A Bible mystery explained

Transcript of “A Bible mystery explained”

If a Greek speaker refers to the New Testament books of 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, they say "Iouanou Alpha", "Iouanou Beta", "Iouanou Gamma". Alpha Beta Gamma ... 1 2 3.

If a Hebrew speaker refers to Chapter 1, Verse 8 in the Bible, they say, "Perek alef, Pasuch chet". Alef, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, has a numeric value of 1. Chet 8.

Hebrew and Greek are the only languages were each and every letter of the alphabet has a numeric value. We don't have this feature in English, but that doesn't mean that Hebrew or Greek speakers are being mystical or indulging in superstition. Hebrew and Greek are ancient languages that pre-date numerals as we know them.

Here is another thing ... 1 2 3 4 5 6, etc, isn't the only way to count. Sometimes we count by even numbers ... 2 4 6 8 10 12, etc. Or, say, by fives ... 5 10 15 20, etc. That's easy. That feels natural to us. We are familiar with it.

But people who work with numbers have other ways of counting, of identifying a progression of numbers. For example, prime numbers are numbers that cannot be divided ... 2 3 5 7 11 13 17 19 23, etc. Whole numbers that cannot be reduced. The progression goes on and on.

Just because we can't rattle off the list of prime numbers the way we say 10 20 30 40 50, etc, doesn't mean that it's an invalid way to count. Prime numbers are just as much a feature of our numeric system as say even numbers are, or uneven numbers are. People who work with numbers would also say, for example, this (5) is the third prime number ... the third on the list. Or, this (11) is the fifth prime number, etc.

Another list of numbers that certain people work with are triangular numbers. 1 3 6 10 15, etc. The list goes on according to a set progression. Again, they'd say this (3) is the second triangular number. Or this (10) is the fourth triangular number.

If you've got these principles, let me show you something amazing ... something that shows that the Old Testament and the New Testament are locked together. Something that couldn't have happened by chance. Something that looks like design.

The first verse of the Bible says "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). In Hebrew, "Bereshit bara Elohim et ha'shamayim ve'et ha'aretz."

Apply the numeric value of each letter of the Hebrew alphabet and we come up with a value for each word and for the total. The total for the sentence is 2701. 2701 is 37 x 73. 37 is a prime number, and 7y3 is a prime number. Note how these two prime numbers reflect each other. 3 7 ... 73.

It also happens that 37 is the 12th prime number and 73 is the 21st prime number. Note how these numbers reflect each other. 1 2 ... 2 1.

The total for the verse, 2701, is a triangular number ... the 73rd triangular number.

But there is another book in the Bible that starts out "In the beginning ..." It's the Gospel of John, in the New Testament. It says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1) In the original Greek text: "En archi in o Logos, Kai o Logos in proston Theon, Kai Theos in o Logos".

Apply the numeric value of each letter of the Greek alphabet and we come up with a value for each word, and for the total. The total for the first verse of John chapter 1 is 3627. And 3627 can be expressed as 39 x 93. Note how these numbers reflect each other. 39 ... 93.

Two key verses in the Bible, one Old Testament and the other New Testament, and they both start by saying "In the beginning ..." and they both have a numeric value that breaks down to numbers that reflect each other.

Just a minute ... 39 and 93 are not prime numbers. But break them down to prime numbers and we get 13 x 3 x 3 x 31. And that string reflects itself. 1 3 3 ... 3 3 1.

I don't think that any of this is by accident.

One last thing. Is 3627 ... the total value of John 1:1 ... a triangular number? No, it's not.

But add 3627 to the numeric value of Genesis 1:1 (2701) and we get 6,328. And that is a triangular number.

In other words, John 1:1 is locked onto Genesis 1:1. They go together. There is a mathematical seal that connects the New Testament with the Old Testament.

It confirms what we read in the plain text of the Bible. The Word is Jesus (John 1:14). And the One who created the heavens and the earth is Jesus (Colossians 1:16)