666 and the Names of God

A couple of weeks go we crossed over into the Hebrew year of 5786. In the Gregorian calendar we are on the count down to 2026.

So we have moved (are moving) from 5 to 6. God speaks to me always through his word and sometimes through symbols and numbers and I want to unpack what I believe the Lord is saying at the beginning of this new year about the number 6 and the symbolism and pictogram associated with it:

The 6th letter in the Hebrew alphabet is the Vav. The original pictogram symbol depicts a tent peg or a nail. In Hebrew, letters and numbers are represented by the same symbols and so the sixth letter is also the number 6.

Unlike the English alphabet, Hebrew letters are infused with profound symbolism and unique attributes that enrich the study of Scripture. Jewish rabbis have traditionally believed in prophetic significance within the gematria of the Hebrew letters and numbers that make up the Hebrew calendar years. When we engage with these deeper layers, we begin to access what Jewish mystics refer to as, ‘Sod’ (with a long “ō”), which is the hidden, spiritual dimension of God’s Word. Some understand Sod as the Kingdom of God, others as the prophetic, mystical, or revelatory realm; still others liken it to returning to the Garden of Eden.

The Vav is found in the Tetragrammaton - God’s name ‘Yahweh’. In Hebrew (which doesn’t have vowels), this is spelt YHVH. The symbols are Yod Hei Vav Hei.

If we put the symbolic meanings of each of the symbols of the Tetragrammaton together we find, awe-inspiringly, that they mean: ‘Behold the hand behold the nail’ - a profound prophetic fore-telling of Jesus Christ, centuries before He walked the earth.

So hold that thought.

The symbolic meaning of number 6 in the scriptures is ‘man’ and ‘beast’ : both were created on the sixth day. I’m sure we are all familiar with the verse from Revelation 13 which gives us the number of the beast.

There has been much wild speculation and conjecture concerning 666, with the Gematria for all manner of people’s names supposedly adding up to 666: the most famous being Nero Caesar.

I’m not sure whether the beasts name has to literally add up to 666 (it would be a macabre and interesting touch!), but we can know that 6 is the number of man and 3 is representative of the number of fullness - something taken to its fullest and most complete extent.

So three sixes is flesh (fallen man operating in his old Adamic, beast nature) multiplied and taken to its fullest extent. We seem to be heading that way in the earth don’t we?

We know, from scripture that there is one sure and eternal remedy for the flesh and it is crucifixion. It is to be baptised into the death of Christ, buried with Him and made alive in his resurrection power.

Our flesh needs to be crucified, not multiplied!

Over the past few weeks the Lord has let me into a study of this beautiful verse found in Deuteronomy 6:4, known as the Shema:

I learned a while ago when I first looked at this verse that there are two Hebrew words for ‘one’: yachid and echad. Yachid means ‘one and only, nothing else found like it’ echad means ‘a compound oneness’, ‘ a one that is made up of many parts.

Given a choice between the two, you would think (reasonably) that the ‘one’ in the above verse is yachid.. there is only ONE God.. no one else like him!

I was blown away to discover that it is not yachid, it is echad!

It is the compound one-ness: a single entity but made up of more than one part. At first appraisal this seems to be speaking of the Trinity: three in one: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (which Orthodox Jews do not like!), but I believe it is even more profound than that. I believe Deuteronomy 6:4 is a prophetic declaration of the glorious mystery of the forthcoming assembled body of Jesus Christ.

How incredibly humbling and how amazing of our God to share His own Personhood so freely that He would pull us into ‘echad’ one-ness with Him; that He would so identify with us as to include us in His body in the earth.

Lets go deeper. In the Hebrew, Deuteronomy 6:4 says this: Sh’ma Y’Israel Yahweh Elohim Yahweh Echad

I realised, with some astonishment that the Gematria number for Yahweh is 26 and the Gematria for Elohim is 86.

The Lord is drawing our attention and He is speaking powerfully through this verse in this coming year - 5786 and 2026.

So what is He saying?

There are 3 sixes found in Deuteronomy 6:4: Yahweh (26) Elohim (86) Yahweh (26)  and there are 3 sixes found in the number of the beast.

In the former the 6s are absorbed into the names of God - they are componential parts of Yahweh (x2) and Elohim, in the latter the 6s are found standing alone x 3

This year the Lord is saying CHOOSE where you want to be found, CHOOSE where you will put your humanity, CHOOSE what you want to be multiplied in your life.

There is an invitation to come deeper into HIM… into his personhood, into The one-ness of Christ. This is where we MUST be found in the days ahead. The remnant is even now being separated from Babylon. The true church is being separated from the harlot church. There will only be one safe place in the days ahead and it is to be IN The Christ and there is only one way into The Christ and it is Galatians 2:20:

Flesh is being multiplied in the earth and pushed to its fullest horrific extent as people (and yes even the church) lean into the way that seems right to a man, but in the end leads to death. Proverbs 14:12

Don’t be pulled further into Babylon, into fallen worldly systems and political sides that foster and grow the fruit of anger, fear, bitterness, hate, and blame. This is NOT the gospel. It is flesh! It is NOT the Way!

Look closely at the fruit of your actions, choices and behaviours - are you becoming more self righteous, more angry, more bitter towards others, more fearful? Or are you becoming more free, more peaceful, more joyful?

By all means have an political opinion, but make sure your political opinion comes from wearing the lens of being crucified with Christ and being found in Him, and not the lens that the media, and all the people in your echo chamber would have you wear.

Did you know that the Greek word for ‘glory’ is ‘Doxa’ it literally means ‘what evokes good opinion.’

If you want to be found in the glory realm of Christ then you must be willing to set aside your own opinions and instead allow His opinions (His glory!) to work within you and emanate from your heart. He came gentle and humble, riding on a donkey. The people wanted a political saviour who would smite the Romans and restore Israel. But Jesus didn’t come to overthrow an empire, he came to die. He came as King to usher in another Kingdom that is not of this world.

The church is in a  crossing over place - she is coming into her inheritance - not just a few people but together, en masse, we are in the crossing over place. We are entering the promised land - we are coming out of wilderness and religion and striving and coming into fullness and rest and promise. The church is beginning to occupy and take her governmental place in the spirit.

What happened as Joshua and the Israelites stood on the edge of their inheritance, the promised land of Canaan?

Joshua met a Man (the pre-incarnate Christ) and Joshua asked Him the question: Whose side are you on?

Isn’t this where we find ourselves today - in side-taking?! Aren’t we asking ourselves and others this very same question? We want to silo in with ‘our kind of people’ the ones who think and believe like us and we believe that God is exclusively on our side (He couldn’t possibly be on their side!) We want to create our version of the promised land, the one made in our image.

And what was the answer from the Man?

I’m not on anybody’s side, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come!

So again beloved. This year, with increasing urgency, we are being presented with a choice…but it is not whether to lean left or right. It is whether to lean earth-ward or heaven-ward.

I remember singing an old hymn at the baptist church I used to attend called Who is on the Lords Side?, with a rousing chorus 'By Thy grand redemption, By Thy grace divine, We are on the Lord’s side; Savior, we are Thine'

So on whose side will you be found? The Christ or antichrist? The kingdoms of this world or the Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?

This will be determined by what you will do with your flesh? (Your carnal nature).

Will you surrender it to Babylon and worldly and religious systems that will only serve to multiply your Adamic fallen nature and give licence to anger, fear, self-righteousness and judgement? Will you be found on the same trajectory of the beast of Revelation 13? Flesh given full, unfettered expression. Flesh multiplied. The enemy is working overtime right now to multiply man's adamic nature in the earth and he is subtle in his enticements. Fallen man is the throne upon whom he will sit and from where he will rule. We are mistaken if we think drugs, porn, adultery and stealing are the only sins we need to avoid. Pride is the most deadly sin. It caused satan's downfall and it will ultimately be the downfall of man.

Or will you surrender your flesh nature to the nail? To the Vav? Will you pick up your cross and be crucified daily? And will you follow Him on the narrow path, the path of Not my will Lord but yours be done?

The fence is disappearing. The remnant is being separated. NOW is the time to choose!

In this year 5786 and 2026, HEAR OH CHURCH we are being invited, urged, wooed into the completeness, the fullness of God - into the oneness of his name - into our place in the body of Christ in the earth. This is where we belong - this is what we have been created for - this is where we MUST be found. The alternative is too horrible to imagine.