13:18
666 causes much speculation. It is a double triangular number, which some consider to be significant (for what it’s worth, I don’t). It can be seen as being 1 short of 777 in each of its digits, where 7 is the perfect number. Then it is said to represent Nero, if the letters of his name represent numbers. However, in Hebrew there are two ways of spelling his name “Nero Caesar”. One comes out at 666, the other at 616, and some of the earliest manuscripts have 616 rather than 666 as the number of the beast. This would seem to tally with 666 (or 616) representing Nero. Even if it does represent Nero, Nero is only a type of the beast, not the full manifestation. Of course, some people love playing around with number systems and many people or organisations have been identified as the beast. In my opinion this is something of a mugs game.
So what are we to make of the call to “calculate the number of the beast”? I would take this as meaning we need to understand the times, to realise what is going on in the world, and where ungodliness lies. Sadly many church leaders have proved utterly incapable of doing this.
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