Footnote a [ Revelation 13: 1 "And I saw another sign in the likeness of [ or are compared to ] the kingdoms of the earth: a beast [ So the beast is now defined as the kingdoms of the earth (governments) ] rise up out of the sea. [ The people of the earth. As defined in Rev 17 15. Sea sometimes represents a large population. The sea “was a place of chaos, danger, and evil for the Hebrews.” So one could suggest that the beast will come forth in a time of chaos that sweeps the globe, bringing widespread political upheaval, censorship, dictatorial legalism, and terrorism. The sea is also a place were we have very little idea what is going on below the surface which is symbolic that there are things going on in these countries that are not obvious or aparent on the surface. The fact that there are 4 beasts may also be suggestive that this is th he stood upon the sand of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns…" So John is given another symbol, that is that the kingdoms of the earth are likened unto or represented as a beast. In addition; we have one more sign for the beast that the entity rises up out from all of the people of the earth, and has seven kings and their territories along with 10 other men who have a great amount of power. ] AND I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, [ when you have something coming up out of the sea, it is symbolic of mystery. The depths of the sea are unknowable to men, particularly men in John's day. You just because of the pressures involved and the vast depth of the ocean, it's mysterious. So is this beast that rise ups that rises up out of the sea with its seven heads and ten horns. The sea beast represents unspecified nations, institutions, and powers that Satan uses to his ends. These forces supply the muscle he needs to push forward and enforce his will (see vv. 1–2). So the beast rises from the sea. This is exactly what Daniel saw in Daniel 7 is it not? So with the reference to the sea, the fact that there is so much below the surface of the sea that we do not know about then since it is coming from the sea can we conclude that there is a lot that we do not know about this kingdom? ] having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads [ First the vision that Daniel saw in Daniel 7 said that there were a total of 7 heads: There were 7 heads in total on all of the beasts ( First lion has one head, the second bear has one head, the leopard has four heads, the last beast with the iron teeth has one head and ten horns). Consequence? The numbers are significant. The seven crowned heads suggest the universality of his rule as the king of chaos. They represent Satan’s pseudo-claim to royalty, which John describes as wearing many diadems (see Revelation 19:12–16), set against that of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. The horns denote the dragon’s all-pervasive and false sovereignty. Horns symbolize power. Ten represents the part of a whole, but not the whole itself.[32] Thus, the dragon has great power, but John shows that he does not have all power; some portion is lacking. This is not true of the Lamb whom John depicts with seven horns, the symbol of fullness (5:6). Thus, John’s metaphors subtly show that the dragon is indeed powerful, but the Lamb is more so and therefore will take down the dragon. ] the name of blasphemy. [ Insults showing contempt, disrespect or lack of reverence for deity. So these ten kings spoken ot here are all against God. So, we’re seeing the Leviathan(the great serpent) here, and remember the name. The name is the essence of what the beast is; it’s “blasphemy”. His mission is defined in verse 7. ] .

2 And the beast [ This should cause you to think about the same beasts that Daniel from the Old Testament saw in his visions. If you go to Daniel chapter 7, you're going to read something very similar to what we've just read in the book of Revelation. And where this similarity should not be lost. See Daniel chapter 7:2. The beast is made up of the seven kings and their territories along with 10 other men who have a great amount of power. Used to symbolize certain unnamed kingdoms upon the earth Doctrinal New Testament Commentary Vol III pg 520 Or the first worldwide dictatorship will come into its full dimension of power shortly after the year 2,000 but its beginning will be during the sixth seal. It is not a single dictatorship, but a coalition of nations. This verse is how John describes it. The reference to HIS horns and HIS heads demonstrates that these nations were a unified coalition. We do not know why seven heads would have ten horns and ten crowns unless three of these nations had colonial dominions. Here John also leaves no doubt that this monster rising out of the sea was a Satanic institution. Speaking of the monster as a united entity, John says “the dragon” gave him his power and his seat of authority. ("Since the opening of the seventh seal is upon us, has any military or political entity been emerging which seems to reflect any of these characteristics? An apostle has warned that there is. For many years J. Reuben Clark, former U.S. Under-Secretary of State and a member of the First Presidency of the LDS Church, had been sounding the alarm. He first became concerned when President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Prime Minister Winston Churchill signed the Atlantic Treaty on a U.S. cruiser off the coast of Newfoundland in August, 1941. Of course, who might have suspected that this might be the beast John saw rising out of the sea? It was viewed by most people as merely a mutual defense pact. However, World War II changed the whole world landscape and the United States came out of that terrible conflict as the new world leader with the soviet Union a jealous and frantically obsessed competitor. There were several reasons why the United States forged into first place as a world leader. To begin with, her Wall Street bankers had invented a virtually unlimited “debt based” economy so – to a large extent – the U.S. generously financed the major part of the Allied war effort. Secondly she had out produced most of the rest of the world in planes, ships, tanks and military supplies. Third, she was far and away the leader in high technology although Russia, by stealing many of America’s top secrets, was not far behind. World War II ended in 1945, but by 1949, Russia had muscled and maneuvered her way into dominating approximately 1/3 of the entire planet. Europe, Asia and Latin America looked to the United States to prevent further Communist expansion. Thus it was on April 4, 1948, that the United States, Britain and certain other countries dangerously threatened by the soviet Union, signed THE NORTH ATLANTIC TREATY. It provided that if the soviets attacked ONE member of the treaty it was an attack against ALL. This pact contained a score of blatant violations of the U.S. Constitution, nevertheless, to a large extent the new NATO treaty was popular, but not with J. Reuben Clark. After he studied the document he gave a thundering warning which was first heard by the Trust Division of the American Bankers Association on August 17, 1949. He said: “The North Atlantic Treaty, recently passed, is a military alliance pure and simple. It is what our forefathers called an ‘entangling alliance.'”"" This entire speech was filled with fiery quotations from the American Founding Fathers predicting disastrous results if the United States ever allowed itself to be trapped within an international conglomerate of interdependent alliances. Of course, the North Atlantic Treaty was just the beginning. THE EVOLUTION OF NATO TOWARD A NEW WORLD ORDER Nevertheless, the United States – as the principal defense against, the soviet Union – began to look upon itself as the policeman of the world. Consequently, the State Department managed the next two major wars and they were disastrous. The Korean War has been described as the worst-managed war in the history of the United States and the Vietnam War is the only war the United States ever lost. As a result of these and other fiascos, Ronald Reagan was elected President in 1980. He got the backing of both parties and spent two trillion dollars building America back up to the most powerful nation on earth. The soviet Union tried to compete with the United States but finally went bankrupt and in 1989 the whole soviet Union fell apart. Russia became an isolated, despondent, disorganized non-entity, and the Cold War was over. Now we go back to John who saw something amazing happen. He says: “And I saw one of his heads as [if] were wounded to death; and his DEADLY WOUND WAS HEALED: and all the world wondered after the beast. “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?” 32 One of the amazing things about the Cold War was the fact that the soviet Union was crushed into near annihilation. It was completely fragmented and left with only the original, isolated Russia as a wounded remnant of what had been a world super-power. Never had there been such a golden opportunity to require the soviets to disarm, defuse or destroy her intercontinental ballistic missiles, get her factories converted over to domestic production and launch a massive road construction so her farmers could get the vast food supply from the muddy Russian fields to the central markets. But none of this happened. John saw what did happen. The United Nations extended a generous helping hand to the soviet Union – which had previously set out to conquer the world – and used the resources of the free world to begin building her up again. Eventually, this bloody head that was saved by the rest of the UN may prove to be once more the most dangerous facet of the first world dictatorship. so the coalition of many heads and horns John saw in vision, will continue to strengthen itself until it becomes a world-wide dictatorship of ruthless proportions. It will dominate the whole human race for 3.5 years. This is still future. THE NEW WORLD ORDER BECOMES A REALITY The soviet Union began to desperately urge her former allies to continue the Communist expansion program. On August 2, 1990, the dictator of Iraq – with soviet encouragement- overran and occupied an oil-rich neighbor, Kuwait. The UN Security Council set a deadline for Saddam Hussein and his forces to retire and when it was ignored, the UN called upon all its members to enforce the UN decree. George Bush was the new President and he had always favored a New World Order to enforce justice and peace. He looked upon the crisis in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia as an ideal opportunity to show what the policeman of the world, acting in the name of the United Nations, could do to give itself credibility. Therefore, without following the requirements of the Constitution, he asked Congress to ratify a UN resolution and the next thing the country knew, half a million Americans were in the Persian Gulf War. A gigantic, massive air attack ended the war after a few days and its success established the precedent J. Reuben Clark had hoped would never happen. From this point on the President the United States as commander in chief would look upon any UN decree as an order to take “police” action. But the Persian Gulf War was the only success so far. It didn’t happen in somalia, Bosnia, or Yugoslavia.) https://www.latterdayconservative.com/w-cleon-skousen/what-we-might-expect-in-the-next-twenty-five-years/?fbclid=IwAR29ggIUminbwOSajSy2opQgKUhVc0ZtZPpsmSfJ465LZwx3RACc2Z2j3ng ] which I saw was like unto a leopard, [ The third kingdom that Daniel saw. Greek Empire - Syria-Lebanon today see Daniel 7:6. leopard=Germany? ] and his feet were as the feet of a bear, [ The second kingdom that Daniel saw. Median-Persian Empire see Old Testament Student Manual pg 304 (known as Iran today) See Daniel 7:5. Russia=Bear? ] and his mouth as the mouth of a lion:[ The first kingdom that Daniel saw in his vision. The Lion represents Babylonian empire ( Known today as Iraq). Old Testament Student Manual pg 304. Lion=London? ] and the dragon [ Satan or the devil Teachings pg 293 so we see that the power of the beast is given by Satan. The secret combinations of old are employed with their deceptive power, and their leader is Satan himself, although they do not necessarily know it. These are the same three first beasts that Daniel saw (Dan 7). And then you have the dragon gave him his power and his seat and great authority. So you've got four creatures here: a leopard, a bear, a lion, and a dragon. Daniel didn't describe the fourth beast as a dragon. He just described it as being terrible and powerful and different from all of the other beasts that preceded it. Well, in Daniel's vision, he saw each of the creatures that he saw related to a specific kingdom that would rise to global power and influence from you know over the course of the history of the world, from his day until the end of the world. Now, the fourth kingdom that Daniel saw, I believe, corresponds with this creature that John the Revelator is saying, which apparently is an amalgamation of all of the four beasts that Daniel saw in his vision. What are we to understand from this? Where we are to understand that this fourth beast that rises with these ten horns in the last days will be the most powerful kingdom that has ever existed on the planet. It will have all the power of all of these first beasts, these master kingdoms that ruled the world in antiquity and more. ] gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. [ So this fourth kingdom has the power of every kingdom that has come before it and more, and we also know that it speaks blasphemy (so we know part of its purpose). This beast is the anti-Christ (See Daniel 11). A new entity is created and given power by Satan who organizes all of them into one, including: the people of the earth, the seven kings along their territories and includes the 10 other men who have a great amount of power. This new beast has a little of all three of the old beast in Daniel rolled into one. What has tied all three of these kingdoms together? Islam - under the prophet Muhammad. The seats of the ancient successive kingdom beasts of lion, bear and leopard - Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece, are occupied today by the countries of Iraq, Iran, and Syria/Lebanon. The dragon in the verse above is Satan who gave his power, seat and authority to the beast. ]

3 And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; [ This starts to get really interesting. ] and his deadly wound was healed: [ Can we see a possible candidate for this in the world today? Possibly be Russia. Russia was the driving force between the Soviet Union, which rose to an incredible position of power. It was the Soviet Union and the United States of America for some time as the world super powers when I was a kid. And then to the shock of the world, the Soviet Union collapsed into bankruptcy. Could this be the deadly head wound that should have killed it. They became almost irrelevant You know, for all intents and purposes, from the perspective of the whore of Babylon, Russia is no longer relevant. But then Russia forms an alliance with ten kings, and they lend their strength, and together they form a new coalition. If you look at what Russia, the coalition that Russia has put together with BRICS Plus. There are exactly ten nations that comprise BRICS Plus? Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Indonesia. ] and all the world wondered after the beast.

4 And they worshipped the dragon [ Satan. ] which gave power unto the beast: [ So it is Satan who is providing the power to this organization. ] and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? [ The Stout Horn's kingdom. ] who is able to make war with him? [ The kingdom (or kingdoms) involved will be a world power (or powers). Wealth weapons,armies, a ruthless nature and a warlike stance will strike terror into other hearts. New Testament Commentary pg 522. ]

5 And there was given unto him [ This beast, this organization that is seeking the power and control. I am thinking that it is this group of Western elites that are the whore of Babylon. I think if we look close enough we will see that there are those who are high up in the military and other places of influence that want to continue to keep the world unstable and at war. The CIA the FBI and others all provide influence to invoke power over the world. I do not think that the US is the whore by definition, but it is those within the US framework that cause the problems and provide themselves as the whore. That list is pretty extensive the Soros's, Clinton's, Obama's, Gates, NWO, - the list just goes on and on. It is interesting what Putin said in March of 2025 in the Economic Times, he was quoted as saying that he and Trump want to establish cooperation, but that Western elites were seeking to undermine their dialogue. And he emphasized that the same group had provoked the Ukrainian crisis and many other wars around the globe. So clearly Putin is talking about what we might, from a scriptural perspective, coin as the Whore of Babylon. And he's saying, listen, we are fighting against this whore of Babylon. So these other ten nation states(BRICS), they all have similar stories that Russia has. They all have their reasons for wanting to create a financial system that will weaken the dollar and elevate their own means of exchange so that they are not under the boot of the Whore Babylon. ] a mouth speaking great things [ Same words as are found in Dan. 7:8-10. ] and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. [ Which is 3 and a half years which is the same amount of time as was suggested by Daniel in Dan 7:25. We do not know how long he has been doing this to begin with but we do know that there is a period where he is given to be in charge. So the first world wide dictatorship reaches a point where it dominates the world and sustains the ongoing society of immorality, abortion, non-religious education, high crimes and misdemeanors for which even the President could not be impeached even though he was finally forced to confess what he had done, and the House found him guilty of two counts. However, the Senate did not have enough support to convict him because under the 17th Amendment the Senators had to face a popular election and too many of the Senators felt the President was supported by most of the people so that if they impeached him they might not be re-elected themselves. (Under the original Constitution, Senators were appointed by the state legislatures to protect the Constitution and states rights. This was changed in 1915.) And so, as John says, it will continue until at some point the first dictatorship will attain a position of absolute power for three-and-a-half years. https://www.latterdayconservative.com/w-cleon-skousen/what-we-might-expect-in-the-next-twenty-five-years/?fbclid=IwAR29ggIUminbwOSajSy2opQgKUhVc0ZtZPpsmSfJ465LZwx3RACc2Z2j3ng ]

6 And he [ The Stout Horn. ] opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, [ See verse 5 "a mouth speaking great things" same as Dan 7:8-10. ] to blaspheme his name, [ So he now thinks that he is more powerful than God himself. Dan 8:24-25 ] and his tabernacle, [ ] and them that dwell in heaven.

7 And it [ This new entity from verse 2. ] was given unto him to make war with the saints, [ Just like Daniel saw Dan 11. His war path is to destroy the saints. ] and to overcome them: [ He will have the power to over come, to over power the saints. Paul said that the second coming will not come until a certain individual the anti-Christ. ] and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. [ This group or person will have power over all of the earth, everyone, everything, total and complete control. The beast is a combination of government leaders and other powerful people unified in one entity that fights against the saints. The same vision that Nephi saw only with a little more detail. "In the last days" Teachings p 293, the beast shall have power over every nation, and shall make war with the saints and prevail over all except those who are true and faithful to the standards of the restored gospel. Doc New Testament Commentary pg 522 However, at this point, John saw that the first dictatorship would make a lethal mistake which will eventually wipe it out of existence. Here is what happens: ]

8  And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, [ This anti-christ will demonstrate with so much power that everyone who is not in the book of life will be found to worship this anti-Christ. What power he will have. What kind of miracles will he be capable of the bring that much power. See vs 13. ] whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. [ The scriptures indicate that a heavenly record is kept of the faithful, whose names are recorded, as well as an account of their righteous deeds (D&C 88:2; 128:7. One truth we learn from the scriptures is that the saving power of the Atonement was already in place in the premortal world, for Christ is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Revelation 13:8; see also 1 Peter 1:18–20; Mosiah 3:13; 4:7; D&C 93:38). New Testament Student Manual Chapter 55: Rev 12-16. ]

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

10  He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: [ This suggests that this beast will be obliterated and replaced by another beast - we are not told how. ] he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. [ There will be a period when the adversary seem to be in control as there will be so much violence. ] Here is the patience [ Might be better rendered - endurance. These creatures will rule for a period of time when the wicked rule. But the Lord is saying you have to trust me. Those who are destined to die wil die, those that will need to be saved will be saved. There will be casualties. ] 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, [ He has the appearance of the Lamb, but is not, he is a false messiah. The land beast represents the philosophy that drives these institutions (see vv. 11–12). This beast is able to deceive people due to its ability to do miracles, likely the modern scientific advancements in such things as medicine and industry. Showing that the dragon has more than one assistant. One of them is a lamb with two horns, a blasphemious and perverse image made to look like the Lord. This lamb has two horns, the number suggesting witnesses, that help identify what it represents—false philosophies and doctrines. It is buying into these that cause institutions and governments to follow after the dragon. With the coming of the false prophet, a wolf in lamb’s clothing, the evil triumvirate stands complete. Now they can imitate by deception the true Godhead. As the son has his two witnesses, so too the dragon has his two monsters; as the son draws his power from the Father, so too the first beast draws authority from the dragon; as the Holy Ghost glorifies the son, so too the evil lamb glorifies the first beast. There is little doubt but that John exposes them in symbolic terms as the counterfeit godhead, the beguiling revelators, and the false lawgivers, whose powers will rule through the last days. This goes to show the level of detail that Satan will go to try to grab what he can while he still has time, to imitate as close as he can what the Father has, what he wanted in the war in heaven. ] and he spake as a dragon. [ Symbol for satan. he has the dragon's words in his mouth. This false prophet has a closer connection to Satan than does the beast, and is apparently the one with the keys to the pit, cf. 9:1. ]

12 And he [ This false second prophet never comes fully into view but remains in the background, the deceptive distance catching those who might not otherwise be attracted to the first beast, and in this way betrays people into the worship of the latter. Indeed its whole function seems to be to seduce mankind into this false worship. And what is the objective of worship? In a word, materialism: the ability to buy and sell and to get gain. The master of secret combinations. Not as bold as the first, but every bit as bad. There are many who will not subscribe to following the beast directly, however to lie a little to get gain and power - well they are all over that one as they are not directly following Satan. ] 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. [ This could be communism which was once almost dead but has new found strength today. ]

13 And he [ Wormwood. ] doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven [ Missles used during war? Metorites? IF this is one of the signs of this anti-Christs power I am going to assume that it may have to do with something which is supernatural, like a miracle because he does it as a show of his power. So maybe something that shows that he is the God of the heavens? They appear to be some kind of miracles see verse 14. ] on the earth in the sight of men,

14 And deceiveth them [ So we know that they are not real, but are done to deceive, an illusion. ] that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do [ Because of the powerful things that he does to show how much power he has. We can look at it like this. He will have the power to do what he says he will do, he will say that he is the Christ and no one will have the ability to prove that he is not, or to prove that Jesus is the Christ. And this will go on for a period of time. You will only know that he is not by the spirit, and since you cannot prove anything by the spirit then we will look like idiots. The one side can show the other side says just have faith - do you suppose that you will be able to gain a testimony of Christ in that day - no you need the oil already in your lamp nad then you have to pray that it is enought yet. I suppose he will also do the things that God or Christ would otherwise do, like heal the sick, maybe raise the dead, all to prove that he has the power of God. He this individual, this anti-Christ is looking to do the same things that Christ did. By doing so must will then say that well he must be the Christ then. People will point to him and say look at what he is doing and how can he do this if he is not who he says he is. Daniel 7:25 says that he will seek to change time and laws. 2 Thes 2: ] in the sight of the beast; [ Because of what wormwood learns from Satan. They combine their knowledge. ] saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, [ so this man suggests that they make an image to or for the beast. Is this some kind of way of saying thanks for your help. Is wormwood really suggesting that they make a body using the science and knowledge that he has to actually create a body of flesh and bones? Doing such and then giving the image life would be a great miracle right? And Satan would have a body. He Satan already has a spirit, this is always what he has wanted. see vs 15. ] , which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

15 And he [ Wormwood, this anti-Christ, this man. ] had power to give life unto the image of the beast, [ So they make the image in verse 14 and now the anti-Christ gives life to this man made creation. ] that the image of the beast [ This animated creation that Wormwood created. ] should both speak, [ So not only can it move about but it can also speak. Notice the first thing that it says when it does speak. ] and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. [ He says "Worship Me". Does this not sound just like Satan who told Moses to worship him? Moses 1:19-20. Would satan not just pick up where he left off, and now that he has a somewhat physical body for his spirit - he has it all. ]

16 And he [ Satan. ] causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark [ The mark is Satans counterfiet for the mark that Gos wants to put on his people, the ones whom he has annointed. So here satan wants to do essentially the same thing that God does, Satan wants to bring people to him just as the Lord does. See Ez. 9:1-4. Alma 2:24; Alma 3:4. So just as the Amlicites took upon themselves the mark of the Lamanites to be like them, to have their protection, to show that they were one of them they placed a mark upon themselves. DO we do that today when we try to take the things of the world and put them upon ourselves, when we become like the world so that we can enjoy the blessings of the world? WHo's mark are you putting on? As in the book of Mormon it is not the beast that puts this mark on you , rather it is you who have put the mark on yourself, because in essence you are asking for him to protect you - the worldly protections - not being cancelled. Is the mark to be taken literally? The mark in the forehead and hand might be literal (cp.Exod. 13:9 as the figurative and Exod. 13:16 as the literal application of that symbol), but is more likely figuratively representative of thoughts of the mind and deeds of the hand. The true believers are marked in the foreheads in 7:3 and 14:1, and we don't interpret that literally. See also Isa. 44:5, Alma 5:19, D&C 133:18. "Of great curiosity is the mark and number of the beast (see vv. 16–18). Various ingenious attempts have been used to solve the riddle. Every one of these has proven problematic. Given, therefore, that none of these proposals allow for any degree of verification and that each has legitimate difficulties and objections, the idea that the calculation was meant to point to a particular person or institution simply does not hold up. It seems, rather, that John is not calling for his readers to engage in a mathematical exercise as much as he is asking them to use moral discernment in order to avoid being entrapped by the beast. The best solution seems to be to understand this number, as with all other numbers in John’s work, as metaphorical and symbolic. The mark as a number stands for the beast. In such a case the number six would stand in contrast to the number seven, God’s number, one that denotes fullness and completeness. Six would then be that which comes closest to wholeness but misses the mark and falls short of its potential. The triple repetition of the number intensifies the idea of incompleteness and failure. Thus, it is a fit number to represent the trinity of imperfection: the dragon, the sea beast, and the land beast. The work of the triumvirate of evil is currently moving apace. Slowly, genuine humility and brotherliness have been suppressed under a vast and complex coercion of sophisticated and bewitching propaganda and the brutality of pragmatism and unrestrained egotism. What is the result? As one scholar noted, “In such a society, morals decline to the lowest level; the family collapses, schools breed anarchy and rebellion, business ethics are forgotten, entertainment becomes base and sordid, and printing presses exude smut and filth, until the whole is strangled in its own death blood and suffocated by its own stench.” Students must understand that we are living in that society. And the only reason that the beasts have gained ascendancy is the fallen and spiritually degenerate state of modern society. This condition has been carefully orchestrated by the dragon and the land and sea beasts over the ages, and it has now reached full flower. The result is that evil has been able to impose itself on the earth dwellers because of their growing indifference and ambivalence toward the good. They are willing victims of a growing normalization of aberrant behavior. They have been seduced by the ideological sophistry that the false lamb spews through all forms of media—the “image” the inhabitants of the earth willingly created for it (see 13:14). As a result, their love has waxed cold and, along with it, their ability to feel, to sympathize, and to empathize with that which is good. Being touched by nothing, they can be reached by nothing, and therefore saved by nothing, not even the terrible beating of “the army of the horsemen,... having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone,” who killed “the third part of men” (Revelation 9:16–18). No, they will not choose to repent, for they have been sealed Satan’s (see Revelation 9:20–21; compare Alma 34:35). The real issue in Revelation is one of worship. Taking on the beast’s mark (see Revelation 13:16) does not refer to tattoos or electronic implants. It connotes, rather, spiritual devotion to the beast. Insight into the significance of the mark comes from the fifth-century BC Greek playwright sophocles, who warned of the charagma echidn?s, that is, “the serpent’s bite,” which was the means by which the snake secreted its poison into a person. In John’s text, wearing the mark designates those who, throughout time, have been symbolically bitten by the serpent from the sea and therefore carry its spiritual venom in their veins. This interpretation is strengthened by the layout of the text because in the very next vision, John sees the 144,000 who carry the seal of Christ on their foreheads (see Revelation 14:1). The arrangement of the text certainly highlights the contrast between Satan’s mark and God’s seal. Since the latter is strictly spiritual, it seems likely the former is also. Therefore, 666 indicates a condition of deep spiritual wickedness in the souls of those who have been bitten by the beast and whose thoughts and deeds are dictated by its deadly venom (compare Moses 6:49). " https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-14-no-1-2013/teaching-book-revelation-five-considerations#_edn39 "John lays before the reader the terrifying prospect of an economic system completely dominated by what has been called “the Mahanic principle.” Satan, who stands as initiator of this system, first revealed its great secret to Cain, who in turn revealed it to his followers (see Moses 5:29–31). “And he [Satan] did plot with Cain and his followers from that time forth” (Helaman 6:27). And what was the objective of all that plotting? To learn the trade of turning human life into property. Evil and conspiring men formed the secret combination, which then swept across oceans and survived through time. And Satan “doth hand down their plots, and their oaths, and their covenants, and their plans of awful wickedness, from generation to generation according as he can get hold upon the hearts of the children of men” (Helaman 6:30). The seer shows that this power will stoke the destructive forces of the latter days. Slowly genuine humility and brotherhood will be surpressed under a vast and complex coercion of sophisticated and bewitching propaganda and the brutality of pragmatism and unrestrained egotism. The beasts can gain control only because of the fallen and spiritually degenerate state brought about by evil and indifference and ambivalence toward good in mankind. The real issue is worship. The battle is for the hearts and minds of mankind. The objective of the false lamb is to get men to worship the beast. Thus, the false prophet takes on a priestly role with pseudoreligious authority. A false religion drives the people, blinded by selfishness and lust, into the worship of secular power that is able to explain away real miracles. The result is the universal victory of secular humanism in which God is denied and mankind is exalted. Out of this philosophy and its worldliness come the “miracles” of the age. Such miracles have deceived many into false faith and blinded many into a false security. Willingly, the deluded follow the ways of the first beast." https://rsc.byu.edu/shedding-light-new-testament/understanding-images-symbols-book-revelation#_ftn27 ] in their right hand, [ The right hand is symbolic of judgement - so if the mark is in their right hand then this is what they are using for judgement; this is what they are using to make their decisions from. ] or in their foreheads: [ The forehead is is symbolic of thought - the forehead being the leading point of thought; pointing the direction in which they will travel. ]

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. [ Because of secret combinations? ]

18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: [ One thought: All carbon based life forms are 666. 6 protons 6 neutrons 6 electrons. The number of man is 666. The Beast promotes humanism, the worship of man. Or 666 Many speculate that is a code for the name of a person John never suggests a name-letter theme, and no other Scriptural authors have done such a thing, and since we believe "In the mouth of two or three witnesses..." hence that usage is suspect. Maybe it might be like any other symbol - not taken literally but an image or representation of the beast's attempt to imitate God. One of the numbers for divinity is 7, 6 is as close as you can get to 7. 7 is prime 6 is not hence it is inferior to 7 and always will be...but since we are talking about a false Messiah it will want to be as close as it can. A triple repeat in the Semitic mind is a superlative, a double repeat being an emphatic. This is seen in the OT when something is repeated three times like "Holy, holy, holy..." Three "holy[s]" means most holy where two would mean very holy. As examples in Rev. is 8:13 where the angel says "Woe, woe, woe...". so, the line of thought is that 6 is inferior to 7 and not only is it inferior, it is emphatically inferior as 6...6...6. Additionally; 7 represents completion perfection, while 6 is when all labor is finished as on the end of the 6th day, and he rested on the 7th day. So in a way 666 represents: labor is finished, labor is finished, labor is finished. Sugesting that God will now begin his rein after the period of rest. "Understanding the nature of the mark opens the meaning of the number. The seer uses the Greek term charagma, “mark,” which denotes a stamp, etching, engraving, or impression. It also describes the brand a master places upon an animal or a slave. The word’s most important connotation, however, may be that it describes the mark left by a serpent’s bite.[38] The objective of the beast is that “all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bound” receive the mark of the dragon “in their right hand, or in their foreheads” (Revelation 13:16). No one is to be free of the mark. This mark stands in contrast to and is the converse of the seal placed upon the faithful followers of the Lamb (see 7:3). As the seal designates those who are God’s, the mark signifies those who are Satan’s.[39] The mark of the monster consists of the letters of its name written in its numerical equivalent. Most ancient people did not have a separate numbering system and alphabet, so letters also served as numbers. Generally the first nine letters of the alphabet stood for numbers one through nine, the next nine for numbers ten through nineteen, and so on. Anciently, some had fun making up riddles by translating a name into its numerical equivalent. For example, a line of graffiti from Pompeii reads, “I love her whose number is 545.”[40] The number of the beast has caused no end of speculation. There John gives the challenge, “Let him who hath understanding count the number of the beast,” and then gives the number 666. Scholars and amateurs both have suggested many ingenious solutions ranging in possibilities from single individuals to whole institutions.[41] However, the whole problem is fraught with difficulties. First, there are two manuscript traditions. The majority give the number 666, but a significant number of others give 616. Second, the meaning may require the use of the digamma, an archaic letter that was dropped out of use in the Greek alphabet before John’s day but sometimes retained for use as the number 6.[42] Taking the Greek as it stands, John’s riddle points to “a man,” that is, an individual. Historically, the one man who has left his mark as the arch-persecutor of the Christians because he was willing to use the full force of the state against the people of God was Nero. “Six hundred threescore and six” can be derived from his name-title.[43] But he was probably dead for nearly a quarter century before John wrote. However, in John’s day, there was another who bore the spiritual nature of Nero. This was Domitian. As emperor, he sought to exterminate the Church of God. To John he may have seemed to be Nero reincarnate. But a specific historical entity may not be what John had in mind. It may be that he was portraying a spiritual condition. As the mark and the number cannot be separated, so, too, the mark and the worship of the beast cannot be separated. The mark stands for the beast. In such a case, the number 6 would stand in contrast to the number 7, God’s number. The number 6 would then be that which comes the closest to perfection, and 666 falls short in each of its digits. In that light, it represents a trinity of imperfection: the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet (see chapters 12 and 13).[44] Partaking of the mark signifies spiritual devotion of the beast. It designates those who throughout time have been bitten by the serpent from the sea and who carry its venom in their veins." https://rsc.byu.edu/shedding-light-new-testament/understanding-images-symbols-book-revelation#_ftn27 ] for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six. [ An additional cross references I think useful is 1 Ki. 10:14 (2 Chron 9:13): Now the weight of gold that came to solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents of gold This is just after solomon entertained the Queen of Sheba, and is pretty much the turning point for solomon when he goes bad. so, the number 666 would be the "sell-out" number of solomon. solomon sold-out the Lord for 666 talents of gold. ]