Meaning of Numbers
in the Bible

The Biblical Meaning of the Number 666

The number six hundred sixty six is "the number of a name" (Revelation 13:17-18). When the name of Antichrist is known its Gematria (substituting numbers for letters) will doubtless be found to be the number 666. But this number has, we believe, a far deeper reference to and connection with the secret mysteries of the ancient religions, which will be again manifested in connection with the last great apostasy.

Many names may be found, the numerical value of whose letters amounts to 666. We have a list of about forty such gematria. Most of them are ridiculous, inasmuch as instead of the gematria being confined to Hebrew and Greek (which have no Arabic or other special signs for figures), the principle is extended to names in English, French, and other modern languages, on the assumption that they would have been spelt in exactly the same way; whereas we know that names both of persons and places are not simply transliterated in various languages. It is abusrd therefore to attempt to take words from the modern European languages which use Arabic figures.

Gematria is not a means by which the name is to be discovered; but it will be a test and a proof by which the name may be identified after the person is revealed.

If six is the number of secular or human perfection, then 66 is a more emphatic expression of the same fact, and 666 is the concentrated expression of it; 666 is therefore the trinity of human perfection; the perfection of imperfection; the culmination of human pride in independence of God and opposition to His Christ.

The number, however, has to be computed (yhfizw (pseephizo), to reckon, to calculate, not merely to count or enumerate). See Revelation 13:18. Therefore it is not to be known by gematria merely, though, as we have said, that will be one of the factors in the calculation, just as the letters in the word Jesus amount to 888.

How is the number 6 stamped on ancient mystery religions?

The number 6 was stamped on the old mysteries. The great secret symbol consisted of the three letters SSS, because the letter S in the Greek alphabet was the symbol of the figure 6. a = 1, b = 2, g = 3, d = 4, e = 5, but when it came to 6, another letter was introduced! Not the next—the sixth letter (z, zeta)—but a different letter, a peculiar form of S, called "stigma" (V). Now the word stigma (stigma), means a mark, but especially a mark made by a brand as burnt upon slaves, cattle, or soldiers, by their owners or masters; or on devotees who thus branded themselves as belonging to their gods. It is from stizw, stizo, to prick, or brand with a hot iron. Hence it came to be used of scars or wound-prints, and it is thus used by Paul of his scars, which he regarded as the tokens of his sufferings, the marks which he bore on his body for the sake of his Lord and Master, and marking him as belonging to the one who had bought him (Galatians 6:17).

This letter is becoming familiar to us now; and it is not pleasant when we see many thus marked (ignorantly, no doubt) with the symbolical "S," "S," especially when it is connected, not with "salvation," but with judgment, and is asociated with "blood and fire," which, in Joel 2:30-31, is given as one of the awful signs "before the great and terrible day of the Lord come."

Apostasy is before us. The religion of Christ has, in the past, been opposed and corrupted, but when it once comes, as it has come in our day, to be burlesqued, there is nothing left but judgment. There is nothing more the enemy can do before he proceeds to build up the great apostasy on the ruins of true religion, and thus prepare the way for the coming of the Judge.

It is remarkable that the Romans did not use all the letters of their alphabet, as did the Hebrews and Greeks. They used only SIX letters,* D, C, L, X, V, and I. And it is still more remarkable, and perhaps significant, that the sum of these amounts to 666:

* The M appears to have been merely two D's.

In each of the three pairs there is an addition of one, for 6 = 5 + 1. It is the grace of God superseded by the corruption of man.

It will be seen from this that the number 666 is very far-reaching, and is filled with a meaning deeper, perhaps, than anything we have yet discovered. One thing, however, is certain, and that is, that the triple 6 marks the culmination of man's opposition to God in the person of the coming Antichrist.

Further illustration of the significance of this number is seen in the fact that the duration of the old Assyrian empire was 666 years before it was conquered by Babylon.

Which three men in the Bible stand out as ENEMIES of God?

There are three men which stand out in Scripture as the avowed enemies of God and of His people. Each is branded with this number six that we may not miss their significance:

1. GOLIATH, whose height was 6 cubits, and he had 6 pieces of armor;* his spear's head weighed 600 shekels of iron (1Samuel 17:4-7).

   * In Ephesians 6:14-18, the Christian's armor has a seventh piece — "Prayer."

2. NEBUCHADNEZZAR, whose "image" which he set up,** was 60 cubits high and 6 cubits broad (Daniel 3:1), and which was worshipped when the music was heard from 6 specified instruments.***

   ** We must distinguish the "image" which he set up, from the "man" of whom he afterwards dreamt. The proportions are not the same. The height of a man is to his breadth not as 10:1. Some have therefore thought that this "image" may have been an obelisk. But as the word for "image" denotes a form or likeness, it may have been like the form of a man standing on a pedestal of which the height was included. The pedestal being probably 24 (6x4) cubits, and the image 36 (6x6).

   *** The numerical value (by gematria) of the words in Daniel 3:1, which describe the setting up of this image is 4662. The very figures are significant, but still more so are the factors of this number. 4662 = 7 x 666.

3. ANTICHRIST, whose number is 666.

In the first we have one six connected with the pride of fleshly might.

In the second we have two sixes connected with the pride of absolute dominion.

In the third we have three sixes connected with the pride of Satanic guidance.

How much GOLD was brought to King Solomon and what was it WORTH?

The number of talents of gold brought to Solomon each year was 666:

"The weight of gold that came to Solomon YEARLY was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold, BESIDES what the traveling merchants and traders brought. And all the kings of Arabia and governors of the country brought gold and silver to Solomon." (1Kings 10:13-14)

Solomon received 666 talents of gold EACH year, which in today's world (assuming $1,500 per troy ounce) would be worth close to TWO BILLION dollars! But this perfection of money-power was only "vanity and vexation of spirit" (Ecclesiastes 2:8,11; compare 1Timothy 6:10).

As to the triple number 666, we have already seen (see note in discusion on number 3) that while one figure (6) is significant, two figures (66) are still more so; and three figures (666) seem to denote the concentration or essence of the particular number.

We see further examples of this in:

• Jesus, 888, the dominical number.
• Sodom, 999, the number of judgment.
• Damascus, 444, the world number.
• The beast, 666, the number of man.
• "Verily, verily, I say unto you," 888.
• The Lord God made, 888; etc., etc.

"The children of Adonikam" who returned from the Captivity (Ezra 2:13) numbered 666. Adonikam means the lord of the enemy. This is suggestive, even though it may be vague.

The number 666 has another remarkable property. It is further marked as the concentration and essence of 6 by being the sum of all the numbers which makes up the square of six! The square of six is 36 (6², or 6x6), and the sum of the numbers 1 to 36 = 666, i.e., 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7 + 8 + 9 + 10 + 11 + 12 + 13 + 14 + 15 + 16 + 17 + 18 + 19 + 20 + 21 + 22 + 23 + 24 + 25 + 26 + 27 + 28 + 29 + 30 + 31 + 32 + 33 + 34 + 35 + 36 = 666.

They may be arranged in the form of a square with six figures each way, so that the sum of each six figures in any direction shall be another significant triplicate: the number 111.