Page:Mahometanism in its relation to prophecy - or, an inquiry into the prophecies concerning antichrist, with some reference to their bearing on the events of the present day (IA mahometanisminit00philrich).pdf/187

 The concluding verse of this chapter is most remarkable, and it seems evidently designed by St. John to give us an unmistakeable clue for deciphering the name, and so for determining who and what are the two beasts described, and so closely identified together in this same chapter.

"Here is wisdom," says St. John (v. 18), "he that hath understanding let him count the number of the beast. For it is the number of a man, and the number of him is six hundred sixty and six."

As though he would say, "Here is something to exercise the ingenuity of the wise, something whereon he, who is learned in the Scriptures, and has studied the sacred and mysterious symbols contained there, may exercise himself in deciphering; here is a clue to enable him to discover the name that is ever to distinguish the beast, or rather the two beasts, which are here described as identical in their interests and their objects; and the clue is to be found by deciphering the number that spells the name of a man, who shall be inseparably connected with the empires and the system represented by these two beasts, And the number that contains his name is the number six hundred and sixty-six."