[JWBear]

Originally Posted by Pirate Bill

My theory is that the numbers are just self referential. Let's see if I can explain:

Hurley uses the numbers and wins the lottery. Bad things happen to him so he begins to believe the numbers are cursed. (We keep seeing the numbers pop up everywhere but that's just coincidental or people see what they want to see or the producers are messing with our heads.) He goes to Australia and ends up on the island where he finds the numbers marked on the outside of the hatch and are being used as a code to reset the 108 minute clock.

Hurley goes back in time to 1974. "The incident" occurs requiring them to enter numbers into a computer to reset a 108 minute clock. Hurley chooses to use the cursed number sequence because he was "supposed to." (This is an unchangeable time line, not the Back To The Future type of time line.) In order to keep the number sequence available for all generations to use he etches it on the outside of the hatch and records it to tape to be broadcast by radio (that sounded an awful lot like Hurley's voice on the transmission the Frenchies picked up).

Hurley's friend from the mental institution (can't remember his name) hear's the numbers on the radio broadcast. Something eventually causes him to go insane (possibly number and/or island related). He goes to the loony bin constantly repeating those numbers. Hurley uses the numbers and wins the lottery.