Rev 13:18 | TNotes | STEP | 13:18 Wisdom is needed: John is giving a clue to help his readers solve the meaning of the beast’s number . • of a man: John hides the man’s identity, perhaps because revealing the name would place him and his readers in danger (cp. use of Babylon as a symbol for Rome, 17:9 ). • The number 666 represents supernatural evil (see thematic note for Symbolic Numbers at end of chapter). John might have used the transliteration Caesar Neron (a Hebrew spelling of the name) to arrive at the number 666. Later scribes, who spoke Greek but not Hebrew, corrected the number to 616 in some manuscripts, probably to match the name’s numerical value in Greek. Thematic note: Four World Empires Two panoramic visions in Daniel present God’s sovereignty over history. Nebuchadnezzar had the first vision (ch 2 ), and Daniel had another like it (ch 7 ). In each of these visions, four of the kingdoms of the world are presented. There have always been questions about the identities of the four empires, but historically there has also been considerable consensus. Hippolytus ( AD 170–236), one of the early church fathers, identified the four kingdoms as Babylonia, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome. The church father and historian Eusebius of Caesarea ( AD 260–340) initially identified the first kingdom as Assyria (which once also controlled Babylon), but he later agreed with Hippolytus, as did most of the church fathers. Later, Jerome and Augustine accepted this same understanding, and conservative interpreters largely still agree. In antiquity and in our era, some interpreters have argued that Greece is the fourth empire, treating Media and Persia as separate kingdoms. This interpretation is due in part to denying the possibility of prediction, assuming the book was written before the Roman Empire had arisen. But Media and Persia are usually regarded as one empire, and the Median kingdom had been mostly assimilated by the Persians by the time Cyrus II conquered Babylon in 539 BC . Rome is then seen as the fourth kingdom, but the bestial, demonic, and inhumane characteristics of the vision extend beyond the historical Rome. The visions also represent a panorama of the whole world and its governments; all will be destroyed and replaced by the Kingdom of God, the “rock . . . cut from a mountain” (2:34 ). The metals of the statue become progressively less valuable in chapter 2 , while the animal imagery of chapter 7 becomes more menacingly fierce, violent, and inhumane. These features represent a deterioration of human civilization across the centuries, even as the Kingdom of God grows in power and stature (2:35 ). Passages for Further Study Dan 2:1-49 ; 7:1-28 Thematic note: Symbolic Numbers Numbers used in Scripture have often inspired wild speculation. An understanding of the symbolism of numbers in the ancient world can help ground our interpretation. Such symbolism, however, is not rigid or exact, so great care must be exercised when numbers are used in interpretation, so as not to push fanciful predictions about future events. The number one can refer to God’s oneness (Deut 6:4 ; Gal 3:20 ; Jas 2:19 ). Two is the minimum number required to give a legitimate witness (Deut 17:6 ; Rev 11:3 ), and three can imply divine representation (Gen 18:1-2 ; 2 Cor 13:14 ; Rev 1:4-5 ). Four can stand for the known world, represented in Revelation by living creatures, horsemen, winds, and angels (Rev 4:6-8 ; 6:1-8 ; 7:1 ) and in Genesis by four rivers (Gen 2:10-14 ). When three and four are added to make seven, they represent perfection or divine fulfillment, indicating that God and the world are in harmony. The multiplication of three by four yields twelve, the number associated with God’s people (Gen 35:22-26 ; Exod 24:4 ; 28:21 ; Num 17:2 ; Josh 4:3-8 ; 1 Kgs 18:31 ; Matt 10:1-4 ; 19:28 ; Jas 1:1 ; Rev 12:1 ; 21:12–22:2 . The number five and its multiples, such as ten, represent human completeness (e.g., five fingers per hand); and six carries a negative sense or implication of evil, being neither humanly complete ( five ) nor divinely complete ( seven ). Multiples of ten (e.g., forty ) are a symbolic way to indicate many , whereas three sixes (666) imply supreme evil (Rev 13:18 ). One thousand is regarded as the foundational large number; 12,000 indicates a large number of God’s people (Rev 7:5-8 ); and 144,000 represents the complete people of God (Rev 7:4 ; 14:1 ). The number 10,000 and its multiples are probably best transliterated from Greek as myriads , since they really mean “a huge number” rather than a precise count. While some of the numbers in the Bible have symbolic meanings, using numbers to speculate on the time of Christ’s return or of the end of the world is highly dubious—only God possesses that knowledge (Mark 13:32 ). God did not intend for the symbolic numbers in Revelation to help us predict the future; rather, their symbolic meanings help to explain the significance of the visions. Because the numbers are symbolic, sometimes when we translate them into contemporary sizes, distances, and numbers for our ease of reading, it can result in the loss of theological significance. The use of these symbolic numbers can illuminate a vision’s relationship to the world or to the people of God. Passages for Further Study Gen 2:2-3 ; 4:15 ; 15:13 ; 41:53-54 ; Exod 20:6 ; 25:31-37 ; 32:15 ; Lev 16:14 ; 23:16 ; 2 Sam 24:13 ; 1 Kgs 4:26 ; 17:21 ; 18:31 , 43-44 ; Job 1:2 ; Ps 90:4 ; Jer 15:3 ; 49:36 ; Ezek 14:21 ; Dan 4:16 , 23-25 ; 7:3 , 17 , 24 ; Zech 4:2 ; 6:1 ; Matt 10:1-5 ; 12:40 ; 18:21-22 ; Mark 6:7 ; Luke 15:8 ; Acts 6:3 ; 10:16 ; 1 Cor 8:6 ; Eph 4:4-6 ; 2 Pet 3:8 ; Rev 1:16 ; 2:10 ; 4:4 ; 6:1 ; 7:1 , 4-8 ; 12:1 , 3 ; 13:1 ; 17:3-14 ; 20:2-7 ; 21:12-21

13:18 ^a Wisdom is needed: John is giving a clue to help his readers solve the meaning of the beast’s number.

• of a man: John hides the man’s identity, perhaps because revealing the name would place him and his readers in danger (cp. use of Babylon as a symbol for Rome, 17:9 ^b).

• The number 666 represents supernatural evil (see thematic note for Symbolic Numbers at end of chapter). John might have used the transliteration Caesar Neron (a Hebrew spelling of the name) to arrive at the number 666. Later scribes, who spoke Greek but not Hebrew, corrected the number to 616 in some manuscripts, probably to match the name’s numerical value in Greek.

Thematic note: Four World Empires
Two panoramic visions in Daniel present God’s sovereignty over history. Nebuchadnezzar had the first vision (ch 2 ^c), and Daniel had another like it (ch 7 ^d). In each of these visions, four of the kingdoms of the world are presented.
There have always been questions about the identities of the four empires, but historically there has also been considerable consensus. Hippolytus (AD 170–236), one of the early church fathers, identified the four kingdoms as Babylonia, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome. The church father and historian Eusebius of Caesarea (AD 260–340) initially identified the first kingdom as Assyria (which once also controlled Babylon), but he later agreed with Hippolytus, as did most of the church fathers. Later, Jerome and Augustine accepted this same understanding, and conservative interpreters largely still agree.
In antiquity and in our era, some interpreters have argued that Greece is the fourth empire, treating Media and Persia as separate kingdoms. This interpretation is due in part to denying the possibility of prediction, assuming the book was written before the Roman Empire had arisen. But Media and Persia are usually regarded as one empire, and the Median kingdom had been mostly assimilated by the Persians by the time Cyrus II conquered Babylon in 539 BC.
Rome is then seen as the fourth kingdom, but the bestial, demonic, and inhumane characteristics of the vision extend beyond the historical Rome. The visions also represent a panorama of the whole world and its governments; all will be destroyed and replaced by the Kingdom of God, the “rock . . . cut from a mountain” (2:34 ^e). The metals of the statue become progressively less valuable in chapter 2 ^f, while the animal imagery of chapter 7 ^g becomes more menacingly fierce, violent, and inhumane. These features represent a deterioration of human civilization across the centuries, even as the Kingdom of God grows in power and stature (2:35 ^h).

Passages for Further Study
Dan 2:1-49 ⁱ; 7:1-28 ^j

Thematic note: Symbolic Numbers
Numbers used in Scripture have often inspired wild speculation. An understanding of the symbolism of numbers in the ancient world can help ground our interpretation. Such symbolism, however, is not rigid or exact, so great care must be exercised when numbers are used in interpretation, so as not to push fanciful predictions about future events.
The number one can refer to God’s oneness (Deut 6:4 ^k; Gal 3:20 ^l; Jas 2:19 ^m). Two is the minimum number required to give a legitimate witness (Deut 17:6 ⁿ; Rev 11:3 ^o), and three can imply divine representation (Gen 18:1-2 ^p; 2 Cor 13:14 ^q; Rev 1:4-5 ^r). Four can stand for the known world, represented in Revelation by living creatures, horsemen, winds, and angels (Rev 4:6-8 ^s; 6:1-8 ^t; 7:1 ^u) and in Genesis ^v by four rivers (Gen 2:10-14 ^w). When three and four are added to make seven, they represent perfection or divine fulfillment, indicating that God and the world are in harmony. The multiplication of three by four yields twelve, the number associated with God’s people (Gen 35:22-26 ^x; Exod 24:4 ^y; 28:21 ^z; Num 17:2 ^aa; Josh 4:3-8 ^ab; 1 Kgs 18:31 ^ac; Matt 10:1-4 ^ad; 19:28 ^ae; Jas 1:1 ^af; Rev 12:1 ^ag; 21:12–22:2 ^ah. The number five and its multiples, such as ten, represent human completeness (e.g., five fingers per hand); and six carries a negative sense or implication of evil, being neither humanly complete (five) nor divinely complete (seven).
Multiples of ten (e.g., forty) are a symbolic way to indicate many, whereas three sixes (666) imply supreme evil (Rev 13:18 ^ai). One thousand is regarded as the foundational large number; 12,000 indicates a large number of God’s people (Rev 7:5-8 ^aj); and 144,000 represents the complete people of God (Rev 7:4 ^ak; 14:1 ^al). The number 10,000 and its multiples are probably best transliterated from Greek as myriads, since they really mean “a huge number” rather than a precise count.
While some of the numbers in the Bible have symbolic meanings, using numbers to speculate on the time of Christ’s return or of the end of the world is highly dubious—only God possesses that knowledge (Mark 13:32 ^am). God did not intend for the symbolic numbers in Revelation to help us predict the future; rather, their symbolic meanings help to explain the significance of the visions. Because the numbers are symbolic, sometimes when we translate them into contemporary sizes, distances, and numbers for our ease of reading, it can result in the loss of theological significance. The use of these symbolic numbers can illuminate a vision’s relationship to the world or to the people of God.

Passages for Further Study
Gen 2:2-3 ^an; 4:15 ^ao; 15:13 ^ap; 41:53-54 ^aq; Exod 20:6 ^ar; 25:31-37 ^as; 32:15 ^at; Lev 16:14 ^au; 23:16 ^av; 2 Sam 24:13 ^aw; 1 Kgs 4:26 ^ax; 17:21 ^ay; 18:31 ^az, 43-44 ^ba; Job 1:2 ^bb; Ps 90:4 ^bc; Jer 15:3 ^bd; 49:36 ^be; Ezek 14:21 ^bf; Dan 4:16 ^bg, 23-25 ^bh; 7:3 ^bi, 17 ^bj, 24 ^bk; Zech 4:2 ^bl; 6:1 ^bm; Matt 10:1-5 ^bn; 12:40 ^bo; 18:21-22 ^bp; Mark 6:7 ^bq; Luke 15:8 ^br; Acts 6:3 ^bs; 10:16 ^bt; 1 Cor 8:6 ^bu; Eph 4:4-6 ^bv; 2 Pet 3:8 ^bw; Rev 1:16 ^bx; 2:10 ^by; 4:4 ^bz; 6:1 ^ca; 7:1 ^cb, 4-8 ^cc; 12:1 ^cd, 3 ^ce; 13:1 ^cf; 17:3-14 ^cg; 20:2-7 ^ch; 21:12-21 ^ci