Number of the Beast Testamentum Graece, note 616 as a variant. The Number of the Beast is described in Revelation 13:15–18. Several translations have been interpreted for the meaning of the phrase "Here is Wisdom, Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast" where the peculiar Greek word ("psephisato") is used. Possible translations include "to count", "to reckon" and also "to vote" or "to decide". In the "Textus Receptus", derived from Byzantine text-type manuscripts, the number 666 is represented by the Greek numerals , with the Greek ligature stigma () representing the number 6: In the "Novum Testamentum Graece", the number
Book of Revelation prophetic visions, including figures such as the Seven Headed Dragon, The Serpent and the Beast, culminating in the Second Coming of Jesus. The obscure and extravagant imagery has led to a wide variety of Christian interpretations: historicist interpretations see in Revelation a broad view of history; preterist interpretations treat Revelation as mostly referring to the events of the apostolic era (1st century), or, at the latest, the fall of the Roman Empire; futurists believe that Revelation describes future events; and idealist or symbolic interpretations consider that Revelation does not refer to actual people or events, but is an allegory of