Christ began His public ministry at 30 years of age, David was 30 years old when he began his reign over Israel. Aaronic priests were initially dedicated at 30 years old. Number 30: symbolizes dedication to a calling ( Numbers 4:3 Luke 3:23 2 Samuel 5:4). Twelve tribes, twelve apostles, Jacob had twelve sons, God ordered that twelve loaves of unleavened bread be present in the temple each week, etc. Number 12: symbolizes spiritual authority ( Matthew 10:2-4 Revelation 7 10:2-4). Ten lost tribes, ten commandments, and a tithe being a tenth of our earnings. Number 10: symbolizes earthly government ( Ruth 4:2 Exodus 20:1-17 1 Kings 11:31-35). Christ appeared eight times after His resurrection, God saved eight people from the Flood, newborns were circumcised on the eighth day. Number 8: Symbolic of a new beginning ( Genesis 17:2 Mark 16:9-11 Genesis 7:13). Thus, we see seven churches, seven spirits, seven gifts of the Holy Spirit, etc. Number 7: Symbolic of spiritual perfection ( Genesis 2:2 Psalm 12:6 Matthew 18:22). Man was created on the sixth day, man labors six days, slaves served only for six years, etc. Number 6: Symbolic of humanity ( Genesis 1:31 Revelation 13:15-18). The Tabernacle contained five curtains, five pillars, five sockets, five bars, and the altar was five cubits by five cubits, etc. Five types of offering in Leviticus, the Book of Psalms is divided into five sections, five books of the Law. Number 5: Symbolic of grace ( Leviticus 1-5 Genesis 43:34 Matthew 14:17). Number 4: Symbolic of the Earth ( Daniel 7:3 Matthew 13: Isaiah 11:12). Number 3: Symbolic of perfection and completion ( John 2:19 Matthew 12:40 Luke 13:7). The three Persons of the Holy Trinity is the best example of this. Christ sent his disciples out two by two, and wherever two are gathered in His name He is present, etc. Number 2: Symbolic of a witness ( Exodus 25:22 Matthew 26:60 Luke 10:1). God is one, Jesus and the Father are one, etc. Number 1: Symbolic of unity ( Deuteronomy 6:4). Let’s take a brief look at the most common numbers and their biblical meanings. Two excellent examples of biblical books containing such number references are Daniel ( Daniel 7:3) and Revelation ( Revelation 13:15-18). That said, they clearly recognized that the Word of God does contain a divinely inspired system of numbers. “The wisdom of the princes of the world.we understand to be things like the secret and occult philosophy (as they call it) of the Egyptians and the astrology of the Chaldeans and Indians” (Origen).Īll such “philosophies,” practices, rites, rituals, and even seemingly harmless party games stand condemned by both Scripture and the various great theologians of the Christian faith throughout history. “The number seven is good, but we do not explain it after the doctrine of Pythagoras and the other philosophers, but rather according to the manifestation and division of the grace of the Spirit for the prophet Isaiah has enumerated the principle gifts of the Holy Spirit as seven” (Epistle to Horontianus). They noted that the practice originated in Babylonian paganism, as well as Pythagorean mystery teachings and Gnosticism. The Church Fathers were also unanimous in their condemnation of using numbers for divination, or foretelling future events, etc. Scripture forbids and condemns all such divinatory practices ( Deuteronomy 18:10-12). Such exaggerated emphasis can and has led to dangerous mystical ideas, bad theology, fringe eschatological approaches, and even outright occultism - believing that numbers hold a mystical power that can be tapped into for divination purposes. It is important at the outset that we make it very clear that while God did inspire the use of specific numbers for symbolic reasons, we have to be careful not to place too much emphasis on numbers. Let's do a brief overview of Biblical numerology before diving into the meaning behind specific numbers found in Scripture. Understanding the meanings behind these numbers in the Bible can help you understand the self-revelation of God a little better. God uses symbols to communicate spiritual truths to mankind, including numbers. Scripture is filled with symbols, from the Ark of the Covenant to the tzitzit on the Israelites garment, down to the number of the Beast recorded in the Book of Revelation. During the time the Bible was written, several numbers had significant symbolism of deeper meaning.
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