ABIDE CHRISTIAN SLEEP MEDITATION
From The Darkness Into The Light
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Many people are aware that the number of the beast or the anti-Christ is 666. This number is found in the Holy Bible, Revelation 13:18. But what is the number of Jesus? The Bible does not explicitly or implicitly give His number. However, through the science of numerology it can be discovered.
In Christian numerology, the number 888 represents Jesus, or sometimes more specifically Christ the Redeemer. This representation may be justified either through gematria, by counting the letter values of the Greek transliteration of Jesus’ name, or as an opposing value to 666, the number of the beast.
Gematria is the practice of assigning numbers to letters to reveal deeper meanings behind words and phrases. Gematria is an art that has been practiced in many cultures and played a quintessential role in helping one understand the hidden meanings of ancient spiritual texts. The Holy Bible is a book rich in numerology, sacred geometry, allegory, symbolism, morality, psychology, philosophy and astrology – but in order to truly grasp the gems that lay hidden between the lines, one would need to read it using gematria. The Bible has been studied using germatria for decades, and other important names have been analyzed as well.
Some things in Scripture are specifically described as mysteries. In various places in the New Testament we find such statements as “He that has ears let him hear,” or “Let him that reads understand” or “Behold, I show you a mystery.” Revelation 13:18 begins with the words ‘This is wisdom.’ Such phrases indicate something hidden, which we must search out by prayerful study and commitment to the Holy Spirit. This is why many have turned to gematria to understand the Bible on a deeper level, and attempt to uncover some of these mysteries.
Using the Greek Ionic Ciphered Numeral System, it can be scientifically proven that Jesus’ number is 888. In this system, each letter of the Greek alphabet is assigned a numerical value. The name of Jesus in Greek is spelled: iota, eta, sigma, omicron, upsilon, sigma. Next, you substitute in the Greek numeral system for the equivalent numerical values to each letter in the name of Jesus. Upon adding all of those up, the total is 888. The values of each letter are: iota, 10; eta, 8; sigma, 200; omicron, 70; upsilon, 400; sigma, 200. The sum of 10 + 8 + 200 + 70 + 400 + 200 is 888.
The Bible never uses 888 directly, but the number has a great significance in biblical numerology. In the Bible, the number 8 is a number of new beginnings. For example, David was the eighth son of Jesse. Jesus is the “Root and Offspring of David” (Revelations 22:16).
Christ, rising from the dead on Sunday initiated a new creation. Matthew 28:1 says “After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.” Jesus rose again on the Sabbath, and began a new world that is celebrated on the first day of the week. Jesus is the “author and finisher of the faith” (Hebrews 12:2), or the starter of new beginnings.
On the 8th day of the universes creation, God said “let the Church begin, and it began.” The light shone in the darkness and the darkness has not been able to quench it.
At a glance 8 looks like an upright infinity sign. The dictionary defines infinity as boundlessness, limitlessness, and endlessness. These are the characteristics of God. In the Bible, God is revealed by his Holy Trinity; the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
The Number 888 is a symmetrical number, meaning it can be reflected, inverted, and have its digits permuted with no change in its appearance. This coheres with God’s use of this number when He declared He eternal unchanging nature, saying “I am the Lord, I change not” (Malachi 3.6). Indeed, “Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Heb. 13.8).
Some have taken this a step further, and applied it to modern day. For example, Eternity in heaven is a free gift for those who accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. In the USA now, phone calls with an 888 area code are also free. Romans 10:13 reminds us “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” While this could just be a coincidence, it’s interesting to see how this science can be applied even in today’s society.
When God created the name of Jesus Christ, He wanted to pass along a message to us. He wanted us to understand the monumental importance of who Christ was on earth, and how we are called to follow Him. Through numerology, we are better able to understand how God has woven mathematical truths into His divine creations.
Jesus’ final hours on the cross lasted from approximately 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., a period about six hours. “The chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked Him. ‘He saved other,’ they said, ‘but He can’t save Himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross and we will believe in Him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue Him now if He wants Him, for He said, ‘I am the Son of God’” (Matthew 27:41-43). As recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Like and John, Jesus Christ was mocked, scorned and tortured in the praetorium. He carried His cross up the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem to Calvary, was nailed to the Cross, and hung between two criminals. Jesus suffered and indescribable end, recalled by the Church on Good Friday. There were seven expressions of Jesus on the cross recorded in Scripture.
In Matthew 27:46, we are told that in the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Here, Jesus was expressing His feelings of abandonment as God placed the sins of the world on Him – and because of that, God had to “turn away” from Jesus. As Jesus was feeling the weight of sin, He was experiencing a separation from God for the only time in all eternity. This was also a fulfillment of the prophetic statement in Psalm 22:1 which says, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?”
The entirety of God’s history comes to a single focal point when Jesus cries out, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.” From the moment of creation, God’s story is a story of self-limitation and humility. He withdrew enough of Himself to allow the rest of creation to blossom and flourish. He allowed Israel freedom to succeed and fail – and He ultimately poured Himself into the flesh-and-bone, real life person, Jesus of Nazareth. God pursed every experience of finite humanity, including laughter and grief, joy and sorrow. In His final moments, He said these words because there was real forsakenness for our sake. He also said it to express desolation, not asking for an answer. Finally, He was amazingly fulfilling Scripture in the horror of it all and witnessing to the perfection of the plan of salvation.
Another statement that Jesus made on the cross was “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34). Those who were not aware of the full scope of what they were doing because they did not recognize Him as the Messiah. While their ignorance of divine truth did not mean they deserved forgiveness, Christ’s prayer in the midst of their mocking Him is an expression of the limitless passion of divine grace.
From Luke 23:43, we know that Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). In this passage, Jesus is assuring one of the criminals on the cross that when he died, he would be with Jesus in heaven. This was granted because even at the hour of his death, the criminal had expressed his faith in Jesus, recognizing Him for who He was. The Bible tells us that the man says, “Jesus, remember me when you come into Your Kingdom” (Luke 23:42).
When Jesus saw His mother standing near the cross with the Apostle John, whom He loved, He committed His mother’s care into John’s hands. Scripture tells us, “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciples whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold, Your Son!’ Then He said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother!’ And from the hour the disciple took her to his own home.’ In this verse Jesus, ever the compassionate Son, is making sure His early mother is care for after His death.
Another statement Jesus made on the cross was “I am thirsty” (John 19:28). Jesus was here fulfilling the Messianic prophecy from Psalm 69:21: “They put gall in my food and gave me vinegar for my thirst.” By saying He was thirsty, He prompted the Roman guards to give Him vinegar, which was customary at a crucifixion, thereby fulfilling the prophecy.
One of Jesus’ final statements was ‘It is finished!’ (John 19:30). Jesus’ last words meant that His suffering was over and the whole work His Father had given Him to do, which was to preach the Gospel, work miracles, and obtain eternal salvation for His people, was done, accomplished, fulfilled. The debt of sin was paid.
Jesus final words were “Father, into Your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46). Here, Jesus is willingly giving up His soul into the Father’s hands, indicating that He was about to die – and that God had accepted His sacrifice. He “offered up Himself unblemished to God” (Hebrews 9:14).
Jesus was obedient to His Father to the end, and His final word before His death on the cross was a prayer to His Father, a true reflection of Jesus’ character and relationship with God until the very end. One way to meditate on the Passion of Christ is to reflect and meditate on these words.