Bible Numbers 2.0

Part 4: Quest For God’s Signature

Now that we have proven Revelation 1:8 is the description of God’s signature, and shown all this is unlikely to be coincidence or just chance, the principles and techniques developed in the previous pages can be applied to the rest of the Bible. Segments of text in the Bible can be scanned by computer for occurrences of features similar to The Proclamation.

God’s Signature As A Marker

God has signed His name in other Bible passages. The numeric features of His signature mark passages where He is described, where spiritual truths are taught, and where God wants to show His work in the world.

Are these other examples of God’s signature exactly the same as the proclamation? No. The basic features of Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, First and Last, Is Was Is To Come are in all these verses just as a signature is recognizable by its general appearance. Smaller variations occur depending on context just as a human signature changes when one writes to a stranger or to a loved one.

Do any of these passages come close to the complexity of Exodus 34:6-7? No. (If they are more complex, their numeric complexity is different from The Proclamation.)

All of the verses listed here have diverse topics/contexts and backgrounds. They are not intimate conversations between friends like Exodus 34:6-7, and Revelation 1:8, where God spoke to Moses face to face, and Jesus through a vision spoke to John. They are not detailed descriptions God gives of Himself. The relationship between the numeric features in Exodus 34:6-7 and the meaning of Revelation 1:8 is quite obvious. No such relationship can be stated for other verses. One might say there is no reason at all to apply the rules of Revelation 1:8 to verses that are not strictly about God. Thus these verses are inspired on an entirely different level.

The Old Testament

In these studies, the Old Testament came from the BHS data of Bibleworks 3.0, exported as a text file. The New Testament came from the GNT and GNS data files of Bibleworks 3.0 exported as text. Vowels, accent marks, and alternative renderings were all deleted. Single letters placed at the end of Hebrew verses by scribes were also removed. Verses were then converted to numbers Numerics Gematria by computer and stored as a database.

***important note*** I have not used Ivan Panin's number system for the New Testament. His system accounted for two Greek letters that had fallen into disuse. His values for the Greek alphabet range from 1 to 800. My system ranges from 1 to 600.α

The Old Testament can be searched numerically verse by verse with a computer. Each base verse is loaded along with a pool of six verses after it. The base verse is first checked to see if it has the primary features like Exodus 34:6-7. If it does, it is recorded. If it does not, one word is drawn from the pool and added to the base. This new verse is checked for features. Words are drawn from the pool until the pool is exhausted.

If nothing is found, the first word in the base verse is dropped, and the process begins again. Results are recorded if Exodus features appear. When the base verse is exhausted, the next verse is loaded as the base and the entire process begins again.

Using the search described above, in the Old Testament there are just over 1600 segments (of text) in the Hebrew scriptures that share five of the main numeric characteristics of Exodus 34:6-7.

The Primary Features

There were a total of 25,918,514 tries. The possibility of having five features of seven is 1 in 16807 (75). 25,918,514 ÷ 16807 is approximately 1542. Thus the number Numerics Gematria found in the OT (1604) is just slightly more than what the statistical odds would be. (This slight difference is not really significant. That is why meaning is absolutely necessary for numeric features.)

In the New Testament (GNT)1, with 14,690,858 tries, the odds would indicate finding 874. The program found 848 segments of text, which again is in line with the odds. This can also be done with the GNS.2 Out of 15,149,786 tries, the program finds 888 segments. The odds would expect 901.

Does this destroy the case for Bible Numbers Numerics Gematria since it's in line with the odds? No. Many of these segments have no numeric significance because they are a) incomplete thoughts or sentences, b) spoken by more than one person, c) cover unrelated themes, d) span separate passages e) and most importantly of all have nothing to do with God or spiritual truth. They are truly random. It is the meaning in the passages with complete thoughts that set them apart.

Experiment 1 at the top has already demonstrated that the application of meaning is what matters. Only by applying meaning do the results make sense.

Disclosure: I am not a student of Hebrew or of the Koine Greek. My work is done with interlinear books, software, and a little knowledge gleaned from the internet. The text segments I have chosen stand out to me as 1) one theme, 2) complete thoughts or 3) complete sentences. Obviously I have selected segments that I consider important. But what I consider important or complete, someone else might reject. And what I have not selected, someone else might have included.

If what I have rejected turns out to be complete in thought or sentence, then the principles of Revelation 1:8 would truly be found interspersed in many verses throughout the Old and New Testaments.

Nevertheless, the passages I found to be meaningful form a grand picture of God’s work in history.

Complete Old Testament Verses

saying, "A hand upon the banner of the lord! the lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation."
(Exodus 17:16)3
And the people said to Joshua, The LORD our God we will serve, and his voice we will obey.
Joshua 24:24
And all the men of Israel assembled to King Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. And all the elders of Israel came, and the priests took up the ark. And they brought up the ark of the lord, the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels that were in the tent; the priests and the Levites brought them up. And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, who had assembled before him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing so many sheep and oxen that they could not be counted or numbered. Then the priests brought the ark of the covenant of the lord to its place, in the inner sanctuary of the house, in the most holy place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. For the cherubim spread out their wings over the place of the ark, so that the cherubim made a covering above the ark and its poles. And the poles were so long that the ends of the poles were seen from the holy place before the inner sanctuary; but they could not be seen from outside; and they are there to this day. There was nothing in the ark except the two tables of stone which Moses put there at Horeb, where the lord made a covenant with the people of Israel, when they came out of the land of Egypt.
1 Kings 8:2-9
Jehoiachin was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned three months in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem.
(2 Kings 24:8)
lest strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of an alien;
(Proverbs 5:10)
O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty as thou art, O LORD, with thy faithfulness round about thee? Thou dost rule the raging of the sea; when its waves rise, thou stillest them. Thou didst crush Rahab like a carcass, thou didst scatter thy enemies with thy mighty arm. The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine; the world and all that is in it, thou hast founded them. The north and the south, thou hast created them; Tabor and Hermon joyously praise thy name.
(Psalm 89:8-12)
And men shall enter the caves of the rocks and the holes of the ground, from before the terror of the lord, and from the glory of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth. In that day men will cast forth their idols of silver and their idols of gold, which they made for themselves to worship, to the moles and to the bats, to enter the caverns of the rocks and the clefts of the cliffs, from before the terror of the lord, and from the glory of his majesty, when he rises to terrify the earth. Turn away from man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he? For, behold, the Lord, the lord of hosts, is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah stay and staff, the whole stay of bread, and the whole stay of water; the mighty man and the soldier, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder,
(Isaiah 2:19-3:2)
Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon gave command concerning Jeremiah through Nebuzaradan, the captain of the guard, saying,
(Jeremiah 39:11)

The English translation of Exodus 17:16 appears as an incomplete sentence. However, the Hebrew is different. In Hebrew, God’s proclamation in Exodus 34:6-7 also begins in a similar way and is a complete sentence. This verse was meant to be a reminder of the true history of the human race. It is not a pleasant truth. It flies in the face of our modern society's claims of being civilized and humane. This is the reason behind this verse having numeric features.

Most readers would pass over Joshua 24:24 as a verse of any importance. The numbers Numerics Gematria show otherwise. Joshua 24:24 actually carries an important spiritual truth.

The dedication of the temple is one of the great events of Israel's history. The numeric features in 1 Kings 8:2-9 assure us this was a real historic event. Not only were David and Solomon historical kings, and not only did Solomon build the temple, but it was the only house ever to be blessed by God’s glory.

2 Kings 24:8 is complete as a sentence and thought in Hebrew or English. Why does this verse have numeric features? Jehoiachin was one of Jesus' ancestors. Sometimes genealogy does have a lesson to teach us.

Proverbs 5:10 is definitely an incomplete sentence and thought. It really goes with the verse before it. This renders any possible numeric features meaningless.

Psalm 89:8-12 praises God, His faithfulness, sovereignty over nature, and His invincible power. It also is a witness of God’s ownership of all things. That is why there are numeric features in this passage.

Isaiah 2:19-3:2 is also about God, but it covers two topics: the end of the world, and the end of ancient Israel. It isn't as coherent as one might like because of the topic switch in the chapters. However, since the end of the world is a very serious topic, this passage warrants study.

Like the segment in Proverbs, Jeremiah 39:11 is also an incomplete sentence. The topic is more historical than spiritual. Even though there are numeric features, there seems little point in examining it further.

The New Testament (GNT)

In the New Testament three segments were complete in thought and sentence structure. Ten others were questionable.

And he said to them, Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old. And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there, and coming to his own country he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all this? And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house. And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief. (Matthew 13:52-58)
Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, (Philippians 2:14-15)
Tychicus will tell you all about my affairs; he is a beloved brother and faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. (Colossians 4:7)

Matthew 13:52-58 teaches a lot more than what one would normally expect. The numbers Numerics Gematria actually show it is part of the parables. This is a passage that definitely needs studying.

Philippians 2:14-15 is a great reminder for God’s servants.

Colossians 4:7 is too mundane to be studied.

Of the ten questionable segments,

  1. Luke 1:31-36, Divine Announcement Of Jesus' Birth
  2. John 8:19-20, Knowing God
  3. Romans 2:13-16, Doers Of The Law
  4. Galatians 5:13-14, The Second Great Commandment
  5. 2 Timothy 2:22-3:2, An Evil End Time Generation
  6. Revelation 3:14-17, The Church At The End Times
  7. Revelation 4:8-10, Heaven Praises God
  8. Revelation 7:9-11, The Great Multitude
  9. Revelation 12:1-6, The Woman And The Dragon
  10. Revelation 19:12-14 King Of Kings, Lord Of Lords

all seem to have important meaning. (N.B. The Apostle John wrote almost half of them!) Each will be examined in turn.

The New Testament (GNS)

Out of 888 text segments in the GNS only 24 were complete in thought. The 24 segments cover different verses and subjects than those found in the GNT. Only God would be able to say if these segments from the GNT and GNS could have been combined into one manuscript and still retain basic features like Exodus 34:6-7. If it was not mathematically possible, this would explain the existence of two major versions of the New Testament in Greek.

On the other hand, perhaps the existence of the GNT and GNS is more like two witnesses as required by Deuteronomy 17:6, 19:15 and Revelation 11:3. Even Jesus affirmed the need for two witnesses in John 8:18.

The number of segments found in the New Testament for both GNT and GNS outnumber those in the Old Testament. At the very least, this legitimizes the New Testament as scripture. And in hindsight, the topics covered also legitimize key Christian teachings as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. (See the section on Romans 9:33-10:4.)

Seventeen segments out of twenty-four were found in the Gospels. Compare that to the rest of the New Testament. Since the Apostle John is one of the Gospel writers, the book he later wrote could be included with the seventeen count. This would mean the Gospel writers wrote eighteen of the twenty-four segments with basic features like Exodus 34:6-7 (75%).

Why are the numbers so heavily concentrated in the Gospels? Believers today take it for granted, but back in the first century, Jesus' teachings were truly radical, a break and yet fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. In Jesus' time, the miracles he did confirmed his message. The numbers confirm Jesus' primacy and verify the authenticity of his teaching today.

Readers will note that 1 John 5:7 (KJV, GNS) is not in the list below. This is the verse supporters of the Trinity turn to. This is the verse scholars all agree was added, by the King James translators at the behest of their ruler just because a late Latin Vulgate manuscript had it. (And then they reproduced it in Greek.) There are no numeric features in this verse that follow the pattern signature of Revelation 1:8. At the very best, there is absolutely no number support for the Trinity. At the very worst, this is a sign against the theory of the Trinity.

The GNS verses are listed below.

  1. Matthew 9:3-8 The Son Of Man's Authority For Forgiving Sin.
  2. Matthew 11:4-6 Jesus' Ministry.
  3. Matthew 18:21-22 Forgive Your Brethren
  4. Matthew 21:18-21 Faith & Miracles
  5. Mark 2:6-13 Confirmation Of The Authority To Forgive (GNT)
  6. Mark 2:8-10 Authority To Forgive Sins. (See also the verse above.)
  7. Mark 3:24-29 Blaspheming The Holy Spirit (Unforgivable Sin).
  8. Mark 13:8-11 What To Say Before Persecutors.
  9. Mark 14:48-49, Man Made Religion Kills.
  10. Mark 16:1-2 The Women Visit Jesus' Tomb.
  11. Mark 16:2-14 The Resurrection Of Jesus.
  12. Luke 7:46-50 Why Jesus & God Forgive
  13. Luke 9:38-43 Perverse Generation.
  14. Luke 9:43-46 Man Made Religion Blinds.
  15. Luke 10:16-19 Jesus Gives Authority To His Disciples.
  16. Luke 14:12-13 Invite Those Who Can't Repay.
  17. Luke 17:23-27 The Presence Of The Son Of Man.
  18. Luke 21:8-10 Signs Of The End.
  19. John 11:53-54 Man Made Religion Seeks Death.
  20. Acts 2:45-3:1 Voluntary Sharing.
  21. Acts 13:32-34 Prophecy Fulfilled In The Gospel.
  22. Romans 9:33-10:4 Jesus The Stumbling Block For Israel.
  23. 1John 1:7-9 Jesus Is Faithful To Forgive
  24. Hebrews 12:11-17 The Closing Door.
  25. Revelation 20:14-21:5 New Heaven & Earth.

Just because these verses have the numeric signature does not mean they are more important than verses that do not have them. As usual, reading the Bible puts everything in perspective. The numbers alone will not help.

Back: Is All This Chance?
A Bible Numbers Experiment
Next: Widening The Search
For God’s Signature

Notes

  1. The GNT is from Bibleworks 3.0 (copyright 1995 by Michael S. Bushell) produced by Hermeneutika, with GNT license from the United Bible Societies 1993-1994 (the same as the Nestle-Aland 27th edition of the Greek New Testament).
  2. The GNS is from Bibleworks 3.0 (copyright 1995 by Michael S. Bushell) produced by Hermeneutika, with the F.H.A. Scrivener 1881-Theodore Beza 1598 Textus Receptus GNS, copyrighted 1992 by Dr. Kirk D. DiVietro, Grace Baptist Church. (It's Greek is closest to the King James Version's New Testament.)
  3. =Reference quotes are from the Revised Standard Version, Thomas Nelson Inc., 1972.

Numeric Study Links

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presents the Bible as a rational book, as history, economics, and prophecy (with an extensive look at the book of Revelation) also covering a diverse range of topics. (Active site.)




Don't get sucked into a perpetual cycle of looking for more features. It is much more important to read the Bible.