The Number of the Beast
The Marduk Connection: Part 4
One of the most enigmatic sacred texts is definitely The Revelation of St. John, which is the final part of the New Testament. In this apocalyptic vision, John tells us about the "final days" of our world, when the "Kingdom Of the Lord" comes back. The text includes a very confusing symbolism with some repeated enigmatic numbers such as 7. And the most confusing part of the Revelation is about a " Beast" whose "number" is 666.
This number is told as a "number of a man" and with this verse, Chapter 13 of the text ends. What is this curious "666" formula and just who is this "man"? Bible scholars have different approaches for this subject and the explanation is still uncertain even in Christian world.
Now, while keeping this enigmatic sentence of the Chapter 13 in John's Revelation in mind, let's get back to the calculation we made above: 3661 years orbital period of Nibiru. We know that ancient Sumerians had used a mathematical numbering system called "sexagesimal". This means, the essential numbers were related with 60 and 6, while writing down the numbers or making calculations with tokens or beads.
In fact, Sumerian system was not definitely "sixty based", but it was a combination of our 10 based system and their 60 based understanding. In other words, the essential numbers of the system were the exponents of number 60 and their multiplication with number 10. What does this mean in practical life? We have to look at the Sumerian numbers and "digits" for a very brief picture:
Essential numbers:
1 (600)
10 (600 x 10)
60 (601)
600 (601 x 10)
3,600 (602)
36,000 (602 x 10)
In this system, Sumerian mathematicians combined a few glyphs together to be able to write every complex number. The basic glyphs were for 1, 10 and 60. While 60 was essential and "sacred" for the calculations related to the heavens, 10 helped the Sumerians to make the things simple in daily life. We shall not deal with the details of the Sumerian sexagesimal system for now. But, considering this numbering system, we can look at the orbital period of Nibiru/Marduk once more. It takes 3661 solar years for this planet, to complete its orbit. How can this number be written in Sumerian sexagesymal system?
There are only 3 digits for this (beginning with the lowest number from right to left, as Sumerians used to write):
This means, with 3 glyphs representing these three essential numbers, we can write down the orbital period of Nibiru in solar years. The first line of glyphs represent the numbers on the above line respectively. These glyphs were used in a very early time, around 3100 BC in Mesopotamia and they are the primitive samples of Sumerian numbering system. The line below it, shows the cuneiform symbols for the same numbers but they are from a relatively late period, about 2200 BC, used in Babylon. (23)
As we see, the number 3661 consists of only "the holy numbers": The exponents of 60. And this is also a "perfect number" because it only includes the 0,1 and 2nd exponents of this holy number in turn, each of them used once. Furthermore, the first digit is the most sacred number, "Shar" which is directly related to Nibiru/Marduk.
In his marvellous work, "Histoire Universelle Des Chiffres", French mathematician and writer Georges Ifrah shows the evolution and simplification of Mesopotamian numbers in cuneiform. As the centuries passed, the Assyrrian and Babylonian mathematicians applied a "fine tuning" to the system to provide simplicity. And during the 6th century BC (the accurate time for Israelites' Babylonian captivity) the system evolved to a very "pure" simplicity: The essential numbers, i.e 3600 and 60 were symbolized only with a "wedge" (which means Number 1) when used in their "own digit". In other words, when you wanted to write for example, 64, you have to put a "1" sign in 60's digit (to indicate that the number contained 1 time 60) and four "1"s to the 1st digit. With this simplification, it was possible to write down the number 3661 using just one sign, used three times in three digits:
Third Digit ("3600"s)
Second Digit ("60"s)
First Digit ("1"s)
1 x 3600 (60 2)
1 x 60 (601)
1 x 1 (60 0)
A combination of "divine" numbers
The number 60 is related to the events and calculations in heavens (while number 10 is an "assistant" to ease the daily life calculations), as we mentioned above. We can see the reflections of this concept in Sumerian "mythology". Ancient Sumerians assigned not only planets and stars but also "numbers" to their "gods". Enlil, for example, is the god "Number 50", while his older brother Enki is "Number 40". Utu gets number 20 while the oldest "popular goddess" figure Inanna gets number 15. The detailed table is below:
NumberSumerian/Babylonian NameDefinition60An(u)God of the Heavens50EnlilLord of the "Air"40Enki/EaLord of the Earth30Nanna/SinMoon God20Utu/ShamashSun God15Inanna/IshtarGoddess of Love and War10MardukEnki's Son/Chief deity in Babylon6Ishkur/AdadStorm God
The reason for assigning the gods and goddesses to heavenly bodies such as the Moon, the Sun or the Planet Venus is still uncertain. Because, the stars or planets themselves were not the gods or goddesses; instead, the divine creatures described in Sumerian myths were rather "flesh-and-blood" super beings. Most probably, the Mesopotamian astronomer/priests used this assignments to formulate their calculations in heavens. But if we deal with the "myths" and legends about these "divine beings", we soon realize that all the gods and goddesses are "earthly rulers" and they deal with ordinary daily tasks on earth, except one god: An (or Anu in Akkadian) who is "The God Number 60". An(u) was never related to administrative tasks on earth but he was the "ultimate ruler of heavens". This explains the number 60's significance: It rules the earth but it belongs to heavens. The essential heavenly number is assigned to the essential heavenly "Lord".
This short explanations makes clear the significance of the number 60 and the calculations directly made by using it. The orbital period of Nibiru, which according to my thesis is 3661 years, is a sacred divine time span by using only the exponents of 60 just once.
Now let's get back to the point where we took a break: The last sentence of the 13th chapter of John's Revelation. The text describes a heavenly body (but "evil", without doubt) appears after "the Lamb opens the 7th seal" and name it as "The Beast". You can feel the "hate" tendency in the expressions of the text, while mentioning about this Beast. As a Judeo-Christian tradition, the same feeling of "hate" is also directed to Babylon. The "Kingdom of God" arrives only after the destruction of Babylon; and at one point, the angels announce the end of it: "Babylon is fallen, is fallen that great city because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornification." (24)
The writers of the New Testament took the flag from the Old Testament tradition when it comes to "hate Babylon". John followed the suit in his Revelation and in the last sentence of the 13th chapter, he made his most enigmatic announcement: "The number of the beast is 666". Just what is this "number"? And why is it "666"?
Ancient enemy, ancient knowledge
Since the deciphering of Sumerian and Babylonian cuneiform tablets and cylinder seals, we know that both Old and New Testaments' writers borrowed their main "themes" from much older sources. Israelites were not totally unfamiliar to Mesopotamian pantheon because they knew (and even worshipped) the Canaanite versions of its deities (i.e Baal or Anat.) During the 6th century BC, when Israelites became the captives of the Babylonian King Nabuchadnezar, the Hebrew culture encountered directly with the Mesopotamian theology and science. Most of the popular Babylonian myths thus were edited and moved in their supposedly "monotheistic" religion. This cultural encounter was not limited with myths, for sure: Some "divine numbers" about the heavens, migrated too. One of them, according to my theory, was the orbital period of Nibiru: The number 3661.
In Babylon, during 6th century BC, Nibiru was called "Marduk". And it was also the name of the principal deity of the land. So, the Israelites realized that, the chief deity of their eternal enemy was called Marduk and was symbolized with the divine number of 3661. Nevertheless, this number was written with cuneiform signs in "divine" sexagesimal system and had only 3 digits. Besides, all three digits contained the same sign as a number. The captives had learned something about this numbering system (because some of their "wise men" and talented kids were accepted in King's Palace and were taught there) but not much. Israelites used the 60 based calculations in their length and weight measuring system, without accepting and learning it totally; but in fact, the sexagesimal numbering was almost completely "alien" to them. They knew that the system had to do something with the number 6 and 60 and perhaps with 600, because:
- 600 was the "total number of the Anunnaki Gods", according to Mesopotamian creed
- 60 was the sacred number of Anu, the Sky God
- 6 was the number of the god Ishkur/Adad; the cief deity of "priest initiation system" in Mesopotamia
After almost 4 centuries, while the Essene and Nasorean movements were being formed in Juda, this ancient knowledge were also in the "basket": Babylonians, the eternal enemy of the "God's People", had a "False God" who was supposed to come back in future. His name was Marduk and he beared a three digit number on it. Each digit was one of their enemies' "sacred numbers".
In second century A.D, while the New Testament was being formed with retouches, this "knowledge" was added to the end of the book: To the "damned" 13th chapter of apocalyptic prophecies; John's Revelation. The God of the "Evil Babylonians" could only be a "Beast". But he was surely to come back soon from the heavens (not "from the waters" as some interpreters think today, taking John's words literally – "The Waters" or "The Sea" was an ancient Mesopotamian cosmological term, "the Abzu" and meant directly the "outer space" as well as "The Wisdom Of Deep Waters".) In this case, this "Beast" could only be a "false God" (but nevertheless very powerful) and we could identify him with his number: 666! With a very high probability, they misinterpreted the sexagesimal system and mistakingly focused on 6, 60 and 600 as the essential numbers. So they took the number 6 into the first digit; 60 into second and 600 to the third!
"Here is Wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of a man: And his number is Six hundred threescore and six." (25)
The term "wisdom" in ancient cultures was often used as the "knowledge of heavens" so the astronomer/priests of the Ancient Near East were the most "wise" men. In this case, it also refers to a knowledge of "mathematics", the wisdom of the "divine numbers". It apparently presents a riddle to a "wise person" who has the "wisdom of the heavens and the divine numbers". That mysterious "Beast" in the Revelation is described as a creature with "seven heads". And, "upon his heads it had his name of blasphemy." (26) Seven heads, could well be the "7 stations Marduk passes while travelling towards the Earth". Also, if this sentence carries a double riddle, it could be the 7 letters of its name.
The name Marduk, has only 6 letters. But in Hebrew, the name is "Merodach " (where "Mero" means "the rebel" and "dach" means "exiled": a very brief description for Marduk, who really were an "exiled rebel" according to ancient myths). The "ch" sound is a single sign in Hebrew alphabet, so the name Merodach actually has 7 letters. There is a little "trick" here: In Hebrew, only consonants were written so the name Merodach had only four letters. On the other hand, the Greek alphabet (with which the New Testament was written) has both vowels and consonants, so the Merodach has 7 letters when written in Greek.
Another curious point is John's comments about the "owner" of the name: It was also "the number of a man". Marduk was a deity, not human. Who could then be this "man"? The answer lies in the Old Testament and in Babylonian history: Nabuchadnezar conquered their land and brought them to Babylon as "slaves". Some decades had passed and the cruel king died. His successor was his son Evil-Merodach. (The word "Evil" has nothing to do with the English word "evil". According to Bible Names Dictionary, Evil-Merodach means "The fool of Merodach" or "the fool grinds bitterly". The same dictionary gives "the bitter contrition" as the meaning of Merodach. Another Biblical dictionary uses "death, slaughter" for the name Merodach.) The young king ruled the country for two years before being killed by his brother-in-law, and had close relations with some of the "captives" in the city of Babylon. One of them was probably Biblical Daniel. As far as we know from the Old Testament records, Evil-Merodach released a couple of Israelites and let them safely return to Jerusalem and Jeconiah, the ex-King of Judah were among these lucky people.
At this very point, there came a claim about Evil-Merodach: Before letting Jeconiah go, he gave him a special "present" to bring along to their homeland. It was a "snake throne made of bronze". When released captives arrived Jerusalem, they tried to restore the Temple and hid the present Evil-Merodach gave, in the most inner sanctum of the temple. The object, afterwards, became the center of a "secret ritual" practised by a handful of bishops in Jerusalem. This was, without any doubt, an action against Yahveh's will.
Some fundamentalist jews (and later, the first Christians) considered these rituals as an "insult" and therefore accused the bishops practising them as "heretics". According to these fundamentalists, the releasing and the special present were Evil- Merodach's "tricks" played on God's people: It was a "test" in which Jeconiah failed. So, no need to say, Evil-Merodach was literally "evil" for Yahveh's chosen people.
It is very likely that John was giving another clue to the readers of the New Testament, by mentioning a "man's name" while describing the "Beast". Now, let us see what we have about the Beast of John's Revelation in our hands:
- It came from the sea: It was not actually "sea" but "Abzu", the "primeaval sea" in Sumerian cosmology, which directly refers to "outer space". So this dragon is subject to appear in heavens, most probably in a form of a celestial body. Just like Nibiru/Marduk.
- It bears the number "666": As we propose, this number was actually the orbital period of Nibiru/Marduk and it was 3661, not 666. The writers of the Revelation (John or somebody else) fell into the "trick" of Mesopotamian sexagesimal numbering system.
- It had seven heads with its "name of blasphemy" written on it: As we have already seen, the name "Merodach" (Hebrew version of "Marduk") has 7 letters when written with the Greek alphabet (the alphabet of the New Testament.)
- It also had 10 horns with ten crowns on each: In Babylonian mythology, Marduk symbolizes "number 10".
- It was also a "man's number" (name): Evil-Merodach was Nabuchadnezar's successor/son and was being held responsible for some "heretic rituals" in Jerusalem by fundamentalist jews.
- To count the Beast's name, wisdom and understanding are required: The term "wisdom" usually refers to astronomy and religion in ancient near eastern cultures. So a man has to know something about the heavens, celestial bodies and numbering system to count the Beast's number. We believe, this is the wisdom of our solar system, the 10th planet Marduk and its "number" (which is actually its orbital period).
- The Beast brings only destruction and death to the nations: In the Bible Names Dictionary, one of the meanings of the name Merodach was "slaughter and destruction". It is remarkable that the "shar" (3600) sign also has a secondary meaning in all Mesopotamian cultures: "Destruction". The 10th planet Nibiru/Marduk's gravitational pull brings catastrophes and destruction during its orbital passage.
After all these taken into account, the riddle of John's Revelation becomes more clear: Eternal Enemy's (Babylon) chief deity (Marduk) will appear in heavens in the form of a "celestial dragon" (Nibiru/The 10th Planet), to cause trouble to Earth (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and flood) in future (after completing its orbital period). It is the "Anti-Christ". No need to deal with "gematria" in order to solve the riddle of 666.
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