GETTING MORE TALE #666: 666
“Here is Wisdom, Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast.”
Ye metal fans! You have all heard of the number of the Beast, but do you actually know what it is? Iron Maiden mined the Bible for lyrical ideas in the early days. The Book of Revelation was a favourite of theirs. Of the Beast, it tells us that we can identify him by his number. This is not Satan himself, but the first Beast of the apocalypse, the end of the world. The Beast, it says, comes from the sea. There are many interpretations of the Revelations. Three main schools of thought are that these are prophecies of events that already occurred, will occur in the future, or are happening now in the present day.
The Beast will “rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. (Revelation 13:1)” Scholars say the seven heads represent seven kings. The 10 crowns are 10 more kings that have yet to be crowned. With an appearance like that, why do we need a number to identify the Beast?
Relevation is a symbolic book of the Bible and no one really claims to understand it all. The apocalyptic writings say that the Beast and the false prophet will muster the armies of the world against the man on the “white horse”. When they lose, they are tossed into a “lake of fire”. Some theologians believe the number 666 symbolizes the nations of the Earth that are in conflict with God. In the 1980s, some thought that 666 represented President Reagan, whose full name, Ronald Wilson Reagan, is three names of six letters each – 666. Indeed, Reagan changed his Bel-Air address from 666 St. Cloud Road to 668.
With the imagery and mystery inside, the Book of Revelation is great source material for heavy metal lyrics. The Bible has always been a source for popular music. Pete Seeger wrote “Turn! Turn! Turn!” around the Book of Ecclesiastes, but Revelations is great for darker themes. Iron Maiden (and even Anvil) made the number of the Beast famous to the secular community. Every metal head knows the number of the Beast. Or do they?
It turns out, the number may have been wrong all along. Older and older fragments of the Bible are constantly being unearthed. The oldest manuscript of Revelation chapter 13 (Papyrus 115) found to date is 1700 years old. This ancient fragment gives the number of the Beast as 616.
Scholars today are split. Many think 616 is the original number of the Beast, later changed to the more interesting 666 for aesthetic reasons. Try this trick with a calculator or spreadsheet: The sum of the numbers 1 through 36 is 666.
If this is true, Iron Maiden has a lot to revise, and metal fans may have some tattoos to fix!
mikeladano.com 
I’ve heard that theory before, but if Iron Maiden say the number of the beast is 666 then the number of the beast is 666
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Harrison, your logic is absolutely iron-clad.
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Growing up I had a triple six in my phone number.
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No way! I always assumed they tried to avoid that. I have heard they do avoid it on license plates.
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It’s tucked away in the middle, so I think it’s too much admin hassle to look for every 666 in phone numbers.
Was Genesis’ ‘Supper Ready’ the first use of 666 in rock music?
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I’m going to **guess** yes. Mainstream music at least?
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Does early Genesis even count as mainstream – didn’t chart in the US, on a minor label, had a 20 minute song about the apocalypse….
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Holy Smoke!
Great Read!
Mikey, when Maiden released NOTB and POM back in 82 and 83 of course I snapped em up quick. My first thoughts were wow esp on the POM album there quoting the Bible right on the back of the friggin cover….
Smart marketing move but as a 16 year old at the time of POM’s release great marketing move!
“Revealtions…This One!”
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Imagine how provocative that was in the 80s. Monster on the front cover, Bible on the back, long-hairs on the inside! Parents must have been in freakout mode!
I learned a lot of Bible shit from metal bands though….
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I have seen you mention this post was coming so wasn’t sure where you were going to go with it, but I did figure Maiden into it somehow. Nice! I hadn’t heard the 616 theory before, but you are right, it doesn’t have the same impact as 666.
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Dr Dave said to me, “You should have left my death metal post for #666.” DOH! Yes I should have! But I came up with a substitute pretty quick.
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I like what you came up with.
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Yeah, 616 doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, eh? Still, I agree that it’s unlikely the Beast needs a number to announce itself.
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Next time I see something crawl out of the ocean with 7 heads, I won’t have to Google what it is. LOL
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Haha! Unless it has 526 etched on one of its heads!!
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I like the sounds of that spreadsheet trick – I was going to save the second iron maiden on the 1001 list for review #666, I now may have to bump it up to #616!
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My advice: Keep it #666. Unless the newer theory gains public notice before then!
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The Canadian band Harlequin had a song called “Heaven- dial 999” where I think they just turned 666 upside down and thought it stood for the opposite of the beast. 999 is also the 911 equivalent in Britain. Why do I care? Because my phone number ending was 999 at one time. I’ve actually heard it said by a Christian that 888 is a more holy number. I don’t know where he got this from.
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The Christian rock band Stryper used to use the number 777. Same reasoning I guess? It’s a higher number so it’s holier? Also three numbers might represent the Trinity.
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Seven rhymes with heaven? Hmmm…
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Really enjoyed this one.
Surely Soundgarden should get a mention for ‘665 and 667, The Neighbours of The Beast’!
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I don’t know that one, are you pulling my leg?
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It’s on their first independent album, kind of obscure. They have a short weird backmasked song called 665, followed by Beyond the Wheel, and then another track called 667 in the same vein as 665. On Ultramega OK. Great album. Don’t tell me you’ve never heard it?!
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Nope – 665 and 667 are both on ‘Ultramega OK’ – the band referred to them as ‘the neighbours of the beast’ in interviews.
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Back in the 80s, the religious zealots used this song as “proof” that Iron Maiden were Satan worshippers. A great explanation of Revelation and I have to concur with Harrison. The songs you feature here got me wanting an Iron Maiden/Anvil tour. That would be awesome!
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Of course they did. Proof indeed. I remember reading an interview with Bruce Dickinson about how he once signed up for one of those Christian anti-rock mailing lists, to see what they were about and what they were saying about Iron Maiden. He said they sent him a Bible which was really helpful, because he didn’t have one and used it for writing lyrics!
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Ah good on Bruce! Another reason why he deserves a knighthood.
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616 is Michigan’s area code. Case closed.
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Wow. Yeah. Sadly truer now more than ever.
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Or some believe that 666 and 616 and numerological spellings of Nero’s name.
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Wow, I did not know that! Schooled!
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If Morgan Freeman says it, it must be true haha!
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March 31, 2018:
3312018 = 666 * 4973.
4973 is the 666th prime number:
3312018 = 666 * the 666th prime number.
Kobe Bryant died 666 days after the prime 666 date. His highest scoring game, 81 pts, was his 666th regular season game.
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Congratulations, you just made the next instalment of WTF Comments!
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