Number Patterns and the End Times

12 – Seed of the Woman – the Messiah (Christ) –  Further to the connection of  12 to the seed of the woman and the number 120, as discussed above, it is worth noting a few more things about this because in in a real sense this is arguably the most significant prophecy in the bible because it points to Jesus, the one who God promised would restore the order of all things, just as they were prior to the fall. It literally confirms the ultimate destruction of Satan and all of his works.

• Jews celebrate the coming of age of woman when she turns 12. It is called their Bat Mitzvah.
• Jesus First words recorded when he was 12
• Two of the greatest Types of Jesus seen in Scripture were Joseph and Joshua:
• Joseph – picture of the beloved son who left his previous glory with his Father (pictured by the coat of many colours) to come down in the pit; rejected by his brethren; and wrongfully imprisoned, but becomes the means by which they are all saved.
  • Restored to the Father after 22 years (98 +22 = 120) fulfilling the types behind the numbers - Israel (Jacob) lost his Son when he was 17 (a number associated with the Resurrection) and was reunited with him when Joseph was 39 and Jacob was 130. As will be seen 130 is a picture of Gods appointed times.

• Joshua – Importantly, in Hebrew, he has the same name as Jesus who is often called Yeshua because as Nehemiah 8 shows Yeshua is the same name as Yehoshua, it is just the abbreviated form. So Joshua, whose name means Yah or God Saves, as a type of Jesus, is seen as the victorious commander who leads his people into the promised land. A picture of Jesus taking all who put their faith in Him to Heaven in victory because all saved believers are described in Revelation as Overcomers.

• Importantly, as types of the ‘Seed of the Woman’, both died at 110 years of age, which is 98 (age prior to fall) + 12 (seed of woman) = 110
• 22 (Israel) x 5 (Grace) = 110
• The Son of God - Also the ‘Seed of the Woman’ (Messiah) is also seen in Hosea 11: 1 as Israel, the perfect son of God, who in an act of Grace saves all believers through faith:
• 12’s connection with the ‘Seed of the Woman’, who would bring about the restoration of order of all things is also the reason for:

• 12 spies in the wilderness
• 12 Tribes of Israel with Israel also being the physical nation that would give birth to the messiah;
• 12 apostles who would take the gospel to the world;
• 24 Elders (12 +12) seen in Heaven in the book of Revelation. In this way it explains why 12 is seen as being connected with perfect government.
• 12 is also God’s work in the world - 3 (God) X 4 (world) = 12
• 12 is also the sacrificial work of the Son of God for mankind – 2 (second person of the trinity) x 6 (man) = 12

130 – Age or Period of special appointed time

Genesis 4:25 shows that when Adam was 130 years old God appointed another son to carry the seed of the woman to fulfil Gen 3:15 prophecy = Gen 4:25“²⁵ And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.”  

As above in Jacob/Israel’s timeline, when Israel (Jacob) is 130 years old, we see that it is an appointed time when the Father and Son are reunited after the symbolic period of 22 years that represents the end of striving (famine) and a move of God that sees all of Israel being saved by Joseph, a type of Jesus. As such, I believe that this could be a hidden clue to the return of Jesus at the end of the age of Striving to save all believers, just as God states in Romans 11:25-27:

“²⁵For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶ And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
“The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; ²⁷ For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.”

So, If the preceding is correct then the appointed time for Jesus, the ‘Seed of the Woman”, could be 32 years after man last walked with God, as pictured in Gen 4:25 when Seth was born to Adam who was 130 years old.

130 (appointed seed) - 98 (before the fall) = 32.

As such, 32 could be a hidden pointer to the year 2032, which many academics believe would be 2,000 years, or 2 days exactly after Jesus was crucified and returned in His ascension to the Father.

Tabernacle Connection and its Timing Clues

At this point, we need to examine the actions and words of Jesus at 12 years of age to begin to see further connections of numbers with God’s plan of Redemption:

Luke 2:46-49  “⁴⁶ Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. ⁴⁸ So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.” ⁴⁹ And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”

Importantly, Jesus as the ‘Seed of the Woman’ at this age was in the Temple doing His Father’s business. The Temple was the permanent version of the Tabernacle that Moses and the Israelites transported around the wilderness and ultimately placed in Shiloh, prior to Solomon building the temple. Interestingly, the name Shiloh was an early name for the prophesied Messiah who would be the ‘Seed of the Woman’.

So, it is worth noting that Jesus is inextricably linked with the Tabernacle, as Revelation 21:3 shows:

Revelation 21:3 (NKJV) - 3 And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.

A close examination of the Tabernacle / Temple reveals a few interesting things about the nature of Jesus and his atoning work on our behalf. One of these relates to:

• The building material of the Tabernacle / Temple – notably all of the materials inside in the Holy Place and the Holy place are made of one of three materials:

Gold – this relates to God’s Holiness with many verses in scripture pointing to how pure it can be and how the streets in Heaven are paved with it.

Silver – this speaks of the cost of redemption and reminds us of how Jesus was betrayed by a friend for 30 pieces of silver.

Timber, which points to Jesus as the Tree of Life and reminds us of the Cross that He was sacrificed on.

• The primary material in the outer court of the Tabernacle / Temple was:

Bronze – an alloy of Copper and Tin. This portrays his atoning sacrifice on the alter made of Bronze and his cleansing work that sanctifies us by way of the water in the Bronze laver, or Sea, as some translations describe it.

• Importantly, God the omniscient; omnipotent creator of all things has hidden many mysteries into all that He has made that point to His atoning work. In this regard, it is noteworthy to see the apostle John’s description of Jesus in his vision recorded in Revelation 1:10-17:

¹⁰ I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet ¹¹ saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.” ¹² Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, ¹³ and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. ¹⁴ The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, ¹⁵ his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. ¹⁶ In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength. ¹⁷ When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Revelation 1:10-17

This shows that Jesus’ feet were like burnished Bronze. This passage states that the rest of His body was covered in a long robe, so His feet are the only part of His body that John could see. However, logically there is no reason to think that if His body could be seen that this would not also be Bronze. As such, we have a very real connection between Jesus and the Tabernacle, with the Bronze showing Jesus was literally both the altar and sacrifice for our redemption, with 2 Corinthians 5:21 stating that:

 ²¹ For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Corinthians 5:21

• Amazingly, a search of the internet reveals that the most common composition of Bronze is 12% Tin to 88% Copper. This is stunning because Bronze not only shows Jesus’ connection as our sacrificial lamb on the alter (8-Jesus x 11-man of sin), but through its formulation it also shows that He has carried His link to the ‘Seed of the woman’ (symbolized by 12) into eternity.

• Notably also Jesus’ name in Greek Gematria has the value 888. Jesus’ number is literally 8. He was resurrected on the 8^th day and is the bright and shining morning star of the 8^th Day that was predicted in Leviticus and celebrated as one of the Jewish Feast throughout their history. So here again the formulation of Bronze is connected to our Saviour.

• Further to this, Copper within Bronze has an atomic weight of 50, which relates to the Jubilee that is again described in Leviticus Chapter 23, as being the 50^th year following the Sabbath of the 49^th Its purpose is for the restoration of all that has been lost. It is a picture of our redemption and as the primary component of Bronze that Jesus has carried in His body into eternity, it affirms that Jesus is our Jubilee.

God’s Timeline and the year 2023 – while there are other aspects of this Tabernacle /Temple connection with Jesus to be discussed that relate to God’s timeline of Redemption, we need to lay some foundation for it first by backtracking to show how some of the numbers previously discussed suggest that there has been a significant transition in God’s End time plans this year.

As outlined before:

• Adam fell into sin at 99, after walking in right relationship with God for 98 years.
• God stated that He would not strive with sinful man forever, yet his years would be 120. So, the symbolic period between when man last walked with God (98) and the upper limit of how long God would strive with man (120) is 22.
• As such, 22 has been demonstrated as being associated with both spiritual (all true believers) and physical Israel (the vehicle that God would use to redeem man by sending the Messiah His Son to be born of a woman to lay down His life on our behalf) – It is the symbolic period of God Striving with man.

• Since 22 can be seen as a limited period during which Spiritual Israel is being built through God’s physical Israel (the nation that gave birth to the Messiah) before God’s wrath begins to be poured out, albeit slowly at first like Childbirth, it is suggested that 2022 was actually a transitional year that closes the period of God’s Striving with Sin. This is supported by closely examining Jesus last acts on the cross.

• Firstly, Jesus was and is the perfect son of God (Israel) for while Hosea 11:1 was initially the physical nation of Israel being called out of Egypt it also foreshadowed the greater fulfilment of this when Jesus as a child was taken down to Egypt and then called out at the appointed time.

• So Jesus as the true fulfilment of Israel, when He is being crucified, cries out at the 9^th Hour (Redemption) with a quote from Psalm 22:1 saying ¹ My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

• To fully understand the significance of this one needs to remember that there were no Chapters and verses in Jesus’ day and people had to remember passages of Scripture simply by hearing it read. There were no personal copies of scripture like today, unless you were very wealthy. So when Jesus quoted these words He was actually implementing the Rabbinical practice of quoting one verse to reference a whole passage. As such, He was also pointing those watching to the whole passage that includes some significant other verses:
  • ¹⁸ They divide My garments among them, And for My clothing they cast lots. Psalms 22:18
  • ¹⁶ For dogs have surrounded Me; The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; Psalms 22:16
  • ⁶ But I am a worm, and no man; A reproach of men, and despised by the people. ⁷ All those who see Me ridicule Me; They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, ⁸ “He trusted in the LORD, let Him rescue Him; Let Him deliver Him, since He delights in Him!” Psalms 22:6-8

• These verses and others not only showed that Jesus was the fulfilment of Psalm 22 because these things were happening right in front of their eyes, but importantly the reference to being a worm this passage would have reminded the witnesses on that day of another passage in Isaiah 1:18 because here again Jesus was implementing the Rabbinical practice called Gezerah Shevah (comparison of similar expressions). This is where a Rabbi would link together several scriptures through a common word. In this instance, the Hebrew word (תוֹלַ֣עַת – Tolath) that is used in both passages referred to a very special type of worm. The Tolath worm was one that was gathered, crushed; and put into hot water to produce a crimson colour dye. This was the dye that was used for the crimson curtains on the Tabernacle and represents our sins that separated us from the Father.

Importantly, Isaiah 1:18 says:

¹⁸ “Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson, They shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18

• So, in His suffering Jesus was still presenting the gospel to those watching, by connecting Himself with the worm (Tolath) that is crushed, so that our sins that are like scarlet and crimson will be white as snow. In His dying breath, Jesus puts all of His suffering into perspective, revealing what it truly means – He is crushed, so we can be clean. This is our Saviour and this is how much He loves us.

• In context with our discussion on numbers and their significance, this is our God striving with man, but then shortly after crying out the quote from Psalm 22, He cries out again saying “I thirst” to fulfil another scripture before saying “It is Finished.” God’s striving with Sin is complete, He no longer requires the sacrifice of Bulls and Lambs because He has fully for all time provided the Sacrifice Himself - This then links with Genesis 22.

• Genesis 22 is the narrative of God showing Abraham that man’s sacrifice is insufficient for Sin and that God would provide Himself as the sacrifice. In this account:
  • Abraham lifts his eyes and sees the Ram caught in the thickets. The Ram is a picture of Jesus as a mature man, not just the lamb of God, being sacrificed in our place.
  • The Ram’s horns being caught in the Thicket is symbolic of Jesus becoming Sin in our place.
  • The Ram’s Horn is also used as the special Trumpet of God known as the Shofar, which announces God’s presence – It was first heard on the mountain of God (Mt Sinai – which means Thorns, a reminder of the fall of Adam). When the people of Israel were set free from Egypt they went to this mountain and went to meet their God and heard the sound of the trumpet. It will be heard again at the last Trump when we are Raptured to be with Him forever.

• Amazingly though God ties all of this together in the Hebrew form of the word Shopfar – שׁוֹפָר – when you look at the etymology of the word and break it into it parts you have the following:
• שׁ – The letter Shin that is the one letter that Jews use to represent God Almighty – El Shaddai. It is the letter that many put on the door posts of their homes and it is the shape of the valleys that form Jerusalem, which God says He will put His name upon.
• וֹ – The letter Vav – this word Vav in modern Hebrew is a nail that can be bought in a hardware store and the letter in the language carries the meaning of connecting two things together. It is often used syntactically as a Vav consecutive in a Narrative where it essentially joins two parts of a sentence together - Shin that is the one letter that Jews use to represent God Almighty – El Shaddai. It is the letter that many put on the door posts of their homes and it is the shape of the valleys that form Jerusalem, which God says He will put His name upon.
• פָר – This the word PHAR, which means Bull. In scripture is was contextually always in reference to the strong Bull that was sacrificed as a burnt offering for Sin, it was not like the Ox that had been castrated and yoked to the plough.

• Putting this all together the Shophar or Ram’s Horn is a symbol of God Almighty (El Shaddai) connecting Himself to, or becoming the Sacrifice for Sinful Man. So when Abraham looked up he beheld a picture of his God Almighty becoming entangled in our sin to become the perfect sacrifice that would restore us to right relationship with Him forever AND the horn that symbolized all of this would be the very object that would be blown when He comes to meet us in the clouds.

• So Genesis 22 like Psalm 22 tells the story of how God’s striving with Man and his Sin has been accomplished through the sacrifice of His own Son on the Cross and we now move on the timeline of redemption to Genesis 23 and Psalm 23.

23 and the End times

Firstly, in relation to Chapter numbers, it is worth remembering that God’s Timeline of Redemption (the Jewish Feasts or moedim (מועדים), which are the ‘appointed times’ that outline everything from the Passover to the Eighth Day (Eternity) are detailed in Leviticus 23 and the numbers in the dates all add up to 99. So I believe that this is a hidden reminder by God that the appointed time when all of mankind will stand before God is drawing near and as such we all need to ensure that we get right Him.

Genesis 23 - Significantly in relation to the discussion about the end of Striving with Sin, Genesis 23 is all about the death of Sarah (שָׂרָה) and her name is the same word that is used in Genesis 32 (possible year of Jesus 2^nd coming) when God changes Jacob’s name to Israel saying:

²⁸ Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” Genesis 32:28. In this way, 23 can be seen as and end to God’s Striving with Man and a shift to dealing with Mankind on the basis of what they do with His Son.

Following on from Psalm 22, that was fulfilled on the cross, Psalm 23 is now all about what God achieved for us by His sacrifice for our sin. It is about us looking to Him as the Lord and Shepherd of our lives; the one who will protect us and give us His peace, so that when Tribulation comes, we will fear no evil. I believe God is really saying in 2023 it is time for us to get closer to Jesus who came to make a way to the Father for us.

This is the picture of Jesus as the Tabernacle / Temple. Much of the world has come to the altar of Bronze but have turned around to go back out into the world taking God’s grace for granted, but God is calling all who will hear to draw closer to Him because time is getting short.

Importantly, in another connection with 23, we just need to consider again that Jacob / Israel who strove with God was the 22^nd generation from Adam, so as we move to 23 we now have to consider his 12 sons (again symbolic of the ‘Seed of the Woman’) who were all the 23^rd generation from Adam.

From this perspective, we now note the following about the number 23 as we investigate God’s plan to secure humanity’s redemption by sending forth His Son, in the fulness of time, as declared in Galatians 4:4, which was a reminder that it was an appointed time.

• Firstly, Reuben as Jacob’s first-born, was the 23^rd generation from Adam and his name literally means “Behold a Son”, which reminds us of Gods wonderful promise in Isaiah 9:6

⁶ For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6

• Also in context, his mother’s name was Leah, which means “weary” – this is a perfect description of fallen humanity’s condition and a need for a Saviour.
• Further to this, all the names of Jacob’s 12 sons as listed in Genesis that began with Reuben, using their Hebrew meaning, form a hidden summary of God’s Plan:

1. Reuben: the name means Behold a son, or a Son is seen; or the Son who sees

2. Simeon: the name means one who hears
3. Levi: the name means attached or joined
4. Judah: the name means praise the Lord

5. Dan: the name means he has judged or vindicated

6. Naphtali: the name means my struggle

7. Gad: the name means a Troop (KJV) or good fortune (NIV) is coming
8. Asher: the name means Happy 
9. Issachar: the name means Reward or Purchased (from a payment or wage)
10. Zebulun: the name means Honor or Glorious Dwelling Place
11. Joseph: the name means to add or increase –Joseph’s two sons, whom Jacob adopted as his, were Manasseh: the name means causing to forget and Ephraim: the name means Double fruitfulness or more accurately Fullness.
12. Benjamin: the name means son of my right hand 

Behold a Son is born who hears [our cries] and joined himself [to us]. Praise the Lord He has judged our struggle [and] brought us good fortune [and] happiness [for we will be called blessed]. He rewards us with honour and a glorious dwelling place, adding [us] to His family by the Son of His right hand.

Here again are the same names of the tribes along with their corresponding Hebrew meanings, as found in Scripture. However, this time they are in a different order, as listed in Revelation 7 in relation to the 144,000 who are sealed during the time of Tribulation. It should be noted that Dan is no longer part of the list and Manasseh whose name means “causes me to forget” is now included:

1. Judah: the name means praise the Lord
2. Reuben: the name means Behold a sonor a Son is seen; or the Son who sees
3. Gad: the name means a Troop (KJV) or good fortune (NIV) is coming
4. Asher: the name means Happy 
5. Naphtali: the name means my struggle.
6. Manasseh means “Making me to forget”
7. Simeon: the name means one who hears
8. Levi: the name means attached or joined
9.  Issachar: the name means Reward or Purchased (from a payment or wage)
10. Zebulun: the name means Honor or Glorious Dwelling Place
11. Joseph: the name means to add, or increase–Joseph’s two sons, whom Jacob adopted as his, were – Manasseh: the name means causing to forget and Ephraim: the name means Double fruitfulness.
12. Benjamin: the name means son of my right hand 

I will praise the Lord [for] the son has seen us [and] brought us good fortune and happiness. Our struggles, God is making us forget. [For] He hears us [and] has joined Himself to us and rewards us with honour and a glorious dwelling place, adding us to His family by [the] Son of His right hand.

The two biggest differences between the meaning of these two lists is that the first prophetically looks forward to the Son who would help free us from our struggles, while the second starts with Praising God for the Son who has already come has set us free. Essentially, all our Sin and Struggles were already Judged (Dan) in the Son of His right hand and as such, it is now speaking prophetically of a time when God will make us forget (Manasseh) all the pain and will wipe away all our tears.

While there is much that can be said about all of this, one of the distinctives of all of this is that the promised Son has JOINED or ATTACHED Himself to us. As will be seen, this is one of the important messages that is to be associated with the number 23, as it points us back to the Jesus as the Tabernacle and sacrifice of God.

Temple Layout as it relates to 23

Firstly, the physical layout of the Temple pictures both the method and the purpose of Redemption, reminding us that before we can have a relationship with a Loving, but Holy God, our Sins need to be atoned for, and our lives need to be cleansed. As such, the Bronze Altar and the Bronze Laver picture this, but then as we pass these and approach God, we come to the Temple Structure that hosts the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies, noting that the Veil that separated the two sections no longer exists because of what Jesus did on the cross. He literally made the way to the Father.

However, while no further sacrifices need to be given, we must recall John’s vision of Jesus with His Bronze feet reminding us that Jesus was both the Altar, as well as the Sacrifice. Realizing this along with the fact that as the ‘Seed of the Woman’ and the ‘Son of Man’, He has Joined or Attached Himself to us a truly amazing revelation is unlocked because as we approach the Temple proper (a symbol of Jesus), where God’s presence resided, we note that it is framed by two very large Bronze Pillars:

• Being made of Bronze shows again that they symbolize the atoning work of the Messiah and given that everyone entering inside must pass through them, it reminds us that Jesus is the only way to the Father.

• Then we look at their dimensions as described in 1 Kings 7 we note that each Pillar is literally 18 cubits high, which is 6+6+6 (Sin), representing man’s sinful fallen state. As there are two of them representing both man and woman we get a total of 36, which happens to be the 8^th Triangular number, showing again that Jesus, whose number is 8, is the sacrifice that atones for the sin of all humanity because He became Sin for us.

• Additionally, each Pillar is capped by a Bronze Capital with an ornate design that included some lattice work and two rows of Pomegranates. Each Capital was 5 Cubits high for a total of 10 Cubits, which is another Triangular number – the 4^th which relates to the world. As 5 is symbolic of Grace, this represented that Grace of God in the world that covers our Sin.

• Then then Pomegranates on the Capitals represent the fruitful life that God’s Grace produces because the Pomegranate literally does not have any flesh (our flesh must be crucified with Christ), it is just full of Seeds and it is topped with the ‘crown of victory’. 

• Significantly, to our discussion, when you add 18 and 5 you get a total height of 23 cubits, which could also be seen as a pointer the year 2023 and our need to draw close to our Lord and Shepherd as the days get darker – however there is a lot more to this as the following will show.

• Remembering that the Tabernacle is a picture of Jesus, the 'Seed of the Woman' who joined Himself to us, we can now see in the dimensions of this pair of columns, that frame our access to God, a representation of mankind. Just as we have 23 pairs of Chromosomes in our DNA, Jesus did too, as pictured here in the dimensions of the temple – so each Cubit represents a Chromosome for a total of 23 pairs (46) Chromosomes.

• In an amazing confirmation the following Passage in John 2 also connects the Temple to Jesus’ body and the number 46:

“So, he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. ¹⁶ To those who sold doves he said, “Get these out of here! Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!” ¹⁷ His disciples remembered that it is written: “Zeal for your house will consume me.” ¹⁸ The Jews then responded to him, “What sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?”  ¹⁹ Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.” ²⁰ They replied, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?” ²¹ But the temple he had spoken of was his body. ²² After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken. John 2:15-22  

The Number Confirmation

Returning to our foundational numbers we note how this is all confirmed:

• Mankind walked with God for 98 years before falling into Sin at 99
• God has provided a plan of redemption that involves the number 46 (23 x2) for the purpose of saving all of humanity.
• So the number derived by adding the number of Redemption (46) to the number of man prior to the fall (98), is a number that represents God’s provision to all of humanity – 98 + 46 = 144.
• This is all confirmed again by noting not only that the number 144 is the perfect square of 12, the promised 'Seed of the Woman' (Gen 3:15) who would crush Satan’s head, and that this number is memorialized in the dimensions of the new Jerusalem; and represents the 144,000 who take the gospel to the dying world in the Tribulation, but it is also foreshadowed in Creation itself.
• Essentially God created the world in 6 days, which is 144 hours. So in the act of creation itself, God hid a clue to show His heart that all of humanity could be saved and that He did not want one person to be lost.

• As well as this Chromosomal phenomenon, DNA also shows God’s signature with regard to the number 37, in that every Amino Acid in our Cells (that build the proteins that are the building blocks of our bodies) has two parts of their molecule that are called a standard block and a radical block. The standard block is the same in all of the 20 Amino Acids that the body uses and it has a total value of 74 (2 x37). The Radical part of the molecule can vary dramatically with a lot of different values, yet when you put them in a table and add up the values of their atomic weights, in 2 different combinations i.e., both vertically and horizontally in the table, they total up to 2738 or 37 x 73 + 37. Amazingly, this is equal to the numeric value of the words in Gen 1:1 (2701) plus 37.

Another Temple Clue - In another amazing hidden clue about the end times, we read the following in relation to the Temple and its destruction by the Babylonians in 2 Kings 25”

¹³ The Babylonians broke up the bronze pillars, the movable stands and the bronze Sea that were at the temple of the LORD and they carried the bronze to Babylon. ¹⁴ They also took away the pots, shovels, wick trimmers, dishes and all the bronze articles used in the temple service. ¹⁵ The commander of the imperial guard took away the censers and sprinkling bowls—all that were made of pure gold or silver. ¹⁶ The bronze from the two pillars, the Sea and the movable stands, which Solomon had made for the temple of the LORD, was more than could be weighed. ¹⁷ Each pillar was eighteen cubits high. The bronze capital on top of one pillar was three cubits high and was decorated with a network and pomegranates of bronze all around. The other pillar, with its network, was similar. 2 Kings 25:13-17

As can be seen here, the Capitals on the Pillars at the time of the Babylonian exile in 586 bc were 3 Cubits not 5, as they were when Solomon built them. Apart from believing that this is a clue to how the Ark of the Covenant was hidden (to be discussed another time), it is significant to show in context the result of changing the numbers.

• Pillar (18 cubits) + Capital (3 Cubit) = 21 Cubits.
• Again 21 is a special Triangular number – the 6^th (man) and 21 (3x7), which is directly related to God’s personal signature 37 (because he is a triune God with a seven-fold nature to His Spirt) in connection with the destruction of the Temple shows God is both bringing Judgement and salvation by preserving them through the next 70 years.
• 2 Pillars @ 21 cubits also equals 42 cubits.
• 42 is a significant number in the Bible with it representing at least 2 major things:
  • Jesus who was 42 Generations from Adam, as detailed in Matthew Chapter 1
  • 42 months is the length of time of the Tribulation being a time, times; and half a time, or 1260 days; or 3.5 years.
• So just as 42 is seen here in relation to the Tribulation of the Babylonian Captivity it is also a pointer to both the coming great Tribulation and thankfully to the one who will save us from it – JESUS – Judgement and Salvation.

Temple Orientation - Importantly, the Temple faced East and West mirroring man’s expulsion to the East of the Garden of Eden, away from the Throne of God, when he fell. As God precisely redeems everything, effectively reversing the curse, the way of salvation is always from the East and Man has to come past the Bronze Alter and Bronze Sea and pass through the Bronze pillars a picture of Jesus, the perfect Son of God in His Humanity, as the 'Seed of the Woman' (with 46 chromosomes) to have communion with God.

Significantly, the Pillars also had names Boaz (the Northern Column) and Jachin (the Southern Column).

Jachin - When looking at the columns from the direction of God’s Throne in the Holy of Holies, Jachin (that means He will establish) is on the right fulfilling God’s word that He will establish it through the Son of His Right Hand.

Boaz - (means in Strength and possibly quickly) also reminds us that it is His strength that will establish our salvation, not our own, and importantly it points to another picture of how this would be done because Boaz who married Ruth was the Kinsman redeemer who married Ruth to save her. It is a picture of Jesus becoming the Son of Man (as the Seed of the Woman) to marry His Gentile Bride, the Church and as such is a picture of the Rapture embedded into the Structure by naming the Bronze Columns.

IMPORTANT – So 23 as pictured by the Pillars in the Temple is all about what happens after we have passed the Bronze alter and Bronze Sea, whereby faith we received atonement and cleansing for our sins, and we enter into a right relationship with our Heavenly Father and allow Jesus to be our Lord and Saviour. Importantly, we need to be doing this because like the temple that was destroyed it shows there are difficult times ahead but the message appears to be that God is going to protect us through them and as His striving with sinful man is now finishing, He is going to begin to expose and judge the wicked before the Rapture comes. This is affirmed in a number of places:

Psalm2 and Psalm 3 - both show our dependence on God and His protection while possibly pouring out His wrath on unbelievers

Psalm 122  - shows the people of God wanting to return to the House (Temple) of God and in 2022 they for the first time in nearly 2000 years began to cut the stones for the third temple - remembering Jesus is the corner stone on which it is all built.

Psalm 123 - points to a year where believers are held in contempt, just as we are now and calls for God’s mercy.

Psalm 23 – again emphasizes our need to make Jesus, pictured by the Tabernacle, the Lord and Shepherd of our life, before things get tougher and He promises that we will fear no evil because His Rod and Staff will comfort us.

In a final note, it is interesting to consider that approaching the Tabernacle from the East would lead one past the encampments of 4 tribes in the following order:

1. Zebulun: the name means Honoror Glorious Dwelling Place
2. Issachar: the name means Reward,or Purchased (from a payment or wage)
   3. Judah: the name means praise the Lord
3. 4. Reuben: the name means Behold a sonor a Son is seen; or the Son who sees

Not only do the layout of the Tribes form a cross, the meaning of their names forms another sentence:

Honour and a Glorious Dwelling Place has been purchased [for Us]. Come and Behold the Son.

This reminds me of my favorite verse of all time in John 14: “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴ And where I go you know, and the way you know.” John 14:1-4