Conspiracy theorists connected to the QAnon movement believe that the Bible predicted the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
After Trump had his ear grazed on Saturday from a bullet fired by 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was killed by counter-snipers, fans of the former president began suggesting that divine intervention spared him.
Why? Because Crooks supposedly shot trump at 6:11pm EST, which they’ve turned into the shorthand phrase “611E.”
Specifically, Trump supporters believe that “611E” points to Ephesians 6:11, a verse in the New Testament.
The verse, as noted by countless social media users, calls on Christians to “put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil.”
The belief plays into longstanding claims from evangelical conservatives that God chose Trump as a vessel and therefore cannot be harmed.
“God spared Trump,” one X user wrote. “No matter what your stance is politically we all saw a miracle with our own eyes! God has big plans for him!”
Others argued that Trump was undoubtedly engaged in spiritual warfare, protecting the U.S. and the greater world from evil.
“It was divine intervention and there are no coincidences,” another said.
What does Ephesians 6:11 say about the Trump shooting?
But it wasn’t long until QAnon supporters latched onto the theory as well. Only this time, Q, just like God, knew of the attack before it took place.
The conspiratorial poster known as Q referenced Ephesians 6:11 in three posts and the “armor of God” in 17 while extorting followers to fight for Trump.
While Q long claimed a secret identity as a high-level Trump official revealing the secret war the president waged against the deep state, the poster is more likely an internet troll.
In one post, Q wrote, “THE SWAMP RUNS DEEP. They want you divided … Divided you are weak … Divided you attack each other. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.”
This, according to many online, was not a coincidence.
Detractors, however, pointed to the absurdity of such claims.
Four other books in the Bible begin with “E,” although only Ephesians is in the New Testament. Exodus 6:11 is another famous quote, though not one cited by Q, with God telling Moses to “Go, tell Pharaoh, king of Egypt, to let the Israelites leave his land.”
Yet the biggest problem with the conspiracy theory is that authorities didn’t state that the shooting took place at 6:11pm. The Secret Service repeatedly said that the shooting happened one minute later at 6:12pm.
QAnon believers could, if they wanted, interpret Ephesians 6:12 as a pro-Trump message, though it lacks the same juice.
But one could also say the verse is about the struggle against authoritarians.
“For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places”
Unfortunately, for many online, facts have little influence on the conspiratorial theories that continue to go viral.
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