Hello All:
As promised from last week, we offer up a discussion on understanding 666. We offer this information from a scholarly standpoint. But before getting into the article, I would like to offer a personal interpretation of 666 that comes from the Gospel of St. John. As reported in the Bible:
John Chapter 6:64 Yet there are some of you who do not believe.” For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray him.
John Chapter 6:65 He went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”
John Chapter 6:66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
John Chapter 6:67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.
John Chapter 6:68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”
So just think about that for a moment. We've highlighted the key verse which clearly contains the numbers 666. It warns that when we turn our backs on Jesus and no longer follow him for truth and eternal life, what are we following? Those sources, my friend, are the Beast.
Now here's the more scholarly explanation from Revelations:
666… an ugly number that many people feel is cursed and bad luck to see. It’s because St. John assigns the Beast (presumably Satan) with the number 666 in his Book of Revelations. Sometimes we are fixated on 666, especially since Revelation 13:18 states, "This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666." This verse suggests that understanding the significance of the number 666 requires wisdom and insight. Don’t you wish you had the wisdom to understand the significance of 666?
Well, from a scholarly standpoint, we can easily decode 666 and ultimately de-mystify this number so that you are no longer fixated on it. You can finally sleep at night after reading this article.
As mentioned in last week’s discussion on Revelations, the imagery of the Beast and the number 666 is often interpreted as a reference to Emperor Nero, a notorious persecutor of Christians. But exactly how does 666 link to Emperor Nero?
The connection between the number 666 and Emperor Nero is rooted in the ancient practice of gematria, a system in which letters are assigned numerical values. This method was used in Hebrew, Greek, and other ancient languages, allowing names or words to be represented as numbers. Here's how it works in the case of Nero:
When the Greek name for Nero Caesar ("Neron Kaisar") is transliterated into Hebrew letters, it becomes נרון קסר (NRWN QSR). Each Hebrew letter has a numerical value:
נ (Nun) = 50
ר (Resh) = 200
ו (Vav) = 6
ן (Final Nun) = 50
ק (Qoph) = 100
ס (Samekh) = 60
ר (Resh) = 200
When these values are added together, the total is 666.
But why did St. John use Gematria to disclose this information?
The Book of Revelation was written during a time of persecution, so St. John used symbolic language to convey messages that would be understood by Christians but obscure to outsiders. Referring to Nero as "the Beast" using the number 666 allowed early Christians to criticize the emperor covertly without directly naming him, which could have been dangerous.
Interestingly, some ancient manuscripts of Revelation list the number of the Beast as 616 instead of 666. This variation arises because, in Latin, Nero's name is spelled slightly differently ("Nero Caesar" instead of "Neron Caesar"). When transliterated into Hebrew, the Latin version (NRW QSR) omits the final "N" (Nun), reducing the total numerical value to 616.
Nero was infamous for his cruelty, particularly toward Christians, whom he blamed for the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD. By associating Nero with the Beast and the number 666, Revelation symbolically portrays him as a representative of oppressive, anti-Christian forces. This interpretation aligns with the book's broader purpose of encouraging Christians to remain faithful in the face of persecution.
And so, we’ve solved the mystery! Through gematria, Nero's name is simply a coded reference to the Beast, representing tyranny and opposition to God's people. It all reveals the historical and theological depth of the Book of Revelation.
Be sure to check in next Sunday when we reveal how to guarantee that you are among the 144,000 people to make it to Heaven.
https://www.quora.com/Is-it-true-that-the-number-666-is-related-to-Roman-Emperor-Nero
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