Mark June 6 on Your Calendar

To some people, dates mean things.  Very bad things.  It's no accident, for instance, that the Oklahoma City bombing occurred on April 19, the anniversary of the raid on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, several years earlier.

That's why many in public safety and law enforcement are eyeing this coming June 6 warily.  The date -- 6/6/06 -- could inspire acts of violence from fringe groups who identify it with the Biblical Mark of the Beast, 666.

So far, no official warnings have been issued by authorities... but that doesn't mean they're not concerned.  Googling "6/6/06" produces a variety of websites about the significance of the date, including everything from a prediction of the arrival of the antichrist (and a detailed timeline including dates such as 7/7/07, 8/8/08, etc.), to a story about mothers who fear to give birth on that date, to a very calculated release date for the remake of the 1970s horror film The Omen.

The Christian website Rapture Ready attempts to measure global activities that point to the arrival of the End Times.  As of today the "Rapture Index" stands at 155; anything above 145 is rated as "Fasten your seat belts!" Some predict that it will spike even higher as June 6 approaches.

Source:  Denver Post (via Urban Legends and Folklore, About.com)

Tags: June 6, Rapture, end times, 666, Christianity