Let’s take a brief look at the most common numbers and their biblical meanings. Two excellent examples of biblical books containing such number references are Daniel ( Daniel 7:3) and Revelation ( Revelation 13:15-18). That said, they clearly recognized that the Word of God does contain a divinely inspired system of numbers. “The wisdom of the princes of the world.we understand to be things like the secret and occult philosophy (as they call it) of the Egyptians and the astrology of the Chaldeans and Indians” (Origen).Īll such “philosophies,” practices, rites, rituals, and even seemingly harmless party games stand condemned by both Scripture and the various great theologians of the Christian faith throughout history.
“The number seven is good, but we do not explain it after the doctrine of Pythagoras and the other philosophers, but rather according to the manifestation and division of the grace of the Spirit for the prophet Isaiah has enumerated the principle gifts of the Holy Spirit as seven” (Epistle to Horontianus).
They noted that the practice originated in Babylonian paganism, as well as Pythagorean mystery teachings and Gnosticism. The Church Fathers were also unanimous in their condemnation of using numbers for divination, or foretelling future events, etc. Scripture forbids and condemns all such divinatory practices ( Deuteronomy 18:10-12). Such exaggerated emphasis can and has led to dangerous mystical ideas, bad theology, fringe eschatological approaches, and even outright occultism - believing that numbers hold a mystical power that can be tapped into for divination purposes. It is important at the outset that we make it very clear that while God did inspire the use of specific numbers for symbolic reasons, we have to be careful not to place too much emphasis on numbers. Let's do a brief overview of Biblical numerology before diving into the meaning behind specific numbers found in Scripture. Understanding the meanings behind these numbers in the Bible can help you understand the self-revelation of God a little better. God uses symbols to communicate spiritual truths to mankind, including numbers. Scripture is filled with symbols, from the Ark of the Covenant to the tzitzit on the Israelites garment, down to the number of the Beast recorded in the Book of Revelation. During the time the Bible was written, several numbers had significant symbolism of deeper meaning.
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