Genesis 1 shows the Spirit of God’s breath fluttering protectively over a lifeless creation, dividing and filling it with life. YHWH restarted creation after the flood, causing a parting wind to pass over the waters and the dry land to reappear. He divided the seventy nations upon the face of the earth to be fruitful and multiply. Out of the seventy, God separated aside one man through whom He brought a promised son to bless the earth with life and abundance. Abraham’s descendants were seventy who went into Egyptian exile, and there they were exceedingly fruitful and multiplied. God separated Israel from all the peoples of the earth to be His inheritance when He brought them out of Egypt, led them by the pillars of fire and cloud, divided the sea, and, with a strong wind, blew them through the waters on dry ground to bring them to Himself, to rest (Exo. 33:14).

The Exodus sojourn did not end until Israel worshipped God on His holy mountain in the Land¹. It began in the first month (spring) and ended in the seventh month (fall), when Solomon dedicated the temple just before Sukkot and Israel rested from her enemies all around. The center of Israel’s exodus drama was Mount Sinai, an Eden-like precursor to dwelling in the Land. In the typology of the Sinai experience, Solomon’s temple on Mount Zion satisfied YHWH’s promise to Abraham. The author of 1 Kings 6:1; 8:16, 21, 53 ties Solomon’s temple filled with YHWH’s glory to achieving the Exodus telos with all Israel worshiping YHWH on His holy mountain. By His Spirit, YHWH gave David a detailed understanding of the temple plans, which he wrote down and gave to Solomon, saying, “Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for YHWH your Elohim is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of YHWH is finished” (1Ch. 28:19-20; v. 19 sum 16 × 153; v. 20 sum 73² + 19²), mimicking His words to Joshua (Jos. 1:9, sum 3721, 61², 11² + 60²). As incredible as the Exodus story was, Joshua did not give Israel the eternal rest, and there remains, therefore, a rest for the people of God (Heb. 4:8-9). This blog explores the theme of a continuing exodus to the rest, fulfilling the covenant promises.

After the Babylonian exile, authors again tied the building of a second temple on Mount Zion by the power of the Spirit to the Exodus (Zec. 4:6). Through Haggai², YHWH said to all the remnant of the people of the land and their leaders, “Be strong and work, for I am with you. According to the word that I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt, so My Spirit remains among you; do not fear!” (Hag. 2:4-5). YHWH had led Israel with the fire and cloud, signs of His Spirit. Reminding post-Babylon Israel of their historic first exodus out of Egypt, concluding with Solomon’s temple, stirred their courage with memories of His continued Spirit with them. In their exodus from Babylon, they were not alone, though now they remained in vassal bondage to foreign suzerains until Yeshua. Foreign domination, their national uncleanness, and the second temple’s lack of glory indicated yet another greater exodus, concluding with a city-temple made without hands (Heb. 12:22-24).

Haggai’s prophecy³ on Tishri 21, the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, described a temple filled with YHWH’s glory that will give the people shalom. To that temple, the Desire of All Nations, all people of the earth will come, accomplishing Israel’s purpose through YHWH’s Spirit moving (depicted by the water-pouring ceremony, Joel 2:28-29). The Spirit of God’s Presence from Genesis 1:2 to the full deliverance of humanity at rest, their coming to worship the King, YHWH of Sabaoth, is the victory of His sovereignty over creation, the building of His temple. As in Genesis, the rest of YHWH sitting upon His throne was marked by seven, the Sabbath. In Hebrew, “a Feast seven days” equals 153 (half the value of 306, “and the Spirit of God”), giving anticipation of a temple appearance involving the Spirit moving among His people.

In the holyday continuum, there are two seven-day periods marked with holy convocations, one in the first month and one in the seventh month. Via Passover, the freeing from Egyptian bondage began and was complete at the Yam Suph crossing where Moses led Israel to sing the Song of the Sea (Exo. 15). Israel’s exodus to the mountain of God and beyond to the Land continued until Solomon dedicated the Temple on the holy mountain of Jerusalem during the seventh month with great music and singing and the Israelites worshipped God during the Feast of Tabernacles (2Ch. 5:3,12-13). The arc of the exodus from Passover to Solomon’s Temple dedication is repeated in the new exodus with the Passover Lamb and one hundred and forty-four thousand redeemed standing on Mount Zion, singing a new victory song before God’s throne in worship (Rev. 14:1-5). Like Solomon’s temple was YHWH’s resting place within Israel, the place of His throne, flowing forth with His torah, peace, strength, joy, and goodness, Mount Zion is His throne’s resting place within the new Israel, the firstfruits to God and the Lamb (Rev. 14:4; 20:6), with its living waters streaming forth healing to the nations, purifying humanity from death.

Remarkably, when counting the Bible’s chapters, the 153rd chapter ends the Book of Numbers, depicted in the biblical narrative as Tishri 21, the end of the wilderness sojourn. Genesis 1 begins with the Spirit moving. At the end of Numbers 36, Israel’s second generation was poised to cross over the Jordan and inherit the Promised Land, YHWH’s dwelling place with His bride. The Bible’s last 153 chapters span from Acts 19, the Gentile converts receiving the Holy Spirit and ousting of evil spirits, to Revelation’s end, the bride, the Lamb’s wife and holy Jerusalem filled with His glory, descends to inherit the earth. In the middle, from the end of Numbers 36 to Acts 19, there are 883 chapters⁴; 883 is the 153^rd prime number. The beginning of Genesis 1 matches the beginning of Acts 19; the end of Revelation matches the end of the Book of Numbers.

Israel’s forty-two listed camps from Egypt to Moab’s plains (Num. 33:1-49) laid the foundation for YHWH’s final five speeches to Israel for them to divide and live in the land without defiling it⁵ [Num. 33:50-35:34, letter sum 7(153² + 100²)]. In Revelation, forty-two months of tribulation are followed by John seeing the measured, undefiled New Jerusalem descending (Rev. 11:2; 13:5; 21:16, 27). The establishment of Abraham’s seed in the Messiah, those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, is the fulfillment of “Go your way, your son lives” (Jhn. 4:50; see Blog 48 and Blog 61), a Greek letter sum of 2570, 49² + 13², 19² + 47², Israel’s perfection by the Spirit of “I am YHWH your El” (153), who leads you in the way you should go (Isa. 48:17). “YHWH my shepherd” (2 × 153; Psa. 23:1) has the same letter sum as “and the Spirit of God” of Genesis 1:2. The aftermath of Yeshua’s words to His disciples when He breathed on them after His resurrection, “Receive the Holy Spirit” (letter sum 1053; John 20:22), catching 153 fish, fulfills John’s second sign in the seventh, a holy people, cleansed from death’s pollution, raised to work in purity with a holy YHWH (Rev. 21:3, 27).

Takeaway:
The night of Israel’s exodus out of Egypt led to worship of YHWH on His holy mountain in the Land, established by Solomon’s temple. The last day of the Feast of Sukkot, when the sukkot were taken down, depicted YHWH establishing Israel in the Land by the temple made without hands, filling it with His glory, His Spirit flowing out to the nations. And that Temple is Yeshua, enthroned in our hearts and minds on His holy mountain in the new Jerusalem. If the Bible’s narrative is divided into 153 chapters from the beginning and 153 chapters from the end, the middle section of chapters adds to 883, the 153^rd prime number, the Spirit’s victory stamp (17 × 9 = 153). The saving arc of the exodus shows that what YHWH did for Israel, He will bring to fullness through Israel’s Messiah, bringing all people to Himself to worship, cleansed from death’s pollution to rest in a liberated creation full of shalom.

Fun Factors:
John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness but have the light of life,” has a letter sum of 79 × 153. The number 153 seems to be connected to the Spirit, the will of God, leading followers to the garden of God, the exodus from death to life.

John 3:18, “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” is 12 × 1053.