or, in some cases, 616. The meaning of the number is debated. In some interpretations of Christian eschatology the “Beast” is believed to refer to a being controlled by or equated with the Antichrist, whereas some scholars, such as Dr. Delbert Hillers and the editors of the Oxford & Harper Collins translations, contend that the number is a code for the Roman Emperor Nero, a view that is also supported by the Roman Catholic Church.

Biblical references
The most prominent occurrence of the number is found in the New Testament, where Revelation 13:16-18 states:

Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell who does not have the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom: let him who hath understanding reckon the number of the beast, for it is a human number. Its number is six threescore six

In the New American Standard Bible translation reads:
Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.

The number 666 is also seen in the Old Testament books of II Chronicles and Ezra. II Chronicles 9:13 and its parallel verse in 1 Kings, 10:14, read:

Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold.

Set within a larger genealogy, Ezra 2:13 numbers the “children of Adonikam” at 666; this contrasts with the Book of Nehemiah 7:18, where the same group is 667 in number.

666 as a name
One interpretation is that 666 encodes the letters of someone’s name or title, identifying the Antichrist. However, since the reader is free to choose the code, any name can be matched to the number by finding an appropriate code.

To be convincing, interpretations invoke arguments other than mathematics to prove their point. For example, scholars who believe that the Book of Revelation refers to historical people and events argue that the number represents Nero. The value of “Neron Caesar”, written as נרון קסר, “Nrwn Qsr”, using Hebrew letters with numerical values under the form of numerology called Gematria.

Some early texts of the Book of Revelation give the number as 616 instead of 666, which would represent the alternative Hebrew spelling נרו קסר, “Nrw Qsr”, based on the Latin form “Nero Caesar”

The hypothesis that 666 is a code for a Roman emperor seems to have some historical support. The emperors were noted for their oppression of both Jews and early Christians. Both communities were known to use numerology and codes where living under Roman rule to avoid persecution.

666 as the mark of commerce
Ahistorical versions of Christian eschatology, believing that these prophecies refer to future events, typically hold that the Mark of the Beast is one way in which the Antichrist will exercise power over the Earth during the period of Tribulation. Exact interpretations of this vary widely.

One literal interpretation is that the number 666 will be imprinted on the skin.
Some interpret the mark as a requirement for all commerce to mean that the mark might actually be an object with the function of a credit card.
Alternatively, the mark is supposed to be a microchip or barcode in or on the human body.
These interpretations are usually presented in the form of conspiracy theories.

666 as less than God
The number 7 is mentioned throughout the Bible; from Genesis to Revelation. The Bible uses the number 7 to represent perfection and wholeness; Judges 16:13-19, Proverbs 9:1, 2 Chron 29: 20-21, Genesis 21:28-30, Lev 16:19, Lev 23:15, and Lev 25:1-9.

Since many Christians worship a Triune God, the number 777 is assumed to represent God; one 7 for each aspect: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. However, neither the number 777 nor the term Trinity appear in the Bible.

The number 6 is the number of man; Gen 1:26-31, Exodus 31:15, Daniel 3:1, and I Samuel 17. Some believe that the number 666 represents someone who is less perfect than God in every respect.

Other interpretations
Irenaeus suggested that the number indicates that the beast is the sum of all apostate power, unrighteousness, wickedness, deception, and false prophecy.
Robert Graves suggested in his study of pagan symbolism, The White Goddess, that DCLXVI, 666 in Roman numerals, is an abbreviation for the Latin sentence “Domitianus Caesar Legatos Xti Violenter Interfecit”, or “The Emperor Domitian violently killed the envoys of Christ”.
Another reading in Roman numerals supposes DCLXVI to be an anagram of DIC LVX, an abbreviation of “dicit lux”, “the light speaks”.
It has been proposed that the “mark” refers to emblems on Roman money.
In the Hebrew alphabet, waw (“w” or “v”) is the 6th letter. So “www” would be “666”, making the internet a potential candidate.

Culture and psychology
The number 666 retains a peculiar significance in the culture and psychology of Western societies, where some perceive it as “the Devil’s number”, even in contexts usually remote from superstition. The fear of the number 666 is called hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia. For example:

When the CPU manufacturer Intel introduced the 666 MHz Pentium III in 1999, they chose to market it as the “Pentium III 667”, claiming that, since the actual clock speed was 666.666 MHz, 667 was the more accurate approximation, against their usual rounding practice, examples of which are the 66.666 MHz “486-66”, the 466.666 MHz “Celeron 466” and the later 866.666 MHz “Pentium III 866”.

U.S. Route 666, “the Highway of the Beast”, was renumbered as U.S. Route 491 in 2003 after controversy over the supposed reference to the Biblical beast, which also made the road signs a common target for theft.

A popular Iron Maiden song titled "The Number of The Beast" talks of the number and seeing Satan.

In 2006, German automobile manufacturer BMW used the date of 6th June 2006 - 6/6/6 to promote their M6 sports car in UK newspapers with the tagline "Well, they said the beast would appear today", accompanied by a large shot of the vehicle in deep red paint.

WREK, a college station in Georgia USA, hosted a 24 hour version of their metal show WREKage on 6th June 2006. The show promoted the number 666 by playing Iron Maiden's Number of the Beast at 6:06 am and 6:06 pm.

The film The Omen was relesed on the 6th of June, 1976 & John Moore's remake was released on the 6th of June, 2006 - 6/6/6 as a marketing ploy.

When Ronald and Nancy Reagan retired to Bel-Air, Calif., in 1989, they bought the house at 666 St. Cloud Road—and changed it to 668.

The Gangsta Rap group Three 6 Mafia Is Named After 666

A popular online Sportsbook posted odds the Apocalypse happening on 6/6/06.

BTW, We are still here. 6/7/2006