La Bible Le Code Secret
Amatista Sheeley
Select a Beginning PointGenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation
Select an Ending PointGenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation
It has been alleged that a code has been found in the Bible that is unique to it alone. This code is contained in the original Hebrew text of the entire Old Testament; though some Bible code advocates believe the code is only found in the Torah; the first five books of the Old Testament.
It has been claimed that the code that is contained in the biblical text has predicted many historical events. This includes the rise of Adolph Hitler and the Holocaust. It has been alleged that the code proves the supernatural character of the Bible because of the many encrypted messages found within its pages.
There are also testimonies of experts, who were skeptical of the idea of codes in Scripture, who have changed their mind because of the mathematical evidence. This shows that a fair examination of the facts will reveal the amazing truth concerning the Bible code; it is there and it is real.
The Bible itself contains straightforward predictions about what will happen in the future. For example, a passage such as Micah 5:2 says the coming Messiah, or Deliverer, will be born in the city of Bethlehem. Since the text clearly specifies that He must come from this city, and this city alone, the prediction can be checked out. Therefore, biblical predictions, such as this one, can be investigated to discover whether they are true or false.
The Bible code does not work this way. It can only be fully appreciated by the use of extensive searches of a computer because the text of Scripture is seen as one giant crossword puzzle. The way in which it works can be simply described as follows:
The Hebrew text of Scripture is made into one long sequence of letters with no spaces between the words. The first step in finding a code is to choose a known word in Hebrew; such as the word Yeshua, or Jesus. The computer is then asked to search the Hebrew text for all examples of this particular word at an equally spaced interval. This is also known as ELS (equidistant letter sequences). The intervals can be set at any length. It may be at every two letters, five letters, every one hundred letters or every one thousand letters. It does not matter as long as the letters that make up the word Yeshua are found at the same interval in the Hebrew text.
Once the search has been made, the computer then lists all the places where this particular word is found at the specified set interval in the text; for example, at every thousandth letter. It does not matter whether this word is spelled forwards or backwards, as long as the same letters which make up the word Yeshua show up at the same skip levels throughout the Hebrew Old Testament.
Once this is accomplished, the various places where this particular word is found at this interval are searched for related words that may contain some secret message. The discovery of related words, in the vicinity of the word initially requested, leads the searcher to find messages about this particular word which is hidden in the text. It is claimed that there are meaningfully paired names, dates and events which have been systematically hidden in a text. These messages can be found by reading the text forwards or reading backwards. On some occasions, the text is read as a boustrephedon. This is an ancient writing method in which the lines of a particular text alternate in reading from left to right and then right to left.
After performing this task, some Christians have claimed to have found hidden messages about Jesus in the Hebrew Old Testament. They say they have found key words and phrases in the proximity of the various places where Yeshua shows up at the same skip level.
It has also been claimed that there are any number of words which can yield the same incredible results; whether it refers to people such as Adolph Hitler or Osama Bin Laden or historical events such as the Holocaust or September 11th. There are messages in the text that provide detailed information about the people and events. Because of the specific nature of the messages, it is assumed that they must have been placed there by a supernatural entity; whether it is God or some other being.
The theory of a code embedded in the Old Testament text is not exactly the same thing as the ancient practice of Gematria, or the mystical use of numbers. Those who practice Gematria assign a numeric value to each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Once this is done, certain numeric combinations are searched for. Then the searcher tries to find significance in these numbers. It is purely a mathematical exercise; it does not look for messages hidden in the text in the same way as is practiced in the search for a Bible code.
While the practice of searching for a Bible code and the use of Gematria are not exactly the same; they are similar. Indeed, both assume there is some type of supernatural or non-random structure to the original text of the Hebrew Bible.
This brings us to a passage in the Book of Daniel. It says the book must be sealed until the time of the end. At that time, knowledge will increase so that the sealed book can be understood. Daniel was told the following:
This prediction in the Book of Daniel is said to foretell the discovery of the Bible code that will unlock these secret messages which are contained in the sealed book. The unlocking of the code will be at the time of the end. Consequently, with the advent of computers and their ability to do these extensive searches, this prophecy is now fulfilled in our day.
In the past, an encrypted message was supposedly found hidden in the Book of Esther. Esther, along with the Song of Solomon, are the only books in the Old Testament where the personal name of God, Yahweh or Jehovah, is not mentioned.
However, it was discovered that the first letter of four successive words in Esther 5:4 contain the consonants that make up the divine name; YHWH or Yahweh. Therefore, God placed His name in the text, but in a secretive manner. This is seen as evidence that God has placed other hidden messages in the text.
It is also claimed that the original texts of Scripture were written in continuous writing without any spaces between the words. This fact is another piece of evidence that the text was meant to be read as one long continuous set of letters.
This is evidence, from the Scripture, that God wants His people to find information in the text of Scripture which is not found on the surface. This, it is claimed, is further support for the idea of a code.
This briefly sums up the case made for the Bible code. Certainly, Christians want to know if God has embedded a code in His Word which gives further testimony to its divine inspiration. Therefore, any claims which are made about the Bible are to be taken seriously.
Is there a code in Scripture that has miraculously predicted future events? Are there secret messages which supernaturally prove such things as Jesus is the promised Messiah? Is this something that Christians should get excited about? What does the evidence say?