October Surprise

October is traditionally the month of fall festivals, the first frost, radiant hardwood trees, and in this election year, the fabled “October surprise.” October also seems to be the month for a different type of surprise – at least a predicted though as of yet unrealized one: October garners the attention of more doomsday prophets and Armageddon predictors than any other month.

Why, I can’t say, except that the cooler temperatures must make some religious leaders downright apocalyptically apoplectic. A plethora of men and women have stamped October as the expiration date for the universe, each with their own brand of imagination and interpretive gymnastics.

One such individual was a Baptist minister named William Miller. Miller was a talented preacher, who like many religious enthusiasts of his era, became fixated on the second coming of Christ. Miller predicted that “the second coming of Jesus Christ would be on or before…