According to Rev 13:16-18, the mark of the beast is the name of the beast written upon the forehead or right hand and is used in order to allow commerce. The mark is left somewhat ambiguous but is left for “those who understand” and is described as a number which is “the mark of a man” - 666.
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Bismillah / Shahadah
There are similar symbols to that of which, in Greek, would equate to the number 666 (six hundred and sixty six) in the Bismillah. This symbol is a part of the first pillar of Islam (“There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”), meaning “[conquest (Jihad)] in the name of Allah.” It is frequently written on a headband and worn on the forehead of many terrorists. In this theory, Islam would take over and would kill any who insult Islam (infidels). In Rev 20:4-6, we see many beheaded, which aligns with the punishment for infidels.
Emperor Nero
The Revelation was written in 98AD. This as after Emperor Nero (Kaiser Neron), who did horrible things to Christians, including bringing Christians being brought into the Colosseum to be killed by wild beasts and burning them upon crosses at night. It was at this time that the fish symbol was started. Some posture that “Kaiser Neron”, represented as a number, is 666. However, the numerology does not quite work out nor was the practice of assigning numerical values to Hebrew letters was not standard during the 1st century. This could account for the difference in the number assignment. Regardless, the idea behind this argument is that the beast at the end of the age will be like Nero. That is, Nero will be an archetype of what the beast will be like.
- Q (ק) = 110
- S (ס) = 60
- R (ר) = 200
- N (נ) = 50
- R (ר) = 200
- W (ו) = 6
50 + 200 + 6 + 110 + 60 + 200 = 626
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