666, 616 and 45
The remarkable patterns in the name of the beast of Revelation.
Netflix’ line-up suggests that we are fascinated by end-of-times plotlines. The popularity of this theme, at this point in history, is surprising. It contradicts what we think we know about life and our universe. More confounding is the fact that the origin of the apocalyptic stories lies in ancient religious scriptures.
“This calls for Wisdom.” (Revelation 13:18)
Like a brainteaser, the verse with the beastly number 666 issues a challenge; “This calls for Wisdom”. We take up this challenge in this post. The focus of this analysis is the identity of the beast. It is arguably possible that no other character in scripture is described in as much detail as this prophetic villain.
“Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.” (Revelation 13:18)
Prophetic scriptures are generally confusing but this verse is particularly odd. At first, it asks a person to calculate (or count) a number. Then, immediately thereafter, the number 666 is declared. It’s as though I’ve said to you; “Count the balls in this bucket. There are 555.” That would be an odd thing to say.
The problem with numbers
Consider a prophet with an important message about an event that occurs many years into the future. How does she leave this message and guarantee that it survives social evolution? The original religious scriptures were written in Hebrew, Greek, Arabic, etc. but, they are read in different languages today.
Reading the scriptures in their original languages is also no guarantee. The meaning of words is lost and altered over time. For example, the word “nice” originally meant “foolish” or “stupid”. Now “nice” means “good”. Over time, words and languages are unreliable. Numbers, on the other hand, are not.
The common approach to decoding this prophecy has been to use gematria. In this tactic, letters are assigned numbers in an alphabetic code. But, there is no precedent of gematria in any fulfilled prophecies. And, it would be an unwise decision to handicap a number with words. Gematria is an illogical codex.
Numbers have a discrete and invariable meaning at any time in any language. This is the genius of a numerical prophecy; it can survive multiple ages. But, our imaginary prophet must be judicious in her use of numbers. People are superstitious and thus, the problem with numbers is that they are too precise.
For example; after Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980, he and Nancy changed the address of their Bel Air home from 666 to 668 Saint Cloud Rd. Reagan was no beast but he wanted to avoid the superstitious stigma regardless. And, this illustrates a second problem with precise numerical prophecies; they’re far too obvious to be literal.
I find that the prophecy of the beast takes all these challenges into account. It employs numerical patterns, correlation, consensus, and probabilities. The resulting probability that these patterns are random is almost impossible. The likelihood that it is random is 90 times less probable than winning a lottery.
616 and 666
Once you note how this numeric pattern is confirmed, it seems obvious. And yet, no-one has ever connected these dots. The genius in the secret of 666 is how its truth has remained hidden. Its secret depends on human nature. It primarily relies on disagreement when faced with apparent contradictions.
The best place to hide something is in plain sight.
666 is not the only number of the beast in the original texts of Revelation. The oldest original manuscript declares 616 as the number of the beast. This is not simply a pre-typing-typo. Both 616 and 666 are fully spelled out in various of the ancient texts: i.e. “six hundred and sixteen” and “six hundred sixty-six”.
It’s human nature to argue over contradictions and, arguments are all you’ll find if you research this. Camps are divided, just as theologians disagree on many other scriptural issues. This disagreement is deeply ironic given the fact that covenants (or agreements) are a major theme in every one of the scriptures.
13:18 — a most improbable coincidence
616 and 666, when counted up, yield the chapter and verse of the central text of this prophecy. 6+1+6=13 (the chapter) and, 6+6+6=18 (the verse). This is an improbable coincidence. It was not intentional on the part of the author. At the original time of writing (96 AD), no chapters or verses were numbered.
This coincidence is trivially obvious but, has never been analyzed before now. There is a disbelief that verse numbers are divinely ordained in the way that texts are believed to be. Note the nontrivial correlation between 616 and 666. Both of these numbers are palindromic (i.e. identical forward and backward).
The random sequential probability of a palindromic number like 616 or 666 is 9/100 and 1/100 respectively. The random probability that the number is found in this chapter and verse is 1 in 11,333.666’. Revelation includes 404 verses. There was a 99.7 % chance for this number to appear in another verse.
But, it does not appear anywhere else in the book. In verses 13:17 and 15:2, the “number” is mentioned in reference to the beast, but it is not enumerated. Chapters were numbered in the 13th century. Yes, chapter 13 in C13. 300+ years later, verse numbers were first printed. That event is also coincidental.
1551 — a third palindrome
If the New Testament in your Bible has numbered verses, you have Robert Estienne to thank for that. The French royal typographer first printed verse numbers in 1551 and they have been used ever since. The number 616 did not feature in his sources and, it first appeared in print much later (in 1898).
It’s conclusive that Estienne could not have conspired to number this verse with such coincidence. He didn’t choose the chapter number and he didn’t consider 616. A strange coincidence lies in the year in which he numbered the verses; 1551 is the third palindromic number in this story. The probability of 1551’s palindrome is 1/100 (or once every century).
The chance of 616, 666 and 1551 all being palindromic is 1 in 111,111. If we recognize that the numbering of the verse might not be coincidental, the total probability of all four coincidences is 1/1,259,296,222 (1 in one and a quarter billion). There’s a far greater chance of winning the lottery (1 in 13,9 million).
If these events are random, they’re 90 times less likely than winning a lottery. And as we will see, there is another coincidence in the 3rd palindrome; 1551.
On prophecy and probability
“Things happen for a reason.” (quoting my Mom and possibly, yours too).
It is notable that highly correlated coincidences do turn the logic of Occam’s Razor against itself. “The simplest answer is usually the correct answer” is the popular statement of this logical axiom. When it is applied to random events or coincidences, this logic suggests that we discard chance to find the truth.
We live in an enlightened age in which most phenomena are explicable. And so, ignorance of coincidence is typically the correct logic. This is why we don’t believe in the likes of prophecies or miracles. This is why it is reasonable to be skeptical when people see signs or say that “everything happens for a reason”.
On the other hand, multiple coincidences can change this logic entirely. Faced with several extreme correlations, the only rational answer is that the unlikely conclusion is correct. In this reversal of fate, skepticism is rendered irrational. The negation of such coincidences is ironically the less logical interpretation.
With this insight, I will dispense of the language of random coincidences. This riddle removes the need to believe in prophecy. Its structure is highly logical.
“number”, “number”, “number”
“Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.” (Revelation 13:18).
“Number” appears three times in this verse. Twice in its first sentence and once in the second. This is poor grammar but, we can now also hypothesize that its structure is intentional. Twice “number” appears in a common sentence and then once, “number” appears after that. The text establishes a logical pattern.
Recall that there are now three palindromic numbers. The first two (616 and 666) have common origins and then, later in history, number 1551 appeared. That timeline mimics the awkward wording of this verse. It suggests algebraic logic. The word “number” is being invoked as a variable. It’s like a ‘story sum’.
Three-step solution
To orient ourselves, let’s take stock of the method that is emerging for solving this riddle. There appear to be three layers of logic that use basic arithmetic and algebraic patterns. The logic of this riddle is advanced but its math is not. This insight appears to underscore the advice that this riddle calls for wisdom.
Wisdom appears to be the keyword. Wisdom is the application of uncommon logic to common knowledge to derive some hidden or counterintuitive truth. The three logical steps that now appear to be required to solve this puzzle are:
- Collect raw data. This is what we’ve done so far. We have employed the historical data and statistics to agree on palindromic numbers. In this step, the probability was used for validating results. It’s a correlative argument.
- Normalize raw data. The next step is to find consensus amongst the three palindromic numbers and thus, solve for the apparent variable “number”. This is implicit logical. Triangulation will be used for verification in step 2.
- Derive and calculate an equation. The algebra of step two suggests a final step in which we must discover some formula. This is explicit logic. Some formula should be explicit in the textual use of the word “number”.
Step 2: Normalize raw data
This is not as complex as it might sound. We are simply asking the question;
“What value do 616, 666 and 1551 have in common?”.
Specifically, under simple arithmetic, what is the single “number” that these three palindromic numbers do agree on? If number theory is your thing, the answer to step 2 is trivially obvious. All three palindromes yield the number 36 under very simple arithmetic. Here is the math behind this conclusion:
- 616 → 6x1x6 = 36
- 666 → 666 is the 36th triangle number. Or, 666 = 1+2+3+…+36
- 1551 → (1+5)x(5+1) = 6x6 = 36
And, one more thing. Note the result when we apply the arithmetic pattern applied to 1551 to the chapter and verse numbers in question (i.e. 13:18).
4. 13:18 → (1+3)x(1+8) = 4x9 = 36
In four very obvious ways under simple arithmetic, the data we’ve collected and confirmed so far, have consensus on the value 36. That 36 is so elegantly derived from 1551 appears to also reinforce the importance of this year to this riddle. If there was doubt regarding considering 1551, it should now be gone.
Likewise, if there was doubt of the importance of 13:18 in confirming the use of both 666 and 616 from step 1, that should be removed by the fourth sum. It no longer matters what is believed regarding the veracity of any of this data. This riddle remarkably anticipates a need to show objective logical consensus.
It’s not Nero
Despite the absence of global events during his reign, historians nonetheless pin the number 666 to Emperor Nero. That Nero is their most likely candidate, merely illustrates how confused we are by this riddle. Now that we’ve learned the solution employs the date 1551, we can also narrow down the timeline.
The fact that both 666 and 616 are no accident, not only provides logic for decoding the puzzle. It is also prescriptive for filtering the possible timing of these events. Since this solution was not possible to derive before 1551, the beast logically post-dates that year. Ergo, the beast is most certainly not Nero.
By this logic, the timing of the discovery that 616 predates 666 in the earliest manuscript is also illuminating. This fact was not known until 2005. If that discovery is also material to solving this puzzle then, the field of candidates is greatly reduced. It suggests that the beast lives today or, in some future time.
One more thing
A remarkable fact of this analysis is that in both logical steps so far, there has been “one more thing” hidden in this data. At first, the insight that 616 and 666 predicted the chapter and verse revealed the third palindrome. In the second step, the math for deriving 36 from the year 1551 applies to 13:18.
This is self-referential logic. It is logically similar to the approach by which a logical model is reinforced by a data feedback loop. Note that you don’t have to give any weight to 616 or 1551 to arrive at the value of the variable i.e. 36. The benefit of finding agreement in the data lies in establishing confidence.
If you negate 616 or 1551 or 13:18, you will still arrive at the same result — only with less confidence. Again, this riddle does appear to anticipate human nature. Identifying patterns and, agreeing on the correlations between data is not logic that most people excel at. So, all the data points to a single solution.
Why not 36?
With such solid confidence derived from the first two steps in this puzzle, it is logical to question whether 36 is the final solution. But, there are several flaws in this reasoning. First, as mentioned, the use of the word “number” seems to suggest that it is a variable to be used in some derived algebraic equation(s).
More importantly, 36 is subject to the “too obvious” problem discussed above. Despite the lengthy process we took to get here, 36 is trivially derived from either 666 or 616. There’s no actual wisdom needed to get to 36 from either number. Lastly, there are additional clues in the texts that we are yet to use.
Step 3: Derive and calculate
In step 2 and in step 1, we discovered hidden repetitive patterns. In step 1, these patterns pertained to raw data; i.e. palindromes, verse numbering, and dates. In step 2, the patterns that repeat are the arithmetic logic. All of the calculations of 36 in step 2 employed either multiplication or a count of digits.
We can assume that the solution logically follows from step 2 to step 3, just as step 1 led to step 2. We can also expect verification of this assumption. As mentioned, we are looking for a ‘story sum’ in the text where “number” acts as a variable. Algebraically speaking; y=36. We are looking for f where x=f(y).
“What does the text say about the variable “number”?
Recall that the key text says to “… calculate (or count) the number …”. In total, the variable “number” is used five times in reference to the name of the beast. Three times “number” is repeated in the verse that we’ve been studying but, it also appears once before that (in 13:17) and once after that (in 15:2).
So in total, we count five instances of “number”. This pattern; 1–3–1, has very obvious symmetry, like the palindromes and the (+)x(+) pattern from step 2. The word “number” does appear again in Revelation (6:11, 7:4, 9:16, 20:8). There are another five instances of “number” that don’t pertain to the beast.
These texts suggest that the variable, that is “number”, should be counted five times. We can now simply derive a function by summing 3 and 6 five times:
x = f(3,6) = 5x(3+6) = 45
45 is the probable solution under addition, or counting, of the digits. It is also easy to derive a similar function from the text that invokes multiplication. As discussed, verse 18 is the only text where “number” is used multiple times in reference to the beast. In verse 18, the variable “number” appears three times.
By this implied arithmetic, we can derive a second function, this time under multiplication. In this second equation, 36 is multiplied three times per v18:
x = f(36) = 36x36x36 = 46,656
This second solution is remarkable. Not only does it confirm the answer from the first function, but it reveals “one more thing”. 45 is now embedded in 666. In step 3, the solution to the riddle is confirmed by repetition and is recursive to 666. It takes us back to the start of this puzzle; 45 completes this analysis.
But, there is one more function implied in Revelation. A formula can also be derived from the use of “number” elsewhere in this book. “Number” appears five times in four other verses (6:11, 7:4, 9:16, 20:8). This pattern suggests a fraction i.e. 5 over 4 or, 5/4. Another function can be derived from this ratio:
x = f(36) = 5/4x(36) = 45
Here we again find verification of the final result i.e. 45. Now, two explicitly derived equations yield exactly 45 and another yielded 45 together with 666 i.e. 46,656. In these equations, we have now used all available data relating to the name of the beast and also used every reference to “number” in the text.
Chapter 14, the 144,000 and 45
We’ve derived the solution (i.e. 45) by three different formulae. If the riddle is to follow the same pattern as the first and second steps, there should be one more hidden way in which this solution presents itself. And so there is. Final confirmation that 45 is the only solution to this puzzle is hidden in chapter 14.
Chapter 14 is sandwiched between the first and last mention of the number of the name of the beast. It’s an esoteric text that mentions two large numbers; 144,000 and 1,600. They appear in the first and last verses of the chapter. The first number (144,000) is mentioned 2 times in chapter 14; in verses 1 and 3.
What is fascinating about the solution in chapter 14 is that it’s independent of the logic that “number” is invoked as a variable. In this way, it has similarity to the coincidence in step 1 of the sum of 13:18 and, in step 2’s final derivation of 36. Before I explain the secret hidden in chapter 14, consider the formula:
x = 144,000 / 2 / 1,600 = 45
45 is the solution to the division of 144,000 by the two times that it appears and, by the only other number in this chapter i.e. 1,600. There are two pieces of this formula that require explanation. First; I’ll explain why arithmetic logic of division invoked here. And next, I’ll explain why 144,000 is divided by two.
When the tribes of Israel were first constituted, in the first five books of the Law or, the Torah, they are referred to as God’s divisions, not as tribes. The tribal reference only appears much later, after Israel is divided into two; i.e. Israel and Judah. Division of Israel has a long-standing scriptural history.
In the book of Revelation, we are reminded of this history in chapter 7, where ‘the 144,000’ is first mentioned. In that chapter, 144,000 “from all the tribes of Israel” are divided evenly into 12 groups. Chapter 7 stands out in that it’s the only event ever mentioned where of Israel’s tribes are divided up evenly.
This unusually even division is the first clue that 144,000 in chapter 14 should be evenly divided. Division by two is underscored by the relationship between chapter 7 and 14. And, by the fact that 144,000 appears only twice in chapter 14. Again, there is also a connection to the split into two of Israel and Judah.
Two more things
We can now draw a conclusion about the identity of the “beast from the sea” of Revelation. This person is described in other details in scripture and, those extra details are the topic of my next post. Here, I will wrap up this analysis of 45 with the last details the scriptures provide about his name and/or number.
“… the number of its name …” (Revelation 13:7 and 15:2)
In both the first and last verse where the number of the beast is mentioned, the text involves this rather awkward phrase; “the number of its name.” It should be obvious that people’s names don’t typically have numbers. This odd text is one reason people attempt to use gematria as a solution to this riddle.
“When does a name have a number?
The only occasion for a name to have a number is when it is a title. Official titles are a type of a name. When someone receives a title, we say that they are named accordingly. This naming establishes a sequence of people who have held the title. The obvious conclusion is that the beast is a 45th title holder.
“… for it is the number of a man.” (Revelation 13:18)
The only descriptive information not used in this analysis is this last clue that the number is that “of a man”. It’s the least specific piece of information in the entire riddle but, it’s the last piece of this puzzle. The beast does seem to also be identifiable by the fact that no woman has held the official title of its name.
You may note two obvious calculations that were not performed on the data:
- 666–616 = 50 = the quite iconic number of states in the USA.
- 6x6x6 = 216 = the non-zero digits of the year of the last US election.
Trump
Consider these two facts in light of the solution to this analysis i.e. 45. They do appear to precisely spell out the 45th president of the USA, elected in 2016.
No president in history has so proudly branded himself with the number of his office as what Trump has. 45 is even embroidered on the sleeves of his shirts. The number 45 has been iconized by Donald Trump. Ironically, when all data is considered and, logically analyzed, 45 is clearly also the name of the beast.
Conclusions
In conclusion, consider whether there is any chance left that Trump is not the beast of the apocalypse. This possibility is less probable than you might think.
Recall that this solution uses every single piece of the available data. We did not pick and choose data and this solution identified correlations between all data points. No other potential solution to this riddle can, therefore, be as well substantiated. This result has the maximum logical chance of being correct.
Alternatively, you could decide to believe that scriptures and prophecies are nonsense. In this case, by the logic in step 1, you would now be betting on the probability of 1 in 1,259,296,222 that the correlations in the raw data are purely random. And, an agnostic viewpoint would be to simply wait and see.
The book of Revelation does seem to anticipate skepticism. These scriptures predict that the beast will be identified. That event and, agreement on who the beast is, is apparently important to redemption, global consensus and, to ultimate peace. The wait and see approach is unwise in light of this prophecy.
As if to underscore the importance of identifying this beast, Revelation and the other eschatological scriptures describe this person in great detail. An analysis of those descriptions, in comparison to 45, is the topic I’ll tackle next.
Thank you for reading. If you can follow this reasoning, please share it with a friend. Your questions, feedback, and comments are most welcome. Peace ✡
