Part Three
Death
"TWENTY-THREE"
Compiled by
Keith Hunt
The following is taken from the book THE ARITHMETIC OF GOD,
first published in 1976. For this study we need to keep in mind
that the book has already given the meaning to other numbers,
namely:
10 = Law; 11 = Judgment; 12 = Divine Authority; 13 =
Sin,Rebellion, Depravity; and some other numbers that are
mentioned in the expounding of this, the number 23, or DEATH.
" More evidence can be found on the number 23, death, than
any other number except resurrection.......
The passage that opened the understanding of death is in
Romans 1:28-32, ' And even as they did not like to retain God in
their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do
those things that are not convenient; (1) Being filled with all
unrighteousness,(2) fornication,(3) wickedness,(4) covetousness,
(5) maliciousness; (6) full of envy, (7) murder, (8) debate,
(9) deceit, (10) malignity, (11) whisperers,(12) backbiters, (13)
haters of God, (14) despiteful, (15) proud, (16) boasters, (17)
inventors of evil things, (18) disobedient to parents, (19)
without understanding, (20) covenant breakers, (21) without
natural affection, (22) implacable, (23) unmerciful: Who knowing
the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are
worthy of DEATH, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them
that do them.'
There are 23 inconvenient things listed above, and, of
course, they came from Paul, who followed them by saying, ' Who
knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things
are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in
them that do them ' (Romans 1:28-32).
' Being filled with all unrighteousness ' has 23 Greek
letters. In the last part of the scripture where the statement
'judgment of God' is found, they had brought JUDGMENT upon
themselves which resulted in DEATH. Number 11(judgment) and
12(divine authority) added together equals 23, or DEATH.
1 Cor.15:56 states, ' The sing of DEATH is sin; and the
strength of sin is the LAW.' Sin(number 13) and Law(number 10)
result in DEATH(number 23).
Paul said, ' I was alive without the law once: but when the
commandment came, sin revived and I died ' (Rom.7:9). Sin alone
did not bring death; the law combined to bring death. The
law(number 10) added to sin(number 13) brought death to
him........
In Numbers 15:32-36, a man brought JUDGMENT upon himself by
breaking the fourth commandment concerning the Sabbath, the
seventh day. That JUDGMENT was pronounced by God, ' And the Lord
said unto Moses, This man shall be surely put to DEATH ' (verse
35). When 12 (divine authority), is added to 11 (judgment) the
sum is 23, or DEATH.
Genesis 6:12-13 reads, ' And God looked upon the earth, and
behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon
the earth. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come
before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them;
and behold, I will destroy them with the earth.'
Here the name of Noah appears the TENTH time. Man's SIN,
represented by 13, is seen in this passage. Add 10 to 13 and
they total 23, DEATH, which came upon all flesh.
The 23rd time Noah's name occurs in Gen.7:23, it is said, '
and Noah only remained ALIVE, and they that were with him in the
ark.' The connects the FLOOD and those that DIED with 23, DEATH,
in two different places.
Noah was of the 10th generation. It was in his day that
DEATH was sent upon the ungodly for their SINS. Thirteen(sin)
added to Ten(law) equals 23, or DEATH.
Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, were of the 11th
generation. The number 11(judgment) came in their day. That
JUDGMENT was executed by DIVINE POWER AND AUTHORITY. When the
number for divine power and authority, 12, is added to 11
(judgment) the sum is again 23, or DEATH. So four different
times 23 representing DEATH was connected with the flood.
The account of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is also
represented by 23, or death, ' And ABRAHAM gat up early in the
morning to the place where he stood before the Lord: And he
looked towards Sodom and Gomorrah, and towards all the land of
the plain, and behold, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up
as the smoke of a furnace ' (Gen.19:27-28). The count on the
name ABRAHAM comes to 23 in Gen.17:9, not in Gen.17:5, where he
is called Abram.
The number 23 is also associated with the DEATH of Abraham.
' Then Abraham gave up the spirit, and died in a good old age, an
old man, and full of years; and was gathered to his people. And
his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of
Machpelah.......' (Gen.25:8-9). Isaac's name occurs the 23rd
time in this account.
A threat of DEATH is found when JACOB'S name occurs the 23rd
time, ' And these words Esau her elder son were told to Rebekah:
and she sent and called Jacob her younger son, and said unto him,
Behold, your brother Esau, as touching you, does comfort himself,
purposing to KILL you ' (Gen.27:42). The name Jacob occurred the
23rd time in this scripture.
The 23rd time the name of Haman occurs in the book of
Esther, the instrument of DEATH fell on Mordecia, ' And the thing
pleased Haman; and he caused the gallows to be made ' (Esther
5:14). Haman's name appears the 23rd time in Esther 5:14.
The TEN sons of Haman were put to DEATH on the 13th day of
the month (Esther 9:1-10). Number 10 and 13 added together equal
23, again the number for DEATH. It is a law, number 10, and sin,
number 13, bring DEATH (1 Cor.15:56).
The evil report of the TEN unfaithful spies caused Israel to
refuse to go up and posses the land of Canaan (Numbers 13:25-32).
They were turned back into the wilderness until all who had been
numbered should DIE, except Caleb and Joshua. When 10, the number
of unbelieving spies, is added to 13, the number of Israel's sin,
the sum is 23, or DEATH.
The 10 unfaithful spies represent the LAW which provoked
SIN. God said unto those who followed after the 10 unfaithful
spies, ' Doubtless you shall not come into the land.......'
(Num.14:30). The inheritance did not come through LAW,
represented by the 10 unfaithful spies. ' For if they which are
of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of
none effect ' (Rom.4:14).
Christ DIED at the NINTH hour of the 14th day. We know that
Christ died on the Passover day, or the 14th day of the month. '
and there was darkness over all the earth until the NINTH hour.
And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in
the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, He said,
Father, into your hands I commend my spirit: and having said
this, He gave up the spirit ' (Luke 23:44-46). Matthew connects
the tearing of the veil in the temple with Jesus yielding up His
spirit in Matthew 27:50-51.
When NINE, the hour of DEATH, is added to 14(the day of
death) the sum is 23, or DEATH.
The DEATH of Dorcas, also called Tabitha, came right after
Peter's name was mentioned the 23rd time in Acts 9:34. In Acts
9:36-37 the record of the DEATH of Dorcas is given, Peter's name
occurs THREE times, and Dorcas is RAISED BACK TO LIFE (Acts 9:
36-40).
In this instance 23 is DEATH and THREE - RESURRECTION.
The words 'death,' 'die,' 'dead,' and dieth' are found 23
TIMES in the book of Hebrews. 'Dead' is found in the same verse
where the word 'blood' is found the 20th time, ' Now the God of
peace, that brought again from the DEAD our Lord Jesus, that
great shepherd of the sheep, through the BLOOD of the everlasting
covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do His
will........' (Heb.13:20-21). The book deals with REDEMPTION
from DEATH. Number 20 stands for REDEMPTION, and redemption
comes through the blood. In the same verse, DEATH comes under
consideration the 23rd time, and the BLOOD which REDEEMS occurs
the 20th time.
Number 23 is found three times in Rev.17:3, ' So he carried
me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit
upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having
seven heads and ten horns.'
The word 'beast' occurs the 23rd time in this scripture.
There are also 23 Greek words in that statement. A woman, the
great harlot, is mentioned 6 times in verses 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, and
18, and is seen on a beast with 7 heads and 10 horns. When 6, 7
and 10 are added together the total is 23, DEATH.
John was told in Revelation 17:2-3 that he would be shown
the JUDGMENT of the great whore. In verse 18, John said, 'And the
woman which you saw is the great city , which reigns over the
kings of the earth.' In Rev.18:8, John states, ' Therefore shall
her plagues come in one day, DEATH, and mourning, and famine; and
she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord who
JUDGES her.' Here the word 'death' is found, and the JUDGMENT of
God is mentioned. When 11 (judgment) is added to 12 (divine
authority), they equal 23, or DEATH upon the woman or the city.
Number 23 is mentioned four times concerning the death of
the woman harlot. The beast is mentioned the 23rd time in
Rev.17:3. There are 23 words in the statement of that verse. The
7 heads and 10 horns of the beast and number 6, connected with
the woman, add up to 23, or DEATH.
In Rev.20:12, John said, ' And I saw the DEAD, small and
great, stand before God; and the books were opened.' This is the
23rd time the word 'open' is found in revelation, and the word
'death' is found in this verse.
In 1 John 5:16 the statement is made, ' There is a sin unto
DEATH: I do not say that he should pray for it.' In this
statement there are 10 Greek words. The word 'sin' is found in
the statement, and the number 13 stands for SIN. Add number 13,
or sin, to 10, the number of Greek words in the statement, and
they total 23, or DEATH. In the words, ' There is a sin unto
death' there are 23 Greek letters.
In 1 John 3:14, John states, ' We know that we have passed
from DEATH unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loves
not his brother abides in DEATH.' There are 23 WORDS IN THE
WHOLE VERSE, AND THE 23RD WORD IS DEATH. If the count is stopped
with 'because we love the brethren' the count would only be 14
words, and 14 is the number for SALVATION.
When THREE, RESURRECTION, is subtracted from 23, DEATH, IT
LEAVES 20, OR THE REDEMPTION of the body. The resurrection of
God's children will bring REDEMPTION of their bodies and DEATH
NEVER AGAIN.
The statement about the two witnesses being KILLED in
Rev.11:7 has 23 Greek words.
The statement about the seven thousand being KILLED in an
earthquake in Rev.11:13 has 23 words.
In Luke 23:33, we read, ' And when they were come to the
place, which is called Calvery, there they CRUCIFIED Him, and the
malfactors, one on His right hand and the other on the left.'
Again this has 23 Greek words............
There are nearly 50 EXAMPLES, such as above, that can be
explained where 23 is connected with DEATH.
Let's take Paul's voyage towards Rome. In Acts 27:20-24
there is the account of the storm and the shipwreck. Acts 27:37
state that there were 276 on the ship. They faced DEATH in the
storm. The 20th verse states that ' all hope that we should be
saved was then taken away.' Then God sent His angel to Paul that
there would be no loss of life. Upon the AUTHORITY of God's
Word, Paul told them that none would DIE. When 276, the number
of men on the ship, is divided by 12, for divine AUTHORITY, it
comes out EXACTLY 23 TIMES, or the number for DEATH. The numbers
from ONE to 23 added together equal 276, the number on the ship
that faced DEATH. They were SAVED on the 14th day, and 14 is the
number for SALVATION (Please read verses 33-44).
Twenty-three, or death, had been covered from Genesis to
revelation. It has been connected OVER and OVER again with DEATH
in the account of the flood........This numbering system was in
the mind of God at the time of the flood........It was connected
with the number (276) who were on the ship on which Paul sailed.
It has been seen they were saved from the storm and the sea on
the 14th day. God connects this number with SALVATION in Genesis
and Exodus.
Had there been 277 on that ship the number would not have
been divisible by 23 and 12. Had there been just 275 men on the
ship, the division would not be even either. Had they landed on
an island on the 13th day or any other day that would not have
connected 14 for salvation. God........had to foresee all
things, to see that exactly 276 men, no more and no less, boarded
that ship. He had to control the drift of the ship, the wind and
the waves to cause the men to be saved on the 14th day.
Who can study these things and then limit the POWER and the
FOREKNOWLEDGE of God, of Jesus Christ? Every line, every
scripture........had to be in the mind of God when He created
this numbering system........What is the wisdom and power of man
in comparison with all this?........"
End quote.
INDEED WHAT IS THE MIND OF MAN WHEN COMPARED TO THE MIND OF
GOD, YET IT IS WRITTEN: "What is man that you are mindful of him
, and the son of man that you visit him." But the Eternal God of
heaven that uses numbers throughout His word in mysterious ways
His wonders to perform, does visit mankind, and wants them to be
His literal sons and daughters in His family and Kingdom.
I hope this series on the NUMBERS OF GOD is filling you with
faith and inspiration, that the Lord really is there and that His
word is truth and righteousness, that what He has promised He is
able to perform, both in the world and in your personal life.
Next time we shall discover that the number 3 represents
RESURRECTION. There is much in the Word to relate on that truth,
as given to us from the book THE ARITHMETIC OF GOD.
..............
Written May 1997
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