SYMBOLS IN BIBLE INTERPRETATION (Continued)

2. NUMBERS
1. Introduction
1. Numbers are important to God.
1. He names an entire book of the Bible Numbers
2. Many numbers occur in the Bible
3. Numbers are often used with emphasis (Numbers 14:22Because all those men which have seen my glory, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and have tempted me now these ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice;
   See All...; Revelation 13:18Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.
   See All...)
2. Numbers have meaning in scripture
1. Some numbers have natural significance
1. One portrays unity
2. Two portrays division
3. Three and seven have parallels in nature
2. Some numbers have a clearly identified meaning in scripture
1. Six is the number of man
2. Seven is the number of perfection; as in a perfect work
3. Forty is the number of testing or trial
3. The meaning of some numbers is disputed
1. Five is thought by some to picture grace and by others to picture death
2. Ten is thought by some to refer to the Gentiles and by others to ordinal perfection
3. Use of numbers in interpretation
1. The main purpose of numerology is for the purpose of illustration.  As such, they can be a great source of pleasure and understanding
2. The danger of numerology is in using it to teach new doctrine.  Although numbers may indicate meaning in many cases, they should not be used to develop new doctrines that are not taught plainly elsewhere in the word of God.  This practice can easily lead to many false doctrines.
3. Biblical numerology also verifies the hand of God on the Bible.  No man could make the numbers work out as strongly and as clearly as they do.  God had to do it.
2. Number One
1. One has the natural meaning of unity
1. It is indivisible; it forms a whole and is united
2. Those who waited in the upper room after the ascension of Christ “continued with one accord in prayer and supplication” (Acts 1:14These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.
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2. One also has the meaning of primacy
1. It is the first number; it indicates first place
2. The divine title of “Holy One” is used 48 times in scripture (2 Kings 19:22Whom hast thou reproached and blasphemed? and against whom hast thou exalted thy voice, and lifted up thine eyes on high? even against the Holy One of Israel.
   See All...; Isaiah 12:6Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee.
   See All...; Habakkuk 1:12Art thou not from everlasting, O LORD my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O LORD, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction.
   See All...; Acts 2:27Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.
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3. First mention
1. Genesis 1:9And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
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2. “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place”
4. In marriage, two become “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
   See All...; Matthew 19:6Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.
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5. Before God divided the people at the tower of Babel, He observed that “the people is one, and they have all one flesh” (Genesis 11:6And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
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6. The seven unity’s of Ephesians 4:4-6 [4] There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; [5] One Lord, one faith, one baptism, [6] One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
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1. The unity’s named
1. One body
2. One Spirit
3. One hope
4. One Lord
5. One faith
6. One baptism
7. One God
2. The theme of unity proven
1. The word unity only occurs in the Bible three times (Psalm 133:1Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
   See All... Ephesians 4:3Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
   See All...,13)
2. Two of the three occurrences are in this chapter
1. Once before the seven unity’s in reference to keeping “the unity of the Spirit” (v.3)
2. Once after the seven unity’s in reference to us all coming to “the unity of the faith” (v.13)
3. Since the obvious theme of the passage is our unity in the Spirit, the seven one’s should be understood as seven unity’s.  We should not force all seven items to be limited to one item as in something that we count and it adds up to one.
4. For instance, Hebrews 6:2Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
   See All... refers to “the doctrine of baptisms” – notice the plural.  The New Testament refers to our baptism by the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:13For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
   See All...) which places us into Christ (Galatians 3:27For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
   See All...).  However, it also refers to our baptism by men (1 Corinthians 1:14-17 [14] I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; [15] Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. [16] And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. [17] For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
   See All...) which places us into water (Acts 1:5For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
   See All...).  Yet, it is proper to refer to our “one baptism”, since these two baptisms are one in Christ.  The water baptism is simply the outward picture of what happened inwardly at the moment of salvation when the Spirit baptized us into Christ.
3. Number Two
1. Two naturally refers to division; that which is one can be divided in two
2. On the second day of creation, God created the firmament that divided the waters above from the waters below (Genesis 1:6-8 [6] And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. [7] And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. [8] And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
   See All...).  In effect, God’s heaven was divided from the earth.  This is the only day of creation in which God does not say that what He saw was good.
3. First mention: In Genesis 1:16And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
   See All... God makes the “two great lights” to mark the division between the day and the night
4. Before Rebekah bore Esau and Jacob, the Lord told her, “Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels” (Genesis 25:23And 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.
   See All...)
5. The commandments that were written on two tables of stone were a cause of division between God and man (Deuteronomy 9:10-17 [10] And the LORD delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the LORD spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly. [11] And it came to pass at the end of forty days and forty nights, that the LORD gave me the two tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant. [12] And the LORD said unto me, Arise, get thee down quickly from hence; for thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves; they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them; they have made them a molten image. [13] Furthermore the LORD spake unto me, saying, I have seen this people, and, behold, it is a stiffnecked people: [14] Let me alone, that I may destroy them, and blot out their name from under heaven: and I will make of thee a nation mightier and greater than they. [15] So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount burned with fire: and the two tables of the covenant were in my two hands. [16] And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the LORD your God, and had made you a molten calf: ye had turned aside quickly out of the way which the LORD had commanded you. [17] And I took the two tables, and cast them out of my two hands, and brake them before your eyes.
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6. When two are joined together in unity, they become a picture of strength
1. Genesis 7:15And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
   See All... “And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.”
2. Deuteronomy 17:6At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
   See All... “At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is worthy of death be put to death; but at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.”
3. Ecclesiastes 4:9Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.
   See All... “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.”
4. Amos 3:3Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
   See All... “Can two walk together, except they be agreed?”
4. Number Three
1. Three is the first of the numbers to show some aspect of perfection; three indicates perfection of being; i.e., internal perfection
2. God is a tri-unity or trinity; a three in one being
1. The Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost (Matthew 28:19Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
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2. The Son being baptized, the Spirit descending like a dove and the Father speaking from heaven (Matthew 3:13-17 [13] Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. [14] But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? [15] And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. [16] And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: [17] And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
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3. These three are one (1 John 5:7For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
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4. The word Godhead, which refers to the three-in-one God, occurs three times in the Bible (Acts 17:29Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.
   See All...; Romans 1:20For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
   See All...; Colossians 2:9For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
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3. Man is a three-in-one being
1. He was created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27 [26] And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. [27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
   See All...; 2:7Shall they not rise up suddenly that shall bite thee, and awake that shall vex thee, and thou shalt be for booties unto them?
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2. He is made up of spirit, soul and body (1 Thessalonians 5:24Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
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4. Satan counterfeits the three-fold nature of God (Revelation 16:13And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet.
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1. Dragon
2. Beast
3. False prophet
5. The perfect message of the gospel has three parts (1 Corinthians 15:1-4 [1] Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; [2] By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. [3] For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; [4] And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
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1. Death
2. Burial
3. Resurrection
6. All the people of the earth descend from the three sons of Noah (Genesis 9:18-19 [18] And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan. [19] These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.
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7. The resurrection of Christ occurred after three days and three nights in the grave (Matthew 12:40For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
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8. God sometimes does something three times to assure that it is from Him
1. The warning about hell (Mark 9:44Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.
   See All...,46,48)
2. The Father’s witness concerning His Son (Matthew 3:17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
   See All...; 17:5
   See All...; John 12:28Father, glorify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again.
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3. The message to Peter (Acts 11:10-11 [10] And this was done three times: and all were drawn up again into heaven. [11] And, behold, immediately there were three men already come unto the house where I was, sent from Caesarea unto me.
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4. God’s witness to mankind (1 John 5:7-8 [7] For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. [8] And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.
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9. Creation is full of indications of God’s touch with the number three
1. Vegetation is made up of grass, herb and fruit trees (Genesis 1:11And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
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2. The heavens are lit up with the sun, the moon and the stars (Genesis 1:16And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
   See All...)
3. Animals are made up of fish, fowl and land animals (Genesis 1:20And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
   See All...,24)
4. Land animals are made up of cattle, creeping things and beasts of the earth (Genesis 1:24And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
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5. Earth is made up of lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere
6. There are three basic colors (red, yellow and blue); when mixed, they make the seven colors of the rainbow
7. Time is divided into past, present and future
8. There are three states of matter (gas, liquid and solid)
10. The Bible refers to three heavens (2 Corinthians 12:2I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.
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1. Atmospheric heaven
2. Starry heaven
3. God’s abode of heaven