Can You Count Six Hundred Three Score and “six”? Making

8/14/2019 Can You Count Six Hundred Three Score and six? Making

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CAN YOU COUNT SIX HUNDRED THREE SCORE AND SIX?

Making AssumptionsBefore conversion many in the Body of Christ, God's Church, heard one

of God's servants ask, Why do you believe what you believe? Whether this

question was asked in print, on the radio, on the TV, or via the Internet, for

many it was the spark for understanding God's truth. Why do you believe

what you belive?, when examined deeply, helps dispel assumptions about

God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Bible. God's word asks people to

always deal with assumptions: Prove all things; hold fast that which is

good (1 Thessalonians 5:21, King James Version throughout, unless

otherwise noted). This tells God's people to strive to not take anything forgranted. It is obvious that no one Church of God has a corner of the market

on the truth. However, how many of God's people are still believing

assumptions? How many of God's people are asking themselves, and asking

God, if they still could be believing assumptions today? Sometimes long held

beliefs, beliefs seemlingly passed down from generation to generation, from

age to age, end up being nothing but assumptions.

When it comes to finding these assumptions out the Holy Bible is what

needs to be examined thoroughly. Other sources can also be used to makesure God's people do truly Prove all things.... For years now most in God's

Church have a regognition of Revelation 13:18: 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. Among such

translations as the New International Version (NIV), George Lamsa's

translation from Aramaic (LAB), the New American Standard New

Testament(NAS), and theNew American Bible (NAB), only theKing James

Version (KJV) writes the numberof the beast out so it can be counted. Thenumber of the beast is to be counted using the Greek numeration system.

That is, taking letters from the Greek alphabet and and adding up the value

of each letter. In the case of Revelation 13:18: ...the number of the man... is

what is to be counted, and the Greek numeration system is to be used.


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Why has it been said above that some other translations of the Bible do

not interpret Revelation 13:18 correctly? This article is written to show that

the number of the beast, this 666, is a long held belief that needs to be re-

examined. In all fairness to the other translations of the Bible, even the KJV

does not translate the number of the beast correctly. However, the KJV

comes closes to translating the beast's number using the Greek numerationsystem. Notice how other translations interpret Revelation 13:18, the last

part: NIV: His number is 666. LAB: ...his number six hundred and sixty-

six. NAS: ...and his number is six hundred and sixty-six. And the NAB:

The man's number is six hundred sixty-six. The beginning of this article

quoted 1 Thessalonians 5:21, KJV. Before we start dismissing any claims

made concerning God's word, 1 Thessalonians 5:21 has to be firmly planted

in our hearts. Claims have been made, now they need to be proved.

What the Greek Really Says

For the above claims to be proved we need to look at Revelation 13:18,

the last part, from the Greek language. But Revelation 13:18, the last part,

can't be looked at like its Greek to me. Some may look at Revelation 13:18

and say that. However, God's people can understand. After all, the the word

Revelation means from the Greek, (I) Disclosure:--be revealed. So then

what does Revelation 13:18, the last part, say from the Greek? To understand

what the Greek really says concerning Revelation 13:18 we look in The NewStrong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. The entry from Strong's for

Revelation 13:18 involving the number of the beast, from the Greek

concordance, is #5516. Except for the third one, these letters are found in the

Greek Alphabet. All of these letters, however, are found in the numeration

table for Greek letters. The numeration table takes the specific letters of the

Greek Alphabet and gives these letters a numerical value. So from the

numerical table we come up with: =600, =60, and what is the letter is suppose to =6. This is how those who are watching are to count the number

of the beast.


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Notice that when God inspired the Apostle John to write this passage of

scripture God didn't lead John to write the Greek words for600, 60, and 6.

God led John to write the Greek letters so these letters could be numerated.

The Greek words for 600, 60, and supposedly 6 are: 600 =Strong's Greek

entry #1812, , English, hexakosioi; 60 =Strong's Greek entry

#1835, , English, hexekonta; and 6= Strong's Greek entry #1803, ,English, hex. Normal entries for 600, 60, and 6 in the New Testament will

translate to the above words. One example to look up is found in Revelation

14:20. The Greek for six hundred in Revelation 14:20 when the word six

is looked up is entry #1812, and this translates to hexakosioi. What is

curious is that when the word hundred is looked up for Revelation 14:20

the entry is #5516. Evidently, and this only speculation, the word hundred

needs to be numerated, while the word six doesn't need to be. Unless there

is an error in the entries, this is what the Greek says for Revelation 14:20.Another example is found in Mark 4:8 for the word sixty. The entry for

sixty is #1835, as we have translated, and the English word is hexakonta.

God doesn't use these Greek words when one looks up the entry in the

concordance for Revelation 13:18, the last part. As mentioned earlier, what

the Greek says is . Two of these letters are in the Greek Alphabet but to

count the value of them they need to be numerated.

To see things more clearly, the following numeration table is from The

Volume Library, Copyright 1976, page 1510:GREEK SYSTEM OF NUMERATION

Modern Hindu- Greek Greek

Arabic Numerals Symbol Name

1 alpha

2 beta

3 gamma

4 delta5 epsilon

6 * digamma

7 zeta

8 eta

9 theta


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10 iota

20 kappa

30 lambda

40 mu

50 nu60 xi

70 omicron

80 pi

90 ** koppa

100 rho

200 sigma

300 tau

400 upsilon

500 phi

600 chi

700 psi

800 omega

900 *** sampi

(The Greek Symbol with the single asterisk means the author found the small

case letter for the Greek digamma, but didn't find the upper case for theGreek digamma in the Character Map set. The Greek Symbol with the two

asterisks means the author found the small case letter for the Greek koppa,

but didn't find the upper case for the Greek koppa in the Character Map set.

The Greek Symbol with the three asterisks means the author found the small

case letter for the Greek sampi, but didn't find the upper case for the Greek

sampi in the Chracter Map set.)


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Notice the entry for the value or numeral for 6. When looking at the

interpretation of Strong's for entry #5516, the number of the beast, the

letter and value interpretations match for , chi, equaling 600, and ,

xi, equaling 60. But the letter and value interpretation does not match for

F, English, or , Greek, digamma. Notice this discrepancy in Strong'sentry #5516 and in the above table. James Strong interprets the last letter , as stigma, not digamma in the lower case. The entry #5516 does use a small case and a small case , but, as far as the author sees it, this

entry does not use a upper case F, English, or a lower case , Greek, for the value of 6. If the number of the beast is 600, 60, and 6, then why do the

first two Greek letters match their interpretations but the last one does not?

An interesting discovery, though, is inserting the three Greek letters

from entry #5516 in a Micosoft Word document in Windows XP Home

Edition. This is done by choosing the Insert menu option and then choosingthe Special Character option, then from there choosing Symbol. One will

find two of the Greek letters needed, but what will not be found is the letter

for digamma. The interesting discovery, however, is found reading off the Greek letters until coming to the letter for an upper case V. The Greek

letter is . Now look back and notice how the from the Symbol option

and the from the Character Map set are alike. As discovered, the letter from the Symbol option is a upper case V in the Greek. As we go on we will

see the significance in this. Now putting the three Greek letters in a Worddocument we come up with . Next, checking this with the thesaurus, we don't get an interpretation of the last letter, the stigma. But when the

stigma is substituted with the letter for the upper case V from the Symbol

option, we come up with . Then checking this with the thesaurus we get


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the interpretation cxV. Read what the Volume Library, Copyright 1976,

page 1328 says: ...the Romans borrowed their alphabet from the Etruscans

and not directly from the Greeks. The sound f did not occur in Greek, but

was common in both Latin and Etruscan. The Etruscans had experimented

with three ways of symbolizing this sound. One of the ways was to combine

the letter F (Greekdigammapronounce as w) and H to represent the sound off; this usage also appears on the ancient Roman brooch....the Romans had

dropped the H and thereafter used only F to indicate the soundf. Moreover,

the Romans had a w sound, and if they has borrowed the alphabet directly

from the Greeks, they would almost certainly have kept the Greek F (with its

w sound) for the Latin w sound. In the light of the above, the author will

show reliable sources that the Greek F, English, or the , Greek, can also take the sound of the V or v. Are the readers starting to see the significance

between the Greek letter for the upper case V and the Greek letter forStigma?

Moving along, even though the last letter in entry #5516 may not be in

the small case, Word Windows XP Home Edition does interpret the first two

Greek letters in the small case because this how they are written in the Greek.

Read what James Strong in his concordance says after entry #5516: ...the

22nd , 14th , and an obsol. (obsolete) letter (4742 as a cross) of the Greek

alphabet (intermediate between the 5th and 6th ), used as numerals; denoting

respectively 600, 60, and 6; 666 as a numeral :- six hundred threescore andsix. Going over the above we uncover a few things. First, the last letter,

accordingto Strong, is an obsolete letter of the Greek alphabet. Which means

it is no longer a letter in the Greek alphabet. Looking at a modern Greek

alphabet table shows this is true. Next, Strong says this obsolete letter used

to be between the present-day 5th and 6th letters of the Greek alphabet. Then,

third, James Strong says the third letter of entry #5516 has entry #4742 as a

cross or cross-reference. So we are taken to entry #4742.


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Entry #4742 is from the Greek , and is translated stigma.Read

what James Strong says for this: From a prim. (primary) stizo (to

stick, i.e. prick); a markincised or punched (for regognition of ownership),

i.e. (fig.) scarof service :-mark. James Strong does not interpret the third

letter as digamma, which is the appropriate interpretation for the value of 6,

he interprets the third letter as stigma or mark. Why? If the number of thebeast is 600, 60, and 6, the Greek entry #5516 should say chi xi digamma,

with these names and their corresponding letters, according to the numeration

table, translating to 600, 60, and 6. Check it out! But Strong does not

interpret the Greek into chi xi digamma, it is chi xi mark. So how can the

number of the beast be 600, 60, and 6? According to Strong it is 600, 60,

mark.

Most Christians probably have not studied out this area of prophecy,

and thought much about what the Greek language really says. For instance,many have thought or assumed the mark of the beast is Sunday Worship.

This belief has been ingrained into people without any thought to where it

came from. It has been passed down from generation to generation in God's

Church, so it has been accepted. When looking at the Greek entry for mark

from Revelation 13:16-17, however, the translation has nothing to do with

Sunday Worship. Read what the entry #5480 from Strong's Concordance

does say: charagma...from the same as 5482; ascratch oretching,

i.e. stamp (as a badge of servitude), orsculpturedfigure (statue) :- graven,mark. The idea that the mark of the beast is Sunday Worship is read into

Revelation 13:16-17, but the mark from the Greek does not say this. Greek

entry #5480 says the mark here is an actual mark that all under a certain

system will have to have applied. Many have said in God's Church to let the

Holy Bible interpret itself. But some in God's Church have failed to take their

own advice.


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Why does James Strong translate the last letter after as stigma

instead of the usual Greek letter F, in English, or , in Greek, which would supposedly numerate to 6? So then the translation is 600 ( ), 60

( ), mark. But everybody seems to think it is suppose to be 600 (small ),

60 (small ), 6 (capitolF orsmallf) according to the numeration table. In the

May 2002 issue ofYahoo! Internet Life there is a web site called xe.com/ucc,which is a web site to CONVERT your money into the euro. If one has a

currency converter to look up the value of one's country's currency against

another country's currency, and looks up the currency for all of Europe,

which is not the euro, but the European Currency Unit, the prefix for the

European Currency Unit is XEU. Is it just happenstance that the prefix for the

European Currency Unit is equivalent to the Greek letters ( , ), which

numerate to 600, and 60? After all, Revelation 13:17 says there will be no

buying or selling without the mark, or the name, or the number of thebeast. Will the European Currency Unit (xeu) have something to do with

Revelation 13:17-18.

The author is opened minded to those who believe the number of the

beast is 600, 60, and 6, but how are those conclusions drawn? Many things

need to be explained regarding the contradictions between what many believe

and what the Greek really says. If Biblical subjects aren't studied out to the

fullest then things become taken for granted. Those in God's Church could be

setting themselves up for great deception if they aren't careful.

Separating Letters and Values


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In this section we will take a more detailed look at the Greek Alphabet

on the one hand, and the Greek Numeration Table on the other hand. The two

tables will be compared so we can separate the letters from the numeration

values. The first point to notice is how there are 24 letters in the alphabet, but

there are 27 values in the numeration table. The Greek Alphabet leaves out

the following Greek values, or symbols: F, English, or , Greek, with the Greek name digamma, the lower case , Greek name koppa, (notice the table), and the lower case , Greek name sampi, (notice the table). As far as the Greek Alphabet is concerned the above values may still be on

the Greek Numeration Table, but they are obsolete for the alphabet. This is

why the Greek Alphabet has 24 letters in it. The next point is that although

there are 24 letters in the alphabet, each of these letters is given a value on

the numeration table. Looking at the previous numeration table confirms this.

In the same way, even though the above three values of the three names,digamma, koppa, and sampi, are on longer on the alphabet, they still will

numerate a value. These points show how the letters in the Greek Alphabet

have to be viewed differently from the values in the Greek Numeration Table.

So how does this knowledge have to do with Revelation 13:18? This

specifically concerns the last letter regarding the number of the beast,

which supposedly numerates the value of 6. While the first two letters, chi

and xi, in the Greek Alphabet do numerate to the values 600, and 60, the last

letter , when supposedly interpreted to digamma, on one hand is obsoletebut yet numerates a value in the Greek Numeration Table. This value is 6.However, as we have shown James Strong does not translate the last letter to

the value of 6 with the Greek name digamma. He translates the last letter to

stigma, which means mark. So even though the last letter is separated from

the other two because it supposedly has a value but is no longer a letter in the

Greek Alphabet, Strong does not numerate the value as 6. It seems to appear

that James Strong does not give this last letter a numerical value at all.


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Now the third point in separating letters and values brings us to the

Phoenician Alphabet or letters being passed down to what we have in our

present English Alphabet. It was mentioned earlier that there are reliable

sources to show the Greek , named digamma, supposedly translated in Revelation 13:18, can take the sound of a v. Notice the table below showing

the Phoenician Alphabet in the I position, and the phases it went through toour present English Alphabet. Counting down six places brings us to what

looks like a Y, then move across through the next position ( II ) which is

the early Greek Alphabet. Then also read the later Greek in the III position.

Now in the IV position is what became the Latin Alphabet. There is the

evidence the sixth letter of the Greek Alphabet taking a v sound. And of

course, in the English Alphabet f is the sixth letter. Notice in the English

Alphabet how the v, and the u were given their own sounds and thus

expanding the alphabet. The Greeks eventually gave the u its own sound alsoas it became Upsilon, and the Greek letter for Upsilon in the upper case is

. So when the Word Processing program was used in Windows XP Home

Edition, clicking insert on the menu choice, then special character, and

finally clicking symbol we get what is the Greek Alphabet among other

symbols. Sounding off the symbols until getting to the V in the upper case

brings one to the Greek letter . Notice how this symbol is alike to entry

#5516 in Srong's Concordance of the Greek New Testament. It is interesting

that this Word Processing program includes the upper case translation in theGreek for the V. In this case this symbol for the V in the Greek is separate

from the Greek Alphabet because there is no symbol or name for V in the

Greek Alphabet, that is according to Strong's Concordance of the New of the

New Testament. Even the supposed symbol for F, in English, or , in Greek , as in Strong's entry #5516, the , is not in the Greek Alphabet anymore. Just as James Strong says under entry #5516, the third letter is obsolete. But this

lower case does numerate to a value, and as we have seen its value is six. Notice the above table again.


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To understand why there is and why there was a separation of the Greek

Alphabet and the Greek Numeration System we read from a source about the

Greeks. Notice: But styles of dress, decorative art, and practical methods of

the craftsmen were not the only things which the Phoenician merchants were

bringing into Greece. For the Greeks now received from the Phoenicians a

priceless gift, far more valuable than all the manufactured wares of theOrient. Indeed, it was the most imporant foreign contribution that ever

reached Europe. This new gift was an alphabet. Between 1800 and 1600 BCthe western Semites near Egypt had devised an alphabet drawn from

Egyptian hieroglyphs. The Phoenicians adopted this system of twenty-two

alphabetic signs for writing their own language. It contained no signs for

syllables, but each sign represented a single consonant. There were no signs

for vowels, which remained unwritten. The western Semites were thus the

first to devise a system of writing containing only alphabetic signs, that is,true letters. In the twelfth century BC the Phoenicians were already giving up

the inconvenient Babylonian clay tablet and importing great quantities of

papyrus paper from Egypt. The Phoenicians arranged their new letters in a

convenient order, so that the whole twenty-two might form a fixed list, easily

learned. Such a list could not be learned without giving to each letter a name

(emphasis mine). They called the first letter of the alphabet ox, because the

Phoenician word for ox, that is aleph, began with the first letter. The second

letter of the alphabet they called house, because beth, the Phoenician wordfor house, began with the second letter, and so on. This was not unlike our

old primers, where our Grandfathers learned to say: 'A is for axe, B is for

bed,' etc. When the children of the Phoenician merchants learned their

letters and were called upon to repeat the alphabet, they therefore began:

'Aleph, beth,' etc., as if our children were to say: 'Axe, bed,' etc., instead of

'A, B,' etc1 (Ancient TimesA History of the Early World: Volume IIThe

Greeks, pages 329-330, by James Henry Breasted).

1 There is some question as to the Phoenicians really having their own alphabet. Their

alphabet is much like that of the Hebrew Alphabet. Biblical and archeological

evidence is suggesting that the Phoenicians borrowed from the Hebrew Alphabet, and

not the other way around as the so-called scholars have long contended.


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We see how the Phoenician letters were given names at first to represent

things in their culture. These letters were just consonants with no syllables,

and no vowels came to be either. The table shows how the Phoenician letters

evolve into our present alphabet with syllables, consonants, and vowels to

make words. Read further from the Greeks: The Phoenicians also had a

literature chiefly religious. Their merchants kept all their business records atfirst on clay tablets but later in their new and convenient alphabet on papyrus.

We have seen that the Arameans carried the Phoenician alphabet from the

Aegean and the Mediterranean eastward through Asia to India. In western

Asia Minor and the Greek islands the Etruscans learned to use the Phoenician

alphabet, and later they carried it to Italy when they settled their. In the same

way it reached the Greeks, whom we have seen crowding around the

Phoenician ships. They often found the Phoenicians handling bits of pale-

yellow paper on which were written bills and lists of merchandise in strange black signs. These the Greeks viewed at first with misgivings, as being

mysterious and dangerous symbols. One of their songs of this age speaks of

them as 'baneful signs' (Page 331, emphasis mine). Notice that the alphabet

was used by the Phoenicians for business purposes. Read what page 332 of

the above book says regarding the alphabet used as a business application:

For a long time it (the alphabet) remained only a convenience in business

and administration... (emphasis mine).


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Those who have studied Revelation 13:16-18 see the connection with

the Greek Alphabet and the Greek Numeration Table. Referring to Revelation

13:18 concerning the number of the beast God doesn't use the normal

Greek words for 600, 60, and supposedly 6. God inspired John who wrote the

book of Revelation to put down Greek letters that need to be numerated, or

given a value. God says in Revelation 13:17: And that no man might buy orsell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his

name. Just as the alphabet, adopted by the Greeks from the Phoenicians,

who most likely adopted it from the Hebrews, see footnote 1, was used for

business purposes God in the same way brings this back. The three letters

having to do with the mark, the name, or the number are going to be tied into

an economic system set up by the beast, a political-economical leader

many believe will come from Europe. However, others believe this beast

personage will also have some Muslim extraction in him. Just as the Greekssaw the way the Phoenicians used the alphabet for business as baneful

signs, or evil signs, Christians see the same evil signs in Revelation

13:16-18. This political-economic system will not help this world and its

turmoil, it will in part lead to the brink of total destruction of the world. What

the Greek says translated to English in Revelation 13:18 is: = 600, = 60,

and = mark. All this equals 600, 60, mark. There is a distinction of the last

letter from the others because, according to Strong, it is obsoleteit is no

longer in the Greek Alphabet. However, it supposedly is in the numeration asthe value of 6. That is, if it is translated digamma as the before-mentioned

table shows. But once again, James Strong translates the last letter as stigma

not digamma. So how can the last letter, , have a value when it is not

translated to take a value? We have seen other obsolete letters, no longer in

the alphabet, but they still take a numeration value when applicable.

Digamma, or the small case in the Greek, still takes a numeration value also even if it is obsolete of the alphabet. But the translation in Revelation

13:18 in Strong's doesn't give the last letter a value. This entry is #5516.


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One intriguing question is why didn't God use the normal Greek words

for 600, 60? What is the difference if the same value is arrived at? One

answer to consider is that God used Greek letters that are numerated because

those letters have something directly to do with this economic system of the

beast. There is the possibility the numerated letters are part of the name of a

conglomeration that when applied correctly add up to 600, and 60. Thereforethe name of the beast is not the proper name of a person. It is the name of

an economic conglomerate.

We observed earlier that there is a web site called www.xe.com/ucc,

which is used to convert other countries' currency into the European

Currency Unit. The small x =Currency, the small e =European. Now look at

entry #5516 in Strong's Concordance, New Testament. One sees a small x

(Greek small ) that =600, and a small e (Greek small ) that =60. The author

doesn't believe this is just happenstance. These examples help answer somequestions but not all the questions. We will probably have to keep being

vigilant in order to answer more questions.

To gain more understanding on what we do know let's look at examples

of values in the Holy Bible. This will help us see why God did make a

distinction between normal Greek words and numerated Greek letters in

Revelation 13:18. Read Revelation 14:20: And the winepress was trodden

without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse

bridles, by the space of a thousand six hundred furlongs. The word for sixhere is entry #1812, which is hexakosioi. This is the normal Greek word

for 600. The six is added to make six hundred. This difference is obvious

when things have to be numerated, as the entry is for #5516. What is curious,

though, is when looking at hundred in regard to Revelation 14:20 the entry

is, surprisingly, #5516. It appears that six hundred in one case isn't

numerated, that is when looking at six in Strong's Concordance. But in

another case it appears that six hundred is numerated, that is when looking at

six hundred in Strong's. The author doesn't know why there is the difference

in the two entries. But this curiosity makes the point about normal entries, on

one hand, and about numerated entries, on the other hand.
http://www.xe.com/ucchttp://www.xe.com/ucc


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Another example is found in Mark 4 in which Jesus Christ gives the

parable of the seed and the sower. Read then verse 20: And these are they

which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and

bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred. The

Greek entry for thirtyfold is #5144, and in Greek is trikonta, the entry for

sixty is #1835, and is hexakonta, and the Greek entry for hundred is #1540,and in Greek is hekaton. See that these entries aren't numerated. Normal

Greek words are used to define their values. However, when it comes to

numerating, 30 = , upper case, (notice the numeration table), , lower case,

and the symbol name is lambda. 60 = , upper case, (notice table), ,

lower case, and the symbol name is xi. And finally, 100 = , upper case

(notice table), , lower case, and the symbol name is rho. The author

believes there is a great significance in God using just letters that translate to

symbols, and these symbols that numerate to certain values. As we have seen,in Revelation 13:18 concerning the number of the beast, this 600, and 60,

one has to use a numeration table to interpret the symbol names correctly.

We will look at one more example. Then came Peter to him, and said,

Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven

times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until

seventy times seven (Matthew 18:21-22). As the other examples showed,

Greek words are used here to define seven and seventy. The Greek

entries for seven are #2033 and #2034, and in Greek are hepta andheptakis respectively. The Greek entry for seventy is #1441, and in Greek

is hebdomekontakis. But once again, when numerating there is a vast

difference. According to the numeration table 7 = , upper case, , lower

case, and the symbol name is zeta. Then 70 = , upper case, , lower case,

with the symbol name omicron. These scriptural examples are given to

show Christians the need to educate themselves on the differences between

the Greek Alphabet and the Greek Numeration Table. It needs to be stressed

that God doesn't use normal Greek words to interpret Revelation 13:18

regarding the number of the beast. God uses letters, or symbols, with

symbol names, that have to be numerated, or given a value. When the readers

start to study in depth Revelation 13:16-18, they will be directed by God's

word to familiarize themselves with Greek numeration.


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The coming section will go into more detail on whether or not the

mark of the beast has a value. What the Hebrew Alphabet says on this will

also be examined.

Does The Mark Have A Value

To many Christians the mark probably doesn't have a value becausethey haven't viewed Revelation 13:18 as saying anything about a mark.But

this has been based on a huge assumption. Few, it seems, have studied

Strong's interpretation of Revelation 13:18 for the number of the beast, let

alone have studied Greek numeration. We have shown conclusively, and

without a doubt, this author contends, in order for the number of the beast to

be 600, 60, and 6, the 6 value would be translated digamma. Just as the

numeration table reveals. But as has been said numerous times, James Strong

doesn't translate the last letter to, this small , digamma, he translates the last letter to, , stigma, which means mark. This can be checked by looking up entries #5516 and #4742 in the Greek New Testament

concordance.

So now the question we have to examine is whether or not the mark has

or can take a value. Just because Strong translates the last letter as stigma

doesn't necessarily mean it can't after all take a value. Let's look at some pros

and cons. The first point for the pro that the mark takes a value is found in

Strong's Greek New Testament entry #5516. Despite saying the last lettertranslates to stigma, Strong does mention in the description the letters do take

the numerals 600, 60, and 6. Most likely, this is where many Christians have

stopped studying this part of scripture and have settled on what has been

passed down. The con against the above, however, is that how can there be a

numeration value without the symbol name digamma? How can stigma take

the value of 6 when digamma is suppose to?


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This really brings up the question as to whether or not there is a

misinterpretation in Revelation 13:18. The translation says what it says in the

Greek, so the problem doesn't lie there. Books upon books have been written

about this, but none, if any, go in depth as to what the Greek really says.

Again, what the Greek really says! It can't be assumed the number of the

beast is 600, 60, and 6 just because this is what everybody believes. EvenBiblical Scholars have to set things straight as to why the value of 6 is called

stigma and not digamma. It just may be that the truth from the Bible has

become lax, and therefore what many Christians believe has become lax.

Another con to the mark having a value is found in the bookAlpha Beta

How 26 Letters Shaped The Western World, copyright 2000, by John Man.

On page 289, Appendix 2, Man lists different alphabets of some major

cultures. Turning to page 293 brings us to the Greek Alphabet. Going down

the alphabet table, stop at the symbol name digamma. What is listed after it?Nothing is. And the reason why is because this letter, in the upper F, as the

table shows, or in the lower , is obsolete. It is no longer used in the Greek Alphabet, especially in the New Testament of the Holy Bible. Strong's

Concordance of the Holy Bible in the back shows the Greek Alphabet and the

upper and lower case entries of digamma aren't found. Even James Strong in

his interpretation of #5516 calls the letter for digamma obsolete.


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Now as we have covered earlier, just because some letters are obsolete

doesn't mean they can't still take a value when numerated. Digamma is one

example that could numerate to the value of 6 where applicable. But this is

the whole point being made. How can stigma ever numerate to the value of 6,

and why would it ever replace digamma? So therefore how is it possible that,

even though James Strong calls the last letter in the number of the beast,entry #5516, stigma, it can take the value of 6? To numerate to the value of 6

the proper translation is the symbol name digamma. How could the value of 6

take any other symbol name? The author sees the answers to these questions

as pretty plain.

There is a final con for the mark of the beast taking a value, and this,

surprisingly, is found in the Hebrew Alphabet. An article in The Jerusalem

Connection publication called Learning The Letters helps us understand.

In class at Wheaton College Graduate School, I asked the late, great Hebrewscholar, Dr. Barton Payne, 'Dr. Payne, the 6th letter is written vov, vav, wow

and waw. I'm confused. Is it- w or v?' In his usual, enthusiastic approach,

this incredible teacher...paused, and said in a loud voice, 'Wow! What a

question!' Then he casually got up, continued the lesson, and nothing more.

That day I learned the original pronunciation of the 6 th letter of Hebrew.

However, today in Israel it is pronounced 'Vav.' So it will be (The Jerusalem

Connection, Spring 2002, page 14, by Pat Mercer Hutchens). If we go back

to the quote from The Volume Library, copyright1976, we saw that the Greeksymbol name digamma has or can take the w sound. And from the Greek

Alphabet Table in the book The Greeks, digamma can also take the v

sound. From the above article notice the correlation with the sixth letter in the

Hebrew Alphabet and the sixth letter in the ancient Greek Alphabet and its

evolution through Latin and English. Read more from the above article: Vav

is not as much a letter as a determinative, a graphic symbol to denote a class

or category, like stress marks, periods, commas, quotations and

parentheses...A determinative gives the reader informationlike a stop sign.

Vav is this type of unique, multi-purpose, chameleon-like sign (The

Jerusalem Connection, page 14).


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In the Hebrew Alphabet the declension of letters determines their

numeration value. For example, Alef =1, Bet =2, Gimel =3, and so on.

However, Pat Mercer Hutchens is saying that Vav, usually the value of 6,

can also mean a symbol for something. She says: Vav is not as much a letter

as a determinative, a graphic symbol to denote a class or category.... Do the

readers see what the author is getting at? James Strong translates the lastletter of the number of the beast as stigma, which takes no value, instead of

digamma which in Greek numeration takes the value of 6. These correlations

can't just be happenstance. When examined closely these correlations are

very significant. The parallels between what was once the 6th letter of the

Greek Alphabet, and its subsequent translation by James Strong in Revelation

13:18 as stigma, which doesn't have a value put as stigma, and the present 6th

letter of the Hebrew Alphabet, with its subsequent translation to also mean a

symbol for something, are plainly there. The 600 ( ) and the 60 ( ) in theGreek language of the New Testament may not have any translations or

parallels with the Hebrew language of the Old Testament. But the last letter,

according to Strong, in Revelation 13:18, once the 6th letter in the Greek

Alphabet, and the 6th letter in the Hebrew Alphabet have clear parallels. The

author believes the readers can put together these parallels and understand

what is being said.

So to the question: Does the mark have a value? After asking questions,

looking at the Greek and the Hebrew Alphabets, studying how things aretranslated, and researching the stigma character, the author believes the

answer is no! The mark doesn't have a numeration value. The author believes

James Strong calls the letter in the Greek in Revelation 13:18 stigma to set it apart from the other letters. The other letters on one hand translate to

numeration values, = 600 and = 60, with no discrepancies. But the last

letter in the number of the beast in Revelation 13:18, the above letter , on the other hand has great discrepancies in it having a numeration value of

6. Digamma should be the proper translation from the Greek Numeration

Table for the value of 6. Then why in the world does Strong translate it

stigma?


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Could this stigma be the answer to the mark of the beast? This is the

direction the author is leaning. Read Revelation 13:17, in the King James

Version, that sets a distinction the author feels there is in Revelation 13:18:

And no man might buy or sell, save he that has the the mark, or the name of

the beast, or the number of his name (emphasis mine). The word that is most

significant in Revelation 13:17 is or, because it sets the distinction betweenthe mark of the beast, the name of the beast, and the number of the

beast. If the word and was used this would probably imply that all three

of the above have to be applied to the inhabitants of the world in order to

buy or sell, as Revelation 13:17 says. But with the word or this implies

one or the other two separately have to be applied to buy or sell, run a

business, trade, and the such. This fact along with the translation by Strong as

stigma leads to this stigma, or mark, being distinct from the other letters.

Therefore the author concludes the mark doesn't have a value.

What Is A Stigma?

To understand the answer to the question: What is a stigma?, we will

look at a few sources. The first source is that of the dictionary. Read this from

Webster's Dictionary, 1977 edition, by Bookman's Press, page 366: n. brand;

mark of disgrace; stain on character; blemish on skin. This dictionary

definition of stigma is much like entry #4742 in Strong's Concordance for the

New Testament: stigma, from a prim. (primary) stizo (to 'stick,'i.e. prick); a mark incised or punched (for recognition of ownership), i.e.

(fig.) scar of service:-mark. These definitions help highlight what James

Strong is talking about in writing stigma instead of digamma in Revelation

13:18. Recall entry #5516 in Strong's, New Testament, the first part: chi xi

stigma; khee, xee, stigma; the 22nd , 14th , and an obsol. (obsolete) letter (4742

as a cross) of the Greek alphabet.... This is what God inspired the Apostle

John to write regarding the number of the beast in Revelation 13:18. And

again, the word stigma means mark.


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Now let's look at another source. This source is the bookAncient Greek,

copyright 2001, by Gavin Betts and Alan Henry. We simply turn to page 376,

and go down the page until we see tattoo-mark. Notice thedefinition for the word stigma is tattoo-mark. This definition doesn't just

say mark, as the above sources do, it says tattoo-mark. Need we have to

define what the word tattoo means or implies? These sources are plain, andclear as to what the stigma is in Revelation 13:18. The name of the beast,

or the number of the beast may not have to be applied on people in order

for them to buy, sell, trade, or run a business. However, the stigma, and its

definitions, seem to imply that this mark will be applied on people, like a

tattoo. This is all the more reason why the author believes the stigma is set

apart from the other letters, and symbol names, and why the stigma doesn't

have a value.

The third source for finding out what the stigma is, is the Holy Bible.Look at the only place in the Bible where the word stigma is used: ...for I

bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus (Galatians 6:17). The Greek

word for marks here is translated stigma. But this stigma that Paul is

speaking of, and that all true Christians should adhere to, has good meaning.

Christians suffer for the sake of what they are proclaiming to the world.

Sometimes there were literal marks left on Christians for their service to God

the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Read 2 Corinthians 6:4-6. Certainly in

the case of Paul he also had literal marks, as is found in 2 Corinthians11:23-27. The stigma in Revelation 13:18, however, has bad meaning. The

world's inhabitants will be subjected to an economic system that will force

allegiance on it. According to Revelation 13:2 the political-economical

beast will have power,...(a) seat, and great authority from the dragon,

or Satan the devil. The Greek letters along with the small case and the small case are truly baneful signs, as the bookThe Greeks says.


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Now, the Greek word for mark found in Revelation 13:16-17 is not

stigma. The Greek translation is , charagma, which means: a

scratch or etching, i.e. stamp, (as a badge of servitude),...:-graven, mark.

This entry in Strong's is #5480. Notice how this entry is very alike to entry

#4742. Some questions arise as to why there is the two definitions for

mark, entries #4742 and #5480, but yet having similarities. One answercould possibly be that #4742 is the mark of the beast itself. Entry #4742

says ...a MARK incised or punched... (emphasis mine). We can deduce

from the above that this is the literal mark, or, in the Greek, a tattoo-mark.

Then looking at #5480 it says: ...a SCRATCH orETCHING, i.e. STAMP...

(emphasis mine). We can deduce from the above that this is how the mark

of the beast is applied. The differences arise from the context they are found

in. The literal mark from #4742 is found in Revelation 13:18 speaking about

Greek letters and their translations and their numeration values. How themark is applied from #5480 is found in Revelation 13:16-17 speaking about

Greek words and their translations. Which ever context is used doesn't change

the fact that the mark of the beast won't be anything saving for the world.

Another source for explaining what the stigma is, is the bookAlpha

Beta, mentioned before, by John Man. On page 60, speaking about the

Chinese Alphabet, Man says: One final trait is unique to Chinese. In

evolving the scripts, scribes adopted the technique of welding the twoelementsdeterminative and the root wordto form a single diagram. In

hieroglyphic and cuneiform, by contrast, the determinative acts as a separate

unit. Man also says on page 57: Both hieroglyphic and cuneiform

contribute to the seedbed from which the alphabet sprang.


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Recall the parallels shown between the 6th letter of the Hebrew

Alphabet and the once 6th letter of the Greek Alphabet, the , which is now obsolete. The parallels show the similar v or w sounds in both alphabets,

ancient and modern. Read again what Pat Mercer Hutchens says of the

determinative Vav in the Hebrew Alphabet: Vav is not as much a letter as

a determinative, a graphic symbol to denote a class or category... (TheJerusalem Connection, spring 2002, page 14). Even the 6th letter found in the

Phoenician Alphabet, the letter looking like a Y, translates also to a V.

This fact is found on page 292 of John Man's bookAlpha Beta. This author

believes the stigma in Revelation 13:18, entry #5516, is a determinative and

is therefore separate from the other Greek letters found in that verse. James

Strong calls the last letter stigma, not digamma, in order to set it apart.

The last source for answering, What is a stigma?, is also found in the

Holy Bible. This is the whole chapter of Revelation 13. The readers aredirected to read this chapter to understand the kind of conditions that will be

in this world. Notice especially verse 6. To be caught in this situation will

mean allegiance to the power and authority of the beast. Those who find

themselves entrapped truly will have a stigma place on their lives. If any

man (person) have an ear, let him hear (Revelation 13:9).

We will conclude in the next section. This section will deal with why

God instructs his servants to count.

Why God Wants Us To Count


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To answer this section, Why God wants us to count, we will examine

some scriptures involving the word count. The first scripture is found in

Leviticus 23. This chapter introduces God's Festivals that coincide with his

plan for mankind. In verses 9-22 God reveals the Feast of Fruits, or

commonly called Pentecost. Read what verses 15-16 say: And ye shall count

unto you from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that ye brought thesheaf of the wave offering; seven Sabbaths shall be complete: even unto the

morrow after the seventh Sabbath shall ye number fifty days; and ye shall

offer a new meat offering unto the Lord (King James Version). The entry for

count in Strong's Concordance, Hebrew language, #5608. The definition

means, toscore with a mark as a tally or record, i.e. (by impl.) (implication)

to inscribe, and also to enumerate.... To figure Pentecost, 50 days have to be

counted with seven Sabbaths, or 49 days. The next day is Pentecost and will

always be on a Sunday. God here gives instruction to his servants to countthese days to figure Pentecost. What is asked is personal initiative on the part

of Believers to arrive at the proper date. However, on certain years there may

be 3 or 4 dates depending on when the count starts. So even with personal

initiative there is still the element of human imperfection. The point,

however, in God asking his followers to count is so they take the initiative.


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The second scripture involving the word count is found in Luke

14:28: For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first,

and counteth the cost, whether we have sufficient to finish it? The entry in

Strong's, Greek language, is #5585 and translates: psephizo,...to use

pebbles in enumeration, i.e. (gen.) to compute:- count. Jesus Christ givesmore explanation in verses 29-30 to show that before undertaking anything

one must ask what the price will be. This doesn't just apply to building things,

it also applies to the walk of Christians. Do Christians count the cost of

being in service to God and Jesus Christ? Do Christians have the marks of

the Lord Jesus? Or, would Christians rather not? The point God is making in

Luke 14:28 is the same point as in Leviticus 23:15-16.Personal initiative has

to be used to be diligent in counting the cost of what it means to be a

Christian.The last scripture that involves God wanting us to count is Revelation

13:18: Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of

the beast.... The word count here in the Greek is the same entry as is found

in Luke 14:28. This being entry #5585. Even though God knows how to

figure things in Revelation 13:18, he still asks Believers to figure it out

themselves. Again, like the other two scriptural examples, personal initiative

has to be given. But it is the fear of this author that too much is being

assumed in counting the number of the beast. How can one count 600, 60,and 6, when the Greek letters needed to numerate don't say this? is

translated correctly as 600, is translated correctly as 60, but the Greek letter

, according to James Strong, is not translated as 6. James Strong calls this last letter stigma, which means mark, or tattoo-mark. In order for

Christians to understand clearly, without assumptions, they need to heed

God's word. Notice: Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast

that which is good (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22, KJV). In the Greek the word

for prove is dikomazo...to test( lit. or fig.); by impl. to approve:-

allow, discern, examine,...prove, try.


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Before the author decided to write this how many Christians knew

clearly what the Greek said, how many knew God used letters that have to be

numerated? Did they know what those letters were before? The author no

doubt made assumptions, or else he wouldn't have had to write this. If many

Christians can't say off the top of their heads what is being said in the Greek

in Revelation 13:18, then how do they know they are right? Initiative has tobe applied in our lives so we dispel assumptions and understand things

clearly. Once initiative is taken then new doors are opended to deeper

understanding. And of course, initiative leads to a far, far more open mind.

This is probably in part what Paul meant in 1 Thessalonians 5:20 by

saying, Depise not prophesyings. Prophesyings here is translated to

prediction, and is from a related word prophet, which means forteller,

inspired speaker. So in essense Paul is telling Christians to not think nothing

of those who are revealing deeper truths from God's word. If one is inspiredby God to say truths and to say revelations, then this person should be

listened to with an open mind. It is the duty of all who have read this to

examine what has been presented. There are discrepancies that now need to

be addressed regarding accepted teachings on the number of the beast. No

more can Christians let others tell them what God's word says or doesn't say.

They have to take their own Holy Bibles and really, truly look for

themselves. Only in this way do Christians truly prove all things, especially

in this age of technology and this age of access to information.The author has presented information that he hopes will spark more

questions, more inquiries, and will lead to the desire to understand God's

word in a more profound way. So therefore, Can you count six hundred

threescore and six? The author hopes that whatever answer the readers

arrive at is no longer assumed or taken for granted. With that said, take to

heart the scripture found in Romans 16:25-26: Now to him that is of power

to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ,

according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the

world began, but now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets,

according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all

nations for the obedience of faith.


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Can You Count Six Hundred Three Score and “six”? Making

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