Do biblical numbers matter?

HOW SHOULD WE UNDERSTAND BIBLICAL NUMEROLOGY?

By Ezekiel Kimosop

INTRODUCTION

I came across an article in which the writer sought to know the significance of the number 40 in the Bible.

I must admit that some biblical numerology can be quite confounding.  This naturally raises legitimate questions over their meaning and application. Should Christians attach any special significance to these numbers?

My view is that whereas some prophetic numerology such as the futuristic 1000 year reign of Christ (Rev. 20:1-6) or the 1290 and1335 days mentioned in Daniel 12:11-12 are significant for our Christian knowledge, inordinate preoccupation with biblical numerology is perhaps unnecessary.

It is difficult to precisely figure out how some of these numbers add up.

ANALYSIS OF BIBLICAL NUMEROLOGY

The Bible contains heavy numerology, some of which appear to carry some special significance and which have captivated sections of the church communities throughout the ages.

Some of these numbers are assigned to some divine activities identified in the Bible while others appear less prominent.

We may not entirely understand why these numbers were employed by God for the activities stated.

Starting from the Book of Genesis, we notice that the number 7 represents the day on which God rested after the 6 day creation works.

This does not however suggest that God was physically exhausted and needed to recuperate from the creation works but that He had divinely appointed a specific period within which to accomplish what He had determined to do.

Elsewhere in the Bible, we learn of other divine activities to which special number of days or years are assigned.

For example, Jonah proclaimed that the city of Nineveh would fall under God's judgment in 40 days if the  Ninevites refused to repent and turn from their wicked ways.

This judgement was never to happen by reason that the Ninevites repented and God graciously spared them.

Elsewhere in Scripture, we learn that God banished the Israelites into captivity for 70 years after they persistently rebelled against Him.

Believers are to forgive each other 70 times 7, coming to 490 times which is a multiple of 7.

THE MYSTERY OF THE NUMBER 40

The number 40 is perhaps the most noticeable among those associated with special biblical events.

Here are some of the prominent events that we can identify in Scripture:

1) The flood of Noah's day that took forty days and forty nights (Genesis 7:4-17; 8:6).

2) We later learn that Moses was in the mountain of the LORD forty days and forty nights (Exodus 34:28). 

3) In the New Testament Scripture, the Bible proclaims that Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness where He was tempted for forty days and forty nights (Matthew 4:2; Mark 1:13; Luke 4:2).

4) Jesus was around the earth 40 days after His resurrection and ascended to heaven on the 40th day which was 10 days before the Day of Pentecost (see Acts 1-2).

This has led biblical numerology experts to conclude that the number 40 is God's number of completion.

SHOULD WE APPLY NUMEROLOGY IN OUR CHURCH ACTIVITIES?

Some Christian communities identify 7 days and 40 days, respectively, as the periods of divine appointment. They therefore align Church calendar events along these numbers.

This does not however imply that God does not operate within different time frames or numbers, or that we should replicate such numbers on our Christian activities so that they agree with or match what we identify in the Bible.

We do not have any command from Scripture on the application of these numbers.

There are other numbers in the Bible that hold some significance of sorts such as the three days and three nights that Jonah was in the belly of the fish (Jonah 1:17) or the third day on which Jesus rose from the dead (Matthew 16:21, 17:23, 20:19; Acts 10:40).

So how should we treat these numbers?

Some charismatic Bible teachers operate within the mysticism of what they refer to as divine numbers. They fast and pray for three or seven days or even attempt to replicate the 21 day Daniel fast. This is done with religious precision.

Other churches settle for 40 day prayer seasons in their church calendars to coincide with the periods that Moses and Jesus took in the presence of God.

While there is perfectly nothing out of order with praying in this way, the truth is that we have no command in the Bible that expressly or impliedly compels us to replicate these numbers in our Christian practices.

My view is that we should not merely rely on biblical numerology to develop Christian doctrines and practices. The Bible nowhere demands that we should do so. However those who choose to align their practices along these numbers are at liberty to do so.

CONCLUSION

My concluding view is that believers or church communities are at liberty to choose any period or time frame within which to dedicate prayers or other church events including the obscure numbers such as 4, 8, 9 or 13 days or months and their multiples!

On the flip side, there are Christian who mystically claim that certain numbers are associated with Satan and should be avoided. They argue that numbers such as 6 or 13 or even series 666 should be avoided.

Of course the Bible identifies 666 with the mark of the beast but the Bible nowhere forbids the use of the number for ordinary numerical purposes. How, for instance, shall we add up to 1000 without 666?

During my admission to High School decades ago, one student rejected Admission No 666 out of fear that the number was associated with Satan and was therefore an evil number!

Thankfully another student who stood behind her in the admission queue accepted the number which we jokingly referred to as "nambari ya shetani" (Satan's number).

The student who took the number 666 performed well in his academic life and went to University. The fears associated with this number were therefore unfounded.

Again, and as earlier stated, this unwholesome fear of certain numerology is basically informed by sheer mysticism and not by the express or implied teaching of the Bible.

There is therefore nothing wrong with a believer having the number series 666 or occupying an office or flat on the 13th floor of a building or even driving a car with the registration number XXX 666X.

My view is that we should not be unnecessarily preoccupied with popular biblical numerology of any sorts, including the attempt to predict the dates of certain biblical eschatological events.

No matter how much we try, we shall never unravel these dates with any considerable certainty.

Some false teachers have unsuccessfully attempted to employ biblical numerology and arithmetics to explain the date on which Jesus Christ would return.

Some have even claimed that the 6 days of creation were merely symbolic of 6000 years that the world should exist. My view is that there is no grain of biblical truth in this theory!

We should always remember that God's ways are above our ways and His thoughts higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9).

God is remains incomprehensible to our human wisdom and intellect. By this I mean that while we are under the sun, we can never fully appreciate the full nature of God's divine Person and His working even with the benefit of the biblical Scriptures.

There is always some residual mystery about God that will only be unveiled when we shall appear in the divine presence of Christ and of God in heaven.

The Bible says in 1 John 3:2-3 "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 3 And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure."

What God has chosen to conceal from us shall remain in His divine wisdom.

Thankfully, what God has graciously revealed to us in Scripture is sufficient for our knowledge and obedience in Christ.