Mark of the Beast': Man Receives W-2 Bearing '666,' Immediately Quits Job

If you received a document stamped with the number “666,” what would you do?

For this one Tennessean maintenance worker, getting a W-2 tax form bearing the “mark of the beast” meant quitting his job:

Walter Slonopas, 52, told The Tennessean that accepting the number would have condemned his soul to hell.

“If you accept that number, you sell your soul to the devil,” he said.

That number, traditionally a symbol for the devil, is found in the Bible's Book of Revelation describing the apocalypse.

The company that handles payroll for Slonopas' former employer, Contech Casting LLC., says the number meant the maintenance worker's form was the 666th one mailed out.

Slonopas, a self-proclaimed “born again Christian,” says he had trouble with the number before.

“In July 2011, the company changed time clock systems, and once again Slonopas got 666. This time he quit. The company apologized and he returned to work a few days later,” The Tennessean reports.

Walter Slonopas (screen grab).

For their part, Contech is stunned that one of its employees is something of a magnet for the number.

“I am completely at a loss for words,” said company spokesman Bob LaCourciere.

LaCourciere says Contech would send a new W-2 and wants to rehire Slonopas. But Slonopas says "God is worth more than money."

Slonopas’ wife, Anna, assures The Tennessean that although they are out of work, they’ll be just fine.

“If my husband makes $10, one goes to God, two go to savings, and we live on seven,” she said. “It’s not that my husband makes $10 and I spend $11.”

screen grab

The company says it will try to rehire him.

“We’d love to have him back,” said LaCourciere.

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The AP contributed to this report. Featured image: screen grab.