Bible Prophecy Codes
Randomness Verse Order
How do we tell the difference?
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(Nov. 17, 2006)
Someone else said:
"Yesterday was a strange day. As I was going to work I glanced at the clock at it was 9:11. Then at work I glanced at the clock at it was 10:01 and then 11:11. Every time I see the 9:11, some world event happens like 9/11, the Tsunami and then Katrina. When I see 10:01 I am reminded of the Lord's eyes looking at me from Heaven's gate...and then 11:11 seems very special. The pagans believe that the 11:11 is a special time because it is a gateway to eternity through the belt of Orion."
My response:
God has spoken to me in such ways too. However, there is that thin line between being superstitious and hearing from God. I think if it is of God then we should expect clear confirmation from many sources.
Our minds are created in such a way so that the brain always tries to make sense out of what it sees or hears. This is why we tend to see faces in the clouds or like things. But this is not (usually) God deliberately forming that face! It is our brain, our imagination. The same is true of numbers. We tend to focus in on meaningful numbers that we see and without realizing it we ignore the numbers without meaning to us. We can trick ourselves. However, the real trick is to tell what is random chance from what is God speaking to us. It is this that separates the prophet from a mad man! A true (experienced) prophet knows the difference.
God speaks in many ways, but we should be slow to accept just anything that comes to us unless it is sensible and does not contradict the laws of common sense.
God created random chance. It is a function of creation everywhere. More oxygen molecules randomly bouncing around tend to penetrate the membrane of a plant than does the carbon dioxide molecules, simply because there are more of them, although they are just randomly penetrating the plant. If it were not for this randomness we would not breathe. Thousands of such examples could be given.
Our job as believers is to tell the difference between what is a random event from what is God speaking. Very often, if you think about it, the way you intuitively discern the difference is by whether or not the thing is unusual. And then we check that against the inner voice of the Spirit affirming or ignoring the thing. The more unusual, the more we give it our attention.If I found something in a fish one day while out fishing, I would say that maybe God is saying something to me? But I could not be sure since such an event does happen from time to time. It, by itself, does not prove that God put it there for me to find. (Although He is sovereign over all. But in His sovereignty God does not contradict other principles by which His creation are built upon, such as the laws of randomness.)
However, if someone says (as Jesus said to Peter), "Go cast your net into the water and the first fish you pull out will have a coin inside that will be enough to pay for what you need for church," --- and if it happens, then we say that 'it is surely God!'
Why do we know that it is surely God and not coincidence? --- Because it is beyond the reasonable bounds of random chance. It could still have been mere chance, but, that would be so highly unlikely that we rightly say to ourselves, "It is surely God!" And we correctly suppress any doubt, for doubt in such a case is illogical. But doubt about something that is clearly within the realm of random chance is right to be doubted. And it is wrong not to doubt. For we are to love our God with all our mind as well as with all our heart and emotions.
So we should be slow to accept just any coincidence, especially when it comes to repeat-numbers that we see. It may be God, but more likely it is just our God given brain at work --- like seeing faces in clouds.
So let us all be careful. Insane wards are full of people who cannot tell the difference between reality and illusion --- between chaos and order. And while God wants us to walk by faith rather than sight, this does not mean that we leave behind the common sense that He gave us and to all men that protects them from insanity.
In my study of bible numbers (in which I have spent about 30,000 hours studying), there is one thing that is always true --- every numeric pattern in the bible has at least 2 or 3 ways of saying the same thing so that we are sure it is not mere chance. And then those (at least) three things will each have two or three witnesses to their individual details, and so forth. Everything in the numbers, without exception, have at least two or three credible witnesses to them.
Take the calendar: There is our solar calendar with 365.2422 days in it. Then there is the 360 calendar of the prophets. And then there is the solar/lunar calendar that Jews use today. These are the three that the bible attests to. Each work independently, and yet all harmonize to reveal Jesus as the Christ. (See www.360-calendar.com )
Also see forum for discussion on this. (And more)
Examples of Faulting Numeric Reasoning
Also see 20 proofs bible code is genuine (2)
Criterion for a true bible code
And 1260 days/years Bible Prophecy Website
What is the Purpose of Picture Bible Codes?
Email Response to the Above article:
What Makes a "Sign" a Sign?
(Order and Randomness)
