The Beast (Revelation) or governmental powers. This was first expressed in the imperial cult of Rome, but finds expression at all times of history. In his commentary, Michael Wilcock says "Religion, indeed is too narrow an identification of the second beast. He is, in modern parlance, the ideology-whether religious, philosophical, or political-which 'gives breath to' any human social structure organized independently of God." The idealist perspective on the number of the beast rejects gematria, envisioning the number not as a code to be broken, but a symbol to be understood. Because there are so many names that can come to 666 and that
Number of the Beast the three sixes are "inherently incomplete". The number is therefore suggestive that the Dragon and his beasts are completely inadequate. Another suggestion is that this number represents an individual's incomplete or immature spiritual state. A futurist view of the Mark of the Beast is that the rise of a supranational currency (for example, the euro) could be a hallmark of the End Times and that the Mark of the Beast will be a sign on the forehead or on the right hand. Futurists (focused on the future) believe that the Revelation addresses primarily the Second Coming of Christ and similar