How God Uses Numbers
The Bible is a book with 40+ authors, written over a 1600 year period, and made up of 66 books. The following are examples of how God uses numbers in the Bible. The following system is not infallible, but you will be amazed with how certain numbers have a fairly consistent meaning in the Bible.
ONE
Unity
Several things joined together to form a single, whole thing.
Eph. 4:5, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism,”
Gen. 11:1, Tower of Babel, one language, one speech
Gen.2:24, “….they shall be one flesh”
Unity may be of 2,3,5,10,or 100, but it stand as a single unit
TWO
Division or Choice
Amos 3:3, Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
Numbers 13, 12 spies sent, 2 were faithful, 10 were not, [same split later in tribes of Israel]
Bible has two parts, old and new testaments
2 angels sent to get Lot’s family
2 daughters of Lot cause division
First mention in Bible, Gen 1:16, 2 lights- sun and moon- to divide
THREE
Trinity
God has three parts, Father , Son, Holy Spirit
Time – past, present, future
Space – height, length, width
Man – body, soul, spirit
1 John 2:16, three temptations of man
Three enemies of man – world, flesh, devil
You and everything else is three dimensional
A thing has to be three to be complete, an unsaved man is two, division
FOUR
Earth
Not real conclusive, the bible doesn’t put much on it.
Four seasons except in Gen. 8:22 there are six not four
Four directions
Ezekiel 1, deals with cherubim, there were 5, four left after the fall of Satan, Eze.28:14-19
These four represent things on earth
Face of a man – king of God’s creation
Face of an ox – king of domestic animals
Face of an eagle – king of flying animals
Face of a lion – king of wild beast
FIVE
Death
Altar = 5×5, a type of hell
Gen 5:5, the first man died. [Abel was killed]
Acts 5:5, a man dies
Man is mortal, subject to death, five fingers and five toes.
SIX
Man
Man was created on the sixth day, Gen 1:27,31
Revelation 13:18 [3×6] says that 666 is the number of a man
The Bible has 66 books, it was written for man
Gen 6 has the word man mentioned six times
Galatians 6 the word man mentioned six times
2 Chronicles 6 has the word man mentioned 6 times
Interesting facts about the book of Joshua:
It is the sixth book in the Bible
It is the first book named after a man
Joshua has six letters
It has 24 chapters [4×6]
“men” is found six times in chapter six
Israel marched around Jericho for six days in chapter six
“man” is found six times in chapter six: and thirty time in the whole book [5×6]
Interesting facts about the book of Romans:
It is the sixth book in the New Testament
The name of the book has six letters
Man is the sixth word in Romans 6:6
Six different times, Man is the sixth word in a verse, 2:1,3,6;3:28,5:7, 6:6
SEVEN
Completion
Some Examples in Genesis:
God rested on the seventh day of creation [Gen.2:2]
God protected Cain’s life with a sevenfold judgment [Gen.4:24]
Seven each of the clean beast were taken into the ark by Noah [Gen.7:2]
God delayed the flood for seven days to give man a last opportunity to be saved [Gen.7:4]
The ark landed in the seventh month [Gen.8:4]
Noah waited seven days before sending the dove to find land [Gen.8:10]
Noah waited another seven days before ending another dove [Gen.8:12]
Abraham bound his covenant with Abimelech with seven lambs Gen.21:28]
Jacob worked seven years for Rachel [Gen.29:20]
Jacob worked another seven years for Rachel [Gen.29:30]
Laban pursued Jacob or seven days [Gen.31:23]
Jacob bowed to Esau seven times [Gen.33:3]
In the dream of Pharaoh interpreted by Joseph there were:
Seven fat cattle
Seven lean cattle
Seven ears of corn on one stalk
Seven thin ears of corn
Seven years of plenty
Seven years of famine
Some Examples in Revelation
Seven churches of Asia [Rev.1:4]
Seven spirits of God [Rev.1:4]
Seven golden candlesticks [Rev.1:12]
Seven stars [Rev.1:16]
Seven angels of the churches [Rev.1:20]
Seven lamps [Rev.4:5]
Seven seals [Rev.5:1]
Seven trumpets [Rev.8:2]
Seven thunders [Rev.10:3]
Seven last plagues [Rev.15:1]
EIGHT
New Beginning
Eight souls on the ark
Circumcision – eighth day, [Lev.12:3,14:10 etc.]
Noah’s name is found 56 times in the Bible, 7×8
Reconciliation is found eight times in the Bible
Revive is found eight times in the Bible
Jesus was raised on the eighth day which is the first day of the week
NINE
Fruitfulness
[Gal.5:22] 5+2+2=9 Fruit of the Spirit [1 Cor.12 & 13] Gifts of the Spirit = 9Nine also has something to do with covenants
[Gen.9:9] covenantAbraham was 99 when covenant made [Gen.17:1] 1+7+1=9
Nine months for women to produce fruit
TEN
Gentile
Wrongly called the number of completeness by some
Tenth man from Adam is Noah – father of the gentiles
Gentiles count by tens
Gen. 10, first gentile kingdom (Nimrod- Babel)
Gen. 10 genealogies of gentiles
Acts 10, opens the door to gentiles in the New Testament
John 10, there are sheep of the other fold – gentiles
Romans 10, missionary call and message to gentiles
First mention [Gen.5:14] 5+1+4=10
ELEVEN
Judgment
Really not conclusive
Ten = Judgment, Twelve = Israel, It’s between.
One answer is judgment
[1 Kings 11:11] Eleventh book, chapter, verse in your Bible – Judgment on Israel10 plagues on Egypt, 11th , judgment by being drowned in Red Sea
Great White Throne [Rev.20:11] he saw 11 things thru verse 15
TWELVE
Nation of Israel
Twelve: children of Israel, stars on the woman in Rev.12 which represents 12 tribes of Israel, gates, apostles
Twelve months in a year
Twelve chapters in Daniel dealing with the salvation of Israel during the Tribulation
Exodus 12 is the beginning of the Jewish nation
THIRTEEN
Rebellion/Sin
Bad 85 percent of the time
Most hotels and office buildings have no thirteenth floor
[Gen.13:13] 13 words and speaks of rebellion and sinGen. 13, Lot pitched his tent toward Sodom
Rebellion is found in Genesis, First Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Deuteronomy, Mark, Ezekiel, and Revelation 13:13
First Kings 13 relates the story of a rebellious prophet
Revelation 17:5 has thirteen words in block capitals = rebellion
Mark 7:21-22 enumerates thirteen things which Jesus said proceeded from the heart of men
Psalm 55:13 contains a prophecy about Judas, the verse has 13 words.