Looks like I’m going to have to throw out all my old heavy metal t-shirts, and many protestant sermons will need to be rewritten. Newly translated sections of the book of Revelation show the number of the beast was most likely 616, which would have been a veiled political reference aimed much closer to Caligula, and not Nero Caesar as theologians have previously thought.
Here’s another story which discusses in greater detail the newly translated manuscript.
I only hope the numeric title change doesn’t alter the Beast’s propensity for totally ruling the world of heavy metal.
I actually had meant to blog about this when way back in March when I read the story, but I forgot. A conversation with a friend prompted this delayed post.