In his inspired Word, God provides the needed clues with regard to the number 666, the name, or mark, of the wild beast of Revelation, Chapter 13.
Consider the following four main lines of reasoning-vital clues-that will reveal the meaning of the mark of the beast: (1) how Bible names are sometimes chosen, (2) the identity of the wild beast, (3) what is meant by 666 being “a man’s number,” and (4) the significance of the number 6 and why it is written in triple digits, namely, 600 plus 60 plus 6, or 666.-Revelation 13:18.
Bible names often have special significance, particularly when given by God. For example, because Abram would become the father of nations, God changed the patriarch’s name to Abraham, meaning “Father of a Multitude.” (Genesis 17:5) God told Joseph and Mary to call Mary’s future child Jesus, which means “Jehovah Is Salvation.”-Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:31.
The Bible book of Daniel sheds much light on the meaning of symbolic beasts. Chapter 7 contains a vivid tableau of “four huge beasts”-a lion, a bear, a leopard, and a fearsome beast with big teeth of iron. (Daniel 7:2-7) Daniel tells us that these beasts represent “kings,” or political kingdoms, that rule in succession over vast empires.-Daniel 7:17, 23.
Accordingly, the God-given number-name 666 must symbolize what God sees as defining attributes of the beast. Naturally, to understand those traits, one needs to identify the beast itself and learn about its activities.
Regarding the beast of Revelation 13:1, 2, The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible points out that it “combines in itself the joint characteristics of the four beasts of Daniel’s vision…. Accordingly, this first beast [of Revelation] represents the combined forces of all political rule opposed to God in the world.” This observation is affirmed by Revelation 13:7, which says of the beast: “Authority was given it over every tribe and people and tongue and nation.”
The Bible use beasts as symbols of human rulership for at least two reasons. First, because of the beastly record of bloodshed that governments have accrued over the centuries. (Ecclesiastes 8:9) The second reason is that “the dragon [Satan] gave to the beast its power and its throne and great authority.” (Revelation 12:9; 13:2) Accordingly, human rulership is a product of the Devil, thus reflecting his beastly, dragonlike disposition.-John 8:44; Ephesians 6:12.
A third clue to the meaning of 666 lies in its being “a man’s number,” or as “a human number.” This expression could not refer to an individual human, for Satan-not any man-has authority over the beast. (Luke 4:5, 6; 1 John 5:19; Revelation 13:2, 18) Rather, the beast’s having “a human number,” or mark, suggests that it is a human entity, not spirit or demon, and that it therefore manifests certain human traits. (Romans 3:23) The beast’s having “a human number,” therefore, indicates that governments reflect the fallen human condition, the mark of sin and imperfection.
In the Scriptures, certain numbers have symbolic significance. The number seven, for example, is often used to symbolize that which is complete, or perfect, in God’s eyes. For instance, God’s creative week comprises seven ‘days,’ or extended time periods, during which God completely accomplishes his creative purpose regarding the earth. (Genesis 1:3-2:3) God’s “sayings” are like silver that has been “clarified seven times,” thus perfectly refined. (Psalm 12:6; Proverbs 30:5, 6) The leper Naaman was told to bathe seven times in the Jordan River, after which he was completely healed.-2 Kings 5:10, 14.
Six is one short of seven. It is a fitting symbol of something imperfect, or defective, in God’s eyes. (1 Chronicles 20:6, 7) Moreover, six repeated three times, as 666, powerfully stresses that imperfection. That this is the correct view is supported by the fact that 666 is “a human number,” as we have considered. Thus, the beast’s record, its “human number,” and the number 666 itself all point to one unmistakable conclusion-gross shortcoming and failure in the eyes of God.
“The mark,” whether on the right hand or on the forehead, figuratively speaking, is a symbol that identifies its bearer as one who gives worshipful support to the beastlike political systems of the world. Those having the mark give to “Caesar” that which rightly belongs to God. (Luke 20:25; Revelation 13:4, 8; 14:1) By giving worshipful honor to the political state, its symbols, and its military might, to which they look for hope and salvation. Any worship that they render the true God is merely lip service.
In contrast, the Bible urges us: “Do not put your trust in nobles, nor in the son of earthling man, to whom no salvation belongs. His spirit goes out; he goes back to his ground; in that day his thoughts do perish.” (Psalm 146:3, 4) Those who heed that wise counsel are not disillusioned when governments fail to deliver on their promises or when charismatic leaders fall from grace.-Proverbs 1:33.
