What is The Meaning of 666?

This is an expanded edited excerpt from my sermon (10/20/2013) entitled The Beast, 666, and The Lamb:

What is the mark of the Beast? What is the meaning of 666 (Rev 13:16-18)?

666 is one of the most fascinating enigmas in the book of Revelation. Countless and exhausting explanations have been given over the last 2,000 years. It is scary and mysterious. So what is it? How did the Christians in the first century understand 666 when they first heard Revelation read to them?

666 is the rule, ownership and control by the dragon. 666 symbolizes the spiritual control of heart allegiance and behavior. Seven expresses the idea of perfection or completeness. So six, which falls below the sacred seven, can never be seven or reach perfection. It symbolizes the imperfect, that which belongs to fallen human and is destined to fail. It is a constant falling short (Rom 3:23). It characterizes depravity, godlessness and faithlessness, the incompleteness and counterfeit nature of the devil's kingdom and those under his rule. Thus, 666 may be correlated with "imperfect imperfect imperfect," "incomplete incomplete incomplete," "failure failure failure."