BLOG

A little biblical math lesson

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."

"In the beginning" has a numeric value of 911, which equals the numeric value of charis, "grace." Thus, His grace is established "in the beginning." 911 is also an emergency call for grace.

"In the beginning, God" has a numeric value of 999. If you draw a circle and make its circumference 999, you will discover that the diameter of this circle is 318.

Abraham had 318 servants, born in his house, who rescued Lot from the kings of Shinar (Gen. 14:14). These 318 men represent the overcomers who are "of Abraham" in the sense of Gal. 3:9. They were not literal children of Abraham, but they are yet His children (Gal. 3:29.

The number 5 means "grace." This number appears 318 times in Scripture.

In Isaiah 7:3, we find that one of Isaiah's sons (named prophetically) was Shear-jashub. The name means "The Remnant Shall Return," and it forms the basis of the prophecy of Isaiah 10:21. The phrase "shall return" has a numeric value of 318. So we could read this as saying, "The remnant is 318."

This, then, is the Remnant of Grace. They are the overcomers who, like Christ, have the glory of God within them as treasure in earthen vessels (2 Cor. 4:7). When the outer clay shell of those vessels is broken, as pictured in the story of Gideon (Judges 7:19), then the light of glory shines out from them, and they are transfigured in their faces--changed by beholding Him (2 Cor. 3:18).

Their faces will shine as the light of the sun, even as we see pictured in Jesus' transfiguration on the mount in Matt. 17:2. The Greek word for "sun" used in this verse is helios, which has a numeric value of 318.

Eliezar was Abraham's chief steward, the faithful steward that was in charge of administering the affairs of Abraham's household (including the 318 men and their families). The numeric value of his name, Eliezar, is 318.

Eliezar was called to go to Haran and to find a wife for Isaac (Gen. 24). He was led by the Spirit (Gen. 24:12-27) to the right woman. Eliezar's name means "God helps." In John 14:26 Jesus said (NASB), "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things." The Greek word Parakletos refers to an advocate (attorney) in a court of law, but in its widest sense, it refers to a Helper.

Eliezar is a type of the Holy Spirit who has come to search for a Bride for Christ. Yet in a secondary sense, he is also a type of the overcomers who are led by the Spirit to accomplish the same purpose. The overcomers are the ones specially rewarded in Revelation 2 and 3 for their example of leadership in the Church.

Eliezar is a Hebrew name. Its Greek equivalent is Lazarus. While the numeric value of Eliezar is 318, the numeric value of Lazarus is 144.

The numeric value of "the election" (of grace) in Rom. 11:7 is 144.

The Remnant" is 318 (Shear-jashub), but "the elect" is 144. The connection between the two is seen in the names Eliezar (318) and Lazarus (144).

Likewise, when Eliezar found Rachel as the future wife of Isaac, he gave her two bracelets (Gen. 24:22). The Hebrew word is tsamid, which has a numeric value of 144. Thus, the 318 man gave the Bride an identifying mark of her calling--bracelets and the number 144. These were made of gold, 10 shekels worth. God signifies divine nature, and the number 10 is the number of the Law. It prophesies that the Bride of Christ is characterized by the Law of God being written on her heart according to the New (marriage) Covenant (Heb. 8:10).

The number 144 is also associated with barley by the divine measurements in Scripture. The Mishna says that 1 cubit was equal to 144 barleycorns (grains of barley). Paul says in Eph. 4:12, 13 that the five-fold ministry was given "for the equipping of the saints for the work of service to the building up of the body of Christ, until we all attain....the measure of the stature which belongs to the fulness of Christ." When "built up," people become spiritually mature and come to the prophetic measure of Christ, pictured by the CUBIT, which is 144 grains of barley.

Perhaps this is why the Hebrew word "grow" (tsamach) has a numeric value of 144. Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 2:6, "I made ponds of water for myself from which to irrigate a forest of growing [tsamach] trees." We are the planting of the Lord, but it takes time to grow up into the full measure of the stature of Christ--as represented by the cubit.

These are the ones who are willing to die daily, being crucified with Christ that they may live His life in the fire of God, which baptizes us with His character and burns out all flesh. The "brimstone" of God--His purifying fire--is theion, derived from the Greek word for God (theos). It has a numeric value of 144 as well.

Do you suppose perhaps that some of these examples were planned before the foundation of the world? I suspect that God invented mathematics and has taught numbers of mankind, not just so that we could do math, but so that we could see that God's fingerprints are based in mathematics. It is the evidence that He leaves for us to see in our investigation of who is responsible for creation's existence.