Listen:  108.2

Revelation, chapter 13 speaks of two beasts.  Revelation 13:1 says, “And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.”  Revelation 13:11 says, “And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.”   The setting of this chapter is the Tribulation period, after the rapture of the church.  Most students of prophesy agree that the first beast represents the head of the revised Roman Empire.  The second beast represents the False Prophet. He has two horns like a lamb, but speaks as a dragon, showing that he is really an agent of Satan.  These two beasts work closely as they are both led of Satan.

Let’s read more about this second beast in Revelation 13:15-18, “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.  And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”  The second beast insists that everyone worship the first beast.  To refuse to worship him would be punished by death.  The method of death would be to be decapitated as we read later in  Revelation 20:4 which says, “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”  This beast also causes everyone to have a mark put in their right hand or in their foreheads.  Without this mark, no one will be able to buy or sell.  We are told this mark will be the name of the beast or the number of his name.

Those with understanding are told to count the number of the beast.  In this verse we have the very name of the beast given under the symbol of the number 666.  The number 666, is written in the Greek as ‘chi xi stigma’, which is literally the 22nd, 14th and an obsolete letter of the Greek alphabet, used as numbers; denoting respectively 600, 60 and 6; 666 as a numeral:–six hundred threescore and six.  The number six is generally agreed to be the number of man; one number short of seven which would give the thought of coming short of the glory of God as we read in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”

The three sixes, or 666, would represent a trinity of evil.  Even as there is a Holy Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, there is also an unholy trinity of the beast, the false prophet and the dragon, or Satan.  (108.2)