While the “Bible code” people take things to an extreme, there is definite significance in the way biblical authors use numbers. In fact, numbers were thought to be of great significance throughout the ancient world, even beyond the realm of mathematics. The movements of the sun, moon, and stars revealed that nature worked as a sort of clock, and the fact that these movements could be understood and predicted mathematically was seen by some as evidence that time (and the realm of mathematics in general) was divinely ordained.
In some ancient languages, such as Hebrew and Greek, numerical values were built into the letters of the language, with the result that words and names had numerical values that could be significant. Those of you who are familiar with the phrase “As above, so below,” will probably recognize this use of numerology as an attempt (at least on the part of some) to unite heaven and earth, to bring a bit of the divine down to the human level.
Probably the most famous letter-number combination in ancient literature is the Number of the Beast, found in the book of Revelation. Most commonly, this number is rendered as 666, but in the Greek text of Revelation, it is actually “600, 60, and 6.” There is significance in the way the text breaks this down, and even the early church tried to figure out the name of the coming Beast by matching these numbers to their counterpart letters in Greek. The church father Irenaeus, who lived from c. AD 130 to c. AD 202, writes about this practice in his exhaustive work Against Heresies, stating that he thought the Holy Spirit had inspired this notation in the text of Revelation so that “when this man comes we may avoid him, being aware who he is.”[1]
In scripture, the number 6 often represents incompleteness or moral corruption (falling one short of 7, a number representing completion). The Greek word for “sin” is hamartia, which literally means “to miss the mark.” This helps make sense of the apostle Paul’s remark that “All have sinned [“missed the mark”] and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The Beast of Revelation is also called “the Man of Sin,” so it makes sense that 6 - the number of sin, of corruption, of falling short of God’s standard - would be his number. By why 600, 60, and 6? I’ll give you my understanding of this.
Another number of significance in scripture is 10, which often appears in association with divine law (ex: the 10 Commandments), divine judgment (ex: the plagues of Egypt), and things dedicated to God in one way or another (ex: the tithe). The number of the Beast - 600, 60, and 6 - is 6 multiplied by 10 twice (6x10 = 60, 60x10 = 600). In the Bible, doubling something often speaks of bringing it to completion or fullness, either for good or ill. For instance, in Isaiah 40:2, the prophet observes that Jerusalem “has received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” For another example, after Job goes through all of his various afflictions, God blesses him by doubling all of the possessions he formerly lost (Job 42:12-15).
In light of these numerical usages and representations in scripture, I suggest that multiplying 6 by 10 twice in the name of the Beast suggests that this man will represent the fullness of sin and corruption. The Beast is also called “the Son of Perdition (or Destruction),” indicating that his destiny (and that of all who follow him) is destruction, to be carried out by Christ at his second coming. In this sense, the Beast has been reserved, dedicated, or set apart to God for destruction. The numbers 6 and 10 fall well within the pattern of biblical usage here.
As for why we have essentially three repetitions of six in 600, 60, and 6, I note that it’s rather common in scripture to find things represented in groups of three. Hebrew cosmology saw the entire universe as consisting of three parts, as the apostle Paul expresses it regarding things: “In heaven, on earth, and under the earth” (Philippians 2:10). They also saw three “heavens”: the sky, the abode of the celestial lights, and the dwelling place of God’s presence. This cosmology represents a sort of union of heaven and earth, things both spiritual and physical.
By my understanding, the combination of these numbers, arranged in a grouping of three, seems to represent the Beast as the great Cosmic Rebel: embodying the unified enemies of God, both heavenly and earthly, spiritual and physical. This connects well with the text of Revelation in that we’re told that the Beast, as a man, is empowered by the Dragon, who is Satan. His kingdom is a cooperative effort between fallen entities in the spiritual realm and fallen humans on the earth.
Putting all of this together, 600, 60, and 6 represents cosmic rebellion - the unified enemies of God - both spiritual and physical, heavenly and earthly, the capstone or fullness of all corruption and everything that falls short of God’s standard, set apart to God for a “double portion” (or absolute) destruction by him at the appointed time. In Isaiah 21:21-22, we’re actually told that fallen angels will be cast down to the earth to be judged together with fallen men:
“So it will happen in that day
That the Lord will punish the host of heaven on high,
And the kings of the earth on earth
They will be gathered together like prisoners in the dungeon,
And will be confined in prison;
And after many days they will be punished.”
Scriptures used here are taken from the New American Standard Bible.
