Are Some Businesses in Utah the Number of the Beast?

I don’t mean these businesses are actually run by demons or Satan sits on the board. I’m talking about an aspect of 666 that the ancient Hebrews saw in the number. It had to do with accounting for every bit of income or profit. 

They saw 6 as the number to represent man, because Adam was created on the sixth day. Seven was the day God rested and so the number 7 represents the sabbath. Therefore, 666 is man without the sabbath. They saw this as man with a lack of God in everyday things.  

For example, when these ancient people would harvest a field, they would leave the corners for the poor and widows. If grain was dropped, they would leave it for the birds to eat. This was how they put God’s purposes in the everyday work of harvesting food. 

Now if someone harvested the whole field, leaving nothing on the edges for the poor and gathering every bit of grain for themselves, this would represent 666. Not a single grain was lost, all was counted, and every bit was taken for man, and God’s purposes were squeezed out. 

This idea of crunching numbers and getting every bit of money possible sounds a lot like our modern way of thinking. Systems are constantly being analyzed to bring in more profit. In store product placement is studied to get customers to buy impulsively, airlines are taking out an inch between seats to squeeze in a few more flyers to increase millions to the bottom line. 

You can feel it when you interact with an industry like this. The service is efficient, and the product is usually just what you were looking for, but there is a sterile feel to it. Customer service is helpful, yet devoid of humanity. These aren’t companies that take advantage of you or rip you off, they are just super focused on bringing in the numbers, and you feel like one.  

It’s a totally different experience when you go to a place that genuinely enjoys making a good product and getting it to you. These kinds of places seem more and more rare to me. Usually locally owned places are more like this. Even big efficient businesses will still have employees that truly just love helping people and this can make a difference. 

An example of a large company that I don’t feel treats me like a number is Chic-Fil-A. It seems like they really like getting me chicken and they are constantly taking care to make sure it’s a good experience. 

I don’t want to call out any businesses here, but if you are one of these super-efficient places, it might be good to occasionally leave some grain in the corners and not worry about it.