It was the second beast of Revelation 13 that caused the mark to be placed on the right hand and into the forehead (mind) of the Jewish people. I believe I have presented a good argument that this second beast was Annas, the High Priest, and the Image of the Beast was his high priestly family—namely seven High Priests who reigned in Jerusalem out of his family, while Annas was still alive. Therefore, if Annas is responsible for the mark that refers to the beast with the deadly wound, the mark should have something to do with Jewish worship that turned the Jews away from God and caused them to ignorantly worship the Beast.
It is important to understand that those who do not receive this mark are unable to buy or sell, and it seems this business would have to be concerned with worship in the Temple at Jerusalem. It could refer to worshiping the Image of the Beast, because that image is the god or idol that points to the first Beast. In a similar but authentically godly fashion, Moses told Israel concerning the commandments of the Lord:
Deuteronomy 6:8 KJV And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. (emphasis mine)
This was something Israel was supposed to do with the word of God, and the Mark of the Beast in Revelation 13:16 seems to have Moses’ command in view, because it was also placed either on one’s right hand or in one’s forehead.[1] The Mark of the Beast is a lying wonder engraved by Annas into the lives of the Jewish people. It was he who deceived the people, making them think they were worshiping God, but in fact they worshiped the Beast with the deadly wound. If this study is correct, thus far, the number 666 should refer to or identify the Mark of the Beast, because the mark is the mark of the beast’s name (Revelation 14:11), and 666 is the number of the beast’s name (Revelation 13:17).
I have seen studies using the number 666 to identify many people in the past and even church figures, but really there is no foundation for such a thing. Usually the method used was Latin or Roman numerals, but the Bible was written in Hebrew and Greek. All other languages are translations, and what is the authority for using the tools of a translation to identify anything in God’s word.
Now, what I am about to present for consideration technically does not appear anywhere in Scripture, that is, the Greek words in their nominative case do not appear in Scripture. The Greek language has five different cases (if memory serves) in which nouns may appear. The Greek words in question do appear in the New Testament but not in the nominative case, which is the case we find all nouns, when we look for their meaning in a concordance like Strong’s. A study of the value of 666 has been made by an anonymous person, according to the commentary, “Jamieson, Fausset and Brown.” This man had made a study of the numerical value of 3000 Greek nouns that appear in the New Testament. Only two have the numerical value of 666. Neither noun appears in the nominative case in the New Testament, but both Greek words do appear there in other cases. They are:
paradosis[2] = (G3862) tradition = 666—having to do with the mind, what we think or believe, the mark is in the forehead. Hence, it has to do with doctrines, theology etc.
euporia[3] = (G2142) wealth = 666—having to do with what we do or have, the mark is in the right hand. Hence, it has to do with what we do with what is ours, the value we place upon what we have.
No matter what one may say about this study, one would have to agree that tradition and wealth, were not only corrupting influences upon the Jewish people of the 1st century CE before the war with Rome, but they have been extremely effective in corrupting the lives of many in the Church of God throughout our history. Who can deny this?
[1] In my blog The First Three Persecutions of the Church I showed that the High Priests, during the administrations of Jonathan and Ananias (both of whom are sons of Annas), some of the lower level priests were denied their rightful tithes. Some of these priests were so poor, they died for want of food, according to Josephus [Antiquities; 20.8.8 & 20.9.2]. According to Acts 6, there were many low level priests who joined themselves with the Apostles, and it was these priests, probably Messianic believers, who were denied their tithes—they couldn’t buy and sell, weren’t permitted to partake of the fruits of their labor in Temple worship.
[2] Greek spelling is: pi (+80) alpha (+1) rho (+100) alpha (+1) delta (+4) omicron (+70) sigma (+200) iota (+10) sigma (+200) = 666
[3] Greek spelling is: epsilon (+5) upsilon (+400) pi (+80) omicron (+70) rho (+100) iota (+10) alpha (+1) = 666
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