Ronald Reagan – Man of Destiny
by Nell Stevenson

Have you ever had one of those nights when thoughts just won’t leave you alone, like before you can totally relax and sleep some mystery must be solved? It happened to me the day we said farewell to a wonderful man, a great leader and a true Christian, President Ronald Reagan. That was June 11 th and I suppose it was the realization that the number “11” is prominent in Scripture that stirred my thoughts. I began to think, “Where did all this begin” and “Is the Almighty unveiling some revelation that I must pursue.” Anyway, I felt compelled to conduct a little research.

Before 911, the number eleven never held that much significance for me. Nonetheless, it is an important one because, as E.W. Bullinger writes in “Number in Scripture,” it denotes disorder, imperfection and disintegration. We can certainly see this in 911 but I wondered, “Is there some message in the fact that President Reagan’s funeral was on the “11th” day? Certainly, America is in a great period of disorder.

Reagan was born in 1911, another illustration of 911 possibly. He was America’s 40th president and all of us are aware that “40” in Scripture is always associated with trial and probation. The thought struck me, “Did the end of his presidency represent the end of the period of trial and probation?” Did America pass or has it been found wanting? Was this the last opportunity for the “Great Nation” of Genesis 48:19 to turn back to God under a Christian leader? If so, subsequent events demonstrate that America has indeed been found wanting.

Reagan was President for 8 years and eight is the number of renewal and revival. He had made a run for the presidency in the seventies but came up short. Was it the Hand of God setting him aside to be the 40th president and is there a message in the length of his Presidency and the exact period of 1981 to 1988 of his Presidency? It’s interesting that when we add the individual numerals of 1981 and 1988, bringing each to a single digit, we arrive at “1” and “8.” (i.e. 1 + 9 + 8 + 1 = 19 and 1+9 = 10 and 1 + 0 = 1). The number “1” stands for unity and when you think back, President Reagan unified the country and the world, for that matter, more than any other president in at least the past half century. In 1988, at the end of the term of the 40th president and the arrival of the opportunity for renewal and revival, America opted otherwise.

Let’s quickly analyze 1911, the year Reagan was born. This is an interesting date beyond the 911 issue because there is an “8” factor. There are three ones and a nine and if you deduct each one from the nine, you arrive with three eights in a row, the number of the Lord Jesus Christ. Some might say, “why not add them instead?” Well, if we add 9 + 1 we arrive at “10”, the number of completion and perfection. If we add the three ones to the nine, we arrive at “12”, the number of perfect government. Is this just coincidence?

In January, 1989, President Reagan delivered his closing speech as President and yes, it was on the 11th , another sign that the nation had rejected the opportunity to turn back to God and opted instead for the disorder and disintegration.

As if to punctuate this opting out of God’s Way, another signal was provided. Perhaps it was more of a confirmation than a signal because without the experience of 911, it would not take on the significance it does. George Bush Sr. followed Ronald Reagan as President and on September 11th, 1990, exactly 11 years before September 11th , 2001, he delivered his “New World Order” speech on the eve of the first Iraq war. His words are all the more astonishing today because at the time, we really didn’t hear a great deal about terrorism. In his address he said, “Out of these troubled times our objective of a new world order can emerge. Under the United Nations there will be a new era free from the threat of terror.”