The book of revelation is not a normal writing that one will easily understand. It is a coded-languaged book. In other words, any attempt to take the words literary will land you in a misinterpretation. This was what the Church was guiding against for fear that the sacred scritures will be misinterpreted. When you pay a close look at how the scripture was read...It was kept under lock. After reading by the presider it is handed over to the keeper of the scrolls... The great manifesto of Jesus (Ref Luke 4:16-20)
Now, back to the subject under discussion...
This number (666) marks the second of two beasts which are agents of Satan and enemies of the Church.
As to the 666, many modern scholars associate this with Nero, and by extension, the Roman Empire. Nero had been the most terrible persecutor of the Church,putting countless to death in the most horrible fashion in the 60’s until his own suicide. The association is urged by the fact that the name of Nero, spelled in Hebrew, totals 666 .There are other allusions to Nero in this work and section, which incline many to such an association.
Another opinion is put forth, which associates 666 with Jerusalem, in part because the only other appearance of 666 in the Bible is associated with an important figure of Israel, King Solomon. While it may shock a Christian to think of Solomon in terms of a beast, there was a later, dark side to Solomon when he gave himself over to foreign wives and worship and the accumulation of wealth. As such, he may serve as an anti-type of Christ even as he serves positively in other ways as a type of Christ.
Dr.Scott Hahn argues for the allusion to Solomon.
At any rate, 6 is a biblical number often symbolizing imperfection or evil, since it falls short of seven, a number of perfection. Its three- fold repetition would appear to emphasize such evil. It is interesting to note that there are a number of other biblical associations with six which are evil including with the giant Goliath.
There will be a final anti-Christ, beyond all others we have known, and in some manner, this will be his mark and number.
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