Was the number 666 stitched inside the Antichrist’s clothing?

For generations, people have discussed the number 666. I think the fear of the number 666 equals or surpasses the fear of Friday the Thirteenth.

Who is the Antichrist?

The question above must be our starting point in order to understand where and how the number 666 is stitches into clothing. Many people teach there is only one Antichrist, and often identify an actual modern individual as the Antichrist who bears the number 666. This is not correct.

To link the Antichrist with earth’s last era and offer to identify this one living person by name is misleading. Many of the teachers that link the name a powerful and famous person using numerology or gematria to the Antichrist get proven wrong as time marches on and the once famous leader fades into history. It makes exciting sermon material to announce the identity of the one and only Antichrist that is now living or to paint a fantastic picture of an identifiable person arriving in the near future. Professors of such sensational and speculative knowledge bask in the attention gained for themselves and mislead their students.

Confused professors often complicate the facts of this matter, befuddling perplexed audiences with puzzling tangles of proof-texts and misinformation to mortify and disorient our minds on this disconcerting and heavily debated topic.

The person many teachers call “The Antichrist” is a “Beast” that appears at the beginning of Revelation 13. A simple reading of the chapter (do it now) will show that two Beasts appear in this text. A closer reading of the text will reveal the number 666 is attached to the second Beast of the chapter, not the first Beast that most people call the Antichrist. The appearance of a Dragon; and two Beasts in this chapter has been ignored, twisted and misread leading to great confusion.

What does the Bible say?

A few terms need to be cleared up and defined before we see official who actually has the number 666 stitched into their clothing. I will give enough information here for the reader to learn about the official wearing the descriptive number. The specific background for the number and scriptural references can be found in the book, John’s Apocalypse: A Jewish Idea.

What does the term Antichrist actually mean?

The word Antichrist actually has two parts. The first part, “anti,” is a prefix. This is the simple part; the prefix means “against,” “opposite,” or “opposing.” I do not think anyone has a problem with this definition.

The prefix “anti” attaches to the second part and gives action to the term “Christ.” … Here is where the definition becomes difficult, because the word “Christ” carries significant baggage. To clarify one piece of baggage, “Christ” is not Jesus’ last name. It is a Greek title.

People in Galilee and Judea were Jewish (Hebrew) and spoke Aramaic, not Greek. The Hebrew equivalent for this title is “Messiah“ (מָשִׁיחַ), and it means “smeared with oil” or “anointed one.” It is very important to understand that (מָשִׁיחַ) is a title and not a name.

Who is the Messiah?

Here is where things get confusing for Christians: Jesus was not the first Jewish Messiah. The first Hebrew Messiah was the original High Priest, Aaron (check your Bible! Ex 30:30; Lv 8:12; 21:10; Ps 133:2). Every High Priest after Aaron also received an anointing (Nu 3:3).

To complicate things a bit more, another well-known Messiah in Israel was King David (1Sm 16:13). Every official king in both Judea and Israel fits the title of “anointed” (1 Ch 29:22; 1Ki 19:6). Both High Priests and Kings of Israel and Judah received anointing by oil, and are therefore properly messiahs.

Eventually in Judea a movement grew to see God’s messengers as messiahs. Isaiah wrote: “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is on Me, because the LORD has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor.“ (Is 61:1) Bible teachers call the Messiah in this verse the “suffering servant” (Is 42:1-4; 49:1-6; 50:4-11; 52:13-53:12).

New Testament writers transport the messianic idea of Isaiah into the New Testament. The Gospels consider Jesus anointed by the Holy Spirit at the time of his baptism (Mt 3:16-17; Lk 3:22; Jn 1:32-34) and early Christians taught about this anointing (Ac 10:38), calling Jesus a prophet, priest and king: fitting all three definitions of a Messiah.

The Apostle John calls all Christians “Messiahs” by saying, “the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.” (1Jn 2:27)

[For those who are curious, the name Jesus, derived from Joshua, means “God is Salvation.” We could call Jesus the one anointed to proclaim God’s salvation.]

What happens when the prefix Anti and Christ become a title?

Let’s do this multiple choice: a) This is the evil end of the world ruler that opposes God, kills Christians, and fights against the army of heaven. b) Anyone who opposes Jesus of Nazareth, savior of the world; c) Opponent(s) of anyone considered anointed (holders of the office of Priest, King, or Prophet.

Although this question seems to be difficult, hopefully I have given you enough information that you chose the correct answer … which is c). Jesus and the Apostle John would agree with me on this one, for John wrote: “you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come.“ (1Jn 2:18; 4:3) Jesus taught, “For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive even the elect, if that were possible.” (Mt 24:24; Mk 13:22)

The Bible establishes that many antichrists have and will exist. Moses says at least one antichrist will arise to oppose God in every generation (Ex 17:16 – I talk about this in my book John’s Apocalypse) Across time many antichrists will arise to oppose God and also His anointed. Many of the worst antichrists were, are, and will be official holders and vile abusers of a messianic office.

Is there one Antichrist more important than the rest?

To answer this blog’s question, I will mention four antichrists: a) Satan (the serpent); b) a ruler called “The Beast”; c) the False Prophet; and d) a woman called “The Harlot​”. You can read about these three in Revelation 12, 13, 17, and other places.

Which one wears the number “666”?

Listen to the conversation and you will hear …

I once heard a ruler called the Antichrist marked everyone with the number 666. Is this wrong?

​This blog could go on a long time and become a book if I shared everything. The devil is in the details. I explain the details in my book “John’s Apocalypse: A Jewish Idea.” Click on this link and order a copy. The book tells the complete story as it goes through the book of Revelation verse by verse. I recommend gathering a group of people to read and discuss the whole thing together. Use the e-mail under “Contact” to ask any questions the group cannot resolve.