Unravelling the Mystery of Numerals in God’s Love Story - 2

Following on from last week, where we discovered the significance of the numeral 7, we will continue on our journey of unravelling the mystery of numerals, in God’s love story the Bible. Remembering that through God’s first recorded account of His creation cycle, He reveals the significance of numbers 1 to 7. So let us continue our journey through God’s love story to us and focus on the significance of the numeral 2. As you listen be blessed, empowered and transformed in Jesus name.

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Transcript

00:00 Intro music and voice over.

Welcome to jesus loves the world podcast. For more information and free resources visit our website jesuslovestheworld.info Be blessed empowered and transformed in Jesus’ name! 

00:21 Speaker

Following on from last week, where we discovered the significance of the numeral 7, we will continue on our journey of unravelling the mystery of numerals, in God’s love story the Bible. Remembering that through God’s first recorded account of His creation cycle, He reveals the significance of numbers 1 to 7. Each time period reflects not only God’s great love and systematic order, but specifically through the numeral 7, shows us His character of completeness, wholeness and perfection.

So let us continue our journey through God’s love story to us and focus on the significance of the numeral 2. Again we will go back to the creation story as told in Genesis chapter 1, this time specifically in verses 5-8. 

Genesis 1:5-8 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day. Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so. And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.

On the second timespan of the creation cycle, God - Father, Son and Spirit - one God one spirit separated the physical water into 2 parts. The water in the sky and the water on the earth. Throughout both the Old and New Testament, the spiritual water or rain is used to refer to the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, is the one together with Father God, who testifies of Jesus, the Son of God. 

Also the Holy Spirit, together with the one who has given their total allegiance to God who created, also testify. Together with the Holy Spirit, every individual throughout the ages are a true witness of God. 

In the Old Testament, when one from each of the 12 tribes of the Ancient Israelites was selected to spy out the land, just 2 of the 12 were a true witness of God. The 2 of the 12 were Joshua and Caleb. 

Let us go to the book of Numbers and listen to what God testified of both Joshua and Caleb.

Numbers 14:24 But My servant Caleb, because he has a different spirit in him and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land where he went, and his descendants shall inherit it.

Numbers 27:18 And the LORD said to Moses: “Take Joshua the son of Nun with you, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him;

As they had given their allegiance to God and worshipped only Him, they had the Spirit of God within them. Together with the Holy Spirit were true witnesses of God. 

In the New Testament the number 2 is also linked with the true witness of God, again by God Himself. This occurred when Jesus took public water baptism, so the prophecy of the Holy Spirit resting upon the Messiah would be fulfilled. Both the Holy Spirit and God the Father testified of Jesus. 

Matthew 3:16-17 When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” 

Jesus also reminded those of Jewish lineage, especially the Pharisees who opposed Him, that the law given to them through Moses also confirmed that the number two represented a true witness. In that instance both the Father and Son are a true witness of who God is. 

John 8:13-18 The Pharisees therefore said to Him, “You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.” Jesus answered and said to them, “Even if I bear witness of Myself, My witness is true, for I know where I came from and where I am going; but you do not know where I come from and where I am going. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. And yet if I do judge, My judgment is true; for I am not alone, but I am with the Father who sent Me. It is also written in your law that the testimony of two men is true. I am One who bears witness of Myself, and the Father who sent Me bears witness of Me.”

The Father and Son are true witnesses bearing witness of each other. The Pharisees are teachers of the Jewish law. They know the law and manipulate it for their own self gain. They know only God has the right to judge and only God is truth. Jesus reveals that He is not only of God, but that He is God, God the Son. If they had received God and His right to rule and reign they would receive Him. In their true witness, the Father and Son expose the lies and hypocrisy of the Pharisees. 

The numeral 2 in connection with the true witness of God is all throughout God’s love story the Bible. Two witnesses mentioned in the book of the Revelation of Jesus are depicted in amongst the 2nd woe. The writer John describes what he sees in a vision. 

Revelation 11:3-4 And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.” These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth.

This is a wonderful picture that testifies of God and the promise of eternal healing, salvation and deliverance for all people. 

The 2 true witnesses of God are represented here as the 2 olive trees and the 2 lampstands that are standing before God. 

The resurrected Jesus tells us at the beginning of this book of the Revelation of Jesus that the 7 lampstands represent the church. That is all those throughout the ages who have given their allegiance to Jesus, to God and worship only Him. 

The imagery of the two olive trees is reminiscent of a vision given to the prophet Zechariah in the Old Testament. It was many years before this vision given to John. Let us go that vision. 

Zechariah 4:11-14 Then I answered and said to him, “What are these two olive trees—at the right of the lampstand and at its left?” And I further answered and said to him, “What are these two olive branches that drip into the receptacles of the two gold pipes from which the golden oil drains?” Then he answered me and said, “Do you not know what these are?” And I said, “No, my lord.” So he said, “These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth.”

The context of this vision given to Zechariah was that the Eternal, Self-Exisiting One revealed His salvation plan to His prophet Zechariah. God anointed Zechariah to speak for Him. Zechariah was to go to the High Priest, whose name was Joshua, and the King or Governor whose name was Zerubbabel, who together were to be a true witnesses of God. 

The olive tree is also used to reference the Ancient Israelites in Hosea 14:6. In Hosea there is a direct reference to Israel's renewing, repentance and becoming a true witness of God. All this  will occur long after they will turn away from worshipping idols made with human hands. This will be a time of illumination, where they will come to know who is the real God. 

In the New Testament the Apostle Paul gives a direct reference to Israel being the olive tree when he was speaking to those of non Jewish lineage who have received Jesus, received God.

Romans 11:17-25 And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? For 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.

So those of Jewish lineage who did receive Jesus, receive God and worship only Him, are the branches broken off. Unbelief in this context means rejecting God and His right to rule and reign. 

The Olive tree are those of Jewish lineage, like Paul who received God, received Jesus. They  together with those of non Jewish lineage who received Jesus, received God are true witnesses. 

Therefore the two witnesses in the vision given to John described as the 2 lampstands and 2 olive trees are the true witnesses of God. The 2 lampstands represents all those throughout the church age who have accepted God’s right to rule and reign in Jesus. Together with all those of Jewish lineage through the Old Testament who have accepted God’s right to rule and reign. They are represented by the two olive trees. 

Both testify of who God is and all He has done, is doing and will do. By accepting God’s right to rule and reign and worshipping only Him, we testify He is God. 

Together we are a true witness of God. We testify of His goodness, His love and His faithfulness. Even when we are unfaithful, He is faithful. We testify of His joy over us is our strength. His gentleness, His patience, His self control, His peace, His kindness, His provision, His plan, His power, His truth, we are true witnesses.

In verse 6 of Revelation 11 the two witnesses ‘have power to shut heaven, so that no rain falls in the days of their prophecy; and they have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to strike the earth with all plagues, as often as they desire.’

Both are reminiscent of the times of the Old Testament prophet’s Elijah and Moses. 

At the time of the rule of king Ahab and Jezebel, Elijah proclaims a drought. King Ahab had aligned himself with evil and attempting to deceive the people into worshipping evil. Through the prophet Elijah, God exposes the lie of the Baal god and reveals He is the one true God. 

1 Kings 17:1 And Elijah the Tishbite, of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, except at my word.”

During the time when the Egyptian Pharaoh, Moses was given power to turn the river Nile into blood. Pharaoh had aligned himself with evil and refused to free the Hebrew people to be able to choose to worship the one true God. God exposed the deceptions and brought judgement on the Egyptian gods. Revealing He is the one true God.

Exodus 7:20 And Moses and Aaron did so, just as the LORD commanded. So he lifted up the rod and struck the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants. And all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.

Both Elijah and Moses were true witnesses of God and testified of Jesus. They both appeared with Jesus on the mountain when Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James and John.

God demonstrated His power through both Elijah and Moses, to expose the lies and deceptions of evil and reveal He is the one true God. The creator of heaven and earth and all things good.

So the number 2 throughout God’s love story the Bible often represents a true witness of who God is, what He has done and will do. Those who have given their allegiance God, together with the Holy Spirit testify to the powers. Praise His mighty name!

19:40 Outro music and voice over. 

For more information and free resources visit our website jesuslovestheworld.info Be blessed empowered and transformed in Jesus’ name!