[mkjessup]

Thank YOU Diehard, as you can see, the pummeling is just starting, lol
Yes, it’s rather disappointing but to be expected. I’ve read the thread now, and will be asking a few to Cowboy Up with their own explanations. I think that’s only intellectually honest.
I was always taught that the Antichrist was the Pope. So was the Man of Sin and the Beast and the Harlot. Now, I am not at all sure — except that what I was taught was probably too simplistic.

I too, originally thought that the Pope indeed was the Antichrist, and I read Alexander Hislop's "The Two Babylons" cover to cover (that was decades ago) and I found it a scholarly work, honestly a bit over my teenage head at the time, but it wasn't a conspiracy theory, it was a genuine study of the Papacy and how it could (and still might) fit into End Times theology.

This article I've posted is a think-piece. The author (John Tng) will be the first to admit that he is prone to error (as are we all), but I believe that he has pointed out previously hidden data that deserves to be examined, proven or disproven.

Any fool can say "it's WRONG, it's WRONG, it's CRAZY!", that is the path of least resistance and the simplest response. It takes someone willing to actually put some brainpower to work if they're going to actually disprove and debunk the theory being put forth, as opposed to just denouncing it.

Hope all is well with you DH!

[mnehring]

The problem is you are asking we ‘prove a negative’- an old logical fallacy. But if you want proof, take your once belief that the pope was the anti-Christ based on something you read, then take every other prediction of this type that you can find throughout the ages. Now statistically, what is there a better chance of, Obama being an anti-Christ, or just another of millions of predictions of the anti-Christ that never came true. I want to once again remind you of Matthew 7:15.

[mnehring]

By the way, did you know that the number 666 is one of those special numbers that people can manipulate with a lot of these numerology games. 666 is known as an abundant number. It is the sum of the first 36 natural numbers (i.e. 1 + 2 + 3 + ... + 34 + 35 + 36 = 666), and thus a triangular number. Since 36 is both square and triangular, 666 is the sixth number of the form n2(n2 + 1) / 2 (sequence A037270 in OEIS) and the eighth number of the form n(n + 1)(n2 + n + 2) / 8 (doubly triangular numbers, A002817). In mathematics, an abundant number or excessive number is a number n for which σ(n) > 2n. ... A triangular number is the sum of the n natural numbers from 1 to n. ... 36 (thirty-six) is the natural number following 35 and preceding 37. ... In mathematics, a square number, sometimes also called a perfect square, is an integer that can be written as the square of some other integer; in other words, it is the product of some integer with itself. ... The On-Line Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences (OEIS) is an extensive searchable database of integer sequences, freely available on the Web. ...

666 is the sum of the squares of the first seven prime numbers (i.e. 22 + 32 + 52 + 72 + 112 + 132 + 172 = 666). In mathematics, a prime number (or a prime) is a natural number which has exactly two distinct natural number divisors: 1 and itself. ...

The harmonic mean of the decimal digits of 666 is (trivially — all repdigit natural numbers have this property) an integer: 3/(1/6 + 1/6 + 1/6) = 6, making 666 the 54th number with this property. In mathematics, the harmonic mean (formerly sometimes called the subcontrary mean) is one of several kinds of average. ... In mathematics and computer science, a numerical digit is a symbol, e. ... In recreational mathematics, a repdigit is a natural number composed of repeated instances of the same digit, most often in the decimal numeral system. ... Not to be confused with Natural number. ...

In base 10, 666 is a palindromic number, a repdigit and a Smith number. A prime reciprocal magic square based on 1/149 in base 10 has a magic total of 666. A palindromic number is a symmetrical number like 16461, that remains the same when its digits are reversed. ... In recreational mathematics, a repdigit is a natural number composed of repeated instances of the same digit, most often in the decimal numeral system. ... A Smith number is a number which in a given base, the sum of its digits is equal to the sum of the digits in its factorization. ... In mathematics, a reciprocal is a number divided into one, like 1/3 or 1/7. ...

The Roman numeral representation of the number 666 (DCLXVI) uses once each the Roman numeral symbols with values under 1,000, occurring in descending order of their respective values (D = 500, C = 100, L = 50, X = 10, V = 5, I = 1). The system of Roman numerals is a numeral system originating in ancient Rome, and was adapted from Etruscan numerals. ...

666 is a member of the Indices of prime Padovan sequence, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 14, 19, 30, 37, 84, 128, 469, 666, 1262, 1573, 2003, 2210, ... (sequence A112882 in OEIS).

[DieHard the Hunter]

> I too, originally thought that the Pope indeed was the Antichrist, and I read Alexander Hislop’s “The Two Babylons” cover to cover

(grin!) I’ve got Hislop’s book in my library, right next to John Thomas’ “Eureka: an Exposition of the Apocalypse” in six volumes. This sets out the Continuous Historical application of Revelation rather well. However, it is a tad dated, as it was originally written around the time of the American Civil War — still, a good read.

I think it makes perfect sense to watch out for these things, and perhaps even to speculate: after all, we are told to.

I hope all is well with you, too!