A) A BREAKDOWN OF REVELATION 13:18.

B) GEMATRIA (Manipulation With Numbers).

C) IN THEIR RIGHT HAND AND IN THEIR FOREHEADS.

D) THE SEAL (OR MARK) OF GOD.

E) DISREGARDING ALL OF THE ABOVE.

F) CONJECTURES OF NUMBERS IN THE BIBLE.

G) TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER.

H) WHAT 666 REALLY MEANS.

I) A LITTLE HISTORY.

 

 

A) A BREAKDOWN OF REVELATION 13:18

 

 

Of course, the only place we find this phrase is in one place in God’s Word.  Here is Revelation 13:18: “Here is wisdom.  Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast:  for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”  This statement seems to suggest that the original readers had an ability to break the code, which must have been lost.

 

Just so you know, according to “Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 4499,” known simply as, “P115,” which is a third century Papyri, is states that the number is “616.”  However, according to Irenaeus of Lyons, in his work, “Against Heresies,” Book V, 30, 1, he states, “this number being found in all the most approved and ancient copies {of Revelation 13:18}, and those men who saw John face to face {Irenaeus was a disciple of Polycarp, who was a disciple of John} bearing their testimony. . . amount to six hundred and sixty and six. . . I do not know how it is that some have erred. . . and have spoiled the middle number in the name, deducting the amount of fifty from it, so that instead of six decades they will have it that there is but one.”

 

An important point to also point out is that “P115,” although older than any other of the existing documents that we have, does not prove that older is correct.  Just because you have an ancient Manuscript, does not mean that it is the most reliable or perseveres the perfect version.  We must go with all of the evidence, which is the overwhelming number of Manuscripts that have the number correctly.  See my Bible Study:  “BIBLE VERSIONS AFTER 1881.”

 

 

B) GEMATRIA (Manipulation With Numbers)

 

 

Since the Second Century, the most popular method that sprung up, was the utilization of attempting to decipher the cryptic number of “666” with a technique known as “gematria,” a Greek word derived from the Greek word “geometria,” meaning, “Manipulation with Numbers.”  It is the process in which each letter of the Hebrew, Greek, or Latin alphabet has its own numerical value.

 

Here is where I am not that interested, for it leads to false prophecies.  For how would anyone decide which number is spiritually equal to which numerical equivalent?  In fact, as a result of this hypothesis, numerous conjectures have been made as to the meaning of the number “666.”  However, since most theologians and Christians in general attempt to come up with some solution for the numerical value of “666” using this method, let us look at a few of them.

 

666 = One of the titles of the Bishop of Rome is, “Vicar of the Son of God” or in the Latin official language, “Vicarius Filii Dei.”  V = 5, I = 1, C = 100, A = 0, R = 0, I = 1, U = 5, S = 0, F = 0, I = 1, L = 50, I = 1, I = 1, D = 500, E = 0, I = 1, which equals “666.”

 

In the Greek it is, “Lateinas” [AATEINO>], meaning “Latin Man or Church.”  L=0, A=30, A [after another A] = 1, T = 300, E = 5, I = 10, N = 50, O = 70, > = 200, which equals “666.”

 

In the Greek for “The Latin Kingdom,” it is, “HELATINE BASILEIA.”  The first and second “E’s” are high “E’s,” and therefore equal numerically 8; while the third “E” is only equivalent numerically to 5.  Thus, H = 0, E = 8, L = 30, A = 1, T = 300, I = 10, N = 50, E = 8, B = 2, A = 1, S = 200, I = 10, L = 30, E = 5, I = 10, and A = 1, which totals to “666.”

 

In the Greek for the “Italian church,” it is, “ITALIKA EKKLESIA,” with the first “E” being lower case, equal numerically to 5, while the last “E” is an high “E,” equivalent to numerically 8.  Thus, we have, I = 10, T = 300, A = 1, L = 30, I = 10, K = 20, A = 1, E = 5, K = 20, K = 20, L = 30, E = 8, S = 200, I = 10, A = 1, which totals to “666.”

 

One more in Greek for the “Latin Speaking Man,” which is “LATENINOS.”  L = 30, A = 1, T = 300, E = 5, I = 10, N = 50, O = 70, S = 200, which totals “666.”

 

In the Hebron it is, “Romiith,” expressed digitally as, 7992’’.7, meaning, “Roman Kingdom.”  7 = 200, 9 = 6, 92 = 40, ‘ = 10, ‘ = 10, .7 = 400, equaling “666.”

 

The original name of Rome was “Saturnia,” meaning, “the city of Saturn,” known in Chaldee as “Satur” but as every Chaldean scholar knows, it is spelled “Stur.”  S = 60, T = 400, U = 6, R = 200, equaling “666.”

 

It is amazing to see how many names can be so manipulated such that the numeric values of the letters add up to “666.”  Here is ELLEN GOULD WHITE as 666:  E = 0, L = 50, L = 50, E = 0, N = 0, G = 0, O = 0, U = 5, L = 50, D = 500, W = 10, H = 0, I = 1, T = 0, E = 0, equaling “666.”  Although the use of “W” as equaling “10” is questionable, The Wikipedia Encyclopedia states: “Constructions such as IIIII for ‘five,’ IIX for ‘eight’ or VV [some commentators constructing it as a “W”] for ‘ten’ have also been discovered.”

 

Here is an Ellen Gould White statement: “I saw that the number {666} of the Image Beast was made up; and that it was the Beast that changed the Sabbath, and the Image Beast had followed on after, and kept the Pope’s, and not God’s Sabbath.  And all we were required to do, was to give up God’s Sabbath, and keep the Pope’s, and then we should have the mark of the Beast, and of his image.”  WLF:19; Broadside3, April 7, 1847.

 

It is also very interesting to see how many names can be so manipulated such that the numeric values of the letters add up to “666.”  In president Ronald Reagan’s day, people came up with numbers for him and so many others reaching “666.”  The list could go on-and-on.  I choose to stop that silliness here with my list above.

 

It should be noted and understood that those who insist upon counting the numerical value of letters for an interpretation of this prophetic number are confronted with the problem of deciding which language will be used.  Because the text does not identify any language (for the numbering), therefore, the selection of a particular one will be somewhat arbitrary.  And, of all the languages, it would seem to be more plausible to use the language it was written in, i.e., Greek, which no one has used for an identification of anyone or anything.  Therefore, let me try.  The Greek numeral value of the three letters of the alphabet would be, CHI = 600, XI = 60, and SIGMA = 6, equaling “666.”

 

Most recently then, people have come up with “666” in the Hebrew [even though Revelation was written in Greek], the “666” in Hebrew equaling “www,” or as they put it, the “World Wide Web.”  However, they ignore the Hebrew rule that any “w” following a first “w,” in other words, only the second “w” and no others, equals the number “1” not “6;” meaning, in the Hebrew it would equal “616,” which could be where the Manuscript “Papyrus Oxyrhynchus 4499,” came up with its concept of the number.

 

Moving into the 20th Century, verse 16 of Revelation, Chapter 13, has caused people to think this “mark” would be a number somehow stamped into the “hand” or “forehead,” or both.  Here is verse 13: “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.”  Other conjectures like credit card numbers or Social Security numbers are deemed as the “Mark of the Beast.”  However, a careful reading of Revelation 13:18 will show that this is not the case: “Here is wisdom.  Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast:  for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”

 

Another thing to consider is a remark made about data in general, and that is: “If you torture the data long enough, you can come up with all kinds of conjectures.”  In case you are wondering at this point about something other than data, let’s begin discussing the receiving of the “mark” in the “right hand” and the “foreheads” next.

 

 

C) IN THEIR RIGHT HAND AND IN THEIR FOREHEADS

 

 

For the phrase, “in their right hand,” Revelation 13:16, this would equal, to “Work” or “To be in support of it.”  See Ecclesiastes 9:10.  See also Ezekiel 9:6; First Peter 4:17.

 

For the phrase, “in their foreheads,” Revelation 13:16, this would be equivalent to “Our choices,” see Hebrews 8:10.  See also Revelation 20:4, then Exodus 13:9 & 16; 11:18; Ezekiel 9:4.

 

The phrase in Revelation 13:16, “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond,” is a clear indication of the Bible’s last day remarks in regards to there being no middle ground.  You are either for Christ or against Him.

 

Continuing on with the phrase, “ a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.”  The Greek word for “mark” is, “charagma.”  It signifies an imprinted or engraved mark.  It also signified a graven image (see Acts 17:29).  It was also a technical term used for the imperial stamp on commercial documents and the royal impression on Roman coins.  It was also used as a technological term for the branding of animals (see “Theological Dictionary of the New Testament,” by Ulrich Wilckens, comments on Rev. 13:16).  By contrast, no evidence indicates any ancient practice of placing “charagma” physically on a person, such as might be expected in those times of the branding of slaves.  In those cases, ONLY the Greek word “stigmata” was used (see Gal. 6:17).

 

Here is a most important point to remember and consider when dealing with any of the conjectures above or of your own.  This number is not one of your own that is applied to you as an individual; nor is it an arbitrary number referring to anyone or anything else.  What it is referring to is to that which it belongs, i.e., that being that, “it is the beast’s number,” and he intends to force it on you, or make it applicable to you.

 

Any reputable Protestant scholar will tell you that somewhere in all of Protestantism, it has always been maintained that Papal Rome fulfills this prophecy.  Despite, or in spite of the fact that Protestants attempted to identify this beastly power by adding the numbers up from the Pope’s “miters” inscription (see above again), or whatever, the fact remains that all Protestants at one time or another identified this beastly power as being Papal Rome.  And we can do the same by its other identification marks as explained in my Bible Commentary on Revelation 13:1-2 and 13:5-6.

 

In a point of interest, for Martin Luther, the number “666” represented the years of papal domination from the time of Gregory I (590-604 A.D.) to the thirteenth century.  Luther’s interpretation of the number 666 was re-proposed by Matthias Flacius (1520-1575 A.D.), who was one of the greatest Lutheran scholars of his time, known especially for his epochal, “Magdeburg Centuries.”  He did not put a time period upon it, but simply applied it to Papal Rome.

 

It is according to Deuteronomy 6:8, that we still see devout Jews today with visible symbols upon their bodies: “And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.”  Just as the spiritual application of this verse is lost on the Jewish people today, so it will be lost upon all those who worship the “image to the beast.”  Just earlier our Lord explained this spiritual application to them in Deuteronomy 6:5:  “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul [this implies the mind, or forehead], and with all thy might [and this is their hand; what they will do].”  In other words friends, this is spiritually discerned, not physically.

 

Moreover, just in case you missed it, this entire Chapter is pointing out that God and Satan are in a battle for the minds of the people.  In other words, this is an intellectual battle.  One where the stupid, or careless (couldn’t care less) will automatically side with the opposition in order to be able to continue to be able to “buy and sell,” James 4:13, which you cannot do if you decide to keep God’s Commandments.  Revelation 13:17: “And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

 

Therefore, there may very well be some type of identification “mark” upon individuals (see what the “seal” is below), such as the Nazis, during World War Two, who made the Jews wear a yellow star upon their clothes.  And some Jews were proud to do so.  However, the Lord’s people will be identified once a week when they insist upon worshipping on the Biblical Sabbath day.  Plus, the angels of God (see God’s mark upon them) know who are God’s and who are Satan’s.

 

 

D) THE SEAL (OR MARK) OF GOD

 

 

The sealed person, who belongs to God, is displayed in Second Timothy 2:19: “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are His.  And, Let every one that nameth the Name of Christ depart from iniquity.”  See also Ephesians 1:13-14; 4:30; Second Timothy 2:19; Revelation 7:2-3 & 14:1.  By contrast, the symbolic “mark” of ownership and loyalty to Satan is found in the Book of Revelation (13:16-17; 14:9-10; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4).

 

Notice that the children of God are sealed in the “foreheads” ONLY, indicating their minds are made up and they will only serve God and keep His Commandments.  Revelation 14:12 identifies them:  “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”  While the unrighteous are sealed both in their “foreheads and hands,” meaning they have chosen to believe they have the correct truth and will serve whom they believe to be right (they believe they are truly worshiping God); and also that they will use their might (“hand,” force) to ensure that they get their way against the people of God.

 

We can cross reference this “mark” to Ezekiel 9:4 & 6, where the “mark” spoken of there is the Hebrew word “tav,” which is a masculine noun meaning, “a mark, a signature.”  It is the name of the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet.  It indicates a spiritual marking put on a person as an identifying mark or signature, such as in Job 31:35, where his “desire,” or character is implicated.  In the case of The Book of Ezekiel, it was a sign of exemption from judgment.

 

Therefore, this is a test that the people of God must have before they are sealed.  All who proved their loyalty to God by observing His Law, and refusing to accept any deviation from it, will rank under the banner of the Lord God Jehovah, and will receive the seal of the Living God.  Those who yield to any deviation from the Commandments of God, will receive the “Mark of the Beast.”

 

What becomes now even clear, is that it is not the credit card holder’s number, or any number associated with a person that is referred to here, but the “Beast’s Number,” i.e., the character of the beast that the individual would accept; as opposed to having God’s character displayed in your life.  According to Revelation 7:3 & 13:16, we find inRevelation 14:9 the “seal” of God and the “mark” of the beast is “in” the “forehead” and “in” the hand; not “on” the “forehead” or “on” the “hand.”  In other words, we are discussing one’s own character; what one believes (“forehead”), and what one will do (“hand”).  Granted, the Greek word for “in” is “epi,” and is a preposition that can also be translated as “on;” but the Biblical principle of God caring more about our character and actions more than what we look like should always be foremost and trump any other conjectures, as the Bible translators recognized in their translation of these very important verses.

 

Wherefore, I believe this “mark” to be a spiritual branding.  Thus, the “Mark of the Beast” in the Book of Revelationstands in sharp and direct contrast to the “seal of God,” Revelation 9:4, and clearly stands as a counterfeit to it.  However, both function as a “mark” of ownership.  Both are signs of loyalty to God or loyalty to the “beast.”  And the emphasis in the final crisis is about those who “keep the Commandments of God,” Revelation 12:17 & 14:12, and those who give their obedience to the “beast.”  And by so doing, they receive the “mark.”

 

 

E) DISREGARDING ALL OF THE ABOVE

 

 

 

Let’s discover the true meaning of “666.”  Revelation 13:18:  “Here is wisdom.  Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast:  for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”

 

What we want to focus upon however is that if we “count the number of the beast,” we will find that “it is the number of a man;” that is, “it is the number of humanity.”  In truth, it is (as we shall see), “humans separated from God.”  This key phrase in the Greek reads “arithmos anthropou,” meaning, “human number.”  The phrase suggests that it is not the number of a person’s name, but the number representing a human condition of rebellion against God, or better again, “humans separated from God.”  Thus, it suggests that it is not the number of a person’s name, but of a human condition of rebellion against God.

 

The triple six suggests a determined effort of the “beast” to promote the worship of himself, rather than of God.  Each “6” I believe stands for each beast of the Book of Revelation, i.e., the “devil,” the “beast,” and the “false prophet,” Revelation 20:10.  Therefore, if the symbol for truth, holiness, and God is seven, then six stands for “mankind,” Adam being formed on the sixth day, along with other examples of “6” applying Biblically to “mankind.”

 

The Spirit of Prophecy brings this belief upon “666” out very clearly by noticing carefully that “666” is, and are, Man-made deities (the number six being a representation of “MAN,” remember?).  In other words, the number “6” is a representation of the “threefold union” of “Spiritualism, Apostate Protestantism, and Roman Catholicism,” which is, the dragon, the sea-beast, and the land-beast of Revelation, Chapter 13, each “6” standing for one of them (see 4SP:405; GC:588; LDE:131; Mar. 187; for collaboration of this belief).

 

“By the decree enforcing the institution of the papacy in violation of the Law of God, our nation {the U.S.A.} will disconnect herself fully from righteousness.  When Protestantism shall stretch her hand across the gulf to grasp the hand of the Roman power, when she shall reach over the abyss to clasp hands with spiritualism, when, under the influence of this threefold union, our country shall repudiate every principle of its Constitution as a Protestant and republican government, and shall make provision for the propagation of papal falsehoods and delusions, then we may know that the time has come for the marvelous working of Satan and that the end is near.

 

“As the approach of the Roman armies was a sign to the disciples of the impending destruction of Jerusalem, so may this apostasy be a sign to us that the limit of God’s forbearance is reached, that the measure of our nation’s iniquity is full, and that the angel of mercy is about to take her flight, never to return.  The people of God will then be plunged into those scenes of affliction and distress which prophets have described as the time of Jacob’s trouble.”  5T:451; Mar. 191.

 

This belief upon “666” is seen clearly by noticing carefully that “666” is, and are, Man-made deities (the number six being a representation of “MAN,” remember?).  In other words, the number “6” is a representation of the “threefold union” of “Spiritualism, Apostate Protestantism, and Roman Catholicism,” which equals the dragon, the sea-beast, and the land-beast of Revelation, Chapter 13, each “6” standing for one of them.

 

What is important to note is what “666” really brings with it is the false worship promoted by the “beast.”  Let me give you a Biblical example.  The importance of the number “6” in the Babylonian religion explains why Nebuchadnezzar’s golden statue was 60 cubits high and 6 cubits wide (Dan 3:1).  In view of the fact that the idolatrous worship of the golden image commanded by the king of Babylon, serves as a type of the false worship enforced by the “beast” in Revelation, Chapter 13, emphasizes that there is a realistic possibility that the number “666” serves to represent the false worship of both ancient Babylon and modern spiritual Babylon.

 

 

F) CONJECTURES WHICH HIGHLIGHT NUMBERS IN THE BIBLE AS REPRESENTING SOMETHING

 

 

Another application is that “twelve” is the symbolic number of God’s people.  It represents Israel, the 12 tribes, and the Church, resting on the foundation of the twelve apostles.  And 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Revelation,Chapter 7, equals the 144,000 (12,000 x 12) numeral.  In addition, the Holy city Jerusalem, is “twelve thousand furlongs.  The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal,” Revelation 21:16.

 

An important point to be kept in mind is that we should most likely take this numerical value to be literal.  Therefore, “12” is a great representation of Godly man, whereas “6,” is a great representation of ungodly man.  Moreover, the structural change to keep in mind is that “12” is divisible by “6,” meaning ungodly man had a change of heart (repented) and became a “12.”

 

 

G) TO THE HEART OF THE MATTER

 

 

Most miss what should be recognized as the “KEY” to the breaking the code.  Which is “The Central Issue,” that being in all of this, is “WORSHIP.”  In other words, “True Worship” versus “False Worship,” and or, whom do you “worship” or what do you “worship,” or do you not care and “worship” nothing at all, in which case you are lost and held accountable for what you “should” or “could” have known, becoming “lukewarm” and being “spued out of our Lord’s mouth,” Revelation 3:16.  What impresses me greatly is that the issue in the final conflict is not merely WHICH DAYdo people observe, but WHO do they WORSHIP!  The observance of God’s Holy Sabbath Day (which is a sign of God’s seal; see 2Ti. 2:19 & Rev. 7:2; 9:4), or of Sunday, or of NO-DAY at all, must be seen in the context of “True Worship” versus “False Worship.”

 

In the “Final Conflict,” the central issue is allegiance to God, reflected in the observance of His Commandments; or allegiance to Satan, reflected in adherence to the false worship of the dragon, promoted by the sea and land Beasts; the three characters coded in “666.”  What is interesting to note is that the first four Commandments are central to the final conflict because they define our relationship with God; while the last Six Commandments express our duty towards mankind.  The false trinity described in Revelation, Chapter 13, the dragon, the land beast and sea beast, not only counterfeits the Godhead, but also violates especially the first Four Commandments.

 

FOR EXAMPLE:  The FIRST Commandment states: “You shall have no other gods before Me.”  By Contrast, the sea beast takes the place of God by receiving “worship” of itself (Rev 13:4 & 8).  The SECOND Commandment warns against the worship of images.  Yet the land beast raises up an image to the beast to be “worshipped” (Rev 13:14 & 15).  The THIRD Commandment states: “You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain.”  However, the sea beast has the names of blasphemy written all over it (Rev 13:1 & 5 & 6).  Lastly, the FOURTH Commandment of keeping Holy the Sabbath, has the seal of our God’s authority on It (He is the Creator).  By contrast, the false trinity counterfeits the “seal of God” with the “Mark of the Beast,” which is the changing of the Sabbath Commandment to her day, “Sunday.”  Now who have Protestants prior to 1888 A.D. applied that to (since Protestants of today do not “protest” any longer)?

 

Wherefore, the “Seal of God” is composed of in His Law; while the “Mark of the Beast” is his ability to change the Law of God.  Which G[g]od will you obey?  The changed Law of God and the Beasts authority: 

“Sunday is our mark of authority. . . The [Roman] Church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact.”  “Catholic Record,” September 1, 1923.  Or will you obey God and His unchangeable Ten Commandment Law?  See my Bible Study:  “SABBATH STILL VALID TODAY,” for other blasphemous Roman Catholic statements.

 

First, Psalm 29:2 states: “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto His Name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.”  This points us to the true meaning for “worship.”  It is to give to the Lord the glory and honor He deserves.  In fact, “worship” is a natural, almost unavoidable response by God’s creation, when they cannot but respond to Him with words of adoration and thankfulness for what He has done (see Rev. 15:3-4).

 

My point is, that one cannot read the Book of Revelation (see Rev. 14:7 and others), and any Book of the Bible for that matter, and not come away with the understanding that God is The One to be “worshiped.”  But Satan wants that “worship” to be given to him (see Isa. 14:14).  If you haven’t picked that up when reading the Book of Revelation, read It again.

 

Thus, John the Revelator’s prophecy about the “mark” and “number of the beast,” calls for believers to recognize, not external barcodes, biochips, or papal titles, or to a certain extent, other days of “worship,” but rather, the global nature of “false worship” promoted by a variety of religions and ideologies.  These include Roman Catholicism, Apostate Protestantism, Secular Humanism, Materialism, Buddhism, Hinduism, African Indigenous Deities, Sikhism, Spiritualism, Shintoism, etcetera, etcetera.  That brings us to the common denominator of these pagan religious systems as being salvation through human efforts (MAN), i.e., whom or what is “worshipped,” rather than, or as opposed to through a Divine provision of grace given by The One Who should be “worshipped.”

 

 

H) WHAT 666 REALLY MEANS

 

 

So now we know what “666” really represents, if we believe the Bible = The “THREEFOLD UNION” of:

(1) “Spiritualism,”
(2) “Apostate Protestantism,” and
(3) “Roman Catholicism.”

 

Thus, this “threefold union” is the dragon, the sea-beast, and the land-beast of Revelation, Chapter 13.

 

And or, one and the same:

(1) The “devil,”

(2) The “beast,” and

(3) The “false prophet,” of Revelation 20:10.

 

Keep in mind that there are four beasts mentioned in the Book of Revelation.  First comes “The Worship Of The Beast,” Revelation 13:8 & 12; 14:9 & 11, then comes “The Image To The Beast,” Revelation 13:15; 14:9 & 11, then comes “The Name Of The Beast,” Revelation 13:1 & 17, and lastly, “The Mark Of The Beast,” Revelation 13:18.

 

Knowing that Satan’s greatest achievement is to counterfeit what God does, the First of the Ten Commandments is “Worship To God Alone,” the Second Commandment is “Do Not Worship Images,” the Third Commandment is “Not To Take God’s Name In Vain,” while lastly, the Fourth Commandment deals with “The Mark Of The Beast,” or better, “Which (Day Will You Worship On) Mark Will You Receive” as a result of which day you choose to “worship” on.

 

Thus, as we can now see and recognize the “KEY” to understanding the final issue is -- “Worship.”

 

 

I) A LITTLE HISTORY

 

 

The misleading identification of the number “666” with the numerical value of the letters of the pope’s title, “Vicarius Filii Dei” (equaling “Vicar of the Son of God”), comes from this interpretation being officially promoted for the first time by Uriah Smith in his book, “The United States in Prophecy,” published in 1884.  Being editor for 50 years of “The Adventist Review,” Uriah Smith exercised an enormous influence in the formulation of these prophetic interpretations.  His identification of the number “666” with “Vicarius Filii Dei” was largely based upon the stories of two persons who claimed to have seen this pope’s title inscribed on the papal “tiaras” (fish hat) while visiting Rome.

 

The fact is, that of the 13 papal “tiaras” in existence, only two of them have an inscription; but none of the two inscriptions resembles the pope’s title, “Vicarius Filii Dei.”  The Adventist Church leaders have known this fact for at least a Century.  Already in 1905, Elder Chas Everson, an American Adventist missionary serving in Rome, Italy, was asked to conduct a most thorough investigation of the papal “tiaras.”  He was privileged to examine at close range, not only the “tiaras” in “St. Peter’s Treasury,” but even those “tiaras” kept in the dressing room of the pope.  In a fascinating article entitled, “The Inscription on the Pope’s Tiara,” he sadly admits:  “We were disappointed in not finding the object of our search; for the inscription Vicarius Filii Dei was nowhere to be found inscribed upon the tiaras, as the accompanying photographs show very plainly.”  “Adventist Review,” July 27, 1905, page 10.

 

Incidentally, it is interesting to learn how “Vicarius Filii Dei” was first proposed in 1612 A.D., by a German Greek scholar named, Andreas Helwig (1572-1643 A.D.).  In his book, “Antichristus Romanus” -- “The Roman Antichrist” -- Helwig explains that he tried to solve the riddle of the “666” by computing 15 different papal titles in three different languages.  Since he could not find a matching title, he took the liberty of modifying the common title “Vicarius Christi,” into “Vicarius Filii Dei.”  Surprisingly, he believed that the latter title did not even exist.  Helwig’sinterpretation remained largely unnoticed for the next two centuries until the “French Revolution,” when computation on this and other titles of the pope became increasingly common.  (See L. E. Froom, in his work, “The Prophetic Faith of Our Fathers,” volume 2, pages 605-608).

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