~~ The ‘Numbers’ in Scripture ~~

1427 // dwdeka // dodeka // do'-dek-ah // 
from 1417 and 1176 ; TDNT - 2:321,192; n indecl 
AV - twelve 72; 72 
1) twelve 
1a) the twelve apostles of Jesus, so called by way of eminence

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1417 // duo // duo // doo'-o // 
a primary numeral; n indecl 
AV - two 122, twain 10, both 2, two and two + 303 1; 135 
1) the two, the twain

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1176 // deka // deka // dek'-ah // 
a primary number; TDNT - 2:36,143; n indecl 
AV - ten 24, eighteen + 2532 + 3638 3; 27 
1) ten

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The above is Strongs meaning for twelve. All these ‘numbers’ have ‘spiritual’ meanings. You will see by studying them all together, that they are used in Scripture to mean the same thing. Ten, Twelve, Two, double, thousand are all numbers which actually are not ‘numbers’ in many cases of the Word. See that # 1427, for twelve leads to the meaning of two, twain, both, and ten.

Now follow the meaning of ‘thousand’. God spoke to me one night and told me that thousand does not mean 1,000. It is not a number of things or people. So I asked Him what does it mean then? This is what he showed me:

Strongs, # 505, This is the Hebrew for thousand:

0505 // Pla // 'eleph // eh'-lef // 
prop, the same as 0504 ; TWOT - 109a; n m 
AV - thousand 500, eleven hundred + 03967 3, variant 1, 
twelve hundred + 03967 1; 505 
1) a thousand 
1a) as numeral 
2) a thousand, company 
2a) as a company of men under one leader, troops

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0504 // Pla // 'eleph // eh'-lef // 
from 0502 ; TWOT - 108a; n m 
AV - kine 4, oxen 3, family 1; 8 
1) cattle, oxen 
1a) in farming 
1b) as a possession

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0502 // Pla // 'alph // aw-lof' // 
a primitive root, to associate with; TWOT - 108; v 
AV - teach 2, learn 1, utter 1; 4 
1) to learn 
1a) (Qal) to learn 
1b) (Piel) to teach

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This is the meaning for TWO:

08147 // Mynv // sh@nayim // shen-ah'-yim // or (fem.) 
// Mytv // sh@ttayim // shet-tah'-yim // 
dual of 08145 ; TWOT - 2421a; n m/f dual; adj 
AV - two 533, twelve + 06240 105, both 69, twelfth + 06240 21, 
second 10, twain 7, both of them 5, twice 5, double 5, misc 8; 768 
1) two 
1a) two (the cardinal number) 
1a1) two, both, double, twice 
1b) second (the ordinal number) 
1c) in combination with other numbers 
1d) both (a dual number)

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08145 // ynv // sheniy // shay-nee' // 
from 08138 ; TWOT - 2421b; n m/f; adj 
AV - second 87, other 37, time 13, again 7, another 7, more 3, 
either 1, second rank 1; 156 
1) second 
1a) second (the ordinal number) 
1b) again (a second time) 
1c) another, other (something as distinct from something else)

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08138 // hnv // shanah // shaw-naw' // 
a primitive root; TWOT - 2421; v 
AV - change 7, second time 3, again 3, diverse 2, alter 1, disguise 1, 
doubled 1, pervert 1, preferred 1, repeateth 1, misc 1; 22 
1) to repeat, do again, change, alter 
1a) (Qal) to change 
1b) (Niphal) to be repeated 
1c) (Piel) to change, alter 
1d) (Hithpael) to disguise oneself

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So now, to do a proper study of the ‘number’ words, we must identify all these meanings and see how they fit the Word of God. We must see what the ‘connecting’ meanings are. That is quite easy when we look at each of these lists, and consider what the Word of God is about.

Checking the first lists, the meaning for ‘TWELVE’, we see that the prominent meaning which keeps showing up is: TWO, TWAIN, BOTH, AND TEN.

Next, #505 is the word, THOUSAND. In this we find that the original meaning was NOT a numeral. It later came to have a numerical meaning. But originally, it meant: OXEN, KINE, A FAMILY, TEACHING, LEARN, TEACH, UTTER, FARMING, CATTLE. Now all of these words have a spiritual meaning. Kine, (cows) etc. oxen, cattle all have the same spiritual meaning as sheep in the Scripture. This of course, refers to children of God. So we see that the word, THOUSAND, originally meant a teaching family. It also shows uttering as a meaning. What is that? It is those who spoke in tongues as the Spirit gives UTTERANCE. It is spiritual. It has to be, to be in Scripture. So it is speaking about those who receive the Holy Ghost and the Holy Ghost UTTERS through them. Then these same family of God children, (cattle or oxen) go out and teach and learn and teach others. Notice, thousand, also meant a company of men under one leader, troup. So this is the Christians, under the leadership of Jesus. It is also that true church under the leadership of the Apostles.

It also shows a possession. So this is the gift of the Holy Ghost, or those who have this possession.

Next, we find the meaning of ‘TWO’. This word means twice, double, it connects with twelve, as twelve connected with two. It means to repeat, do again, and disguise oneself.

So now, since TWELVE means two, it means the same thing. They both show a meaning of both, double, twain or the second time.

So in putting all of this together we see that these words, Ten, Twelve, Two, and Thousand all have the very same spiritual meaning. This is all tied together. So thousand shows the family of God, children of God, cattle of God, being empowered with the Holy Ghost as He comes into them, shown by his UTTERING tongues in them. These are the ones who show up in Scripture to be connected with UTTERING. These are the ones who learned and taught the truth of God.

But see that it all ties together with being done twice, twain, both, and repeating a thing. So God does the thing twice. He repeats his original out-pouring of the Spirit of God. There are two out-pourings of the Spirit taught in Scripture. This is the Baptism of the Holy Ghost and the Baptism of Fire. Both of these events bring forth a family of God, which is teaching and learning and uttering the truth of God. The latter house is said to be greater than the former house.

He gives BOTH the former and latter rains. This is the TWO out-pourings of the Spirit. This brings forth the two witnesses, as it is doubled. The first or early Church, under the leadership of Peter and Paul and the others of their day, was that first witness. They were this family of teachers and learners. They had the uttering of the Spirit.

But God has promised that this will REPEAT, or return. This will bring forth the BOTH, or the second family of teachers of truth. They will learn and then teach the truth again. They will be the second, or repeat of the witnesses of God. This make the TWAIN OR THE BOTH. This is the DOUBLE of the first out-pouring. Double is one of the meanings of these number words.

So all of this fits perfectly together. The 144,000 is simply this family of teachers of truth, who utter this that they learned. They are the oxen, which is one of the faces on the four-faced living creature, which is nothing but this teaching family.

This is not a certain number of people. It has NOTHING to do with numbers, as we count things. It is spiritual. It means those who receive the Holy Ghost, and he utters to them and teaches them all truth. They learn and then teach. This is the family of oxen or kine or the true children of God.

It matters not what race of people they come out of. It matters not when they lived on earth. It matters not what gender they are. All that matters is did they receive the truth, did they learn God’s truth and teach it. Did they receive the Spirit of God uttering in them. Did they obey God’s plan of salvation and become one of His Family.

This is doubled as God will bring forth another group of Holy Ghost filled people with the truth, in these last days, who will again know and teach the truth. These are the FRUIT ON THE TREE OF LIFE.

It does not mean 12, as an English numeral. It is a spiritual term, meaning all of the above. It can be any number. Look these words up in Strongs and follow all the links. You will see that it can mean any number combined with other numbers. One Number which I did not list here shows that it can be any number combined with any other number, even millions. Here that meaning is. It is another number in Strongs for thousand: #7133.

07233 // hbbr // r@babah // reb-aw-baw' // 
from 07231 ; TWOT - 2099d; n f 
AV - ten thousand 13, million 1, many 1, multiply; 16 
1) multitude, myriad, ten thousand

See then that thousand means a multitude, myriad or even million. So this fits what we have learned in this study, that ‘thousand’, ‘twelve’, and two all mean any number, or innumerable. It means a family of oxen, (cattle, sheep, or God’s children) who learn and teach the truth, with the power of the Spirit UTTERING in them.

So what does all of this show? It shows that all the children of God, who receive the Holy Ghost are the fruit on the tree of life. I mean after all, we know that the Word teaches that all the over-comers will be given right to the tree of life, not just a certain number.

Re 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

See the book of life is the same as the tree of life. Life is life.

Re 2:7 He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Now do you suppose that only those over-comers in the first church will be granted to eat of the tree of Life? No. This promise is to all of God’s true Children, who obey His Word and overcome the false teachings of Jezebel.

So this alone proves that those who eat of the tree of life are not just a certain number of natural Jews, as so many false teachers try to tell us.

Re 22:2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

So her fruit is not a certain number or group of earthly folks. It does not mean 12, as a numeral, will be her fruit. It means the double of the first move of God at Pentecost. He will REPEAT that out-pouring again. The over-comers in each Church will be the fruit on this tree of life.

We have the gift of healing. We will do the healing of the nations. Our fruit will not cease. It will continue for eternity. This ‘twelve’ does not signify 12 different kinds of natural fruit. It is spiritual. It is the same meaning as ‘thousand’ , ‘two’, ‘ten’, (as in the virgins) etc. It is all the true FAMILY OF GOD. We are all fruit on the tree of life. Life is given to us. So that TREE, or kingdom of Jesus, bears all of us.

The branches of this Tree were those Apostles. We know that fruit grows on branches. The natural teaches us the spiritual. So all who learn and teach and obey the message of those Apostles will be fruit on this Tree of Life. Jesus prayed, in John 17, that all who believe on him through THEIR, (Apostles) message or words, would become ONE. So we are part of that one tree of LIFE.

There is no death in us. We are full of life, or spiritual SAP.

By: Jo Smith

June 3, 2007