“And he requires everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark: the beast’s name or the number of his name. Here is wisdom: The one who has understanding must calculate the number of the beast, because it is the number of a man. His number is 666” (Revelation 13:16-18 HCSB).
The placement of this mark on the right hand or forehead is probably not coincidental. For instance, the Old Testament book of Deuteronomy may shed light on the factors that influenced these specific locations…
“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads” (Deuteronomy 6:4-8 NIV).
We can view this reference to “the hands” as an allusion to the activities of our lives. In a similar manner, the word “forehead” can be used to represent our thought life. So, in practical terms, this passage tells us that God’s Word should influence our thoughts and deeds. However, Revelation 13:16-17 presents us with a grotesque parody of that command, for the false prophet will use this mark to gain control over every form of commercial interaction.
This is followed by one of the most famous verses in the Bible: “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 ESV). One popular theory regarding this individual is that the numeric value of his name will add up to 666. But much like the mark of the beast mentioned earlier, this passage has led to many conjectures and speculations, some of which are reasonable, and others much less so.
Thus, we should not allow fear and superstition to influence our response to this number whenever we encounter it in its various forms. Our text from this passage simply provides us with the following information: some aspect of this individual’s existence will calculate to a value of 666. Thus, we should add this factor to the list of identifying traits given to us here in Revelation chapter thirteen.
Image Attribution: Ceescamel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons