By Angus Harley
For those looking for a fantastical, or a historical, figure behind 666, I must strongly advise you to move on and find another article. This one is not for you! For it looks at 666 as an apocalyptic and symbolic number, within a chapter riddled with apocalyptic metaphors, in a book dripping with apocalyptic imagery.
The entire usefulness of this language is its shock-factor, how acutely vivid and visceral it makes the unseen spiritual dimension and its warfare to our spiritual senses. The normal, dominant, model of describing salvation-history and its present and future is to use ordinary language to do so; there is some figurative speech, some symbolism woven in, so that on the whole, it is readily understandable as language and meaning. The apocalyptic genre, by contrast, is incredibly symbolic, jam-packed with figures of speech, with multiple levels and perspectives of meaning in verse after verse, passage after passage, symbol after symbol. It is very much so about spiritual concentratedness, perspective, and their accompanying sense of sheer awe, as it describes the indescribable of the invisible warfare and the conflict between the Lamb and dragon that comes to its resolution at the end of time. Such is the visceral and devastating nature of this other-worldly conflict that the apocalyptic genre alone, by its heavily-laden symbolic and figurative language and imagery, is suitable to shock and awe the spiritual senses- nothing else will do!
The placement of Revelation 13
There are many ways of breaking down Revelation as a book and letter. A strong method is to think in terms of recapitulation, or repetition, or cycles. Another is to go down the path of a chiasmus. And so on. For the purposes of this article, Revelation 13 is considered as part of the section chapters 12-14. Revelation 13 builds on Revelation 12. The latter concentrates on the red dragon’s attack on a very passive looking assembly and the male child, Jesus Christ. Yet, not so passive is one figure for God and Christ: the archangel Michael (Rev.12:7-9). In other words, Revelation 12 is showing the clash of two great archangels and how this impacts the male child and the woman (Christ and his assembly). Revelation 13 moves on the explanation of this warfare in Revelation 12 by describing two monsters or beasts that are the symbolic representation of the mixing together of demon with man, of satanically controlled man. For it is demonically controlled man that kills the assembly. Revelation 14 pans in on the heavenly assembly, the 144,000, who are with the Lamb in heaven, for their presence in heaven marks the demise and destruction of those who are their enemies on earth.
Now it’s time to unfold Revelation 13 itself.
The model John uses in Revelation 13
The counterfeit trinity and image
-The dragon is pure demonic evil, counter to the Father.
-The first beast: it reveals the dragon’s complete authority over the satanic forces that fully control the fallen kingdoms of man. Counter to the Son, Jesus Christ.
-The second beast, because it comes from the earth as such, mimicking man’s creation, supports the first beast in enslaving mankind, so that we are seeing just that bit more of demonically-controlled man and his kingdoms. Counter to the Holy Spirit.
-The image of the first beast is a full-on representation of evil man and his kingdoms controlled by demonic forces, that enslaves fellow men. Counter to the assembly.
There is in the above a movement from sheer demonic evil all the way to evil man as controlled by demonic powers. All different concentrations of evil, the demonic, are graded, with fallen man being mixed in with the three extensions (two beasts and image) of that satanic power.
Implied: true Trinity, and true image
-God the Father in heaven is pure divine righteousness and authority;
-The Lamb of God, the Man slain and resurrected for his bride, yet the divine Lamb who reigns, saving sinners from the kingdoms of men for the kingdom of heaven.
-The Spirit of the divine-human Lamb, who works intimately through the body of Christ to create a worldwide people fit for the heavenly kingdom.
-The body of Christ/his bride as representing the kingdom of heaven and the Lamb’s authority.[1]
Weighing things up
Many of the movies and books about satan as the red dragon, or 666, or the antichrist, are unaware of satan’s work of counterfeiting. It’s satan’s modus operandi. Who did he counterfeit in Genesis 3? Was it not God himself? At the heart of demonic evil is the counterfeit, that which makes him look most like God, or even as an angel of light (2 Cor.11:14). The closer he takes on the outward appearance of God, of righteous ones, the more powerful his work of deception is, the more he strikes at Christ’s assembly, the more intense is his claim the divine. This evil art of counterfeiting he imparts to his lessers and subordinates, to the demonic beasts and the image of the first beast. Any account, therefore, of the meaning of 666 must focus on this foundational element of counterfeiting.
The dragon and the first beast
The dragon and his model of warfare
Revelation 13 opens with the dragon, satan (12:9, etc.), standing on the seashore. Now, we will take but a moment to remind ourselves of Revelation 12 and the red dragon. In that chapter, you will see that the red dragon and his angels wage war directly against the woman and the man child, Jesus. It is striking that both the woman and the man child are not, in this chapter, said to return force against the dragon. However, Michael and his angels do engage in battle with satan and his dark troops. In all of this, the two beasts of Revelation 13 are not cited, and for good reason. For, Revelation 13 moves us onto how, in reality, satan and his fallen host conduct warfare, and it is through the demon-man hybrid ‘beast’. This is the model that satan utilizes in killing God’s people. Think of how the first man was killed: it was Cain, a man demonically driven to murder his brother. Who killed Jesus? It was men who had the devil as their father, god, and lord (Luke 4:5-7; John 8:44; 12:31; 14:30; 2 Cor.4:4; Eph.2:2; 1 John 3:8). Let’s now take a closer look at the first beast.
Creation of first beast
The dragon and his authority create the first beast, which comes out of the sea. Indeed, both beasts are created within or from this world- the first is of water, the second of the earth (we will come back to their origins). In this act, the dragon is making a declaration that he is the creator-god of this world’s demonic powers in action, its beasts. For the combo of creation from the sea and earth is a demonic attempt to mimic God creating the sea life from the water, the animal life from the earth (Gen.1:24-25), and man from the soil (Gen.1:26-31; 2:18-23). Satan the creator-counterfeiter!
Satanic image
The first beast is royal, having ten diadems of authority, blasphemous names on his head, a throne, and ten horns of power. As we would expect in this situation, the beast’s royal power and authority are delegated to it by the dragon himself (vv1-6; 9:11; 12:3; see, Rev.17:3, 7, 12, 16). In this regard, the dragon acts as a royal father-figure to the first beast, for it is the role of the first and greater king, in ancient Jewish history, to pass on royal authority to the one who succeeds him on the throne. It was David, for example, that set up Solomon as king (1 Kg.1:28-53). In this way the first beast is in his own way a royal image of the dragon.
This dragon-beast relationship is trying to mimic the union between our heavenly King, the Father (Rev.15:3), and the Son he sent into this world as the Messiah, the true King of all creation and of heaven (Rev.14:14; 17:14; 19:12, 16). The Christ reigns as the image of God, and has authority over all of creation, visible and invisible (2 Cor.4:4; Col.1:15; Heb.1:2-3; John 1:14, 18; 14:9; see 1 Tim.6:16).
Wounded first beast
A head of the first beast was at one time fatally wounded; however, it miraculously was healed (Rev.13:3), by the power of satan himself, no doubt.
This sequence is most likely a reference to the fatal blow struck against the demonic dragon and his first-beast’s kingdom by the hand of God and his resurrected and exalted Christ (Rev.1:5; 5:9). We read in Revelation 12 that satan in all his power could not defeat the Lamb of God. For God took his Christ to be with him in heaven (12:5). By rising into heaven, Jesus brought his saints with him, those who dwell in the heavens (12:12), who were at one time killed, but are now resurrected with the Christ and dwelling in heaven (12:10-11).
We might put matters this way: satan and his satanic army were truly broken by Christ’s death and his exaltation. Many illustrations are used to depict this victory. Such as, for example, the D-Day and its irreversible and foundational victory compared to V-Day and the conclusion of WW2. Yes, the dragon and the beast live on, but they are, after a fashion ‘dead and buried’, broken. Revelation 12:12 says categorically that satan “knows his time is short”. The 42 months that are given to the first beast to operate in refer to the same “time”- that it is short (Rev.13:5).[2] ‘The’ battle between Christ and the dragon has been fought on the cross and in the man child’s exaltation; it will never be fought again, not even when Christ returns to finally kill him off. For Christ’s return is not a fight for victor, for he is the Victor coming to finalize judgment (Rev.19:11-21; see 3:12, 21). Hallelujah, what a Victor and Judge! Satan- evil to the end- never loses a step: even when in defeat, he manages to present a counterfeit beastly-Christ and counterfeit beastly kingdom-people who have been raised from the dead. For just as Hitler and his minions continued to battle after D-Day, so do the fatally wounded demonic powers fight unto the last.
For those who wonder what these words mean, think of this: 1, 2, 3 John describe various demonic anti-Christ figures and characters, all of whom take advantage of, and twist, the biblical truth concerning Jesus, his incarnation, death, and resurrection. They could not beat him in those spiritual battles, so they twist them to lie about him and them.
Created out of the sea
The first beast is created by the dragon from the sea. There are various lines of thought here. We’ll look at four.
The first is the most obvious and has to be stated in direct language: the earth and the sea in Revelation are not the standard earth and sea we know of. Even grass, trees, fish, etc., are all given an elevated, other-world, import of representing that invisible world. Revelation is commonizing, in other words, the type of symbolic and figurative language found in the OT, for example, in Ezekiel and the great trees (e.g., Eze.17; 31).
Another line of thought follows a similar concept, that of water in Revelation. Revelation 17:1 tells us about the harlot who “sits on [Gk, kathaymenays epi] many waters” (v1), and then of the same woman “sitting on [Gk, kathaymenayn epi] a scarlet beast” (v3). The scarlet color of the beast to a degree replicates the color of the “great red dragon” (Rev.12:3), for the beast is, after all, the first beast mentioned in Revelation 13, to whom satan passed on his authority. These “waters” are the equivalent of the “sea” that gives life to the beast in Revelation 13. The waters are identified in Revelation 17:15, “ “And he said to me, “The waters which you saw where the harlot sits, are peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues.” ” The implication is stunning and stark: the red beast is the equivalent of the waters of mankind. The woman sits upon both, in a symbolic sense, of course. In this we observe what was stated concerning Revelation 13: the first beast is the hybrid demonic-human enemy of Christ. The first beast comes out of those demonic infested waters that pollute mankind.
A third strand of inquiry goes back to the OT that John so heavily leans on. The “sea” (Gk, thalassa) in Revelation 13 is reflecting the demonic source of human kingdoms. In Isaiah, for example, there is a dragon-like figure who belongs to the sea, who opposes God’s people (Isa.27:1; 51:9; see Exo.15; Psa.74:12-15; Eze.32:2). This demonic power is specifically channeled, in the OT, via mankind and its kings. In Isaiah 51:9, the dragon-beast that abides in the sea is reflective of the power of ancient Egypt.
Daniel 7 deserves separate attention, for John leans heavily on it. It speaks of “four great beasts coming up from the sea” (Dan.7:3). Each beast is a hybrid, a monster. They look like animals (Dan.7: lion/eagle; bear; leopard); same in Revelation 13:2 (leopard, bear, lion). We have animal features: horns and feet. Some look like men (Dan.7:4, 8). All are bestial; all are monstrous. The human side of the beasts comes out particularly in the fourth beast. It has a more human form and appearance (Dan.7:4). God explains the overall vision to Daniel, saying that these beasts “are four kings who will arise from the earth” (Dan.7:17), that is, human kings. Specifically, the last beast is also described as a “fourth kingdom”, not just as a king, “which will be different from all the other kingdoms” (Dan.7:23), not merely kings. What we see in Daniel 7 is that the last beast is more man-like and most evil. This is deliberate. Satan is seeking, in the last, to create a counterfeit ‘man’, perhaps a counterfeit Son of Man, too, but to no avail.
Weighing things up
Study of the ‘last things’ is obsessed- literally- with the ironic pursuit of ‘one thing’– the identity of 666, or who the beast is, or who the antichrist is, or the millennium! Yet we see from the above heavily symbolic approach to reading Revelation 13 that John’s apocalyptic language is depicting the dragon’s evil forces as a monstrous combo of satanic power with fallen kingdoms of men.
The creation of the two beasts was satan’s reaction to God’s salvific work in history through his Christ, the Lamb, and in the assembly of Christ. Thus, one beast’s power was destroyed after a fashion, yet its head was brought to life, for that beast went to war in the heavenlies with Christ and lost. This shows a ‘system’ at work, not an individual as such, not an actual monster-individual. The evil kingdom of satan is seeking to destroy Jesus’ salvific work in the invisible world.
It is not, therefore, about a wicked individual from history, or even a demonic archangel as such. The closest we get to this individualistic approach is the references to the red dragon and Michael in Revelation 12. Yet, both represent a body of power- one evil, the other righteous. The dragon was accompanied by his fallen angels (stars), and never acted alone. We know from Daniel that heavenly powers and individuals such as the “prince of Persia” and Michael (Dan.10:13, 20) represent a body, even a people and a country. We must see in these references yet another indication of the blending of angelic with human. It is never about merely the individual. The Son of Man figure of Daniel 7 is certainly divine, and is an individual person (Jesus Christ), but he is so closely identified with God’s Israel in context that the kingdom the Son of Man receives is one that is given to Israel (Dan.7:13-14, 27).
In Revelation 1-3 itself, where the stars of the seven assemblies are called ‘angels’, this indicates the merging of the human with the heavenly. The true world of God’s kingdom is the working together of the angelic with the human, and the divine through both. Satan, as we saw, counterfeits that model.
Blasphemous warfare
Before coming to the second beast, we will pause to take a look at the first beast’s main weapon of warfare- blasphemy.
A war of words and titles
The first beast’s identifying behavior is blasphemies: “blasphemous names” (v1), “speaking arrogant words and blasphemies” (v5), “he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme” (v6). In this the first beast mimics his master, the dragon, who is the lord of blasphemy, the controller of the fake assembly of the Jews (Rev.2:9; see 16:9, 11, 21), and the lord of the scarlet beast filled with blasphemous names, having seven heads, and ten horns (17:3).
This fake, demonic Christ has, therefore, a counterfeit message: that which is the exact opposite of God and his Christ, his royal authority and person, and his Gospel truth. God and his Christ have righteous names (Rev.2:3, 13; 3:8, 12; 11:18; 14:1; 15:4; 19:12, 13, 16; 22:4), which are in contrast to, and above, the counterfeiters and their names (Rom.8:38-39; Eph.1:21; Phil.2:9).
Thus, it is a spiritual warfare of anti-God/Christ words and titles that is waged by the first beast against God, his Christ, and the assembly. Paul with spiritual wisdom writes:
“3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4 The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 6 And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete” (1 Cor.10:3-5).
Weighing things up
It will be a major downer for many Christians to describe Revelations’ account of salvation and its warfare as centering on blasphemy. Blasphemy is too ‘vanilla’, ordinary, by no means spectacular, and not at all feeding the fantastical mindset many have created. Yet, this is to trifle with blasphemy, to consider it far too low an evil. If we are truly measuring our views from within Revelation 13 itself, then we will stop and watch how John speaks about the core demonic value of blasphemy.
Take yourself back to Daniel 7: what is the apogee of evil there? It is this:
“8 While I was contemplating the horns, behold, another horn, a little one, came up among them, and three of the first horns were pulled out by the roots before it; and behold, this horn possessed eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts…. 20 and the meaning of the ten horns that were on its head and the other horn which came up, and before which three of them fell, namely, that horn which had eyes and a mouth uttering great boasts and which was larger in appearance than its associates….25 He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One” (Dan.7:8, 20, 25).
The core and fundamental behavior of the demonic bestial kingdoms of men are the boasts and blasphemies of those kingdoms! Was this not the way of satan in the Garden (Gen.3)? When Jesus died on the cross, each step of the way he was assailed by blasphemies, even when dying on the cross.
It is precisely because of the nature of the invisible spiritual warfare that we need Revelation, of all books, to convey to us just how ‘nuclear’ and explosive blasphemies are. The bible’s normal ‘human’ way of speaking- sorry for that wording- just does not capture the intensity of the spiritual force and evil of the invisible world.
The second beast
Mimicking the creation of man
The second beast, as we will see, stresses a bit more of bestial and fallen human kingdoms of man. Man was made out of the earth (Gen.2). The dragon was thrown down to earth (12:9), and in this new abode of earth, he ‘creates’ a new ‘man’, a beast (the second one) from the earth, replicating Adam’s creation from the earth (v11). (Bear in mind that the two beasts are the demonically controlled kingdoms of men at war with God, the Lamb, and his bride.)
Necessity of second beast
The second beast is a counterfeit of the Spirit of God. After Jesus won against the first beast, killing one of its heads, he was taken into heaven and was exalted over the dragon and his dark angels. As stated previously, the ‘War’ is over in principle, yet satan as the master-counterfeiter keeps it going, ever bloody-minded, determined to do as much damage to the cause of the Lamb as demonically possible.
To do this, the dragon has to seem to match the effort of the Lamb and the Father in their victory, by which they sent the Spirit to the assembly at Pentecost, and by him spread the Gospel into the entire world. The Father and the Son sent the Spirit to earth in their authority and power to save sinners. The Spirit was in place of Jesus, representing him (John 14:15-21; 15:26), empowering God’s people to know and witness to Jesus Christ and his salvation (John 16:14; 20:21-22; 1 John 3:24; 4:2, 13; 5:6, 8). The second great beast accomplishes the dragon’s goal of a counterfeit Holy Spirit through his blasphemous counter-gospel that goes after the true saints and kills them throughout the world.
False prophet
The second beast is also called the “false prophet” in Revelation 16:13; 19:20; and, 20:10. In unison with the dragon and the first beast, the false prophet produces the same unclean spirit-tongue, or blasphemous speech (Rev.16:13; see 20:10). Again in unison with them, the false prophet does counterfeit signs (Rev.13:19-20). Notice in particular, in this passage, how the beast is given a human role as a prophet, reflecting demonic and fallen-human nature.
Delegated power
Now, because the kingdom of evil delegates demonic power from satan, so the first beast, having received power from satan, delegates his power to the second beast (Rev.13:11). Indeed, the second “beast exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence” (13:12), and causes the earth to worship the first beast (13:12).
Why this system? Why not focus on the second beast entirely? Satan is, remember, reacting to God’s victory in Christ. He cannot actually produce a true kingdom that matches Christ’s. He is therefore forced to continue to advance the blasphemy that his fake Christ-kingdom is still alive and well, and is the basis for life in this fallen world. He is forced to advance that teaching because Christ was Victor and was vindicated as the living firstborn from the dead (Rev.1:5). So, the blasphemous teaching coming from the fake Spirit of God (aka, the second beast) has to build on the blasphemous gospel of a fake Christ (first beast) that seems to be alive and well and as strong as ever. These things demonstrate that satan can do nothing more than react to Christ’s victory and to the presence of the true Spirit of God in the assembly.
The more and less beast
This first beast represents both satan’s full-bloodied attack on Christ and its failure. The demonic nature of the beastly world was at its apogee at this juncture. The first beast represented fully concentrated demonic evil. What comes after is therefore ‘less’, for satan has spent himself in trying to take out Christ. The first beast represents the sheer demonic side of the beast coming out of demonic waters, yet failing in its attempt to destroy the Christ. The second beast is made from the earth, like a man, for now satan knows his time is short, so that he, through his fake kingdom among men, goes after God’s assembly on earth. Another dimension to this is that, the second beast is himself reacting to the kingdoms of the world being prized open by Christ’s death and resurrection, and through the presence of his Spirit and the worldwide Gospel. By these things, the human factor necessarily explodes exponentially in regard to the second beast, for it must try to eradicate Christ’s work on earth among men.
Weighing things up
Sadly, many speak about the second beast as if a second version of the first, as if evil will be as strong as ever. This view is partly understandable due to the viciousness of satan’s attack on the assembly, and also because he passes his full authority onto the two beasts. Even so, the above view somewhat misconstrues the point of two beasts. Most ‘popular’ millennial accounts I’ve read give the impression that the apogee of evil is at the time of the ‘antichrist’. How wrong they are! No greater act of evil was ever perpetrated than satan’s attack on Christ on the cross. It is utterly impossible for satan to ‘top’ that act of evil. Impossible! Evil reached its darkest moment at the cross. What a truly empty and tantalizingly deceptive message Revelation would be if it were true the worst is yet to come. It is an incredible testimony to the victory of Christ that a second beast was required, the first having been broken in its power to destroy Christ. Satan has failed, but, more importantly, Christ is Victor, and Christ will be Victor over all the beasts and over the dragon!
The image of the first beast
In this section I am admittedly advancing a tentative form of the counterfeit.
A crucial player in the nastiness of the dragon is the image of the first beast. It is the connection between demonically controlled mankind and humanity yet to be enslaved.
The fake image
The first beast, as we saw, continues to wage war on behalf of the red dragon, but now does so through the second beast, the fake Holy Spirit. The image is the extension of the first beast, carrying his authority, and must be worshipped, therefore (Rev.13:14-15). We can safely say, as is commonly held, that the image of the first beast is like an extended version of it, brought alive by the second beast and its work and power, functioning to, in effect, resurrect the first beast and his work. After all, the second beast worked in a similar fashion by deceiving the nations to worship the first beast, for the fake Christ has to appear to be ‘alive’ in its earliest manner, seeming impervious to the blow struck by Christ and his exaltation. So far so good.
However, there is more to this image of the first beast. The first beast came out of the demonic “sea”, providing the evil power behind the rebellious kingdoms of men. The second beast highlighted more of man’s role, for that beast- the counterfeit Holy Spirit- was made out of the ground, like Adam. And even more like Adam again, the image of the first beast is made alive by the second beast breathing life into it, “And it was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast” (Rev.13:15). Here the second beast takes on the counterfeit role of the Spirit of God who breathed life into man (Gen.2:7). It is this image, not the first beast per se, nor the second beast as such, that makes the mark of the beast on men. The image- and no one else in context- is the satanic point of contact with enslaved mankind that is numbered. Furthermore, this image resembles Daniel’s little horn that has “the eyes of a man and a mouth uttering great boasts” (Dan.7:8), for we read of the image, “the image of the beast would even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed” (Rev.13:15). In this demonic arrangement, the second beast is the deceiver and the image is the enforcer, the actual enslaver!
What we are seeing here is the counterfeit version of the image of Christ, for all true believers are in God’s image, even Christ’s (Rom.8:29; 2 Cor.3:18; Col.3:10). In Revelation, believers have robes that are washed in the blood of the Lamb (Rev.1:13; 6:11; 7:9, 13, 14; 19:13, 16; 22:14), and they are crowned with glory like Christ (Rev.2:10; 3:11; 12:1; 19:12). Revelation does indeed on numerous occasions refer to the direct and evil assault of satan and his angelic force, but it is via actual men, the fallen kingdoms of men, that the demonic slaughtering and spiritual enslaving is done. This is the counterfeit warfare to God’s assembly that ‘fight’ by their testimony, witness, and through their blood (Rev.11:3-7; 12:11; 13:10; see Rev.2-3; 19:11-21; 20:1-10). The spiritual battle between angelic forces (Rev.12) is expressed through the spiritual war of men in this world.
Contradiction?
It might be asked if my interpretation contradicts itself. If the beast is demonically controlled kingdoms of men, how can the image of the first beast be men controlled by demons, too? Isn’t that the same thing?
In some ways, yes, for both are comprised of demons and men, and all are ultimately reflecting the dragon and his authority.
Yet, there is a good reason for the distinction. If we go back to Genesis, the fall of man was man’s fall- to state the blindingly obvious- and man was rendered at war with God. Certainly, satan, the serpent, was behind this calamity, and receives his punishment from God; but man also receives his lashes (Gen.3). Two technically separate sources of evil, with two distinct punishments; yet, one evil ‘controls’ the other, satan controlling man. And so it has been and will be to the end.
Their partnership, and thus satan’s oversight and lordship, is brought out all over the bible. But it is very important to note that man is evil enough to try to make things all about him! It was Cain who killed Abel, Jews and Romans who murdered Christ, the Creator and Lord of all! It is true, without a doubt, that man shills for satan; but man is evil enough to look in that demonic mirror and think of himself, alone, as the king of all!
Let’s look again at Daniel. In Daniel 3, we read of Daniel’s friends refusing to bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image. Did you notice how the image is distinguished from the Babylonian gods, “ “These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods, nor do they worship the golden statue which you have set up”” (Dan.3:12). What was this statue? In the end, this statue was Nebuchadnezzar projecting power as a divine player. He was acting as a ‘god’, and so he set up a giant idol that emanated his ‘divinity’. The realm of man was wicked and greedy for its own worship, never mind that of the gods! What was Nebuchadnezzar’s great fault? It was that he, a man, thought he was the true lord of Babylon by his own power (Dan.4:28-33).
In the book of Esther, who was the enemy of Israel? Whom did those Israelites not bow down to and revere? Man! Man willingly shills for the first beast- such is man demonically controlled- yet, man himself is greatly evil and lusts after power, tempted and prodded to do so all the way by demonic forces. Who spread the gods of this world? It was wicked man. Who promoted man as a god? It was man, too. Man wants his cake and eat it.
Does this remind you of any other part of Revelation? The Babylonian whore, perhaps, who ends up being eaten up by her demonic overlords (Rev.17)?
Weighing things up
It might be quite a shock to the system for some Christians to contemplate that the evils aimed at God, his Lamb, his Spirit, and the assembly are fired off by satan using the weaponry of mankind. It will be just as much a shock to understanding that man can be every bit as evil as the demons that he is in league with. Kind of reminds you of the LOTR and how certain kingdoms of men were as evil are Mordor itself, yet ‘the eye’ was in control. At the end of the day, here in Revelation 13, the image of the first beast, that is, demonically inspired and authorized mankind, enslaves and numbers his fellow men.
Revelation 13:18 and 666
Now we are better positioned to understand Revelation 13:18 and its reference to 666.
“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.” (Rev.13:18)
Four clauses:
#1 Here is the wisdom of God:
#2 the one who has understanding, let him calculate the number of
the beast:
#3 for man’s number it is
#4 and the number of it [is] six hundred sixty-six.
The focus of the verse is the number of the beast, as shown by clauses 2, 3, and 4 in the red font. We are told that “the number of the beast” (#2) is man’s number, “man’s number it is” (#3). The verb here “it is” (Gk, estin) is referring us back to #2 and “the number of the beast”. Similarly, “of it” denotes “the number of the beast”. We know this because “of it” (autou, genitive neuter singular) in #4 denotes “the beast” (thayriou, genitive neuter singular) of #2.
Beast sandwich
Those two ‘beast’ clauses are the bread and in the middle is the filler of man’s number, which, we’ve already determined, is the beast’s number. We are seeing, then, that the beast and man are effectively rendered as one being or entity. The beast’s number is man’s. It is not so much that man’s number is the beast’s- although this is logically accurate- for the emphasis is on the beast and its appearance, not on man himself. The beast and man operate as one (see before).
Generic ‘man’
There is no reference to “the man” in the Greek text, no definite article. Instead, it is a reference to “man”. This could be “a man”, but it is preferable to render it as plain, generic, “man”, as in the type of being called “man”. The same understanding of “of man” (Gk. anthropou) is used in Rev.21:17, where it carries the generic meaning, “of man”: “measure of man” (Gk. metron anthropou), indicating the type of measurement man uses. There is no special man in view (‘the man’), nor an individual man (‘a man’), but only man as man, as human.
Bestial man enslaves fallen man
Theologically speaking, as stated before, we are seeing here something similar to Daniel 7’s teaching about four beasts, all of which represent a kingdom of man that opposed God’s kingdom. In Daniel 7, the idea is of demonically inspired and controlled human kingdoms that oppose God’s kingdom in Israel.
The underlying spiritual principle is that fallen humans are controlled and manipulated by evil spiritual beings. Thus, even the apostle Peter was unduly manipulated by Satan, “Get behind me, Satan!” (Matt.16:13). Similarly, Paul writes in Ephesians 6:11-12:
“11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
The demonic-man kingdom enslaves the foolish and evil kingdoms of men, taking them into its army.
Numbers are symbolic
John is using numbers in a symbolic fashion; after all, this is the most apocalyptic of all books in the bible by far. It is an immense mistake, therefore, to take this number as a literal number imprinted on an individual. Nor is John interested in identifying the number with a historical figure as such. The apocalyptic genre is not heavily invested in literalism, nor does it have a penchant for numerical conundrums such as gematria. It is what the number symbolizes that counts in Revelation, for numbers are reflective of either spiritual good or spiritual evil, and indicate concepts such as completeness, multiplication, extent, perfection, and concentratedness/intensity. So, it is more proper to say that the nature of something, someone, is represented by numbers in Revelation.
E.g., the number seven (7) is highly symbolic in Revelation and implies completeness, often divine completeness. We see this in the OT: God created all things in six days and on the seventh day rested. The Lamb has seven horns and seven eyes (Rev.5:6). This indicates the fullness of divine power and the fullness of the sight of the Spirit. Satan, being the master counterfeiter, has, as the dragon, seven heads with seven crowns (Rev.12:3), therein laying claim to counterfeit full divine royalty and power. Thus, the blasphemous names on his heads. We do read of the seven assemblies that John wrote to. They were real assemblies. Yet, even in that case, those seven real assemblies were, by the measure of Revelation as a whole, doing duty for the assembly universal and in heaven; for, after Revelation 3 is done, we plunge headlong into sheer apocalyptic imagery concerning the universal assembly and its future until the Lord’s final coming.
666
The idea of 666 or six, six, six, or six hundred sixty-six, is that of being one short of the divine fullness or completeness, of therefore being lesser than God. It marks createdness, in other words: the world was created in six days.
There is far more meant by the number, for we are in the world of the apocalyptic, after all, where symbols take on numerous levels of meaning. The triple sixes occur only in Revelation 13. Why? Some suggest that it is because there are two sets of three implied in context- one true and one counterfeit, the fake Trinity and the real Trinity. Yet, the fake lacks divine completeness, as it is created by the red dragon. Whereas, each divine person represents divine completeness, or 7, 7, 7. The dragon is the counterfeit of the Father, the first beast the counterfeit of the Lamb, and the second beast the counterfeit of the Spirit of Christ. Thus, in their case- 6, 6, 6.
Yet, 666 also identifies man, for man was created on day 6. More to the point, it is bestial man, the Beast-Man that is represented by the two beasts. All of this is to say that, contextually, 6 is intensified by three, compounded, to indicate demonically controlled man, bestial man subservient to Satan (see before).
Mark, name, number as one
Coming back to this bestial man and its image, it places a “mark” (Gk., charagma) on mankind’s right hand or forehead. This mark is tantamount to a symbol of ownership and complete control, since its presence determines whether men can trade on this earth.
The symbolizing of the “mark” in part goes back to the Jewish practice of tying tefillin to the arm and head (Exo.13:9; Deut.6:8; 11:18). The Jew was to follow the Law of Moses in following Yahweh. In a similar manner, enslaved mankind has the mark on the right hand or the forehead to mark out that it was committed to the image and his authority, which is, by extension, the authority of the first beast and the dragon. Remember, this mark is symbolic of such enslavement; it does not denote an actual physical mark.
Working within that symbolic framework, John’s mindset is naturally flexible to allow him to equate the “mark” with both “the name of the beast” (Gk., to onoma tou thayriou) and “the number of the name of it” (Gk., ton arithon tou onomatos autou). If we were following the dictates of literalism, or pursuing the ‘historical figure’ rendition, we would have to split number, from mark, from name. Yet, John clearly does not do so. The “mark” indicates the “name”, which also represents the “number” (Rev.14:9-11). We are, reader, in the world of the apocalyptic, in which identical concepts are described in various ways in the same context. This is to say that enslaved mankind bears the name, number, and mark of the beast- a threefer. We already know from Revelation 13:1 that the dragon holds titles of blasphemies. All his names are blasphemies calculated to attack God, his Lamb, and the assembly.
Trade’s relevance
A comment is necessary about the trade aspect of Revelation 13. It is true that mankind is driven by money and power (1 Tim.6:10), and that man’s heart is given over to the idol of riches (Matt.6:19-34). In that sense, human trading is a real spiritual problem, generating, as it were, the environment for the greed of man.
That being said, Revelation is far more concerned about the invisible, demonic roots of this earthly form of idolatry. Just as the trees, the waters, grass, etc.., are enlisted into the world of apocalyptic symbolism, so is man at trade. For man at ‘trade’ is not just about commerce, plainly, for it has at its foundation worshipping the beast, and the murder of those who do not worship the first beast, who do not bow down to the authority of the image of the first beast. A look at John’s Babylonian imagery demonstrates how man’s material comfort is but one aspect of a wholly sinister and evil ‘system’. Babylon’s true trade is in souls, in making drunk the powers of this world, enslaving mankind, and partying on the blood of the saints. Mere human trade with its greed is but the portal to demonic ‘trade’, its symbol.
Weighing things up
It is most unfortunate that some Christians throw away the symbolic reading of Revelation and its meaning. They take us to Nero, to Caesar, to a pope, to the USSR, to Hitler, to Genghis Khan, to Lenin, anyone evil, really. There are as many identifications of the number of the beast and of ‘the man of sin’, in regard to the multitudes of interpretations of Revelation 13, as there are stars in the sky or sand on the seashore! Those who love gematria and number counting are obsessed with the arithmetical names of caesars and historical kings.
All of which entails, whether these Christians think so or not, an emphasis on a timeline, scheduled events, dates, the very thing we should not do so as Christians (Matt.24:36; Mark 13:32). In fact, I read an article just yesterday that said that the book of Revelation strongly discourages date setting, only for the article’s author to make 2070 the date of Christ’s return- you can’t make this stuff up!
Conversely, there are those who restrict the content of the book of Revelation to either up to AD70 or to first-century Roman life. Certainly, some of Roman life of the first century is implied…how could it be otherwise? We can also safely conclude that real assemblies, seven of them, were the recipients of John’s letter. Yet, all of this is but the backdrop to John’s use of apocalyptic imagery, which typically takes its tone from the evil of a certain day or generation, and then proceeds to talk about the demise of multigenerational forces of evil spanning time or history. The most obvious example of this is Daniel 7 and the four beasts. For, the invisible warfare of the Lamb and the dragon and his beasts continues to the end. But there is one Victor and one Loser…and we all know who they are, no symbolism required!
The relevance of Revelation 14
Swallowed up!
This chapter is the final one of the section 12-14. Most comments on it dial in on the 144,000 and a discussion of its meaning. What is easy to miss in this is that it and other chapters in Revelation mention the “image” (Rev.14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4). A similar thing happens in Revelation 20:4, where the general discussion on the millennium swallows up a discussion on the image in context. As we are concerned with Revelation 13 within chs 12-14, we’ll limit ourselves to a few comments on Revelation 14.
The contrast
Revealtion 14 is presenting two peoples, ‘mankinds’, starting with the heavenly humanity, the 144,000. It bears the “name” of Jesus Christ and his Father on their “forehead” (Rev.14:1; 2:13; 3:8; 22:4). The contrast between the 144,000 and the rest of humanity that is marked by the beast and his image (Rev.13) is as obvious as day (Rev.14:9-10). The glorious Gospel of God and the Lamb purchases and sets free the nations of the earth; the beast and his image enslave the nations. The first to be judged by God is Babylon the Great (Rev.14:8), which brings the nations under its spell. This is, in my opinion, another metaphor for the beast’s image. (I hope to follow this argument up by an article on the subject.) Thus, the very next verse comments, “A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: “If anyone worships the beast and its image and receives its mark on their forehead or on their hand”” (Rev.14:9). Judgment is then executed on those wicked nations by the angels themselves (Rev.14:14-20). First the demonic system, then the nations, are judged.
Number, mark, name
The 144,000 of the new humanity, of God’s heavenly Israel, are given a new name, that is the name of God and of his heavenly city and temple, which is written on man by Jesus (Rev.2:17; 3:12). The assembly itself is identified as part of the holy temple of the holy Jerusalem, for believers will be made pillars of the temple (Rev.3:12). Furthermore, the true assembly, the 144,000 are sealed in their foreheads by God (Rev.7:1-5). Thus, demonic man does not have the seal of God on its forehead (Rev.9:1-4).
In this, we are meant to conclude that ‘mark’, ‘number’, and ‘name’ are describing the same thing, and, as far as the assembly is concerned, we can add ‘seal’, too. The basic idea is of ownership, community, and enslavement (both good and evil), for God’s slaves have his mark on their foreheads (Rev.7:3; see Rev.1:1; 19:2, 5; 22:3).
Weighing thing up
Two humanities are contrasted, and their two accompanying, underlying, powers. Therefore, any attempt to make Revelation 14, and by extension, Revelation 12 and 13, about individuals steps outside of John’s argument. Even though the saints of God are assailed and killed on earth, and though humanity is enslaved by the beast and his image (Babylon), the victory is found in God and the Lamb’s work, for they have secured a 144,000, a holy and heavenly ‘Israel’ that stands on “Mount Zion” (Rev.14:1).[3] This mass of saints “had been redeemed from the earth” (Rev.14:3). They are the flipside of those who were persecuted and killed on earth, for the Lamb won ‘The Battle of the Resurrection’, so that the 144,000 are raised into heaven with the Lamb (see Rev.20:4-6).
[1] Let us not forget that although humanity in Adam was ‘in’ the image (Gen.1; 5; cf., Jam.3:9), the NT assembly is or becomes the image (1 Cor. 15:49; 2 Cor.3:18; Col.3:10; cf., 1 Cor.11:7).
[2] The same idea of a limited period is found with, “time, times, and half a time” (3 ½ years): time = one year; times = twice the amount; half a time = half a year (Rev.12:14;
[3] ‘Holy’ because they are separated into God’s holy mountain, Zion, to offer priestly praise on their harps. ‘Holy’ also because of their ‘numerical dimensions’, for the twelve tribes of Israel (Rev.7) of 12,000 apiece reflect the square dimensions of the holy of holies (Exo.26:31-34), that is, 12 lots of 12, 12 by 12. ‘Heavenly’ because they are in the heavenly Mount Zion with the Lamb and the Father (Rev.14:1).