The Antichrist and the Number of Humanity in Revelation
Revelation 13:18 presents one of Scripture's most enigmatic passages: "Here is wisdom. He that hath understanding, let him count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man: and his number is Six hundred and sixty and six" [1]. This verse concludes a description of the second beast in Revelation 13, a figure closely associated with the broader concept of Antichrist.
The Johannine Definition of Antichrist
The term "antichrist" appears exclusively in John's epistles, not in Revelation itself. John defines it with precision: "he is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son," and "every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of antichrist" [2]. This theological definition emphasizes doctrinal denial rather than merely political opposition. John references "false Christs whose coming, it had been fore-told, should mark the last days" [2], establishing both a present reality of antichrist spirits and an eschatological expectation.
The Number as Human Calculation
The phrase "the number of a man" has been understood as "counted as men generally count" [4]. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown notes that "the number is the number of a man, not of God; he shall extol himself above the power of the Godhead, as the MAN of sin" [4], drawing on Aquinas's interpretation. The call for wisdom indicates that "spiritual wisdom is needed to solve the mystery of iniquity, so as not to be beguiled by it" [4]. John Gill observes that concealing the number "in such an obscure manner, shows great wisdom in God, as it requires much in men, and serves greatly to exercise all his intellectual powers to find it out" [5].
The Beast's Identity
Revelation 17:11 describes the beast as one who "is not—his beastly character being kept down by outward Christianization of the state until he starts up to life again as 'the eighth' king" [3], representing "Antichrist manifested in fullest and most intense opposition to God" [3]. This figure corresponds to "the little horn" in Daniel with "eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things" [3].
The number 666 remains deliberately cryptic, inviting calculation while resisting definitive identification. Its designation as a human number underscores the creature's finite nature despite pretensions to divinity.
Sources
- Revelation of John “Revelation of John 13:18 (ASV) — Here is wisdom. He that hath understanding, let him count the number of the beast; for it is the number of a man: and his number is Six hundred and sixty and six.”
- Smith's Bible Dictionary “Smith's Bible Dictionary: Antichrist — This term is employed by the apostle John alone, and is defined by him in a manner which leaves no doubt as to its intrinsic meaning. With regard to its application there is less certainty. In the first passage-- (1 John 2:18)--in which it occurs, the apostle makes direct reference to the false Christs whose coming, it had been fore-told, should mark the last days. In v. 22 we find, "he is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son;" and still more positively, "every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of antichrist."”
- Revelation (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Revelation 17:11: beast that . . . is not--his beastly character being kept down by outward Christianization of the state until he starts up to life again as "the eighth" king, his "wound being healed" (Rev 13:3), Antichrist manifested in fullest and most intense opposition to God. The "he" is emphatic in the Greek. He, peculiarly and pre-eminently: answering to "the little horn" with eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things, before whom three of the ten horns were plucked up by the roots, and to whom the whole ten "give their power and streng”
- Revelation (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Revelation 13:18: wisdom--the armory against the second beast, as patience and faith against the first. Spiritual wisdom is needed to solve the mystery of iniquity, so as not to be beguiled by it. count . . . for--The "for" implies the possibility of our calculating or counting the beast's number. the number of a man--that is, counted as men generally count. So the phrase is used in Rev 21:17. The number is the number of a man, not of God; he shall extol himself above the power of the Godhead, as the MAN of sin [AQUINAS]. Though it is an imitation of the divine”
- Revelation (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Revelation 13:17: Here is wisdom,.... Not only in the above description of the two beasts, but in what follows as to the number of the beast, these two now coalescing in one, and have one and the same number; and to wrap it up, and conceal it in such an obscure manner, shows great wisdom in God, as it requires much in men, and serves greatly to exercise all his intellectual powers to find it out: let him that hath understanding count the number of, the beast; whoever has skill numbers, let him make use of it, that he may know the name and nature of the antichristian beast, and t”