I highly suggest you read my book titled, The Clear and Present Truth of 666. However, for those of you who cannot buy the book, I will provide you with a brief and simple understanding of 666. Let’s begin by establishing a few rules:

A Man in Bible Prophecy is not Always a Man.

I don’t understand how my fellow Adventists are missing such a clear prophetic concept. As Seventh-day Adventists, we clearly recognize that prophetic symbols are not always literal. For example, the woman in Revelation 12 is not a literal woman she represents the Church.
Well, if a woman in Bible prophecy is not a literal woman…why in the world do we believe that a man in Bible prophecy is a literal man?
According to Daniel 7:17, a Beast can also represent a king, and a king is a man. Therefore, we understand that a man in Bible prophecy can represent a political power.

A woman = the Church
A man = The state

The Dragon, Beast, and False Prophet are Satan’s Trinity

Revelation 16:13 says,

“And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.”

Once we understand that the Dragon, Beast, and False Prophet are a trinity, we will begin to see that they represent one city:

“And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.” Revelation 16:19

Notice they are three parts, but one city. That city is a political power, or what we would also call a MAN.
Now that we understand that this MAN consists of three separate powers, we must understand that these three powers represent Pagan Rome, Papal Rome, and the United States of America.

That’s right! Babylon is the end-time system that will consist of Spiritualism, Catholicism, and False Protestant Christianity. This union is the Man that Revelation 13:18 is referring to.

It’s All About Wisdom

“Wisdom” connects Revelation 13:18 and Revelation 17:9-10
Now notice the phrase that Revelation 13:18 begins with:

“Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.”

The phrase Here is Wisdom gives us our first clue to the meaning of 666.

Now skip over to Revelation 17:9-10, and notice John uses a similar phrase:

“And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come…”

Now I want you to ask yourself a question. If there are seven kings, and five are already fallen, what numbered king would be ruling?

The SIXTH KING!

• Revelation 13:18 says, Here is wisdom and goes on to describes the man whose name calculates as 666.
• And Revelation 17, says Here is the mind which hath wisdom and mentions a sixth king.

Both scriptures mention wisdom and both scriptures refer to the number six. This is not a coincidence!

From these two Scriptures, we can begin to see what God meant when he said 666.
The seven kings are as follows:

1. Egypt
2. Assyria
3. Babylon
4. Medo-Persia
5. Greece
6. Pagan Rome
7. Papal Rome

From this list, we can see that Pagan Rome was the 6th kingdom and was ruling at the time John wrote The Revelation.

However, John the Revelator also mentions that another world power would rise after the seventh:

“And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.” Revelation 17:11

Here we must understand that the eighth Beast, is also the False Prophet, or better known as the United States of America. This nation is the eighth, but it is part of the seventh (Papal Rome).

So in actuality the list of kingdoms looks like this:

1. Egypt
2. Assyria
3. Babylon
4. Medo-Persia
5. Greece
6. Pagan Rome
7. Papal Rome
8. United States of America

Pagan Rome is symbolized as a Dragon

We must understand that because Pagan Rome was being used by Satan to destroy Christ, this Empire was also symbolized along with Satan as the Dragon (see Rev 12:4).
So, according to Scripture, the sixth kingdom was symbolized by a Dragon.

Papal Rome received it’s power, seat, and great authority from the Dragon

In Revelation 13:2, and we see who gave the Beast, his power, seat, and great authority:

“…and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.”

So the Beast received its power, seat, and authority from the sixth power known as the Dragon!

The Lamblike Beast (False Prophet) has the voice of the Dragon

Now notice who the Lamblike Beast (False Prophet) speaks like:

“And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.” Revelation 13:11

So now we can see that the Dragon, Beast, and False Prophet are really, the Dragon, the Dragon, and the Dragon.

1. Egypt
2. Assyria
3. Babylon
4. Medo-Persia
5. Greece
6. Pagan Rome (Dragon)
7. Papal Rome (Dragon’s power seat and authority)
8. United States of America (Voice of the Dragon)

The Dragon who was the sixth power, was also manifested in the seventh and eighth powers.
In essence, the same persecuting power that arose in Pagan Rome, transitioned to Papal Rome and continued his work. However, now that Papal Rome has fallen, the Dragon has transitioned to the United States of America; and the same persecution that occurred in Pagan and Papal Rome will one day occur in Protestant America.

Now do you see this wonderful message that God has given us? The last three powers are listed as the 6th, 7th and 8th powers, but in reality it’s the 6th power, the 6th power again, and the 6th power again!

He is letting us know that the Dragon is still alive and he will soon be manifested in this final world power known as the United States of America. He is revealing to us that the same persecution that came upon the saints in Pagan and Papal Rome, will one day come upon God’s saints in the United States of America!

Now that you know the meaning of 666, you can stop having to defend Vicarius Filii Dei. You no longer have to prove that God was pointing us toward an obsolete title from a dead language as the meaning of 666.

Now you have the Clear and Present Truth of 666.