The Beast 666

Hyobel’s second volume in a series on the New Testament’s Book of Revelation challenges traditional interpretations.

The author notes that he has experimented with multiple Christian denominations in the past, but “something deep within me continually resisted most of their thoughts on God.” After more than a decade of studying Revelation, Hyobel sees the notoriously confusing book as a lens that highlights where Christian thinkers “are clearly wrongheaded” in their approach to the biblical God. This book focuses on the cryptic beast of Revelation 13 and builds on his first series installment, Spirits: An All-Embracing Outlook on the Book of Revelation (2022). Hyobel argues for a “universalist perspective” that blends the teachings of Jesus with Eastern spiritual philosophies, including Buddhism, Hinduism, and Taoism; overall, he emphasizes a “faith-ideal” of “unity, love and harmony.” This true message of Revelation, the book suggests, has been ignored by Christian theologians, who, for instance, have seen the apocalyptic “beast” and his mysterious number, 666, as referring to such entities as Emperor Nero and the Roman Empire, Ronald Reagan, and the pope. To Hyobel, the beast instead represents “the spirit of greed” who interferes with the ideal harmony between humans and “Mother Nature.” Alternatively, “God’s perfection,” writes Hyobel, “is teaching us to understand our collective humanity.” The book’s strength lies not just in its well-researched, thought-provoking thesis, which is backed by ample citations that demonstrate a firm grasp on the scholarship of both the Bible and Eastern religions, but also in its emphasis on relevant contemporary issues. Revelation’s beast, Hyobel says, is embodied in humanity’s failed responses to climate change, which he convincingly connects to a collective spiritual failing. Even if readers don’t agree with the author’s interpretations, they’ll find it difficultto argue with many of his sound solutions, which include a reprioritization of “nurturing our relationships with the people around us: family, friends, and neighbors.”

An idiosyncratic but intriguing and well-argued reexamination of an ancient text.