Gematria is the practice of assigning a numerical value to a name, word, or phrase by reading it as a number, or sometimes by using an alphanumerical cipher. The letters of the different alphabets involved have standard numerical values, but a word can yield several values if a cipher is used. This is the definition given by Wikipedia at Gematria – Wikipedia. The study of numbers and patterns in the Bible is known as biblical numerology.
The Old Testament was written almost entirely in Hebrew, and the New Testament was written in Koine (common) Greek. Hebrew gematria and Greek isopsephy (the Greek version of gematria) rely on biblical numerology for the underlying meaning of words and sentences (or verses) in the Bible. I recommend a book by E. W. Bullinger called Number in Scripture – Its Supernatural Design and Spiritual Significance.
In Hebrew, every letter is given a numerical value, and those values can be added up to achieve the numerical value of a word. Hebrew scholars are not the only group who have considered the concept of gematria, as it is also common to other religions and cultures. Plato referred to Greek gematria (known as isopsephy), and the Abjad numerals are the Arabic equivalent.
Because the Old Testament (the Tanakh) was written in Hebrew and the New Testament in Greek, and because those languages did not have separate numbering systems (the letters themselves stand for numbers), every letter has a numeric value. Therefore, every letter, word, and sentence can be quantified by adding up the value of the letter, the word, and the sentence.
The Hebrew alef-bet (alphabet) consists of 22 letters, each one having an ordinate value and a gematria value. The ordinate value is simply the order in which it appears in the alphabet and ranges from 1-22. The gematria (the Geometry of God) value ranges from 1-10 for the first ten letters, 20-90 for the next eight letters, and 100-400 for the next four letters. The whole numbering system of the Hebrew alphabet adds up to 1495.
The Koine Greek alphabet consists of 24 letters, each assigned a specific numerical value. These values are categorized into three groups (of eight), reflecting the order of the alphabet. The first eight letters of the Greek alphabet, from Alpha to Theta, are assigned values of 1-9 (no letter is assigned to the numeric value of 6). The next eight letters, from Iota to Pi, are assigned values in tens, from 10 to 80 (no letter is assigned to the numeric value of 90). The remaining letters, from Rho to Omega, represent the hundreds, from 100 to 800 (no letter is assigned to the numeric value of 900).
The three Greek letters of Digamma, later called Stigma, (ϛ) with a value of 6, Koppa (ϟ) with a value of 90, and Sampi (ϡ) with a value of 900 had fallen out of usage as letters of the alphabet by the time the New Testament was written but were retained for the numbering system. The only difference that their inclusion makes is that it gives the whole numbering system a total value of 4995. None of these three ‘extra’ letters occur in the New Testament (including Revelation 13:18). 4995 is an interesting number in itself as some of its divisors are 999 x 5, 555 x 9 (or 3 x 3), 333 x 15 (or 3 x 5), 111 x 45 (or 3 x 3 x 5), and 37 x 135 (or 3 x 3 x (3 x 5).
An example of Greek Isopsephy in the Bible is found in Revelation 13:16-18. “He causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: and his number is Six hundred and sixty and six.” (ASV).
Authors note: While Hebrew gematria and Greek isopsephy offer intriguing (and sometimes astounding) insights, it’s essential to balance them with the plain meaning of Scripture. The actual words of Scripture remain paramount, and gematria/isopsephy serves as an additional layer of exploration, as God not only communicates with words but with numbers as well.
HEBREW GEMATRIA
Genesis 1:1, the first verse of the Bible, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,” consists of 7 Hebrew words. Here are their transliterations: Berisit (In the beginning), Bara (created), Elohim (God), et (a particle used in front of the direct object of a verb, in this case, “the heavens and the earth”), Hasamayim (the heavens), We’et (conjunction that means “and” and is used to connect two nouns), and Ha’ares (the earth). It looks like this in Hebrew: בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ
The verse contains 7 Hebrew words and 28 letters (4 x 7 =28). The gematria of the entire verse adds up to 2,701 (73 x 37 = 2,701). 2701 is the 73rd triangular and the 37th hexagonal number. 2701 only has two factors or divisors (besides 1 and 2701), 37 and 73. 37 is the 12th prime number and 73 is the 21st (or 3 x 7) prime number. Jeremiah 10:12 ties in with Genesis 1:1 in that it states that God established the world by His wisdom and power. “He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding He has stretched out the heavens.”
Another Old Testament verse relating to the wisdom of God is found in Psalm, “The Lord by wisdom has founded the earth; by understanding He has established the heavens” (Proverbs 3:19). The gematria value of the Hebrew word חָכְמָה (wisdom) is 73. The transliteration of this word is hakma or chokhmah. This Greek word (חָכְמָה) is translated into our English word wisdom. The ordinate value (order of the letters for a particular word in the Hebrew alphabet) for חָכְמָה is 37 (8 + 11 + 13 + 5 = 37). Hebrew reads from right to left.
Throughout the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments, the numbers 3, 7, 37, and 73 show up frequently in the underlying numeric values. Both 7 and 3 are numerical representatives of God’s divine perfection and perfect order (though the number 3, to a lesser degree than 7). The number 3 represents divine perfection or completion, and the number 7 represents spiritual perfection/completion. These 4 numbers are all prime numbers (their only divisors are 1 and the number itself). If you multiply 37 by multiples of 3, you get 111 (37 x 3), 222 (37 x 6), 333 (37 x 9), 444 (37 x 12), etc.
Many believe that 37 and 73 are God’s numbers because, in theomatics (the mathematics of God), these numbers appear to be the base number on which all references to Jesus (God-the-Son) are structured! For instance, in the Old Testament, the 5 names given to the Son (Jesus) in Isaiah 9:6, “Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” add up in the Hebrew gematria to 1492, which is 4 x 373 (373 is the 74th prime number). 74 = 37 + 37. The 7 Hebrew words for these 5 names are פֶּ֠לֶא יֹועֵץ֙ אֵ֣ל גִּבֹּ֔ור אֲבִיעַ֖ד שַׂר־שָׁלֹֽום
Ivan Panin, who wrote more than 42,000 pages of Bible gematria notes, found over 50 multiples of seven in the first verse of the Bible (Genesis 1). These multiples could not be due to chance and show a higher intelligence than man’s. By adding the numbers in different combinations, one can see many statistically meaningful multiples of the numbers 7, 3, and 37. Here are 45 examples taken from this excellent website, Genesis 1:1 – Evidence For God – Christian Evidence, which gathered this information from books written by Ivan Panin.
A listing of the phenomenal features of the numbers 3, 7, and 37 found in Genesis 1:1
- 7 words in this verse
- 9 (3 x 3) words when contractions in Hebrew are expanded (similar to the English isn’t)
- 3 words on either side of middle word
- 28 (7 x 4) letters in this verse. This is also the 7th triangular number (aka perfect number).
- 7 letters in each of the last four words
- The first 3 words (containing the subject) have 14 (7 x 2) letters.
- The odd numbers among the 14 sums to 42 (7 x 3 x 2)
- Even numbers among the 14 sums to 98 (7 x 7 x 2)
- The last four words (containing the object) also have 14 (7 x 2) letters.
- The nouns have 14 letters (7 × 2).
- The middle word and the one before it are made up of 7
- The middle word and the one after it are made up of 7
- Words 2 and 6 are made up of 3
- Value of first and last letters of all 7 words = 1393 (7 x 199)
- Value of first and last letters of first and last words = 497 (7 x 71)
- Value of first and last letters of first half of the verse = 42 (7 x 3 x 2)
- Value of first and last letters of second half = 91 (7 × 13)
- Value of shortest word and only verb ברא [created] = 203 (7 x 29)
- Value of last letters of first and last words = 490 (7 x 7 x 10)
- Value of first, middle and last letters in verb ברא [created] = 133 (7 x 19)
- Value of first and last letters of each of the words in between = 896 (7 x 128)
- The 3 leading nouns in the verse (God, Heaven, Earth) have a numeric value of 777 (7 x 3 x 37).
- Numerical value of all words = 2701 (37 x 73) = 37th hexagonal number and 73rd triangular number (aka perfect number)
- Numerical value of all words when contractions in Hebrew are expanded = 2275 (7 × 325)
- Numerical value of words 1 and 3 = 913 + 86 = 999 (37 x 3 x 3 x 3)
- Numerical value of words 1, 3 and 6 = 913 + 86 + 407 = 1406 (37 x 38)
- Numerical value of words 1, 3, and 7 = 913 + 86 + 296 = 1295 (37 x 7 x 5)
- Numerical value of words 1, 3, 6 and 7 = 913 + 86 + 407 + 296 = 1702 (37 x 46)
- Numerical value of words 1, 2 and 4 = 913 + 203 + 401 = 1517 (37 x 41)
- Numerical value of words 1, 2, 4 and 6 = 913 + 203 + 401 + 407 = 1924 (37 x 52)
- Numerical value of words 1, 2, 4 and 7 = 913 + 203 + 401 + 296 = 1813 (37 x 7 x 7)
- Numerical value of words 1, 2, 4, 6 and 7 = 913 + 203 + 401 + 407 + 296 = 2220 (37 x 3 x 20)
- Numerical value of words 1, 2, 4, 5 and 6 = 913 + 203 + 86 + 401 + 395 + 407 = 2405 (37 x 65)
- Numerical value of words 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 = 913 + 203 + 86 + 401 + 395 = 1998 (37 x 3 x 3 x 3 x 2)
- Numerical value of words 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7 = 913 + 203 + 86 + 401 + 395 + 296 = 2294 (37 x 62)
- Numerical value of words 2, 4 and 5 = 203 + 401 + 395 = 999 (37 x 3 x 3 x 3)
- Numerical value of words 2, 4, 5 and 7 = 203 + 401 + 395 + 296 = 1295 (37 x 7 x 5)
- Numerical value of words 2, 4, 5, 6 and 7 = 203 + 401 + 395 + 407 + 296 = 1702 (37 x 46)
- Numerical value of words 3 and 5 = 86 + 395 = 481 (37 x 13)
- Numerical value of words 3, 5 and 6 = 86 + 395 + 407 = 888 (37 x 3 x 8)
- Numerical value of words 3, 5, 6 and 7 = 86 + 395 + 407 + 296 = 1184 (37 x 32)
- Numerical value of word 6 = 407 (37 x 11)
- Numerical value of word 7 = 296 (37 x 8)
- Numerical value of words 6 and 7 = 407 + 296 = 703 (37 x 19) = 37th triangular number (aka perfect number)
- Numerical value of all words (2701) added to its reversal, 1027 = 2701 + 1027 = 3773
Note: The information below comes from the book by Mark Vedder and Jim Thompson called Ivan Panin’s Numerics in Scripture (How Mathematics Proves Holy Scriptures). I have checked these numeric values (I used an online version of the Westminster Leningrad Codex) with an online gematria calculator that I have determined is accurate and everything checked out as the book indicated.
“A most elaborate design of 7’s, 3’s, and 37’s runs through the seven words of the first verse of the Bible in Hebrew. As no mere man could by his own attainments perform the feat of such schemes listed here, this verse alone demonstrates its Inspiration by the Master Mathematician of Creation, who duly weighs and counts all that comes from His hand.
Now let’s look at verse 2 in Genesis 1. “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” It looks like this in Hebrew: וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָיְתָ֥ה תֹ֙הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְהֹ֑ום וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם
This verse has 14 Hebrew words with a gematria of 3546. Genesis 1:2a (first 8 Hebrew words) has a gematria of 2177, and Genesis 1:2b has a gematria of 1369. There’s nothing remarkable gematria-wise about this entire verse or the first part, but there is with the second part that has a value of 1369, which is 37 x 37. When there was a pause in creation (“the earth was without form and void, and darkness was prevalent”), we don’t see a multiple of 37, but once we see the Spirit of God moving, we see the multiple of 37.
Verse 3 of Genesis 1 says, “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” This verse has 6 Hebrew words that look like this: וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֖ים יְהִ֣י אֹ֑ור וַֽיְהִי־אֹֽור. The gematria value of these 6 words is 813. This peculiar number equals 20 (or 2 x 10) x 37 + 73, or we could configure 813 as 3 x {37 + 37 + 73 + 73 + (3 x 17).
Verse 4 of Genesis 1 says, “And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.” This verse has 12 Greek words and looks like this: וַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת־הָאֹ֖ור כִּי־טֹ֑וב וַיַּבְדֵּ֣ל אֱלֹהִ֔ים בֵּ֥ין הָאֹ֖ור וּבֵ֥ין הַחֹֽשֶׁךְ (Westminster Leningrad Codex). The gematria value of these 12 Hebrew words is 1776, which is 48 (or 2 x 2 x 3 x 4) x 37 or 2 x 888 (Greek isopsephy of Jesus). The second part, “and God divided the light from the darkness has a value of 813 (20 x 37), which is the same value as verse 3.” {1}
The word “the light” (the transliteration word is ha o wr) is the 10th word in verse 4 and is the 37th word from Genesis 1:1. This 37th word starts with the 137th letter from the beginning of Genesis 1:1. Light is a very important part of the creation process. You have to remember that this was before the sun, moon, and stars were created on the fourth day. The light on the first day was supplied supernaturally by God Himself.
The Hebrew word for “the light” is הָא֖וֹר, which has a gematria of 212 (4 x 53). 4 is the number for the creation, and 53 represents empowerment as there were 53 days from the crucifixion of Jesus to the Holy Spirit coming (with power) upon the disciples of Jesus at Pentecost. Also, 53 is the 16th or (4 x 4) prime number. Jesus said in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world: he that follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
As I mentioned in 137 – The Number of God in Scripture and Science – Part II (rev310.net), Britannica.com defines photosynthesis as the process by which green plants and certain other organisms transform light energy into chemical energy. During photosynthesis in green plants, light energy is captured by a pigment and used to convert water, carbon dioxide, and minerals into oxygen and energy-rich organic compounds. The total number of atoms in the chlorophyll molecule, C55H72O5N4Mg, is 137 (55 + 72 + 5 + 4 + 1). All life on earth depends on this process of converting light into energy for its survival. 137 is the 33rd prime number.
Adonay Yahweh is the transliteration of the two Hebrew words אֲדֹנָי יְהֹוָה. The English translation is “Lord God.” The gematria (numeric value) of these two Hebrew words is 91 or 7 x 13. I don’t believe the number 13 always represents rebellion; it sometimes just represents the relationship between God (7) and man (6). “Lord God” is a name that man is to call his God. The word Adonay or Lord (a lord or master) is spelled with lower caps, while the word LORD or Yahweh (Jehovah) is spelled with all caps. Here is a good example: “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe” (Deuteronomy 10:17).
The 7 Hebrew words in Isaiah 9:6 are 5 names for the Son (Jesus). They are Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. The Hebrew gematria for these five names equal 1492 or 4 x 373. In the next verse, He is called the Lord of hosts. The gematria of this name is 525 or 7 x 75 (or 3 x 5 x 5). In 1 Samuel 2:3, the LORD is called the God of knowledge. This Hebrew term has a gematria of 511 or 7 x 73. In Exodus 17:15, Moses built an altar and called the name of it Jehovah-Nissi, which is translated to either the Lord is my refuge or the Lord is my banner. Jehovah-Nissi’s Hebrew gematria is 146 or 2 x 73.
David writes (and prophesies) in Psalm 118:22-24, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.” On Palm Sunday, after Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem, he went into the temple, where he was questioned by the chief priests and elders. He replied with parables implicating their corruption and immorality. He told them (quoting David), “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone: This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?'” (Matthew 21:42).
Of course, we know Jesus was referring to himself as the chief cornerstone, and the Jews are the builders who rejected him. This was God’s doing as He knew this would happen, for He had foreseen it. The famous verse of Psalm 118:24, “This is the day the LORD has made, We will rejoice and be glad in it,” is actually part of David’s prophecy regarding the rejection of Jesus as the Jew’s Messiah Prince on the day of Palm Sunday! Even though the Messiah would be rejected, the building of His kingdom would continue as He is the chief cornerstone.
The two Hebrew words, רֹ֣אשׁ and פִּנָּֽה translated as “chief cornerstone” have a gematria of 636 or 12 x 53. Twelve is the number for governmental perfection and refers mostly to Israel in the Bible. The number 53 represents the empowerment of the Holy Spirit coming upon Jesus’ disciples on Pentecost 53 days after his crucifixion on Passover (4 days after Palm Sunday). The two Greek words, κεφαλὴν and γωνία, also translated as “chief cornerstone,” have an isopsephy of 1429 or 12 x 119 (or 7 x 17).
Interestingly, the last two verses of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) have a total gematria of 7373, which is 73 x 101. The 26th (13 x 2) prime number is 101. “In all the signs and the wonders, which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land, And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Moses showed in the sight of all Israel” (Deuteronomy 34:11-12).
NEW TESTAMENT ISOPSEPHY
Wikipedia describes isopsephy as the practice of adding up the number values of the letters in a word to form a single number. The total number is then used as a metaphorical bridge to other words evaluating the equal number, which satisfies isos or “equal” in the term. Isopsephy is related to gematria: the same practice using the Hebrew alphabet.
Let’s look at the New Testament, which was written in Greek, and their practice of using isopsephy. The total value of the letters of the Greek alphabet is 4995, which is 37 x 135 (or 5 x 3 x 3 x 3). The isosephy value of Jesus in Greek (Ἰησοῦς) is 888, which is 24 (or 8 x 3) x 37. 24 is the number of letters in the Greek alphabet – from Alpha to Omega. The isopsephy value of Christ (Χριστός) is 1480, which is 37 x 40 (or 4 x 10).
Λόγος, in the Greek isopsephy system, transliterates to Logos and equals 373 (the number contains both 37 and 73). The English translation is Word. 373 is the 74th (or 37 + 37) prime number. The isopsephy of the name Jesus (Ἰησοῦς) is 888, and Christ (Χριστός) is 1480, which is 37 x 40 (or 8 x 5). Jesus Christ is 2368, which is 37 x 64 (or 8 x 8). “The Lamb of God,” a name for Jesus, is only mentioned twice in the Bible (John 1:29,36). These four words in Greek (ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ) have an isopsephy of 1685 or 5 x 337.
The three Greek words “Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου” are translated as “the Son of Man” in English. This particular name for Jesus has an isopsephy of 2960, which is 37 x 80 (or 8 x 10). 2960 also has the divisors of 40 (or 4 x 10) x 74 (or 37 + 37), and 20 (or 2 x 10) x 148 (or 37 x 4).
The number 37 is the sum of 33 and 4. I believe the number 33 represents Jesus (as I have written about several times), and the number 4 signifies creation. So, Elohim (God) created the heavens and the earth according to Genesis 1:1. Elohim consists of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jesus is the 2nd Person of Elohim in Genesis 1:1 and is called the Word in John 1:1.
The pre-incarnate Jesus, the Word (isopsephy of 373), spoke creation into existence (John 1:3). Therefore, the number 37 represents His power and might, whereas 73 represents His wisdom. The number 33 shows up in the gematria of Scripture regularly, as well as the other four numbers (3,7,37,73). However, it is not a prime number.
Here is a new one that I haven’t shared yet regarding the number 33 representing Jesus. There is one mention in the Old Testament of the Son of man (capitalized Son in the KJV) in the Book of Daniel. “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him” (Daniel 7:13). In the KJV, the term is capitalized denoting the deity of this Person. In the first Book of the New Testament, Matthew, the term “Son of man” (the Son is capitalized in the KJV, denoting Jesus as a deity) is mentioned 32 times. Between the Old Testament and the first Book of the New Testament, the (capitalized) Son of man (Jesus) is mentioned 33 times.
In John 8:12, Jesus called Himself the Light of the World. These 3 words (‘of’ is not included in the Greek) in Greek (φῶς τοῦ κόσμου) have a numeric value of 3070 or 10 x 307. 307 is the 63rd (7 x 3 x 3) prime number. The word Word (in John 1:1) or Logos has a value of 373, and the word God (Theos) has a value of 284. If you add them together, you get 657 or 73 x 9 (or 3 x 3). In John 14:6, Jesus told Thomas, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” The isopsephy of this verse in Greek is 5841 (33 x 177). 177 = 3 x 59. The number 59 is the 17th prime number. See the link below for the significance of #17.
In John 14:16, Jesus promises to send the Holy Spirit, which he calls the Comforter (The transliteration is Paraclete, the Greek word is παράκλητον). The isopsephy for this word is 660 or 33 x 20 (or 2 x 10). In verse 17, Jesus uses the term Spirit of Truth, which has a Greek isopsephy of 1348 or 337 x 4.
The famous verse of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life,” in Greek has a numeric value of 14,850, which is 33 x 450 (or 3 x 3 x 5 x 10). What a perfect representation of biblical numerology and isopsephy! By the Father’s Grace (5) and Divine perfection (3), He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus (33), in the fullness of time (10). That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life, which leads to an eternal life of complete perfection (3).
In Revelation 1:8, John is repeating the words of the Lord during his revelation experience with Jesus Christ on the island of Patmos. Jesus told John, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End,” says the Lord, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
This verse’s isopsephy is 8395, which is 365 (or 5 x 73) x 23. It’s interesting to me that one of the divisors is 365, which is the number of days in a year, especially since Jesus is the one who created time (past, present, and future) and the sun and moon on which our calendars are based. The other significant divisors of 8395 are 73 x 115 (or 5 x 23). 23 is the 9th prime number. 9 is the number for judgment or “the judge.” Ivan Panin thought the number 23 meant “full action in every capacity.”
In Revelation 3:14, John is writing a letter to the 7th Church, Laodicea, that’s from Christ, in which He is condemning them for their apathetic faith and works. John is relaying this message in which he describes Jesus Christ with 3 names. “These things say the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God.” The words in bold in Greek have an isopsephy of 6633. Of course, you know 6 is the number for man, and 33 is the number for Jesus. 6633 = 33 x 201 (or 3 x 67). 67 is the 19th prime number. 19 (9 x 10) is the number for perfect judgment, which is exactly what the Church of Laodicea will face if they don’t repent.
Genesis 1:1 describes Elohim creating the Universe. Elohim is the Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. John 1:1 is the continuation of Genesis 1:1 and describes the role Jesus, the Word (or Son), had in the creation process. The Word is mentioned three times in the first verse of John 1. John 1:1 has 17 words with a total letter count of 51 (17 x 3). I wrote about the special numbers 17 and 153 (17 x 51) in Spiritual Significance of Numbers 17 & 153 :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready.
Let’s examine the entire creation story of John 1:1-5. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”
According to my calculations by way of the Greek Textus Receptus (at ONLINE TEXTUS RECEPTUS and KING JAMES John 1 (logosapostolic.org) and the online Greek Bible at John 1:1 – Original Greek Text (greekbible.com), which uses the Novum Testamentum Graece, Nestle-Aland 26th edition, the isopsephy value of the first five verses of John 1 is 26,665 or 5 x 5333. They both agree on this number. Ironically, 5333 is the 706th (353 x 2) prime number.
If you separate the first two digits of 5333 from the second two digits, you have 53 and 33. So basically, you have the three numbers: 5, 53, and 33. To me, these numbers represent how Jesus (33) created all things by his authority (as when He sent the Holy Spirit to His disciples 53 days after His crucifixion) and grace (5). Five is the biblical number for grace. See Biblical Significance of the Number 5: Part I :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready. Another way to look at 5333 is to separate the first digit from the next three digits. This leaves you with 5 and 333, which is 37 x 9 (or 3 x 3).
Another remarkable proof from the gematria of Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1 is the discovery of the values of key mathematical constants to a high degree of accuracy. The calculation of transcendental numbers π and e (Euler’s number), along with the fine structure constant, also known as alpha (α), attest to the authenticity of the text. The identical method to obtain π and e from separate creation accounts from different covenants is evidence of the oneness of the Bible and the hand of the Creator in its compilation. This is truly amazing. See 137: Number of God in Scripture and Science, Part II :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready for the mathematical evidence.
The words of the first verses in the Books of Genesis and John may have been written by Moses (in Hebrew) and John (in Greek), but is there any doubt that the Holy Spirit was influencing their exact words, so the gematria and isopsephy numbers would align as they do to prove the word of God is true and undisputable? God is the Great Designer/Mathematician of the Universe!
I will end with this one amazing passage of scripture and its gematria. It is found in Hosea 6:1-3. “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth.” These verses are a prophecy by Hosea that predicts the LORD’s return to the Earth at the Second Coming. I have written about them many times, as well as two other passages of scripture that I believe relate to Hosea’s prophecy, Psalm 90:4 and 2 Peter 3:8. See The Season of the Lord’s Return :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready.
The Hebrew word mosa for “going forth” in Hosea 6:3 has a gematria of 137. Jesus (as represented symbolically with the number 33) came to us the first time as the latter rain (during the spring season). He will return (go forth) to the earth the second time as the former rain (during the fall season). Isn’t it interesting that 137 is the 33rd prime number?
The gematria of these 3 verses in Hebrew (31 words) is 6660. This is an amazing number, not only because it contains the 666 number but because of its divisors. Remember, the number 6 (and 666) is not bad as there are no bad numbers. 6 is simply the number of man, who was created on the 6th day. Six is one shy of God’s perfect number seven, indicating man’s imperfection and human nature.
The words “six hundred and sixty six” of Revelation 13:18 (verse 18 is ironically 6 + 6 + 6) is merely the Greek isopsephy of the Antichrist’s name or title. His name or title will add up to a numerical value of six hundred (ἑξακόσιοι) and sixty (ἑξήκοντα) six (ἕξ). This is different than the number 666. Just because the Antichrist’s name (or title) has a numeric value of six hundred and sixty-six doesn’t make 666 an evil number.
However, I would say that it isn’t merely ironic but is intentional on the part of the A.C. I don’t think he will be born with this name (with an isopsephy of six hundred and sixty-six) but will choose it, fulfilling his desire to be the like the Son of man, only his father will be Satan. I think the “mark of the beast” could be three stigma ligatures, ϛ ϛ ϛ. This ligature represents the Greek letter 6. However, the Antichrist’s name will add up to six hundred and sixty-six.
The number 666 (not the isopsephy numeric value) is actually another number for Jesus as the Son of man (and the second Person of the triune God). 666 = 37 x 18 (or 6 x 3, with 6 being man’s number and 3 being God’s number). The number 666 should represent Jesus’ human nature as the Son of man, but just as the number 33 was hijacked by the esoteric and occult Freemasons and new age gurus, so has 666 been claimed as the ‘number’ for evil followers of Satan. When the Antichrist comes, he will not only be against Christ but will try to replace Him as God.
Jesus’ number is 33. The number 4 represents creation. So, 33 + 4 = 37. The numbers 37 and 373 represent the Word (of God) who spoke the heavens and the earth into existence. There are 36 divisors or factors for 6660. 36 = 18 (or 6 + 6 + 6) x 2. Half of these divisors (18) are multiples of 37, which is quite rare. I will list these divisors below from the highest to the lowest. The remaining divisors of 6660 that are not multiples of 37 are on the right side (1,2,3,4,5,6,9…).
DIVISORS OF 6660
6660 (or 37 x 180) x 1
3330 (or 37 x 90) x 2
2220 (or 37 x 60) x 3
1665 (or 37 x 45) x 4
1332 (or 37 x 36) x 5
1110 (or 37 x 30) x 6
740 (or 37 x 20) x 9
666 (or 37 x 18) x 10
555 (or 37 x 15 ) x 12
444 (or 37 x 12) x 15
370 (or 37 x 10) x 18
333 (or 37 x 9) x 20
222 (or 37 x 6) x 30
185 (or 37 x 5) x 36
148 (or 37 x 4) x 45
111 (or 37 x 3) x 60
74 (or 37 x 2) x 90
37 (or 37 x 1) x 180
I believe the number 6660 represents the true Son of man, Jesus Christ, returning to the Earth in His heavenly nature at His second advent as the Word of God (Revelation 19:13). 6660 = 666 x 10. The number 10 represents ordinal perfection. I believe after two days (two thousand years for the LORD) the Son of Man will return to Earth in His glorified form as the Word of God. 2000 years is equal to 2 x 10 x 10 x 10.
During the last days of Daniel’s 70th week, the remnant Jews who are about to be exterminated by the A.C. will cry out for Jesus to save them. Then, and only then, will Jesus return to Earth. “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offense, and seek my face: in their affliction, they will seek me early” (Hosea 5:15).
The same Word of God who spoke creation into being (as represented by the numbers 37 and 373) will hear the cries of His people and will save a third (approximately 33.3%) of them. “It shall come to pass, that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein. And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The Lord is my God” (Zechariah 13:8-9).
Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus!
Randy Nettles
Endnotes: {1} Ivan Panin’s Numerics in Scripture (How Mathematics Proves Holy Scriptures)
P.S. One more (I promise). The Greek word ἁρπάζω (harpazo) in Latin is rapturo, and this is where we get our English word rapture. It means to seize, snatch, or carry away. ἁρπάζω in the future tense form is ἁρπαγησόμεθα and means “we shall be caught up” or “we shall be snatched away.” This is the proper word used in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 as it takes place in the future (“shall be caught up together with them in the clouds”). It has an isopsephy of 518 or 37 x 14 (or 2 x 7)… a double dose of spiritual perfection. Does the number 518 look familiar to anyone?