If you’ve ever heard a preacher multiply the number of cubits in Noah’s Ark by the width of the wilderness tabernacle and then add the numeric equivalent of the Hebrew letters for the word “potshard” to come up with proof positive that there will be a pre-tribulation rapture…you might be a fundamentalist.
Admittedly the above example is a bit extreme. Therefore, in the interests of accuracy, please consider this real life example that I am not making up from the website of the good folks at Gethsemane Anabaptist Church.
Number 9
Fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22).
Galatians is the ninth book in the New Testament. It is spelled with nine letters.
Holy Bible is spelled with nine letters, as in King James.
Isaiah 9:6 promised fruit from God.
1611 adds up to nine.
For more numerology fun and games check out the meaning of numbers site from biblestudy.org.
thanks to James for the link
To be fair, Christians have obsessed over numbers since the earliest days of the Church. The medievals were especially consumed with threes, sevens, tens, and the like. BUT they never did anything crazier with it than make lists of major virtues and vices or allude to the reflection of God’s nature in creation.
I also like the way this argument assumes that “Holy Bible” is an actual title rather than a description.
Oh boy. Those people have WAY too much free time on hand. I guess this free time has been spent in Religious Comedy?
It’s actually quite funny to read some. Like the Number 6. I’m surprised they didn’t relate Solomon to the Antichrist himself!
But the number 7….WOW. Talk about way off topic and way off in general. (Although, the 7 primary colors is apparently in direct relation to the KJB, due to his preface! How insightful! I would never have known that until now! 🙂 )
And then of course you have Riplinger’s acrostic algebra…oy vey.
I guess none of this takes into account the original language these writings were composed in. Seems like that would throw quite a spanner in their theories, assuming of course, that they respond to logic. Oh….hmmm….nevermind.
Beelzebub has nine letters. There goes that theory.
Lawyer, if the King James Bible was good enough for Paul, it’s good enough for them!!! 😉
King James Bible is 14 letters – you may be on to something:
“Fourteen being a multiple of seven, partakes of its significance; and, being double that number, implies a double measure of spiritual perfection. ”
Tada!
this really makes my head hurt thinking people really believe that….
Har har. You said “potshard”.
ROFL… potshard… good times…
Want to scare a fundy into peeing himself? Just walk up to him and say quietly, “666”.
Has anybody seen the episode of South Park with Cartman’s crazy 9/11 numerology conspiracy theory? Priceless!