I recently had at a Bible study with a good friend, and we’re going over the book of Revelation together. On the night we tackled Revelation chapter 13, we had some interesting chatter. For those who don’t recall, this is a very famous chapter talking about John’s vision of the sea and earth beasts, and the very popular mark of the Beast.

Now, as we were going through this book, we weren’t approaching it as if what John was seeing were in literal, chronological events and concrete things, but rather from a symbolic or spiritual sense that points to historical and current Patterns as well as future and final Prophecy. How we view the book, at least currently in this juncture of our lives, is less like an itinerary and more of a recursive narrative with multiple “camera angles” of this ancient, ongoing, and final war between two kingdoms and their citizens.

You might be wondering what all this has to do with Ecclesiastes. Well, in meditating and conversing over the mark of the beast and what takeaway, practical application, or blessing this particular chapter has, somehow our dear friend Kohelet popped into my mind. Here’s the verse:

Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666

While people fixate on the numbers, the odd Greek letter combination that only appears in this verse in Scripture, and who this might be referring to with all manner of gymnastic-gematria, what’s striking is that the calculation of the number does not require in-depth, esoteric knowledge, keeping track of what’s in the newspaper, or some other thing that most people tend to gravitate toward.

Rather it requires wisdom.

And while we (rightfully, I think) attribute “666” to the demonic or satanic, there’s also a sense that the number is Man’s number, 6 (given that we render the Greek as “man” as in kind and not “a man”, it looks like it can go either way). This would tie this back to Genesis 1 in which Man was created on the sixth day, along with all the other land-dwelling animals. Man was tasked with work, but it was blessed work. After the fall, part of the curse, specific to Adam, was that work will be toilsome. Thorns, thistles, sweat of your face, in toil you shall eat of the cursed ground, and so on.

Work becomes toilsome and there is no rest. The work week and Sabbath that ancient Israel adhered to is derived from the creation week. It is the 7th day that is the day of rest after 6 days of toil.

As I think on these things, I can’t help but draw my mind to how Satan deceives and wracks souls, even ones that support his cause (for even a wicked man is made in the image of God, and the devil can’t stand even that). He promises fancy-pants and lollypops, shortcuts to fame, fortune, honors, whatever it is that entices a man, and with very little work! Just sign on the dotted line!

But of course, the workers of iniquity are restless. They have to laboriously keep track of their lies. They worry about losing all their money. Being recognized everywhere is a curse. They will be famous comedians on late night but will not be funny and have all their scripts/jokes written and pre-approved for them. Whenever the narrative changes, they must turn with the school lest they be eaten.

It is the worst kind of toil and with no rest.

Contra the true followers of Jesus Christ who humbly toil for family, community, church, and those less fortunate. We who indeed do not worry about being thrown off and trampled underfoot by a wicked taskmaster, but instead it is in hope that God remembers our works and rewards us in accordance to what we’ve done with the gifts He’s given us. At the end of our lives, and even in the labors of this life, we find rest for our souls. After all, the Son of Man is also Lord of the Sabbath.

Here in Christ, and only in Him, does work and rest, earth and heaven, and man and God abide together…even in the midst of seeming futility, senselessness, stupidity, and wickedness. So the Preacher goes in Eccl 9:

This is the unfortunate fact about everything that happens on earth: the same fate awaits everyone. In addition to this, the hearts of all people are full of evil, and there is folly in their hearts during their lives—then they die.

But whoever is among the living has hope; a live dog is better than a dead lion. For the living know that they will die, but the dead do not know anything; they have no further reward—and even the memory of them disappears. What they loved, as well as what they hated and envied, perished long ago, and they no longer have a part in anything that happens on earth.

Go, eat your food with joy, and drink your wine with a happy heart, because God has already approved your works. Let your clothes always be white, and do not spare precious ointment on your head. Enjoy life with your beloved wife during all the days of your fleeting life that God has given you on earth during all your fleeting days; for that is your reward in life and in your burdensome work on earth.

And if its appointed that all men die once, then the carrot-and-stick routine of the earth and sea Beasts, demanding, persuading, and FOMO-ing people to take its mark should be the most ridiculous notion to those who rather are sealed on their foreheads to God.

If anyone has an ear, let him hear. He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

As for the wicked, who throw in their lot with Satan and his vicious parody of the Godhead, there will be no rest. They will be trapped in an endless Penrose staircase, always moving, but never going anywhere. A hellish Six never able to reach the blessed Seven. A dreadful beast having authority over men rather than the original Adamic role of man having authority of the beasts.

So…could there be more to this number and the rest of Rev 13? For sure, no doubt. Where I am right now in my life, this is just what I’m seeing as part of my salience landscape. It is admittedly odd to connect this chapter with Ecclesiastes and Genesis, but this is less of an explication of what the text for sure has to mean and rather things that I’ve picked up and made connections with.

Just musings is all, though I hope you find it at least somewhat useful or edifying!