The Bible’s symbols are spread throughout the Book. To understand their pattern, we need to overlap them over each other. Think of them like the clear, plastic pages depicting the human anatomy in a Biology text, which when overlapped, give us a complete picture of the human body.
The number 42 symbolizes the transition of our society from one stage to the next. Chapter 33 of the book of Numbers shows us that when the Israelites left slavery in Egypt, they camped in 42 places on their way to the Promised Land. It documents our people’s transition between two stages of civilization. This is the first mention of 42 in the Bible, which sets the pattern for mentions that follow. So let’s take a look at them. The first chapter of Matthew tells that there were 42 generations between Abraham, the founder of our culture, and the birth of Jesus. Once again, the number denotes the transition of our culture from one stage to the next. 42 months is the estimated duration of Christ’s Ministry on the earth, a transitional period which brought us from the Age of the Law of Moses into the Age of the Church. Now the Age of the Church is also coming to an end and the number 42 tells us what to expect in the near future. I have written elsewhere that Western Christendom will be conquered and occupied by foreigners, ending the Age of the Church. Revelation chapter 11, verse 2, tells us this occupation will last for 42 months, after which God will destroy our conquerors and end that period of transition, so we can enter a new phase of civilization, called the Kingdom of Christ on Earth. Our God is a God of miracles and this will happen like the Passover in Egypt, by God’s mighty power alone.
But the number 42 tells us even more. It gives insight into what will happen to those who reject Jesus Christ during this coming period of transition, In 2nd Kings, chapter 2, verse 24, we read that 42 boys who insulted the prophet Elisha were cursed by him and became mauled by bears. We are all God’s children but He is getting really tired of those children who disrespect His Son. 1st Corinthians 10.6 of The New Testament in Modern English says, “Our ancestors stand as examples for us.” So our history is also prophecy, because we are destined to repeat what our ancestors did, howbeit in a larger way. Elisha, who always did God’s work, was a symbolic type of Christ, so this gives us a glimpse into the future, revealing that the time of reviling Jesus Christ and His Rules will come to a violent end. There’s more. According to the Greek Septuagint version of Ezekiel chapter 38, the leader of those who invade us will be “Rosh,” or Russia and the national symbol of Russia is the bear. But that’s not all. According to 2nd Kings, chapter 10, verse 14, the godly avenger Jehu slew 42 corrupt nobles of Judah. What the Bible calls nobles are what we would now refer to as authorities. There is no need for us to join any revolutionary group but woe to corrupt authorities when the occupation comes.
What do the individual numbers symbolize? According to Appendix 10 of The Companion Bible, the number 4 symbolizes creative works (by God, in our society) and the number 2 symbolizes division (from the past).
So the number 42 tells us a lot. It demonstrates how we have undergone transitions before and we now stand on the verge of another one, which will also proceed according to God’s divine plan. It also shows God’s motives. He wants to clean house and give our civilization a fresh start. Being occupied by foreigners will no doubt prove trying for all of us. But the symbol of the number 42 shows us that we have nothing to fear if we get close to Christ and patiently remain that way. God’s symbols reassure us that He, Who has saved our people miraculously before, will save us again.
Thank you for joining me. Do you see how the symbolic meaning of the number 42 can be derived by overlapping the circumstance of its use in the Bible over each other?
If you’d like to learn a lot more about the Bible’s symbol-messages for our time, why not read my 2019 “Secrets in Biblical Symbols” series? Book 1 is The Death and Resurrection of the West Foretold in Prophecy. Book 2 is Do-it-Yourself HOME CHRISTIANITY: How to Please God and Receive His Help Without Preachers, Churches, or Money. Both are available as real books, or ebooks, on this website.
