Revelation 13 Footnotes

13:11-15 The second beast, the false prophet (16:13), is empowered to do “all kinds of false miracles, signs, and wonders” (2Th 2:9), including having power over fire, similar to the two witnesses (Rv 13:13; see 11:5).

13:16-18 The “mark” of the beast is in contrast to the seal (7:3-4) and the name of the Lamb and the Father (14:1) on the foreheads of the 144,000. Many have attempted to calculate not just the number (666) but also the exact identity of the man to whom it refers. Since 1Jn 2:18 states that “many antichrists have come” (i.e., as foreshadowing the ultimate antichrist figure), there may be some marginal usefulness in noting that names like Nero and Hitler can be shown to have a numerological value of 666 by assigning a numerical value to each letter of the alphabet. However, it is wise to realize that such a numerological calculation will be clear only as the actual events unfold.