Saturday Feb 12, 2022

What Does 666 Mean - Revelation Study

In this Bible teaching from Founded in Truth Fellowship, delivered by Matthew Vander Els, the focus is on understanding the significance of the number 666 as it appears in the Book of Revelation. The teaching emphasizes that 666 should not be interpreted solely as a literal code for a specific individual but rather as a symbolic representation of the culmination of imperfect humanity and the nature of earthly empires that stand in opposition to the Kingdom of God.

The speaker begins by welcoming the congregation and online viewers to Founded in Truth, describing it as a diverse community centered on the person of Jesus, or Yeshua, who value the Sabbath and the entirety of the Bible. The teaching then transitions to a discussion of the Book of Revelation, briefly recapping a previous exploration of the "unholy trinity" – the dragon, the beast from the sea, and the beast from the land (the false prophet). The central theme of Revelation is highlighted as hope in King Jesus in the face of human empires. These empires, exemplified by the Roman Empire in the original context of John's writing, seek power through exploiting the weak, robbing the poor, and employing violence. The beast from the sea in Revelation 13 is presented as the personification of the culmination of all such human empires, drawing a parallel to the depiction in Daniel 7.

The teaching delves into the nature of humanity when it abandons its divine calling, becoming like "beasts" driven by selfish desires to obtain what they want at any cost, including exploitation and deceit. This collective human tendency, referred to as "flesh" by Paul, manifests on a larger scale as the way of empires. Revelation 13 further introduces the "beast of the land," which represents the religious endorsement of the empire, deceptively leading people to worship the imperial system as part of their faith. The speaker illustrates this with the example of the Roman Empire, which incorporated its foundational story with divine elements and used propaganda like coinage featuring Caesar's image and divine claims to foster loyalty. This leads to the assertion that religious-based nationalism is a form of idolatry. The deception of the beast of the land involves performing miracles to direct worship towards the beast of the sea, making political loyalty a religious act.

The discussion then moves to Revelation 13:16-18, which speaks of the "mark of the beast" that prevents those without it from buying or selling. The speaker clarifies that this mark, like other symbols in Revelation, is not meant to be taken literally but represents allegiance and loyalty – either to God, symbolized by a seal, or to the beast, symbolized by the mark. Refusing the mark in the Roman Empire would have had significant economic consequences, potentially leading to poverty and slave status due to the interconnectedness of trade guilds with imperial worship. These guilds often required honoring pagan deities through meetings and festivals involving food offered to idols. The speaker suggests that the context of John's writing likely involved these merchant-style operations rather than a future scenario of microchip implants. Another perspective mentioned is that believers might have refused to use Roman coinage bearing Caesar's image and claims of divinity, seeing it as idolatry. This connects to Jesus' teaching in Mark 12 about giving to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's. The early church father Ignatius also used the metaphor of two coinages – one of God and one of the world – each bearing its own stamp.

The core of the teaching focuses on verse 18 of Revelation 13, which calls for wisdom to "calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, the number of humanity. The number is six." The number 666 has become associated with various negative concepts, including the Antichrist and the end of the world, sometimes leading to fear (hexakosiahexakontahexaphobia). However, the speaker argues that, like other numbers in Revelation, 666 has a symbolic or spiritual meaning. It represents the culmination of the imperfection of humanity, falling short of God's intended purpose and divine perfection represented by the number 7 (potentially 777). Therefore, 666 is seen as the number of corrupt humanity on a global scale, not necessarily limited to a single individual.

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Application for Everyday Life

Cultivate discernment: Seek wisdom and understanding to recognize the deceptive influences of worldly systems that prioritize power and exploitation over justice and love.
Examine your allegiances: Be aware of where your ultimate loyalty lies – with God's Kingdom or with earthly empires. Avoid religious nationalism that blindly supports a nation's actions against God's principles.
Challenge injustice and oppression: Look for the manifestations of the "beast" in real-world injustices and stand up for the oppressed, even when it's unpopular or goes against personal gain.
Guard against greed and materialism: Be mindful of the pursuit of wealth and power at the expense of others, reflecting on the example of King Solomon's downfall.
Practice love and forgiveness: View all people, even enemies, through the lens of the cross, embodying the characteristics of God's Kingdom rather than the "beast."
Be an active witness: Don't just separate from the world, but actively engage in ways that promote God's justice and love, being ambassadors of heaven in a broken world.
Reflect on personal motivations: Examine your own heart for tendencies towards greed, jealousy, pride, and other traits associated with the "beast," striving for contentment and dependence on God.

What Does 666 Mean - Revelation Study

What Does 666 Mean - Revelation Study

Application for Everyday Life

References

Bible Verses

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