"This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666." Revelation 13:18 ESV

Many Christian and secular authors have extended the number 666 to identify to no less than being one of five modern US Presidents, or Hitler, Stalin, Mao Zedong, Kim Jun Un and several more, but there is a much easier decoding of the 666.

First, during the time of John of Patmos, there would have been the glaring example of the terrible Emperor Nero and his death. Further, there was the cult belief that Nero would come back to life and stabilize a Roman Empire that was in civil war with four Emperors in succession in only a year and one-half ( June, 68 AD to December, 69AD - Emperors Galba, Otho, Vitellius and Vespasian).

Secondly, Nero would have been a well known candidate for the "Beast", as has been quoted in many communtaries on the subject or the number 666.
Secondly, although the letters of "Caesar Nero" do total 666 when determined by Hebrew and Greek numerals both, a much simpler example of significant letters that add up to 666 is this:

When the Greek word (Therion) for the English "beast" is transliterated into Hebrew, the Hebrew numerical values of each letter adds up to 666.

Indeed, the name "Beast" is quite appropriate to describe the one who will come forth to unite the world to the cause of erasing Christianity from the face of the earth. And as we all know, things will not end well for the the "beast".

" But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur." Revelation 19:20 NIV

Rik Charbonneaux is a retired NE Iowan who loves all of God's Word and all of His creatures.