The Visit of the Queen of Sheba to King Solomon; Edward Poynter, 1890
Revelation 13:18: Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
In part one, 666: CALCULATING THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST, we stepped back from all the hype and speculation concerning the number of the Beast. The heart of the issue for us today, in the 21st century, is how do we figure out the true meaning of the number 666? How should we “count” the number as the apostle John instructed us, so that we can fully understand the implications of the number and the identity of the Beast?
I believe when the apostle John wrote the book of Revelation his desire was to impart wisdom and understanding to the Church, not cause us to engage in useless speculation regarding an unsolvable mystery. After all, the last verse of chapter 13 begins with these words—“Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast…” From all of this, it is obvious that the “wisdom” to which John was referring is biblical wisdom. Let us be like the prophet Daniel who sought the Lord for wisdom and understanding.
Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days (Daniel 10:14).
Seeking the Wisdom of the Lord
Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding (Proverbs 4:7).
In this study, it is my hope (with the leading of the Holy Spirit), to come to a biblical understanding regarding this issue so that we can correctly “count” the number. There are probably other ways to go about this, so, what I present here is just a small piece of the puzzle. I do not pretend to have all the answers nobody has all the answers. Like you, I “see through a glass darkly” (1 Corinth. 13:12). Nevertheless, it is my belief that the Bible has all the answers we need for this or any other issue in life. As we move forward, God will lead us to a greater understanding as we study and pray. In addition, I am fully convinced that when the Antichrist Beast does appear he will not catch us off guard—the Lord will provide discernment and wisdom to every member of His true Church.
What we discovered in part 1 is that the Greek word psēphizō (Strong’s G5585), translated in our English Bible as “count,” means much more than just counting or calculating the sum total of a group of numbers. We cannot just arbitrarily pick the name of a famous personality and see if their name adds up to 666 using Hebrew or Greek gematria. That is the problem; we have to go one more step. Going on, we see that the word psēphizō also means to give one’s vote by casting a pebble into an urn; to decide by voting.
Now, as I explained, the Greek word psēphizō originates from a root word, psēphos, (Strong’s G5586), which refers to “a small worn smooth stone, a pebble” used to cast a vote in a court of law. For instance, the members of the jury used the stones to cast a vote to decide whether a defendant was guilty or innocent; “in the ancient courts of justice the accused were condemned by black pebbles and acquitted by white.”
However, in order to come to a proper understanding regarding the legal case before them the members of a jury must listen to all of the facts. Only in this way, can one come to a logical conclusion and properly vote to acquit or condemn the defendant. Applying this to 666, the number of the Beast, means that before we calculate the number of a name, and vote on a candidate for the Antichrist, we must consider all the facts in the case. Once we consider all of the facts (as found in many biblical examples), then we can vote, and apply the number 666 to the correct person, who is the Antichrist, the Beast of the book of Revelation.
Therefore, our task is to search the Bible and study the facts it provides regarding the Antichrist. The clues are there; God did not present us with an unsolvable mystery and then cast us adrift on the waves of subjective speculation. To be honest, everything we need to know about the Antichrist Beast and the infamous 666 is in the Bible. Our task is to take the time, search the Scriptures, and discover the facts. Only by searching out the matter will we have the correct information to solve the enigma of the number of the Beast, 666.
KING SOLOMON: A TYPE OF THE ANTICHRIST BEAST
Without doubt, Solomon is one of the most enigmatic figures in the Bible. He began his reign with the blessings of God, and it seems as if God showered Solomon with an overabundance of wealth and wisdom. Yet Solomon gradually drifted away from the wisdom and blessing of the God of heaven. In turn, he sought out the forbidden gnosis or occult knowledge of the god of this world. Tragically, Solomon descended into blatant idolatry and evil, that is the biblical record.
“For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the LORD his God, as was the heart of David his father. For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. And Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD, and went not fully after the LORD, as did David his father. Then did Solomon build an high place for Chemosh, the abomination of Moab, in the hill that is before Jerusalem, and for Molech, the abomination of the children of Ammon. And likewise did he for all his strange wives, which burnt incense and sacrificed unto their gods” (1 Kings 11:4-8).
Let us take note that every one of the demon gods named in 1 Kings 11:4-8 required human sacrifice. Ashtoreth was a cultic fertility goddess, whose religious ceremonies corrupted every culture that it touched. Ashtoreth (same as the Babylonian Ishtar), was an ancient Canaanite fertility (and war) goddess, androgynous in nature, who was worshipped through sacred prostitution. This caused considerable harm to the people God as they descended into an abyss of wickedness and moral debauchery through male and female temple prostitution. The worship of Ashtoreth literally destroyed the foundations of the family and the nation because of two things, namely, appalling immorality and child sacrifice.
This should all sound very familiar to you in 21st century America because we have the same wicked behavior going on, and all of it has the “sacred” sanction of the United States government and the Supreme Court.
To be continued in part 3….
As we progress through this study you will see parallels to todays culture and society. It is true that, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” (George Santayana). This is especially true in American politics, as we see daily on the national news.
Political correctness is a destructive force, and our nation is under a satanic delusion right now. I am afraid that many people in the United States have succumbed to a strong delusion. Or, it is more than likely at this point that God has handed millions of Americans over to the power of their chosen sin. Paul warned about the terror of the Lord, and three times in Romans chapter 1 (verses, 24, 26, 28), Paul states that God hands people over, He gives them up to their sin by withdrawing His restraint of grace and mercy. You may read Romans 1 here.
Keep praying and keep reading the Bible.
Thanks for visiting,
Jeff Wingo
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The Antichrist Beast, and the Beast system of Babylon the Great will use UFOs and aliens to deceive the world. Daniel foretold the coming of an alien god in the last days. Get the book, increase your knowledge of Bible prophecy, and learn about the coming deception.
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Thanks again,
Jeff Wingo