Regarding 666, the correct way to write that number out is six-hundred, three-score, and six. That does add up to 666, but when attempting to interperet prophecy, you must look at every single word and phrase with as little alteration as possible. The Revelation of John was, we are told, written in Greek. I don't know if John's first language was Greek, Aramaic, Roman... very little is known about John; he may or may not have been the same John who wrote the Gospel of John. There are apparently a couple different versions of The Revelation. In one, the number adds up to 616, and the more commonly viewed version is the King James (and NIV, etc.) that has the number that adds up to 666. Now, if this text was indeed written in Greek, that makes this next bit slightly a stretch (although I am NOT a scholar of linguistics or Biblical history, so I don't have all the tools I need to make proper deductions) - one would have to convert the Greek number into Roman numerals to come up with a workable number to letter code system. You take someone's name, like Nero, and look at all the numbers that also are used in the Roman Numeral system; we're supposed to ignore the rest (i = 1, v = 5, and so on). There are a couple problems that I feel this method presents: first, it ignores the possibility for a Hebrew translation, which is much more complex. The Hebrew language also has a letter/number system; there isn't a true number system, but most of the letters have a value assigned to them. So are we to infer that we should look at any shady character's name and translate each letter of their name into Hebrew (which may not even translate that well) and then figure out the number of their name? Maybe.
We must also look at which prophecies were fulfilled in the early centuries, when Nero was busy being a bad guy. Were they all fulfilled? Without question, they were NOT all fulfilled. Not even close. Nero, some say, was a foreshadowing of the real anti-Christ. If he had been the true anti-Christ, the world would be much different today. He'd have already had to be bound for a millennia and then loosed for a bit, and then had his pants kicked by The Almighty. Anyway, you may wish (if you are truly interested in delving into this mind-boggling topic) to read a book by Steve Gregg titled "Revelation - Four Views - A Parallel Commentary". He handily presents the four views of how people interpret The Revelation (preterist, historicist, futurist, and spiritual) in a side-by-side format, broken down by small chunks of scripture. I cannot go into these views in this answer session, as I have two small daughters, one of which is due to wake up any minute. But you need to have a grasp on this if you're going to make any sort of assumptions about the anti-Christ. A brief example: a Futurist may believe that no true Christian needs to really worry about the anti-Christ, because he or she thinks The Lord will rapture us outta here before things get really bad (the tribulation time period). OR a Futurist may believe that he or she still needs to be on guard, because The Lord will not come back until the Last Trumpet has sounded (there are seven Trumpet Judgements listed in The Revelation). Therefore, this type of Futurist believer feels that The Lord will protect us, in a sense, much like He did with Noah during the flood. This small example is a BIG reason to research this issue further, so you can form your own opinions about which view seems the most logical to you. Do not become trapped by preconceived ideas that people may have and may attempt to get you to buy into. You must question every single thing; the Bible even urges us to do exactly that. Do not allow yourself to be spoonfed any information such as I just presented. Go find out for yourself. Now I truly must go!
Sincerely,
Adrienne
2006-06-14 00:46:46
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answer #1
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answered by Iamnotarobot (former believer) 6
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well, look around you and the answer is obvious. The 666 thing is not likely a number that will be tatooed or something on you but rather a symbol of who you belong to. In early times numbers were used as symbols that said who a person was-ie, 1= the first King or pharoh. I am not sure how the system works completely but to me this makes as much sense as anything else I have heard. It is more like a clue as to who the antichrist will be or is. Some believe it is Nero and that he will return.
2006-06-14 07:11:52
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answer #2
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answered by sunnyt 1
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It is very true about 666 (the mark of the beast). Once you receive that mark either on your forhead or at the back of your hand, you are doom for hell. If you refuse to take the mark, be ready to buy your own salvation with toture, hunger, etc because you can't buy or sell without the mark. My advice; make your way right with God today so that you can escape such tribulation if you are alive to see the rapture. If you die now without salvation there will be no way to escape hell because Jesus is the way out
2006-06-14 07:33:20
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answer #3
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answered by estomsesay 1
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In my opinion and life experience, the things that Jesus Christ said including His prophecies-will really come true in physical form.That is -the signs and things in the sky and him coming again.So you can pretty much take that to the bank.When it is going to happen-everyone speculates about.40 years-4000 years we don't know.
As for the letters and writings of the apostles -I think they will only come true if God backs them up.Which He could easily choose to do because He loves people and might not want to make fools of them.
2006-06-14 10:27:09
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answer #4
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answered by Anonymous
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wellthere is a guy og a girl that gets born and they have 666 on there butt or summthing well if u want to come to our church it is in rommney weast virgina maranatha chisina acdame
2006-06-14 07:30:29
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answer #5
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answered by joefish 1
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obviously the mark will not be as stated in the bible. and believe it or not it is already in existance created in the form of a micro chip placed under the skin. google serch "verichip" and "mondex smartcard"
2006-06-14 10:42:55
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answer #6
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answered by Anonymous
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