Origin of 666 Has anyone noticed that since the Early Christian Church was enmeshed in the Roman (Latin) culture, and since Revelation deals with numbers, the Latin form of numbering just might be a clue to understanding what John (the angel) is trying to communicate.

Therefore consider what numerical value the Latin letters stand for:
I = 1
V = 5
X = 10
L = 50
C = 100
D = 500

Add these together and we get a total of 666! Does this gematria indicate that no matter who is intended, it is the adversarial Roman empire that underlies this mystery? Certainly, this rules out all the speculation that prognosticators have engaged in throughout the millennia, who look for a sinister dude in other countries besides Rome.

Within the Roman Empire, there were plenty of emperors who qualified for this adversary of Christianity. Some persecuted Jews, some attacked both Jew and Christian religionists, and one banned the Bible wholesale (Decius, 301-304). One Apostate emperor leveled and destroyed all the pilgrimage sites in the "Holy Land" in an effort to erase Christianity and set up his own religion.

Some scholars might contend that enough ambiguity is intentionally portrayed in Revelation so Christians of every era can stay alert to external dangers, yet be encouraged in the struggle of extending the Kingdom of Christ. To this I would concur.

Origin of 666 Has anyone noticed that since the Early Christian Church was enmeshed in the Roman (Latin) culture, and since Revelation deals with numbers, the Latin form of numbering just might be a clue to understanding what John (the angel) is trying to communicate.

Therefore consider what numerical value the Latin letters stand for:
I = 1
V = 5
X = 10
L = 50
C = 100
D = 500

Add these together and we get a total of 666! Does this gematria indicate that no matter who is intended, it is the adversarial Roman empire that underlies this mystery? Certainly, this rules out all the speculation that prognosticators have engaged in throughout the millennia, who look for a sinister dude in other countries besides Rome.

Even though within the Roman Empire, there were plenty of emperors who qualified for this adversary of Christianity. Some persecuted Jews, some attacked both Jew and Christian religionists, and one banned the Bible wholesale (Decius, 301-304). One Apostate emperor leveled and destroyed all the pilgrimage sites in the "Holy Land" in an effort to erase Christianity and set up his own religion.

Some scholars might contend that enough ambiguity is intentionally portrayed in Revelation so Christians of every era can stay alert to external dangers posed by cultures of man, yet be encouraged in the struggle of extending the Kingdom of Christ. To this, I would concur.

Considerations Although most readers use Revelation 13 as a jumping-off place in search of a man, it should be noted that "beasts" in the Bible represent empires or nations and not a single person! (horns represent specific individuals). The first beast mentioned here is pictured as having the same animal characteristics of the four beasts in Daniel's prophecies---and it was "nations" that was intended to be interpreted.

Also, note that there is no definite article before "man" in this verse. The translation is merely "man" (mankind). Hence, the NIV translated, " for it is man's number". The translation should/could also read its, and not his...etc. (autou Gk.).

These considerations point to 666 (the addition of the six Roman numerals) as a reference to the dominant Roman empire of man at the time of the writing of this book of Revelation. The Roman Empire of Man certainly had all the dictatorial powers mentioned here.

Origin of 666 Has anyone noticed that since the Early Christian Church was enmeshed in the Roman (Latin) culture, and since Revelation deals with numbers, the Latin form of numbering just might be a clue to understanding what John (the angel) is trying to communicate.

Therefore consider what numerical value the Latin letters stand for:
I = 1
V = 5
X = 10
L = 50
C = 100
D = 500

Add these together and we get a total of 666! Does this gramatica indicate that no matter who is intended, it is the adversarial Roman empire that underlies this mystery? Certainly, this rules out all the speculation that prognosticators have engaged in throughout the millennia, who look for a sinister dude in other countries besides Rome.

Within the Roman Empire, there were plenty of emperors who qualified for this adversary of Christianity. Some persecuted Jews, some attacked both Jew and Christian religionists, and one banned the Bible wholesale (Decius, 301-304). One Apostate emperor leveled and destroyed all the pilgrimage sites in the "Holy Land" in an effort to erase Christianity and set up his own religion.

Some scholars might contend that enough ambiguity is intentionally portrayed in Revelation so Christians of every era can stay alert to external dangers, yet be encouraged in the struggle of extending the Kingdom of Christ. To this I would concur.

Origin of 666 Has anyone noticed that since the Early Christian Church was enmeshed in the Roman (Latin) culture, and since Revelation deals with numbers, the Latin form of numbering just might be a clue to understanding what John (the angel) is trying to communicate.

Therefore consider what numerical value the Latin letters stand for:
I = 1
V = 5
X = 10
L = 50
C = 100
D = 500

Add these together and we get a total of 666! Does this gematria indicate that no matter who is intended, it is the adversarial Roman empire that underlies this mystery? Certainly, this rules out all the speculation that prognosticators have engaged in throughout the millennia, who look for a sinister dude in other countries besides Rome.

Within the Roman Empire, there were plenty of emperors who qualified for this adversary of Christianity. Some persecuted Jews, some attacked both Jew and Christian religionists, and one banned the Bible wholesale (Decius, 301-304). One Apostate emperor leveled and destroyed all the pilgrimage sites in the "Holy Land" in an effort to erase Christianity and set up his own religion.

Some scholars might contend that enough ambiguity is intentionally portrayed in Revelation so Christians of every era can stay alert to external dangers, yet be encouraged in the struggle of extending the Kingdom of Christ. To this I would concur.