Number of the Beast the Beast rejects gematria, envisioning the number not as a code to be broken, but a symbol to be understood. Idealists would contend that because there are so many names that can come to 666 and that most systems require converting names to other languages or adding titles when convenient, it has been impossible to come to a consensus. Given that numbers are used figuratively throughout the book of Revelation, idealists interpret this number figuratively as well. The common suggestion is that because seven is a number of completeness and is associated with the divine, that six is incomplete and
The Number of the Beast (album) of All Time". "Classic Rock" placed it at No. 15 in their list of the "100 Greatest British Rock Albums", describing it as "the most important metal album of the decade", and it was voted No. 1 in HMV's list of "The Best British Albums of the Past 60 Years" in 2012. "The Number of the Beast" is one of two Iron Maiden records listed in Robert Dimery's book, "1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die" (1980's "Iron Maiden" being the other). In 2017, it was ranked 4th on "Rolling Stone" list of "100 Greatest Metal Albums of All