Why is the number 666 associated with the devil?
The number 666 is called ‘the number of The Beast’ in the Book of Revelations in the Christian Bible. The Beast is not necessarily the Devil — in fact, it is unlikely that they are one and the same. The Beast has a prescribed role in the final days, described in the Bible, as an evil entity in its own right. The number if the Beast is a result of Kabbalistic calculations from the name of someone the author had in mind when writing the book. A great many theories have been advanced as to just who that might have been, depending on when the book is felt to have been written and which numerological system is used. One theory, for example, says it refers to the Roman Emperor, Nero, whose name can be transformed into 666 using a more common form of kabbalistic numerology. Others feel that 666 refers to a name yet to be spoken, or to the reduction of indentities to numbers in modern society. Modern Satanists have come to associate 666 with Satan indirectly, as a sign of their alliegance.
The nefarious connotations of 666 weren’t invented by some heavy metal band — they are rooted in the Bible. The final book of the New Testament is Revelation, and for centuries theologians have pondered its highly symbolic, prophetic language. Revelation tells of impending Armageddon, an end of all time, when a great war will be fought between good and evil, and God will triumph. In Revelation, “the beast,” also called the Antichrist, personifies evil. Revelation, Chapter 13 speaks of the beast and how to identify his followers. According to verses 16 and 17, they wi
