666

"This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666."- Revelation 13:18

This is my six hundred and sixty-sixth post. I already had a spoof news story on the mark of the beast, I discussed my opinions in a monologue on eschatology, and I used it as the reason to do a post on mankind. I really haven't provided any thoughts on the mark of the beast, though.

As should be obvious to anyone who has read my take on eschatology, I believe that far too much importance has been placed on interpreting Revelation. It would make sense, then, that I don't tend to introduce the topic of the number of the beast in everyday conversation much.

I read The Book of General Ignorance earlier this month. It claimed that the number of the beast was actually supposed to be 616. Supposedly, the oldest known copy of the book of Revelation uses 616, and not 666, to denote the number of the beast. I don't know which of the numbers really is the number of the beast, but it doesn't matter much to me anyway.

Throughout history, different people have been purported to be the Antichrist because their names somehow added up to 666. Some people take these accusations seriously, but they are fortunately the vast minority. A sampling of the people believed to be the Antichrist can be found at the Rapture Ready website.

When I worked as a cashier, if someone's purchase total came to $6.66 they would very frequently note that this was sign enough to play those numbers in the lottery that day. I never figured out how this was any different than any other total, like $9.37 for example.

For years I have been hearing that the mark of the beast will be a microchip placed in the hand or forehead. This is a popular enough belief that I know there will be an outcry if some company starts implanting identification chips into people. I am not looking forward to the inevitable people who will preach that any microchip in your body represents accepting the mark of the beast.

In 2003, a highway in the American southwest was renumbered from "666" to "491." This was not just due to it's correspondence with the number of the beast by my understanding, though. I remember hearing that a local Navajo belief was that the process of writing three consecutive sixes caused an evil hand motion.

Some people believe that "666" has been encoded into the UPC barcode system. If this is the case, the Antichrist had better get on the ball with somehow taking advantage of this. With the advent of RFID, UPC's days are numbered. I wouldn't be surprised if RFID has effectively replaced UPC in ten to twenty years.

Finally, this Catholic website has a humorous list of other beast numbers. My favorite is "668," which is the neighbor of the beast. I'd bet the Antichrist parties all night and keeps his neighbors up until the early morning. That's just a guess, though. I don't know for sure.