A baseball scorecard shares secrets with those who are proficient in its language and who are passionate for the game. For instance, did you know, one team's scorecard can often identify the style of the opposing pitcher. If ground balls accounted for more than half of a team's offensive outs, the opposing pitcher was most likely a control artist whose pitches "break," or drop into the lower half of the strike zone; these pitches would include sinkers and splitters. If, however, a team's scorecard is riddled with "Ks" (strikeouts; by "riddled," I mean at least one strikeout per inning pitched) and "BBs" (bases on balls, or walks)--the opposing pitcher was most likely a velocity, or power, pitcher who predominantly throws fastballs, change-ups, and curves.

 

But, it wasn't my intent to talk about baseball.

 

There is, however, a connection between baseball and the point of this piece. Baseball is often called a game of numbers; the New Testament's Revelation is often called a book of numbers. While numbers can be counted on in The Revelation, don't try to perform math on them. Numbers in The Revelation are strictly used metaphorically.

 

Take, for example, that infamous number "666," the number ascribed to the dragon.

 

Come, now, there was no need for you to dive in horror under the table. Seriously, come out from under the table and pay attention.

 

The dragon of The Revelation did not personally adopt "666" as his nickname and have it embroidered on the back of his worn, black leather jacket. The Spirit of God coined the term, and he did not intend for the tag to bolster the lore of the dragon or to summon images of unspeakable terror in the hearts of the readers of The Revelation. "666" is actually something of a derisive term intended to express the limits of the dragon's power.

 

Think of it this way. Imagine a decimal point after the first "6." The number now reads "6.66." By contrast, the number of the divine in The Revelation is "7." It doesn't matter how many sixes you add after the decimal, the number will never reach seven. In other words, no matter how bad the dragon grows, he can never be as bad as God is good.

 

Back to baseball for the final point.

 

Often when a velocity pitcher is "mowing down" the opposition, striking out one batter after another, you'll see fans in the bleachers triumphantly post a large paper "K" on the outfield wall. One "K" for each strikeout. I think of those paper "Ks" when I hear of evil in the world. A child is abused. The dragon gets another "6." A terrorist attack robs the innocent of life. The dragon gets another "6." The Giants win another pennant. The dragon gets another "6."

 

The dragon--no matter how many additional "6s" are posted--will never reach "7" in power.

 

He can never be as bad as God is good.

 

"666," then, feels a bit like a promise, doesn't it?