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The beast of Revelation symbolizes the Roman Empire; it was Caesar at the time of Revelation’s writing (Nero) and the demon who empowered him. However, if this is true, we must explain the end of Revelation 13, which says the beast's number is 666. If Nero is the beast, he must fit the description of Revelation 13:18.
"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." (Revelation 13:18)
Since John used the word “calculate,” he’s almost guaranteed to refer to the practice of gematria, which adds up the numerical value of the letters in an individual’s name.
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It’s worth noting that the number of the beast is the number of a man, an individual. It’s also worth noting that the beast's number is six hundred and sixty-six, not 6-6-6. It’s a numerical value, not merely the number 6 repeated thrice. Since John used the word “calculate,” he’s almost guaranteed to refer to the practice of gematria, which adds up the numerical value of the letters in an individual’s name. Thousands of years ago, the world didn’t universally use a numeric system (1, 2, 3, 4, etc.) to count, but instead used an alphabetical one. You’ve probably already been taught one example of this alphabetical system before Roman numerals. We all know this.
- I = 1
- V = 5
- X = 10
- C = 100
- D = 500
- M = 1,000
- MMXXI = 2,021
The Romans weren’t the only culture that used this counting method. The Hebrews, and Greeks also used it. They all used gematria. With these concepts in mind (alphabetical numerical values and gematria), we can calculate the number of the beast, which I believe is a reference to Nero. When we calculate the numerical value of “Nrwn Qsr,” which is the title “Nero Caesar” in Hebrew, we arrive at 666.
- Nun = 50
- Resh = 200
- Waw = 6
- Nun = 50
- Qof = 100
- Samek = 60
- Resh = 200
- 50 + 200 + 6 + 50 + 100 + 60 + 200 = 666
Nero Caesar in Hebrew = 666;
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Immediately, someone might say, “This seems very arbitrary. Why does this have to refer to Nero and not someone else?” To that, I would appeal to a surprising textual variant. Some manuscripts are incredibly ancient and say, “his number is 616.” Now, I do not believe these manuscripts reflect the original number John wrote, 666. However, we must explain how someone could mistake “666” for “616.” They look very different in Greek and would never be confused by a scribe. Therefore, the scribe who wrote “616” made an intentional choice. He calculated the name of the beast and arrived at 616, not 666.
Consequently, he wrote “616” in his manuscript, not “666.” How could the scribe arrive at 616? The title “Nero Caesar” in Latin adds up to 616. This explains how such a strange textual variant could appear in the manuscript tradition. People knew Nero was the beast, so they changed its number to reflect the language they used for gematria calculations. In Hebrew, it was 666. In Latin, it was 616, and that’s why manuscripts found in Latin areas contained 616, not 666. I believe the evidence in favor of Nero being the beast is strong. However, we then have to ask how Nero fits with the mark of the beast in Revelation 13.
It causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. (Revelation 13:16-17)
The word “mark” in Greek is charagma, which had two meanings in the first century AD. It could refer to the image of a Caesar stamped on the Roman Empire's coins or to the seal of Caesar on official documents (Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 3rd ed., 462)
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The word “mark” in Greek is charagma, which had two meanings in the first century AD. It could refer to the image of a Caesar stamped on the Roman Empire's coins or to the seal of Caesar on official documents (Elwell, Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 3rd ed., 462). This sheds light on two possible interpretations of the Mark of the Beast.
First, the mark of the beast could be the use of Nero’s minted coins, which declared him to be a god by naming him “Augustus,” “Imperator,” “Tribunicia Potestate,” “Pater,” and “Pontifex Maximus.” Translated, these words mean “Declared Super-Great One,” “Emperor,” “Sacrosanct Powerful One,” “Father,” and “High Priest,” respectively. All of those titles are blasphemous from a first-century perspective, even if they described a holy man, let alone a wretch like Nero. The use of these coins may be the mark of the beast, the charagma. If a Roman citizen wanted to participate in society, he was required to use these blasphemous coins, something Christians would’ve likely refused, thereby banning them from the public markets. This is a very plausible interpretation, but another less historical option exists.
The term charagma can also refer to the imperial seal on official documents, and eventually, one document that had this seal was the libellus. In the third century, Decius Caesar required everyone to possess a libellus to buy or sell in the public markets. To obtain a libelous, those in the Roman Empire were required to offer a pinch of incense to an image of Caesar and to proclaim, “Kaiser Kurios,” “Caesar is Lord.” Christians could not comply with this requirement, thereby forbidding them from the public markets because they did not have a libellus with a charagma on it. This is another option for the mark of the beast, but there is a difficult hurdle to overcome. There is no historical record that Nero ever implemented the use of the libellus. Now, we do not have an exhaustive historical understanding of the Roman Empire during the reign of Nero. Still, we do not have evidence of the libellus before the third century AD. However, should we discover that Nero did require people to have a libellus to operate in the marketplace, then that would undoubtedly be the mark of the beast. Until then, the coin interpretation is the more likely of the two.
The mark of the beast doesn’t have to be an eschatological boogeyman that we look for under every bed when night falls. When we identify the beast as Nero Caesar and calculate the numerical value of his name using gematria, we see that his number is 666. In Latin, his number 616 explains a peculiar textual variant in a few manuscripts, and this supports the Nero interpretation even further. Since Nero is the beast, and his number is 666, the beast's mark is likely the image of Nero stamped on the standardized coins in the Roman Empire. The same coin that identified Nero as “Nero Caesar” also identified him by several blasphemous names. This would’ve put Christians in a difficult predicament, potentially banning them from buying and selling in the marketplace, just as Revelation 13 describes.
This is a non-WLC article by Dennis Haroldson.
We have taken out from the original article all pagan names and titles of the Father and Son, and have replaced them with the original given names. Furthermore, we have restored in the Scriptures quoted the names of the Father and Son, as they were originally written by the inspired authors of the Bible. -WLC Team
