Oh yeh, this is my first post.. hello everyone!!

My dad showed me this the other day, it may or may not be important..

think of the number 666...
now the number 6 in roman numerals is VI ...
if repeat VI 3 times, you get VI VI VI
now connect the top-right of the V to the bottom of the I

what do you get?
WWW
Scary?

-Stephen

it it just coincidence that the default ports on an IRC server are 6666 and 6667?

-Stephen (again...)

all of the "666" things that i have seen (hundreds) have been just silly things... like if you take the words "Bill Gates Jr", convert it into ASCII values,change the values into base-10, add them together, you get 666, or whatever, which is pretty stupid. i mean, all these things are JUST co-incerdenses. practically everything, if you change it to numbers, do something clever, and squint with both eyes looks like "666". Actually, the bible does not say "666 is the sign of the beast", but six hundred, sixty, and six, which is "666", but all these things are actually just the three numerals. I have no clue what the 666 thing will be, if at all, but whatever it is, i think it'll be -- if not easy to spot -- then at least not something totally obscenely complicated to find that it is the "666" thing.

I'm not meaning any offence, but these things often turn into superstitions and such, with people ( i know some ) who think that computers - or something else - are "the beast", and anyone involved with or anything to do with, or even using computers is being drawn into it.

about the IRC numbers - either it was because of that being the only free port they could use, or else a slightly odd sense of humor on behalf of the IRC inventors. anyway, its "six thousand, six hundred and sixty six", or seven, as the IRC port numbers.

I dont think speculating about what the sign will be is going to be much use, as

a) we're probably wrong
b) we're just creating suspicion and superstition
c) its been done a trillion times before.

hope i dont sound too nasty or anything, but these type of discussions about "666" have always started off stupid rumors going about the net "pssst! bill gates is the beast! pass it on!" or whatever. which is a load of something smelly (odd expression). Even if BG is/was the antichrist, i'm sure he'll do something worse than just releasing the worlds worst OS! oops... i've just started a "holy war" havent i... *hides*

MadProf

The real danger I see is people feeling comfortable that they will have plenty of warning of Jesus return, through a one world government and some leader cutting peoples heads off. I see how that would be fun to preach, but from the Bible, it is just garbage.

"The End Of The World"

is going to be like... and all of the prophercys have been interperated many times and in many ways... personally, i dont know what a/the antichrist will be like, or the mark, or any other things of the sort. All we can do is be prepared for Jesus return, if it comes before "the Tribulation" or not. I personally believe that Jesus will come after the 7 years or whatever described in rev., as "post-trib" therory seems to be based on obsqure verses and strange translations. However, the left-behind books are very exciting to read, and at least slightly more moral than some other authors i could mention.... not that i belive things will happen in that way at all..

all we can do is be ready for whatever happens, and to stand up for what we believe. oh, and pray.

MadProf

[This message has been edited by MadProf (edited July 22, 2001).]

More to the point, the fact is that both the totally futurist view of Revelation is one of two invented in the middle ages to take the heat off the Pope, who was identified with numerous parts of Revelation, including the verses in question. The other view was that they didn't really mean anything, and that one never took off.

There is no secret rapture, there is no tribulation, apart from that currently underway for 4000 years ( 'the creation groans' etc. ). As you say, books about being left behind when the secret rapture takes place and the antiChrist roams the earth killing people are probably very exciting and that's probably one reason why no-one has bothered to look beyond the excitement to see it's all a farce.

the way you say these things makes you sound VERY sure of yourself! Personally i find that a lot of the prophercys in the bible are hard to understand, and as they are often word pictures etc, can be interperated many different ways. I dont think there will be a pre-trib rapture, of course it would make things a huge ammount easier for all of us, but from what i have read, from revelation, and daniel, and others, i dont think it will be. but the thing is that i do not claim that "there is no rapture" or whatever, or the tim lahaye (very odd person) "there will be a rapture, and anyone who denys this is not reading their bible" POV. I think that whatever happens will be a bit of a shock in some ways, possibly some polit. will come to power and start persecuting christians, and require some mark or something to be put on all people who aggree with them, or perhaps some large computer company will start selling embedable microchips which do something nasty to the brain, or whatever. We cannot tell what is going to happen in the future, we do have some pointers in the prophercies, but discussion of it tends to split people into groups (pre-trib/post-trib, rapture/non-rapture, in-our-lifetime/long-way-off, etc.) the y2k junk was proof of this, we cannot tell what will happen, all we can do, and its a pretty big "all", is read the bible, pray for guidance, beware of people claiming to be christ, and help as many others as we can to come to christ.

here is one subject we agree on, i think, mmio, just youre a bit more outspoken and blunt than me. not that thats a bad thing or anything.

bit of off-topic now: i dont suppose you've ever done a myers-briggs test have you?

God bless you,

MadProf

>>I think that whatever happens will be a bit of a shock in some ways, possibly some polit. will come to power and start persecuting christians, and require some mark or something to be put on all people who aggree with them, or perhaps some large computer company will start selling embedable microchips which do something nasty to the brain, or whatever.

I don't claim to know everything about what will happen, but I am certain from the Bible the above will not. No single anti-Christ, no physical mark, no beheadings. Sorry.

Your Type is
ENTJ
Extroverted Intuitive Thinking Judging
Strength of the preferences %
33 22 22 56

ENTJ type description by D.Keirsey
ENTJ type description by J. Butt

Qualitative analysis of your type formula

You are:
moderately expressed extrovert

slightly expressed intuitive personality

slightly expressed thinking personality

moderately expressed judging personality

i was just interested to see if you'd done it at your church/job/whatever. its quite amazing at times how darned acurate it can be. then again, at times, it isnt.

ok. i haven't studdied prophercy all that much, i want to some time, but done have time at the mo.

MadProf