Bashan Ministries - Bible Numerics

Bible Numerics

Studies on the word of God

Introduction

The topic Bible Numerics is both fascinating and complex.
It is so immense a subject that we can only share the principles involved. I urge you to conduct your own investigations in my usual manner and ask first that you pray for understanding before continuing.

The bible is much more than a simple textbook or history book and the like. It is God’s word that has been given to us by revelation or inspiration as we see in 2 Timothy 3:16 or God breathed. For such reasons, it cannot be altered in any way. The problem we face however is that in an attempt to make the bible available to as many people as possible and producing a wide range of versions or translations, the original language can altered.

To make the bible more readable, many translations use more modern words to avoid terminologies that might not be in common use in our society. In the process, errors have been introduced and we now have denominationally biassed versions that each concentrate on their own doctrinal beliefs, customs and practices.

Modern bibles are divided into chapters and verses, but there was no such segregation in the original. We can easily think that different stories are being told, whereas a simple word like “and” or “but’ can be a totally different matter.

By simply changing one letter, the whole meaning can be different to the original.

This is our dilemma. To hear correctly from God, several factors must be considered. God speaks to three different groups of peoples. The first is the Jew, with whom God has a covenant that remains in force to this day. There are many covenants and one is called The Everlasting Covenant. The second group is the Church with whom God has a different covenant and the last group is the heathen who have no covenant with Him all.

The confusion comes in when we think that God is talking to the Church when He is actually speaking to Israel and vice-versa.

In the original languages, there are times when certain letters might also mean a number.

When we know what those word/number relationships mean, we can see a distinct pattern that indicates a divine author to the scriptures.

For example, the letter a could sometimes be read as the number one and the letter b might mean two.

Close examination reveals that even in nature, definite patterns emerge, also indicating a master plan or a supernatural design. We see often this in scripture and the following are a few examples.

…God understands the way to wisdom, and He knows its location.
For He looks to the ends of the earth and sees everything under the heavens.
When God fixed the weight of the wind and limited the water by measure, when He established a limit for the rain and a path for the lightning, He considered wisdom and evaluated it; He established it and examined it. Job 28:23-27

He determines how many stars there are and calls them all by name. Psalm 147:4

Who has measured the oceans in the palm of his hand? Who has used his hand to measure the sky? Who has used a bowl to measure all the dust of the earth and scales to weigh the mountains and hills? Isaiah 40:12

Look up toward the sky. Who created everything you see? The Lord causes the stars to come out at night one by one. He gives each one of them a name. His power and strength are great. Isaiah 40:26

Whilst we are on the matter of creation and numerical patterns, look at the universe where we can see a definite and remarkable numerical pattern in which the number 12 occurs often.

There are 12 months in a year and 12 signs of the Zodiac in the universe as we know it that has 3 constellations (making 36 in all). Add this to the original and the same is 48. There are 360 degrees in a circle and in the total points of a compass. We can see a pattern like this in part of the creation account

And God said, Let there be lights in the arch of heaven, for a division between the day and the night, and let them be for signs, and for marking the changes of the year, and for days and for years: And let them be for lights in the arch of heaven to give light on the earth: and it was so.
And God made the two great lights: the greater light to be the ruler of the day, and the smaller light to be the ruler of the night: and he made the stars.
And God put them in the arch of heaven, to give light on the earth; To have rule over the day and the night, and for a division between the light and the dark: and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:14-18

The number twelve therefore carries enormous significance.

It is a perfect number and signifies governmental perfection and things that are associated with ruling.

The sun "rules" the day, and the moon and stars "govern" the night.

The number 12 speaks about organisation.

In the Old Testament, we see 12 Patriarchs, 12 tribes in Israel, 12 Judges and 12 elements in Solomon’s Temple. There were 12 spies sent into the land and 12 stones in the Priest’s breastplate.

In the New Testament, Jesus was 12 years of age when He first appeared in public. He chose 12 disciples who He called Apostles who were the original foundation members of His Church.
12 legions of angels mentioned

The number 12 figures often in Revelation.
There are twelve foundations in the heavenly Jerusalem, twelve gates, twelve pearls and twelve angels.
The dimensions of the New Jerusalem will be 12,000 furlongs square. Its wall will be 144 cubits (12 x 12).
There are 12 thousand from the 12 Tribes of Israel mentioned, making 144,000 in all.

There are other points that could be made concerning the number 12, but this illustrates that god has indeed been working to a plan and a pattern that is seen in scripture. This tells me that we cannot alter or change any of he words in scripture for any reason and that we must retain the original text as much as possible.

What follows on this page is a summary of the key points that we hope will be a blessing and an inspiration.

The Hebrew & Greek Alphabets

Alepא h

Beth ב

Gimel ג

Daleth ד

He ה

Vau ו

Zayin ז

Cheth ח

Teth ט

Yod י

Kaph ך

Lamed ל

Mem ם

Nun ן

Samech ס

Ayin ע

Pe פ

Tsaddi שׂ

Koph ק

Resh ר

Shin ש

Tau ת

Kaph ך

Mem ם

Nun ן

Pe פ

Tsaddi ץ

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

Alpha, α

Beta, β

Gamma, γ

Delta, δ

Epsilon, ε

Stigma, ς

Zeta, ζ

Eta, η

Theta, θ

Iota, ι

Kappa, κ

Lambda, λ

Mu, μ

Nu, ν

Xi, ξ

Omicron, ο

Pi, π

Koppa, C

Rho, ρ

Sigma, ς

Tau, τ

Upsilon, υ

Phi, φ

Chi, χ

Psi, ψ

Omega, ω

Sampsi, ϡ

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

900

Gematria

Gematria is a system of assigning numerical value to words or phrases in the original language of the bible. The word may be derived from the Greek word that means geometry.

In both Greek and Hebrew, each letter can be represented by a number. The Hebrew does not have separate letters and numbers. At times, when a particular letter is seen, it might also represent a number. Aleph (our letter a) might also be the number 1. Bet (b) = 2 and so on.

When we see a specific number mentioned in scripture it can often have a spiritual meaning. For example, the number 1 can represent unity; 3 can speak about the Godhead; 5 can describe the grace of God and so on as we list on the page.

It is also possible to add each number together and obtain a numerical value that signifies something and this is Gematria.

Another line of reasoning is what is known a “bible code” or “Equidistant Letter Sequences” (ELS).

Whilst these may be valid arguments, please weigh up what it often stated. Hollywood for example has made movies on these things that may or may not be factual. Consider these matters as an aid for your research and always pray about it. Ask the Holy Spirit, who is our teacher to reveal truth.

Many accounts of the bible may often convey meaning when factoring in the number sequences.

If we consider the name of Jesus in the Greek it is spelled Isous.
By looking at the numerical values of each letter and adding them together, the result is 600+30+114+126+114= 888. This equates to new beginnings and resurrection.

By such calculations, well known phrases may also take on numerical meaning as follows:

The Root of Jesse = 111

John the Baptist = 222

David = 424

We might also look in reverse, bu seeing a number somewhere and “converting it” to a meaning.
The number 77 may mean “a witness of” or “by God’s Spirit”.

We also see “Christ” in this number, with an association to “Power” or “glory”.

We often talk about Church. I do not mean the building or a man-made denomination, but The Church Jesus is building. The word “Church” and the phrase “House of God” both appear in scripture 77 times. We could therefore say that the “number” for Church is 77.

Here are some more examples of the number 77. Jesus is the 77th name from God in the Gospel of Luke.

Genesis 7:7 states:

And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.

It took him 120 years to build the ark.

Moses lived to be 120 years of age and when he died, the people entered the Promised Land.

120 people were in the prayer meeting in Acts 1-2 when the Holy Spirit came.

The number 120 therefore can suggest the start of something new.

Our list numbers is presented as an aid to facilitate your own study and help you.

Main numbers

Prime numbers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 17

Composite numbers

Composite numbers 20 21 22 24 25, 27, 28, 29 30 31 40 42 50 51 70

Additional numbers

120 153 200

The number 200 can take on a range of expressions, one of which might represent shortage or insufficiency.

We see reference to this when Jesus fed the multitude.
... Jesus went to the other side of the Lake of Tiberias, which is also known as Lake Galilee. And a massive crowd of people followed him everywhere. They were attracted by his miracles and the healings they watched him perform. Jesus went up the slope of a hill and sat down with his disciples. Now it was approaching the time of the Jewish celebration of Passover, and there were many pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem in the crowd.
As Jesus sat down, he looked out and saw the massive crowd of people scrambling up the hill, for they wanted to be near him.
So he turned to Philip and said, “Where will we buy enough food to feed all these people?” Now Jesus already knew what he was about to do, but he said this to stretch Philip’s faith.
Philip answered, “Well, I suppose if we were to give everyone only a snack, it would cost thousands of dollars to buy enough food!” But just then, Andrew, Peter’s brother, spoke up and said, “Look! Here’s a young person with five barley loaves and two small fish … but how far would that go with this huge crowd?” John 6:1-9

Please note that the Lord did not ask where they could get some money—He asked where they could find enough food!
He already knew what He was going to do and so it had nothing to do with money or the lack of it.
Philip was thinking of lack when he replied. In the original, his reply was that 200 pennyworth of food was insufficient.

We also see this in Joshua 7:21. A man named Achan had sinned and as a result, Israel suffered a defeat. Achan had taken 200 shekels of silver that had been used in idolatry by the enemy. He hid the stuff in his tent, so he knew what he was doing and this was a deliberate act of disobedience.

We see 200 in another place in Absalom’s story. His hair weighed 200 shekels, but proved to be his undoing. See 2 Samuel 14:26, 18:9. His 200 shekels of hair was “not sufficient” to save him.

Micah’s graven image was purchased for 200 shekels in Judges 17:4 and 18 and led to the introduction of idolatry into Israel and the blotting out of the Tribes of Daniel and Ephraim from the blessing seen in Revelation 7.

Ezra had 200 “singing men and women” (Ezra 2:65), but this did not produce peace with God. It could be classed as being insufficient. It is impossible to worship God with natural elements.

John 4:24 reveals that because God is a Spirit, all worship much be directed to Him in spirit and in truth. Anything else, including religion as such is insufficient.

400, 430 666

666.

The number Six Hundred and Sixty Six is “the number of a name” according to Revelation 13:17–18.

Many people think of the anti-Christ and seek his identity, but forget that according to 1 John 4:1-4, many “anti-Christs” are already here and that the Greater One lives inside us! If we associate the Antichrist with the devil in some way, in 1 John3:8, we see that Jesus destroyed the works of the devil. The Greek wording can be likened to corrosion, in the way that steel can be eroded completely away by rust.

In gematria, the actual name of anti-Christ may be revealed in the number 666, but such an association is not limited to his identity. This is not a means by which the name is to be searched out and discovered, but it should be considered as a means to test and prove the identity after the person is revealed.

His identity should not be sought after beforehand but proved when he is revealed.

Consider the numbers involved. The number 6 speaks of man. 66 emphasizes it. The number 666 is the most concentrated expression of man’s “perfection”—a “trinity” of all expressions of humanity.

Revelation 13:18 clearly states that man’s number is involved in the number of the beast—for it is the number of a man.

666 was often the secret symbol of the ancient pagan worship of the Devil and modern expressions in spiritualism and the like.

Many such groups are advocating the creation of a single one world religion and such “union” and “unity” is the mark of anti-Christ.

If we consider how the number 6 is made up, it is a combination of 5 plus 1. The number 5 represents the grace of God and so such efforts are an attempt to “add to the grace of God”.

People talk of “taking the mark of the beast” and many theories abound. Let us look at the “mark” or the number 6.

The Greek alphabet goes as follows:

α = 1, β = 2, γ = 3, δ = 4, ε = 5, but the next letter is ζ, zeta. It is a form of “S” called Stigma.

The word Stigma means a mark. It is often made by a brand as made upon cattle to denote ownership. It was also used on slaves or soldiers and by devotees who branded themselves to the object of their worship. When someone so branded themselves, they made a statement that they belonged to that god. The marks were made by pricking the skin or by a hot iron and the Greek word to describe this is στίζω, stizo, to prick, or brand with a hot iron.

The word of God forbids us to mark our bodies, yet we are witnessing an increase of such branding by means of tattooing that is often considered an art-form. Much of this art looks evil and demonic and when a body is heavily tattooed, that person always looks “dirty”.

Another increasing activity is body piercing whereby all kinds of objects are inserted through various parts of the body, often as adornments. The person may think it is harmless, but is there a spiritual link somewhere of which they are unaware?

Cattle are sometimes led by rings through their noses...

Rome is often associated with the anti-Christ. I am not suggesting this is so, but merely share some information that may be of help.

The Romans did not use all the letters of their alphabet as the Hebrews and Greeks do.

They used only six letters—D, C, L, X, V, and I.

The sum of these amounts to 666 as follows:

D = 500 and C = 100. This comes to 600.

L = 50 and X = 10. This comes to 60.

V = 5 and I = 1. This comes to 6.

The combined totals equal 666.

In each of the three pairs there is an addition of one, because 6 = 5 + 1. It is the grace of God superseded by the corruption of man.

The number 666 is very far-reaching, perhaps having more meaning that merely looking for the identity of anti-Christ.

It is not surprising therefore that the old Assyrian Empire lasted for 666 years.

The romans trod Jerusalem down 666 years from the battle of Actium, B.C. 31, to the Saracen conquest in A.D. 636.

Goliath stood 6 cubits high, had 6 pieces of armor and his spearhead weighed 600 shekels (see 1 Samuel 17:4–7).

Nebuchadnezzar, set up his image that was 60 cubits high and 6 cubits broad and demanded worship when 6 musical instruments were sounded (see Daniel 3:1).

666 talents of gold were brought to Solomon in 1 Kings 10:14. He is reputed to have been the wisest man on earth, but please consider what is said in Ecclesiastes 2:8, 11 and 1 Timothy 6:10.

What is this “mark of the beast? I honestly do not know and dare not leap to any conclusions, but I do know that any mark I have and any mark you might have is one in which God says, “You are mine” and that “Anyone who touches you, touches the apple of My eye”. We’re branded folks. If there could ever be a legitimate visible “tattoo” on us, it would be red in color—the color of blood! Think of it for a while.

The information I have provided is by no means full and complete and is provided for purely information purposes only. It is up to you to assess it. I hope it has been a blessing.