For many centuries readers of the Bible have recognized that the numbers identified in the Holy Scriptures have special significance. Indeed, in the Epistle of Barnabus, believed to have been written in the early second century, we find a somewhat extensive preoccupation with numbers and their significance. [While this book was not included in the cannon, it enjoyed wide circulation in the early church.]

This student-writer was motivated to pen this page upon hearing a sermon on numbers by the late Adrian Rogers. The grasp of the mysteries of Biblical numbers by this speaker was impressive; yet there were omissions and some misconceptions that seem to be common in the contemporary church.

In a sense there are two ways to approach Scriptural numbers, although they naturally overlap each other. The first way is to take a number at face value; for example, Acts 27:37 states that there were two hundred and seventy six 'souls' with Paul when his ship was wrecked.

Another way to deal with numbers is the method used in the Epistle of Barnabas, where it is stated: Abraham circumcised three hundred and eighteen men of his house ... Mark, first the eighteen ... For the numeral letters of ten and eight are I H and these denote Jesus [Chapter VIII:11-12]. The reference here is to the value of letters in the alphabet; the Greeks - and the Jews - did not have a separate system of numbers, so they assigned numbers to the letters of their alphabet, whereby the first letter would equal one, the tenth letter would equal ten, and so forth. In Greek the tenth letter is iota or 'i' and the eighth letter is eta or 'e', being the first letters of the Name of Iesous or Jesus. Using this system, each verse of Scripture can be read as either a series of words or a series of numbers.

This latter method is well documented over the centuries and causes little misunderstanding. Such is not the case with the first method. In order to claify the matter and to establish a method of interpreting Biblical numbers, we must start by laying the foundation of the spiritual significance of the first twelve numbers in order. In stating this, it must be held in view - as Adrian Rogers pointed out - that such a system must give rise to a consistent application to each and all instances where it occurs. Yet it is in these small group of first numbers where the most errors arise.

The number zero must be dealt with first; of course it signifies nothing, but, since it occurs in the number 10 [20, etc.], it requires some explanation. Before the Beginning was G·d; G·d was able to 'not be', to believe - by faith - that I AM, and thereby bring all that IS into existence. So, when we deal spiritually as well as mathematically with numbers, we use the zero.

The number one represents unity, but because it is a Divine number, and such unity is beyond the comprehension of mortal finite minds, it also represents chaos. Deuteronomy 6:4 states that the LORD our G·d is one LORD. As we develop the different aspects of the Divine Entity through the study of numbers, it is well to keep in mind that the Lord cannot be divided, that such division is merely for the convenience of expanding our understanding of G·d's Perfect Will.
Genesis 1:3 states: G·d said, Let there be light. This statement implies division between G·d and light. Keeping in mind that the number two is only an accommodation to aid our understanding, and that the Divine Entity is perfect, this number implies the Mystery of Evil which occurs further down our list of numbers. As the number two occurs within Scripture, there is a sense of confusion or division. To the right is displayed Moses preparing to cast down the two tablets containing the Ten Commandments upon the apostate Israelites. Why did not G·d write His tenets upon one tablet? We do not necessarily know, but we know that He did engrave two tablets. Adrian Rogers stated that two is a number of witness; this is quite insightful, and must be included in the discussion. The Torah declares that two witnesses are required to establish guilt under Law; Jesus sent out His disciples by twos. These examples remind us that - in carrying out the Divine Will through the action of the Holy Spirit - two in its Divine aspect is operable within the faith.
The crosses of the Crucifixion on Golgotha serve well to depict the number three. In its Divine aspect, the number three denotes the complete G·dhead, the Trinity, the Most High G·d. Three completes the numbers one and two with perfection. In the depiction we see two thieves crucified on each side of Jesus ... He was numbered with the transgressors [Mark 15:28]. One thief [almost surely the one on the left of Jesus] accused the Saviour, saying IF thou be Christ... [Luke 23:39]; the other thief [surely the one on the right] said, Dost not thou fear G·d ... Jesus, Lord, remeber me ... to which Jesus responds, today thou shalt be with me in paradise [Luke 23:40 & 42]. The left hand of the Lord is the side of judgment, His right hand is the side of mercy [see Mat 25:33 & 41]. The scenario on Golgotha establishes the authority of  the G·dhead through Jesus to both save with mercy and to administer condemnation in judgment. The cross in the middle where hung our Lord signifies balance by way of grace. Jesus rose to His throne, opening the windows of mercy and salvation, and reserving judgment. In Exodus 3:14 G·d tells Moses: I AM THAT I AM; the Hebrew word for I AM equals 21, or 2 + 1 = 3.
Four is the number of creative force. It is represented by the ineffable four-letter name - or Tetragrammaton - often written as Jehovah or Yahweh. Genesis 2:4 states: the LORD G·d made the earth and the heavens. This is the first mention of the Tetragrammaton in Scripture. Verse ten states, a river went out of Eden ... and it was parted, and became four heads. The Hebrew letters for the LORD G·d equal 112, or 1 + 1 + 2 = 4. [In the King James translation, the Tetragrammaton is represented by all capital letters: LORD. When the Hebrew text uses the word Adonai, the KJ gives 'Lord'. When the word 'lord' appears in the KJ, the Hebrew word is ba'al. When reading the Torah aloud, the Jews said Adonai when they came to the Tetragrammaton, since it was not proper to pronounce the four-letter name. The word Jehovah is formed by taking the vowels of Adonai and inserting them between the four letters of the Tetragrammaton. In other words, the name Jehovah never actually existed.]
Adrian Rogers wisely noted that the number five is a number of completeness: but completeness of what? Five commandments on one tablet, five commandments on the other tablet; five is half of ten, and ten completes G·d's total perfection [see below]. In the present context, five denotes the complete Divine world, the waters above, leaving the remaining five to represent the material world, the waters below. This is well represented by the story of the ten virgins [Mat 25], five of them wise and five of them foolish. Verse 10 says: they that were ready went in with Him ... and the door was shut. When David went out to face Goliath, it states in I Sam 17:40 that he: chose him five smooth stones. These five stones represent the five-letter name of G·d in Genesis 1:1 - Elohim - who said: Let there be light.

Isaiah 43:25 states: I am He that blotteth out thy transgressions ... and will not remember thy sins; 4 + 3 = 7, 2 + 5 = 7. Why not eight? Because the action described is redemption, and points directly at eight: I AM [next].

Eight is a joyful number; it is the number of Christ, the number of newness. Adrian Rogers says that the number eight represents new beginnings. I Peter 3:20 states: ... in the days of Noah ... eight souls were saved by water; if we use the number-for-letters method (above) on this verse: the ark wherein a few, that is, eight souls were saved by water, the total equals 8880, or 888 × 10. Even the word 'new' in Rev 21:5 - Behold, I make all things new - equals 80 by this method. The name 'Jesus' in Greek equals 888. Where more in the Hebrew Scriptures do we find the suffering Christ: wounded for our transgressions ... bruised for our iniquities, than Isaiah Chapter 53? 5 + 3 = 8. The four Hebrew letters of the Tetragrammaton equals 26, or 2 + 6 = 8. The Hebrew letters for the Most High G·d equals 197 or eight. The Hebrew words in Is 52:10: (the) salvation of our G·d equal 888 [the word salvation equals 102, or three].
The number nine is the number of man - especially redeemed man. Jesus said, I will make you fishers of men; in the Greek text this number is 153, or 1 + 5 + 3 = 9. Giving the numbers of the Greek letters, fishers of men equals 153 × 14. In the Gospel of John 21:6 Jesus says, cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find ... [verse11] and Peter drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty three. In Mat 18:12-13 Jesus says: if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine ... and seeketh that which has gone astray? In Luke 15:7 Jesus states: ... joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons... Rev 14:1 states: a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having His Father's name written in their foreheads. 1 + 4 + 4 = 9; the Greek letters for the 144 thousands can equal 1008, or 144

. This is confirmed in Rom 11:7 ... the elect [election] hath obtained it; the Greek letters for the elect equal 144.
The number ten indicates G·d's perfection, perfection beyond the understanding of man. By ten G·d reconciles the chaos of the nothing out of which everything was created with the unity of His Will. Ten acts as a multiplier of the character of the numbers listed above - as does a hundred or a thousand; note the example above of I Pet 3:20. In the New Testament, 37 is a number of Christ, and the Greek letters of Christ equals 1480:  37

× 3. 3 + 7 = 10. Ten is the value of iota, the first letter of Jesus, and ten is the value of yod, the first letter of the Tetragrammaton. We read above of the Ten Commandments - the total law - and the ten virgins, representing the world above and the world below.

The number eleven is a restatement of two, except that - while two is a divine number - eleven is worldly, and the hint of evil raised by two often becomes manifest in eleven. The two ones of the number eleven clearly indicate division. When Judas Iscariot departed the fellowship, the remaining eleven quickly appointed Matthias to take his place, to return their number to twelve [see Acts 1].

To the left are the twelve Patriarchs representing

Before continuing with various numbers of interest, it might be instructive to apply
the essay to this point to the daily life and faith of the reader. That is: wherein does
the human soul reside? It seems plausible that the soul resides between five and six,
partaking of both the Divine Presence and the corrupting temptation of the material
world. The human soul cannot reside solely in the number six. It starts life under
the influence of six, and even though it cannot travel upwards into the Divine world,
the soul can travel downwards through seven [redemption] through the Mind of
Christ - eight - to the number nine [redeemed man]. Completing this journey brings
the soul to Israel, which equals ten [counting the letters of the Hebrew word, which
equals 541: 5 + 4 + 1 = 10.] In becoming Israel the sould resides in ten, which
perfection allows mankind to partake of the Divine Presence denied it in its primal
state between five and six.
   It is interesting to note that Jesus Christ is involved in every number from one to
ten - EXCEPT the number six.
   For some reason commentators will speak of the numbers one through seven - or
through eight - and then skip to twelve. It seems curious that they leave nine
through eleven unregarded. If one is to claim knowledge of the meaning of numbers,
should not they comment on all the primal numbers?

The number eighteen has been demonstrated to represent the beast. Mat 7:13 states: broad is the way that leads to destruction; the Greek letters [leaving out the articles] equal 4968, or 276

× 2. The number 666 occurs one other place in the Bible besides Revelation 13:18: I Kings 10:14. After Solomon and the Queen of Sheba part ways, verse 10 states: the weight of gold that came to Solomon in one year was six hundred threescore and six talents... In verses 19-20 we read that the throne had six steps, and a lion on each side of each step, equaling the number eighteen also.
This author believes that the number twenty-four indicates movement,
most especially movement away from light to darkness. It is also note-
worthy that 2 + 4 = 6. For example, in Nu 25:9: those that died in the plague
were twenty and four thousand. A bit more curiously, Nu 7:88 states: ... for
the sacrifice ... were twenty and four bullocks, the rams sixty [6], the he goats
sixty [6], the lambs of the first year sixty [6 - the total 42 or 6]. Genesis 3:24
states: He drove out the man [fom Eden]; 2:24 states: Therefore shall a man
leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be
one flesh; 1:24 states: Let the earth bring forth the ... beast of the earth...
For this reason, among others, this author believes that Adam and Eve fell
after twenty-four years in Eden. It is Matthew Chapter 24 where Jesus speaks
of the destruction of the Temple and the Great Tribulation; however, Jesus
also speaks there of His return in glory.
The number thirty-seven is a number of Christ. For example Mt 13:37 states: He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the Greek letters for the Son of man equals 2960 [8] or 37

× 8. Mt 23:37 states: O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Mt 27:37: this is Jesus the king of the Jews. Jn 19:37 says [quoting Zechariah 12:10]: They shall look on Him whom they pierced.
Rev 14:1 states: with Him an hundred forty and four thousand... 1 + 4 + 4 = 9. Rom 11:7 says: the election [elect] hath obtained it... The Greek letters for the elect equals one hundred and forty-four.
Jn 21:11 states: ... drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three... 1 + 5 + 3 = 9. The Greek word for fishes in Lk 9:13 equals 1224 [9] or 153

× 8.
We read above that two hundred and seventy-six is the number of Satan and his kingdom. Here is a mystery within a mystery: Acts 27:37 claims that there were two hundred threescore and sixteen souls abord the ship with Paul when it shipwrecked, or 276 people. This figure seems improbable to this author; to the right is depicted a merchant ship of the second century, under full sail, that plied the Roman trade in the Mediterranean. To the rear is seen a cabin with a door, implying the approximate size of a man. If this ship can be considered representational of Paul's transport, and considering that it carried enough cargo to make a profit, it could not have carried anywhere near that complement of crew and passengers. This scenario presents the sort of mysteries that the student ponders in order to deepen his understanding of