Introduction to Sacred Jewish Numbers:
Sacred numbers? You may think that is such a strange concept. However, if you read the Bible or Book of Mormon or the Torah, God frequently uses certain numbers repetitiously, with different meanings, as signs and symbols. These are often repeated throughout history, often resulting in what is called a "parallelism" as coined by Elder L. Tom Perry.
God is the ultimate poet, artist, mathematician, scientist, strategist and to say that there are coincidences is folly. Remember, God doesn't have to do anything according to our own understanding and you CANNOT stop God from accomplishing His purposes. However, He does desire for us to be part of His plans so He can bless us.
What are These Numbers?
There are a handful of numbers that are constantly repeated. Many General Authorities and talks have been spoken about the intrinsic connection we as Latter-day Saints share with the Jews as well as the connection LDS history has in conjunction with sacred Jewish holidays.
Remember that Christ of whom we worship was Jewish. He was born, grew up, lived, ate, and breathed Jewish traditions. He never sought to take away those traditions, but add to them. In the last days when Christ comes again, some or all of these Jewish traditions will be brought back, especially when it comes to the Law of Sacrifice. Here is a BYU study on Judaistic numerology in the Book of Mormon and its similarities to the Bible. Corbin Volluz, who writes this paper, clarifies:
"Numerology refers to a literary device common among ancient Hebrews (as well as later Jewish and other cultures) in which significant events or textual features were emphasized by presenting them a symbolic number of times. Such numerology should not be confused with attempts to divine by mystical means the influence of numbers on a person’s character or to suggest optimum future choices in a manner similar to astrology."
On that note, I will touch on only a few numbers:
The Number 7
Represents: perfection, creation or completion.
Mentioned in the Bible: 800+
Shemitah: Is any kind of time period with the number 7; 7 days, 7 weeks, 7 year and so on.
Biblical Shemitah: A specifically dated 7 year period that is still counted today since the time of Moses by the Jews. It was a whole year of rest, Sabbath and cessation. Elul 29 is the Day of Nullification and is always the last day of a Biblical Shemitah.
7 days in a week
7th day is the Sabbath
We're in the 7th Millennial of time
7 annual Holy Days
7 Seals of time
A Biblical Shemitah is every 7 years
Seven is the most sacred number, especially in the Jewish culture. Seven is God's number.
A Hebrew word for luck, gad, equals seven in gematria. Another Hebrew word for luck, mazal, equals 77.
Any number that is even divisible by 7 is sacred. In the Bible, sometimes the phrase "times, time and a half" is use.
The significance of the number seven (or any other number) can be stressed by doubling or multiplying. As such, the numbers 14, 49, 700, etc, make the number 7 that more significant.
"Seven is a combination of 3 and 4. Three (masculine) represented the heavens. Four (feminine) represented the earth. Seven represented all things both in heaven and earth, and hence came to be seen as a number of completion, fulfillment and even perfection."
The Number 12
Represents: Twelve represents totality, wholeness, the Church
Mentioned in the Bible: ~ 180
12 sons of Jacob which formed 12 Tribes
Jesus had 12 Disciples, the church has 12 Apostles
Revelation says the Kingdom of Heaven has 12 gates guarded by 12 Angels
12 thousand from each Tribe of Israel = 144,000 (multiplying gives more emphasis)
Ancient High Priest's breastplate had 12 stones representing each Tribe.
12 months in a year
12 houses of the Zodiac
The Number 40
Represents: Forty is a time of radical transition or transformation, testing, trial, probation period
Mentioned in the Bible: ~ 159
40 weeks = Gestation of a human baby
40 years to build the Salt Lake Temple
It rained 40 days on Noah
Goliath taunted David for 40 days before defeat
Saul, David and Solomon reigned for 40 years each
Moses, Elijah, Jesus fasted for 40 days
Moses live 40 days in the desert
Moses lived in Egypt for 40 years
Moses was on Mt. Sinai twice, each a period of 40 days
The Children of Israel wandered the desert for 40 years
Moses sent men to investigate the Promise Land for 40 days
Corporeal punishment in the Torah involved 40 lashes.
Multiples of 40 are also common: 40,000 men rallied to Barak in the book of Judges.
The Number 70
Represents: Perfect Spiritual Order, period of judgement
Mentioned in the Bible: ~70
70 Elders were appointed by Moses
Ancient Israel spent 70 years total in captivity in Babylon (Jer. 29:10)
Jerusalem kept 70 years of Sabbath's while Judah was captive in Babylon (Jer. 25:11)
70, 7's, (490) were determined for Jerusalem to complete its transgressions, to make an end for sins, and for everlasting righteousness to enter into it. (Daniel 9:24)
There are 70 nations in the world, 70 languages, and 70 princely angels. The Greek translation of the Bible, the first to make it available to the gentile, was done by 70 Jewish scholars, who, though working separately, produced 70 identical translations.
Seventy is made up of two sacred numbers: 7 (perfection) and 10 (completeness, God's Law).
Odds and Evens:
Finally, it is important to note that odd numbers are considered lucky; even numbers (especially pairs) are considered bad luck.
The Biblical Shemitah, Elul 29 and Jubilee:
The Biblical Shemitah
Other names: Year of Release, Sabbath Year, Sabbatical Year
Next One to Occur: September 7, 2021 - September 25, 2022
Just as the the Torah calls for Jews to work six days and rest on the seventh, it calls for them to work the land six days and let it rest in the seventh. After 49 years, seven cycles of seven, the 50th is Yovel – the Jubilee year. However, the Jubilee year has not been marked for centuries.
In the Shemitah year, debts are to be forgiven, agricultural lands to lie fallow, private land holdings to become open to the commons, and staples such as food storage and perennial harvests to be freely redistributed and accessible to all. Exodus 23:10-11, Deut. 15:1-2, Lev. 25:3-6
Thus, the Biblical Shemitah is a time or RESTORATION if the people were righteous.
If they were wicked, then this particular year would be very troublesome. For example, in The Mystery of the Shemitah, Rabbi Cahn relates many events concerning the World Trade Center to a Shemitah year: The WTC was conceived in 1945. Groundbreaking occurred in 1966. The twin towers opened in 1973. Terrorists bombed the north tower in 1993. Both towers were destroyed in 2001. The new tower, One World Trade Center, or the Freedom Tower, opened in 2014. Rabbi Cahn points out that all of these years are Shemitah years.
Shemitah Elul 29
Other names: Day of Nullification, Eve of Rosh Hashanah, Day of Remission (Shemitah mean collapse)
Next One to Occur: Sept. 25, 2022 (Super Shemitah)
Rabbi Cahn, who is both a Kohanim (Sons of Levi) Orthodox Jew and Christian, talks about how Ehul 29, has coincided with drastic drops in the stock market, credit crises, oil shocks, recessions, sell-offs, and the Great Depression in America. Cahn figures that we recently finished a Shemitah year, which ended on September 13, 2015. After that is a possible Year of Jubilee. However, this Shemitah will be a “Super Shemitah,” according to Cahn, because it is the year following seven Shemitah years (7 sets of 7 years, or every 49 years). Remember that multiples of a particular number is stonger or more important.
Why is it concerning that the Super Shemitah will begin September 7, 2021? In Jewish culture, it is believed that if a country or people were good or righteous, then the next Shemitah would be full of blessings such as prosperity, wealth, good crops, etc. If they weren't good but weren't particularly bad, perhaps nothing would happen during the Shemitah year. However, if they were bad or wicked, then the Shemitah would serve as a punishment.
The most important Elul 29, is the last day of the Shemitah year. If that was a bad, punishable year for the wicked, Elul 29, the day so aptly name, "the Day of Nullification," would prove to be the time of the worse financial crash, or enemies coming upon them, the worse disaster, etc. of that whole year. With how wicked and evil the world is today, how scary America has become - add a "Super Shemitah" to that and what will we see? What will happen? Perhaps nothing. Or perhaps..... we'd best be prepared now.
The Year of Jubilee
Other names: Year of Release, Trumpet or Ram's Horn
The jubilee was ushered in with the blast of a ram's horn. All Israelite bondslaves (those who had sold themselves into slavery to pay off debts) were freed. Property that had been sold to pay off debts reverted back to the families who were originally to inherit it. Great things usually happen on a Jubilee year, for the righteous. One such Jubilee was when King Cyrus allowed the captive Israelites to go home to Israel and he helped them rebuild their temple in Jerusalem.
According to the Jewish rabbis, the Jubilee year is currently not observed or commemorated in Israel. The main reason is that the Jubilee is only observed when all twelve tribes of Israel are living in the Promised Land. We know this will not happen until the Lost 10 Tribes come down from the northern countries and join us at the New Jerusalem as prophesied.
However, even though the Jew's do not currently observe this year, the Jubilee years still occur. The year of the Jubilee is always the year after the seventh Shemitah (every 49 years) or the 50th year.
One out of many examples: September 1916-1917 was a Shemitah year. 40% U.S. Stock market value was wiped out. Britain, the world's greatest empire was almost bankrupt. This was the beginning of America's rise to world power. The following year, September 1917-1918, was a Jubilee year. The German, Hungarian, Russian and Ottoman Empires all collapsed. The Balfour Declaration was written and allowed Israel to return home.
Seven Shemitah's later was September 2015-2016. This was our last Shemitah year. There was a large financial crash then, too. However, what happened the next year on the Jubilee? In the year that Israel was allowed to go home in 1947, it was a day called Kislev 17 on the Jewish calendar. Remember, that the Jewish calendar goes by the lunar cycles, not solar cycles like America. Exactly 70 years from that day, on a Jewish calendar, President Trump gave the Declaration on December 6, 2017 that made Jerusalem the capital of Israel! According to Leviticus 25:9, "9 Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land." So a man named "Trump" which means "Trumpet" sounded throughout the land on the very first day by giving a declaration to allow rightful owners (Jews) to get their land back!
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