We can read about the expectation of Christians for a sign of the end of the ungodly world in the epistle of the Apostle Paul, who wrote: “We beseech you, brethren… not to hasten to waver in mind and be troubled either by spirit, or by word, or by message, as if sent by us, as if the day of Christ is already coming”(2 Thess. 2:1,2). Later, from the scrolls of the Apostle John, they began to learn that a certain beast with number 666. Since then, mankind from time to time began to put forward various [far from always adequate] versions about the mystery of the number of the beast.

For example, in Russia, the expectation of the Antichrist Beast in 1666 was so serious that many at that time did not plow, did not sow, abandoning other activities common for that time. Further, among the Orthodox Old Believers, mass self-immolations began in order not to be stigmatized number of the beast 666. This was due to the coming to the kingdom of Peter the 1st, who issued a decree on a census to remove the double tax from these believers.

Nowadays, there is still a huge number of conceivable and unthinkable guesses about number of the beast. However, the purpose of this article is precisely the constructive study of Scripture in order to understand what is connected with number 666; and what events will take place during the last days of the wicked world.

Worship the beast with the number 666

"... small and great, rich and poor, free and slaves, a mark will be put on their right hand or on their forehead, and that no one will be able to buy or sell, except one who has this mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. He who has understanding, consider number of the beast for it is a human number; his number six hundred sixty six"(Rev. 13:16-18).

To understand what is being said here, let's first look at the context.

The apostle John wrote:

""And I saw another beast coming out of the earth; he had two horns like a lamb, and spoke like a dragon... And he performs great signs, so that fire also brings down from heaven to earth before people... And it was given to him to put the spirit into the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast would both speak and act in such a way that everyone was killed who would not worship the image of the beast" (Rev. 13:11,13,15).

Verse 11, which refers to the beast having "two horns like a lamb," means:

1. false christs
2. false prophets*.

[* see Antichrist - 1 John 2:18,19. Matt. 7:15,22; 24:24. Rev. 19:20. Apostates from the holy covenant - Dan.11:30-32. Dan.8:23,24. 2 Peter 2:1,2].

And the most vivid prophetic image of this is shown in the book of Daniel:

"King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden idol, the height of sixty cubits, six cubits wide, he set it in the field of Deir, in the province of Babylon. Then the herald exclaimed loudly: It is announced to you, peoples, tribes and languages: whoever does not fall down and bow down, will immediately be thrown into a fiery furnace. Therefore, when all the peoples heard the sound of the trumpet, the flute, the harp, the harp, the harp, and all kinds of musical instruments, then all peoples, tribes and languages ​​​​fell down, and bowed down to the golden image, which Nebuchadnezzar the king set up "(Dan. 3: 1, 4, 6.7).

Rev. 13:15 says: "so that everyone who does not worship the image of the beast should be killed". It was for disobedience to an image 60 cubits high, 6 cubits wide and long that it was decided to throw Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego into a fiery furnace. And this was a prophetic action pointing to the event of the last days of the wicked world: "Some also of those who are intelligent will suffer, to test them, to purify them, and to make them white until the end time; for there is still time before the time"(Dan. 11:35,36,37.).

The apostle Peter also wrote:

"Beloved, do not shun the fiery temptation sent to test you, as strange adventures for you. For it is time for judgment to begin from the house of God; but if it [begins] first with us, then what will be the end of those who disobey the gospel of God?" (1 Peter 4:12,17).

What does it mean "there shall be a mark on their right hand or on their forehead"? (Rev. 13:16)

At the end of the 20th - beginning of the 21st century, there are a lot of theories about the implantation of electronic chips in the arm and head. Undoubtedly, modern technology will be of great service to the last ruler from the devil. But it is important to pay attention to the language of the holy and pure Word of God.

Here is what Scripture says to Israel: "Let these words be that I command you ... bind them as a sign on your hand, and let them be a bandage over your eyes"(Deut. 6:6,8; 11:18.).

• "Put on the hand"- meant that the law of the Most High must be accompanied by the fulfillment of commandments, action in the Name of God Yahweh (compare: Isaiah.45:1; 63:12. Zech.3:1.).
• "Blindfold over the eyes"- meant that they should have God in their minds, guided by the understanding of the commandment (Prov. 2:3-11.).

Therefore, among the Pharisees of the time of Christ, it was customary to wear storage (or phylacteries) with the commandments of the Most High on the forehead and on the arm (Mat. 23:5.).

What conclusion can be drawn from the above example?

Pointing to the divinity of the beast with ten horns, false prophets (Rev. 13:11-15.) will seduce many nations, gently forcing them to accept laws and conditions, contributing to the global dictatorship of this new empire (2 Pet. 2:1, 2. Rev. 13: 14.16.). AND:

• Accepting the mark on the right hand, will mean the ruling trustees (Ezra.7:25,26.), who will act on behalf of this empire - the beast (Dan.11:39.).
• Receiving the sign on the forehead [forehead] point to those who will be guided by the ideas and policies of the beast, and will be marked as his slaves (compare: Ezek.9:4. Rev.7:3; 9:4.).

What does "neither buy nor sell" mean from Revelation 13:17

"and that no one will be able to buy or sell, except he who has this mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name" (Rev. 13:17).

If before the coming of the Lord Christ the worship of the true God was at the state level, and had to be supported in every possible way by the Israeli king, then with the advent of the new King and High Priest, this situation changed.

The kingdom of heaven was not the kingdom of earth. This means that those who have been called to the Kingdom of Heaven should not have a close relationship with any other king than Christ.

That is why it was said to His disciples: "If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but as you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you"(John 15:19).

Here is what the prophet Daniel wrote about this:

“At the end of their kingdom, when the apostates fulfill the measure of their iniquities, a king will rise up arrogant and skillful in deceit; and his strength will be strengthened, although not by his strength, and he will produce amazing devastation ... and destroy ... the people of the saints" (Dan.8 :23,24.).

Enlisting the support of apostates from the holy covenant (2 Pet. 2:1-3.), i.e. false Christs and false prophets, who will prove by signs and wonders the godlikeness of the "beast-empire" (Rev. 13:11-15.), this last emperor from the devil will achieve extraordinary power. In fact, this state should become a more powerful and advanced empire than Rome once was (see Rev. 17:8.).

• Just like Emperor Nero, he will be very effective in opposing the true followers of Christ.
• Because of these persecutions, "the love of many will grow cold" Mat.24:12.).
• Divisions will begin among Christians [the type of which was Judas - Psal.54:13-15.], and other people close to each other (Luke 12:51-53.).

For example, those who opposed conventional worship in the first century were excluded from the synagogue (John 16:2; 9:22). However, this was only a part of what we can expect at the time of the sign of the coming of Christ (Matt. 24:3.).

The end times of the wicked world will begin with what is written in Rev. 12:7-9,12. When the devil is "thrown to the ground", he will control humanity more than ever. And if he [the devil] did not achieve the worship of Christ, promising Him all the kingdoms of the world (Luke 4: 5-7.), Then at the end of time there will be one of the people who, having bowed down, will receive this power (Dan. 8: 24. Rev. 13:2.).

Those who refuse to have a close relationship with this emperor from the devil [taking the "mark of the beast"] will be outcasts from society. They won't be able "neither sell nor buy" in the sense that they will be persecuted in every possible way. For example, dismissing from work, taking away property (Abd. 11-13,21.). In the end, their relatives will refuse them (Micah.2:8,9; 7:5-10. Matt.10:34-36.). Left without a livelihood, the followers of Christ will need clothing, food and shelter.

And the words of the Apostle Paul will become more urgent than ever:

"Do not forget hospitality, for through it some, not knowing, showed hospitality to the angels. Remember the prisoners, as if you were in bondage with them, and the afflicted, as you yourself are in the body" (Heb. 13:2,3).

It is on this basis that the Lord will judge figurative "sheep" and "goats" - Matt. 25:31-45.

666 human number

"... for this human number; his number six hundred sixty six"(Rev. 13:18).

Talking about number of the beast 666 First, let's find out what it means ‘"human number".

If we compare Rev.13:2 and Dan.7:4-7., then we see that the beast from the book of Revelation has all four elements of the beasts from Daniel's prophecy.

But only a passage from Dan.7:4 gives us a clue:

"The first one is like a lion, ... and he was raised from the ground, and stood on his feet like a man, and a human heart was given to him".

So what does " human number"?

Attention should be paid to the explanation of the prophet Daniel himself about the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar and his descendant Belshazzar:

"But when his [Nebuchadnezzar's] heart was lifted up and his spirit hardened to insolence, he was cast down from his royal throne, and stripped of his glory, and was excommunicated from the sons of men, and his heart was like a beast... And you, his son Belshazzar, did not humble your heart, although you knew all this, but you were lifted up against the Lord of heaven ... "(Dan.5:20-23. Also Jer.50:29.).

Man was created "in the image and likeness of God" to have dominion over the beasts of the earth (Gen.1:26. Psalm.8:5-9.). And expression "human, human" from Dan. 7:4. means: pride, arrogance, opposition to everything. This confirms the prophecy of Daniel about the last emperor - a beast with number 666:

"And that king will do according to his will, and he will be exalted and exalted above every god, and he will speak blasphemous things about the God of gods and will have success until wrath is done: for what is predestined will be fulfilled" (Dan.11:36) .

And now about the number. We bring to your attention the passages of Scripture that in one way or another relate to the theme of the number of the beast:

1. The attack of the pharaoh and his 600 chariots on Israel - Exodus 14:7,8.
2. Philistine Goliath[from Gath], 6 cubits tall, opposed Israel and struck down by David - 1 Sam.17:4,7.
3. Philistine of Gath, having 6 fingers on his hands and feet, struck by David's nephew - 2 Kings 21:20,21.
4. The image to which all nations were supposed to bow was 60 cubits high, 6 cubits wide, [probably 6 cubits long] - Dan.3:1,7.
5. The rich man and his five brothers = 6 cursed sons devil - Luke 16:27,28.

Morality:

We have already mentioned the story from the book of Daniel about the worship of an image 60 cubits high and 6 cubits wide (Dan. 3:1,7.). And especially for those who live to see the events described in the book of Revelation 11 and 13, it is important to remember the qualities of stamina that the Jews showed: Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego (Dan.3:16-20.).

Their passing through the fiery furnace was a prophetic act, pointing to an important principle. The world must be cleansed not only by water [as during the flood], but also by fire (2 Peter 3:6,7,10-14.).

Also, the servants of God (Num. 31:21-23.) must go through purification:

1. Spirit - the image of which was water (Luke 3:16. John 7:37-39.).
2. Fire - as a way of testing for spiritual purification (Zech.13:9. Dan.11:35. 1 Pet.4:12,13,17.).

It's a matter of worship beast number 666 will be the catalyst [cause] for the cleansing of true Christians. At that time, it will be especially important to remember the parable of the poor widow and the unrighteous judge from Luke 18:1-8., in which the question is: "I tell you that he will give them protection soon. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth"?..

So: "Be sober, watch, because your adversary the devil walks like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Resist him with firm faith ... But the God of all grace, who called us into His eternal glory in Christ Jesus, Himself, according to your short-term suffering, may he perfect you, that he may establish you, that he may strengthen you, that he may make you immovable" (1 Peter 5:8-10). Amen.

S. Yakovlev (Bokhan).

All peoples of the world attached great importance to numbers. Some of the numbers - three, seven, nine - were considered sacred and, accordingly, happy; others (for example, the infamous "devil's dozen") - unlucky, associated with evil spirits. But, perhaps, the most unlucky number is 666 - the "number of the beast."

The first mention of the "number of the beast" is found in the "Revelation" of John the Theologian - perhaps the only prophecy officially recognized by the Christian church. John details the appearance of a beast more powerful than all the demons of hell:

“And I stood on the sand of the sea, and saw a beast emerging from the sea with seven heads and ten horns: on its horns were ten diadems, and on its heads were blasphemous names” (Apocalypse, ch. 13).

This beast will have the body of a leopard, bear claws and lion fangs. He will rule the Earth for three and a half years, and before that, the Antichrist will join him, who will force many to worship the beast.

Then the time will come for the great battle of Armageddon, the devilish power will be defeated, and Satan, together with the Antichrist, will be imprisoned for a thousand years, and the kingdom of Christ will be established on Earth ...

About the mysterious "number of the beast" in "Revelation" it is said as if in passing: "Here is wisdom. Whoever has a mind, count the number of the beast, for this is the number of a man; his number is six hundred and sixty-six." This short phrase has given rise to a huge variety of interpretations.

The simplest one, which generated the most panic, can be called "calendar". Every time the ominous three sixes appeared in the calendar, especially impressionable people began to expect the appearance of the predicted beast. But neither in 666 nor in 1666 did anything of the kind happen.

The last wave swept the world on June 6, 2006. Expectant mothers were terribly afraid to give birth on this day (especially after watching the movie "Omen"), many believers closed themselves in their houses and prayed, and mystics furtively glanced at the sky.

Archpriest Vsevolod Chaplin, deputy head of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, was even forced to make an official press statement in which he warned Christians against superstition:

“Unlike a pagan who is afraid of everything, including eclipses, numbers and signs, a Christian should not be afraid of anything and no one except God ... When the last times come, it depends not on the coincidence of numbers, but on how much people will deviate from evil and keep the commandments of God.

The “calendar” interpretation of the “number of the beast” can hardly be considered correct, because the text of the “Apocalypse” is deeply symbolic. In addition, it contains direct "hints", such as the words of one of the angels:

“The beast that you saw was, and he is not, and will come out of the abyss and go to destruction ... And seven kings, of which five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come, and when he comes, he will not be long” .

So John the Theologian speaks of wisdom not by chance - most likely, this is a hint, a clue, accessible only to those who "have a mind."

Over the centuries, many attempts have been made to decipher the "number of the beast" - that is, to find out its name. One of the most common methods was Kabbalistic. He relied on the fact that in the time of John the Theologian, numbers were often replaced by letters of the alphabet.

Thus, the sum of the letters of the name of the beast should have been 666. But there can be several such combinations, how can one choose from them the one that the prophet had in mind?

To decipher the "number of the beast" it is important to compare the words of "Revelations" with real historical events. The fact is that in the early Christian tradition, Roman emperors were called "beasts".

Even Friedrich Engels in his work “On the History of Primitive Christianity” made an attempt to determine the time of writing the “Apocalypse” and made a calculation: the first “beast” was Augustus, the second was Tiberius, the third was Caligula, the fourth was Claudius, the fifth was Nero, the sixth was Galba, and the seventh is Otho. Otho ruled for only three months.

Engels made a completely logical conclusion: John the Theologian wrote the Apocalypse during the reign of Galba, that is, from June 9, 68 to January 15, 69 AD.

The German orientalist Ferdinand Benari once proposed the following hypothesis: the number 666 hides the name of the Roman emperor Nero - the same beast that "was and is not." The fact is that on Roman coins that were minted for the eastern part of the Roman Empire, the inscriptions were made in Hebrew.

At the same time, the vowels were omitted, and instead of "Nero Caesar" the inscription read "Nron ksr". If we add up the numerical values ​​of these letters, we get exactly 666. But why exactly was Nero declared a “beast”?

If we turn to historical documents, it becomes clear that the hatred of Christians for Nero had many reasons. The ancient Roman writer-historian Gaius Suetonius Tranquill left a biography of Nero. He was an extremely unbalanced, cruel and immoral person.

According to Suetonius, Nero executed Antonia, the daughter of Claudius, who after the death of Poppea refused to marry him, killed his mother and stepson. He forced his teacher Seneca to commit suicide, although he swore more than once not to harm him.

When a tailed comet appeared in the sky, he learned from the astrologer Balbilla that it portends death to the supreme rulers.

Nero was seriously alarmed, but the astrologer told him that this disaster could be paid off with a brilliant execution. And the Roman emperor condemned to death all the noblest men of the state - the pretext was the disclosure of two conspiracies at once.

If Nero treated all his subjects with incredible cruelty, then with respect to Christians he came up with truly diabolical bullying. Most of all, the emperor liked to watch how Christians were thrown into a cage with predatory animals, and they tore them apart.

Soon, during the conspiracy, Nero ordered one of his close associates to kill himself, the Christians sighed calmly. But not for long.

Servius Sulpicius Galba, who replaced Nero, turned out to be a weak ruler. He failed to bring order to the empire. Civil strife broke out in outlying provinces. It is not surprising that in these conditions there was a man who declared himself Nero, who allegedly was only wounded during the coup and managed to escape to the east.

Christians were horrified by these rumors. Still: one of the most terrible enemies has risen from the dead. They attributed the resurrection of Nero to Satan himself and waited in horror for the end of the world. The Christian faith at that time was not yet strong. In Roman cities, there were closed communities leading a semi-legal existence.

If, at the time of the appearance of the false Nero, their members renounced their faith, this would mean the collapse of Christianity. Therefore, the shepherds took steps to strengthen the will of their charges.

It was during this difficult time that various “revelations” appeared. All of them were devoted to the same theme: the end of the world and the day of judgment will come soon, after which all the enemies of Christians will be destroyed, and Christians themselves will gain eternal life.

And all of them, including John the Theologian, spoke of the end of the world as something inevitable and very close in time. However, the end of the world did not follow, and the name of Nero was forgotten over time.

It would seem that the Church should have consigned the "Apocalypse" to oblivion - as an unfulfilled prophecy. But the shepherds of the Christians were wise men. Therefore, they left the doctrine of the end of the world and the coming Last Judgment.

It turned out to be a very effective argument that creates powerful motivation: our cause is right, someday all enemies will be destroyed, and the Kingdom of Christ will come on Earth.

Over time, the generally accepted interpretation of the number 666 was forgotten, and they began to “try it on” for the next tyrants that could be found in every era. For example, in the time of Peter I, the Old Believers considered him the Antichrist. First, it was the "eighth king" - as predicted in "Revelation".

Secondly, his reforms affected the interests of the Orthodox Church. Still: he took away the lands from the monks, canceled the post in the army, and even introduced completely alien customs at court - assemblies, tobacco smoking, unusual clothes ...

The next "antichrist", according to the calculations of the same monks, was Napoleon. Through many permutations and combinations, it was possible to fit his name to the famous "666".

Later, Hitler, Stalin, Bill Gates were called the "beast" ... And according to one version, the "beast" was not a person, but a whole state - the now collapsed USSR. The argument was very simple: we cut off the last letter "R" - it simply means a country - and read the name as "CCS country".

And now we take the Old Slavonic edition of Revelation and see that the number of the beast often looks like SSS. The fact is that this is how the eighth letter of the alphabet was written - “green”, meaning the number six.

Perhaps this is the strangest of the versions about the "number of the beast" - after all, "Revelation" was written not only and not so much for Russia, and this coincidence is not confirmed in other languages.

But back to the number 666 itself. From the point of view of the numerical symbolism of the Pythagoreans, this is the so-called triangular number. It expresses the sum of consecutive digits from 1 to 36.

The sixes that make it up are no less unusual. The number six is ​​the first of the so-called perfect numbers, the sum of whose divisors (including one and excluding the number itself) is equal to the number itself: 6 \u003d 1 + 2 + 3.

And here is another interesting fact from the world of numbers: 666 is the sum of the squares of the first seven prime numbers. If we consider the number of the beast within the framework of the theory of stability of binary systems, as Andrey Osipov, Candidate of Technical Sciences, did, then we get a rather interesting picture.

The fact is that binary systems are stable in the range from one third to two thirds (in decimal form - from 33.3% to 66.6%). So if the number of people tempted by the beast reaches 66.6%, humanity as a system will begin to collapse...

According to biblical symbolism, six is ​​a human number. First of all, man was created on the sixth day. But this is not the main thing: if the seven is closely connected with God and the higher world, then the six symbolizes human perfection (which is an order of magnitude lower than the divine), wealth and power.

In the East, there are whole queues for documents with a six - it is considered a real talisman that brings happiness to the owner. But what have not been discovered in the number 666 (or in connection with its use) by researchers from different parts of the world!

They tried to declare the World Wide Web as a beast - the Internet (on the basis that www when translated into Hebrew and the corresponding calculation is 666) and dollar bills (they have a width of 66.6 mm)!

And in 1997, the Greek computer scientist Thomas Psaras reported that three hidden double strokes are used in barcodes, which are simply separators for a computer, but by chance represent the number 6.

Thomas, apparently, was a fan of the Apocalypse, and concluded that the barcode on goods and documents is nothing more than the seal of Satan. As evidence, he cited words from the same prophecy: those who do not have the seal of Satan will not be able to buy or sell. Of course, journalists immediately picked up another sensation.

The number 666 has a strange effect on people. Christians do their best to avoid it, which gives rise to many curiosities. In some cities of the world, the 66th floor is missing in skyscrapers, that is, after the 65th, the 67th immediately follows. And on the map of the USA you will not find road 666 - apparently, the Americans decided not to risk it.

Moscow Orthodox in the ornament on the new Russian passport saw three sixes. They came to receive new documents only after consultation with the priest. Before the elections to the Russian parliament in 2003 in the Tambov region, they decided not to make polling station No. 666 due to numerous appeals from believing voters.

In 2002, the trial, which took place in the city of Priozersk, Leningrad Region, became a sensation and was later called the "trial against the devil." The city court officially recognized that the barcode of each taxpayer identification number (TIN) contains three sixes.

Despite the fact that the number of interpretations of 666 has exceeded a hundred, new hypotheses are constantly put forward. Increasingly, they no longer concern specific historical figures, but abstractions. For example, Oleg Molenko, rector of the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Toronto, believes:

“In itself, the number 666 does not mean anything, except for the actual number. But, I think, the name of the beast is not accidentally expressed by three sixes. God created the universe in six days, and on the seventh day he rested from his work.

Hence, people have a seven-day week. If you remove the day of rest, there remains work, work, work. In this sense, the number six means deprivation of rest. And in a triple form - the deprivation of eternal rest.

The story of the “number of the beast” and the superstitions associated with it is a classic example of the influence of myths on human consciousness. The number 666 is indeed a human number. Its gloomy symbolism was invented by people. But, as often happens, the symbol got out of the control of its creators.

And now thousands of people consciously or unconsciously eschew the number that they consider diabolical. And hundreds are trying to guess the name of the beast and calculate the date of the end of the world.

What does the number 666 mean? What is the number of the beast?

QUESTION FROM DMITRY
Not long ago I heard such a version that when receiving a new passport, where biometric data is taken, we give our consent to the voluntary drawing of three sixes, the sign of the devil. I don't remember what is written about the mark of the devil. What does it mean? Is it necessary to perceive this as something very dangerous, I'm at the expense of abroad. passports.

Today, many believe that 666 is the number in a foreign or Russian passport or on a bank card or CHIPS in phones or TIN ...

At any time, various numbers and events have been labeled with labels from the book of Revelation. Meanwhile, such prophecies of the Bible are given for ALL mankind, and not for any particular country at some of its historical stage. That is, the predictions from the book of Revelation will concern ALL people!

Look at the text of the Bible - Revelation 13 chapter:

open 13:15 And it was given to him (the second beast) to put breath into the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast both spoke and acted in such a way that everyone who was slain WILL NOT WORSHIP THE IMAGE OF THE BEAST. 16 And he will do that to all, small and great, rich and poor, free and slaves, it will be necessary to have a MARK ON THEIR RIGHT HAND OR ON THEIR BROWS, 17 and that no one will be able to buy or sell, except he who has it is the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here is wisdom. Whoever has a mind, count the number of the beast, for this is the number of a man; his number is six hundred sixty-six.

open 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, Who WORSHIPS THE BEAST AND HIS IMAGE AND ACCEPT THE MARK ON HIS brow, OR ON HIS HAND, 10 he will drink WINE OF FURY of God, whole wine, prepared in the cup of His wrath, and WILL BE TORTURED IN FIRE and gray before the holy angels and before the Lamb

What is known about the mark of the beast 666?

ATTENTION! Let's focus on a few important points regarding the number 666:

• Question: What type are you talking about?

Answer: The outline is not described in detail. But it is clear that it does not have any particular form. It is clearly written that it will be OR "the mark, OR the name of the beast, OR the number of his name". And the number 666 itself is "number of the beast", and it is specified "it's a human number". That is, it is not at all necessary that exactly the number 666 will be superimposed, since the Bible does not state this, but, on the contrary, provides for options for inscription. But it is unequivocally clear where the sign will be superimposed - on the forehead or hand.

• Question: Who imposes the inscription?

Answer: Applies the mark of the second beast that appeared on the scene in Revelation 13:11, which contributes to the worship of the image of the first beast. Both of these beasts operate with the support of the dragon - Satan, see Rev. 12:9; 13:2,11.

At the same time, the second beast makes people worship the first beast and (or) its image, see above Rev. 14:9 and works great signs (miracles) to deceive those who dwell on earth, see Rev. 13:12-14.

• Question: Will the markings be given to man voluntarily?

Answer: Yes. The text does not say that the inscription of the mark of the beast will be done to someone by force. It only describes that those who refuse the mark will be forbidden to sell and buy.

• Question: What threatens for these inscriptions?

Answer: For these marks God will in a rage and that person will be tormented in the fire of hell! Can God be furious that a person follows the laws of the state and got himself a passport or TIN? Of course not, on the contrary, the Bible teaches that we must obey the laws of the country in which we live and respect the authorities, see 1 Pet. 2:13,14,18, Rom. 13:1,2, Prov. 22:21,22, Ex. 22:28. Only with that limitation until the laws of the land begin to contradict the laws of God:

“And Peter and the Apostles answered and said, You must obey God rather than men.”(Acts 5:29). "Because the foolish things of God are wiser than men, and the weak things of God are stronger than men"(1 Corinthians 1:25).

Therefore, for the violation of such worldly laws, God cannot be angry! God can be furious only for violating His moral laws!!! And God's commandments are clearly listed in the Bible! Read some of them. And God instructed in the Bible not to add anything to them. It was for sins - for violation of God's laws that the first world was destroyed by a flood and the cities of Sodom and Gommorah fell ... For violation of the commandments of God, as the Bible says, 10 out of 12 tribes of Israel were dissolved in Assyrian captivity, and two tribes of Israel were in captivity for 70 years in Babylon!

As Jesus said, it will also be before His Second Coming. Now the law of God is already being directly violated in many countries - homosexuality, drugs, abortions are allowed, intimate life outside of marriage (fornication) is considered the norm, divorces are practically encouraged, even presidents openly have mistresses and get divorced, people are taught to love themselves, etc. The Bible says that it will get worse - true love will grow cold in people!

And a foreign passport, chipping and TIN are just documents or means of individualization and payments, very convenient for the state, including many people of this country.

Do not fall for the deception of Satan, he deliberately distracts people from the essence, leading them into unimportant thoughts. Think for yourself: what is important to God? Our passport or our character and spiritual state? Why can His anger flare up up to rage and destruction in Gehenna, as it is written in the 14th chapter of Revelation?!

Let me remind you that in chapter 13 it is written: "small and great, rich and poor, free and slave... nobody it won't be possible neither buy nor sell, EXCEPT who has this mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name"

Who can really restrict trade (buying and selling) at the level of the poor and the rich? Only secular secular power can forbid selling and buying! However, since the text is about worship, then the religious component should be sought only in those religions that have the ability to influence the authorities in order to indicate who should be prohibited from selling and buying. This means that together they will oppress those believers who do not live the way these religions teach and do not obey them. Other options are hard to find.

Here it is important to remember where the concepts of signs on the hand and forehead come from!

Hand and forehead - taken from the book of Deuteronomy of the Bible from the law of God. On the hand and forehead, a person was supposed to symbolically have a sign of his fidelity to the Lord:

Deut. 6:6 And yes THESE WORDS will be, which I COMMAND you today, in your heart. 7 and inspire them to your children and speak of them, sitting in your house and walking along the road, and lying down and getting up; eight and bind them as a sign on your hand, and let them be a bandage over your eyes.

What the “WORDS OF SII” should a believer wear on his forehead and on his hand? Here it is about THE WORDS the law of God, which is referred to there, were in the mind of man - this is the forehead, and he fulfilled them - this is the hand. This is a clear symbol of devotion to God!

In the book of Revelation, on the contrary, the sign is not of God, a BEAST will be on the arm and forehead. That is, people will fulfill the laws (including religious ones) established by mortal people, neglecting the commandments given by the Eternal God.

What is the number of the beast 666?

Revelation explains that 666 is a human number. Why human? Some theologians think so: because man was created on the 6th day. Day 7 - Holy Blessed of God as written in Genesis 2:3! Hence the fullness, in particular, the week is 7, and the perfect fullness is 777. And the number 666 is human, since it is not enough to perfection, but with a claim to it. Many believe that the number of God is 3 (Trinity), the number of creation is 4 (four cardinal directions, four seasons). Hence the “Divine” derivatives 3+4=7, 3х4=12. 12 - the number of the tribes of Israel, the number of apostles, the number of the New City of heavenly Jerusalem, where everything is 12 and 144 each (see Revelation 21 chapter), and 12x12 \u003d 144 x 1000 \u003d 144000 is a number symbolizing the fullness of the remnant, read about it)

And no TIN has nothing to do with passports and SNILS and so on ... These are all trifles compared to the universal message of the book of Revelation.

Once again trace the direct connection of the texts:

Rev. 13:16 And he will do that to all, small and great, rich and poor, free and slaves, the outline will be on their right hand or on their forehead,

Rev. 14:9 And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, Who worships the beast and his image and takes the mark on his forehead, or on his hand, 10 he shall drink the wine of the wrath of God

Think for yourself, can there be such a FURY of God for a passport, TIN or SNILS?

And who will refuse to accept the mark of the beast 666?

It is worth noting that in the same place, in the book of Revelation, people are described who are opposite to those who will take the number of the beast 666 on their forehead and hand. That is, those who refuse to accept the mark of the beast. This number of those sealed is 144,000. They will also be given a sign on their foreheads, but a sign from God, in order to save them!

“And I saw another Angel ... And he exclaimed with a loud voice to the four Angels, to whom it was given to harm the earth and the sea, saying: do no harm ... until we put printing on foreheads servants of our God"(Rev. 7:2,3) “And I looked, and behold, the Lamb(Jesus) ... and with him a hundred and forty-four thousand, having his Father's name written on foreheads… The hour of His judgment has come.”(Rev. 14:1-10).

And here it is explained below how these people differ from those who will receive the mark of the beast:

“They are not defiled with women ... they are blameless before the throne of God ... Here is the patience of the saints, keeping the commandments of God and faith in Jesus(Rev. 14:4,5,12).

“Were not defiled with women(in the original - with women) ” indicates the purity of the teachings of God, since fornication and adultery are sins, and the faithful wife in the Bible symbolizes the true Church of God, see Rev. 12:1, Rev. 21:2,9. God more than once in the Bible called fornication the deviation of the Israelites from His commandments and their indulgence in idolatry. Therefore, in the 12th text it is directly written that this remainder differs precisely keeping the commandments Lord, not invented by people.

A similar protection of God's remnant through the seal on the forehead is described in the book of the prophet Ezekiel from 9 to 11 chapters. Read about this article about God's remnant.

Who are the animals from the book of Revelation?

Of course, theologians argue about who the first and second beasts of 13 and 14 chapters of the book of Revelation are. From the text it is obvious that the first beast was set by Satan himself - the dragon, see Rev. 12:9, Rev. 13:1-8. The first beast belongs to the worship of people from all over the world, not written in the book of Life. And the second beast only attracts people to the first beast, so that they worship him or his image (likeness). The second beast itself is called a false prophet, see Rev. 19:20, Rev. 16:13, which again indicates the religious affiliation of these animals.

And the victory over these beasts is also clearly described in a religious way, showing that these beasts, forcing the people of God to draw, did the opposite to God and the Lamb (Jesus):

open 15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of ​​glass mingled with fire; and those who conquered the beast, and his image, and his mark, and the number of his name, stand on this sea of ​​glass, holding the harp of God, 3 and sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb

It is with these two beasts and the dragon that the Lord and His people are confronted throughout the book of Revelation, and it is they who are defeated and thrown into hell in the light of the Second Coming of Christ and the final triumph of the victory of good over evil and God over Satan (see Rev. 19:20). , Rev. 20:3,4,10). It does not seem at all that these animals are the secular power of some country in its certain historical period. It seems to me that it is clearly visible that the essence is much deeper here. So the meaning of the signs on the forehead is extremely deeper than a simple passport, chepyrovanie or TIN in some state, as some religious figures are trying to present it to us.

This verse says that the number of the beast is six hundred and sixty-six (666); and it must be confessed that more ingenuity has been expended on this verse than on any other verse of Scripture.

18 Here is wisdom. Whoever has a mind, count the number of the beast, for this is the number of a man; his number is six hundred sixty-six.
(Rev. 13:18)

Modern translation: This requires wisdom. Anyone who has reason can understand the meaning of the number of the beast, for it corresponds to the human number. This number is six hundred and sixty six (666).

Who is this satanic beast represented here by such a symbolic number (666)?

It must be remembered that in antiquity there were no numbers, and the letters of the alphabet also performed the function of numbers. So, in Cyrillic (Russian alphabet) A meant 1; B-2; AT 3; G-4, etc. Thus every word, and therefore every name, can also be a number.

One sweet and romantic use of this is given by Gustav Deisman. On the walls of Pompeii, a lover wrote: "I love the one whose number is 545", and thus called the name of his beloved and at the same time hid it!

666 - SEAL

Countless suggestions have been made regarding the number 666.

In view of the fact that this is the name of the beast, they distorted it in any way to fit their sworn enemy; and therefore 666 also meant the Pope, Napoleon, the leader of German Protestantism, Martin Luther, the founder of the Scottish Presbyterian Church, John Knox, and many others.

So, during the Second World War, they managed to create a system according to which it turned out that 666 is Hitler!

Archenemy of the Church

Revelation is written in coded language; therefore, it is quite obvious that here, where the name of the sworn enemy of the Church was concerned, the most reliable code was chosen.

Oddly enough, the key to the code seems to have been lost very early, because even such a great theologian as Irenaeus of Lyon, who lived in the second century, did not know what was behind this symbolic number.

Four of the very first guesses

We present here four of the very first suggestions.

1. Irenaeus of Lyons suggested that it could symbolize Euanphas.
   In Greek: E - 5; U - 400; A - 1; H - 50; F - 9; A - 1; C - 200; and the sum - 666. But what is Euanphas - Irenaeus knew nothing about this; that is, he replaced one riddle with another.
2. It has been suggested that the word is Lateinos.
   L - 30; A - 1; T - 300; E - 5; I - 10; H - 50; O - 70; C - 200; the sum is 666. Lateinos could be understood as Latin and, therefore, it could symbolize the Roman Empire.
3. The third suggestion was that the word is Teitan.
   T - 300; E - 5; I - 10; T - 300; A - 1; H -50; and the sum is 666. Two values ​​could be derived from teitanos. In ancient Greek mythology, the titans rebelled against God. Secondly, the emperors Vespasian, Titus and Domitian were from the family of Titus, and perhaps they could be called titans.
4. A fourth suggestion was made that the word was arnoume.
   A - 1; P - 100; H - 50; O - 70; U -400; M - 40; E - 5; and the sum is 666. There is a possibility that arnoume is a form of the Greek word arnoumai, "I deny." In this case, the number symbolizes the denial of the name of Christ.

None of these assumptions seem convincing. The chapter itself offers us the best clue to the riddle.

Again and again a mortally wounded head is mentioned, which later healed. As we have already seen, this head symbolizes the legend of the emperor Nero Nero redivivus, and therefore, we can well assume that the number has something to do with Nero.

In many ancient lists, the number is given as 616. If we write the name Nero in Latin letters and give them numerical values, we get: H - 50; E -6; P - 500; O - 60; H - 50, and the sum - 666; if you write the name Nero without the last N, the sum will be 616. And if the words Caesar Nero are transcribed in Hebrew consonants, their sum will also be 666.

Thus, it can be assumed that the number of the beast symbolizes the emperor Nero, and that John predicts the coming of the Antichrist in the form of Nero, the embodiment of evil, who has returned to this earth.

666 - seal on Jews professing Judaism

There is a place in the Bible where the number 666 is mentioned:

(1 Kings 10:14)

Read the entire chapter 10 of 1 Kings

1 The Queen of Sheba, having heard of the glory of Solomon in the name of the Lord, came to test him with riddles.
2 And she came to Jerusalem with very great wealth: camels laden [were] with spices and a great amount of gold and precious stones; and she came to Solomon and talked with him about everything that was in her heart.
3 And Solomon explained to her all her words, and there was nothing unknown to the king that he did not explain to her.
4 And the queen of Sheba saw all the wisdom of Solomon and the house that he had built,
5 And the food at his table, and the habitation of his servants, and the orderliness of his servants, and their clothes, and his butlers, and his burnt offerings, which he offered in the temple of the Lord. And she couldn't resist anymore.
6 And she said to the king, It is true that I have heard in my land about your deeds and about your wisdom;
7 But I did not believe the words until I came and my eyes saw: and, behold, not half was told to me; You have more wisdom and wealth than what I heard.
8 Blessed are thy people, and blessed are these thy servants, who stand before thee always, and hear thy wisdom!
9 Blessed be the Lord your God, who was pleased to place you on the throne of Israel! The Lord, out of His eternal love for Israel, made you king, to do judgment and justice.
10 And she gave the king a hundred and twenty talents of gold, and a great abundance of spices and precious stones; Never before had there come so many spices as the Queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
11 And the ship of Hiram, which brought gold from Ophir, brought from Ophir a great abundance of mahogany and precious stones.
12 And the king made of this mahogany a railing for the temple of the Lord and for the king's house, and a harp and a psalter for the singers; never before has so much mahogany come, nor seen to this day.
13 And King Solomon gave the Queen of Sheba everything she desired and asked for, beyond what King Solomon had given her with his own hands. And she went back to her own land, she and all her servants.
14 The weight of the gold that came to Solomon each year was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,
15 more than what [was received] from the peddlers of goods and from the trade of merchants, and from all the kings of Arabia and from the regional rulers.
16 And King Solomon made two hundred large shields of wrought gold, six hundred [shekels] for each shield;
17 and three hundred smaller shields of wrought gold, three minas of gold went into each shield; and the king set them up in a house of Lebanese wood.
18 And the king made a great throne of ivory, and overlaid it with pure gold;
19 there were six steps to the throne; the top at the back of the throne was round, and there were armrests on both sides near the seat, and two lions stood at the armrests;
20 and twelve more lions stood there on six steps on either side. There was nothing like it in any other kingdom.
21 And all the drinking vessels of King Solomon [were] of gold, and all the vessels in the house of Lebanese wood were of pure gold; there was nothing of silver, because silver was considered nothing in the days of Solomon;
22 For the king had a Tarshish ship on the sea with Hiram's ship; every three years a Tarshish ship came bringing gold and silver and ivory and monkeys and peacocks.
23 King Solomon excelled all the kings of the earth in wealth and wisdom.
24 And all [the kings] on earth sought to see Solomon, to hear his wisdom, which God had put in his heart.
25 And they offered him, every one of themselves, a gift: vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and clothes, and weapons, and spices, horses and mules, every year.
26 And Solomon gathered chariots and horsemen; he had fourteen hundred chariots and twelve thousand horsemen; and he placed them in the chariot cities and with the king in Jerusalem.
27 And the king made the silver in Jerusalem equal to common stones, and the cedars, according to their abundance, made equal to sycamore trees [growing] in low places.
28 Horses were brought to King Solomon from Egypt and from Kuva; royal merchants bought them from Kuva for money.
29 A chariot from Egypt was received and delivered for six hundred [shekels] of silver, and a horse for a hundred and fifty. In the same way, with their own hands, they delivered [all this] to the kings of the Hittites and the kings of Aramea.
(1 Kings 10:1-29)

Historical note, Solomon's gold.

The annual receipts and reserves of gold during the reign of Solomon were very huge, judging, as we read, that his shields were of hammered gold, golden vessels for drinking, small shields (screens) of gold and an ivory throne overlaid with pure gold and silver. Silver and gold in Jerusalem were in his time equivalent to simple stones (10:10-22; 2 Chronicles 1:15).

Five years after Solomon's death, the Egyptian king Shusakim came to Jerusalem and took all of Solomon's gold (14:25,26; 2 Chronicles 12:2, 9-11).

Only recently, in 1939, was the mummy of Susakim discovered in Tanis, Egypt. She lay in a gold-covered sarcophagus.

It is possible that this was the gold that he brought out of Jerusalem.

Thus we know that King Solomon received 666 talents of gold every year. From whom? This gold came as an annual tribute from the Jews (Jews professing Judaism). Each Jew had to hand in one piece of gold.

From here we learn that the seal of the devil is on the Jews or Jews professing Judaism. In addition, we know that Moses brought this people out of the sea (this beast will come out of the sea).

One can see an example of the zealous attitude of one of the Jews who persecuted the disciples of Jesus:

9 True, and I thought that I should do much against the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
10 This is what I did in Jerusalem: having received authority from the chief priests, I put many saints in prison, and when they killed them, I gave voice to it;
11 And in all the synagogues I repeatedly tormented them and forced them to blaspheme [Jesus], and, in an excessive fury against them, I persecuted even in foreign cities.
12 For this reason, going to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests,
(Acts 26:9-12)

It is important that the Jews today do not recognize the name of Jesus of Nazareth. They are waiting for the rebuilding of Solomon's Temple. They are waiting for the king.

34 Salt is a good thing; but if the salt loses its strength, how can I fix it?
35 Not good for earth or manure; they throw her out. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear!
(Luke 14:34,35)

CONCLUSIONS

The result of my study of the book of Revelations was the following conclusions.

1. I tend to believe that the book of Revelations was written before the destruction of Jerusalem. That is, the warning in this book was addressed to the early Christians. They, in turn, having seen what was destined for Jerusalem, left the city before the siege by the Romans and escaped.
2. The book of Revelation covers not only the times of the early Christians. Naturally, everything that is written in it is useful for study and instruction, both today and for future generations.
3. It is worth taking into account the prophetic version of the presentation, which was used in the books of the Old Testament. John used it while writing while imprisoned. Thus, having secured the importance of the words in it, he was able to safely address them to the Christians in Jerusalem. Indeed, for an ordinary Roman of that time, everything that was stated in it - to put it mildly, did not fit into the framework of ordinary reasoning. John could not directly write, for example, about Nero, about the destruction of Jerusalem and about the persecution of Christians. Such a message would not pass censorship.
4. The image of King Solomon, the Temple and the wealth of his reign, is very similar to the description of John of the Kingdom of Heaven and the King. It is worth comparing the image of King Solomon, his greatness, wealth and wisdom before falling into sin with the images described in the book of Revelation.
5. The number of the beast - 666, should not be interpreted unambiguously.

When studying the book of Revelations, please note that it is very difficult to study, especially in absolute interpretations.

This is an excerpt from the book "MYSTERY OF THE BEAST The experience of revealing the prophecies of the Apocalypse" by priest Andrei Gorbunov.
And he (the beast) will make sure that everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, will have a mark on their right hand or on their forehead, and that no one will be able to buy or sell, except the one who has this mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Whoever has a mind, count the number of the beast, for this is the number of a man, his number is six hundred sixty-six
open 13:16-18
Print or inscription?
The "name of the beast" has always represented the greatest mystery in the interpretation of the Apocalypse. It was impossible to unravel this mystery in advance, so the ancient interpretations of the apocalyptic “name of the beast” did not become the teaching of the Church. St. Irenaeus of Lyon, for example, warned of the danger of unraveling the name of the Antichrist and said that “it is more accurate and safer to expect the fulfillment of prophecy than to assume or predict any names.” St. Andrew of Caesarea, in his Interpretation of the Apocalypse, pointing out the attempts of many interpreters to name the Antichrist, comes to the following conclusion: written in it, will open the time of temptation to the sane and awake (according to another translation, “experience and time.” - Auth.) ".
In the Slavic language, this phrase looks like this: "The well-known knowledge of the number, like other things written about it, time will open the art of the chaste and awake." In the book "Elder Paisios" we find the following translation of these words of St. Andrew: "About the vile name of the Antichrist and the accuracy of the number, like the rest of what is written, time and experience will be revealed to the vigilant."
That is why a correct understanding of the prophecy of Revelation about the “name of the beast” has become possible only now, when reality itself (“experience”), the very course of events (“time”) reveal to us that the Apostle John the Theologian describes exactly what is happening today, on our eyes.
Saint Hippolytus of Rome wrote that “of those who have received the seal, there will be many who read the Holy Scriptures,” and “those who will heed the Scriptures and meditate on them will escape the seal.” It is a thoughtful reading of the 13th chapter of the Apocalypse and its comparison with modern reality that lead to the conviction that the apostle John said everything necessary and sufficient about the seal of the Antichrist so that at the time when it becomes a reality, "awake", having spiritual clarity and wisdom (cf. Rev. 13:18), were able to recognize it without much difficulty.
After all, the purpose of prophecy is not to mysteriously encrypt something and thereby give an opportunity to practice in solving puzzles. The spiritual purpose and meaning of almost any prophecy is a God-provided announcement to us of some important and most often dangerous event or phenomenon from the near or distant future, according to earthly time. The purpose of the prophecy is that by the time of its fulfillment we would have the opportunity to prepare properly for these events and phenomena and would not be overtaken by their suddenness and destructiveness.
According to the words of the elder Paisios the Holy Mountaineer, “the Evangelist John the Theologian writes very clearly in the Apocalypse about the mark.” And indeed, a careful reading of just three verses of the 13th chapter of the Apocalypse (16th, 17th and 18th verses) allows us to conclude that they contain EVERYTHING necessary for recognizing the seal. An accurate understanding of the meaning of these verses of Revelation will allow us to give a correct assessment of the truly apocalyptic events taking place now.
“A large number of diverse interpretations have been made (of the words of the Apocalypse about the “name of the beast.” - Auth.), - wrote the outstanding Russian theologian N. N. Glubokovsky (1863-1937), - of which each to the same degree and probably (for inventors ), and doubtful (for readers). Meanwhile, the author (Ap. John the Theologian. - Auth.) inspires with determination that his words provide everyone with the necessary explanation according to their perception. Consequently, the obligatory exegetical rule compels us to concentrate entirely on the most mysterious text and not to go beyond it into the dark realm of vague dreams. It is necessary to take and weigh all the textual particulars.
There are two wrong attitudes in interpreting this passage of the Apocalypse. The first is the desire of interpreters to decipher the “number of Antichrist” at all costs and get his name.
The Apocalypse says: “a mark (not a seal, but a mark), or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (13:17). Since ancient times, many efforts have been made to unravel the meaning of these words. How many attempts were there to guess, to name the “name of the beast” (in response to the call “count the number of the beast”)! All these attempts were based on various kinds of calculations, when the letters of the alleged name of the Antichrist were summed up under the number 666 (the so-called gematria). Many options were proposed: “Titan”, “Latin”, “Benedict”, “Unrighteous lamb” ... They found the animal number in the names of the emperors Nero, Julian the Apostate (persecutors of Christians), in the title of the Pope - “Vicarius Filia Dei” (“Vicar of Son of God"), in the names of Martin Luther, Napoleon, etc. .
In L. N. Tolstoy's novel War and Peace, Pierre Bezukhov, sitting in Moscow abandoned by the Russian army, waiting for the French, calculates the number 666 and finds out that this is just the name of Napoleon Bonaparte.
The Radio Liberty website reports that “for example, in the USA, some merry fellow, demonstrating, however, great philological erudition, undertook a curious experiment: he took the full name and surname of former American President Bill Clinton and shifted them to Jewish and Greek letters, then calculated the numerical value of these letters, and, in both cases, received exactly the number 666 ”(the topic of the program is“ The controversy around the TIN and the number of the beast ”).
But the Apocalypse does not speak about the personal name of the Antichrist, not about how he will be called! The apostle John, who did not study mathematics and geometry, would not have engaged in complex calculations, trying to encrypt the name of the "son of perdition." There is a different meaning here. “The name of the beast” (not the Antichrist, but the beast) is the name from the beast given to man by the beast (and not the Antichrist), that is, by the very anti-Christian system of global, total electronic control and management of society in the conditions of the “new world order”. The system of the beast, depersonalizing a person.
It is appropriate to mention here that supercomputers (in Brussels, California /USA/, etc.), designed to accumulate all information, are also called "The Beast" (English - beast). It is characteristic that many programmers and computer scientists call a computer (any) not only a “machine”, but also a “beast”.
Hieromonk Seraphim (Rose) back in 1982, listing the signs of the last times in his report “Orthodox Worldview”, spoke about such a sign: “4. Increasing centralization of information and power over individuals, represented in particular by the gigantic new computer installed in Luxembourg, which is capable of storing a dossier on every person living on earth; his code number is "666", and those who work with him have nicknamed him "the beast". To facilitate the operation of such computers, the US government proposes to begin issuing social security checks to individuals in 1984 with a number (clearly including the code number 666) imprinted on the right hand or on the forehead - this is the requirement that will be the main requirement, according to the Apocalypse (ch. 13) during the reign of Antichrist.
Therefore, it will not be the proper name of the Antichrist that will be “drawn”, but the individual, personal name of a person. And this name will be electronic. But the apostle John knew nothing about the coming electronics and computer technology and could not, of course, say that the name would be electronic, just as he could not say that all people would be assigned "identification numbers." But he knew that there are numbers and there are names, and therefore he simply said: "or the number of his name." And computers are different in that they record and process information in numerical form, so today they even talk about the “numerical revolution”.
The Apostle John is not talking about the fact that either a name or a number will be “marked”. There is no separation, no choice of option, one of the two. The expression "or the number of his name" should be understood as a clarification, namely: this name will be numerical (electronic, computer). The union “or” in this case is used in an explanatory sense, in the sense of “in other words”, “otherwise”, that is, it does not separate existing objects by themselves, but combines, brings together various qualities, designations of the same object.
So, the concepts of "name" (ονομα) and "number of the name" (αριφμος του ονοματος) are synonymous, in their content they are equivalent. THE NAME OF THE BEAST AND THE NUMBER OF HIS NAME IS THE SAME! "The number of the name" is the name in the form of a number, a numerical name.
In other words, an individual name, a name that identifies a person (for the system), will be a number, a personal code. And it will be read as a “mark” (from the word “line”) - strokes, BARCODE. That is, the mark is already a graphic representation of a numerical name. The apostle John called the future electronic name a mark in order to show that it will have not only a digital, but also a dashed form of expression.
The Apocalypse was originally written in Greek, where the word “draw” (χαράσσω) literally means to draw deep straight lines, cut them out, scratch them. The term “seal”, which is familiar to us, inaccurately conveys the meaning of the word χάραγμα (“inscription”), which is the same root with such words as scratch, stake, pillar, that is, palisad - fence, palisade.
The international spelling of the word “barcode” is bar-code, and the word bar in translation from English is a bar (ok), bolt, rod, strip, line, column (ik), stick, rack (hence the Russian word “bar”) , lattice, barrier, hedge, fence, etc.
Considering that the barcode really looks like a set of scratches (stripes) or stakes (bars), its identity to the apocalyptic inscription is beyond doubt. This is the very "bar" behind which they want to drive all of humanity.
It is also noteworthy that in the English Bible, the mark is denoted by the word mark (brand, (from) mark, line, etc.), which involuntarily evokes associations with the marking of goods and the branding of animals.
It is very important to note here that the word “seal”, supplemented by the word “antichrist”, eventually replaced the expression of the Holy Scriptures “the mark of the beast”. A new phrase was formed - "the seal of the Antichrist", which brought into the minds of Christians a slightly different idea of ​​\u200b\u200bthis apocalyptic sign. The concept of "seal of the Antichrist" is also found in patristic writings, along with the concept of "mark of the beast", as a synonym for the latter. However, in former times there was no semantic difference between these concepts: although the word “seal” was used, it gave only general ideas about the coming Antichrist system, without inclusion in which it would be impossible to buy or sell. Today, such a substitution of concepts is already the cause of an incorrect understanding of the essence of the ongoing processes of building the kingdom of the beast and can lead to great misconceptions. Therefore, it is better and safer when interpreting this passage of Revelation to proceed from the wording of the very word of God - "the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."
In the text of the Apocalypse, when it comes to the Antichrist system, only the word “mark” is used (it occurs 8 times in Revelation!), and the word “seal” is not used at all in relation to what the beast will “do”. We meet the word "seal" only where it is said about the seal, which is given not by the beast, but by the Lord, - gives to His true servants. “And I saw,” says the seer, “another angel ascending from the rising of the sun and having the seal of the living God. And he exclaimed with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to harm the earth and the sea, saying: Do no harm to the earth, or the sea, or the trees, until we have put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God ”(Rev. 7: 2-3). And in another place: “And it was said to her (the locust) that she should not harm the grass of the earth, and no greenery, and no tree, but only to one people who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads” (Rev. 9: 4) .
And this seal, according to the generally accepted interpretation, “is not some external symbol, but is the grace of the Holy Spirit, sanctifying a person in the Sacrament of Baptism” (from the appeal of the Holy Synod of the Greek Orthodox Church in 1997), “the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit” (words from the rite Baptism and Chrismation). This is evident from the words of the Apostle Paul: "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, by which you were sealed on the day of redemption" (Eph. 4:30). “Truly,” says St. Simeon the New Theologian, “enlightenment from the Holy Spirit is a single seal.”
In other words, the "seal of the living God" is Divine enlightenment, which is given to the true servants of God, striving for living communion with the living God. The one who knows the living God, who has personal communion with the Personal God, has this seal. The “seal of the living God,” which rests on the foreheads of God's servants, is the seal of the spirit, the seal of sacred god-likeness. St. Andrew of Caesarea, explaining the words of the Apocalypse about the sealing of God's servants with the "seal of the living God" (Rev. 7:2-3), writes: our strength to the extent that we ourselves show our activity.
It is characteristic that in the Armenian Church the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation are designated (apparently, since ancient times) with one word - “knunk”, which comes from the verb “knkel” - “to seal”, that is, both sacraments are called the word “sealing”.
At the same time, the word "mark" is never used in relation to what the Lord gives to His servants. Obviously, this fact is explained by the following. Seal, as you know, means writing a proper, personal name (the name of a person or the name of a particular organization). Inscription (this word itself) does not involve writing a proper name, but writing (“drawing”) some impersonal dashes, lines, scratches that do not carry a proper name, but are a form of expression (recording) of numbers, a “numerical name”. That is why the mark, in contrast to the “seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit”, is precisely the external symbol (sign, mark) placed on the human body. Once again, we are convinced of how accurately this phenomenon of apocalyptic times is described by Holy Scripture, for it is the word of the all-perfect God.
So, it turns out that the servants of God, the sons of the Kingdom of Heaven, have a seal - from the Lord, given by Him; and the servants of the Antichrist, the sons of the kingdom of the beast, have a mark - from the beast, given to them. This is where the dividing line is drawn between the kingdom of God and the opposite kingdom of the beast.
From what has been said, it follows that the acceptance of the mark of the beast deprives a person of the grace of the Holy Spirit. That is why Revelation says of those who receive the mark of the beast: “And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever, and they have no rest, day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and who receive the mark of his name” (Rev. 14:11). Receiving the mark of the beast also means denial of Christ and loss of faith, as is evident from the subsequent biblical text: "Here is the patience of the saints, who keep the commandments of God and faith in Jesus" (Rev. 14:12).