In the Book of Revelation in the Bible, we learn that the Sign of the Beast, or Number of the Beast, is the number 666 – “Six Hundred Threescore and Six” (Revelations 13:16-18).  I don’t pretend to be an expert on the subject, but over the years, spotting references to this number has been intriguing to me.

When I checked in online for my flight yesterday, up popped the number 666 – the number of photos in my iPhone camera roll.  Interesting coincidence? Bad omen?  Should I be worried?

No … just a coincidence, I’m sure.  I flew to Burbank and back safely.  No beastly danger this time.

But I learned something new this morning.  According to Wikipedia:

Some people take the Satanic associations of 666 so seriously that they actively avoid things related to 666 or the digits 6-6-6. This is known as hexakosioihexekontahexaphobia … A prominent example is Nancy and Ronald Reagan who, in 1989, when moving to their home in the Bel-Air section of Los Angeles, had its address – 666 St. Cloud Road – changed to 668 St. Cloud Road.

Well, that’s taking the whole 666 thing a bit far.  It makes my irrational fear of dentists (odontophobia) seem a bit prosaic.