Ky. Bible College Gets 666 Prefix Removed

AP via Lycos.com ^ | 02/28/2003

[GeneD]

VANCLEVE, Ky. (AP) -- After months of asking for a new telephone number, the Kentucky Mountain Bible College has finally dropped the 666 prefix that disturbed Christians who recognized it as the biblical mark of the beast.

"We're just elated that the number has been changed," said Rob Roy MacGregor, the college's vice president of business affairs. "It was like we had this Scarlet Letter attached to us."

The college is now removing the number from printed material, including its official letterhead.

The 666 prefix had been the only one available in Vancleve since telephone service arrived here. The need for more phone lines forced telephone companies to add new numbers, and the college tried for several months to get the new 693 prefix.

"We were glad we could finally get a number that the school is happy with," said Kaye Davis, general counsel for Access Point, a North Carolina-based telephone company that serves the college.

In the Book of Revelation, 666 is stamped into people's foreheads or right hands during the last days. Those who receive the mark, according to Scripture, are damned to eternal punishment.

MacGregor said the beast represents Satan. True Christians, he said, will not accept the mark.

Davis said it took longer than expected to change the prefix because the college wanted to keep the last four digits of its number -- 5000.

The Rev. Vaughn Rasor, pastor of First Baptist Church in nearby Jackson, said this week that most people seemed to see the 666 prefix as a curiosity.

"If people start giggling when I give my phone number, I know they have at least read the Bible," Rasor said.

[TXBubba]

I'm with the pastor. It is more fun than serious. As a Christian I say, "Get a life".

[GraniteStateConservative]

Finally, a post that I can attach this goofy news to:

The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire notes that Michael Drosnin, author of bestselling The Bible Code, "gets meetings with Pentagon's top intelligence officer and CIA's No. 3, on his theory that bin Laden's hideaway is revealed in the Old Testament's ancient Hebrew. The Pentagon says it didn't know beforehand what specific evidence he had, but years ago he gave information about Soviet mind-control weapons. The CIA says he had 'pestered' them with faxes and calls. Drosnin says bin Laden is in the Mideast, but revealing where would compromise national security."

[Genesis defender]

Any Christian who would get their underwear in a bunch just because of the prefix needs to downshift the sensitivity throttle just a wee bit.

BTW: 666 in binary = 1010011010 (I think)

[LanaTurnerOverdrive]

"It was like we had this Scarlet Letter attached to us."

You've GOT to be kidding me.

[Callahan]

I have a fax number that ends 2546 or CLIN as in CLINTON. Better get it changed fast!!!

[T Minus Four]

Hmmm, it also spells ALGO, as in Algore. Hurry!

[Britton J Wingfield]

They should change it to 665, which is the neighbor of the Beast.

[AmericaUnited]

The Bibles's codes stuff has been proven to be baloney.

Code Breaker

[AmishDude]

You are correct. BTW, "29A" in hexidecimal.

[savedbygrace]

In the Book of Revelation, 666 is stamped into people's foreheads or right hands during the last days.

This is wrong. That's not what is written in The Revelation. The AP writer is ignorant.

[Alas Babylon!]

Yup. Your binary is correct!

[Diddle E. Squat]

Unfortunately, the new number they got was 693-6969.

[savedbygrace]

And the relation of that subject to this article is what?

[Alas Babylon!]

And in octal, it's 1641!

[AmishDude]

3030 in base 6. Aha!

[AmishDude]

LOL!

[Campion]

That's right. Everyone knows that 666 is the birthmark that the Antichrist has under his hair. (Just ask Gregory Peck if you don't believe me!)

[Textide]

So what? They recognize 666 as 'the mark of the beast' and decided to change it. Not any different from someone else who wants to change from a '69' number. They don't like it, so they changed it: end of story. Wonder about the AP more than the group.

[savedbygrace]

Wait a minute. You're supposed to be one of the theological intellectuals around here. Now who can we turn to for deep scholarly answers?