(Rev 13 KJV)  And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. {2} And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. {3} And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast. {4} And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him? {5} And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. {6} And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. {7} And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. {8} And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. {9} If any man have an ear, let him hear. {10} He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints. {11} 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. {12} And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. {13} And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, {14} And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. {15} And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. {16} And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: {17} And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. {18} 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.  

This chapter concerns the rise of the two great end-time leaders of the tribulation period.  They are the Antichrist and the False Prophet.  The Antichrist is the political leader, and the False Prophet is the religious leader.  The Scriptures provide a detailed description of both so that both can be identified, if the Scriptures are studied and understood literally.  However, there are more details given about Antichrist than the False Prophet.  

1.  And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.  

a. John is depicted as standing upon the seashore, and he sees a beast rising up out of the sea.  The beast has seven heads, ten horns, and ten crowns upon its horns.  This beast is the ten-horned beast described in the Book of Daniel in chapters 2 and 7.  

b. The sea is a picture of the Gentile nations, so the ten-horned beast will rise up as a Gentile kingdom and have dominion over the whole earth.  The beast is the revived Roman Empire in the form of the European Union.  It is the ten toes on the image of the beast in Daniel 2.  

c. A horn in Scripture is a symbol for power and strength.  Crowns or diadems are the badges of regal dominion.  It has been argued as to whether Antichrist is a real person, or a mere system, power, government or influence.  The answer is yes to both.  There can be no kingdom without a king, and no empire without an emperor.  It is inconsistent to speak of imperial power or dominion without having someone as the personal head that represents and embodies that power.  

d. The ten-horned beast is the Gentile world power in its final consummation.  It will embody all of the Gentile empires that went before it.  The seven heads are the empires of Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome and New Babylon (i.e., United States of America).  America is the political aspect of Mystery Babylon, and the papal worship system is the religious or ecclesiastical aspect of Mystery Babylon.  Chapters 17 and 18 describe Mystery Babylon respectively in its ecclesiastical and political aspects.  The woman is a figure for both Religious Babylon and Political Babylon.  

e. The phrase "and upon his heads the name of blasphemy" depicts an empire that will openly defy God, and that will set itself in determined opposition to all that belong to God.  It will be an empire that is anti-God and anti-Christian.  The Roman emperors were worshiped as gods, and the revived Roman Empire will reinstitute this religious practice with the image of the Antichrist.  

2.  And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority.  

a. The ten-horned beast is also described in chapter 7 of Daniel, and it is described as trampling down the remainder of the four beasts described in that chapter.  The Leopard and the Bear represent the kingdoms of Egypt and Russia, so these beasts will be subordinate to the kingdom of Antichrist.  The lion is Great Britain, and it became part of the ten-horned beast prior to the time that the “remainder” was trampled down.  

b. Please note that it is the dragon or Satan that empowers the ten-horned beast, so this final form of Gentile power will be extremely powerful.  Even Russia will be submissive to this power for a period of time, but it will rebel by invading Israel and will be trampled down by the Beast.  

3.  And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.  

a. This verse describes the apparent death of the leader of the ten-horned beast. This individual will have suffered a mortal head wound that has convinced the whole world that he is dead, but he will reappear with his mortal head wound healed. The whole world will marvel that the Antichrist is still alive and not dead.  

b. This verse establishes conclusively that Antichrist will not actually die, but he will only appear to have died at some point in the past. The only time limit for this deadly wound to have taken place is the life span of an individual. It is ludicrous to think that Nero or Judas will be resurrected as the Antichrist, although the early Christians thought that Nero had not actually died, and that he would reappear to fulfill the prophecies about Antichrist. The same story circulated that Hitler had not actually died as it had been reported. There were numerous reports that the true Antichrist did not die from his mortal head wound, but these reports were disregarded by the masses. Truman Capote wrote an article that Antichrist did not die from his mortal head wound, but he retracted the article after it was written.  

c. The biggest mistake believers make in understanding this verse is to assume that the miraculous healing of Antichrist takes place over a brief period of time. In actuality, the mortal head wound took place over forty years ago, and the healing has taken place over the last 42 years. Antichrist has not yet reappeared for the world to wonder after him, but the time is short.  

d. This verse also has reference to the Roman Empire, which apparently died, but it will also be resurrected in the form of the Ten-Horned Beast. Chapter 7 of Daniel covers the rise of the four kingdoms with the fourth one being the revived Roman Empire in the form of the ten-horned beast. The Lion is Great Britain; the Bear is Russia; the Leopard is Egypt with the four wings on its back representing Syria, Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The Ten-Horned Beast is the European Union. The eleventh horn to come up among the ten horns is the Antichrist as the leader of New Babylon, which is the United States of America. There are numerous Scriptures that identify America as New Babylon. A few are Revelation 18, Jeremiah 50 and 51, Isaiah 18, and the three chapters in Habakkuk.  

e. The “little horn” in Daniel that comes up among the ten horns means a leader who was in power, but his power was shattered or broken. The horn is little because it has been broken. The Antichrist was once in power over Political Babylon the Great but his horn was shattered or broken when he received his mortal head wound. The nation of Babylon the Great will also be shattered or broken, which will provide the opportunity for Antichrist to usurp power and become the leader. Thus, the leader of New Babylon is a “little horn” and New Babylon will be a “little horn”. When Antichrist takes over the government of New Babylon, the “little horn” will quickly become more powerful than the other ten horns, as described in Daniel.  

4.  And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?  

a. People do not worship a system or a government, but they do worship an emperor or king. The unsaved people of the world will worship Satan who gave his power to the Antichrist, and they will worship the Antichrist.  It is here that the interchange takes place between the empire and the leader of the empire. The identity of the beast alternates between that of the empire and the leader of the empire. The empire becomes personified in its leader who is the Antichrist.  

b. The power of Antichrist will be so widespread and so complete that war against him would be incomprehensible. The combination of the power of the USA and the European Union will be phenomenal, and the nations of the world will submit to this power for a short time. It will be Russia that takes peace from the earth and attacks Israel, resulting in a nuclear war between the USA and Russia. Russia will be defeated in this war, but New Babylon will be severely hurt. New Babylon will not be totally destroyed until the end of the tribulation period when China, Russia and the Kings from the East come against her with numerous submarines carrying nuclear warheads, and Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) coming over the North Pole.  

c. The destruction of New Babylon is described in detail in chapter 18 and in Jeremiah 50 and 51.  

5. And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.  

a. Antichrist will be a great orator, and he will be highly persuasive to the world in getting it to follow him. He will also speak blasphemies against God and the people of God, including Jews, Christians and Gentiles.  

b. God will allow him to act unchecked by the power of God for a period of 42 months. This is the same amount of time that Jesus Christ served as a witness to the world. This period of time will be during the first half of the tribulation period when Jesus Christ opens the seals in heaven. The last half of the tribulation period is the Day of the Lord, and it is the time that the judgments of God are rained down upon the world.

c. It is during these 42 months that Christians will be turned over to the Antichrist to be purged and purified according to Daniel 7:25. The main body of the Church is left behind after the Firstfruits Rapture of the faithful ones, and it is the unfaithful Church that is persecuted by Antichrist.  

(Dan 7:25 KJV)  And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints (i.e., Christians) of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they (i.e., Christians) shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time (i.e., 42 ½ months).

6.  And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven.  

a. Antichrist will even blaspheme God's character and authority (i.e., “his name”). He will also blaspheme God’s tabernacle, which is the Church still on the earth, and them in the Church that have been taken to heaven to dwell (i.e., “them that dwell in heaven”). This verse confirms the separation where some of the Church is still on the earth, but some have been taken to heaven to dwell.  

b. God only tabernacles (i.e., indwells) the Church, and not the Jews or the Gentiles who will be saved during the tribulation period. Therefore, this verse proves that at least part of the Church is still upon the earth at the time that Antichrist is railing against God and his people. Antichrist does not turn against the Jews until the last half of the tribulation period when his 42 months have ended. The Church will be persecuted severely during the first half of the tribulation period.  

c. The book of Habakkuk describes this persecution of the Church (i.e., righteous Gentiles) during the first half of the tribulation period, and the Jews during the last half of the tribulation period. Please see my exegesis on the book of Habakkuk for these details, including the details about the mortal head wound of Antichrist.  

7.  And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.  

a. This verse describes the campaign that Antichrist will wage against the Church.  The Church is referred to as saints numerous times throughout the New Testament. Antichrist will operate unchecked by the Holy Spirit so he will be able to physically overcome Christians throughout the 42 months. Even though they will be overcome physically, they can still be overcomers spiritually as described in chapters 7 and 12. The generic term, “saints”, is used here for God’s people because it includes Church, saved Jews (i.e., the 144,000) and Gentiles saved after the Separation. The term “saints” is more inclusive than the term Church, but it includes the Church still on the earth during the first half of the tribulation period.

b. This verse states that Antichrist's power and authority will manifest itself over the whole earth, as it will be over all kindreds, tongues and nations. The following verse in Habakkuk has reference to this exerting his authority to other nations besides New Babylon:  

(Hab 2:5 KJV)  Yea also, because he transgresseth by wine, he is a proud man, neither keepeth at home, who enlargeth his desire as hell, and is as death, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and heapeth unto him all people:

8.  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.  

a. This verse confirms that the whole earth will worship Antichrist except for those elect whose names were written in the book of life of the Lamb. Thus, no spiritually reborn person will worship the Antichrist.  

b. It is important to note that this verse is referring to everyone whose name was not originally written in the book of life. This encompasses all believers whether they remained faithful or not. This distinction is important since numerous Christians who are not over-comers will have their names blotted out of the book of life. It is also important to note that having one's name blotted out of the book of life pertains to the loss of reward and the loss of the soul, and not the loss of spirit salvation.

9.  If any man have an ear, let him hear.  

a. A special admonition and command is appended to this vision of Antichrist making war against the saints and overcoming them. This warning is given in the following verse.  

10.  He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.  

a. The warning is not to physically resist Antichrist and his followers. The warning is that of retributive justice. If the saints attempt to take captives, they will be made captives. If the saints attempt to kill with the sword, they will be killed with the sword. The battle will be moral and spiritual, and not physical. Christians are not to resist physically even if it means death. The example to follow is that of the martyrs of the Inquisition, and the Christians who died under the persecutions of Rome. Revenge belongs to the Lord, and He will repay. The verse ends with the summation that the patience and faith of the saints will be severely tried. The following verse is in reference to these Christians who will be martyred during the 42-month reign of Antichrist:

(Rev 6:9-10 KJV)  And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: {10} And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?  

b. This completes the description of the unchecked reign of Antichrist upon the earth for 42 months. The following verse describes the rise to power of the False Prophet. The False Prophet will be the leader of Ecclesiastical Babylon, which is described in Revelation 17. Religious Babylon is the harlot religious system that exerts its power over the kings of the earth. The Bible clearly places the headquarters of this religious system in Rome. It is not coincidence that the Vatican is located in Rome.  

c. Enough prophecy has been fulfilled at the present time to understand that the False Prophet will follow in the footsteps of the Antichrist in that he will apparently die and the whole world will mourn his death. His funeral was the largest spectacle in history, even receiving more honor, glory and attention than Antichrist at his funeral. The funeral of the False Prophet has provided virtually trillions of dollars in publicity to Ecclesiastical or Religious Babylon.  

d. The interim leader of Ecclesiastical Babylon is continuing the policies of the False Prophet even down to reassigning the same staff to their same positions, except for his own replacement. The interim leader has already emphasized that the focus of his reign will be ecumenical in nature. He has even stated that one of their primary goals at present is to build a bridge to Islam. Thus, the one world religion under Ecclesiastical Babylon is working hard to gather all religions under its power. The “resurrection” of the False Prophet after the “resurrection” of Antichrist will culminate in religious power being centered in the Vatican on the Seven Hills of Rome. More will be explained on this in the exegesis of Chapters 17 and 18.  

11.  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.  

a. The False Prophet is described as coming up out of the earth as opposed to the Antichrist coming up out of the sea. Antichrist is closely associated with the sea, but the False Prophet is closely associated with the earth. It is highly significant that Pope John Paul II arose to power out of Poland. The word Poland literally means the people of the earth. Thus, John Paul II is a person who literally came up out of the earth. His mother was also a Jew, which makes him a Jew. In Scripture, the figurative meaning of the earth pertains to Israel while the figurative meaning of the sea pertains to the Gentiles. Thus, John Paul II literally and figuratively came up out of the earth. The Scriptures strongly indicate that both Antichrist and the False Prophet will be Jews.  

b. The two horns are literally fulfilled in the miter that the Pope wears. The miter has two peaks—one on the front and one on the back—that resemble horns. The figurative meaning of the "two horns like a lamb" ties him in to Christianity and the apparent meekness that goes along with lamb's character. It is also very significant that horns represent power in the Bible, and the miter of the pope is his symbol of power and authority.  

c. Even though he will appear as a Christian and represent himself as being the Christian leader of the world, he will actually receive his authority from Satan, and the words that the False Prophet speaks will be the words of Satan. This is what is meant by the clause "he spake as a dragon." The dragon is the figure or symbol for Satan.  

d. The sea also represents that which is unsettled or tumultuous while the earth represents that which is settled. The politics of the world is always unsettled and tumultuous, while religious sentiments and systems have always been more firm and fixed than political systems. This is clearly seen in the rapid change of political systems in countries throughout the world, while the papal worship system has remained virtually unchanged for over a thousand years. The same blasphemous and heretical traditions are maintained today that existed under the early papal system of worship, and the Pope remains the leader of this system.  

e. Pope John Paul II supposedly died on April 2nd 2005, but there were several mysterious circumstances that strongly indicate that he is not dead. Even though his body was not embalmed, he lay in state for six days with no noticeable deterioration in his body. The weather was unseasonably hot, but his body appeared to weather the heat without swelling up, turning black or exhibiting other ill effects typical of dead bodies that have not been embalmed. The official spokesman of the Vatican would only state that John Paul II was not embalmed, but that his “body was prepared.” The spokesman used carefully chosen words and would not expound on the procedures followed in preparing his body. The Vatican is highly adept in preparing wax figures of popes for the wax museum, so the preparation of a wax corpse would be a simple matter. The statement that his body was prepared could very well be alluding to the preparation of a wax figure of his body. The Vatican has done this in the distant past for dead bodies. The Vatican has even used the bones of deceased individuals and encased the bones in a wax replica of the individual’s body. Simply put, the Vatican is highly adept in making images of all kinds for saints and popes.  

f. Pope John Paul II had previously requested to be buried in his beloved Poland, but he mysteriously changed his mind and agreed to be buried at the Vatican under St. Peter’s Basilica. There was one highly publicized request that he was to be buried “in the natural earth”—unlike the rest of the popes. This request has apparently set the stage for the prophetic fulfillment of the clause “coming up out of the earth”. John Paul’s “body” was “buried” in his miter, so any rising up out of the earth would include his two horns.  

g. There is speculation that John Paul II did not actually die, but was merely incapacitated and unfit to continue in office. Instead of stepping down, his death from septic shock was announced, and a wax figure of the Pope was put on display for the world to mourn and for the most spectacular funeral in the history of mankind. The death of the Pope certainly gained more honor, glory and attention to the Babylonian Mystery Religion than a disabled Pope stepping down from office could ever achieve. It also sets the stage for the resurrection of the False Prophet “out of the earth” and his coming to power, miraculously healed from his Parkinson’s disease. Satan can heal Parkinson’s disease, but he cannot raise people from the dead. Of course, Antichrist must first be “resurrected” from the dead and ascend out of the abyss as the beast out of the sea, before the False Prophet can ascend out of the earth. It is no coincidence that the bronze casket of Antichrist was cast into the depths of the sea. This information was highly publicized about 40 years after it mysteriously disappeared.  

12.  And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.

a. Just as Antichrist will be Satan's copy of Jesus Christ, the False Prophet will be Satan's copy of the Holy Spirit.  Of course, Satan himself is a copy of God the Father.  Therefore, this blasphemous trio will be the satanic trinity.  Just as the Holy Spirit causes people to worship Jesus Christ, the False Prophet will cause people to worship the Antichrist.  

b. This verse confirms that the power of the False Prophet comes from Satan just like the power of the Antichrist comes from Satan.  

c. This verse also reiterates the fact that Antichrist will recover from a seemingly fatal death wound that had the whole world deceived into believing that he was dead. The mortal head wound refers to the apparent death of Antichrist, and to the apparent death of the Roman Empire. Both are revived to reign over the earth along with the False Prophet who will also apparently come back from the dead.  

13.  And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,  

a. The False Prophet will perform miracles as part of his deception of the world. One of these miracles will be fire coming down from heaven in the sight of men. This verse clearly qualifies this fire as being in the sight of men.  Thus, it is unnecessary that the fire actually come down from heaven, but only that men will see apparent fire coming down from heaven. It is highly significant that this is exactly what happened in the vision of Fatima. Thousands of people testified that they actually saw the sun in a fireball descend from heaven upon the people, and then ascend back into heaven. It is very important to note that even though thousands of people observed this phenomenon, some people at the scene of the phenomenon saw nothing miraculous happen. Therefore, this great wonder could be a repeat on a much larger scale of the same type of deception through some type of mass hysteria.  Satan did this once at Fatima, Portugal, so he could repeat it.  It is also significant that the Pope is enamored with the vision at Fatima, and he has stated that the Virgin Mary is going to do something wonderful in the future to reveal her son to the world. This is apparently when the Pope will point his finger at Antichrist and identify him as "the Christ." Millions of people caught up in the New Age doctrines will immediately be deceived into believing that Christ has returned to earth. This deception is described in the following verse.  

14.  And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.  

a. This verse confirms that the False Prophet will cause the Antichrist to be worshipped, and he will even cause some kind of image of the Antichrist to be made.  The exact form this image will take may be a mystery until the prophecy is fulfilled.  Only one image is spoken of, but in regard to the sense, a multitude of images is meant.  Therefore, it seems probable that the television will be the medium in which the one image is multiplied throughout the millions of households in the world.  This would give a sort of ubiquitous presence of the Antichrist and mimic the omnipresence of God.  This would greatly facilitate his worship in all parts of the world.  

b. This verse also states for the third time that Antichrist was apparently dead, but somehow he miraculously survived.  It is ironic that numerous Christians refuse to believe the identity of the Antichrist simply because the man is believed to be dead by the entire world.  It would be ludicrous to look for Antichrist among the living when the Scriptures are so emphatic about his apparent death as far as the world is concerned.  The world is absolutely certain that Antichrist is dead.  Otherwise, the world would not be astonished when he miraculously appears alive.  

15.  And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.  

a. The False Prophet has the power to give spirit or breath (not life) unto the image of the beast, that the image should speak and cause those who do not worship the image to be killed.  It seems that since television is the most likely medium for the image to be transmitted throughout the world, the spirit that is given to the image would have to refer to the television signals that are transmitted around the world.  There was no word for television waves at the time Revelation was written, so the word for spirit, pneuma, would be the most accurate word to describe one image being converted into electromagnetic waves, and transformed into multiple images in millions of homes around the world.  This would be the form in which all the people of the world would be required to bow down and worship the image of the beast in their own homes.  There will have to be some kind of verification that everyone is participating in this worship of the beast.  The following verses describe the verification process that will be employed.  

16.  And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:  

a. The False Prophet will require that everyone bow down and worship the image of the beast in order to receive his identification mark so that he will be able to participate in the new cashless monetary system.  

b. The mark is already being used in animals, and some famous individuals such as the children of Prince Charles have supposedly already taken the mark as a security measure against kidnapping.  

c. The mark is a tiny transponder the size of a large grain of rice.  It transmits a number in the form of the bar code when a scanner is waved over the place where the mark has been inserted under the skin with a needle.  

17.  And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.  

a. The only way a person will be able to participate in the monetary system of the Antichrist will be to receive the mark in the right hand, or in the forehead in the event that both hands have been amputated.  

b. It is now well known that every bar code is encoded with three identical symbols incorporated into the mark that are identical to three sixes when seen by the naked eye.  However, the presence of extra or less spacing before the symbol, the computer reads the symbols as the starting, separating and stopping point in reading the entire mark.  The computer reads all of the other symbols in the mark as numbers.  Several books have recently been published explaining this mark in detail.  

18.  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.  

a. This verse refers to the three sixes that are included in the bar code making up the mark of the beast.  Six is the number of man, since man was created on the sixth day.  Six is just one number short of the spiritually perfect number of seven.  It is the number of imperfection, the human number, the number of man as destitute of God, without God, and without Christ.  The three sixes together is the picture of man attempting to be God, but failing miserably.   

b. The attempt by many to make the name of Antichrist add up to 666 may have some merit, but it is unnecessary to prove the identity of the Antichrist.  Almost anyone’s name can be made to add up to 666 when numerous variations and methods are attempted.  The identity of the Antichrist is common knowledge to numerous Christians, because of his fulfillment of numerous prophecies, and not because someone was able to get his name to add up to 666.  The incorrectly translated phrase "for it is the number of a man" should have been translated "for it is the number of man."  The number of man as a triune being consisting of body, soul and spirit is 666.  It is only with the addition of God's number of 111 that man becomes spiritually complete or perfect as 777.  Man without God can never measure up to spiritual perfection.  

c. Please note that the mark is the "name" of the beast or the "number of his name". The name symbolizes a person's authority or character. For example, when the Scriptures tell us to pray in the name of Jesus, it means that we are to pray in his power and his authority. Ending our prayers "In Jesus Name" is not praying in the power and authority of Jesus Christ. We pray in the Name of Jesus when we crucify the old flesh nature and allow His Character and His Authority to be manifested in our lives. The name of Antichrist is the same. The mark of Antichrist is the symbol of his power and authority. The mark is the universal bar code, which is not a number but a series of marks or etchings. However, these etchings can be computed or counted as numbers. The scanners read these etchings and print out a number. Therefore, the mark is a number, and it is the symbol of his power and authority. Every bar code has three etchings that can be read by the naked eye as 666. However, the computer scanner reads these etchings as delimiters for reading the data. Consequently, every bar code mark contains three sixes, and these three sixes symbolize the power and authority of Antichrist. To grasp this in a simple straightforward manner, simply insert the word "authority" in the place of name in the above Scriptures, and you have the meaning of the verse:  

(Rev 13:16 NIV)  He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead,

(Rev 13:17 NIV)  so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the AUTHORITY of the beast or the number of his AUTHORITY.

(Rev 13:18 NIV)  This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.  

The number 666 is man's number and it represents the power and authority of Antichrist. It is this mark with the number 666 in it that allows Antichrist to have authority over the masses. It will be used to coerce people into worshipping him.