[peyton randolph]

I suppose cynics could do the same with the Constitution.

---

Sure. Just like Nostradamus etc. The point is that it gives me the creeps every time some yahoo interprets Event X as being foreshadowed by the Bible. I'm not knocking Biblical prophesy...just the propensity of some to be reading the religious tea leaves without a sense of perspective. There are loons across the political spectrum who see what isn't there. An example from the left were those who claimed the Bible foretold Reagan's presidency because each of his three names had six letters --- 666 - The Mark of the Beast. One can laugh but same absurdity at issue here when one sees X and suggests the Bible predicted it.

[Zechariah11]

The point is that it gives me the creeps every time some yahoo interprets Event X as being foreshadowed by the Bible. I'm not knocking Biblical prophesy...just the propensity of some to be reading the religious tea leaves without a sense of perspective. There are loons across the political spectrum who see what isn't there.

I don't think FreeRepublic is the proper venue to discuss anything about Scripture at all - eschatology, soteriology, or what have you. But, being one who loves to study it, I get a bit defensive at times.

[mkjessup]

An example from the left were those who claimed the Bible foretold Reagan's presidency because each of his three names had six letters --- 666 - The Mark of the Beast. One can laugh but same absurdity at issue here when one sees X and suggests the Bible predicted it.

Funny you should mention that.

I recall a xerox'd primitive 'spam' (pre-Internet of course) that I received from somebody in January 1981 (right after Reagan's Inauguration) and it was quite interesting, it went like this:

1917

1926

1935

1944

1953

1962

1971

1980

Reagan was born in 1911.

In 1917, he was 6 years old.

In 1926, he was 15 years old. (1 + 5 = 6)

In 1935, he was 24 years old. (2 + 4 = 6)

In 1944, he was 33 years old. (3 + 3 = 6)

In 1953, he was 42 years old. (4 + 2 = 6)

In 1962, he was 51 years old. (5 + 1 = 6)

In 1971, he was 60 years old. (6 + 0 = 6)

In 1980, he was 69 years old. (6 + 9 = 15, 1 + 5 = 6)

Each of the digits of the above years, when added together, equal '18', which breaks down to '6 + 6 + 6'.

Those type of years occur -only- *8* times after Reagan was born in 1911, and after 1980 (the year Reagan was elected) that 'type' of year ceases to occur for the rest of the 20th Century.

The 'argument' that was made by whatever number cruncher that came up with this, was that it pointed to the high probability that Ronald Wilson Reagan was indeed, a potential candidate to be the Antichrist of Biblical prophecy. And more than a few people took it quite seriously, because you can't refute numbers.

Now you could say "that applies to ANYBODY born in 1911", and you would be right. But how many people born in 1911 went on to become the President of the United States?

Only one. Ronald Reagan.

And believe you me, after John Hinckley shot President Reagan, a whole lotta evangelicals (at least the ones who had received this xerox'd chain letter) were holding their breath to see if Reagan might actually die, then be miraculously brought back to life, as described in Revelation 13:3, "I saw one of his heads as if it had been slain, and his fatal wound was healed. And the whole earth was amazed and followed after the beast..."

As it turned out, the Beast wouldn't enter the White House until Inauguration Day, January 1993.

And now she's trying to do it again. ;)