23 Secretly Hidden 666 verses in the Holy Bible. Number codes reveal mysteries hidden below the surface of the text.

See also: Bible verses numbered 888 point to Jesus (link)

The mystery of the meaning of the number six-hundred and sixty-six quoted in Revelation 13:18 remains a debated topic because the number 666 is only mentioned in this single Bible verse. But is it? A recent discovery uncovers number 666 hidden throughout the Bible within the text. This post presents twenty-three verses clearly associated with number 666 revealing new facts about about what this number means.

Rev 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six (666). 

In a previous post noted above, I explained how cross Bible verse sequence numbers (1 to 31,102) have meaning. These numbers are not seen in the Bible’s we have today but can be determined by numbering every verse in scripture from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 (Using the KJV or other like numbered Bible versions).  Following are a couple of examples to help show the concept of cross-Bible verse numbers.

Impossible? Keep reading so as not to miss the miracle of this seemingly impossible claim that cross-Bible verse sequence numbers tie directly to the text

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Job 5:8-9  “As for me, I would seek God...who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number: 

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• ·         The 16,666th verse of the Bible is Proverbs 10:9 … he that perverts his ways shall be known.
• ·         The 17,666^th verse of the Bible is Isaiah 1:11 “To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.”
• ·         The 29,666th verse of the Bible is 2 Thessalonians 2:4 “…Who opposes and exalts himself above all… so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”.
• ·         (These and 20 more examples presented below)

Another evidence supporting the theme of great sin for number 666 can be found in the 666^th Bible chapter of Ecclesiastes chapter 20 which speaks of wickedness on earth. -- Ecc 7:20 “For there is not a just man upon earth, that does good, and does not sin”. 

This article will demonstrate strong evidence for the intentional cross-Bible numbering pattern found in the Bible and that the numbering is directly related to the text it is associated with. This goes for every different number, not just 666. The 666 related evidence is simply one example of how perfect the Bible’s numbering is.  It is an amazing experience to see these numbers for yourself as they cause us to realize that every verse in the Bible must be present in its exact location for this pattern to exist. This pattern is one of thousands of number evidences that point to an inerrant divinely created Bible.

This pattern could not be contrived as it validates itself to be consistent. The 666 verses are exactly 1000 verses apart and the text they are associated with cannot be moved. For the pattern to be correct one must observe a preponderance of evidence each 666 verse lands on a verse strongly related to sin. The examples shown clearly demonstrate this preponderance of evidence. 

Take particular note how the evidence points to extreme examples of sin such as the 29,666^th Bible verse -- 2Thelessions  2:4 where the anti-Christ takes the throne pointing himself to be God. – “Who opposes and exalts himself above all… so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”. This is not a casual verse that happens to be about sin, instead, it may be the strongest verse in the Bible about evil! The other evidences are similarly compelling. BTW, This pattern only exists perfectly in the KJV and like numbered translations.

Compare to the nn888th cross-Bible verse numbers

In the previous post mentioned above, I showed the Bible’s cross number verses ending with nn,888 explaining the number 888 pointed to Jesus whose name can be expressed with the gematria number 888. To demonstrate these 888 related evidences are not just happenstance, I’m writing this article showing this numbering pattern is also seen in more numbers than 888. This example of 666 demonstrates the God-given theme for 666 as revealing the numbering pattern. Many believe the number 666 is only explicitly mentioned in scripture related to the beast in Revelation chapter 13. Once you become familiar with the Bible’s numbering you will find references to 666 are scattered all throughout the Bible in many ways. Here’s one you’ve probably overlooked many times: Isa 66:6 “A voice of noise from the city, a voice from the temple, a voice of the LORD that renders recompence to his enemies.” 

The Value of this and Similar Number Patterns

Below are presented a list of the Bible’s nn666 verses. Upon examining them you will likely observe how these verses all point to some aspect of; sin, forgiveness, punishment or learning not to sin. I have included twenty-three of the thirty-one verses having a cross-bible verse number ending in 666. As you look at them you might find yourself asking; OK, this is interesting, but how is this information useful to me, an average student of the Bible? If God did this, it must have a purpose. To help answer this question, here are a few reasons God’s number patterns are a great gold mine of value to those who love to study God’s Word:

·         GOD’S HIGHLIGHTING: They help us not to overlook the seriousness of the message in the verses about sin. This kind of numerical flag highlighting the verse can cause us to slow down and consider what God is communicating. It’s like God has yellow highlighted these 666 verses for us.

·         INERRANT SCRIPTURE: The pattern helps us totally trust the scriptures as only God could have left this impossible pattern for us to discover in these latter days. This perfection in numbering of the Bible should eliminate any doubt we might have about the Bible being complete or being a product of human hands that might have not recorded history correctly.

·         DEEPER INTERPRETATION: The numbers help us understand and interpret scripture more deeply. A possible example of this is found in Judges 6:11, the 6,666^th verse of the Bible which says, “Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites”. Without seeing the relationship to the number 666 and sin, we might miss the significance of the process of the threshing wheat which separates the wheat from the chaff. This directly compares to how God works to separate us from sin through what is sometimes a difficult and painful process. It also points out the significance of the events that take place in the threshing floor in other parts of scripture.

·         CONCORDANCE: These perfect number patterns provide a type of a concordance or index to verses about sin (or other topics depending on the number). If you want to study what God says about sin, you can review the nn,666^th verses of the Bible. 

(NOTE: I will shortly be releasing an Android/iPhone app that will teach about these number patterns and allow you to look them up for yourself).

·         NUMBER THEMES: The pattern provides compelling evidence for understanding God’s theme for number 6 and number 666. The themes for God’s number meanings are determined by recognizing number patterns such as this one and then analyzing them to identify the common textual theme among them. The theme of sin for number six is found throughout the Bible in many ways. For example, Genesis chapter six is the chapter where God makes the decision to cleanse the earth and makes this statement which just happens to be in verse six!  Gen 6:6 “And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.”. See other chapter sixes and especially, 6:6 verses to see how six is a number for sin including, consequences and repentance.

The List of 666 verses

Finally, see in the list below the amazingly strong association of the cross-Bible verse numbers ending with the number 666 and sin. See my other blog post regarding the number 888 to help confirm these associations are not a product of happenstance or coincidence. Only an unimaginable God could have created this pattern in His Word. 

Jeremiah 32:27 Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there anything too difficult for me?

RE: Evil and Sin

VERSE #17,666 -- Isa 1:11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats.

VERSE #29,666 -- 2The 2:4 Who opposes and exalts himself above all… so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

VERSE #16,666 -- Prov 10:9 … he that perverts his ways shall be known.

VERSE #7,666 -- 1Sam 17:47 …the battle is the LORD's, and he will give you into our hands.

VERSE #15,666 -- Psa 106:14 But (God’s chosen people) lusted …in the wilderness, and tempted God in the desert.

VERSE #1,666 -- Exo 6:10 …speak to Pharaoh… that he let the children of Israel go..

VERSE #4,666 -- Num 31:1  the LORD spoke to Moses… Avenge the children of Israel of the Midianites…

VERSE #5,666 -- Deu 28:54 …his eye shall be evil toward his brother…:

VERSE #6,666 -- Judg 6:11  …Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.

VERSE #8,666 -- 2Sam 23:12 … he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines…

RE: Forgiveness for Sin

VERSE #22,666 -- Mic 7:1 Woe is me! for I am as …the summer fruits…there is no cluster to eat…

VERSE #25,666 -- Luke 17:14 …he said to them, Go show yourselves to the priests. ..as they went, they were cleansed.

VERSE #24,666 -- Mrk 11:25 when ye stand praying, forgive, …that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins. 

RE: Punishment/Death

VERSE #19,666 -- Jer 29:30 …the word of the LORD to Jeremiah…Send to all them of the captivity…

VERSE #10,666 -- 1Chr 10:6 So Saul and his three sons and all his house died together.

VERSE #11,666 -- 2Chr 23:9 Jehoiada distributed weapons that had been king David's to overthrow an evil king

VERSE #14,666 -- Psa 49:17 For when he dies he shall carry nothing away: his glory shall not descend after him.

VERSE #18,666 -- Isa 50:3 I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.

VERSE #20,666 -- Eze 11:10 You shall fall by the sword; …and ye shall know that I am the LORD.

RE: Doing Good Instead of Sinning

VERSE #26,666 -- John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

VERSE #28,666 -- 1Cor 12:31 But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet I show to you a more excellent way.

VERSE #30,666 -- 3Joh 1:7 Because that for his name's sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles.

VERSE #23,666 -- Matt 15:32 Jesus said… I have compassion on the multitude. I will not send them away fasting

(You can examine the full Bible’s numbering on my website Bible at:  The AmazingWord Numbered Bible) 

Conclusion

I hope you were able to observe the pattern. Do not be worried if you cannot quite take in this evidence. I began seeing these patterns more than 20 years ago and needed thousands of evidences and more than two years of study to finally be 100% convinced they are real. If this article stirs your interest in investigating the patterns more, it has done its job.

Resources

If you want many other examples of what God’s Bible numbers mean, see my other posts; my website, twitter or see my book:   THE BIBLE'S REDEMPTION PATTERN AND NUMERIC MAP

http:www.amazingword.com

http:www.twitter.com/amazingword

http://amazingword.blogspot.com/

Watch the 66th verses of every book of the Bible. #66 is related to sin/evil. Most often things done wrong.

Just a quick post about the perfect numbering of the Bible. We know #6 is related to sin and crossing over to God by repenting (turning away from sin). The 5th book of the Bible is Joshua which accounts for him leading the people across the Jordan into the promise land. His job was to remove strongholds of sin in the land - which they did not complete.

Number 66 is a multiple of 6 which makes it about things about a greater intensity of sin. To demonstrate this, I've included below a selection of the 66th verse of some books of the Bible. I've not included every 66th verse as some are examples more difficult to discern. Nonetheless, these list of 66th book-verses provides compelling evidence for the symbolism of God's number 66.

Gen 3:10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Judg 3:7 And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD, and forgat the LORD their God, and served Baalim and the groves.

Mic 5:12 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers:

Zech 5:8 And he said, This is wickedness. And he cast it into the midst of the ephah; and he cast the weight of lead upon the mouth thereof.

Matt 4:1 Then was Jesus led up of the spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.

John 2:15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;

1Cor 3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

1Joh 4:3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

Exo 3:19 And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand.

Prov 3:11 My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:

Jer 3:10 And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.

Joel 3:14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision.

Act 2:40 And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

Rom 3:5 But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man)

Gal 3:21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.

1The 5:5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

Heb 4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

1Pet 3:16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.

Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

Josh 4:7 Then ye shall answer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD; when it passed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and these stones shall be for a memorial unto the children of Israel for ever.

2Sam 3:7 And Saul had a concubine, whose name was Rizpah, the daughter of Aiah: and Ishbosheth said to Abner, Wherefore hast thou gone in unto my father's concubine?

Psa 7:10 My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.

Isa 3:13 The LORD standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.

Amo 5:7 Ye who turn judgment to wormwood, and leave off righteousness in the earth,

Mrk 2:21 No man also seweth a piece of new cloth on an old garment: else the new piece that filled it up taketh away from the old, and the rent is made worse.

Philp 3:6 Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.

2Tim 4:5 But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

Deu 2:20 (That also was accounted a land of giants: giants dwelt therein in old time; and the Ammonites call them Zamzummims;

Job 4:5 But now it is come upon thee, and thou faintest; it toucheth thee, and thou art troubled.

1Sam 3:2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see;

2Kin 3:23 And they said, This is blood: the kings are surely slain, and they have smitten one another: now therefore, Moab, to the spoil.

Neh 4:3 Now Tobiah the Ammonite was by him, and he said, Even that which they build, if a fox go up, he shall even break down their stone wall.

God's Message to Us in Chapter Numbers -- 28 Chapter 6 themes showing #6/#666 symbolic of Sin/Repentance

We all know the Bible relates #666 to The Beast, Sin and Evil, but were you aware that anything found in the Bible related to number 6 has some aspect to it related to sin, repentance, or being delivered from sin? One of the easiest ways to verify this for yourselves is to examine the Bible's chapter sixes. Watch how consistently each one has some aspect of them dealing with sin or what to do to stay away from sin...

God left clear messages in the Bible for us to see in these last days. Messages we've not previously been aware of. They are not difficult to see, you just have to be willing to look for them. A great encouragement for these last days...

• Proverbs 6 -- Six things the Lord hates, seven are an abomination
• Daniel 6 -- Daniel found guilty, Daniel delivered from the Lion's den
• Luke 6 --Jesus says --"Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say?"
• Ephesians 6 -- Full Armor of God-- our struggle is against powers, forces of this darkness, against spiritual forces of wickedness
• Romans 6 -- Do not continue in sin--wages of sin is death
• 1Corinthians 6 -- Flee immorality--the immoral man sins against his own body.
• Ecclesiastes 6 -- Evil of seeking the joys of this life
• Genesis 6 -- The Lord was sorry he made man
• Leviticus 6 -- Laws for sin offerings
• Judges 6 -- 666 defeating evil (The 6,666th Bible verse is 6:11)  Gideon defeats Midian
• 2Samuel 6 -- Uzzah dies for his sin of reaching out for the ark
• Ester 6 -- Haman seeks honor, but the King honors Mordecai, Haman will die
• Psalms 6 -- Prayer for God's mercy and deliverance
• Job 6 -- Job expresses his deep anguish over his suffering
• Isaiah 6 -- Isaiah's sin and guilt is taken away - a hot coal touched his lips
• Jeremiah 6 -- Jerusalem will be destroyed because of their sins
• Ezekiel 6 -- Destruction of Israel for their abominations
• Hosea 6 -- Hosea exhorts Israel to repent transgressing God's covenant
• Amos 6 -- Woe to Israel for their pride
• Micah 6 -- Lord warns Israel to plead for forgiveness
• Matthew 6 -- Lord's Prayer for confession
• Mark 6 -- Casting out demons, John beheaded
• Acts 6 -- Stephen accused of sin, dragged before court
• 2Corinthians 6 -- Do not be bound to unbelievers or touch the unclean
• Galations 6 -- Restore those caught in sin
• 1Timothy 6 -- Love of money is root of evil
• Hebrews 6 -- Do not fall back into sin
• Revelation 6 -- The great day of the wrath of the lord has come.

What are The Bible's Redemption Pattern and Numeric Map about?

 

On Amazon -- The Redemption Pattern and Numeric Map 

Description

Most everyone has heard random comments from sermons about the symbolism behind numbers in the Bible, but the explanations given are so brief that they have little practical use in our own personal Bible study. As a result, Christians read the Bible without being able to put one of the best tools of interpretation to use in their study. This book explains not only the symbolism of Biblical numbers but more importantly describes the progressive meaning behind each number and how they relate to what the author refers to as the Bible's Redemption Pattern. Numbers not only have a consistent symbolism everywhere they are used in scripture, but each number helps describe the ten basic steps of a Christian's path of walking with God in their lives.

Similarly to "The Four Spiritual Laws" of Campus Crusade, the Redemption Pattern explains in detail the ten steps of; One-Knowing God; Two-The Appointed Redeemer who came for us; Three-God's Holiness and Righteousness; Four-Our trials and journey through the wilderness life; Five-What God demands of us and resulting blessings and consequences; Six-Our decision to cross over and turn from sin in our life; Seven-God as the Good Shepherd who uses the rod and the staff to teach us his ways to lead us to being complete;; Eight-How we become faithful believers by finally being convinced to give up our own ways to sincerely try to let God lead our lives; Nine-Our responsibility to anxiously anticipate Jesus return and faithfully serve while we await this event; and Ten-The number of final things including God's final disposition at the end of the age.

This book explains the symbolism of numbers; how to understand the Redemption Pattern steps; and most importantly, how we find this Redemption Pattern used throughout the Bible thus it being a constant reminder in scripture of God's plan for our lives. This pattern can be seen repeatedly in virtually every list of the Bible including; the Lord's Prayer; The names of ten generations from Adam to Noah; the Beatitudes; The Plagues of the Bible; feast days and more.

There's many other gems of knowledge throughout the book; explaining the numbers 72, 144, 153, 666, 777, & 1260; how 911 can be seen in scripture; the special numerical significance of John chapter 3; how numbers combine to make meaning and much more.

 

From the Author   

Once you see all the examples of how numbers are used in whatever Bible you use today, you will quickly begin to make use of them in your everyday Bible study. These principals apply to both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible so this means they also will be observed and equally useful in the study of the Torah and other religious documents.

 

About the Author   

Norm Patriquin is an everyday layman believer who over a ten year period accidentally stumbled over the Redemption Pattern and what he calls the Numeric Map of the Bible. He works today to pass on this knowledge to others showing how Biblical numbers are not a complex code or mathematical puzzle, but instead can be quickly comprehended as a very simple guide to helping us understand God's plan for our lives.

Strong evidence the Bible's 6:12 verses relate to #666 -- Sin, Evil, Wickedness... Halloween

A list quick post about mentions of great sin and evil in the Bible. Sounds impossible, but the evidence is very compelling that the Bible's 6:12 verses are directly related to the #666. Many patterns in Bible numerics show God has many ways to represent similar numbers. #666 is seen as..36...18...6:12..2x9...etc. Even though we only find the specific number 6-6-6 in Revelation 13:18, it is symbolized many other places in the Bible as well. Note, Rev 13:18 -- 6+6+6=18, the 1180th chapter (18) and the 229th verse in Revelation (2x9=18)

The Bible's 6:12 verses are quite amazing examples...here are just a few I've mentioned in my Twitter Tweets at amazingword.twitter.com

Rev 6:12 He broke sixth seal..then a great earthquake...sun became black...the moon like blood

Isa 6:12 "The LORD removed men far away..the forsaken places are many in the land

Eze 6:12 The far off will die by plague..near by sword..the rest by famine..I will spend My wrath on them

Gen 6:12 God looked on earth..it was corrupt..all flesh had corrupted their way

Rom 6:12 don't let sin reign in your mortal body or obey its lusts 

Eph 6:12 our struggle is against..forces of darkness..wickedness

There are many more examples in the remaining 6:12 verses -- It's pretty difficult to dismiss all this evil/wickedness in this one like referenced verse set as coincidence. Don't try to be convinced with these few examples...but do let them open your mind to what God apparently has done in the perfectly structured, DNA like, supernatural Bible. (KJV, NIV, NASB...)

There are 40 6:12 verses in the Bible...Gen, Exo, Lev, Num, Deu, Josh, Judg, 1Sam, 2Sam, 1Kin, 2Kin, 1Chr, 2Chr, Ezr, Neh, Est, Job, Prov, Ecc, Song, Isa, Jer, Eze, John, Dan, Amo, Mic, Zech, Matt, Mrk, Luke, Act, Rom, 1Cor, 2Cor, Gal, Eph, 1Tim, Heb, Rev

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666....

Rev 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six.

Ecclesiastes chapter 7, the 666th Bible chapter warns of the wickedness of seeking pleasure

Numbers 666, 36 and 18 all have themes that point to sin, wickedness and affliction. Note that each of these numbers can result in the number 666; thirty-six is a way of expressing three sixes; and 18 is 6+6+6. One of the key evidences of this theme can be found in the 18th verse of Revelation 13 which tells us the number of the beast being six hundred and sixty-six. This is the 18th verse in the 1180th Bible chapter (also 18 related) which is a chapter about the beast coming up out of the sea - evil coming forth. The total of 18 verses in this chapter also relate it to number 18 and further confirms it is a chapter with a likely theme about evil. Another unseen evidence showing #36 and #666 relate to sin is seen in Genesis 3:6 where Eve first took the fruit and ate, and then gave it to Adam to eat -  it is the verse of original sin. Ecclesiastes 7 which is the 666th Bible chapter, also gives evidence of this theme. More importantly, knowing the theme of #666 helps us better understand how to interpret the chapter's text.  This post shows how the 666th chapter of the Bible warns us of seeking our own pleasure which leads to wickedness and death.

(Re Genesis 3:6 - I always find it interesting to note that Jesus is sometimes called the second Adam and similarly to how Adam accepted the sin initiated by Eve, Jesus took on our sins to save us from the death they bring.).

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Ecclesiastes chapter 7 - the 666th Bible Chapter...

As I was reading the Bible the other day I noticed Ecclesiastes chapter 7 was the 666th chapter of the Bible, and knowing #666 is strongly associated with sin and the number of the beast, I decided to investigate to see if this chapter was also about sin and wickedness...I think it is. Let's begin by looking at the last verse of the chapter which suggests the sins of men:

Ecc 7:29 "Behold, I have found only this, that God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices."

Some commentaries say this chapter is a contrast of wisdom and folly, but by realizing the cross Bible chapter number is 666 we have to wonder if it is more about wickedness than wisdom. As always, the first and last statements of a chapter are often key to understanding a chapter's overall theme. Verse #29 is not well understood and is translated in many ways, but I suspect it is telling us that God made us right and complete - without needing anything more for happiness. It says men are unsatisfied with what God has given us and continually seek more pleasure through their own inventions (devices). Appearing to confirm this, the first verse has a similar message - that instead of seeking things to make us feel better, it is better to live to seek a good name. It is not absolutely clear, but I think the reference to a Good Name is a reference to warning us that what is important is seeking to know and claim the name of Jesus as our savior. The reference to ointment is about the things we try to add to our life to make it more pleasant. These verses and the rest of the chapter warn us to be satisfied with the life we are given and abstain from seeking to improve what God has already made right. We can begin by realizing we are sinners from birth:

Ecc 7:20 Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.

The Bible says we are all sinners and cannot continually be good. It seems like it is a way of telling us we can't seek to make our lives continually pleasant - there is a time to be humble and mourn our situation. Our life will be filled with both good things and trials and we are to accept them both. We are not to avoid the unpleasant. We find another similar statement in the 28th verse - #28 has a Redemption Pattern theme related to "Jesus the King and redeemer" and this 28th verse says "there is but one man in a thousand that can be respected, but not one woman". Josephus said #1000 is God's number of perfection (John 3 is the 1000th Bible chapter) and this one man in 1000 could be a reference to Jesus, the Son of God who is without sin. The woman in this verse seems to represent all people on earth who can never achieve respect in God's eyes because of our sin. Men can never make themselves better or righteous through their own devices and verse 20 reminds us of our sinfulness before God and confirms there is no one on earth who is without sin. We need to be humble before God before we seek our own ways.

Ecc 7:2 It is better to go to a house of mourning Than to go to a house of feasting, Because that is the end of every man, And the living takes it to heart.

The chapter warns us to be mournful of our situation and not continually run after our own pleasures. If you read the chapter you will find verse after verse that confirms this message. As you study it, look for themes warning us about our desires for a better life and to avoid hardship - to seek wisdom instead. God desires us to be wise and looking towards our death when a good name is what will be of ultimate importance. What is a good name? I believe it is a reference to the only thing that will save us - that we have sought and found Jesus Christ as our redeemer. I have not researched this extensively, but it seems to me that when the Bible speaks of acquiring wisdom it is specifically speaking of us learning about Jesus. I suspect we can substitute the name of Jesus wherever we see wisdom mentioned in the scriptures.

The Bottom Line: We are to be watching for the Lord's return as we serve God in this life. The Redemption Pattern and Numeric Map theme for #29, and the 29 verses of this chapter both point to our need to be watching for the return of the Lord. It is at that time that a "good name" that will save us - and ointments and other inventions we have we have sought for a better life will have done us no good.

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