APOCALYPTIC NUMBER
A mystical number, especially 666 as stated in Revelation 13:18, is
the "number of the beast." It was an ancient practice to have the
letters of the Greek or Hebrew alphabets stand for a number (thus
A=1). Using this formula, a name could be stated as the sum of its
letters, as the name of Jesus in Greek amounted to 888. The number
666 is explained thus: 777 being the perfect number and 888 meaning
Christ or each unit of 7 augmented by 1, then 666, or each unit of
7 lessened by 1, was that of Antichrist. In the derived name then,
it could be the sum of Nero. However, the number, apart from the
many conjectures, might stand for any "Antichrist" or anyone who in
the time would stand against Christ. This is a condemned form of
numerology that has no place in the Christian understanding of the
message of Christ.
