What is Biblical Numerology?

Biblical Numerology and Symbolic Numbers in Scripture

Biblical numerology is the study of numbers in the Bible, which even when literal, can be symbolic. For example, seven is the number of perfection or completion. In Genesis, God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh.

And in Revelation, seven is God's number. The number three is also divine, as the Trinity consists of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Four is the number of creation, four corners of the earth, north, south, east, and west.

Four seasons, the four creatures around the heavenly throne. Six is the number of man, created on the sixth day. The mark of the beast is said to be the number of a man, 666, which also represents a false trinity.

Forty is the number of trial. The floodwaters came upon the earth in judgment and it rained forty days and nights. The Israelites were in the wilderness forty years. Jesus fasted in the wilderness forty days and was tempted by Satan.

Twelve is the number of God's people. There were twelve tribes of Israel and there were twelve apostles who took the gospel to the nations. A thousand is not always exact, but indicates a large number of something.

The Abuse of Bible Numbers in Predicting the Future

While biblical numerology can be a fascinating study, it's often abused, like trying to calculate who the Antichrist is or the identity of the seven kings in Revelation 17. Many false teachers have tried to crunch Bible numbers and predict the day of the rapture, but Jesus said we will know neither the day nor the hour of His return.

Scripture Reveals Christ, Not Hidden Codes

Numbers in the Bible reflect God's consistent and divine plan, but they don't reveal any hidden messages. The Bible reveals Jesus, the one true and living God, when we understand the text.