The Little Book of the End of the World (8 page)

  A beast with seven heads and ten horns, which emerges from the Earth and is known by its number, 666.

THE BEAST OF THE EARTH

The three beasts of revelations are often discussed as one: even though they are treated as different creatures, they are all connected in their origin and are usually seen as a metaphor for the forces of the Earth, namely the air, sea and earth, turning against humanity.

These enemies grow all the more powerful during the Endtimes, gaining followers across the globe, and their actions bring the full extent of God’s vengeance upon the Earth in a series of natural disasters:

  The sea and waters of the Earth turn to blood.

  The sun burns the Earth and then the Earth falls into darkness.

  A great earthquake levels the Earth.

The climax to these disasters leads to the End of the World that we have already discussed; all nations embrace and begin to follow God and those who are not faithful are struck down, with the various beasts and enemies cast into the lake of fire. Satan is imprisoned for 1,000 years, during which Jesus rules the Earth. After this time, Satan rises once more to wage war against Heaven but is finally defeated and destroyed. Finally, Heaven and Earth are reborn and the dead are resurrected.

Muslim belief also references a different beast of the Earth, a being called Dabbat al-Ard. This beast is a symbol of the coming Endtimes, but where the Christian beasts of Revelations are seen as destructive forces, Dabbat al-Ard is sent by God to remind humanity of His presence and His power. Since the Muslim Apocalypse coincides with a massive loss of faith, the beast arrives as a sort of last warning to remind people of the faith they have now lost.

Even acknowledging the metaphors and dream-like qualities, Revelations is a complicated text, and one that theologians and scholars have spent nearly 2,000 years trying to interpret, unsure how deeply to read into the codes and hidden meanings of the book. Some of the imagery might appear obvious from the various destructive acts and elements to the key players and locations in the book.

However, there have been so many readings of Revelations that persons of faith could find hints about the End of the World wherever they might look.

THE NUMBER OF THE BEAST

Immortalised by
The Omen
and an Iron Maiden song, a wealth of superstition surrounds the number 666. In fact, the fear of this seemingly arbitrary, if somewhat repetitive, number even has its own lengthy name: hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia.

While this number itself has a peculiar relation to the Book of Revelations, a fear of numbers is common in other cultures as well: many readers are probably untrusting of the number 13, while Japanese and Chinese culture associate the same superstitions with the number 4 due to its similarities to the word for ‘hell’.

Like much of the Book of Revelations, the number of the Beast is open to many interpretations, with some sources stating that the number is actually 616, with translation problems leading to the 666 that we currently know. Some of the demonologists we’ve already discussed linked this number to demons and the forces of Hell, suggesting that each of the 666 legions of Hell contains 666 demons.

However, this number may not be a number at all, but rather a name: the Hebrew alphabet uses numbers and letters interchangeably, usually relying on context to indicate which is used.

So what does the number 666 spell?

It’s not an exact art, but there are two possible names that come up when applying this method: the king Nebuchadnezzar who captured Jerusalem in the seventh century
BC
and is featured in the Book of Daniel; and Neron Cessar, or Nero, ruler of the Roman Empire in the middle of the first century
AD
, at a time roughly contemporary to the writing of the Book of Revelations.

Written in Roman numerals, 666 is DCLXVI (500 + 100 + 50 + 10 + 5 + 1) and features one occurrence of every roman numeral under 1,000 (M), all in descending order.

Also, 666 is an important number in science, although in a form unlikely to have been known at the time of Revelations. Carbon-12, which is found in all living beings, has six protons, six electrons and six neutrons.

GOG AND MAGOG

Gog and Magog are mentioned throughout the Bible but are key players in the Book of Revelations, the names of a destructive force that will be marshalled by Satan at the End of Days. They will be followers of the beasts, enemies of Heaven, and will persecute those that follow Jesus.

It’s unclear whether Gog and Magog are individuals, tribes or geographic locations: throughout the Bible, names of well-known individuals are adopted by their families and the areas in which they live. The earliest biblical reference to Magog is in the Book of Genesis where Magog is the grandson of Noah. A later reference is to Gog from the land of Magog, which implies that Gog may be descended from the earlier Magog.

The Book of Revelations pairs Gog and Magog together, treating them as a pair who combine their efforts to thwart mankind and the Messiah.

If Gog and Magog are a location, they have no fixed or definite place: as with much of the Bible, many locations have long since changed names, with some cities and cultures falling into obscurity.

However, certain translations of the Bible add further meanings to these words. For example, a Greek version of the Old Testament uses Gog in place of Agag when discussing a classical king who fought against Saul, the first King of Israel. If Gog is to be considered a historical figure, then Revelations may actually hint at the past rather than the future. Agag is also translated as ‘flame’, which only adds another level of meaning to the destruction that Gog brings, as Gog may not be person or army but simply a destructive fire.

The Islamic interpretation of Revelations specifies that Gog and Magog are nations, with the similarly named Ya’jooj and Ma’jooj. In the Islamic Apocalypse, these nations are located in a place where east meets west.

On a journey through this area, the righteous ruler Dhul-Qarnayn – often identified as Alexander the Great – is asked to build a wall to protect the virtuous tribes of the area from the warlike Ya’jooj
and Ma’jooj. Dhul-Qarnayn helps to build the wall, but suggests to the natives that, at the End of Days, God will reduce the wall to dust and these tribes will spread across the Earth, wreaking destruction once more.

THE FOUR HORSEMEN AND THE SEVEN SEALS

As the Book of Revelations progresses, it reveals a scroll or book held in God’s right hand – the same side on which Jesus apparently sits. Seven seals keep this scroll closed, but as the beasts and Gog and Magog make their presence known, moving across the Earth, God breaks each seal and opens the scroll.

With the breaking of each seal, the End of the World edges ever closer, with the first four seals summoning forth the most enduring images of the Apocalypse: the Four Horsemen.

These horsemen arrive accompanied by an otherworldly voice saying, ‘Come and see’. They then ride across the Earth, marshalling the faithful to God’s side and striking down their enemies. However, the horsemen also act as a stark reminder of God’s wrath if people were to turn against their faith. Each of the riders is identified by a differently coloured horse and a weapon or totem, with only the fourth horseman named.

  The first horseman is depicted on a white horse, wearing a crown on his head and carrying a bow and arrows. This rider is given many names, but is typically recognised as Conquest.

  The second horseman rides a red horse and is given a large sword and the power to make men kill each other. With his sword and affinity to death and the act of killing, this horseman is recognised as War.