There are several numbers with significant meanings recorded in the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, and all of them carry spiritual meanings. For example, the Israelites lived in the wilderness for 40 years after the Exodus from Egypt and then entered Canaan the land flowing with milk and honey. Jesus also offered up 40-day fasting before He started His public ministry. The number 4 symbolizes 'the earth' and 'suffering'.
The number 6 symbolizes 'cultivation' and 'completion in the fleshly world'. Jesus was invited to a wedding in Cana of Galilee and performed the first sign of changing the water into wine. He told the servants to fill the 6 water pots up to the brim. It implies six thousand years of human cultivation after Adam was sent out from the Garden of Eden due to his transgression. Now let's delve into the spiritual meanings of the numbers 3, 7, 12, and 17.
3_The number of 'accordance' for the 'accomplishment of perfection'
'Accordance' means 'conformity to the qualifications' or 'agreement in the will'. God the Creator has existed as God the Trinity—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and the Trinity has been guiding mankind to salvation in agreement.
Jesus came to the earth in flesh to fulfill His duty as the Savior. Before He started His 3-year public ministry at the age of thirty, He was led by the Spirit to the wilderness and received the 3 temptations of the devil. Also, on the 3rd day from His crucifixion and burial, He overcame death and was risen with the resurrected body.
Prophet Jonah was ordered by God to go to Nineveh the great city and to tell them about the impending judgment. But he disobeyed the will of God. While he was fleeing on a ship to Tarshish, there was a great storm on the sea. He ended up in the stomach of a great fish. After he thoroughly repented eating nothing for 3 days, he was saved.
7_The number of 'completion' and 'perfection'
As written in the book of Genesis, God completed the Creation and rested on the 7th day. Since He rested on the 7th day after all the work of the Creation, He blessed the day and sanctified it.
The seven Spirits of God written in Revelation refer to the heart of God that examines the 7 aspects of each person. The number 7 implies that God examines the heart of men perfectly without any error.
In the fourth chapter of Leviticus, blood of sin offering had to be sprinkled 7 times. This means that the person who gave the sin offering shook off the sin completely. Naaman, the Commander of the Army of Aram, was also healed of his leprosy after he submerged himself in the Jordan River 7 times. Elijah also received the answer to his prayer for great rain after he prayed 7 times. Jesus said in Matthew 18:22, "I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven." It means we should forgive others completely.
12_The number of 'light'
The number 12 appears when an important providence of God is explained. Jesus said in John 11:9, "Are there not twelve hours in the day?" He told us to walk in the day since it is bright during the day, and the true Light spiritually refers to our Lord Jesus (John 1:9).
Through 12 sons of Jacob, God founded Israel, the nation of God's elect and sent Jesus to the earth in the genealogy of David. He selected 12 disciples, and with them He preached the gospel all over the world and fulfilled His duty as the Savior.
In New Jerusalem, the most beautiful place in heaven, the names of 12 tribes of Israel are recorded on the 12 gates of pearl, the names of the 12 apostles are on the 12 foundation stones of the city wall, and 12 kinds of fruit are borne on the trees at the riverside of the River of Water of Life.
17_The number of 'fruit' and 'fulfillment'
The number 17 implies that God Himself works according to His will and providence. Noah's flood was the event that clearly revealed the implication. It was the final inevitable choice made by a merciful and patient God. At the same time, it carried His expectation for many true children to come forth through the new phase of human cultivation that would start from Noah. It was again the expression of His will that He would surely achieve it.
When Noah was 600 years old, the flood started on February 17, and the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat on July 17 since the water had subsided. When Joseph, the son of Jacob, was sold to Egypt, he was 17 years old. The number 17, above all, stands for fruit. It symbolizes the renewal of many people at the end time and accomplishment of the providence for the end time.
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