Unsettled Christianity

You ever wonder why people follow the Elijah List? Maybe it’s because it provides comedic entertainment. Or maybe, it shows us the importance of good bible study. The good ‘Bishop’ Larry Jackson tells us ‘divine math:’

Prior to the conference, I discovered Gematria (the substitution of numbers for letters in the Hebrew and Greek alphabets) and how the entire universe speaks to us through a numerical pattern designed by God. I believe a balanced study of the Bible using Gematria can change an unbeliever’s perspective about creation and the source of salvation, as well as increase the faith of Believers.

Hebrew and Greek, which are the original languages of the Old and New Testaments, respectively, are both alphanumeric languages. That is, each letter also represents a numerical value. It is possible to conclude that the Bible is not just a literary book, but is also a divine mathematics book. (This is not something one would normally hear from the pulpit on a Sunday morning since most pastors and Christian leaders do not understand how Gematria works.)

During the course of my studies, I learned that the number 888 is the numerical value for the name Jesus in Greek. Iesous, the name Jesus in Greek, is: I (10) + e (8) + s (200) + o (70) + u (400) + s (200) = 888. A detailed account of how Father gently led me to the place where I understood the meaning of 888 is in my new book “Knowing God by the Numbers.”

Some have questioned my motives for having this service on 08/08/08. Perhaps I was over spiritualizing something that, for the most part, had little relevance. In fact, after the celebration, my spiritual father asked me if this conference was just because the date matched the Gematria number for Jesus’ Name. I was able to clearly explain that the date did not have any bearing on my decision to hold this event. The date supported the revelation, but it was not the revelation. This celebration was all about Jesus and the greatness of His Name!

For this reason, there will be another 888 celebration in 2009! In fact, we can have this celebration until the end of time because His Name is eternal. The calendar year may change, but His Name is forever.

I have also been asked if there will be other celebrations in recognition of September 9, 2009 (999) or October 10, 2010 (1010). Both of these numbers are awesome in Gematria and have significant meaning throughout the Bible. But, Father has not given me any instructions about these dates and, until He does, our celebrations will only be in observance of the number of His Name, 888.

Gematria is largely a Kabbalistic practice, focusing on numerology. It has no basis in Scripture, but you will see people use it from time to time under the guise of ‘Bible Codes.’

Using Gamatria is an awful practice, especially when are using it to saying something biblical. The problem first and foremost is, is that the calender that Larry is using is Western, not the Hebrew Calender of God (if God does have a calender, then I think I would choose the Hebrew one, but that’s just me.) What he is doing is ‘spiritualizing’ the text, and looking for deep mysteries which simply are not there.

Another problem, just looking at the thing, is the Iesous was not what Christ would have heard. Our ‘Jesus’ is an English form of that word, which is a Greek form of the Hebrew word, Yeshua. If we went directly from Hebrew to English, we could get Joshua. (I don’t make a big deal out of this, for various reason.) The point is, is that Larry’s great revelation is built upon a bad numerology system based upon a Greek form of the Hebrew/Aramaic.

Among other problems is that he bases everything on 888, yet, goes with 777, 999, 101010. I wonder what he did on 6 June 2006?

Joel Landon Watts is a Masters of Theological Studies student with a focus in Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark. His interests include exploring the role of mimesis in human civilization, specifically in the study of religion and media, as well as science fiction and the way in which it has allowed mythology to be explored in light of scientific ideals of the past century. Currently, he is a TA for Old Testament at United Theological Seminary under Dr. Vivian Johnson, Associate Professor of Old Testament. His first book, Rhetorical Strategies of the Evangelist: Mimetic Criticism of the Gospel of Mark, is expected to be published by Wipf and Stock early next year. He is currently co-editing a book on moving from Fear to Faith (Energion, 2013).

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