Hi there! New here and was looking at some of these posts. Some very interesting.
There's a lot of confusion about Revelations, 2 Thessalonians and the words Jesus spoke about the end times as recorded in Luke, Matthew and Mark. One can see why; it is hard to understand prophesy which is why it needs to be read with the utmost care. There is literally hundreds of different viewpoints to all sorts of Revelations-related themes - ie. the Beast, the Whore, 666, etc. etc. The problem with most, if not all of these viewpoints is that they are not inter-related, continuous, consistent or linear. In other words, some theories believe that the Beast is a single man. If this is true, then how does "the beast that was, and is not, and yet is" (Rev. 17:8) amongst many other verses fit in to this paradigm? Fact is, it doesn't. The problem with most theories is interpretation - man's interpretation.
This brings me to 666. The actual number "666" is only mentioned once in Revelations. It is mentioned as the "number of the beast" elsewhere. 666 has been looked over the centuries to mark a specific man, country or group of nations. This pre-villification is obviously not Christian, nor accurate. Neither is this number to be found in the outside world. It is right there in the text of I Kings 10:14.
Remember that Rev 13:18 starts with "Here is wisdom..." Who is the example of wisdom personified (excepting Jesus, of course)? Solomon. What did Solomon's 666 talents of gold gain him? All of the sins "under the sun." God warned that Israel not amass wealth and weapons because it was a trap that turned away faith. So, Solomon did just that, and with his God-given wisdom recieved wealth and with his wealth broke from the faith. Finally he returned to God.
People spend so much time looking for what is not said. They take one verse and rest their theories upon it. This is entirely irresponsible especially when looking at prophecy.
666, the number of the Beast, will NOT be revealed by looking at the secular world. The number will not be cracked by those who seek to villify others. The number is no secret. It is only hidden in plain sight.