Revelation Chapter 13 continued.

VERSE 16 “He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads…”

AND HE CAUSES ALL: Uniformity is Satan’s trademark.

THE SMALL AND THE GREAT: The amount of influence one has in the world is not an exemption.

THE RICH AND THE POOR: The amount of one’s wealth or knowledge is also not an exemption.

THE FREE MEN AND THE SLAVES: The amount of intellectual independence one has is also not an exemption.

TO BE GIVEN A MARK: an evidence of allegiance.

ON THEIR RIGHT HAND: Their cooperation. (With whatever capacity you work and or render service to the beast or its image you give evidence of your support or cooperation).

OR ON THEIR FOREHEAD: The mental and/ or character assent. (Your faith, your belief in the teachings and precepts of the beast or its image represents your mental assent).

VERSE 17 “…and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

AND THAT NO ONE SHOULD BE ABLE TO BUY OF TO SELL: in the spiritual marketplace of ideas. This HAS happened. Those who have the truth have been systematically excluded from the spiritual marketplace of orthodoxy and confederated Protestantism.

Can it get worse? Possibly; even probably. But it need not do so to fulfill this verse.

EXCEPT THE ONE WHO HAS THE MARK: A mark is a characteristic. The characteristic is probably willingness to help (to render service in some capacity), or at least not to oppose, the accepted religious way of doing things. (Compare Rev 13:5).

THE NAME OF THE BEAST: — possibly the TITLE of the beast (I. e., membership in it.) Or, since name means character, it possibly means that you are not only willing to cooperate, but you are inherently LIKE the beast. We also use the word NAME to represent authority — as when we ask in Jesus’ NAME.

OR THE NUMBER OF HIS NAME: This phrase raises a question which the next verse helps to answer. Number means VALUE. When people say, “I’ve got your number,” it means they know what you are LIKE. They know your VALUES. The number of a name means the VALUE OF HIS CHARACTER. Perhaps this means that, if you have value to this system, you are safe. They will USE you as long as you remain of value to them. Throughout history, the 10-horned beast has operated on the philosophy that the end justifies the means. This is their value system.

VERSE 18 “Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666.”

HERE IS WISDOM: What a marvelous way to catch our attention! Everyone would like to be wise. But the meaning is NOT that. It means, as does Daniel 12:10, that those who are blessed with God’s favor will understand, and no one else.

LET HIM WHO HAS UNDERSTANDING: No one will be able to “calculate the number” except those who understand the place of the Roman system in history.

CALCULATE THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST: Several items in this phrase need attention. First, the “number” must be “calculated.” It does not just plainly appear. Secondly, it is related to the 10-horned beast — the one to whom the image was made (Verse 14). Thirdly, number symbolizes VALUE. Whatever must be calculated apparently has something to do with the beast’s “value.”

This doesn’t mean monetary value, but rather the “value (number) of his name.” (Verse 17) His name STANDS FOR SOMETHING. It represents his values. History shows us that the values of the apostasy can be summed up as usurped power and authority. Verse 5 summarizes this idea. Thus, when we learn that Papacy’s claim is to be the one who rules in place of the Son of God, and that Papacy, therefore, appropriated the blasphemous title VICARIVS FILII DEI, we HAVE the name which identifies his values (number).

THE NUMBER IS THAT OF A MAN: Paul identified the “man” — the office — to which this refers as the “Man of Sin” and the “Son of Destruction.” (2 Thess. 2:3, 4) It is the Papacy.

HIS NUMBER IS 666: The sum of the Roman numerals in VICARIVS FILII DEI is 666.

MANY titles or descriptions (in several languages) of the Roman system calculate to this figure — a fact which corroborates the conclusion. VICARIVS FILII DEI, however, (VICAR OF THE SON OF GOD, or VICARIOUS SON OF GOD) seems the best explanation of the reasons stated above.

Brother Loomis points out that the three languages used on Jesus’ cross (Latin, Hebrew and Greek all have words representing this number. The Hebrew word ROMIITH—Roman):

R = 200

O = 6

M = 40

I = 10

I = 10

TH = 400

666

(The Hebrew alphabet, of course, must be used!)

The Greek work LATEINOS (Latin Man); again, using the Greek alphabet:

L = 30

A = 1

T = 300

E = 5

I = 10

N = 50

O = 70

S =200

666

There are apparently a number of other solutions — all pointing to the Roman system. It is difficult to escape the conclusion that coincidence is ruled out. (We’ll take a more through look at this in another study following the completion of this one.)

Continued with next post.