666 decoding
"And he causes all, great and small, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads. No one shall receive a mark on their right hand, or on their foreheads, except he who is marked, and has the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Buy and sell. Here is wisdom: let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast; for it is the number of man, and its number is six and six."
(startRevelation13:16-18)
Looking at the battle between gods and ghosts from the password
The Book of Revelation is the book that has fascinated and confused believers throughout the ages. The main reason is that the use of symbols in it is confusing! One of the most confusing, and also the key issue of this article, appears in chapters 12 and 13, including: Who is the pregnant woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head? Who is the sea beast? What is an earth beast? What is "666"? Is it a code name for a dictator or a dictatorship? Is the human chip a tool for popularizing Satan’s code? Will taking the COVID-19 vaccine fall into the 666 trap? If this number is related to the "Big Red Dragon", should believers avoid singing "Descendants of the Dragon", as well as numbers with 666 on car plates, house numbers, banknotes, etc., lest they fall into Satan's camp and lose their salvation?
To decipher the number six hundred and sixty-six, we cannot simply start with "Here is wisdom: whoever understands, let him calculate the number of the beast; for it is the number of man, and his number is six hundred and sixty-six" (13:18) . Because the "beast" here refers to the sea beast and the earth beast in Chapter 13, and these two beasts are related to Chapter 12: because "the devil = Satan" was cast down from the sky by the Lamb, he "went down to the sea in anger" and the earth", so that "woe to the earth and the sea"! And this "Devil = Satan" is also called the great dragon, which is the great red dragon whose "tail drags a third of the stars in the sky and throws them to the ground... to devour her children."
Working backwards like this, I immediately discovered that to decode 666, we must interpret chapters 12-13, including who are the woman and the little boy? The relationship between sea beasts, earth beasts and the devil/big red dragon? Otherwise, there is no way to understand the "war between gods and ghosts" foretold in the Book of Revelation.
God’s children are caught in the battlefield
Don't panic! Let’s explain the obvious first. Who is the pregnant woman? from“The woman gave birth to a son who was to rule all the nations with a rod of iron; and her child was caught up to the throne of God” (12:5)It can be seen that the one who was born, ruled over all nations, resurrected and ascended to heaven is undoubtedly Jesus. However, the woman who "gave birth to a son" was not Mary, because there is no record in the New Testament of Mary being chased by a dragon and escaping into the wilderness.
This woman "clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and with a crown of twelve stars on her head" is not Joseph who worshiped with "the sun, moon, and eleven stars", nor is she Israel who represents the "twelve tribes" , because Israel did not suffer and escape to the wilderness after the Messiah was born, resurrected, and ascended to heaven, but had already been taken captive to the wilderness and suffered in agony when they were far away in the northern and southern kingdoms.
From the Old Testament to the New Testament, this woman had to go through the "pain of conceiving and giving birth to children" after sinning. Throughout the ages, she has been waiting for the Messiah and hope that God predicted would "bruise Satan's head" and "bruise his heel." The faith community of salvation through the cross.
After Jesus was resurrected and ascended to heaven, the big red dragon/Satan and his followers in the spirit world (refer to Revelation 12:4) tried to "devour" the boy Jesus but failed (because God raised Jesus from the dead) and instead wanted to devour God’s people (= women) throughout the ages, and the woman fled into the wilderness.
You and I who follow the Lord are already caught in the battlefield of "the war between gods and ghosts." rest assured! Just as Jesus said: "I have seen Satan fall from heaven." Satan (=big red dragon=ancient serpent=devil) and his followers in the spiritual world have already fallen to the ground at the beginning of creation! It is no match for the Archangel Michael; its power was completely defeated on the cross, and its followers were "cast down from heaven together"!
The one that was knocked down could at best be called the "King of the World" or the "God of the World." This "spiritual demon who rules over this dark world and in the sky" originally wanted to cause havoc in heaven like Sun Wukong. Now that he has been forced down from the palace in heaven, he is ready to cause havoc on the earth and sea where he lands, just as the Apostle John said :"Therefore, rejoice, you heavens and you who live in them! But woe to you, but woe to the earth and the sea! For the devil knows that he has only a short time, and he has come down to you in anger." (12:12)The battlefield between gods and ghosts has moved from heaven to earth and sea!
If you fight against a trapped beast, you will eventually be defeated
Since the creation of the world, this Satan/big red dragon has followed a "trilogy of falls", including 1. Falling from heaven; 2. Complete collapse on the cross; 3. Falling into the lake of fire and brimstone during the great judgment of the last days. On this road of no return before destruction, it is "determined to lose" and "determined to die." Waiting for the end of the crossbow before the death penalty, it will naturally "become a trapped beast and still fight" and "force the woman who gave birth to a male child" for "a year, two years and a half" (1,260 days = 42 months). "And water came out of his mouth like a river to sweep the woman away", just as Israel experienced in the wilderness (see Numbers 16:30, 32). However, his plan to sweep away the woman "hit a wall" again, because "the earth helped the woman and opened its mouth to swallow the water spewed out of the dragon's mouth."
Gods and ghosts fight, and Satan is defeated again. When God's children are in trouble, they will be like this woman who fled into the wilderness.“There was a place prepared for her by God, where she was fed for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.”It turns out that suffering and refuge are like the two sides of a copper plate given to children by God!
站在海邊沙上失敗的龍，繼續「困獸猶鬥」。既然活動的場域被限定在海和地，大紅龍只好（也只能）化身為海獸，和地獸。這海獸（海在本書象徵邪惡），不論如何化身，邪惡、欺騙、迷惑和褻瀆的本質不變，仍是「十角七頭」，繼續與天上的神抗爭—儘管龍的七頭上有七個冠冕，海獸十個角上有十個冠冕，兩者本體上似乎不同，但功能和本質無異—模仿有七角的羔羊（「角」代表權能和權柄）。
Since the sea monster received "special powers" from Satan ("the dragon gave him his power, his seat, and his great authority"), he played the role of the Antichrist, imitating the resurrected lamb from the dead in order to attract and deceive people. Come and follow him (“One of the seven heads of the beast seemed to have received a death wound, but the death wound was healed. And all the earth marveled and followed the beast”)!
海獸一開口，就「開口向神說褻瀆的話，褻瀆神的名並祂的帳幕，以及那些住在天上的」！牠既然從龍頭老大得權柄（「又賜給牠說誇大褻瀆話的口，又有權柄賜給牠，可以任意而行四十二個月」），就繼續執行龍頭老大要制伏世人凶悍的「神鬼交戰」任務（「又任憑牠與聖徒爭戰，並且得勝；也把權柄賜給牠，制伏各族、各民、各方、各國」），好達到牠們共同的邪惡目標：「凡住在地上、名字從創世以來沒有記在被殺之羔羊生命冊上的人，都要拜牠」—竊取世人本該給三一真神的敬拜！
The third beast from the earth was even more unconcealed when it appeared, imitating a lamb in every aspect, "I saw another beast coming up from the earth, with two horns like a lamb." But as soon as it opened its mouth, its true colors were revealed: "It spoke like a dragon. ”. From the sixth bowl of God's wrath, these three "dragon's mouth, beast's mouth, and false prophet" appeared at the same time, confirming that the sea beast is the Antichrist, and the earth beast is the false prophet who speaks like a dragon. The three of them work together to participate in "God's Fighting ghosts."
This "third" earth beast imitates the resurrected lamb and heals its wounds, thereby stealing people's due worship to the Triune God. It is not only similar to the "second" sea monster/antichrist ("it In the presence of the first beast, he exercised all the authority of the first beast, and made the earth and those who live on the earth worship the first beast whose death and wounds were healed."), seems to be superior in the authority of "the war between gods and demons" (" And it does great wonders, even causing fire to come down from heaven on the earth in the presence of men. Because it was given power to do wonders in the presence of the beast, it deceives those who live on the earth, saying, "I will give him the wound of the sword." The living beast made an image. 』”), in order to force people to worship the sea beast/Antichrist who was “dead and wounded but healed”. If people refused to worship the image of the beast, the beast of the earth would use the boss, Satan. The transplanted authority is killing people!
▲No imitation can steal the glory of the Triune God. The Lamb who was slain on the throne is worthy of worship. The picture is a work by the 15th century Dutch painter Jan van Eyck.
(Image Source:https://observer.com/2020/01/ghent-altarpiece-lamb-restoration/)
Stealing worship through imitation
Finally, we have reached the peak of the "war between gods and ghosts": Satan sets the mark of "666" to become the mechanism for his social and economic control over the world ("It (the earth beast) also calls everyone..., all No one shall buy or sell, except he who has the mark on his right hand or on his forehead, and has the name of the beast, or the number of the beast... This is the number of a man, six hundred and sixty-six. ”).
Anyone who does not have the "code" of the beast's name 666, who is unwilling to bow to Satan (= children of God = women), will be ostracized socially and economically. The goal of the beast of the earth in persecuting the woman is the same as that of the beast of the sea: to steal the worship of the Lamb whose name has nothing to do with it (“Everyone who dwells on the earth, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain from the foundation of the world; worship it”). It turns out that these three "dragon's mouth, beast's mouth, and false prophet" participated in the battle between gods and ghosts, and the ultimate "trophy" was the worship of the world!
Satan, who appears on the human stage in the form of a dragon, a sea beast, and an earth beast, originally wanted to imitate sitting on a throne and fight through gods and ghosts. He most wanted to possess the Trinity God worshiped by the world. The result is not like the perfect "seven-seven-seven" of the Trinity. It is shortened to "six-six-six". It is nothing more than a complete blasphemy and fake, the sum total of evil and tempting images!
It turns out that 666 is not a specific "person", let alone Nero in the first century to Hitler in the 20th century. The sea beast is actually the Antichrist with the appearance of an army and a tyrant, while the earth beast is obviously a false prophet. The two are actually the "incarnations" of Satan who imitate the Trinity, the so-called "false trinity", which is in the spiritual world. A "person", not just an empire or a personal power!
After decoding 666, we can see that the Satan that appeared along the history of mankind is not a person (no matter how authoritarian) or a country (no matter how evil); nor can it be represented by the dragon totem of Chinese culture, let alone Only in the 21st century did chips appear that could be injected into the human body (Children of God should understand and use technology, but they don’t have to dance with it)!
You don’t have to worry that the COVID-19 vaccine will inject the 666 mark along with it; you can still sing "Descendants of the Dragon" (but you can sing more hymns); there is no need to be taboo with the 666 number on license plates, house numbers, banknotes, etc., and there is no need to deliberately flaunt it, because It won’t pull you into Satan’s stronghold. You can respect your ancestors (careful pursuit of your ancestors is consistent with the Ten Commandments of the Bible), but avoid worshiping your ancestors (Satan can imitate the handwriting and tone of your ancestors), so as not to fall into the "war between gods and ghosts"!
Satan, who imitates the Triune God to steal people’s worship of the Triune God, is not a physical person or nation, let alone a technology; Satan is bigger and longer than these! In this world, no matter what kind of political, religious, or cultural system, they are all "lying in the hands of the evil one"!
What is hidden behind the mysterious number 666 is that in human history, Satan has used various methods and forms (including heresy, ancestor worship, false prophets, idolatry, and various ideologies that regard the world as God) to confuse or confuse or The forces that persecute the world and not worship the Triune God but follow the "false Triune God" (empire).This power will not disappear. Kingdoms in this world will pass away and dictatorships will die. However, Satan’s “life span” is basically the same as the time and space created by God. He has existed since the creation of the world and will not be thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone until the great judgment of the last days.
▲Children of God not only understand the scriptures, but also have spiritual vision above the sun, see the truth, and live in the present.
spiritual vision of truth
I hope that God’s children will see the following spiritual truths from the narrative of the war between gods and demons in Revelation 12-13:
1. Seeing the war between gods and ghosts behind superficial issues from a spiritual perspective
There are three dimensions of disasters faced by mankind: humanistic disasters that historians are concerned about (such as the first four seals in Revelation 6; 1/4 of the people were killed), and natural disasters that scientists are concerned about (such as the first four seals in Revelation 8). The first four trumpets; 1/3 of the natural world was destroyed), and supernatural disasters that only Christians will notice (including the fifth trumpet, the sixth trumpet, the seven bowls, and Revelation chapters 12-13; everyone falls into "gods and demons" war”). Children of God, please do not ignore this most important spiritual battle in human history because you pay one-sided attention to many superficial issues such as plagues, vaccines, political disputes, economy, and even environmental protection!
2. Seeing the deceptive nature of Satan’s true face from a spiritual perspective
撒但以大紅龍、海獸和地獸「虛幻假冒的三位一體」面貌出現，無論牠如何仿造，都為搶奪人對上帝該有的敬拜。因此，神兒女不要被世界各樣假象所迷惑，包括祭祖、帝王或政治人物崇拜、假先知異端、通靈的活動或運動（信徒不如發展讚美操來取代打坐、瑜珈）、世俗化（金錢、名利、地位、情色、科技）等，只要會吸引人遠離上帝的各種類型偶像崇拜都要避開，不要被迷惑，更不要好奇或逞強—沒有羔羊，你我無從得勝！
3. The vision under the sun cannot see that the world is in the hands of the evil one
西諺云：魔鬼住在細微處。了解撒但無所不在，跟隨者或許會有特異功能，因此不要單被宗教「靈驗」所吸引，還要留心其背後的真理—這是走極端靈恩路線的教會，特別要提防的。教會要看重聖靈，也要讓聖靈的工作建立在聖道上。撒但的死期未到，連耶穌也沒有給撒但執行「死刑」，教會趕鬼是為了救出被撒但轄制的世人，卻也不需刻意透過禱告遊行繞界，挑釁其他宗教界地盤。神兒女要配戴日光之上的眼光，以基督憐憫被惡者掌控而不自知之世人的心，活在當下！
“Having looked forward to these things, make every effort to present yourself blameless and blameless in safety to the Lord.” (2 Peter)3:14)
WuPresent a seal, received a master's degree from the Institute of Civil Engineering at National Taiwan University and a doctorate in theoretical and applied mechanics from the University of Illinois. He later switched to studying theology and received a master of divinity and a doctorate in Old Testament theology from Trinity Theological Seminary in Chicago. Currently, he is professor of Old Testament, director of the Doctoral Department of Pastoral Affairs, director of the Doctoral Department of Mission, and CEO of the Pastoral and Mission Research Center at China Evangelical Theological Seminary.
Professor Wu has written numerous books, whether they are commentaries, sermons, character studies, or reflections on important issues. He always keeps the church and believers in mind, and presents the essence of biblical theology with a caring eye. His words contain theologians, The playwright and novelist's timeless insights, passion and earnestness penetrate the back of the page, and reading his writing is like seeing the person himself.