Why are the numbers 6 and 7 significant in the Bible?

In the Bible, we see the significances of many numbers. However, the number 7 in the OT, and the number 6 in the NT draw the most attention. The number 6, represents, man, (Genesis 1:26), and wealth, (1 Kings 10:14), two aspects of the material universe that will eventually “pass away”. Furthermore, the “mark of the beast” as described in Revelation 13:11–18, is “six hundred, threescore, and six, (666), which further illustrates a number of imperfection as it is “the number of a man” (verse 18). These examples show that the number 6 represents the degradation of material things. The number 7 on the other hand, represents “completion.” In Genesis, 2:1–3, we see that God “rested” from his creation of the material universe, and in verse three, he “sanctified” the seventh day, and made it Holy. Furthermore in Exodus 20:8–11, God makes a commandment to the Israelites by the hand of Moses in the Ten Commandments, to keep the “Sabbath” day holy. Sabbath is a Hebrew word meaning “rest” or “cessation,” and represents the day that God rested from his completion of the creation of the material universe. Furthermore, we see various instances in the Bible where to atone for your sins, you had to sacrifice lambs, goats, and rams, many times by the “sevens”, in order for your prayer to be heard by God, (2 Chronicles 29:21). Furthermore, we see in Matthew 24:35, in the words of Jesus Christ, that the material universe shall pass away, but the eternal, perfect, and incorruptible “Word of God” (by which the material universe was created,) shall not pass away. In summary, the number 6 represents material things, degeneracy, and imperfection, and the number 7 represents perfection, completion, and the eternal nature of God.

How readable is the Bible to you?

In my 25+ years of reading the Bible, I have found it to be remarkably readable. The way it is structured by Book, chapter, verse, and narrative is very fluid in my estimation. Could you imagine if the Bible were structured like a novel, or like a storybook? It would be tremendously difficult to read or to follow. The way the chapters and verses are numbered, and so neatly organized makes this book a prime read for anyone who enjoys reading ancient religious, and historical manuscripts.

What is the overall appeal of the King James version of the Holy Bible?

In my opinion, the appeal of the King James version of the Holy Bible to its readers is multilayered. One reason is because it is the earliest known complete translation of the manuscript known as the Holy Bible. Completed in 1611, it contains 66 books, 39 books in the Old Testament, and 27 books in the New Testament. In my opinion, the King James version provides somewhat of an “unfiltered” rendition of Bible scriptures that appeals to its readers. Furthermore, from the founding of the United States of America to the present day it was the KJV (King James Version) that was read from in homes, read from on evangelical television broadcasts and read from in church services around the country. This produced a universal familiarity with the KJV that other versions have yet to match. In recent years however, especially in high volume churches with thousands of members, you see more pastors and evangelists reading from newer translations of the Bible that are easier to grasp, have simplified texts, and are lighter in tone. This contributes to the new translations increased popularity in recent years. I for one prefer the straightforwardness and the contextual tradition that the KJV offers. When I give Bible discourses online, I use the KJV and translate its contents to my listeners in a way that sparks the imagination and engages the listeners.

Science as a Religion

It would appear to me that science is a religion. If you look at the scientific theories of modern physicists like Galileo Galilei, Sir Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein, you will notice a striking truth about how these theories are accepted by society. This truth being, that while these theories have been scientifically vetted and are considered truth, they still remain a theory in principle. Arguing against the Theory of Gravity, for example, would subject a person to the same kinds of scrutiny in the scientific community as arguing against the Doctrine of Christian Salvation would subject a person to in the Christian community. I am not implying at all that scrutiny in and of itself is a bad thing, however keep in mind that the word “scrutiny” comes from the Latin word, “scrutari,” which means to “sort trash,” which implies to me, that the very nature of scrutiny is to find something negative and not positive. Now any rational person might argue, that scientific theory is rooted in human observation that has been conceptualized, rationalized, and contextualized through academic means, and is also available to all people through scientific documents. This same person might argue that it would be foolish to question these theories, because after all, all a person has is their ability to perceive, and how can you question theories that the scientific community has perceived, and that the general population of Earth has concurred with? My answer to this argument would be that while generally accepted scientific theories are safe and useful as something that a person can rely upon to make sense of the world around them, these same generally accepted scientific theories do not give concrete insights into the nature of the mind of the people that form these theories. There is still much about the human mind that science has to answer, and I for one am enthusiastic for and eagerly awaiting these answers. In my view, in order to believe in scientific theories as a way to understand the material universe, you have to also believe that natural scientific processes are set in their workings, and that they will not necessarily change over time. Although most people will never know the technical particulars of why the Earth rotates around the Sun, people will accept that it is the Sun’s gravitational pull that causes Earth to rotate around it; this being because every living person to ever grace the face of the Earth has experienced gravity in some capacity during their lifetime. Furthermore, if a person hears Sir Issac Newton’s theory of gravity, and experiences its validity, then through faith, they will believe other more mysterious scientific theories such as the theory of evolution, which has circumstantial evidence at best to its credit, or the big bang theory, which no one was alive to witness. This faith mechanism can also be applied to spiritual and religious concepts. A person can read holy texts, which for all intents and purposes are guidelines to the supernatural, and by following their precepts, can in faith, test their validity. For example, if a person reads from the book of Proverbs, chapter 13:4, which reads, “The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.” This verse means that lazy people want things, but hard workers obtain things. If a person reads this verse and sees the validity and provability of these scriptures in their daily life, then that person will have faith in other more mysterious concepts of the Holy Bible such as in the book of Acts, chapter 2:38 which reads, “Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” In addition to my assertions on science as a religion, I also assert that the major scientists in the history of mankind are held in the same regard in men’s minds as the major prophets and apostles in the Holy Bible. Scientists like Galileo Galilei, Sir Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein, are in many respects “apostles” of scientific reasoning in the same way that the apostles, Peter, James and John are in many respects the “doctors” of the gospel of Jesus Christ. When people want to know more about science, they will reference the work of noted doctors and scientists, and when they want to know more about the Bible, they reference the work of prophets and apostles. Both scientists and apostles are seen as authorities in their areas of expertise, and are generally relied upon for accurate information on matters relating to their areas of expertise. In summary, Science has become the “default” religion to people who have not accepted religious assertions as accurate in describing the nature of the material universe. In my opinion, the reason for this is because while many scientific theories require a measure of faith in the theories from people, these theories are rooted in observation and little faith, while religion is rooted in observation and audacious faith. Furthermore, observation and little faith while forming opinions on the material universe, is more universally appealing to people and is more universally relatable to people than forming these same opinions using religious concepts that require observation and audacious faith.

What does the Apostle John's description of Heaven in the book of Revelation have in common with the philosopher Plato's “Theory of Forms?”

To give a brief summary of the Greek philosopher Plato’s “Theory of Forms,” also known as “Metaphysics,” everything in the material universe is but a mirror image, and an imperfect, “form” of something that already exists in an original, perfect, and supernatural realm. In the book of Revelations, the Apostle John gives the reader a vivid description of his visions of the ultimate state of Heaven, which for all intents and purposes would be seen by Plato as the ultimate “form” in terms of a realm or sphere. In Revelations chapter 21:9, we see one of the seven angels of the apocalypse reveal “the Lamb’s wife,” namely the bride of Christ; to the Apostle John, this designation, in the Christian cultural tradition is believed to be the “body of Christ,” or the Church of Christ. This shows the reader, that the concept of marriage, or the concept of eternal unity originated, and has its ultimate and most perfect form in Heaven and was later bestowed upon mankind and womankind in the Earth. Furthermore, in Revelations chapter 21:10, we see the Apostle John’s vision of “that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God.” This shows the reader that the ultimate concept, or “form” of cities, namely organized entities containing societies originated in Heaven, and were later bestowed upon mankind after the Creation. It also shows the natural capacity of mankind to develop traits that compel them to organize, which for all intents and purposes is a trait that God holds in its ultimate form in Heaven. In Revelations chapter 21:18–21, we see where there are vast gates made out of precious stones such as gold, jasper, sapphire, emerald, etc… This is significant because it shows that these precious stones were first precious in their Heavenly form, and then later precious in their imperfect earthly forms after creation. In Revelations chapter 22:1, we see one of the seven angels of the apocalypse show John in a dream, that the “water of life” flows from the throne of God, and the Lamb, namely Jesus Christ, throughout Heaven. This indicates according to scripture, that water itself, originated in Heaven in a perfect form, and the water we have on Earth is an imperfect mirror image of heavenly water. In Revelation chapter 22:2, we see where the perfect formation of the “Tree of Life” is present in the “street” in midst of God. This tree of life “yields her fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” According to Plato's concept of metaphysics, this indicates that "cycles," namely points in time that yield a certain result in accordance with nature, have an original and ultimate form in Heaven. This further indicates that “streets,” namely foundations that can be maneuvered upon, and built upon, have a perfect form in Heaven as well, and man developed the capacity during his physical, and psychological evolution to devise and create imperfect forms of similar streets here on the Earth. Furthermore, the Tree of Life is present in the Creation story, namely in the book of Genesis chapters 2 and 3, and is apparently an imperfect mirror image, or form of the “eternal” tree of life that is in Heaven. Furthermore, a tree yielding its fruit every month is something we see in Revelation chapter 22:2, as a mechanism that originated in Heaven in its perfect form, and then later in the Earth after the creation of vegetation and greenery by God. In the book of Genesis, chapter 1:26, we see God tell a pre-mortal Jesus Christ, (John 1:1,) that he wanted to make man in our “image.” According to Plato's metaphysics, this indicates that man himself, is an imperfect mirror image of God himself, who by Plato’s estimation, would be the original, ultimate, and most perfect form in terms of his ability to perceive and create.

What is the more beneficial Testament of the Bible to read from in modern times, the Old Testament, or the New Testament, and why?

The Old and New Testaments in the Holy Bible are of equal importance in relation to one another. In the Old Testament, we see the Creation story, the Law of Moses, and the prophets, and in the New Testament, we see the life of Jesus Christ, the work of the Apostles, and the end of time. In the Old Testament we see the trials, tribulations, and victories of the Israelites, and their journey with God. In the New Testament we see a widening of God’s blessings through his son, Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, we see in Romans 15:4, the Apostle Paul write, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. This means that while the New Testament is more palatable in the present day in terms of making covenants with God, that the Old Testament is relevant, significant, and meritorious, and is here for our learning. I prefer to study the Old Testament and the New Testament in unison so as to gain historical, cultural, scriptural, and spiritual insights.

What does the creativity of man in relation to the creativity of the beasts of the field say about God's "likeness"?

In the book of Genesis 1:26, we see God, namely, (El-ohim, or Gods) tell Jesus Christ (John 1:1–5), that they should jointly create man in their “image” and “likeness”. Given that the heavenly bodies, the earth, and the beasts of the field were already created up to that point, what unique qualities do humans have in relation to God as opposed to the beasts of the field? My answer to this mystery is the ability to create. Now mankind neither has the ability to create or destroy matter, (The law of the conservation of mass,) neither can he cause energy itself to be created or destroyed (law of the conservation of energy;) furthermore man has not been able to define the nature or magnitude of the material universe presently, or pre-big-bang, or how or why the first particles of material matter came into existence. Given man’s natural limitations in his ability to know the universe, the nature of nothingness, and the negation of nothingness, man’s ability to create appears to separate him from the beasts of the field in the Biblical sense, and bring him closer to God in the Biblical sense. If you look at the creation of governments, nations, corporations, cities, the order that constitutes the family unit, local, state, and federal laws, organized religion, and religion itself, it causes one to wonder what the root cause of these inspirations are. Man’s ability to create and organize in relation to Gods ability to create and organize as presented in Genesis, sets him apart from the beasts of the field both figuratively and literally.