Number of the beast

NUMBER OF THE BEAST

 

Introduction:

The Number of the Beast (Greek: Ἀριθμὸς τοῦ θηρίου, ArithmostouThēriou) is a term in the Book of Revelation, of the New Testament, that is associated with the Beast of Revelation in chapter 13.^[1] In most manuscripts of the New Testament and in English translations of the Bible, the number of the beast is 666. In critical editions of the Greek text, such as the NovumTestamentumGraece, it is noted that 616 is a variant.

 

Interpretations:

Ø Idealist  View :

Idealism, also known as the allegorical or symbolic approach, is an interpretation of the book of Revelation that sees the imagery of the book as non-literal symbols.^[49]

The idealist perspective on the number of the beast rejects gematria, envisioning the number not as a code to be broken, but a symbol to be understood. Idealists would contend that because there are so many names that can come to 666 and that most systems require converting names to other languages or adding titles when convenient, it has been impossible to come to a consensus. Given that numbers are used figuratively throughout the book of Revelation, idealists interpret this number figuratively as well. The common suggestion is that because seven is a number of completeness and is associated with the divine, that six is incomplete and the three sixes are "inherently incomplete".The number is therefore suggestive that the Dragon and his beasts are completely inadequate. Another suggestion is that this number represents an individual's incomplete or immature spiritual state.

Ø Futurist  View :

A futurist view of the Mark of the Beast is that the rise of a supranational currency (for example, the euro, even though this is the currency used by the Vatican) could be a hallmark of the End Times and that the mark of the beast will be a sign on the forehead or on the right hand.^[52] Futurists (focused on the future) believe that the revelation addresses primarily the Second Coming of Christ and similar events at the time's end. Although many do find truth in these general assertions, this view does not take into account all historical views.

Religious difficulties with a world currency currently exist. According to the Futurist view, to overcome the extant difficulties the Antichrist will use forced religious syncretism (i.e. in the name of counterterrorism and world economic stability) to enable the creation of the currency. Some interpret the mark as a requirement for all commerce to mean that the mark might actually be an object with the function of a credit card, such as RFID microchip implants. In Christianity, some believe the implantation of chips may be the imprinting of the Mark of the Beast, prophesied to be a requirement for all trade, and a precursor to the events of the second half of the Book of Revelation.

There are other interpretations too for this “Number of Beasts”- Identification by Gematria,Mark of the Beast-Preterist view,Historist view,Numerical Significance.

(Source-Wikipedia)

     I personally believe that these superstitions are not to be taken seriously in this 21^st century.Discriminating a number,and claiming it as evil is not to be appreciated. There are many other beliefs and theories about “Evil Numbers” in many cultures,say for example the number 8 in India is considered to be bad based on numerological claims.                        Blindly believing in these theories is rather irrational and will also impact the future generation’s perspective about numbers and their usages.Also,people are quick to blame numbers or some elements,by calling it evil,rather than owning it up to themselves. They also believe in these auspicious dates and days because of which they totally forget how to live their life peacefully.Any date(number) can be good or  bad depending on our action.It’s high time to eliminate these ideas and move on become a more open and forward-thinking society.

POSTED BY: Akshaya.K.S.