Number of the Beast a social "mark". (See also the scholarly accepted year of birth of Jesus about 666 years before as well as the concept of Mawali who were non-Arab Muslims but not treated as other Muslims.) Jehovah's Witnesses believe that the beast identified by the number 666 represents the world's unified governments in opposition to God. The beast is said to have "a human number" in that the represented governments are of a human origin rather than spirit entities. The number 666 is said to identify "gross shortcoming and failure in the eyes of Jehovah", in contrast to the number 7, which
The Beast (Revelation) This is probably the provincial governor (or proconsul) who would have overseen the political and religious operations of the area from his capital in Ephesus or the High Priest of the provincial imperial cult. The imperial cult in Ephesus was set up by Domitian in 89 AD. (Ephesus is the location of one of the Seven Churches in Asia to whom the Book of Revelation was addressed.) This interpretation is based upon the angel's explanation of the beast in Revelation 17:7, that the beast's seven heads are seven kings () and that Nero, is the sixth king "who is", who