The Mark, the Name and the Number (666) of the Beast

The Mark, the Name and the Number (666) of the Beast - Bill Salus - http://www.prophecydepotministries.net/

 

This article is taken from 1 of the 3 chapters in my upcoming book that deals with the MARK of the BEAST. The final title is yet to be determined, but for now it's entitled, "The END Prophecies."

 

"And that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666." (Revelation 13:17-18)

 

This passage points out that there are three important elements related to becoming a participant in the global economy of the Antichrist. These are the mark, the name, and the number of the beast.

 

Rev. 13:15-16 informs that everyone alive at that future time will be required to take the mark or else be killed, but what are the purposes behind the name and number of the beast? Is this related to a status or rewards-based system? In other words, if you become an exemplary devotee of the Antichrist, do you get upgraded to some sort of a platinum package within the global economy? Is that how someone adds the name or number of the beast onto their resume?

 

Or, what about this possibility, which may make more sense in light of today's technologies? What if the name, mark and number of the Beast represent interchangeable concepts that stand for the same thing, rather than three separate alternatives?

 

Rev. 13:17 quoted above talks about, "the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name." The Greek word for or is "é." In the English language the word "or" is commonly used to link together two alternatives.

 

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the word "or" as, "used as a function word to indicate an alternative," or, it can be "the equivalent or substitutive character of two words or phrases." Thus, the word can actually have a "substitutive" application, which means it can take the place of something and serve as a suitable substitute.

 

According to Thayer's Greek Lexicon the definition of "or" under (STRONGS NT 2228. é), translates that it can be used to "distinguish things or thoughts which either mutually exclude each other, or one of which can take the place of the other." This latter meaning, "can take the place of the other," implies that it can serve as a suitable substitute.

 

So with that said, Revelation 13:17 could possibly be interpreted to read this way: "so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark - (which is) the name of the beast (also known as) the number of his name."[i]

 

Prophecy expert Hal Lindsey, translating from the applicable Greek words of Rev. 13:17, interprets the verse to read, "no one should be able to buy or sell except the one who has the mark, WHICH IS THE NAME OF THE BEAST." This interpretation makes the Mark of the Beast synonymous with the name of the Beast. Thus, the mark and name are one and the same thing, rather than two separate ideas.

 

However, what about the number of the Beast? Does it remain distinct and independent from the mark that, according to Hal Lindsey, is also the name of the Beast? The Common English Version of the Bible translates the subject verse as follows,

 

"They all had to have this mark, or else they could not buy or sell anything. This mark stood for the name of the beast and for the number of its name." (Rev. 13:17, CEV)

 

This paraphrasing takes it a step further than the Hal Lindsey quote above, by combining the mark and the name of the Beast, with the number of the Beast. The CEV interprets the verse to mean, everyone "had to have this mark," which not only "stood for the name," but also stood for the number of the Antichrist.

 

In other words, it could be an all-inclusive package, rather than a separate threefold concept. Thus, somehow the name and number of the Beast gets integrated into the design and detail of the mark, which in turn becomes incorporated into the global economic system of the Antichrist.

 

The CEV version enjoins the mark, number and name together. Thus, the number and / or the name of the Beast, could serve as suitable substitutes for the mark of the Beast. This could possibly be accomplished through the following sequence of procedural events:

 

1. Someone takes the Mark of the Beast, which enrolls them into the global economic system of the Beast.

2. At the time of enrollment a unique electronic identifier is automatically generated for the registrant. This might come in the form of a Digital ID. This identifier includes a personalized number.

3. The marked registrant is now an official member of the global system that is exclusively identified by the Name of the Beast. For the purposes of this scenario, we will call the Name of the Beast, "LUDWIG."

4. The implementation of the LUDWIG global system overrides all other existing blockchain type systems and renders them obsolete. Moreover, it forces the newly marked registrant to transfer their entire financial portfolio over to the LUDWIG system. This process probably includes the reallocation of all personal, criminal and medical records at the same time. This is probable because by then all fiat currencies and personal paper records will likely have become a thing of the past, having been replaced by more efficient technologies.

Thus far, this scenario has automatically integrated the Mark of the Beast into the Name of the Beast system, which makes them intertwined, rather than two separate concepts. The next step explains how the Number "666" of the Beast becomes incorporated into the LUDWIG system.

 

5. Every unique identifier that gets electronically generated within the LUDWIG system contains the number "666," possibly within the prefix of the registrants ID mark. A mock example could look like, 666-1234567. Using a uniform prefix number is a common practice of credit card companies. Presently, it is the use of unique prefix numbers that separates Visa, Master Card, and American Express from each other. The requirement of putting "666" in the prefix of a marked registrants ID is to clearly identify the mark with the LUDWIG system.

Attaching the Number of the Beast, (666), to the Mark of the Beast, (unique identification number), and tagging it into the system with the Name of the Beast, (LUDWIG for example), incorporates the three elements required for a person to buy and sell in the global economy. In this five-step fictitious scenario above, the mark, name and number of the Beast all work together in tandem.

 

If this is what is entailed, then why is the verse below singled out as being critically important to understand?

 

"Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666." (Rev. 13:18)

 

This isn't likely a clue to help someone pin the tail on the true identity of the Antichrist, because by the time the Mark of the Beast gets introduced, it should be clear who he is. He will have already:

 

*           Confirmed the covenant of Daniel 9:27,

*           Aligned with the Harlot world religion as per Rev. 17:3-7,

*           Coalesced with the Ten Kings of Rev. 17:12-13,

*           Will have killed the Two Witnesses in Rev. 11:7,

*           Set up the Abomination of Desolation in the Temple as per Daniel 12:11.

 

If it is not concerning the identity of the Beast, is the emphasis of Rev. 13:18 possibly intended to solidify the warning to a person, that if they willingly partake in a global system that places a mark on their right hand or forehead, which has a number 666 integrated into it, that they have just sealed their fate?

 

Does this verse serve to disqualify them from saying something like, "I didn't really know what I was doing, I only took the mark to feed my hungry children and get medicine for my family?"

 

Rev. 13:18 says, "Here is wisdom," which is the exact opposite of ignorance. In other words, "Here is wisdom" so that you are not ignorant of what taking the Mark of the Beast means. "Ignorantia juris non excusat" is Latin for ignorance of the law excuses not. At the very least, this verse eliminates any potential argument against why a person should not be sent to the Lake of Fire.