What Does It Mean

The aim of this study is to focus on Biblical numerology. Numbers can reveal evidences of a Designer of the Word of God. The numbers communicate amazing spiritual connotations throughout the Word of God. In this simple study I hope to set forth some things from the numbers that will amaze you and quicken your interest in the distinctive Revelations of the Glorified Christ of Heaven to the Apostle Paul.

I hope the numbers will help you come to understand more clearly or perhaps for the first time to grasp the importance of the writings of the Apostle Paul. All is in an effort to let the world, especially the religious world, know that the writings of Paul take complete supremacy for this new Dispensation of Grace in which we live; this new dispensation which was given by special Revelation of the Risen and Glorified Christ of Heaven to Paul. Eph. 3:2-9.

I hope to prove my point through the use of numbers. In Scripture numbers call attention to the importance of various aspects of the Word of God. Some "symbolical numbers" actually have great significance and make a good study. And example of this would be to study these numbers individually for meaning: 10, 40, 666. Or study symbolic numbers in their relationship to chronology or prophecy. The study of numbers is not an exact science and in some cases could lead to ridiculous speculation. Many times things can be seen where it is doubtful if anything is there and this is true if the numbers are forced. If forced the conclusions may not be entirely free from defects. However, a simple study may yield a lot of satisfaction and some surprising conclusions.

It is my hope to arrive at some valuable illustrations from the Word of God. In one sense this is a subject that has not been completely explored, especially by modern day students. There is a lot of room to explore numbers and in so doing one might be encouraged in his own faith and come to understand Divine perfection and inspiration of the Word. As our title suggests, we are going to study the numbers 6 and 7 and combinations of those numbers. Numbers such as 6 and 7 together; 14 which is double 7; and 42 which is 6 x 7.

We are going to look at some basic meanings of the numbers listed: Number 6: When looked at as 4 plus 2 it refers to man's world. 4 refers to man's enmity to God and the 2 refers to a difference, that is when man is involved the difference implies opposition or enmity. It is important that "difference" means divisions as well, but only divisions which are Divine [can't be divisions concerning human arrangement]. In our present study we are concerned with man's opposition to God and that is clearly what we have in 6 and 4 plus 2.

Six concerns all that is connected with man and six doubled or 12 means governmental perfection, but when it is divided it becomes imperfection in rule and administration. Imperfection can be seen in 1 Kings 10:19, Solomon's throne had six steps and his Kingdom was soon divided. The 12 loaves of Shew Bread were divided into two sixes in Lev. 24:6. The 12 tribes were divided. Abraham interceded 6 times for Sodom in Genesis 18 showing man's imperfection even in prayer. Even in prayer we fall short! We are human and we know not what to pray. Imperfection, just because we are human.

Burnt offerings in Genesis are mentioned 6 times and the 7th there was a Divine substitution as God Himself provided the seventh. [Gen. 22:2,3,6,7,8,13] Then in Nehemiah there is a six-fold opposition to the Word of God. Anytime man seeks to work for God there is this type of opposition: Grief [2:10]; Laughter [ 2:19]; Wrath, indignation and mocking [4:1-4]; fighting and open opposition [4:7-8]; conference (talk about it was a ploy to get them away from the work) [6:1,2]; false friends, Satan "as an angel of light" seeking to stop the work [6:10-14]. There are great lessons here concerning opposition to the work of God by man and the Devil.

Jesus was charged 6 times with having a devil: 1. Mark 3:22; Matt.12:24 "He hath Beelzebub". 2. John 7:20, "Thou hast a devil." 3. John 8:48 "Say we not well that....thou hast a devil?" 4. John 8:52 "Now we know that Thou hast a devil." 5. John 10:20 "He hath a devil, and is mad." 6. Luke 11:15 "He casteth out devils by Beelzebub". Here we see that mans opposition to the Person of Christ has the number 6.

The point I want to stress with number 6 is the work of man and his imperfection. Man just can't get it right; God says "my ways are not your ways". Man always falls short and that is pointed out time and again with the dispensational approach to studying the Bible. In each dispensation man is given a test and he fails every time. Even when we get down to this present dispensation when salvation is by faith alone in Christ alone, man fails. Man wants to add something to Perfection and that makes perfection imperfection. I don't want to state my main point just yet so we will move on to number 7.

Number 7: This is the number that everyone knows, even if they never think much about numbers. Seven is the number of spiritual perfection. This number is prominent especially concerning the veracity of the Word of God. Seven and multiples of seven are all over the place and the same is true when seven is used in combination with other numbers; the glories of spiritual perfection are revealed.

Six and Seven together combine and contrast that which is human and that which is spiritual. This of course makes us sit up and take notice of the fact that Jesus was both 100 percent human and also 100 percent Divine; the God-Man in one Person. In the Greek, the word "Jesus", His birth name, is composed of 6 letters; while His Divine title "Christ" has 7 letters in the Greek. Not only that, but His genealogies are stamped with 6 and 7. The Number 14 has some importance as a double number. It implies a double measure of spiritual perfection.

The Number 42 is made up of 6 x 7 and shows the connection between man and the Spirit of God. Also between Antichrist and Christ. So it is man against God. Six is the number of man and man opposes God. The number 42 then becomes significant of man's opposition to God. You have heard of the phrase "all sixes and sevens"; This is what we have: man mixes up his ideas with the things of God and comes up with religion. Religion is the fleshly man trying to engage in Spiritual things.

The point I am going to try to make with NUMBERS is to try and prove that Paul did not write the letter to the Hebrews. The title page, not inspired, of the King James Bible states that Paul did write Hebrews, but lets take a look at Hebrews 2:3 "how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him." Another thing that is important is that it would not be important that Paul wrote Hebrews unless it contained Pauline theology.

Only in the loosest sense can any part of Hebrews be called Pauline. To the contrary, it fits in perfectly with the writings of Peter, James, John, and Jude of the circumcision. And from the text just stated if "salvation.....was confirmed to us by those who heard," is true then it means that Paul heard it from men and then we have to wonder how he could have written Gal. 1:1,11,12,16; Gal. 2:2? Paul tells us that no one confirmed salvation to him but rather by direct revelation from Christ of heaven did he receive it.

Then too, if Paul wrote Hebrews, he wasn't writing about the gospel he preached which came with eternal security. Here in Hebrews 2:1-4 the writer is talking to believers and there is contingency and doubt about salvation not only in this passage but throughout the entire letter. Even the noted Baptist grammarian A.T. Robertson noted the contingency with the 3rd class conditions in the Greek; maybe so and maybe not and he ended up saying, "We are God's house if we do not play the traitor and desert." He may have been referring to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel". They were in covenant relationship , in the house, and then they did not abide nor obey nor endure and were lost.

Then note that in chapter 11, the faith chapter, the Holy Spirit did not mention Abram who simply believed for righteousness and was saved. This means that the Holy Spirit chose his illustrations dispensationaly. He did not mention in Hebrews uncircumcised Abram who was saved by faith. That is how we are saved in the dispensation of Grace, but that is not how the nation of Israel was saved under the covenant of circumcision. It was faith plus work. Faith plus circumcision; then water baptism was later added as well as endurance and abiding. Hebrews fits right in with the other circumcision writings. Hebrews is not a part of the mystery program for the church today. Peter or Barnabas may have written Hebrews but it wasn't Paul.

If Paul did not write Hebrews that leaves us with 13 Pauline letters and epistles; 6 were written during the Acts period and 7 prison epistles written at the end of Acts from Rome. We note that the six epistles written during the Acts period contained some things that were later not made a part of the 7 prison epistles. The things that were dropped all had to do with man, hence number 6. Now in 1 Cor. 13:8-10 we read, "Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail, whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge , it will vanish away. [8] For we know in part and we prophesy in part. [9] But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away."

In these verses the in part things: 1) will fail (prophecies) 2) will cease (tongues) 3) will vanish away (knowledge) 4) and for emphasis all the "in parts" will be done away with. Note that all three of these things were a part of the establishment of the ministry of Paul in making known the mystery. And of course we have man abusing these things and misusing them.

There are three other things that we see in the Acts established. They are all things that we see Paul doing and then we don't see them any more once the prison epistles are completed. Paul took vows, Jewish vows , they have no place in the mystery program; Paul circumcised Timothy, which is man doing something to man. And in the new dispensation of Grace it was in opposition to the mystery program. Paul did not circumcise Titus and so this problem got straightened out well before the end of Acts. The third thing that we see Paul doing in the acts period is water baptism. But this too, Paul stopped doing and we don't see him baptizing after 1 Cor. 1:17.

So what we have are 6 letters and epistles in which things are incomplete and man is doing something to man; man is cutting off the foreskin of man, circumcision; man is water baptizing man. How many unbelievers have been water baptized by man? These six epistles are to be seen as the incomplete epistles. Many of the great doctrines of the Body of Christ are not fully developed until we get to the prison epistles.

In Number 7 we see the prison epistles and the complete Revelation of Christ to Paul in written form. Everything is now on a spiritual level and the number 14 or double 7 indicates double perfection. That is what we have in the prison epistles. Double perfection means that man can do nothing for salvation. Belief is even a non-meritorious act of faith.

God does it all; God has a perfect plan for us today. And the writings of Paul are complete and perfect. We don't have to look to any other portion of the Bible for our theology nor for what constitutes the Christian life. In Paul's writings alone we have everything we need for our doctrine and way of life as Citizens of Heaven.

Paul received a Revelation concerning the number One. One, in all languages means unity. It also means primacy. And that is what we have in the Revelation of the Mystery of this new Dispensation. Eph. 4:3-6 He tells us that we, being believers, are to walk worthy "endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. [3] There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling. [4] one Lord, one faith, one baptism; [5] one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." [6]

Look at the ones----one baptism! Water baptism is no more! There is only one baptism and the Holy Spirit is the baptizer (1 Cor. 12:13) If water baptism were in order for today then there would be two baptisms. It was revealed to Paul to stop water baptism (1 Cor. 1:17) and it was revealed to him that now there was only one baptism. And it is Spirit baptism and so now baptism is the "operation of God"; man is identified with Christ and the church which is His Body with a dry baptism. The Spirit does not baptize unbelievers; man has baptized many unbelievers. No wonder there is so much disunity in the church today. More ink blotters (books) have been written about water baptism! Nonsense!

Drop it! Listen to Paul, he said, "Follow Me" (1 Cor. 11:1) Paul stopped baptizing and everyone else should as well. It is a human thing and we are now in a Spiritual dispensation. The things of Israel have been laid aside until Israel comes into view again after the rapture of the Body Church which ends this dispensation. Notice one of the other ones---one body. There aren't going to be any denominations in heaven, just one body; so why not endeavor to keep the unity? Everyone claims they want the truth. Here it is! Colossians 1:25 "of which I was made a minister according to the dispensation of God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the Word of God."

1. Paul tells us what dispensation he was talking about in verse 26. "The mystery", and "the Word of God" are in apposition which means that the Word of God is the mystery and the mystery is the Word of God. We note that Paul used the word "mystery" some 18 times with reference to a distinct body of truth revealed to him. This body of truth was kept secret until it was revealed to him.

This is emphasized further in verse 26 by the phrase "having been hidden from previous ages and generations". Hence, it was hid in God, or the Godhead.(Rom. 16:25; 1 Cor.2:7-9; Eph. 3:5,9) Further the word "now" in this verse indicates when the revealing of this truth began, and it took some 15 to 25 years to get it all. That is why we see some things in the epistles written during the Acts period that we don't see later in the prison epistles. (Eph.3:5)

2. In Col. 1:25 the phrase "to fulfill the Word of God." is key. The word "fulfill" is the word which means "to fill". And then remember we said that the next phrase "the Word of God" is in apposition to the first two words of the next verse (v.26) "the mystery" and we said that that means that "the Word of God" is "the mystery" and "the mystery" is "the Word of God." So it is Paul's writings, (13 letters and epistles) which is the complete Revelation of the Mystery in written form that completes, makes perfect, God's written Word for this new dispensation of Grace.

3. We are not saying that his writing completed the entire Bible, but just that part of the Bible that pertains to our dispensation of grace. That happened in 62 AD. Someone says, well, what about the writings of Peter and the others that came later? Note well, their writings would pertain and make complete the Word for the Dispensation of Israel.

They would pertain to the kingdom believers that were saved up to the point at which Israel was set aside in unbelief in AD 70, They would continue to apply to that generation of Jews who were saved as Kingdom believers through the ministry of the circumcision Apostles. After the rapture of the church to end the present dispensation, the non-Pauline writings of the entire Bible will apply to the Jews of the tribulation and the Millennial Kingdom which will be set up at the Second Advent.

So what we have is a set of writings by Paul, Six in number, written during the Acts period. Number six being the number of man and man's opposition to God. That is what we had during the Acts period. Paul had to defend his gospel time and time again. He had to resist Jewish practices and stop them as he received Revelation to do so. The six written during the Acts period were 1 and 2 Thessalonians; 1 and 2 Corinthians; Galatians and Romans.

In contrast Paul's seven prison epistles were written after Israel was set aside in 62 AD included: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, Philemon, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. Seven of course, the number of Spiritual perfection. And 6x7 is 42 and that is the number of man's opposition to God. And how that pictures what has happened to the Revelation of the Mystery for this dispensation of Grace. Man has simply refused to follow Paul as he follows the Risen and Glorified Christ of Heaven. They follow the 12 Apostles that are not a part of this dispensation. And they follow Paul in the one thing that he stopped doing.

My, how they like to water baptize! And all of the divisions caused over that one subject---my how man likes his religion. Man today is in opposition to God in the rejection of the mystery revelation. They do not follow Paul as he said, "Follow Me" (1 Cor. 11:1). The Revelation is Perfect and complete in written form and man is in opposition to it. How long will the longsuffering of God last? The church is in shambles, the body of Christ is split into 3000 pieces. And the faithful say, "Come, Lord Jesus."

Oh, how did we do? Did we prove that Paul did not write Hebrews? Get the point: if Paul wrote Hebrews, which has no Revelation of the Mystery at all in it, how does it fit in with the Revelation? This way, number 6 says that the early writing of Paul were not complete and had some human elements in them; but number 7 says that with the prison epistles the Revelation is now "complete" and on an entirely spiritual level. And number 42 tells us of man's opposition to God in the rejection of the Revelation of the Mystery.

Note that it was not Paul's ministry to encourage Kingdom believers by writing to them; Paul had a commission to go to the Jews with a confirmation ministry. Actually we could call it a condemnation ministry; from synagogue to synagogue from Jerusalem to Rome Paul would tell the Jews that Christ was their long-awaited Messiah. By the time he got to Rome Paul could pronounce the Isa. 6:9,10 judgment on Israel for the last time (Acts 28:28). Hebrews was addressed to the 12 Tribes of Israel; it has nothing to do with the Body of Christ and this new dispensation. Therefore, six and seven says that Paul did not write Hebrews! [see postscript #1]

Postscript #1

Some textual evidence that Paul did not write Hebrews has already been discussed. The external evidence of the Church Fathers is in favor of Paul's authorship. There are some able men today who are in favor of Pauline authorship, but there are also some able conservatives who believe otherwise. Those that believe that Paul was the author of Hebrews point to 2 Peter 3:15-16, and to "...as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you," claim that if this phrase is not referring to Hebrews, then the epistle Paul wrote to them is lost.

Their logic is that we can't have a lost epistle and so Hebrews is that epistle. That sounds like good logic but it is not sound logic. Here is the key---the Holy Spirit saw fit to not ascribe Hebrews to Paul, hence, that was not an oversight on the part of the Holy Spirit. We know that according to Peter that Paul wrote something to the Jewish believers, but apparently it was not to be included in the Word of God for some reason known to the Holy Spirit, but not to us.

The Holy Spirit didn't see fit to tell us that Paul authored Hebrews. The Holy Spirit is silent on the subject. Now if the Holy Spirit is silent on the subject, we should also be silent. But, oh, how we want to know! And concerning the tragedy of a "lost" epistle, all I have to say is that if God had wanted it preserved as a part of the Bible it would have been.

Whatever Paul wrote to them it apparently was for their use temporarily as that generation was going to die out. What was already written was plenty for the Jews to use in the future after the Body Church was raptured. In fact, just eliminate Paul's epistles and what is left takes the Dispensation of Israel right on down to the Tribulation and the Second Advent and the millennial reign without missing a beat.

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