lpetrich

If one wishes to split hairs about that date, one must note that June 6, 2006 is the Date of the Beast only in our calendar and numbering system; if we used a different starting month or a different zero year or a different number-system base, the date would look different.


But at least one group of fundies is making 6/6/06 into a major occasion: the Left Behind team. They're releasing the third LB prequel, "The Rapture", on that day.

They'd ended the series proper with book 12, about Jesus Christ's Second Coming, and they've done two prequels about the series's heroes and villains before the Rapture.

But according to their Product Release Schedule, they've got a sequel on the way, provisionally titled "The End of the Story", due in March 2007.

It will reportedly skip over Jesus Christ's 1000-year reign that he started when he made his Second Coming and move on to some more dramatic events, all as described in the Book of Revelation. The Devil will be released from his prison, and he will rally the nations of Gog and Magog for one last battle, but he will ultimately be defeated (Revelation 20).


However, Brian Flemming's movie The Beast will reportedly miss its deadline; I have been unable to find its production status. However, he had given us The God Who Wasn't There, so I suppose that it is not a total loss.

RED DAVE

Robert Graves suggests in his study of pagan symbolism The White Goddess that this is an abbreviation for the Latin sentence "Domitianus Caesar Legatos Xti Violenter Interfecit," or "The Emperor Domitian violently killed the envoys of Christ".

Just like INRI was the titulus of JC, 666 is, according to Graves, the titulus of an alleged antichrist.

RED DAVE

Chili

What I would like to know why everybody is trying to figure out the number of the beast if it is already given to us?

Now please don't tell me that you are looking for someone who fits that description.

k_smith123

Yes, and we all know that “pebbles” are small (L. paulos) rocks (G. petros).

Although perceived and claimed word origins often provide clues as to the true intent of a particular metaphor, even words that appear to have no entymological connection may be metaphorically linked simply because they are phonetically similar (i.e. phaulos and philos). This idea is known as the “philosopher’s lisp” and there is substantial evidence of its use found throughout ancient writings.

For example:

From Plato’s Gorgias:

“Callicles: I feel towards philosophers as I do towards those who lisp and
imitate children. For I love to see a little child, who is not of an
age to speak plainly, lisping at his play; there is an appearance of
grace and freedom in his utterance, which is natural to his childish
years. But when I hear some small creature carefully articulating
its words, I am offended; the sound is disagreeable, and has to my
ears the twang of slavery.”

From Aristotle’s Metaphysics:

“For if we were to follow out the view of Empedocles, and
interpret it according to its meaning and not to its lisping
expression, we should find that friendship is the cause of good
things, and strife of bad.”

Also From Aristotle’s Metaphysics:

“For the earliest philosophy is, on all subjects, like one who lisps,
since it is young and in its beginnings.”

And from Plutarch’s Alcibiades:

“It is said that his (Alcibiades) lisping, when he spoke, became him well, and gave a grace and persuasiveness to his rapid speech. Aristophanes takes notice of it in the verses in which he jests at Theorus; ‘How like a colax he is,’ says Alcibiades, meaning a corax; on which it is remarked,-

’How very happily he lisped the truth.’”

And again Plato's Cratylus provides substantial details on how it works.

Sensate2012

I was under the impression that VISA = 666 :wave:
Due to VI = 6 (Roman Numerals); S = 6 (ancient Egyptian); A = 6 (Sanskrit)

So should I use my Mastercard or Amex...I'm so confused :devil:

EthnAlln

That's interesting stuff about the "philosopher's lisp."

I'm a little puzzled about your first statement, though. Was that intended to be ironic? The word "pebble" is a Middle English word, derived from Old English. It doesn't even superficially resemble "paulos" or "petros", the two holy apostles. (I can still recite the confiteor in Latin, where these two words occur first in the dative---sanctis apostolis Petro et Paulo---then later in the accusative---sanctos apostolos Petrum et Paulum. Maybe those years as an altar boy back in the Dark Ages were worthwhile.)

But the link between "he psephos" and "psephizo" is not a mere coincidence, any more than the link between the noun "to ostrakon" (shell) and the verb "ostrakizo", since an Athenian who wished to ostracize (exile) a person would write that person's name on a shell. The same kind of connection occurs in the English phrase "blackball." Or, if you want to go to another modern language, Russian, where the word for hitchhike is the same as the word for vote (golosovat') since Russians hold up a hand, as if voting, when trying to get a ride.

801live

Back in the 1980's, I asked an Aramaic scholar, Rocco De Errico about 666. He immediately cracked into Judaic numerology, and put it also squarely on Nero's "bad self". He thought most all of Revelation was written in code for Christians of that day. Seems plausible.:huh:

IsItJustMe

This is exactly what I have read about it every time I have studied it semi-seriously. Before I came to this board I thought everyone but the fundies knew that. I once had in my hands a very convincing line-by-line explanation of the whole business in terms of first century history. I'm sorry now I let it go; I had no idea it was so controversial. It was written by a Jesuit.