Dr Paul Allen

The number 666 is mentioned in Revelation 13:18 as the “number of a person,” which is also “the number of the beast.” If the method of gematria is employed, the number 666 is interpreted as the numerical equivalent of the name of a person.  The results of efforts to find such a name vary depending on the choice of the Greek, Hebrew, or Latin alphabet as the basis for the calculation. Since many names yield the numerical value of 666, since names and titles can be combined (and abbreviated) in many different ways, and since there was no fixed orthography of personal names in antiquity, it has to be assumed that John’s readers knew the individual to whom he was referring. John refers, perhaps, to a tradition known to some of his readers regarding the person associated with the number 666.  The emperor Nero is the best candidate for such an identification, not least because the numerical value for the Greek term for “beast” is also 666. Since John describes the false ...

Gabriel making the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary. Painting by El Greco, 1575 (Museo del Prado, Madrid). (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The angel Gabriel is one of the prominent characters in the Nativity narrative. He’s remembered as the angel who told Mary she would give birth to the Son of God . But what else can we know about him from the Bible ? Gabriel is mentioned in the Old and New Testaments . Only three angels are mentioned by name in the Bible: Gabriel, Michael and Lucifer (who became Satan). What does the Bible tell us about Gabriel? God used Gabriel to explain end-time prophecies to Daniel. He’s known for bearing good news of Jesus’ coming birth, but his first biblical appearance was in  Daniel 8:16 , when he is told to explain a vision to the prophet. The Jehovah Witnesses use this verse to somehow say that not only is Jesus not God but Jesus is the Gabriel.  "And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, 'Gabriel, ma...