There is no work we could do to get our self saved or a work that we could do to keep the grace of God through his great mercy. If He has begun the good work in us he will finish it till the last day, the day all receive their promised incorruptible bodies.
666 I believe has another meaning attached to it. I would think the kind of meaning that as truth we should buy and not sell the spiritual understandings hid in parables. The doctrine according to my understanding would seem to have been literalized. Not a literal mark as a sign but rather mark as understanding .
Proverbs 23:23 Buy the truth, and sell it not; also wisdom, and instruction, and understanding.
Revelation 13:17And that no man might
buy or sell, save he that had the
mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count
the number of the beast: for
it is the
number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
Beasts points to the clay or dust were mankind is formed of . From dust we are from to dust it will return .Our living hope is a new incorruptible body that will never die..
Genesis 13:16 And I will make thy seed as the
dust of the earth: so that
if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered.
I think in that way the dust of the earth if it could be numbered would be 666 a sign of natural unconverted man who does not know God .
Mankind as a beast of the field was created on day 6 . frequently the Holy Spirit uses the word three as the end of the matter. (666)
I think a good example using the dust of the field to help distinguish the mark is with Cain and Able the field and ground set the stage or foundation .