Introduction

This is a Study in Biblical Numbers, Redemption, and the Patterns of History that all affirm that God, in line with His declaration in Isaiah 46, is in full control of history:

“I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done.” — Isaiah 46:9–10

And at the center of it all is ISRAEL, God's chosen vehicle for salvation. As will be seen, Israel is a physical nation; a spiritual body; and a person. Israel is literally the hinge of history and has an overlay of numbers, that not only affirm its purpose, but are predictive through a pattern that consistently points to the presence of the One who authored time itself. Not as secret codes, but as signposts, pointing toward the God who writes history with intention and symmetry. They are symbols woven into the fabric of God's revelation, that point us toward the end of this Age.

From the opening verses of Genesis to the final pages of Revelation, these numbers appear not as accidents, but as symbols, woven into the story of Creation, Fall, and Redemption. They form a kind of numerical poetry — a language through which God reveals His character, His purposes, and His unchanging love. Most importantly, the goal of this article is to show that there are moments in history when events appear to echo earlier patterns, to affirm God's prophetic intention and reveal something about 'the end', as we approach it.

This study explores one such event in particular, because it appears to be a numerical fingerprint of the God who not only writes history with purpose, but in this case in advance. Before naming it, we need to lay a foundation for understanding its purpose, that is multilayered but is mostly to bring HOPE.

For God in Ephesians 2:12 equates having 'no hope' with a three-fold condition, being:

• separated from Christ and

• excluded from being citizens of ISRAEL and

• excluded from the covenants of the promise 

¹² remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. Ephesians 2:12

Thus, here we see that Hope begins with our connection to Christ, who makes us a citizen of Israel, to become partakers of the covenants of the promise. Notice that it says 'promise' and 'covenants', that is one promise and multiple covenants, not multiple promises from multiple covenants - this is an important distinction because it identifies that all of the covenants Adamic; Noahic; Mosaic; and Davidic are ultimately pointing to "one promise" that is given to the world in the final Abrahamic Covenant, the New Covenant. And while Abraham was given promises related to him becoming a Nation (Genesis 12:2); having Land as an everlasting possession (Genesis 17:8); having many Seed and becoming many Nations (Genesis 17:2-7); and being a Blessing of the Nations (Genesis 12:3), God in this verse is affirming that they are not separate promises, but are 'one unified promise' with multiple dimensions, that finds its fulfilment in Christ. 

This is why the Abrahamic Covenant, that established the nation of Israel, is the only covenant that opens the door to the nations and is the only unconditional covenant of salvation. So being saved involves becoming a part of ISRAEL by being 'in Christ', so that we can inherit the covenantal promise passed down from Abraham to Isaac and finally to Jacob, who became Israel. This makes ISRAEL central to all of God's eschatological plans and is why the key event that is purposed to bring HOPE, as will be seen, is also anchored in the existence of ISRAEL as a nation.

Notably the primary Hebrew words for HOPE are:

• Tiqvah — literally a cord, figuratively a lifeline - the object of hope

• Yachal — to wait, endure 

• Qavah — to bind together by twisting, to wait with tension

However, only tiqvah actually names “hope” as an object — a thing that you possess, hold, cling to, or lose. The other two (yachal and qavah) describe the posture of waiting, not the substance itself. This distinction is not accidental; it is why Rahab’s scarlet cord is called a tiqvah. It was literally her lifeline when Israel was entering into the Land promised to them and were about to capture and destroy her home city of Jericho (Joshua 2:18). So, Hope is something real (tiqvah), that requires waiting (yachal) and involves tension (qavah). But only tiqvah is the thing itself.

Since tiqvah is an object (a cord), not just a state of mind or of the heart, our English bibles do not connect it with "hope", until we get to the book of Ruth 1:12. Rather, its first two appearances in the bible, in Joshua 2:18 and Joshua 2:21, that relate to Rahab's Scarlet Cord, are simply translated as "cord", so significantly it is a literal, but hidden theme of Hope, that runs throughout the Old Testament before its last reference appears in Zechariah 9:12, where it is also translated as "Hope". Here, it is appearing in connection with eschatological events, and so the word, in this context, is extremely prophetic, but more on that later. 

For now, it is sufficient to understand that 'Hope' is something we all need, for as the Bible says:

¹² Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life. Proverbs 13:12

It is essential to recognize, as we will explore later in this article, that God is revealing through the course of history, in connection with a very real 'Tiqvah', that Hope will no longer be deferred. Just as Rahab witnessed the Hope of her scarlet cord—a symbol of Jesus' sacrificial blood—bringing her genuine physical salvation from the impending destruction of Jericho, we who long for the return of Christ are on the verge of experiencing our own physical deliverance before the Tribulation. It will be anescape from the coming time of Trouble, just as Jesus foretold in Luke 21:

³⁶ Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:36

However, to fully understand the pattern —that will involve an astonishing use of just a few numbers 6; 13; 14; 300, 78, 156; 313, 541, and 1878, in both Scripture and history— we must begin where the Bible begins, with the numbers 1 through 14, that describe God, Creation, Man, the Fall, and the plan of Redemption, that was prepared before the foundation of the world.

1 - 14 are literally the numbers that form the grammar of biblical symbolism and lay the foundation for understanding all that will follow, and they will be divided into sections:

• Numbers of the Triune God 1 -3

• Numbers of Creation 4 - 6

• Numbers of Promise before the Fall 8 - 9

• Numbers of the Fall, and Redemption (10–14)

These will lead us to the number 300, that in combination with 13, will form the numerical heart of Redemption, and that in combination with other numbers will ultimately reveal some amazing connections to ISRAEL (God's vehicle for Salvation), that I believe are also numerical signposts of where we are in terms of God's end-time calendar.

The Foundational Numbers of the Triune God

Firstly, we have Gods Numbers from 1-3 that are all Prime Numbers and define who God is, and what is His primary purpose in Creation:

God's- Numbers 1 - 3:

1 — The Unity and Fatherhood of God

1 represents God both in His fullness —the Godhead—and as the Father of all that exists. As the number of absolute unity it establishes:

• One essence - the Godhead, three persons in one - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. All are eternal and are coequal - three persons, but one God.

• One sovereignty,

• One source of all that exists.

As the 1^st person of the Godhead, it also reveals God the Father:

• The Father sent the Son (Jesus)

• The Son came to do the Will of the Father.

• The Father sent the Spirit (Luke 11:13; John 14:16-17 et.al.)

2 — The Union of the Son, the Word Who Speaks Creation

2 reveals an eternal Union within the nature of God, who exists as three persons in one, but in scripture calls the 2^nd person of the Godhead, both the Son and the Logos, the Word of God:

In Genesis, creation unfolds through the spoken Word, by the Logos, the Word of God:

“And God said…”

• The second Person of the Godhead — the Logos — speaks all matter into existence and then brings form out of formlessness. Thus 2 becomes associated with revelation, speech, and creative expression.

 We now have the first 2 persons of the Godhead with familial names, in the Father and the Son - As Jesus said in John 14, He is the way to the Father:

⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6

It is for this purpose that Jesus, who the apostle John called the Logos made flesh, came. He said of Himself that He had come to do the will of the Father:

³⁰ I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me. John 5:30

Then Jesus identified what the will of the Father was, in John 6:39. It was about the salvation of all those who the Father has given to Him, who by believing in the Son, will come to Him and have everlasting life and be raised up with Him in the last day:

³⁷ All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. ³⁹ This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. ⁴⁰ And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day.” John 6:37-40

Then He described a unity that would exist on that last day between the Father and the Son and all those that believe in Him, with believers being in the Son and the Son being in the Father, as stated in John 14:20:

²⁰ At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. John 14:20

• So, Creation through the Word of God, exists for the ultimate purpose of turning the Unity of the One God into His Union with those that God seeks to have an intimate relationship with, through the Son - the second person of the Godhead.

• This union will attain its ultimate expression when those, who have repented of their Sins (turn back to God) have been granted eternal life and have been raised up on the last day. At that time, they will become a part of the Bride of Christ, who is joined to the Son of God in an eternal union, prior to Jesus returning to rule and reign on the current earth for 1,000 years, as described in Revelation 19.

3 — The Fullness of Divinity and the Spirit Who Gives Life

3 represents the fullness of Divinity, which is often used to describe the work of the Triune God. As such it is the source of the triads (click here for further information) that God utilizes to reveal His full nature and character.

• It is also representative of the third person of the Godhead in the Holy Spirit, who is described in the Genesis Creation account as the Spirit of God who was hovering over the waters, ready to bring life and order.

• As such, 3 becomes the number of life, completion, and the fullness of the Godhead.

Creation - Numbers 4- 6

Next, we will briefly consider the numbers of Creation that begin with God speaking the Heavens and Earth into existence and populating it with plants and living creatures before he forms His special creation, in mankind or Adam, who were made in His image.

4— Creation and the World, Earth, Universality

The number 4 is often associated with the created world and the completeness of the earth. As an extension of the numbers 1-3 that represent God, it is all about the created order that comes forth from the mind and hand of God.

Ultimately its purpose is to establish a place where God can dwell with those who are made in His image, in an eternal relationship based upon Love and Freewill.

As such it becomes connected to the created space (4) within which His Grace (5) can abound toward Man (6) in Perfect Harmony (7) - so numerically and theologically it is the connection between the Divine (3) and Perfect Completion (7) that involves (4) - for:

3 + 4 = 7

5— Grace and Life - the empowering of the Spirit, Grace, Favor, God's Goodness

The association of 5 with Grace, which is connected to the Blessing and Anointing of the Holy Spirit, who also brings Life,  —remembering that Romans 8:11 affirms that the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in believers and gives life to their mortal bodies— largely originates from the 5^th day of creation, where the Holy Spirit appears in connection with the first living (הַֽחַיָּ֣ה) creatures, that in Hebrew are described as having nephesh נֶפֶשׁ, which is the same word used for soul. 

In Genesis 2:7 we see the relationship between the Spirit of Life  - the Holy Spirit and Nephesh:

1. God forms the body from dust.
2. God breathes the breath/spirit of life.
3. The man becomes a living nephesh.

In simplified form:

Dust (body) + Divine breath (ruach-like life principle) = Living nephesh

Many theologians therefore describe nephesh as the living person that results when God's life-giving breath (Spirit) animates the body. Ultimately, it is about the empowering of the Holy Spirit that both gives life and enables us to live it by walking in righteousness (effectively helping us to keep God's Laws), and experience God's undeserved favor.

6 — Man, Human Weakness, Incompleteness, and Humanity in the Image of God

Man is created on the sixth day, bearing the image of the Triune God:

God (1 + 2 + 3) = Man (6) 

Man is not God, he only bears His image and while he initially exists in perfect righteousness, walking with God in the cool of the evening and is in harmony with his Creator, he will eventually fall and need to be redeemed.

Symbolic Meaning

Also, since man was created on the sixth day and six falls short of the divine completeness, often associated with the number seven, 6 can be seen as also representing:

• Human effort
• Human government
• Imperfection
• Falling short of God's fulness

666

Importantly, the opposite is true for Satan for he is all about the elevation of self above everything else. He is the original Supplanter and Heel Grabber before Jacob, which is why Genesis 3:14-15 God's direct response to him, after his deception of Eve that led to the Fall of Man, referenced the Heel:

¹⁴ And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: ¹⁵ And I will put enmity between thee and -- the woman, and between thy seed and -- her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Genesis 3:14-15

This ascendancy within the heart of Lucifer (light bearer) before he became Satan (the adversary) led to his own fall and notably he replaced the "I AM" statements of God with his own "I Will" statements:

¹² How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! ¹³ For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: ¹⁴ I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Isaiah 14:12-14

This elevation of self is reflected within Man, who also puts his own Will above that of God's, and ultimately this leads to the greatest enemy of God, apart from Satan, in the Man known as the Antichrist, who is described in Revelation 13:18 in connection with the number 6:

¹⁸ This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666. Revelation 13:18

The numbers of this reference (13 and 18) literally define who he is, for as will be seen 13 numerically represents the rebellion of man and the 666 (18) represents an intensification of that human self-sufficiency and rebellion:

The Numbers of Promise before the Fall (7–9)

Notably however, while man firstly walked in harmony with God, this was all defendant upon Trust — and Trust depends on Choice. Essentially, Trust is the outworking of Faith and sadly, man in Adam broke this Trust, but even before he had sinned, God had prepared the way back.

Importantly it was all based upon the character and nature of God, as is revealed through the meaning of the numbers 7, 8, and 9. Together these numbers show that from the beginning of time, mankind has been hidden in God’s mercy and that no one needs to be separated from His Love. His plan of Redemption was not based upon man's actions, rather the establishment of a covenant that cost God everything and man nothing, other than his trust, love and obedience, to the one who died in his place.

7 — God’s Solemn Oath of Redemption

Firstly, in Scripture, 7 originates from the very nature of God who declares in Isaiah 11 that He has a 7-fold Spiritual nature. I will expand on this later in the article (in the section discussing God's 7-fold nature), but for now it is sufficient to recognize that this is the ultimate source of why the Bible and Creation are designed around patterns of 7. It is all flowing out of who God is, before it becomes the number of His covenant oath. Such that to “seven oneself” in Hebrew is to swear a solemn promise.

Essentially, before man ever fell, God had already sworn — within His own counsel — that He would redeem humanity. Revelation calls Jesus “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.”

The best example of this is when 70 x 7 is referenced in relation to perfect Forgiveness when Jesus is talking to Peter, who asked how many times he should forgive: 

²¹ Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?”
²² Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21-22

8 — The Fulfillment of Prophecy

As 7 is the oath of a perfect God who establishes Covenant with man through His own sacrifice, 8 is about the One who fulfills it - JESUS.

As such 8 represents:

• Salvation

• new beginnings 

In biblical terms, the eighth day symbolizes a fresh start, a new beginning, as it follows the completion of the seven days of creation.

This is evident in the resurrection of Jesus, which occurred on the first day of the week, that is also the 8th day, marking the beginning of the new covenant and a new era of grace for humanity.

The prophetic declarations throughout Scripture point to this pivotal moment, where the culmination of God’s promises is realized in Christ. He is the One who rises beyond the cycle of seven.

He is the fulfillment of God’s oath — the Redeemer promised before time began, and the assurance that God’s word will always come to pass.

Thus, 8 also signifies:

• The fulfillment of divine prophecy - with 8 ultimately pointing toward Shemini Atzeret - the 8th Day Gathering that is Feast Day that follows the Feast of Tabernacles. As such, it is the last Feast Day that is celebrated annually, that is ultimately a pointer to Eternity itself.

• Eternity - this is the 8th day that will never end. It is the day when the Cycle of Sevens will be completed and Time will no longer be a marker of the ravages of Sin, for as Revelation 21 states:

⁴ And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away. Revelation 21:4

All of this is only possible because of the Sacrificial Work of God both in and through Jesus, and His number is 8 with Jesus in Greek being Ἰησοῦς, that in Greek Gematria = '888'.

9 — The Hour of Sacrifice

In Scripture, 9 is the number of:

• Finality
• Suffering
• Completion of judgment
• The moment redemption is accomplished

Jesus is nailed to the Cross after 3 hours of prayer beginning at 9pm and finishing at midnight, before being crucified at the third hour (9 a.m.) and dying at the 9^th hour.

The shepherd leaves the 99 to rescue the one — a picture of the Redeemer who dies for all.

Thus, in this section about the numbers of the Promise, we see that the three numbers 7, 8, and 9 form a hidden sequence:

• 7 — God’s oath

• 8 — God’s actions to fulfil His oath to grant us mercy and to act as our Redeemer / Saviour

• 9 — God’s sacrifice on the Cross, where Jesus would Cry Out - "IT IS FINISHED"

This plan was in place before Adam ever drew breath.

The Numbers of the Fall, and Redemption (10–14)

Next, we will look at how the numbers 10 - 14 combine to reveal how man's choice in the Garden of Eden created a numerical sequence that symbolically takes us from the Fall to our Redemption on the Cross of Jesus. These numbers are not arbitrary. They form a progression — a story in numerical form.

10 — The Law of Righteousness

Prior to Man's Fall, God through His Spirit, revealed a Law of Righteousness to Man by giving him one command, one word, that warned him not to eat of the fruit of one tree, lest he die.

¹⁵ And the LORD God took -- the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. ¹⁶ And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: ¹⁷ But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Genesis 2:15-17

Biblically breaking this command made man subject to the Law of Sin and Death, which would require the introduction of another Law, the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus, to combat it, as described in Romans 8:2:

² For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:2

God did this so that man in Adam would understand that it is Trust and Obedience to God’s Word that would underpin his ongoing relationship with a Holy God. By revealing this, God who is Love is giving mankind free will and a choice, because Love does not exist unless it is freely given.

Love always seeks the best for another; it is the dynamics of what naturally exists within the 3 persons of the Godhead, who reveal themselves as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father seeks to glorify the Son, and the Son seeks to honor and glorify the Father, and the Spirit seeks to glorify both the Father and the Son and is Himself lifted up and glorified when they are.

It was into this eternal triangle of Love that Man in the Garden of Eden was invited; and given he was already walking in righteousness with God, he knew that he could have remained in this perfect relationship by simply trusting and obeying God’s Word. In fact, he could even have freely eaten from the Tree of Life, at any time, and lived forever with God, in perfect harmony.

Thus 10 symbolizes:

• God’s righteous standard

• The Law of Sin and Death (Romans 8:2)

• The requirement of obedience

But where there is law, there is the possibility of Sin and Transgression.

11 — The Number of Sin and Falling Short

God's Law probably did not seem important to Adam because he already had everything he needed, he was lacking nothing. It was into this mindset that Satan entered, firstly through Eve— who was easily deceived into believing that something was missing: 

⁴ Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ⁵ For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Genesis 3:4-5

and then through Adam, who allowed Pride to arise in his heart.

Pride no longer seeks to glorify and honor God, rather it seeks to replace Him with self. For Adam, knowing the word of God, allowed the idea that 'both himself and Eve could become as gods themselves' to manifest within his heart. So, it wasn’t just an act of disobedience, it was the stealing of honor and glory that only belong to God. This was the end of his perfect relationship with God that to this point had been based upon Love and Trust, but were now replaced with Pride and Fear that leads to death.

The Law of Sin and Death that sought to maintain Righteousness is represented symbolically by 10 in the Bible, because this single command of God went from 1 to 10 commandments, as given to Moses. However, because the Law (10) had been broken by man’s disobedience, it led to the next number 11, which became symbolic of this Sin and Disobedience.

The ultimate expression of this will one day be seen in the 11th Horn of Daniel, that is first described in Daniel 7:8 (which together are important numbers 78 to be explained later), who is the Antichrist, who is also known as the “lawless one” in 2 Thessalonians 2:8:

⁸ And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. 2 Thessalonians 2:8

Unlike Satan though, whose Fall from Grace was total, Adam’s actions, as is often described in relation to Sin, were more a “falling short” of God’s glory. His heart still loved God, though now imperfectly, and in the depth of his soul, Adam wanted to be restored to righteousness with God. This was unlike Satan who from the moment he fell, he wanted to replace God and receive the worship that is only due to the Holy and Perfect, all powerful, and all-knowing Creator of all that exists, both seen and unseen.

When Adam disobeyed, he did not merely break a rule — he broke the relationship and fell short of the glory of God.

Thus 11 became the number of:

• Sin
• Disorder
• Lawlessness and
• The “11th horn” of Daniel (Daniel 7:8),

Yet Adam’s fall was not like Satan’s. Adam still longed for restoration — and God responded with mercy.

12 — The Number of Calling, Discipleship, and Restoration

Therefore, immediately after the fall, God, from a place of mercy, spoke a promise:

'The seed of the woman shall crush the serpent’s head' (Genesis 3:15)

This is the first whisper of Redemption, the first insight into God's solution for mankind's Sin and significantly it is associated with the number 12, the age of when a girl becomes a woman in Jewish culture at her Bat Mitzvah. So, it is important to note that the first recorded words of Jesus —the Word made Flesh, who came into the world as the promised "Seed of the Woman", the Messiah and Saviour of mankind, who would crush the head of Satan in the Serpent— occurred when he was 12:

⁴⁹ And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” Luke 2:49

Importantly these words, where He stated that He was about His Father's business, were also a hint that He was instituting a plan that would extend beyond His own incarnation, that would end 21 years (the mirror number of 12) later, at the age of 33 when Jesus would go to the Cross. This plan had previously been defined in Genesis 3:15 as putting enmity between Satan and the woman's offspring and a crushing of Satan's head, as the full verse shows below:

¹⁵ And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15

In this way, this prophecy contained two layers. 

1. Collective sense

 In the first instance “Your seed” vs. “her seed” refers to the ongoing conflict between the serpent’s followers and the woman’s descendants — the battle between good and evil throughout human history, including the Church Age - the Age of Grace.

2. Singular, representative Seed

Then the text of the verse narrows to a specific individual:

¹⁵ And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15

Here, the Hebrew pronoun hûʾ (“he”) is masculine singular, and the verb forms match an individual combatant, not a group. This is why both Jewish and Christian interpreters historically saw a Messianic figure here. 

Therefore, Genesis 3:15 was a prediction of both the Messiah, who would crush Satan's head, as well as the establishment of the Woman's Seed, that in scripture would see the number 12 take the forms of:

• God’s chosen people (12 tribes)
• Discipleship (12 apostles)
• Divine government
• Restoration of relationship

As such, the number 12 is both God's answer to man's sin, in providing a Messiah / Saviour; as well as the being the number of those who respond to God’s call and become a part of the body of the Messiah.

The most important aspect about this though, is that God, who knows the End from the Beginning, made a decision before He created us with free will. He knew the darkness and the depravity of Sin that would enter our lives and separate us from His Love, the Love of a Holy God.

When thinking about this one day, I felt led to consider a parallel between Sin and Holiness. I noted how phosphorous (representing Sin), a metallic element discovered in 1669 (the digits of which add up to 22 that is symbolic of Israel - God's solution to man's sin), reacts with oxygen (symbolizing the Holiness of God due to its Atomic Weight of 8, representing the number Jesus). This reaction is particularly evident in white phosphorus (P₄ - where the number 4 represents the world) and ignites spontaneously in air. Essentially, this reveals that the Law of Sin and Death reference, in Romans 8:2, is not about an arbitrary requirement of a Holy God. Rather it is an existential reality that Sin and Holiness simply cannot coexist and without God's intervention we would, like phosphorus, in the presence of oxygen, be instantly destroyed in His presence.

As I pondered on this further, I discovered that this connection was also not random because the metallic element Phosphorus, that was first discovered by the German alchemist Hennig Brand, was actually named after an ancient Greek deity. In this respect, the Greek Word for Phosphorus - Φωσφόρος had been formed from two other Greek words φωσ phōs (“light”) + φόρος  phoros (“bearer”), to be used as an epithet for the planet Venus, when seen as the Morning Star.

To the ancient Greeks, Phōsphoros (Φωσφόρος), the “light‑bringer,” or "light-bearer" was actually a divine personification of the Morning Star, that shines brightly before sunrise. He was treated as a minor deity or celestial spirit, not a god with temples or a cult, but later in the 4^th century AD, the Latin equivalent of this word was used when Jerome rendered the Hebrew word הֵילֵל - hêlêl, in Isaiah 14:12, as Lucifer, in the Latin Vulgate.

This can be seen in the Clementine Vulgate (1592), which preserves Jerome’s text as:

Quomodo cecidisti de cælo, Lucifer, qui mane oriebaris?

Which can be translated as: “How have you fallen from heaven, Lucifer, you who rose in the morning?”, or as it appears in our English bibles, such the King James Version:

¹² How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! Isaiah 14:12

Through these connections God was revealing that in His foreknowledge, He knew that mankind— who would be made in His image, with free will and the ability to choose —would fall into Sin and need a way to be provided, so that they would not be destroyed, and could have a relationship with Him. As Jesus would later say:

⁶ Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6 

So, Jesus, the eternal Logos or Word of God, as described in John chapter 1, the second person of the Godhead, and the Son of God, was the "way" that God chose to redeem mankind to Himself, protecting him from destruction. He would take on flesh in Jesus, who though totally God Himself, He would come in total obedience to the Father to be our Kinsmen Redeemer; and being full of the Holy Spirit would come into this world to live a perfect Sinless life for us and then die the death caused by our Sin —because He had none of His own— so that He could invite us back into relationship with Himself and the Father.

From the very foundation of the world God chose to sacrifice Himself, as the Lamb of God, for our sakes:

⁸ And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. Revelation 13:8

His death on the Cross, in Jesus, became the payment that atoned for our Sin. Significantly, this was all done with foresight and foreknowledge, as it states in Hebrews 12: 

¹² For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2

Thus, God in an unparalleled act of Love Grace and Mercy toward his image bearers, chose to create a way of Redemption for mankind, in a second Adam. Scripture shows that this decision was made from the foundation of the world because God, who is outside of time, is omniscient and knew that man would Sin, before He even made Him.

Incredibly this decision would involve the suffering and death of God Himself, in Christ on a Cross, because the Law of Sin and Death states that the wages of Sin are Death, and Death is the separation of man from a Holy God. However, because God still had to be approached with Trust and Faith, just as He was prior to the Fall, prior to His incarnation, God instituted the practice of a sacrifice, where the death of an innocent creature would provide a temporary atonement for mankind’s sin.

Symbolically it always looked forward to the death of Jesus on the Cross, but it allowed God to call people back to Himself prior to that. Even Job in the Old Testament declared that He knew His "redeemer liveth" and that one day He would stand on the earth, and he would see him face to face:

²⁵ I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. ²⁶ And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; ²⁷ I myself will see him with my own eyes —I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! Job 19:25-27

By faith in God’s Love and Forgiveness people began to repent and return to God. Significantly this began in the garden, when in the first hint that the power of Sin (represented by the number 11) was going to be broken by God’s next number 12, God revealed the Seed of the Woman in Jesus, as discussed above. Ultimately when Jesus was 30, He began to call people back to God, and He established an inner following comprised of 12 followers, or 12 disciples, noting also that Acts 1:15 also cites a wider following by reference to 120 (12 x 10) disciples.

So, 12 would define all those that would again freely choose to love and trust God, and receive through faith, the free gift of salvation that would allow us to again walk with Him in righteousness. 

13 — Rebellion and Redemption Intertwined

With the establishment of the number 12 God had reinserted Himself into the numerical sequence, that had seen the righteousness of 10 become the Sin of 11, before God would provide an instantaneous solution that saw faith and trust in God lead to the repentance and discipleship of 12.

However, the ultimate Sacrifice of God, at this point, still lay in the future, and still had to occur to satisfy the Law of Sin and Death. The promise of Jesus’ incarnation on its own was not the end of Sin in God’s creation, because it still had to be atoned for, and sadly many would continue to carry a Spirit of Rebellion within their souls, that would lead them to reject God's gift of Grace.

So spiritually and numerically 12 was always leading to 13 that symbolically describes both this Rebellion and God’s acts of Redemption to atone for it.  In the number 13, God truly reveals Himself as the God who reverses the Curse - it is literally where Sin and Grace meet.

So here the story deepens, as we introduce the number that will be one of the central players in all that follows. Essentially, 13 is a number that is at the heart of man, for in spite of all that God has done to make a way for us when we Sin, which can be described as a "falling short of the glory of God", man had a deeper underlying problem that went beyond a 'falling short', which is something we can even do unwittingly.

Romans 3:23 says:

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

This verse defines sin not as defiance, but as missing the mark, failing to reflect God’s glory — a concept rooted in the Hebrew idea of ḥaṭṭā’ (“to miss the target”). This is the foundation for understanding sin as any deviation from God’s perfect righteousness, whether deliberate or not.

The Old Testament is explicit that Sin can be committed without awareness, without intent, and without rebellion. Key passages include Leviticus 4 where the entire chapter is devoted to ḥaṭṭā’t offerings “for sins committed unintentionally.” It covers:

• Priests
• The whole congregation
• Leaders
• Ordinary individuals

The repeated phrase is: “If anyone sins unintentionally…”

Leviticus 5:15–18 — Also describes sins done “unwittingly” בִּשְׁגָגָ֔ה (bišgāgāh), including violations of sacred things. This passage is crucial because it shows that not all sin is high‑handed rebellion:

¹⁵ If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring -- for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering: Leviticus 5:15

Similarly, Numbers 15:22–31 — Distinguishes between Unintentional sins (atonement available) and High‑handed sins (defiant rebellion):

²² And if ye have erred, and not observed -- all these commandments, which the LORD hath spoken unto Moses, ²³ Even -- all that the LORD hath commanded you by the hand of Moses, from the day that the LORD commanded Moses, and henceforward among your generations; ²⁴ Then it shall be, if aught be committed by ignorance without the knowledge of the congregation, that all the congregation shall offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a sweet savor unto the LORD, with his meat offering, and his drink offering, according to the manner, and one kid of the goats for a sin offering. ²⁵ And the priest shall make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Israel, and it shall be forgiven them; for it is ignorance: and they shall bring -- their offering, a sacrifice made by fire unto the LORD, and their sin offering before the LORD, for their ignorance: ²⁶ And it shall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Israel, and the stranger that sojourneth among them; seeing all the people were in ignorance. ²⁷ And if any soul sin through ignorance, then he shall bring a she goat of the first year for a sin offering. ²⁸ And the priest shall make an atonement for the soul that sinneth ignorantly, when he sinneth by ignorance before the LORD, to make an atonement for him; and it shall be forgiven him. ²⁹ Ye shall have one law for him that sinneth through ignorance, both for him that is born among the children of Israel, and for the stranger that sojourneth among them. ³⁰ But the soul that doeth aught presumptuously, whether he be born in the land, or -- a stranger, the same reproacheth -- the LORD; and that soul shall be cut off from among his people. ³¹ Because he hath despised the word of the LORD, and hath broken -- his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him. Numbers 15:22-31

Psalm 19:12 —David acknowledges sins he is not even aware of.

¹²“Who can discern his errors? Cleanse me from hidden faults.” Psalms 19:12

Iniquities and the Spirit of Rebellion

However, not all Sin is simply a missing of the mark, much of it actually comes from a spirit of defiant rebellion and manifests itself as Iniquities which are the Sins that we love and attach ourselves to and often make excuses for.

In Psalm 90, a chapter that famously describes the length of a Generation being either 70 or 80 (if by strength), Psalm 90:7-9 provides some context to this, reminding us that God sees “our secret sins,” our iniquities and these bring significant consequences, perhaps sometimes even being a factor in determining the length of our days:

⁷ For we have been consumed by Your anger, And by Your wrath we are terrified. ⁸ You have set our iniquities before You, Our secret sins in the light of Your countenance. ⁹ For all our days have passed away in Your wrath; We finish our years like a sigh. Psalms 90:7-9

Interestingly, the Hebrew word used here for 'Iniquities' is עָוֹן ‘āvōn. It is a masculine noun meaning iniquity, evil, guilt, and punishment, that begins with the Hebrew letter ayin ע, that in its original pictographic form was an eye that symbolized seeing, knowing, perceiving, and experiencing.

 In Hebrew thought, the “eye” is not just a sensory organ—it represents what the inner person focuses on, desires, or turns toward. Thus, when a Hebrew word begins with ayin, it often carries a nuance of perception, orientation, or inward gaze.

Notably, the root behind avon (עָוֹן) or iniquity comes from the verbal root עוה (ʿ-v-h), which means:

• to bend
• to twist
• to make crooked

This is not speculative—this concrete meaning is explicitly attested to. Thus, the Hebrew word for ‘iniquity’ is derived from the verbal root עוה… meaning ‘to be crooked’ or ‘to be twisted.’”  Thus, עוה avon and our Iniquities are not primarily about “missing the mark” rather it points to a deeper moral distortion within the heart of man —a warping of what should be straight, that manifests itself as a Spirit of Rebellion.

As a deep-seated Rebellion, it is actually a warping of the Soul that manifests itself in deliberately "presumptuous" Sins, as the KJV states, or as the ESV calls them “High‑handed” in Numbers 15:30–31.

In Psalm 51:1-4 (a Psalm of David) we see that it involves a deliberate transgression against God and while verse 9 of that chapter is a request for God to hide His face from our Sins, our Iniquities are the deeper chains that bind us, and require a different response, and here David asks God to "blot" them out:

⁹ Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities. Psalms 51:9

Significantly, the word translated blot is the Hebrew word מָחָה (mâḥâ) which carries a range of meanings that include the idea to destroy and obliterate them. As they involve the type of Sin that is not just a falling short of the mark, David is appealing for God not to just hide His face from them, but to utterly obliterate them and wipe them away as though they never existed, as the following image from the Olive Tree Bible software shows:

Ultimately, the moral distortion caused by our iniquities separates us from a Holy God. These actions are deliberate and reflect Satan's desire to usurp God's authority and lead us to make our own moral decisions. It all begins with pride, and if left unrepented, it can deceive us into believing we are like God. In our arrogance, we may seek the worship that is reserved solely for the one true Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omnipresent God—the creator of Heaven and Earth.

Thus, the doctrine of Sin in the Bible extends beyond our individual failures; it encompasses a conscious act of defiance. And within our sequence of numbers from 1 to 14, the Spirit of Rebellion, represented by the number 13, disregards God's provision of Himself, as indicated by the number 12 — the Seed of the Woman. This mirrors how Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden overlooked God's command to maintain righteousness through obedience, symbolized by the number 10. They sinned by failing to trust Him and partook of the forbidden fruit, leading to the number 11 — the number that signifies Sin.

Consequently, humanity continues to disregard God's mandated sacrifice, as illustrated by the number 12. In the garden, it represented a sacrifice that all people were expected to offer, foreshadowing God's ultimate sacrifice of Himself in Jesus on the Cross. However, due to humanity's rebellious spirit, the gift of grace —first revealed in the Garden and represented by 12— was shattered, leading to the number 13, which symbolizes human Rebellion.

• Nimrod, the 13^th generation from Adam, was the first global rebel who led the people in a quest to kill God, that began with the building of the tower of Babel.

• Then in the New Testament, we have the disciple Judas, who in the greatest act of rebellion known to man, betrayed Jesus with a kiss, after claiming to be His friend. This led to Jesus' Crucifixion and the replacement of Judas as a disciple in Jesus' inner circle, which effectively made Judas the 13^th disciple, who Jesus would then cal the 'Son of Perdition'.

Notably, the phrase "Son of Perdition" comes from the Greek ὁ υἱός τῆς ἀπωλείας (ho huios tēs apōleias), meaning "son of destruction" or "son of ruin". The word perdition conveys utter destruction, eternal damnation, or ruin, often associated with Hell. Being called a "son of perdition" implies a person is in an irreversible state of condemnation, someone who has chosen a path of rebellion against God and is destined for destruction while still alive. 

However, God is a God who precisely reverses the curse - so He took the number 13 marked by its association with Rebellion and began to use it as a foundation for Redemption.

As such, 13 is the number where Sin and Grace meet.

Why?

Because 13 is the number of the Old Covenant’s burden — the rebellion of humanity — and also the number of God’s redemptive answer.

This is why:

• The Old Testament contains 39 books, a multiple of 13 - noting that the word "testament" is derived from the Greek term meaning "covenant" and is used in the Bible to refer to a covenant agreement. The Old Covenant, also known as the Mosaic Covenant, was established by God with the Israelites at Mount Sinai, after their deliverance from Egypt (Exodus19–24), and is rooted in earlier promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis12:2; 15:18-21; 17:7-8). It was God’s law‑based, sacrificial, priest‑mediated relationship with Israel, designed to reveal Sin, preserve a holy people, and point forward to Christ and the New Covenant.

• Thus 39 = 3 (Triune God) × 13 (Man's Rebellion) - numerically becomes symbolic of the Triune God (3) addressing human rebellion (13) through the Old Covenant (39).

This connection between 13 and 39 (13 x 3) and between 39 and the Old Covenant is very important because it also connects the Rebellion of humanity to Redemption because it is the fulfillment of the Old Covenant that actually established the New Covenant. In this way it is actually a direct reversal of 'the Curse' that was centered in the number 13. Essentially, 13 creates the connection to Jesus, and the New Covenant spoken of by Jeremiah because you cannot have a New Covenant unless there is an Old one first:

³¹ Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: ³² Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which -- my covenant they broke, although I was a husband unto them, saith the LORD: ³³ But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put -- my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. Jeremiah 31:31-33

Here, we see the profound connection between 13 and 14. While 13 represents Jesus fulfilling the Law of Sin and Death under the terms of the Old Covenant, it simultaneously reflects a divine act of the Triune God (3) atoning for the Rebellion (13) of Man. This is expressed in the equation 3 (God) x 13 (Rebellion of Man) = 39, which culminates on the 14^th of Nisan, the exact day of the Jewish Passover. In this context, Jesus serves as the perfect Passover Lamb, establishing the New Covenant through His blood, as articulated in the New Testament—another term for covenant—which ultimately secures victory over Sin and Death.

Moreover, it not only turns Rebellion (13) into Redemption (13) reversing the Curse, but because it is connected to Passover (14) the two numbers combine to form a new number, that symbolizes that the Atonement for mankind is finished - 13 + 14 = 27. This message of 27 is encapsulated in the 27 books of the New Testament, that stand as a numerical reminder that God’s judgement and wrath against Sin and Rebellion has been satisfied, just as it was in the days of Noah, when the Flood of Judgment against man ended on the 27^th day of the month. However, the difference is that in the Cross, where the perfect Son of God died in our place, the final sacrifice had been made, and God Himself could now say “IT IS FINISHED”.

Thus, because Jesus established the New Covenant by fulfilling the Old Covenant perfectly, the two numbers 13 and 14 are inextricably linked and cannot be separated. Together they represent God's work of Redemption, that began in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, and finally climaxed on the 14^th of Nisan, 32 AD. This was after Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a Donkey —four days earlier on the 10^th Nisan— to present Himself as the perfect Passover Lamb of God, on the traditional 'Lamb selection day', first instituted in Egypt, as part of the Old Covenant under Moses.

Then on the 14^th Nisan, the traditional day of the Passover, Jesus died at the 9^th hour (3pm), the precise time that the Passover lambs were being slain. As such, Jesus was the ultimate fulfilment of the 'Old Covenant sacrificial system' as He said, when sharing the "last supper" with His disciples, on the eve of the Passover, just hours before He was crucified:

²⁰ Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. Luke 22:20

So here, Jesus was connecting the traditional 'Old Covenant' sacrifice of the Passover with His own 'shedding of blood', that would ultimately be the founding of the New Covenant. Effectively, the completion of the Old, by God Himself, as promised in the Garden of Eden, would be the founding of the New, it would be the reversal of 13's - Rebellion to become 13's - Redemption and it would all be directly connected to Jesus' sacrifice on the 14^th of Nisan.

In this way, the numbers 13 and 14 combine to establish the New Covenant, or New Testament:

13 + 14 = 27

This is why the New Testament is revealed in 27 Books (Mathew - Revelation), it is not random or by chance, but by the design of the God, who declares the END FROM THE BEGINNING.

Amazingly though, as we will discuss below, the number 14 is much more than just the inauguration of the New Covenant, that ushers us into the Messianic Age of Grace, though this is all we need, but it also serves as a significant transition point that places ISRAEL at the center of human history.

Intriguingly, this point is also underlined numerically, when one notes the following:

 13 x 14 = 182 - which, as will be seen, is the numerical value of Jacob's name that is ultimately changed to ISRAEL by God.

14 — Transition to the Messiah and Israel - Passover, Deliverance, and Completion

So further to the number 14 and our transition to ISRAEL, it is important to note that Scripture identifies Israel as being a Land, a People and a Person, known as the Messiah —who will one day be the King of Israel and of all the earth— and it all connects to the number 14. 

To understand how these all connect, we firstly need to consider the first verse of the opening chapter of the Gospel of Matthew —the first book the New Testament / Covenant— It declares it as:

​¹ The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: Matthew 1:1

Here the word Christ is the English transliteration (conversion of text often letter by letter without translating it) for the Greek word Χριστός, which in turn is a translation of the Hebrew word for the Messiah in  מָשִׁיחַ (mâšiyaḥ or mashiach).

So, the use of the word Christ, in connection with Jesus, is a revelation that Jesus is the Messiah. Compounding this appellation is Matthew's use of the terms "Son of David" and Son of Abraham" which show how God's revelations surrounding the Messiah were progressive.

In this respect, Matthew starts his genealogy of Jesus with Abraham because it was to him that the promise of the nation was first given, as recorded in Genesis 12:

​¹ Now the LORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, from your family and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you. ² I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” Genesis 12:1-3

Notably Genesis 12:2–3 promises a nation and blessing, but no king, and Genesis 12:7 promises offspring and land, but no king:

⁷ Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him Genesis 12:7

 Then in Genesis 17, God expands the promise of the nation by stating that Abraham’s descendants would be many, and that kings would come from his line.

⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. Genesis 17:6

This is the earliest point where God reveals that Abraham’s line will produce royalty, which later Scripture progressively identifies as the Messianic line. This progression is important because as the following shows, God ultimately chooses to reveal that the Messiah would come from David's line:

How this becomes a Messianic promise

The promise of “kings” in Genesis 17:6 is not yet narrowed to which king — but the Bible later funnels this promise:

• Genesis 49:10 — the kingship is assigned to Judah (“the scepter shall not depart from Judah”).

• 2 Samuel 7:12–16 — then the kingship is narrowed to David’s line, with an eternal throne. It is the first real identify of the Messianic Line.

¹² “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³ He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴ I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. ¹⁵ But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶ And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ” 2 Samuel 7:12-16

While David might not have fully understood the Messianic picture, as we do today, we can certainly see in the text of 2 Samuel 7 itself that it contains several features that would have signaled to him that this promised king was far more than an ordinary royal descendant. The passage deliberately stretches beyond what any normal king could fulfill. So, while the word māšîaḥ (“Messiah / Anointed One”) is not used here — the concept is unmistakably introduced.

Essentially, the ancient reader would have noticed four textual features in this passage that go beyond any ordinary human dynasty, and each of these were God planting the idea, of who the Messiah would be, in seed form:

1. An eternal throne - “I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” Clearly, no ancient king lived forever and no dynasty lasted forever. The word ʿôlām (“forever”) is used in a way that cannot be exhausted by Solomon or any later king. This is the first textual clue that the promised king is transcendent. 

2. A uniquely divine sonship - “I will be his Father, and he shall be My son.” Normal earthly Kings were never spoken of with this level of intimacy and covenantal adoption. This is not generic royal language — it is elevated, personal, and relational and it signals a king with a special divine relationship, not merely a political role. 

3. A kingdom God Himself will establish - “I will establish his kingdom.” Ancient kings built their own kingdoms. Here, God claims direct authorship of this king’s rule. This is the language of a divinely appointed ruler — a category that later becomes synonymous with the Messiah. 

4. A throne that survives judgment - “My steadfast love will not depart from him.” Every Davidic king after Solomon failed. Yet God promises a king whose throne will not be removed, even though the line will be disciplined. This implies a future king who will:

• embody the covenant perfectly
• never lose God’s favor
• reign permanently

This is not Solomon, or any later king, rather this is a future ideal king. So, while the term “Messiah” becomes a technical title later on, the concept began here in 2 Samuel 7. The pattern is:

• 2 Samuel 7 — the promise

• Psalms — David meditates on the promise and develops the idea of a future ideal king

• Prophets — identify this king as the Messiah, the anointed ruler of the last days

Therefore, while David didn’t have the word “Messiah” in this passage (2 Samuel 7), he absolutely had the categories of who the Messiah would be in:

• a future king
• divinely appointed
• eternal
• perfect
• universal

This is the Messianic profile that David’s own psalms show he reflected upon, when he interpreted them —under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit— as God’s promise of a future, ideal, divine king:

• Psalm 2 — the Lord’s Anointed (Messiah) rules the nations

• Psalm 72 — a king whose reign is universal and eternal

• Psalm 110 — a divine Lord seated at God’s right hand

Passages in Isaiah 9 and Micah 5 also clearly show the connection between the future King and the Messiah. This is then the backdrop of Matthew's use of the terms "Son of David" and "Son of Abraham" to establish Jesus as the Messiah, with the genealogies of Matthew 1 and Luke 3 both showing Jesus as the fulfillment of the:

Abraham → Judah → David line.

Thus, Genesis 17:6 is the first seed of the Messianic kingship promise.

Then we note that Matthew goes to considerable length to emphasize the number 14 by presenting the genealogy from Abraham to Jesus Christ in 3 groups of 14 generations, as is declared in verse 17:

¹⁷ So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations. Matthew 1:17

Abraham

└── Isaac

└── Jacob

└── ... (10 generations)

└── Jesse

└── David ← 14^th generation

David ← counted again

└── Solomon

└── ... (12 generations)

└── Josiah

└── Jeconiah ← 14^th generation

Jeconiah ← counted again

└── Shealtiel

└── ... (12 generations)

└── Jacob

└── Joseph

└── Jesus ← 14^th generation

The significance of this connection to the number 14 comes out of the Messianic title "Son of David" because as the table below shows, the value of David's name in Hebrew (דָּוִד) is 14:

As the Tables below show —that detail Matthew's genealogical list from Abraham to Jesus— there are actually 41 names in the list (see Table 1 for a linear list of names).

So, constructing it on the basis of three groups of 14, which numerically produces 42 entries (as shown in Table 2), requires an adjustment of how the names are listed. This shows the importance to God of making this connection of Jesus with David, through the genealogy as recorded in Matthew's Gospel.

Note: In relation to Jesus being the 27^th generation from David, as shown in Table 1 above, this again reflects the transitional numbers 13 and 14 (13 + 14 = 27) and the 27 books of the New Testament / Covenant

So, Matthew highlights Jesus as the "Son of David", the promised Messiah and King, but as it is said every King needs a Kingdom. And as shown above, scriptural references, beginning with Abraham, indicate that this kingdom is meant to be the nation of Israel.

However, Matthew not only makes this explicit connection, but he elevates our understanding of "ISRAEL" itself, by interpreting a national prophecy from Hosea 11:1 in an extremely unique way:

​¹ “When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son. Hosea 11:1

Matthew then applies this prophecy to a singular figure (Jesus) in Matthew 2:15:

​¹⁵ and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.” Matthew 2:15

In doing so, he is equating Jesus with Israel essentially showing Him to be the fulfilment of Israel, that was first given as a name to Jacob, when he wrestled with God, who had taken on human form.

Importantly, Jacob had been said to have both striven with God and man and prevailed. Essentially, Jacob would not let God go, until he had been blessed and though his encounter was uniquely both physical and spiritual, it ultimately became a picture of every human being, who either has to strive with God spiritually and prevail (be saved), or to let God go (and be lost).

This is an important distinction in Soteriology, which is the doctrine of Salvation, that deals with how God saves; what humanity is saved from; and by what means. While generally in Christian theology it explores themes like grace, faith, atonement, redemption, and the work of Christ, forming the backbone of how we understand God’s saving purpose in the world, it also shows us, in this particular context, our part in the work of Salvation.

Clearly it is all Grace, but if that is all it took, then everybody would be saved. As they are not, this interaction between God and Jacob shows that God gives humanity a choice, which I also believe is numerically reflected in the reference numbers of the passage, that is describing this event, in Genesis 32. Here the chapter number of 32 could arguably represent AD 32, the year many scholars believe that Jesus was crucified, based upon the prophecy of Daniel 9 and the work of such people as Sir Robert Anderson, who became an Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard. Basically, Sir Robert wrote the well-known and widely acclaimed book "The coming Prince" that included a mathematical treatise on Daniel's 70 weeks (70 x 7 = 490 years) demonstrating how the 483-year mark, that involved the death of the Messiah, aligned with 32 AD.

Recalling that God informed Noah that He would not always contend with sinful humanity, yet their days would be 120, we can observe in Genesis chapter 32 a parallel. In a foreshadow of the Incarnation, this chapter may be symbolizing the year of the Cross, when God after having descended from Heaven and taken on human form, sacrificed Himself for the sins of the world, to give humanity a choice. Similarly, in this chapter, we see God descend to earth as a man and strive with Jacob to give him a choice.

Beginning at verse 26 —that is the numerically the value of God's personal and most holy name, the tetragrammaton יְהוָֹה (YHVH), that Jews do not even try to pronounce— we see God in the midst of striving with Jacob (who represents sinful fallen humanity), give him a choice. God who is all powerful, could have easily ended the wrestling match at any time, but instead He graciously remained, reducing His strength to match Jacob's, and then because Jacob would never have actually been able to defeat Him, God shifted the scene from the physical to the spiritual and gave Jacob a choice to end their encounter by saying:

 " ²⁶... “Let Me go, for the day breaks....”

but Jacob replied:

 "²⁶.... “I will not let You go unless You bless me!”

As we have now moved into the spiritual realm, where Jacob cannot manipulate and deceive anymore to get what he wants, God in verse 27 (9 x 3), that numerically represents the New Covenant and the three 9s of the Cross (9pm - hour of prayer before Jesus was arrested; 9am - crucifixion; 9^th hour of death) is going to confront him with his identity: 

God says: " ²⁷ So He said to him, “What is your name?”..."

Now at this point we need to remember that Jacob was at this time returning home after 20 years with Uncle Laban —20 numerically represents the age of accountability— to a family that he had deceived and to a brother (Esau) who he had supplanted, by lying about who he was when Isaac had basically asked him the same question, as the following shows:

¹⁸ So he went to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” ¹⁹ Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done just as you told me; please arise, sit and eat of my game, that your soul may bless me.” Genesis 27:18-19

So now, still in verse 27, that represents the Cross of Jesus, Jacob, whose name means the "heel grabber", "supplanter", and "deceiver", is honest before God, which symbolically represents confessing that he is a sinner:

Jacob replies: "²⁷ ... He said, “Jacob.”

Then in verse 28 that numerically is 7 x 4, which represents God's oath to fulfill and complete all of His promises (7) in the World (4) for fallen humanity, in relation to completing the work of Redemption, God speaks the amazing words:

 ²⁸ ...“Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Genesis 32:26-28

Jacob's identity is changed forever, symbolically he is no longer the deceiver and supplanter, taking something that belongs to someone else, he is now one who has striven with God and man and has prevailed - he has a new name "ISRAEL", that as Matthew's Gospel showed is fulfilled in Jesus.

ISRAEL is God's plan of Redemption, and as the apostle Paul revealed in Romans 11, all believers both Jew and Gentile will one day be grafted into ISRAEL.

¹¹ I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. ¹² Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness!
¹³ For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, ¹⁴ if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. ¹⁵ For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? ¹⁶ For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches. ¹⁷ And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, ¹⁸ do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. ¹⁹ You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” ²⁰ Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. ²¹ For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. ²² Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. ²³ And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. ²⁴ For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? Romans 11:11-24

Some key verses in this passage about being Grafted into Israel, symbolized here as the Olive Tree, are as follows:

Romans 11:17: Defines the inclusion of Gentiles ("wild olive shoot") among the natural branches (ethnic Israel) to share in the nourishment of the cultivated tree.

Romans 11:18: Warns Gentile believers not to be arrogant toward the natural branches, highlighting that they (the Gentiles) are supported by the root, not the other way around.

Romans 11:19-20: Confirms that natural branches (unbelieving Jews) were broken off, and Gentile believers were grafted in by faith.

Romans 11:23-24: States that if unbelieving Jews do not continue in their unbelief, they will be grafted back into their own olive tree, making it "contrary to nature" that Gentiles were grafted in, but "natural" that Jews will be grafted back in.

Essentially, the "cultivated olive tree" represents the covenant people of God, often identified with Israel, with the root representing the patriarchs and God's promises. Then it states that "All Israel" will be saved, in connection with Zion, which will be expounded upon later in this article:

²⁶ And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; ²⁷ For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.” Romans 11:26-27

Importantly, this is a passage that starts with God's number 26 and ends with 27 because saving all believers for all time is entirely the work of God.

Importantly, it also directly relates to our earlier passage about Jacob in Genesis 32, that also started in verse 26, because here God explicitly equates the salvation of All Israel (all believers) with the turning away of "ungodliness from Jacob", which again is entirely dependent upon an act of grace by a sovereign God.

Notably, just as was emphasized in our discussion on Jacob, faith is the Key. Just as Jacob believed in God and His blessings and would not let Him go until He blessed him, the verses in Romans emphasize that the grafting is done through faith, not lineage, for both Jew and Gentile. Other verses in Romans that support this understanding include Romans 4:16-17:

¹⁶ Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all ¹⁷ (as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; Romans 4:16-17

These verses establish Abraham as the father of all who believe, whether circumcised (Jew) or uncircumcised (Gentile).

Romans 9:6-8: also distinguishes that "not all who are descended from Israel are Israel," defining "true Israel" as the children of promise, rather than just the children of the flesh.

⁶ But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, ⁷ nor are they all children because they are the seed of Abraham; but, “In Isaac your seed shall be called.” ⁸ That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. Romans 9:6-8

Significantly, this creates a three‑layer identity for Israel:

• Israel the man (Jacob)

• Israel the nation

• Israel the Messiah (Jesus) - with all believers being in Christ because they are all grafted into ISRAEL.

Finally, on the number 14 and its associated connection to ISRAEL, we note that it forms two book ends within the Redemptive History of Man because ISRAEL, that IS God's Redemption Plan, was delivered from the bondage of Egypt (a picture of Sin and Slavery) on the 14^th day of the month, and on the 14^th of Nisan, Jesus — the true Passover Lamb — was crucified.

Thus 14 symbolizes:

• The fulfilment of the old covenant on the 14^th Nisan Passover (AD 32)
• The new covenant in the Son of David - the Messiah / Christ / ISRAEL
• Deliverance
• Atonement
• The breaking of bondage
• The fulfillment of promise

And, as noted previously, when the two Transitional numbers meet in 13 (rebellion/redemption) and 14 (new covenant - Son of David), we get the additive pair that results in:

13 + 14 = 27

The New Testament contains 27 books, symbolizing:

• Redemption completed
• Judgment satisfied
• “It is finished” - Even the Flood narrative echoes this: The waters of judgment subside on the 27^th day of the month.

Notably though, when we consider 13 and 14 as factors, or a multiplicative pair, we also get the other numerical confirmation that we spoke about at the end of the previous section on the number 13 with 13 x 14 = 182 being the value of Jacob / Israel's name.

It is effectively a hidden connection to Jacob who helped to define who and what ISRAEL would represent, showing that while the name of Israel begins with him, it is ultimately pointing to Jesus who would complete and fulfil and establish Israel forever through His blood shed on the 14th Nisan, as the perfect Passover Lamb, the perfect Son of God.

Please note the value of His name in Hebrew, is calculated as follows:

Jacob — יַעֲקֹב (Value: 182):

Clearly with God nothing is a coincidence, and the fact that the numbers of Jacob's name are a product of the numbers 13 and 14 —that we have just been discussing in relation to God's Redemptive Plan— is a stunning confirmation to me of what God is showing us.

Essentially God revealed in Romans 11 that He is turning away the ungodliness of Jacob (13 x 14 or 182) so that he becomes part of Israel, who is revealed to be Jesus in the opening chapter of the New Covenant, the New Testament, when Jesus the Son of David (14) atones for his Sin, and all who follow in his path throughout time.

It is precisely on the 14^th of Nisan, when Jesus literally fulfilled the Old Covenant law of Sin and Death, that was revealed in the 39 books (13 x 3) of the Old Testament. In doing this, Jesus turned the Spirit of Rebellion (13) into Redemption (13 - Jesus + 12 disciples).

Additionally, by considering these two numbers of Redemptive history - 13 and 14 - together, we see that they represent the transition between the Old and New Covenants, which is revealed to be a transition between the generation of Jacob and that of Israel; and then ISRAEL, like the Cross of Jesus (who is Israel), sits at the pivot point of Redemptive history.

300-The number of the Blood Sacrifice of Jesus and Redemption

Having explored the numbers 1-14 and their significance, in our discussion of Israel, as the focal point of Redemptive History, we are almost ready to identify some remarkable patterns in the history of Israel itself, that as I stated in the Introduction may serve as signposts, to indicate how near we are to the end-times.

However, before we can do this, there is still one final significant number — the number 300 — that we need to discuss to complete the foundation for what follows.

To understand what this number stands for, and how it connects to the others that we have just discussed, we need to consider what Jesus' full role was, in relation to becoming our Savior. So, in the following section, we will touch on four important aspects of this, in the following sub-sections:

- The Sacrifice of Jesus
- The Priests of God
- Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement
- Jesus as our High Priest

The Sacrifice of Jesus

In the preceding analysis of the numbers, we touched on how Jesus was the Passover Lamb, that was sacrificed on the 14^th Nisan, highlighting the number 14 to fulfil the Law of Sin and Death resulting from the Rebellion of man represented by the number 13. Here, the focus was all about Jesus as the Sacrifice.

This is significant because His Sacrifice transcends merely fulfilling the numbers 13 and 14. It is the core of the Gospel, and Scripture offers profound insights on the matter. One example relates to the original tabernacle of Moses in the Wilderness, and later in Solomon's temple, both of which were a picture of Christ.

In this respect, Revelation 21:3 talks about the Tabernacle of God, being with men and dwelling with them:

3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. Revelation 21:3

So here by connecting the "tabernacle of God" with the personal pronoun "he" scripture is affirming that beginning with the Tabernacle of Moses it was all about revealing Jesus - the Messiah to the people, not just in terms of its functional purpose (atoning sacrifices), but also with regard to its design including the materials that were used. As such, God revealed an even greater dimension to Jesus' Sacrifice, through the metals that were used to build both the Tabernacle and the Temple.

Additionally, while it could have been any part of Jesus's body to reflect this, it was specifically the feet because God, who is always seen to be precisely reversing the curse, had previously revealed that the original curse associated with the Fall of Man was connected with the dust of the earth, upon which the feet directly walk:

¹⁷ And he said to the man, “Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘Do not eat from it’: The ground is cursed because of you. You will eat from it by means of painful labor all the days of your life. Genesis 3:17

This is why it was emphasized that the Serpent, that initiated the Fall, would move along the ground and eat dust all the days of its life:

¹⁴ So the LORD God said to the serpent: Because you have done this, you are cursed more than any livestock and more than any wild animal. You will move on your belly and eat dust all the days of your life. Genesis 3:14

It is also why when God was about to deliver His chosen people from the slavery of Egypt, and Moses encountered Him in the Burning Bush, that God told Him to remove His Sandals. God revealed that He was standing on Holy Ground, which was a reversal of the original curse upon the ground —due to God’s full manifest presence being there— that was associated with the Fall of Man:

⁴ When the LORD saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from the bush, “Moses, Moses! ” “Here I am,” he answered. ⁵ “Do not come closer,” he said. “Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” ⁶ Then he continued, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God. Exodus 3:4-6

This also gives a fuller insight into what Jesus was doing in the gospels, when He washed the disciples' feet.

For while it was certainly a demonstrative act of the humility, that His disciples as servants of Christ should have towards others, as the following passage in the gospel of John indicates:

¹² When Jesus had washed their feet and put on his outer clothing, he reclined again and said to them, “Do you know what I have done for you? ¹³ You call me Teacher and Lord ​— ​and you are speaking rightly, since that is what I am. ¹⁴ So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done for you. ¹⁶ “Truly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his master, and a messenger is not greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. John 13:12-17

It was also a symbolic act of Jesus reversing the curse of Rebellion toward the blessing of Redemption. Notably in this regard, is the interaction between Jesus and one of His disciples in Peter, which is recorded in the same chapter number (13) that numerically relates to both man's Rebellion and God's Redemption:

Firstly, Peter responds saying:

"⁸ “You will never wash my feet...” John 13:8a

no doubt thinking that this lowly task was too demeaning for Jesus, as His Messiah and Lord.

However, to make it clear that there was an even greater dimension at play here, Jesus, who knows all things (John 16:3), and knew that Peter would respond that way, also knew that He would be able to use this response as an opportunity to teach him something deeper about grace; and salvation, not just humility.

So, Jesus replied:

“...If I don’t wash you, you have no part with me.” John 13:8b

Then Simon Peter, who was always 'All In', said to Him:

"⁸ ...Lord, not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” John 13:9.

Essentially, Jesus had equated the act of Him washing His disciples' feet with salvation, and being in Christ.

As such, Jesus, in that act, in that time in history, was both spiritually and symbolically washing off the dust of the curse —put upon the ground in the Garden of Eden— from the feet of His disciples, who would be taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth; and He was literally reversing that curse, by all of His actions that were involved in fulfilling the Law of Sin and Death, that had entered Creation with the Fall of Man.

 One last aspect of the feet that is often not understood is the way that God connects them to our walk with Him. To fully appreciate this, one needs to be aware of the fact that when one physically walks, or even takes a single step, the physiological sequence is always the same:

The very first movement in the process involves lifting up one's heel, (which is the hindmost part of the foot) → only then do we shift our body weight forward → before we lift the foot completely → move our leg forward → and place the heel of that same leg down → and finish by transferring our body weight back onto it.

Literally a full step that we take, as we walk, is defined by the distance that the heel travels from the moment it is lifted, until the time that we put it down again. The important spiritual truth behind this physical reality is that the process of walking begins with lifting one's heel. 

This is why Jesus said of Judas in John 13:18, a bible reference that numerically reflects both the Spirit of Rebellion (13) and Sin (18 - or 6+6+6), as represented by the spirit of Antichrist:

¹⁸ “I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.’ John 13:18

Significantly, God also hopes that people see this association between the heel and Judas so that we can understand another aspect of God's Redemption, as we see it connected to other key figures in the bible, such as Jacob.

Importantly, his birthname means 'Heel Grabber', but after an encounter with God it is changed to Israel, which means at its core, to prevail with God —it was a picture of salvation, being born again with a new name. As Jesus said in Revelation 2:17 all overcomers will be given a new name:

¹⁷ “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” ’ Revelation 2:17

Before his encounter with God, Jacob sought to grab the heel of his brother Esau, even before they were born. This reflected a spiritual truth that he wanted to take the blessings of God that normally belong to the first-born, to supplant or replace Esau with himself, taking his birthright before he even understood anything in life. While Jacob's journey ultimately has a good outcome, because his heart sought the things of God, there was another who also wanted to supplant and take what was not his.

This of course was Satan, who wanted to receive the worship that is only due to the 'one true God' Creator of Heaven and Earth, who is Holy; and because He chose to sacrifice Himself as the Lamb of God from the Foundation of the world, He is the only one worthy of worship.

Notably, Satan, the original supplanter, would choose to strike at the Heel of the Seed of the Woman, the Messiah, as God prophetically revealed in Genesis 3:15. Clearly this would be Satan's attempt to both replace God and to thwart His attempt to crush his own head. Essentially, Satan was the first "heel grabber" and supplanter who first raised his own heel against God in the Garden of Eden and then later struck out at God's Heel in Jesus, remembering that it was only after Satan entered Judas, that Judas actually betrayed Jesus:

²⁶ Jesus answered, “It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it.” And having dipped the bread, He gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. ²⁷ Now after the piece of bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What you do, do quickly.” John 13:26-27

In this, we are all meant to see ourselves before we are born again, with our human pride making us all like Jacob and Satan, in that when we seek to replace God's rightful role as head of our lives, we are supplanting Him and grabbing at the Heel of the Saviour, trying to manipulate things to our own end.

However, when we repent and turn back to God, we are like Jacob whose name is changed to Israel, in that we are also grafted into the promises of Israel. Ultimately, the fall of man is associated with the Curse to the Ground that Jesus reversed, but as we walk out our life with God, it remains true that how we walk becomes an insight to our spiritual health. Essentially, we can lift our Heel for or against God - one way leads to life the other to death - Here are some other relevant verses that tie our spiritual health with God to the idea of walking: 

• Psalm 91:12 — God commands His angels to guard your steps so you do not strike your foot against a stone. Your walk is protected; your foot is kept from harm.

• Psalm 119:133 — “Direct my steps by Your word.” 

Here your walk is shaped by Scripture.

• Proverbs 3:23 — “Then you will walk safely on your way, and your foot will not stumble.”

Here your walk is made steady by trusting God.

• Psalm 17:5 — “My steps have held fast to Your paths; my feet have not slipped.”

Here your walk is kept firm by staying close to God.

• Romans 16:20 — “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”

 Here your walk becomes a place of victory.

However, while it is critical for us to know that our God, who is constantly seeking to save and protect us, and to give us victory in our lives, just as things were in the Garden of Eden before the Fall, by becoming the Sacrifice for our Sins and Iniquities Himself, it is also important to understand that only Priests could administer the Sacrifice and so for Jesus to fully bring about the salvation of mankind, God who is completely 'other' to mankind's sinfulness, had to be both the Priest and the Sacrifice.

In this respect, God created some clearly defined rules for Ancient Israel, that would all serve as a type and picture of how Jesus would ultimately atone for the Sin of the World.

Some of these rules related to the Priests who would serve in the Temple of God.

The Priests of God

Notably, like God often did, He organized the priests into three distinct groups:

(1) the High Priest,

(2) the ordinary priests (kohanim), and

(3) the Levites, who were not regular priests, but formed a separate, lower class of temple ministers.

1. High Priest

• The highest office in Israel’s religious system.

• Only one served at a time.

• Entered the Holy of Holies once per year on Yom Kippur, to apply the blood of the Sacrifice Lamb.

• Wore unique garments (breastplate, ephod, turban) to distinguish Him.

• Primarily descended from Aaron, through his son Eleazar (with a few exceptions), and then down through his son Zadok.

2. Ordinary Priests (Kohanim)

• All male descendants of Aaron, but not all of them would serve as the High Priest.

• Performed sacrifices, maintained the altar, taught the Law, and blessed the people.

• Served in rotating divisions (24 courses in later periods).

3. Levites

• Descendants of Levi, but not of Aaron.

• Not priests, but a separate class beneath the priests.

• Assisted the priests:

○ Guarding the sanctuary

○ Transporting the Tabernacle

○ Singing, gatekeeping, maintenance

• Divided into three families: Gershonites, Kohathites, Merarites —each with specific duties.

Amongst these three groups, the High Priests played the most pivotal role:

Only one served at a time, and in this capacity, he held the single most sacred and authoritative religious office in all of ancient Israel. His importance lay in his unique access to God, his mediating role for the entire nation, and his symbolic function as the embodiment of Israel’s holiness. He alone could perform the most sacred rituals, especially those involving national atonement.

Collectively this was all looking forward to Jesus, as our High Priest.

The High Priest and Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement

Once a year, on Yom Kippur, the High Priest entered the Holy of Holies—the innermost sanctuary where God’s presence dwelled—to offer blood for the sins of the nation.

Most notably, as it states in Leviticus 16:14, he was required to apply the blood of the Sacrifice Bull both upon and before the Mercy Seat, that was on top of the Ark (see image below). This was God's throne on earth, as it was where His Manifest Presence, His Glory, rested amongst His people.

Significantly, on this day, there were actually two kinds of animals involved, a bull and two goats:

The High Priest first slaughtered a bull, as a Sin offering for himself and his household. He carried its blood behind the veil and sprinkled it both on and in front of the Mercy Seat to atone for the Sins of the priestly line, before he could intercede for the nation:

¹⁴ He is to take some of the bull’s blood and with his finger sprinkle it on the front of the atonement cover; then he shall sprinkle some of it with his finger seven times before the atonement cover. Leviticus 16:14

Then two goats were selected from the congregation, and lots were cast to determine their fates. One would be the Sacrificial Goat, which was known as the goat "for the LORD" and it was slaughtered as a Sin offering for the people. Its blood was the second (after the bull's) to be brought into the Holy of Holies and sprinkled on the Mercy Seat. The other, was known as the Scapegoat (Azazel) - this goat was not sacrificed. Instead, the High Priest laid his hands on its head, confessed all the sins of Israel over it, and sent it alive into the wilderness to symbolize the 'complete removal of sin' from the camp of God's people.

Together these acts symbolized:

• National cleansing
• Renewal of the covenant
• Restoration of Israel’s purity

All of this serves as a type and shadow that anticipates the moment when Jesus would become our High Priest. Just as the High Priest entered the earthly Tabernacle, the book of Hebrews (Chapter 9) reveals that Jesus entered the "greater and more perfect tabernacle" in heaven. His blood in the place of the bull's was not applied to a gold-covered chest, but was presented before God Himself, to secure "eternal redemption" and sanctify the Priesthood—the Church/Body of Christ. He would place His pure and holy blood on and in front of the greater Mercy Seat in Heaven. This act was significant because Jesus is also 'the way' to the Father, meaning the blood sprinkled before, or in front of, the Mercy Seat symbolizes the covering for our approach to God. This act paves the way for us to enter into God's presence.

¹¹ But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. ¹² He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. ¹³ The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. ¹⁴ How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God! Hebrews 9:11-14

Similarly, Jesus fulfilled the roles of both goats:

He is the Sacrificed Goat, whose blood provides the legal atonement for the Sins of the world / fallen humanity. Theologically, this is called "Common Grace" or "General Atonement", which in a sense could be understood as a sacrifice that provides a covering for a fallen world that is yet to believe and receive God as their Savior. It effectively provided a protection for humanity, so that people still living in sin are not destroyed in the presence of a Holy God, as the world was in the days of Noah.  By becoming the "goat for the Lord," Jesus effectively provides a perpetual stay of execution for the world, creating the "acceptable year of the Lord"—a window of time where people can still believe and be saved. Essentially, the goat's blood ensures that the Mercy Seat remains a place of mercy for the world, rather than a Throne of Judgment... at least for now.

He is also the Scapegoat (Azazel), the one who "removes" the sin of all of the people, which can also be understood as being the one who "takes away" the sins of the world by carrying them far from the presence of God, as reflected in John 1:29. 

²⁹ The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29

So, while the blood of the 'goat for the Lord' is clearly what atones for the Sin of the people, the Scape goat seems to align more with verses, such as Isaiah 43:25 that speak of grace and mercy in the way that He handles the Sin itself:

²⁵ “I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; And I will not remember your sins. Isaiah 43:25

Other verses that affirm this include Hebrews 8:12; Micah 7:19; Psalm 103:12; and Jeremiah 31:34. They all speak of God remembering our Sins no more. 

I have heard some say that these need to be understood as a legal framework because God is all knowing and to suggest that He could actually be unaware of something is contrary to who God is. However, if words are to actually mean anything, then these verses collectively appear to affirm that God's forgiveness is not merely a legal transaction, but a profound act of love and grace, such that He chooses to literally forget our Sins and always see us as simply 'the redeemed in Christ'. They seem to signify His desire for a restored relationship with us, that is genuinely free from guilt and shame. When God says He will "remember them no more" in regard to our Sins, it is a literal statement that isn't a lapse in His omniscience (His ability to know facts); rather it is a covenantal choice that He will remember them no more.

Essentially, the blood on the Mercy Seat (of the Bull and of the Goat of the Lord) allows God to look upon us without judging us, because we are in Christ, but the Scapegoat allows us to look upon God without shrinking in shame. He is an amazing God, who incredibly has also hidden a stunning truth about His sacrifice in the narrative of Abraham and his binding of Isaac in Genesis 22. It is a story that begins with a command that could never be fulfilled, and ends with a revelation that could never be imagined.

When God called Abraham to offer Isaac, the son of promise, the command was not a divine desire for blood. It was a divine invitation into trust. Abraham believed that God could raise Isaac from the dead if necessary. He believed that God’s promise could not fail, even if the path to its fulfillment passed through a valley of unthinkable obedience. But the narrative itself makes something else clear:

Isaac was never going to die. 

If Abraham refused, the sacrifice simply would not have happened. If Abraham obeyed, which we know he began to do, the sacrifice would still not happen, due —as we also know— to God's intervention. Either way, the knife was never destined to fall. This was not Molech, the god of Abraham’s childhood culture, who demanded the blood of sons. This was the one and only true God who would one day give His own Son. The test was not about death - it was about revelation.

Abraham and Isaac climbed the mountain together—father carrying fire and knife, son carrying the wood. When Isaac asked the question that must have pierced Abraham’s heart—“Where is the lamb?”—Abraham answered with a prophecy deeper than he knew:

“God will provide Himself the lamb.”

Not merely a lamb. Himself the lamb.

And when the moment came—when the altar was built (from uncut stones), the wood arranged, the son bound, and the knife raised—God intervened. The test was complete. The heart was revealed. The covenant was reaffirmed.

But the revelation was only beginning. Abraham lifted his eyes—and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. Every detail matters.

• A ram, not a lamb—older, stronger, a substitute of weight and significance - Jesus was 33 when He became the Sacrifice Lamb.

• Caught by its horns—its strength bound, its power restrained - Jesus, creator of everything, seen and unseen, was nailed immovably to a cross.

• In a thicket, a crown of thorns encircling its head - Jesus was mockingly given a Crown of Thorns.

The imagery is unmistakable: a sacrificial substitute, crowned with the 'thorns of the curse', offered in the place of the beloved son. 

But the Hebrew text hides even more:

The Ram’s horns are not incidental. From the horn of a ram comes the Shophar, the sacred trumpet that first sounded at Sinai when God descended in fire and Israel gathered to meet Him.

The Hebrew word for Shophar —שׁוֹפָר — contains a remarkable pattern:

• שׁ (Shin) — the one letter symbolizing God Almighty (El Shaddai), that is placed on Jewish doorposts, as the mark of His presence.

• ו (Vav) — the nail, the connector, the joining of two realities.

• פ־ר (Pe–Resh) — Phar, the word for the sacrificial bull, the very offering whose blood is brought on and before the Mercy Seat on Yom Kippur.

Put this together, the Shophar proclaimed a hidden message:

God Almighty (שׁ - Shin) will connect Himself (ו - Vav) to the Sacrificial Bull (פַּר - Par - פַּ and Resh - ר).

In other words:

The Holy, All-Powerful God, Creator of the Universe, will Himself become the sacrifice to satisfy the demands of the Law of Sin and Death.

This is not fanciful symbolism. It is the very heart of the gospel, whispered centuries before Calvary, encoded in the very word that announces God’s presence. When the Shophar sounded at Sinai, the mountain itself —its name meaning “thorn”— stood as a towering symbol of humanity’s sin and the curse that followed Adam. Yet God descended upon that mountain. He came not to destroy His people, but to bind Himself to them in covenant love.

Abraham named the mountain YHVH Yireh (Jehovah Jireh) —“The LORD will provide,” or more literally, “The LORD will be seen.” And indeed, on that mountain God allowed Abraham to see the shape of His own heart:

• A God utterly unlike the idols of the nations
• A God who does not demand the death of your son
• A God who gives the death of His own
• A God who hides mysteries in the text, waiting for the seeking heart
• A God who reveals His love through symbols, shadows, and sacrifices
• A God who becomes the substitute
• A God who climbs the mountain (Moriah) Himself

The Ram caught by its horns was not merely a provision, it was a prophecy. A whisper of the day when another Son would carry wood on His back, ascend a hill, and willingly lay down His life. This time, the knife would not be stopped.

The Shophar blast was not a trumpet of terror. It was a declaration of grace, that in hidden form was revealing that:

El Shaddai, God Almighty is connecting Himself to His people through sacrifice:

• He will be the offering.
• He will bear the curse.
• He will wear the thorns.
• He will shed the blood.

The Ram in the thicket was the first glimpse. Sinai (the mountain of the thorn bush - the symbol of the curse) was the echo. Calvary was the fulfillment.

In the end, the story of Abraham and Isaac is not primarily about Abraham’s faith—though his faith shines like gold. It is about God’s heart. He is a God who reveals Himself through symbols hidden in plain sight. A God who weaves prophecy into the very letters of His language. A God who shows, long before the Cross, that He Himself will be the Lamb, the Ram, the Bull, the Substitute, the Offering. A God who does not ask us to give what He Himself is unwilling to give. A God who gives everything.

WHAT A GOD!!!

Jesus our High Priest

Now that we've explored the significance of the High Priest and the role of the Sacrifices, it's essential to highlight that Jesus commenced His act of Redemption at the age of 30. This age aligns perfectly with Numbers 4:3, that establishes the age at which one could become a priest (the category of temple servants from which the High Priest would be chosen), and which states:

¹ Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying: ² “Take a census of the sons of Kohath from among the children of Levi, by their families, by their fathers’ house, ³ from thirty years old and above, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tabernacle of meeting. Numbers 4:1-3

Notably Kohath was the second son of Levi and his first son Anram became the Father of Moses, Aaron and Miriam.

Kohath — son of Levi; father of Amram

└── Amram — father of Moses, Aaron, and Miriam

└── Aaron — first High Priest of Israel

└── Eleazar — Aaron’s third son; successor High Pries

└── Phinehas — Eleazar’s son; recipient of the “covenant of perpetual priesthood.”

└── Zadok — descendant of Eleazar and Phinehas; High Priest under David and Solomon

This is significant because it was from Aaron's line that Priests and High Priests would come from, as Exodus 28 and other scriptures show:

¹ And take thou unto thee -- Aaron thy brother, and -- his sons with him, from among the children of Israel, that he may minister unto me in the priest’s office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s sons. Exodus 28:1

In the time of Jesus, Caiaphas was serving as the High Priest. However, he was considered by several Jewish groups to be an illegitimate High Priest — not because he lacked lineage, but because he was appointed by Roman authority, not by proper Torah‑based succession.

The groups most associated with this view were as shown in the following table:

Amongst these were the Essenes, who many scholars agree were the first Christians converted, because they disappeared as a sect after Jesus, and their writings all affirm pre-Christian beliefs.

Importantly, they also believe that John the Baptist was himself an Essene and the true High Priest, given his father's lineage (of Aaron) and that his father Zechariah (which is a timing clue because the name means God remembers and whenever 'He remembers' He begins to act) was serving in the Temple as a priest of Abijah’s division, when an angel of the Lord appeared to him to announce that he and his wife Elizabeth would give birth to a son, who they would call John, and who would have a unique ministry that would prepare the way for the Lord, as  Luke 1:5 -25 records:

⁵ There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶ And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. ⁷ But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years. ⁸ So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, ⁹ according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. ¹⁰ And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. ¹¹ Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. ¹² And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. ¹³ But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. ¹⁴ And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. ¹⁵ For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. ¹⁶ And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. ¹⁷ He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” ¹⁸ And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” ¹⁹ And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings. ²⁰ But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.” ²¹ And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple. ²² But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless. ²³ So it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house. ²⁴ Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, ²⁵ “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among people.” Luke 1:5-25

Additionally, John would be uniquely anointed with the Spirit of God —while still in the Womb— which has an important connection to the role he would play, as the one chosen by God to reveal the 'Lamb of God' to the world, which itself is a revelation that John was truly the one from God's perspective who held the office of High Priest, not Caiaphas. Essentially, the 'Lamb of God' was a 'Temple term' for the 'sacrifice lamb' that takes away the Sin of the world and only the High Priest was directly involved in the sacrifices, that included the 'Passover lambs' that all pointed to Jesus.

So, it was at the baptism of John the Baptist when Jesus became our High Priest, at the age of 30, with the role passing from John the Baptist to Jesus. Importantly in Exodus 29 and Leviticus 8, priests were shown to be consecrated through a three-part ceremony that involved being:

1. Washed,

2. Anointed and

3. Declared consecrated by divine command.

Jesus’ baptism mirrors this pattern perfectly, for He was:

1. washed in the waters;

2. Anointed by the Holy Spirit in the form of a Dove, as He came up out of the waters, and then received a

3.  Divine declaration from the Father when He said:

²¹ When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. ²² And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” Luke 3:21-22

But the Father’s declaration at Jesus' Baptism adds something even greater because the words are not random. They are directly related to Psalm 2:7, a coronation psalm that states:

“You are My Son; today I have begotten You.”

Psalm 2 is the enthronement of God’s King. It is the moment God publicly declares:

• This is My chosen King

• This is the One who rules My people

• This is the One who carries My authority

So, at the baptism, God the Father is not merely expressing affection. He is installing Jesus as the Davidic King. 

However, Psalm 2 is only half of the formula - the second half of the declaration about Jesus, when He comes up out of the waters, is “In whom I am well pleased”. This mirrors Isaiah 42:1 along with a declaration that God has put His Spirit upon Him:

“My servant… in whom My soul delights; I have put My Spirit upon Him.”

Isaiah 42 introduces the Servant of the LORD, a title for Jesus who has come to do His Father's will and is the One who will:

• bear the sins of many

• intercede for transgressors

• offer Himself as a guilt offering (Isaiah 53)

This is all priestly language, so the Father is combining:

Psalm 2 → the Royal Son

and 

Isaiah 42 → the Priestly Servant. 

This fusion is the biblical signature of the Messianic High Priest and only one figure in scripture is simultaneously:

• King (Psalm 2)

• Priest (Isaiah 42; Isaiah 53)

• Anointed by the Spirit - to proclaim the year of the LORD's favour (Isaiah 61), as Jesus did when He began His ministry.

• Beloved Son (Psalm 2)

• Prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18)

That figure is the Melchizedekian Messiah.

Melchizedek himself was identified as:

• King of Salem

• Priest of God Most High

However, it is both at and following Jesus’ baptism that the Father publicly identifies Him as:

• The Son (Psalm 2)

• The Servant-Priest (Isaiah 42)

• The Spirit-Anointed Messiah (Isaiah 61)

• The Melchizedekian High Priest (Hebrews 5–7)

This suggests that Melchizedek, about whom scripture states was:

"³ Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, resembling the Son of God, he remains a priest forever. Hebrews 7:3

could actually have been a preincarnate Jesus, for what other person, than the Son of Man, who was uniquely fully God and fully Man, can say of themselves, that they are without genealogy and have no beginning or end.

Clearly also Jesus cannot be subordinate to anyone, so since God states that He is in order of Melchizedek (that means the Righteous King - that carries Messianic expectation), it is logically congruent to understand that He actually founded the order of the Priesthood, for which He will forever be a part:

⁶ And he says in another place, “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek. Hebrews 5:6

Ultimately, all of this is why the early Church saw the baptism of Jesus as His priestly commissioning and why many theologians still say the following about Jesus:

• Jesus’ baptism → is His priestly commissioning, as our High Priest

• His ministry → is His priestly service,

• His death → is His priestly sacrifice,

• His ascension → is His priestly enthronement.

This mediatorial role made him the spiritual hinge upon which Israel’s covenant relationship with God functioned. Then in turn, Israel became the hinge of redemptive history, the axis around which the whole biblical narrative turns.

Astonishingly, this centrality of ISRAEL is not just theological — it is numerical, historical, and prophetic.

300 -The Connection to the High Priest

So finally, in this section that is leading us to an understanding of the number 300 being the symbolic number of the Blood Sacrifice of Jesus and Redemption, we can begin to see how both the number 300 and the number 13 —that we have already identified as a number of Rebellion / and Redemption— are directly connected to the Blood Sacrifice of Jesus and His role as our High Priest.

Thus 300 becomes the number of:

• Sacrifice - required by Law

• Atonement - the Cost to redeem us - 30 pieces of Silver multiplied by 10

• The blood that covers sin - that is then applied to the Mercy Seat in the Heavenly Tabernacle.

The following will now expound further on the significance of this number and try to clarify how both of these numbers 300 and 13 work together, to reveal the full picture of Redemption.

Redemption - 300 and 13 together

So as above, the numbers 30 and 10 together produce the number 300:

30 x 10 = 300 - that represents the blood sacrifice of Jesus.

Then together, 300 and 13 join to form what will be later seen as the backbone of:

God's Redemptive plan in History

However, to flesh this out further, beginning with just the number 300, we can see that this is why Noah's Ark is revealed in scripture as a picture of Jesus:

Noah's Ark - and the number 300

Firstly, it was a way of salvation because 8 people had to be in the Ark to be saved from Judgement, just as people have to be in Jesus (whose number in Greek is 888) to be saved.

Secondly, it represented the price of the atonement with God setting the length of the Ark to be 300 cubits. In this respect, the length of 300 (30 x 10) directly connects to Jesus beginning His ministry at 30 to fulfill the Law (10).

However, what is often missed about the Ark, can be found in Genesis 6:14:

¹⁴ Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make -- in the ark, and shalt pitch -- it within and without with pitch. Genesis 6:14

To begin with, many are aware that the term translated here as "pitch" is the Hebrew word - כֹּפֶר kōp̱er, which means 'atonement'. Notably, this is the same word used during the holiest Day on Israel's calendar: Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement.

However, the part that does often goes unnoticed is that not only is the length of the Ark —that symbolizes Jesus' sacrifice— associated with the number 300, but the entire Ark, which was covered both inside and out with כֹּפֶר - atonement, is also linked to 300.

This connection arises because the actual numerical value of this root word for atonement is 300, as illustrated in the following graphics:

Then, as some may have already noted, the numbers of the reference (Genesis 6:14), that this word was found in, being 6 and 14 are again directly related to the meaning of the text, because as we have been discussing above:

Jesus died for man (6) to atone for his Sin on the 14th of Nisan - Passover (14)   

So notably combining these two numbers also results in 6 + 14 = 20 - which is symbolic of the age of accountability, remembering that only those 20 years and older had to die out in the wilderness because they did not trust that God could take them into the Promised Land. In this way, hidden in this text, is a pointer to the Sacrifice of Jesus that atones for our Sin and gives us a choice to trust God and be saved, or not to trust His sacrifice and be lost.

In this way, the 300-cubit long Ark is literally a picture of Jesus and salvation revealing:

• Divine Provision: The Ark served as a means of salvation from the Flood, symbolizing God's provision for humanity in the midst of Judgement (Genesis 6:13-14).

• Exclusivity: Just as Noah entered the Ark by faith, believers enter into Christ through faith (Hebrews 11:7)

• Symbol of Protection: The Ark represents God's protection and safety, much like Jesus offers refuge from Sin and Despair (Matthew 24:37-39).

• Salvation through Judgement: The Ark was built to save Noah and his family from Judgement, foreshadowing the ultimate salvation through Christ (John 3:16).

Given these connections all highlight the theological significance of Noah's Ark, in relation to Jesus and to Redemption itself, this is also why its other dimensions (length: 300 cubits; width: 50 cubits; height: 30 cubits) are symbolic too. Essentially, its width was 50 cubits (representing the Jubilee where all that is lost is restored) and its height was 30 cubits, again representing the Age of Jesus when He became our High Priest, being able to apply His own blood on the Mercy Seat of God to atone for our Sins.

Basically, it all looked forward to the time when Jesus would complete the work of Redemption on the Cross.

Gideon - and the number 300

Then in perhaps the greatest example of 300, we have the narrative of Gideon, who lived in the time of the Judges, when Israel was frequently being attacked and subjugated by the Midianites. Here we see God raise him up to deliver His people, who had been crying out to the LORD.

During a profound encounter with the Angel of the LORD, widely regarded by scholars as a preincarnate manifestation of Jesus, we see the LORD affirming Gideon's role as a deliverer. He addresses Gideon as a mighty man of valor, despite their first meeting occurring in a wine press, where Gideon was hiding himself, while threshing wheat to avoid detection by the Midianites, who might attack and seize it.

¹² And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valor. Judges 6:12

Then, after a brief discussion, where Gideon raises his feelings of inadequacies, the LORD convinces Him that he will not die in battle. At this point, a fascinating discourse involving numbers took place, where God continued to reduce the number of men that Gideon would need to gain the victory because it was going to be God's victory and Gideon simply had to trust Him and be obedient. 

Notably, the starting figure was 22,000, which —as I have shown in other articles, and will touch on again later in this article— is a multiple of 22, that is symbolically the number for Israel. This number represented the strength of Israel, but because Israel's true strength does not come from its people, rather it comes from their God, who was going to give Gideon the victory, we see the LORD instructing him to reduce the number by telling those who were fearful that they could leave. This saw the number drop to 10,000, which as a multiple of 10 seems to be highlighting the Law and the spiritual condition of the men that remained. Regardless of this, there were still too many, so the LORD applied another test to reveal those who are more alert and suitable for God to use.

Essentially, they were all brought down to some water flowing from Mount Gilead to drink from it, and of those 9,700 lapped at it with their tongue like a dog. This was a sign of their unsuitability, whereas the remaining men that cupped the water in their hands and lifted it to their mouth, they were all seen as being able to think clearly; perhaps being more intellectually and spiritually active, such that the enemy would be less likely to take them by surprise. In a sense, the test being about how they drink water was possibly affirming this as a picture about their spiritual condition being tested because living water (that is flowing water) is frequently associated with the Holy Spirit in scripture. Those that failed the test were compared to dogs, while the rest were suitable for God to use to deliver Israel, under Gideon's leadership, and so were possibly more spiritually alert. 

The significant point behind all of this though is that the final number that would be associated with God's salvation of His covenant people ISRAEL was again 300 because ultimately it would be connected to the blood sacrifice of ISRAEL's greatest savior in Jesus, who was actually the one who finally settled on this number, in His encounter with Gideon:

⁶ And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water. ⁷ And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save -- you, and deliver -- the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place. Judges 7:6-7

Importantly, while there is much more to Gideon's story than this, I will leave that until later in the article, because I need to lay the foundation for it first.

The number 13

Therefore, with hopefully a clear understanding of the number 300 we will now return to the number 13, that as spoken about saw the reversal of the Spirit of Rebellion, when Jesus came in obedience to the Father and lived a sinless life, that Romans 8:2 describes as:

 "... the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus ..."

This reversal saw the Spirit of Rebellion that was associated with the number 13 become Redemption, that was also symbolized by the 13 who were part of Jesus' inner circle:

Jesus + 12 disciples = 13

Together, when the work of Redemption was completed by the act of Jesus on the Cross and He cried "IT IS FINISHED", the gospel was then taken to the world by these same disciples, who were all filled by the Holy Spirit, on the Day of Pentecost:

Holy Spirit + 12 disciples = 13

Clearly the number of Disciples and Followers of Christ would quickly grow, but it is important to understand that this inner circle, were all literal physical descendants of Jacob / Israel, and all were of the physical seed of Abraham, to whom the Covenant Promise was given. So, they were part of establishing the biblical meaning of the number 13, that saw a significant reversal of the Spirit of Rebellion, and the birth of the Church. This could have been foreshadowed in the hidden Spiritual Test of Gideon's men because ultimately, it is being full of the Holy Spirit that enabled the Redemption that followed.

Notably, while the word Pentecost means 50^th, it was precisely 52 days after the Cross (on the 14th of Nisan) that the Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost (6^th Sivan). This is because the actual 50-day count to Pentecost begins from 16^th of Nisan, the day after the Sabbath on the 15^th Nisan, which was the Feast of Unleavened Bread— and it was only then that the Gospel could be carried forth into the world by Jesus' Spirit-Filled Disciples.

Notably, this 52-day count from the day that Jesus hung on the Cross can be understood as 26 x 2 where the 26 represents the Triune God's most holy personal name (that I will expound upon further later) and the number 2 represents Jesus, as the second person of the Godhead. The importance of this is that it highlights the entire period from Passover to Pentecost —when our Redemption was being purchased— as being entirely a sovereign work of God. Addditionally, it is also 13 x 4 = 52 that represents the Spirit of Rebellion (13) in the world (4) that God is redeeming (13) through His actions on the Cross, and in the days following. 

In this way, while 13 goes to the heart of man, the source of the Pride and Rebellion that caused the Fall, the number 300, as the Blood Sacrifice of Jesus, is the atoning act of God for the Sins and Iniquities of man, that ultimately secures his Redemption. It all ultimately provides us with a way back to God, as Jesus said:

⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6

Noticeably, this reference that speaks about what the atonement achieves for us, includes the numbers 14 and 6, just as we had noticed earlier in relation to Genesis 6:14, that spoke about the atonement - they are just mirrored:

14 as we have been seeing, points to the day of Redemption, the 14^th Nisan (Passover) by the Messiah, as the Son of David, whose name has the value of 14. David's connection to Jesus is emphasized by Matthew's Gospel dividing Jesus' genealogy from Abraham (to whom the covenant promises were given) to Jesus being broken up into three groups of 14. This not only serves to establish the New Covenant in Jesus' blood, but emphasizes Jesus' as the Messiah being the eternal King spoken of in connection with King David's throne. 

6 is the number of man, for whom Jesus —as the both the Son of God and the Son of Man (descended from Adam through David) making Him our Kinsman redeemer— came to Redeem.

So these verse and chapter numbers describe perfectly how Jesus became the Way, the Truth, and the Life for all of us; and now we all have a choice to accept Jesus' as the Way back to the Father and like the children of Israel, when they were first set free by God from Egypt, we can either trust and believe God and live, or we can reject Him, and die in the wilderness, of our own Sin.

Significantly, the age of accountability for making this choice was 20, exactly what the numbers in this scripture add to 14 + 6 = 20.

Nothing is random or by chance with God, and if we think it is, then we simply haven't looked hard enough yet to find the connection.

Returning to our numbers 13 and 300, both describe a falling away from God that begins with Pride, Rebellion and Sin and ends with Redemption. One deals with the condition of the heart and the actions of one's hands, as described in Psalm 24, while the other provides the way for the repentant sinner to return to a Holy and Loving God - as it is said, the Cross is where Mercy and Justice kiss, and where new Resurrection life begins:

³ Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? ⁴ He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. ⁵ He shall receive the blessing from the LORD, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. ⁶ This is the generation of them that seek him, that seek thy face, O Jacob. Selah. ⁷ Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Psalms 24:3-7

313 - Prophetic History & the Redemptive Work of God

So, as separate numbers, both 13 and 300 are powerful symbols of Rebellion and Redemption, but when they are combined, they begin to form what I believe is a Prophetic History of the world that, is all tied into the complete Redemptive work of God.

It is where the numbers really start to get fascinating, because God has woven them into History, as the following will show:

13 x 300 = 3900

Firstly, this combination of 13 and 300 —that are God's numbers of Redemption— actually define two symbolic 3900-year periods of Redemptive history:

1 - Adam to Jesus

This is comprised of:

Adam to Abraham - 1948 years - as shown by the genealogies in Genesis 5 and 11.

Abraham's calling - 1948 + 75 years = 2023 years

Exodus 430 years later - 2023 + 430 = 2453 years

Entry to Promised Land - 2453 + 40 = 2493 years

Building of Temple 4^th Year of Solomon (480 years from Exodus - 1Kings 6:1)  - 2453 + 480 = 2,933 years since Adam

Adjust to BC dates, using the academically accepted year of 966 BC for building the Temple - 2,933 + 966 = 3,899 years

Adjust for no year 0 - 3899 + 1 = 3900 years

So symbolically, God has represented the entire human history from the Fall of Adam to birth of Jesus the Second Adam, who would turn the Spirit of Rebellion (13) into Redemption through His Blood Sacrifice (300) and the impartation of His Spirit, as a period of 3900 years that reflects:

39 books of the Old Covenant (Law) / Old Testament x 100 (symbolic of Fallen Generation that needed to be Redeemed) = 3900

13 (Jesus + 12 disciples) x 300 (Blood Sacrifice on Cross) = 3900 - symbolising how God did it.

2 - Abraham to 2025

Then in what I believe is another indication that we have reached the end, and are just in a small window of time that God is gathering in the Remnant:

⁵ Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. Romans 11:5

if you calculate the time from the year when God gave the promises to Abram, that can be determined by working backwards from the 966 BC date, that corresponds to the beginning of the 4^th year of Solomon, when he began to build the Temple, you get:

966 BC + 480 years (1Kings 6:1) to the Exodus from Egypt = 1446 BC

1446 BC + 430 years to the day from the Promises (Exodus 12:40-41) = 1876 BC - aligns with Abram at 75 when called and given promises, according to Galatians 3:16-18:

¹⁶ Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. ¹⁷ And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise. Galatians 3:16-18

So, taking this date of 1846 BC, that represents the Calling of Abraham, and adding our symbolic period of 3900 that represents the years God has allocated for Redemptive History you get:

1876 BC + 3900 = 2024

Then adjusting for no year 0 you get:

2024 + 1 = 2025

Here I believe 2025 represented the last minutes of the end - the last minutes before we will hear the 'Midnight Cry' that the LORD the Bridegroom is coming - but see important note below.

⁶ “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’ Matthew 25:6

Numerically 2025 is not just a random designation based upon these 3900 patterns, but it is hidden as 'the end' within the numbers 0-9 themselves that define every number that exists. This can be seen by raising each number to the power of 3, the number of the Triune God (3) who created everything, including these numbers and the laws of mathematics that reveal so much about Him and His purposes and then combining them, as follows:

1³ = 1

2³ = 8

3³ = 27

4³ = 64

5³ = 125

6³ = 216

7³ = 343

8³ = 512

9³ = 729

Total = 1+2+9+64+125+216+343+512+729 = 2025

IMPORANT NOTE: In remembering that 2025 is calculated from AD 1, because there is no year '0', what you are actually looking at are 2,025 full years, which means the fulness of this time is actually coinciding with the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026

This of course, also means that the Midnight Cry of our Saviour's Return, in conjunction with these 3900 symbolic years of Redemption, could be occurring anytime from 2026 onwards.

13 + 300 = 313

Next, we observe that while we paired 13 and 300 as a multiplicative pair above, they can also be combined as an additive pair, through a simple addition. The resulting number, 313, reveals some fascinating connections within history, particularly concerning God's timing for His people and the world as a whole.

Essentially the two numbers 13 and 300 stand at the heart of Redemption and in forming the number 313, that is a prime number that cannot be divided evenly, its meaning stands as a whole, being the joining of Rebellion and Sacrifice to point to:

313 = God's greatest works of Redemption.

As will be seen later in the article, it is literally the key to unlocking the structure of 1878, the number that appears in both biblical chronology and modern history, that is connected to the event, that I spoke about in the "Introduction" of this article, that I believe is God's answer to the world, that tells us that HOPE is being deferred no longer.

As such, it lays the foundation for what is arguably the central timing number in Israel's entire history, effectively connecting the timing of Jesus' Second Coming to His work of Redemption:

313 (Jesus sacrificial work of Redemption) x 6 (for man) = 1878

However, before we expand on all of this, we need to fully understand that at the center of it all is:

So, to provide the context of what follows, we firstly need to discuss some unique numbers that are associated with ISRAEL, remembering that as above, ISRAEL has been identified as having three layers (the man, the nation, and the Messiah) to it that began with changing the name of Jacob to Israel (the man). 

This led to Israel's sons becoming the tribes of Israel before they were formed into the covenant nation at Mt Sinai (the nation), that eventually led to King David and then Jesus, as the Son of David (descendant of), becoming the fulfilment of Israel (the Messiah / Savior). From this perspective, we will firstly turn to the start of Jacob's narrative, found in Genesis 25, that ultimately led to his name change.

The Name

Amazingly, God, who is fully in control of history, has even reflected the numerical value of ISRAEL in connection with the two people God primarily used in bringing it into being:

Rebecca (רִבְקָה) and Jacob (יַעֲקֹב)

This will be discussed in the next section, but we will begin here with some Hebrew Gematria Tables (see below) for each of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs that God used to form the nation of ISRAEL:

Israel - the numerical Formation

Summary of ISRAEL's Patriarchs and Matriarchs

These are all of the gematria values of all of the Patriarchs, along with their wives and handmaidens, who all gave birth to the founding sons of the Tribes of Israel. To give this all some context, the large Table below summarizes and lists these Gematria values of the Patriarchs & Matriarchs of Israel, as follows:

In the first column we have the 3 Patriarchs of Israel:

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, which I believe is another triad of God that reveals the:

• Father → Abraham - whose name means Father of a multitude

• Son → Isaac - the promised son, just like Jesus and

• Holy Spirit → Jacob - who represents the work of the Holy Spirit in all believers to take us from being Heel grabbers and Supplanters to all being grafted into ISRAEL 

Then the next two columns are for the 6 Matriarchs of Israel:

Column 1: Sarah (Abraham's wife); Rebekah (Isaac's wife); Rachel (Jacob's second wife that he loved).

Column 2: Leah (Jacob's first wife by deception of Uncle Laban); Bilhah (Rachel's handmaid); Zilpah (Leah's handmaid).

Essentially, there are 9 names that are ultimately reflected in the 9s of the Cross event (that I will discuss further below) when Jesus as the Messiah became the fulfilment of Israel and cried "It is Finished".

Next, we have the Hebrew Gematria for God's personal name יְהוָֹה - (Yehovah / Jehovah / Yahweh), the Tetragrammaton that Jews consider too Holy to pronounce, shown below. Clearly, we need to factor the value of God's name into what follows because He is the author and finisher, not just of our faith, but of everything that exists: 

YHVH — יְהוָֹה (Value: 26):

Importantly, this produces 10 numbers:  248; 208; 182; 505; 307; 238; 36; 42; 122; and 26, as summarized below:

Thus collectively, there are 10 numbers associated with all of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs, who gave rise to Israel (symbolizing Jesus as the fulfilment of Israel also fulfilling the Law of Sin and Death), starting with GOD and then along with the wives and handmaidens, through Abraham and his promised son Isaac, before concluding with Jacob, who is renamed ISRAEL.

As discussed above, in the section detailing the meaning of the numbers 1 - 14, the number 10 symbolically represents the revealing of the Law of Righteousness (10) that was historically connected with the founding of 'free will' when God in the Garden of Eden gave Adam a choice by giving him one command, not to eat from the fruit of one tree — the 'Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Notably, Luke 6:43-45 teaches that a person’s character is revealed by their actions, just as a tree is recognized by the fruit it produces:

⁴³ “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. ⁴⁴ For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. ⁴⁵ A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:43-45

So, when you partake of it, you become like it. However, the Fall did not begin with the eating of the fruit, it began before that, when Adam freely made the decision in his Soul (mind, will and emotions) to elevate his own Will above God's and he chose to eat it. This was Pride and it led to him eating of the knowledge of Good and Evil; and while to this point in his life he had only known the good, this act of Sin, which was the breaking of God's perfect law (10) to become Sin (11) meant he would now know the curse of evil.

Therefore, we finally need to consider the 11th number in this sequence, connected with the creation of Israel, and as the following shows it involves the Gematria value of Israel itself, the center piece of God's plan of Redemption. 11 numbers all connected with one entity, that of Israel, God's solution to the entrance of Sin into creation, which as shown above, finds its ultimate fulfilment in Jesus.

As per the table below God's solution to Sin is numerically connected to the number 541:

So now this gives us a total of 11 numbers (248; 208; 182; 505; 307; 238; 36; 42; 122; 26; and 541) with 11 itself being, as discussed above, the number of Sin, a falling short of God's glory. Since Jesus is God's solution for Sin; and God is a Trinity (3), it is also numerically coherent that 3 x 11 = 33 became the age that Jesus gave His life for our Sin, by actually becoming Sin as 2 Corinthians 5: 21 shows:

²¹ For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21

However, before I reveal how all of these very specific numbers are woven into a stunning hidden sequence, related to the Creation of Israel—a journey that began with God's promise to Abraham and was passed down to his son of promise, Isaac—it's essential to provide some context. This isn't merely a numerical oddity; it is deeply rooted in the realities of history itself. By recognizing the roles of human free will and God's sovereignty, we can appreciate that the path to the Messiah could have faltered if it depended on human strength and will alone. Ultimately, it is a dynamic interplay between God and Man.

So firstly, we need to consider some very specific and important details in the narrative of Jacob, that in this instance, begin with Isaac pleading to the LORD for his wife Rebekah, who is barren:

²¹ Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was childless. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant. Genesis 25:21

Interestingly, in the next verse, number 22, that numerically has always been symbolically associated with Israel (see here for further info), the key event that would begin the hidden sequence occurred:

²² And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of -- the LORD. Genesis 25:22

Here the word for "struggled" is the Hebrew word רָצַץ (rāṣāṣ) that describes making a physical impact on an object by hitting or striking at it, with force to crush and splinter it.

In Judges 9:53 it actually refers to an attempt by a woman to physically crush Abimelech's head, and in Psalm 74:14, it describes the smashing of Leviathan’s head, the monster’s head, all of which makes it thematically connected to Genesis 3:15, which prophesies the Seed of the Woman (the Messiah) crushing the head of the Serpent, who is described as the one that will strike at, or bruise the Heel of the Messiah (Seed of the Woman) by grasping at it tight enough to cause it to bruise.

All of this is being used in connection with Jacob, the one whose name actually means "Heel grabber", the one who would later be described as having struggled or striven with God, not just 'wrestled with Him'. This was not for the purpose of crushing His head, but to receive a blessing, so the word used here changes to one that is actually the same as for one of the Patriarch's wives in Sarah - שָׂרָה.

Sarah, along with Abraham gave birth to Isaac, the promised son, who was in the line of the covenant that led to the birth of Israel. Everything here is intertwined and the reader is meant to make these connections and to realize that prior to Jacob's birth, the struggling within Rebekah's womb was all designed by God to cause Rebekah to inquire of Him, which she did, as verse 22 also shows.

^"22 ... and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of -- the LORD. Genesis 25:22

Importantly, God responds and makes it clear that Jacob, who was born after his twin brother Esau, was always His choice, as the next verse, associated with the number 23 shows —noting that as I have discussed in numerous articles, the number 23 is always related to God's Judgement, that occurs when He stops striving with fallen humanity:

²³ And the LORD said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger. Genesis 25:23

At this point, we need to stop and consider how significant this revelation by God to Rebekah was. Essentially, it was a personal word to her, that was foundational for all that she does in the years following the birth. While the text never explicitly states what Rebekah's age was, at that time, most scholars assume an age in the range of 35-40, based upon her being repeatedly called a נַעֲרָה na‘arah, often translated as young woman, when she was being married to Isaac:

¹⁶ Now the young woman was very beautiful to behold, a virgin; no man had known her. And she went down to the well, filled her pitcher, and came up. Genesis 24:16

This is a term that typically refers to a girl of marriageable age, often mid‑teens up to approx 20 years of age in ancient Near Eastern usage. Then given the birth occurs 20 years after being married, we see something very interesting.

Essentially, we know from other ages and events in the narrative, that Jacob was 77 years old when He fled to Uncle Laban to begin his 20 years there. This means that from the time of Esau and Jacob's birth, Rebekah had secretly carried God's word for her about Esau and Jacob for 77 years —noting that this is 7 x 11, so it is related to God's oath to fulfil and complete His Will (7) in relation to dealing with the Sin of Man that is associated with the number (11). This is a long time to carry such a significant secret and importantly it appears to have remained her secret because while chapter 26 of Genesis shows Isaac seeking to remain obedient to God throughout His life, so that the covenant blessing made with his father (Abraham) would be passed on to him:

² Then the LORD appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. ³ Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. ⁴ And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; ⁵ because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws." ⁶ So Isaac dwelt in Gerar. Genesis 26:2-6

the following chapter 27 seemingly shows Isaac to be unaware of who God's choice between his two sons actually was. For here Isaac speaks to Esau and tells him to make some savory food for him so that he can bless him before he dies:

¹ Now it came to pass, when Isaac was old and his eyes were so dim that he could not see, that he called Esau his older son and said to him, “My son.” And he answered him, “Here I am.” ² Then he said, “Behold now, I am old. I do not know the day of my death. ³ Now therefore, please take your weapons, your quiver and your bow, and go out to the field and hunt game for me. ⁴ And make me savory food, such as I love, and bring it to me that I may eat, that my soul may bless you before I die.” Genesis 27:1-4

Basically, Isaac at the time of this event was 137 years old and thought he may soon be dying and so he expressed his desire to bless his first-born son Esau before he died. The problem is there is nothing in the text to indicate that Isaac knew about the word God had given directly to Rebekah about Jacob receiving the birth right blessing, instead of Esau. Therefore, Rebekah, who was listening to Isaac's conversation with Esau, had perhaps felt that God would automatically orchestrate events somehow to make this happen, and had possibly not spoken to him about it, but now she realized that unless she intervened, God's Will would be thwarted.

Rebekah was likely around 97 years old, at the time, which in spite of them living to significantly older ages than we do now —given the conversations between Abraham and God one generation earlier, regarding the age of his wife Sarah when they were giving birth to Isaac— Rebekah was still considered to be an old woman. So, for most of her life, in line with God's word to her, she had expected Jacob to be lifted up and receive the blessing of God, yet she was now aware that Isaac was about to pass on the blessing to Esau and she felt compelled to intervene.

While what would follow is always characterized as purely an act of deceit on the part of Rebekah and Jacob, this is arguably not entirely the case. For ultimately God who is Omniscient let all of this play out for His own purposes and Jacob was always God's choice and in an act of Judgement this could have been precisely how God wanted this to unfold. Hebrews 12:16 shows how God felt knowing about Esau selling his birthright:

¹⁶ lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. Hebrews 12:16

And because of His foreknowledge He also could choose Jacob over Esau, as He spoke about in Romans 13:

¹⁰ And not only this, but when Rebecca also had conceived by one man, even by our father Isaac ¹¹ (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of Him who calls), ¹² it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.” ¹³ As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated. Romans 9:10-13

Understanding it as a judgement, in connection with God's omniscient foresight, is consistent with the text. It is not as though God never does anything that seems contrary to His nature to bring about His purposes, as another reference in 1 Kings 22:22, that utilizes God's symbolic number for Israel (22), also shows. 

Here, later in Israel's history, we see a spirit in heaven offering to go forth and be a lying spirit in the mouths of King Ahab's false prophets, noting that King Ahab was the King of the northern kingdom of Israel, after the nation had divided following King Solomon's death. This was for the purpose of falsely assuring him that when he goes into battle, he would be safe and have victory:

²² And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. ²³ Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee. 1 Kings 22:22-23

This was a judgement by God upon Ahab for refusing to listen to Micaiah, God's true prophet, who had warned Ahab of impending disaster if he pursued the war. Essentially, Ahab's refusal to heed God's counsel led to his downfall, with God choosing to send a lying spirit to tell Ahab what he wanted to hear, although it wasn't true. So, Ahab went into battle believing he would win, but instead he was killed:

³⁴ And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote -- the king of Israel between the joints of -- the harness: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot, Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am wounded. ³⁵ And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot. ³⁶ And there went a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the sun, saying, Every man to his city, and every man to his own country. ³⁷ So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried -- the king in Samaria. 1 Kings 22:34-37

Seemingly, God involved Himself in a Lie, which is completely antithetical to the nature of God. However, when one sees it in the connection with judgement, it can be understood as the evil that can come upon us when we put ourselves and the world before the God who created us. Similarly, God warns us of this type of judgement in connection with the coming Tribulation in 2 Thessalonians 2:

¹¹ And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, ¹² that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 2 Thessalonians 2:11-12

With regard to Esau and Jacob, God would say of them in Romans 9:13 that “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” The reason for this, as mentioned above, was revealed in the book of Hebrews where it states that Esau was a fornicator and a profane person; and so, he had clearly never sought to honor, or seek God, for anything other than what met his worldly desires:

¹⁶ lest there be any fornicator or profane person like Esau, who for one morsel of food sold his birthright. ¹⁷ For you know that afterward, when he wanted to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no place for repentance, though he sought it diligently with tears. Hebrews 12:16-17

Importantly, it is about God's choices and if the people involved are not seeking God's Will, then God can intervene in any way that He chooses. So similarly, this could have been the case with Jacob and Esau. Esau was the elder and normally entitled to the greater blessing, but he was not God's choice, and Isaac was not the one God talked to about this, because it was not Isaac who had enquired of God, rather it was Rebekah. However, in the well-known statements of faith, also in the book of Hebrews, it is clear that Isaac warranted a mention for faithfully delivering the blessings, just as God wanted them:

²⁰ By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. Hebrews 11:20

Essentially, at 137 years of age, which can be understood numerically as 100 + 37, Isaac embodied the symbolism of a fallen generation (100), combined with God’s significant number (37) —that represent the Trinity (3) and the sevenfold nature of the Holy Spirit (7) - revealed in Isaiah 11:1 that when combined as 37 is about God's sovereignty, as it is first seen numerically in Genesis 1:1, with it being the value of the verse in Hebrew, being calculated as 37 x 73.

Thus, this age seems to mark a divinely appointed time. Then in line with the traditions that God had laid out, regarding the blessing of the first-born son, that were all pointing to Jesus, who Colossians 1:15 describes as "...the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation", we see Isaac both faithfully and diligently striving to bestow the blessings to his sons. In pursuit of this, he sought to discern his son's identity before imparting the greater blessing.

²¹ Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come near, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” ²² So Jacob went near to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is Jacob’s voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” ²³ And he did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him. ²⁴ Then he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” He said, “I am.” ²⁵ He said, “Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, so that my soul may bless you.” So he brought it near to him, and he ate; and he brought him wine, and he drank. ²⁶ Then his father Isaac said to him, “Come near now and kiss me, my son.” ²⁷ And he came near and kissed him; and he smelled the smell of his clothing, and blessed him and said: “Surely, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field which the LORD has blessed. ²⁸ Therefore may God give you of the dew of heaven, of the fatness of the earth, and plenty of grain and wine. ²⁹ Let peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you. Be master over your brethren, and let your mother’s sons bow down to you. Cursed be everyone who curses you, and blessed be those who bless you!” Genesis 27:21-29

In spite of the narrative revealing that Isaac was in part operating on a carnal level —because it states that Isaac loved his first-born son Esau, but not for any noble reason, rather because he enjoyed the venison that Esau as a hunter caught and prepared for him— it is important to see that he was still seeking to be obedient to God. It is just that he was unaware of the deception that God was allowing to bring about His purposes.

In this context, the subsequent passages regarding the Messianic Seed Line from Adam to Jesus clearly illustrate that the selection of the next in line was always God's sovereign choice. Although Reuben, Jacob's firstborn son, was the rightful heir, he was disqualified due to his actions with Bilhah, Jacob's handmaid. Furthermore, both Simeon and Levi were also disqualified because of their involvement in the massacre of Shechem's family, who had violated their sister Dinah. This brutal act came after they deceitfully agreed to allow Shechem to marry her if, he and his family underwent circumcision.

All of this shows that God works within the framework of human freewill that is uncompromised by His sovereignty, it is just that our choices will either lead to blessings or curses. It also seems apparent that the God who determines the end from the beginning could have given the same word that He gave to Rebekah to Isaac, but He chose not to, knowing that His purposes would ultimately come about by Rebekah and Jacob deceiving Isaac. For clearly this act of deception, that involved lying about his name, played a role in defining who Jacob was, before God would change him, for the purpose of changing both his nature and his destiny as Israel.

Essentially when Jacob later wrestled with God, seeking His blessing, God was able to confront him with his identity as a deceiver, supplanter and heel grabber by asking him for his name. In the ancient world of the Bible, asking someone their name was never a polite formality, but a profound request for access to their very identity, since a name expressed a person’s essence, destiny, and character; this is why Adam naming the animals signified authority; Pharaoh renaming Joseph displayed political power, and God telling Moses His name at the burning bush revealed covenantal relationship, rather than mere information. To ask a name could also be a request for revelation, as when Manoah sought the angel’s name in Judges 13, or a means of exerting spiritual influence, as seen when Jesus asked the demon its name, “Legion,” in Mark 5. Because names often carried prophetic destiny—like Isaac (“he laughs”), Moses (“drawn out”), or Jesus (“YHVH saves”)—to know a name was to glimpse the divine intention spoken over a life.

Therefore, among all these moments, none is more significant than Jacob’s midnight wrestling in Genesis 32, for in the middle of his encounter with God, who has the power to change someone's destiny, God asks Jacob his name. God who is omniscient was not asking for information from Jacob, rather He was confronting him with the importance of truly revealing who he was. This is because 20 years earlier (20 being the age of accountability) Jacob had concealed his identity when Isaac had asked him the same question, and that act of deception had launched him into 20 years of trouble with his Uncle Laban, who repeatedly deceived him. So, Jacob understood that in responding to God with his real name, he would finally be revealing himself as the Deceiver, Heel Grabber, and Supplanter, that he had been for so long. For the meaning of his name was well known, with even Esau saying of him:

³⁶ And Esau said, “Is he not rightly named Jacob? For he has supplanted me these two times. He took away my birthright, and now look, he has taken away my blessing!” Genesis 27:36

Symbolically, this was like a confession of our Sins. Then, after God graciously changes Jacob's name to ISRAEL, signaling that He was giving him a new identity and a new beginning and destiny, Jacob asked God His name. However, unlike when Moses had first encountered God and had framed his request for God's name as being for the purpose of telling the Israelites who had sent him to them, and God had responded with the "I AM", because he understood the reasoning behind Moses' question, we see here that God simply responds to Jacob with another question: “Why is it that you ask about My name?”, after which He blessed Him:

²⁹ Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there.
³⁰ So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” Genesis 32:29-30

The point is that asking another person their name was a 'power play' and God wanted Jacob to understand that he was no longer in a position to manipulate his circumstances. By asking for a person's name and receiving a response, this gave you power over them. So, in God asking Jacob for his name, He was seeking for Jacob to acknowledge his identity and reveal who he really was. By Jacob answering honestly, God was elevated to His proper position of authority over Jacob's life and through His sovereign Will could change His name to Israel. This changed Jacob's destiny to become a father of all who would ultimately believe in Jesus and be saved. For as we have seen in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is literally the perfect fulfilment of ISRAEL and every believer has to be in Christ or spiritually grafted into ISRAEL to be saved, such that God would later say through the apostle Paul in Romans 11:26, that "...all Israel would be saved". 

Similarly, by not responding to Jacob, and not giving him His name, God retained His position of sovereignty over him. It becomes clear that Jacob understood all of this in his spirit because immediately following this encounter, he proclaimed that he had seen God 'face to face' and his life had been preserved. He knew that he had prevailed with God and was now ready to walk out the remainder of his life as Israel.

In contrast to all of this, the narrative also shows that Rebekah loved Jacob, but unlike with Isaac, this love is unqualified, that is, the text does not give a reason for her love of Jacob, suggesting by its silence that it is a pure love founded on the word of God, given to her when both sons were being born. 

28 And Isaac loved -- Esau, because he did eat of his venison: but Rebekah loved -- Jacob. Genesis 25:28

This love plays out into all of her actions, 77 years after being given the word directly by God that Jacob was His choice. In this way, all the blessings that would be associated with spiritually inheriting the covenant promises, originally given to his grandfather Abraham, would become Jacob's / Israel's. Clearly, Rebekah was driven by the desire to see God's Will come to pass and as above I believe it is strongly arguable that God desired it to play out this way, both as a judgement against Esau, and then later for Him to reveal to Jacob that he must alter his walk with God to always be seeking God's Will not his own.

As Jacob's life was where the physical and the spiritual metaphorically met, God touched Jacob's Hip to cause a limp that for the remainder of his life would be a reminder that while he had sought the things of God and had both striven and prevailed with God and Man, he could no longer walk as a 'heel grabber' and supplanter, using his own deceitful practices to achieve the end goal. Rather as Israel, he needed to walk with God in an open relationship, so that God could manifest His promises in his life: 

²⁴ Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. ²⁵ Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. ²⁶ And He said, “Let Me go, for the day breaks.” But he said, “I will not let You go unless You bless me!” ²⁷ So He said to him, “What is your name?” He said, “Jacob.” ²⁸ And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” ²⁹ Then Jacob asked, saying, “Tell me Your name, I pray.” And He said, “Why is it that you ask about My name?” And He blessed him there. ³⁰ So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: “For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.” ³¹ Just as he crossed over Penuel the sun rose on him, and he limped on his hip. ³² Therefore to this day the children of Israel do not eat the muscle that shrank, which is on the hip socket, because He touched the socket of Jacob’s hip in the muscle that shrank. Genesis 32:24-32

Ultimately, this is a lesson for all of us — it is about our spiritual walk with God and becoming a part of ISRAEL— but for Jacob, before he became Israel, there was also a physical dimension to it, that reflects to all of us how Sin has consequences, and whether or not those consequences destroy us or not, is really about the level of God's grace and mercy in our lives. It is always there, but clearly God, who is only after our hearts, can only fully protect and bless us when we are walking with Him in righteousness by always (daily) ensuring that we are covered by the blood of Christ, by being in Christ.

This plays out in prophetic topics as well, with Jesus stating in Luke 21:36 that we are to pray always that we will be accounted worthy to escape the things (tribulation) that will come to pass:

³⁶ Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:36

Clearly, being accounted worthy to escape the Tribulation is not a settled matter, for every day, at all times, believers are called by Jesus to be praying always that we will be accounted worthy. Without ceasing we are to be seeking to be right with God, examining our hearts and praying, and then fully trusting Him for our Salvation.

The Numerical Connections - Jacob & Rebekah

Importantly, the preceding was dealt with in some detail to show who the main actors were in the lead up to Jacob's name change to Israel. I will now begin to add some of the gematria numbers (that were shown in the graphics and tables above), that represent the values of their names. They will be placed into the brackets after their names, in the brief narrative of Jacob + Rebekah + God below, to show what I believe are stunning numerical connections.

It should be noted that it was only the actions of Jacob and Rebekah, that directly resulted in Jacob receiving the blessing that would result in God changing his name to Israel, because in this first instance of the numerical connections to follow, both Isaac and Esau were unwitting participants. It was Jacob and Rebekah alone, who knowingly partook in the deception to receive God's blessing. So, from this perspective, the following will only consider the numbers of Jacob; Rebekah; and God.  

Jacob + Rebekah + God 

The narrative that leads to the creation of ISRAEL begins from the time when Jacob (182) was struggling in the womb of Rebekah (307) and grabbing at the heel of Esau demonstrating his desire to supplant his brother, even before he was born. Then 77 years later (the double 7s being symbolic of God completing His purposes in Jacob's life) Rebekah, driven by the word she had received from God (26) before Esau and Jacob were born - about the 'older serving the younger', convinced Jacob to deceive Isaac to receive the blessing that she knew was God's will. Then hearing that Esau was planning to kill Jacob, Rebekah tells Jacob to flee for his life, which he does. Then 20 years later Jacob has his own very unique and prophetic encounter with God (26) who renames him Israel.

Two people - Jacob (182) and Rebekah (307) orchestrated Jacob's blessing

Two actions of God - God (26) gives word to Rebekah; and God (26) wrestles with Jacob and changes his name.

So, these numbers, that are associated with the narrative of Jacob, leading up to his renaming as Israel, are intricately linked to the actions of the two individuals, who deliberately chose the path of deception to secure God's blessing. 

Rebekah, who understood God's Will directly from Him, played a crucial role in this story, for she initiated all the events that follow her hearing that Isaac was about to give the blessing of God to Esau, contrary to what she knew was God's Will. Then Jacob who deeply desire God's blessing followed his mother's instructions and deceptively covered himself with animal skins to simulate Esau's hairy arms, before he lied to his father Isaac to deceive him into thinking he really was Esau.

When this is all combined with God's own two significant actions—first, imparting His word to Rebekah and later wrestling with Jacob before renaming him— it all results in a remarkable alignment of their numbers, that equals the numerical value of Israel (541):

182 (Jacob) + 307 (Rebekah) + 26 (God's Word to Rebekah) + 26 (God's encounter with Jacob) = 541

What I find truly incredible is that the number for Israel, 541, appears to be random. Yet, when you analyze the numerical values of the names of the two key figures instrumental in the establishment of Israel, and then connect them to the numerical representation of God’s most sacred name, that is associated with two divine encounters within this narrative, the sum equals 541—the number assigned to Israel. To me, this synchronicity is simply astounding and removes all possibility of it being coincidence.

It's also noteworthy, as previously discussed, that Rebekah, having received a divine message before the birth of Jacob and Esau, seems to have genuinely believed—much like the deceiving spirit that influenced Ahab— that she was acting in accordance with God's will. This belief can be quantitatively supported: when you add Rebekah's number 307 to God's number 26, as follows:

307 (Rebekah) + 26 (God) = 333 

Here we see the appearance of 333 that many scholars agree symbolizes the perfect divinity of the Triune God, essentially embodying the essence of God’s will.

Similarly, if you apply God's numbers to Jacob you get:

Jacob (182) + God (26) = 208 

The number 208 can also be understood as 26 x 8 = 208

Basically, the number 208 is just a multiple of God's personal number (26) with its factors of 26 and 8 representing God's Will (26) for salvation in Jesus (8) (whose name in Hebrew is Yeshua that means Jehovah saves those that cry for help) being outworked in the world. Notably, it is also the value of the name of Isaac - יִצְחָק whose birth —as the Promised son was a type of God the Father giving His Son— was the whole central focus of God's Will and purposes, from the moment God called Abraham to begin this reset of humanity.

Then again putting these numbers together, we get the numerical value of Israel (541), showing that it was God's perfect will for Jacob to follow his mother's instructions, so that he could be blessed and become ISRAEL.

333 + 208 = 541

In essence, for the God of Israel to fulfill His purpose through Jacob, He first chose to grant him favor through Rebekah. Her name in Hebrew means to bind, symbolizing her commitment to God's will in assisting Jacob to receive the Blessing of God, as detailed in Genesis chapter 27. The key point is that it was Rebekah, guided by God's revelation in verse 23, which foretold that the older (Esau) would serve the younger (Jacob), that later caused her to favor Jacob. This divine insight led to Jacob's deception of Isaac before he would ultimately wrestle with God for his blessing. This transformative encounter occurred during his journey home from Haran, after 20 years that is often referred to as a time of Jacob's Trouble, culminating in his renaming to Israel. As such, this narrative is significant because it aligns with the prophecy regarding the salvation of All Israel, that indicates that this fulfillment occurs at the end of the Tribulation —a period identified by Jeremiah as the Time of Jacob's Trouble. Essentially, this timing precisely correlates with Jacob's own transformation into Israel at the conclusion of his trials.

It is Human free will interwoven with God's sovereign will, and only the God who declares the end from the beginning could orchestrate such an outcome. 

Other Numerical Combinations that form Israel

Amazingly, as is often the case, our Triune God does things in threes, and with this particular set of 11 numbers (248; 208; 182; 505; 307; 238; 36; 42; 122; 26; and 541), that contextually represent God's Solution for Sin —through the patriarchs and matriarchs of Israel that gave rise to the Messiah— we get two more combinations, as summarized in the table below:

Number 1 - Obviously, this is the one we have been discussing at length, but the other two combinations both speak into God's solution for Sin in ISRAEL. I will only briefly touch on these because the greatest point about this is that God creates Israel firstly as a person in Jacob and then as a nation being all of his descendants that are born from his 12 Sons; and then as a person again in Jesus who as the Messiah becomes the King of Israel. Then ultimately, every one that believes in Him, which requires faith, will become partakers of the promises given to Abraham and will be spiritually grafted into the Olive Tree known as ISRAEL, which is Jesus, according to Matthew's quote of Hosea 11:1.

Number 2 - Since God needed to create Jacob first, before He could put His calling upon him, He needed the promised son Isaac to be born to Abraham and Sarah. Then he would need Isaac to marry Rebekah, who clearly would cooperate with the Spirit of God, so He could give them a child in Jacob, who would freely pursue the things of God, albeit at first in his own strength, until God intervened.

So, in this instance, we see Isaac, whose name carries the number 208. Interestingly, as we saw above, this is also the number for Jacob (182) + God (26) = 208. In this sense the value of Isaac's name is already prophetically pointing to the encounter his son Jacob would have with God. Then we have Rebekah whose name carries the value 307. As I have shown many times, the numbers 3 and 7 are uniquely God's signature, with them combining in the first instance as 37 x 73 to form the value of Genesis 1:1. There are many other instances of God's use of this number, but it is sufficient to recognize that in Rebekah having a name that utilizes these numbers, it is a clear sign that God's hand was upon her life and for 77 years she was vigilant to see that God's declared will (about her sons), that He revealed before they were born, came to pass.

In this way, we see both Isaac and Rebekah, in their own unique ways being obedient to what God had revealed to them. Isaac as it says in the book of Hebrews was faithful to bless his sons, and Rebekah, as we have seen, was faithful to God's unique word to her. So together Isaac (208) and Rebekah (307), with God's (26) help, equal Israel:

Isaac (208) + Rebekah (307) + God (26) = 541

Number 3 - finally the third combination is interesting because Isaac, the father of Jacob, was himself named because his mother Sarah had mockingly laughed at the idea of a woman giving birth at 90 years of age. So, God told Abraham and Sarah that a son would be born to them, in spite of their lack of faith, and that they should call him Isaac, which means laughter. This was not only God's way of saying I am the God who reverses curses, turning a spirit that mocks God's word into a spirit that rejoices in all that He can do, but as we have seen the son then carried the number 208. Then this, in connection with his wife Rebekah and her number of 307, plus God and His number 26, would form the numerical combination of 541, that represents the value of the name that God then gives to their son Jacob when He changes it to Israel. So, the actions of Sarah, played a part in ensuring the name and value of ISRAEL.

Then, we have Leah, whose inclusion in this numerical combination of Israel, speaks to its prophetic destiny. As the first wife, the unloved one, God whose mercy and compassion is beyond our understanding, gave Leah the ultimate honor of being the mother of 6 of Jacob's sons with the 4^th one being Judah, through whom the Messianic line would continue. In this way, Leah would literally be in the direct line to Jesus, who scripture reveals as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. God is continually working in many levels, and He lifts up the lonely, the unloved and the weary.

In this context, one interpretation of Leah's name in Hebrew (לֵאָה) derives from the root word לָאָה (lâ’â), which means 'to be weary'. This concept resonates with what Jesus expresses in Matthew 11:28:

²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

This biblical reference numerically points to God's solution for Sin and its consequences because 28 equals:

4 (world) x 7 (God's oath to fulfill His promises) = 28

Ultimately, this also highlights God's total commitment to redeem us from sin (11).

Thus, together Sarah and Leah literally frame the covenant line to the Messiah, who would be the fulfilment of all the promises, with Sarah establishing its beginning with Abraham and the naming of Isaac; and Leah who was unwanted and yet from her lowly position would literally be elevated by God to begin the line of the King Himself (Jesus), in the birth of her son Judah.