Welcome to Revelation Deep Dive, a bi-weekly meditation on a single passage from the book of Revelation. Each issue takes one passage seriously: what it says, what it means, where the Old Testament roots run, and how it lands for readers today.
Chapter 13 has laid out the terror of the beast's reign. The beast from the sea with blasphemy on his heads. The beast from the earth who deceives with signs and calls fire down from heaven. The mark that must be received on the right hand or forehead. The economic strangulation of those who refuse. And then the chapter ends with a puzzle. Christ addresses the reader directly.
"Here is wisdom. His number is 666."
A number that is "the number of a man." Six that falls short of seven, three times over. A call for wisdom, not for headline calculation. And every detail of it echoes Solomon's gold and Daniel's furnace. Let's take it apart.
A quick personal note before we get to the deep dive.
When I finished Revelation Explained: Verse by Verse, I kept hearing the same question from readers: "Could you build something we can work through as a group?" This workbook is my answer. It is what I would have wanted in my own hands the first time I tried to read Revelation seriously.
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The workbook is here
Ten weeks in one book of the Bible is a long time. Revelation earns it.
Revelation: A 10-Week Study Workbook covers all twenty-two chapters across ten sessions. Each session gives you the passage in plain language, the Old Testament imagery standing underneath it, the questions people actually ask, and ruled space to write down what you think. It stands on its own with just a Bible. It also works alongside Revelation Explained: Verse by Verse for readers who want the full verse-by-verse treatment behind each session.
Session 1 is free, and you can print it.
The sample is the front matter and the whole first session, set at 8.5 x 11 so it prints on ordinary paper with the ruled lines intact. Session 1 is the orientation: the four ways people read Revelation, how its symbolism works, and who John was writing to. It stands on its own whether or not you go further.
Leading a group? Print a copy for everyone and work the first week together before anyone spends anything.
DOWNLOAD SESSION 1 FREE
If your group is planning a fall study
Ten sessions, one a week, starting the week of 20 September puts Session 10 on 22 November. That is the Sunday before Advent begins.
Session 10 is New Creation and Living with Prophetic Hope, and it ends where Revelation ends, on "Come, Lord Jesus." Finishing there the week Advent starts is worth arranging on purpose. Working back from it, a group needs its copies in hand by mid-September.
GET THE WORKBOOK ON AMAZON
Paperback $16.99, or Kindle. Shipping now.
Ordering for a group? Reply to this email and I will sort out pricing and shipping.
The beast, whoever he turns out to be, is a man. Christ said so. He is not as powerful as he appears. He can be resisted, endured, and outlasted. Every century that has stood against him has done so with the same instruction: here is wisdom.
Grace and peace,
Richard
What we know for certain: 666 is described as "the number of a man," suggesting it's ultimately human, not divine. The number seven represents completeness and perfection in Scripture, particularly divine perfection. Six falls short of seven, representing human imperfection and failure. Triple six emphasizes absolute human failure, humanity claiming divinity while falling utterly short.
Rather than speculating about which individual this number identifies, we should focus on what it tells us: the beast, for all his apparent power and divine claims, is fundamentally human and therefore fundamentally flawed. He mimics God's perfection but achieves only man's imperfection. He claims divine authority but possesses only human limitations.
For believers facing the beast's reign, this number should provide comfort. The beast isn't as powerful as he appears. He's just a man empowered by Satan for a limited time. He can be resisted. He can be endured. And he will ultimately fail.