The Mark of the Beast and the Number 666: Allegiance, Not Technology. Few images from Revelation have provoked more speculation than the Mark of the Beast (χάραγμα / cháragma) and the infamous number 666 (ἑξακόσιοι ἑξήκοντα ἕξ / hexakósioi hexēkonta héx). Futurist interpreters have variously claimed it is a barcode, a microchip, a vaccine, or some secret technology.