On Revelation 13
Firstly, I just want to say what a King of Kings and King of Drama.
Halfway through my bitching in a recent post, I found myself reading the interpretation of Revelation 13 on BibleRef and I got struck by lightning once again when I read the following.
Revelation 13:18
[18] This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666. (ESV)
What does Revelation 13:18 mean?
Other possibilities abound. Some are more obscure, and unlikely, than others. Ezra 2:13 gives the number of descendants of Adonikam as 666. Because “Adonikam” means “the lord who rises up” or “lord of the enemy,” a few interpreters suggest the beast who rises from the earth will bear the name Adonikam. The mathematical value of 6x6x6 is 216, leading some to believe that this number, not “six hundred and sixty six” will be the “number of the name” of the beast.
In reality, no one knows exactly what 666 means. We can only draw on basic concepts to understand some of its implications. For example, 6 is one short of 7, which is the biblical number of perfection. The number 6 represents imperfection and is therefore man’s number. God is perfectly holy—thrice holy—as the seraphim of Isaiah’s vision proclaim. They called to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts” (Isaiah 6:3). Repeating this three times emphasizes its absolute nature. By contrast, imperfect man is unholy, unholy, unholy: 6-6-6.
Ezra 2:13
[13] The sons of Adonikam, 666. (ESV)
Adonikam - Wikipedia
Adonikam (Hebrew אֲדֹנִיקָם, meaning, “My Lord is risen up.”[57]) is a Biblical figure, one of those “which came with Zerubbabel” (Ezra 2:13). His “children,” or retainers, numbering 666, came to Jerusalem (Ezra 8:13). In the Septuagint, depending on the manuscript and location, the name is given as Adon[e]ikam, Adonikan, Adeikam, Adenikam, Adaneikam or Adoniakaim.[57] In Nehemiah 7:18, his descendants were 667 instead of the previous number 666.[58]
1 Corinthians 13:8–13
[8] Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. [9] For we know in part and we prophesy in part, [10] but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. [11] When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. [12] For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.
[13] So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love. (ESV)
This is how I read the sentence.
Ezra 2:13 gives the number of descendants of Adonikam as 666.
Hence, 666 could be the number of humanity, the unholy, unholy, unholy imperfect man, who could also be the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place proclaiming there is no God, which is essentially proclaiming himself to be God.
I caught some false teachers smuggling stinky humanism by only focusing on the soft stuff in the New Testament, which breaks the third commandment and blasphemies against God.
Starting in the 20th century, some humanist movements are non-religious and aligned with secularism. Most frequently in contemporary usage, humanism refers to a non-theistic view centered on human agency, and a reliance only on science and reason rather than revelation from a divine source to understand the world. A non-theistic humanist worldview asserts that religion is not a precondition of morality, and objects to excessive religious entanglement with education and the state.
Humanism - Wikipedia
I discussed in a previous post something the crafty serpent gave the woman that she did not have before, which led to the fall of man in Genesis 3. That thing was doubt and I read Revelation 13 again substituting the dragon with doubt.
Revelation 13:1–10
The First Beast
[1] And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads. [2] And the beast that I saw was like a leopard; its feet were like a bear’s, and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth. And to it the dragon gave his power and his throne and great authority. [3] One of its heads seemed to have a mortal wound, but its mortal wound was healed, and the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. [4] And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?”
[5] And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. [6] It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. [7] Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, [8] and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain. [9] If anyone has an ear, let him hear:
[10] If anyone is to be taken captive,
to captivity he goes;
if anyone is to be slain with the sword,
with the sword must he be slain.
Here is a call for the endurance and faith of the saints. (ESV)
I’m way too lazy to work out everything myself and my to-do list is barely going down at the moment. Feel free to have a go at it yourself, but here is where the 27 years of my previous life come in. The ethical thought experiment I designed during COVID-19 came true last year, which involved an Austrian artist, a time machine, nuclear weapons, humanity and divine intervention. I asked ChatGPT about the symbolism of the sea in the Holy Bible, and put down humanity and/or reason/science for the first beast. The mortal wound was World War II and/or physics.
Recommended Reading List
Seven liberal arts and ten mathematical and natural sciences, legacy of classical antiquity.
The seven subjects in the ancient and medieval meaning came to be divided into the trivium of rhetoric, grammar, and logic, and the quadrivium of astronomy, arithmetic, geometry, and music.
Life science (biology, neuroscience)
Physical science (physics, astronomy, physical geography, chemistry, earth science)
Formal science (logic, mathematics, statistics)Liberal arts education - Wikipedia
Second half of the tribulation - Setting up the abomination of desolation
Science for the twenty-first century: a new commitment 📥 Download (Backup)
World Declaration on Higher Education for the Twenty-first Century: Vision and Action and Framework for Priority Action for Change and Development in Higher Education, adopted by the World Conference on Higher Education: Higher Education in the Twenty-first Century, Vision and Action, 9 October 1998 📥 Download (Backup)
First half of the tribulation (maybe)
New International Economic Order (NIEO)
Declaration on the Establishment of a New International Economic Order. 📥 Download (Backup)
Apology
My sincere apologies to Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, a fellow pretentious Oxford alumnus who studied Oriental Studies at Christ Church College, Oxford. I must pay tribute to his dedication to advancing the global scientific agenda given his humble educational background in humanities and as a descendant of a well-known historical figure whose name I was unable to locate in my favourite bestseller. I did not expect the royal family of Jordan to be that actively involved in various international scientific organisations and UNESCO.
I learned something rather interesting when doing my due diligence which turned out to be rather embarrassingly insufficient. The Jordanian royal family has been the custodian of the Christian holy sites in the city of Jerusalem since 1924. I visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre last month.
1 John 2:18
Warning Concerning Antichrists
[18] Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour. (ESV)
Revelation 13:11–18
The Second Beast
[11] Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. [12] It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed. [13] It performs great signs, even making fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people, [14] and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives those who dwell on earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived. [15] And it was allowed to give breath to the image of the beast, so that the image of the beast might even speak and might cause those who would not worship the image of the beast to be slain. [16] Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, [17] so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. [18] This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666. (ESV)
I put down technology/internet as the second beast. The beast spoke like a dragon (doubt) indeed. I was informed by an Israeli border officer last month that the second beast performed great signs just the night before and made fire come down from heaven to earth in front of people. I was quite willing to walk into a special delivery from the second beast during my trip due to how faithful my “friends” had been.
I put down humanity/humanism/self and/or drugs (money) for the image of the beast. People kept telling me to think about myself first during my recent rollercoaster ride of six months, and less than a dozen people bought me coffee. It seems like most only think about me, myself and I all day and are extremely occupied with taking and posting selfies on Instagram or whatever trendy Web3 social media bullshit the crypto/tech bros are up to nowadays. I also learned that I’m one of those extremely rare idiots who do not worship themselves, consider themselves to be of the utmost importance in the head, nor consider themselves righteous all the time. No wonder I’m bankrupt and rent is 4.5 months overdue right now despite making mid-six-figures less than a year ago. I certainly cannot buy or sell right now. I have started my adult live-stream webcam career for a couple of weeks now. I’m still below the withdrawal minimum on Chaturbate and Stripchat due to my unwillingness to do private shows and my insistence on goodwill-only income, despite literally working my ass off and giving my best every single stream. It’s honestly extremely difficult to earn an honest living nowadays, probably not a path you want to go down if you consider yourself “wise”.
2 Timothy 3:1–9
Godlessness in the Last Days
[1] But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. [2] For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, [3] heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, [4] treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, [5] having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. [6] For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, [7] always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth. [8] Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so these men also oppose the truth, men corrupted in mind and disqualified regarding the faith. [9] But they will not get very far, for their folly will be plain to all, as was that of those two men. (ESV)
2 Thessalonians 2:1–12
The Man of Lawlessness
[1] Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, [2] not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. [3] Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, [4] who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. [5] Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things? [6] And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. [7] For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work. Only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. [8] And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. [9] The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, [10] and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. [11] Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, [12] in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (ESV)
Jude 17–23
A Call to Persevere
[17] But you must remember, beloved, the predictions of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. [18] They said to you, “In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions.” [19] It is these who cause divisions, worldly people, devoid of the Spirit. [20] But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, [21] keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life. [22] And have mercy on those who doubt; [23] save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh. (ESV)
Psalm 48:10
[10] As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness. (ESV)
Matthew 25:33
[33] And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. (ESV)
Matthew 7:12–14
The Golden Rule
[12] “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
[13] “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. [14] For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. (ESV)
The descendants of Adonikam are 667 as counted in Nehemiah 7:18 instead of 666 in Ezra 2:13. You can read about my little chitchat with ChatGPT below. I noticed at least one error where ChatGPT confused the counts as 667 in Ezra 2:13 and 666 in Nehemiah 7:18.
Given we are in an intellectual, spiritual, moral and ethical decay where a Christian informed me yesterday that trying to save other people is a sign of pride, I have decided to follow Boss Man regardless of what the antichrists pretending to be Christians say. Although, I kinda realised I had been following Him all my life even in the 27 years of my previous life. The only thing is I did not know His name, but I did know His other glorious name - Truth. I learned 157 days ago that His name is Jesus Christ, my Lord and Saviour.
Boss Man gave me a list containing 113,119 Assyrian camps yesterday. I have got some nations to sprinkle and startle, as well as proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations.
I have been telling the devil and Satan to piss off and leave me alone in the name of my Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ since my welcoming party taught me at the beginning of this journey less than 6 months ago. I think he might have finally fucked off now. 🤞
I don’t doubt. I believe.
See ya.
Edit: surprise, surprise, totally did not expect the first jobs AI would take away are pastors and theologians. 😅
Matthew 12:30
[30] Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. (ESV)
