Bible Prophecy Research
Title: Thirteen: The Number of Rebellion
Submitted by: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Updated: January 18, 2001

Thirteen: The Number of Rebellion

Before we begin this study, I should perhaps provide a disclaimer, for lack of a better word.  I cite several online sources whose websites may be questionable as far as our personal beliefs go. But sometimes a little gold nugget is buried beneath all the trash, so anytime we cite an online source, we are not (in most cases) endorsing the site or the author.  We are merely giving credit where credit is due.  

In addition, I personally can not verify every date or event mentioned below, although I've tried.   Some material requires judgment on both our parts as to its content.  Again, the references will help you should you decide to study a particular item further.  As one reader I correspond with regularly reminds me, "eat the fish, spit out out the bones."

Meaning and  Background

E.W. Bullinger writes:

"As to the significance of thirteen, all are aware that it has come down to us as a number of ill-omen. Many superstitions cluster around it, and various explanations are current concerning them.

"Unfortunately, those who go backwards to find a reason seldom go back far enough. The popular explanations do not, so far as we are aware, go further back than the Apostles. But we must go back to the first occurrence of the number thirteen in order to discover the key to its significance. It occurs first in Gen. xiv. 4, where we read 'Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and the thirteenth year they REBELLED.'

"Hence every occurrence of the number thirteen, and likewise of every multiple of it, stamps that with which it stands in connection with rebellion, apostasy, defection, corruption, disintegration, revolution, or some kindred idea." (Bullinger, E.W. Number in Scripture, Kregel Publications, (c)1967, p. 205).

In The Pattern and the Prophecy the author recalls his thoughts on the how the number 13 gained such a bad reputation:

"As a student, I thought the reason for 13's bad reputation was simply because it followed 12, the number of power. A dozen is such an easy quantity to work with. You can cut it up in so many different ways, where as 13 deifies all attempts at division. So, I reasoned, it just looked bad in comparison, and there is some truth in that. To avoid even pronouncing the word 'thirteen,' many people say 'baker's dozen' or, more appropriately, 'devil's dozen.' Although earlier societies have often used 12 as their basic unit of measurement, none has ever used 13. Many office and apartment buildings have no 13th floor, and most people avoid a room numbered 13. Franklin D. Roosevelt would hastily invite his private secretary Grace Tully to attend a meal or a meeting just to avoid 13 at the table. Fear of this quantity is so widespread that someone has even coined a tongue twister of a word to describe it: triskaidekaphobia (3 and 10 phobia)." (Harrison, James. The Pattern and the Prophecy, Isaiah Publications, (c)1994, p. 131).

Some believe that the origin of the fear involving the number 13 goes back to the time of Christ at the Last Supper. In Leonardo da Vinci's famous painting entitled The Last Supper much symbolism is apparent and perhaps lends itself to the legend that surfaced. The painting depicts the moment when Jesus said "Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me" (Matt. 26:21). "Fearing Jesus had discovered his treachery, Judas draws back and knocks over a salt shaker and by that creates a legend." (Harrison, p. 125). The fear of the number further expresses itself in that it was believed that the first person to leave a table where 13 people are seated will die.
 

Why the Number 13?

The "3 and 10 phobia" mentioned above is significant, for the number 13 is representative of Satan's attempt to mimic God and the Holy Trinity. The number 10 is the number of "the perfection of Divine order." According to Bullinger, 10 represents "the completeness of order, marking the entire round of anything...It implies that nothing is wanting; that the number and order are perfect; that the whole cycle is complete." (Bullinger, p. 243)

The number three is of course symbolic of the trinity - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Satan attempts to mimic God by using the number 13.   It is the first number that he can use to try and gain the perfection of the number 10 and the trinity of the number 3. Satan's blasphemous unholy trinity involves himself, the antiChrist, and the false prophet.

The Number 13 and Gematria

(Gen 1:2) "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."

"We see it [the number 13] stamped upon the very fore-front of Revelation. For while the opening statement of Gen. 1:1 is composed of seven words and twenty-eight letters (4 x 7), the second verse consists of fourteen words, but fifty-two letters; fifty-two being 4 x 13 tells of some apostasy or rebellion which caused the ruin of which that verse speaks. [The number four always refers to some aspect of the earth or creation]. (Bullinger, p. 205)

In Gematria, the names of those people in the Bible who served the Lord are multiples of eight, while those who rebelled against Him are multiples of 13. Bullinger's thoughts of this discovery at the time and if it be proved "is one of the greatest evidences of verbal inspiration which the world has yet seen." (Bullinger, p. 206)

For example, the numerical value of Seth's line, collectively is a multiple of eight, while those of the line of Cain, collectively is a multiple of 13. Looking at only the Cain line we have the following:

The incestuous children of Lot were Ammon (166) and Ammi (120) which equals 286 (13 X 22). Beni-Ammi (children of Ammi) equals 182 (13 X 14).

The gematria of the phrase "And Lot sat in the gate of Sodom" (Gen. 19:19) is equal to 1313. (Bullinger, p. 213)

The seed of rebellion is present in Noah's family:

Noah ..... 58
Shem ..... 340
Ham ...... 48
Japheth .. 490
____________

Total 936 (13 x 72; or 13 + 13 + ... + 13)

It was Ham that was the first to rebel after the flood. Removing his name from the above list gives us a value of 888, Jesus' Resurrection Number. (Harrison, p. 170)

The Names and References to Satan

Satan, in Hebrew = 364 (13 X 28)
Satan, in Greek = 2197 (13 X 13 X 13)
Beelzebub (with art.) = 598 (13 X 46)
Belial = 78 (13 x 6)
Dragon = 975 (13 x 75)
Serpent = 780 (13 x 60)
Murderer = 1820 (13 x 140)
Tempter = 1053 (13 x 81)
Fowler = 416 (13 x 32)

"That old serpent, even Satan" = 2756 (13 x 212)
"Who is called the Devil and Satan" = 2197 (13 x 13 x 13)
"Seven Devils" = 572 (13 x 44)

From Isaiah 27:1 --
"The piercing Serpent, even Leviathan" = 1170 (13 x 90)
"That crooked Serpent" = 1014 (13 x 13 x 6)
"The Dragon that is in the sea" = 1469 (13 x 113)

From Revelation 9:11 --
The whole verse = 12090 (13 x 930)
The locusts = 351 (13 x 3 x 3 x 3)
"They have a king, the angel of the abyss" = 3978 (13 X 306)

From Ephesians 2:2 --
"The power of the air" = 2600 (13 x 200)

From Matthew 24:23 --
"An offence unto me" = 936 (13 x 72)

The mark of the beast (Greek) = 2483 (13 x 191)
The antiChrist (Greek) = 1911 (13 x 147)
Beast (Greek) = 247 (13 x 19)

There are many more examples. Please refer to Bullinger and Harrison.

Human Adversaries Against God

"The Scribes" = 780 (13 x 60)
"The Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites" = 2704 (13 x 13 x 16)
"A wicked and adulterous generation" = 1365 (13 x 105)
Asshur = 169 (13 x 13)
Bigthan (Est 2:21) = 455 (13 x 35)
Haman the Agagite = 117 (13 x 9)
Zeresh (wife of Haman) = 507 (13 x 13 x 13 x 3)

The following verse presents a curious phenomenon:

(Est 9:7-9) "And Parshandatha, and Dalphon, and Aspatha, {8} And Poratha, and Adalia, and Aridatha, {9} And Parmashta, and Arisai, and Aridai, and Vajezatha,"

Notice each name is preceded with the word "and" - a peculiarity that has been "preserved not only in all manuscripts, but in every printed edition of the Hebrew text. No scribe or editor has ventured to change this form of their presentation." (Bullinger, p. 233) [Please notice that in our modern translations of today, such as the NIV, NASB, NRSV, NKJV, NLT, and others, that the word "and" has been removed. Only the KJV keeps the original intact].

"Various conjectures have been made both by the ancient Jewish and modern commentators as to the reason why these names are always presented thus; but no one seems to have looked upon the names as an addition sum (regarding of course each letter as a figure). Treated thus the sum of the names amounts to 10244 or 13 X 788.  The whole family is 10868 or 13 X 836." (Bullinger, p. 223).
 
There are many more verses dealing with such persons and things as Barabbas, Judas, Wormwood, Gog and Magog, that exhibit the numerical value of 13 or a multiple thereof. See Bullinger for additional examples of this phenomenon. One may want to also read about the number 13 being associated with "substitution" and "atonement", explained by Bullinger as being "not only the all-pervading factor of sin, but also of sin's atonement. It is not only the number which brands the sinner as a rebel against God, but it is the number borne by the sinner's Substitute." (Bullinger, p. 228)

Non-Gematria References to the Number 13 in the Bible

1. Revelation, chapter 13 gives the description of the beast John saw rising up out of the sea.

2. According to an article by Chuck Missler of Koinoia House (http://www.khouse.org) there are 33 titles in the Old Testament for the antiChrist, while there are 13 in the New Testament. An example is found in Daniel 9:26, "The Prince That Shall Come."

3. The word "leaven," which is symbolic of sin, appears 13 times in the New Testament.

4. Having cast lots to determine which day would be most favorable for exterminating the Jews, Haman came up with the the 13th day of the 12th month.

(Est 3:12) "Then were the king's scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had commanded unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king's ring."

The Number 13 and The New World Order

The epitome of rebellion and apostasy can be seen in the doctrines and philosophies of the New World Order. Examples of the number 13 in various organizational logos, government buildings, and specific dates and events are suspect in their very nature when the doctrines involved are taken into account. Remembering that the number 13 represents "rebellion, apostasy, defection, corruption, disintegration, revolution, or some kindred idea" let's take a look at some occurrences associated with the secret societies involved in the making of a New World Order.

1. "The numbers 3, 7, 9,11,13, 39 and any multiple of these numbers have special meaning to the Illuminati. Notice that the Bilderberg Group has core of 39 members who are broken into 3 groups of 13 members in each group. Notice that the core of 39 answers to the 13 who make up the Policy Committee. Take special notice that the 13 members of the Policy Committee answer to the Round Table of Nine. You know that the original number of states in the United States of America was 13. The Constitution has 7 articles and was signed by 39 members of the Constitutional Convention."
(http://www.unm.edu/~hrommel/cooperNWO.html)

2. "... The true center of spiritual and political power resides only in the Freemason Temple of Understanding, located 13 blocks north of the White House, and directly in line with the massive obelisk known as the Washington Monument. Occultists believe that the spirit of the Sun God 'Ra' indwells the obelisk, and that the 'Elect' must bow down before it twice to three times daily. Thus, the Washington Monument, the obelisk, is in direct line with the Congress to its East, and with the Freemason Temple directly North. The White House is not in direct line with the obelisk, which is very revealing as to the planned center of power."
(http://www.bgw.net/sites/conspiracy/masonry/022.htm)

3. Concerning the United States Seal, "Paul Foster Case, author of The Great Seal of the United States, wrote: 'Since the date, 1776, is placed on the bottom course of the pyramid, and since the number 13 has been so important in the symbolism of the seal, it is not unreasonable to suppose that the 13 courses of the pyramid may represent 13 time periods of 13 years each.'

"The following chronology shows that, from 1776 onward, significant events pertaining to the plan for a New World Order did occur every 13 years culminating in the founding of the United Nations in 1945, exactly 169 years (13 periods of 13 years each) after the year 1776.

1776 -Thomas Paine published Common Sense; Declaration of Independence; American Revolution.

1789 -French Revolution; Adoption of U.S. Constitution & Great Seal

1802 -Washington, D.C. incorporated.

1815 -Congress of Vienna ends Napoleanic era; Convention of Commerce & Navigation established trade with England; Battle of New Orleans.

1828 -Belgium's Independence in Netherlands (location of The Hague -future International Court of Justice established by the U.N. Charter).

1843 -Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol; first commercial Christmas card published.

1853-6 -Crimean War - Russia against France, Britain, Turkey, and Sardinia over control of Jerusalem's Holy Places.

1867 -Britain/North American Act united Canada; Alaska sold to U.S.; Society of Rosicrucians formed in England.

1880 -Presidential Seal and Coat of Arms; Egyptian obelisk transferred to New York; Beginning of conquest of Africa by European powers.

1893 -Parliament of World Religions founded.

1906 -Bank panic provided excuse to establish Federal Reserve; National Education Association (NEA) incorporated.

1919 -Treaty of Versailles ended WWI; Paris Peace Conference set up plans for CFR; German Workers Party (Nazi's) founded; Progressive Education Association founded by John Dewey.

1932 -Zionist 18th Congress established in Jewish Agency for Palestine.

1945 - UNITED NATIONS CHARTER; Yalta Conference; Atomic bomb dropped; Discovery of Nag Hammadi Library."
(http://www.bgw.net/sites/conspiracy/masonry/022.htm)

4. "The significance of the mystical number 13, which frequently appears upon the Great Seal of the United States, is not limited to the number of the original colonies. The sacred emblem of the ancient initiates, here composed of 13 stars, also appears above the head of the 'eagle.' The motto, E Pluribus Unum, contains 13 letters, as does also the inscription, Annuit Coeptis. The 'eagle' clutches in its right talon a branch bearing 13 leaves and 13 berries and in its left a sheaf of 13 arrows. The face of the pyramid, exclusive of the panel containing the date, consists of 72 stones arranged in 13 rows."
(http://www.bgw.net/sites/conspiracy/masonry/022.htm; quoting Hunt´s History of the United States)

Most Americans have probably heard of the various "conspiracy" stories involved in the symbolism of the U.S. Seal, also pictured on the back of a one dollar bill. The number 13 symbolizes rebellion and revolution, and it is true that the U.S. was founded as a result of her rebellion against England, but one must also consider the many other symbolic "coincidences" that occur.

In pagan religions and secret societies, a symbol becomes empowered at its creation. Furthermore, that symbol gains more power if its true meaning remains hidden or unknown to those on the "outside." Clever disguises are used to give the symbol a double meaning. The more obvious symbolism will be picked up by the unsuspecting, but the true meaning will hopefully remain hidden, known only to the initiates of the cult or secret society.

That is the case with the Great Seal of the United States. The various 13's represented throughout the seal, taken into account with the other symbolism involved, leads me to the conclusion of Illuminati influence. Benjamin Franklin was a Templar Mason as well as a member of the Illuminati, and it was he who was most influential in the design of the seal.

5. "All names, missions, landing sites, and events in the Apollo Space Program echo the occult metaphors, rituals, and symbology of the Illuminati's secret religion."

One example relevant to our study is the explosion of the Apollo 13 spacecraft, name 'Aquarius' which occurred at 1:13 in the afternoon (1313 military time) on April 13, 1970.
(http://www.harvest-trust.org/majestyt.htm;
also see http://www2.ari.net/rjohnson/articles/FEAR.MUP.html)

6. Some believe the signing of the peace deal between Israel and the PLO on October 23, 1998 was in fact the "confirming" (mentioned in Daniel 9:27) of the original treaty signed on September 13, 1993. With September being the 9th month, the date numerically shows an Illuminati flavor (9, 13, and 3 all having special meaning to the Illuminati).

7. On May 13, 1981 an assassination attempt was made on Pope John Paul II. John Daniel, author of Scarlet and the Beast shows probable evidence of Freemasonry involvement by a Masonic Lodge called Propaganda Two (P-2), which incidentally has been accused of assassinating Pope John Paul I. (Daniel, John. Scarlet and the Beast, Vol. I, p. 220).

8. The OPEC oil cartel has 13 member nations.
(http://www2.ari.net/rjohnson/articles/FEAR.MUP.html)

Satanic Involvement and Superstition

1. "Every night when the moon is full, pagans and Satanists, all across America celebrate the Black Sabbat (Latin for Sabbath). To parody Jesus and the 12 Apostles, each unhallowed gathering includes a Black Master and 12 coven members for a total of 13. And the year has precisely 13 such occasions, one every 28 days because 28 x 13 = 364." (Harrison, p. 156)

"During the Salem, Massachusetts witch trials of 1692, 13 women were executed."
(http://www2.ari.net/rjohnson/articles/FEAR.MUP.html)

2. "The Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, appeared six times to three shepherd children ('the Three Seers') near the town of Fatima, Portugal between May 13th and October 13th 1917." [Note that an assassination attempt on John Paul II occurred on May 13, 1981]. (Online Source: Fatima Network: The Story of Fatima; URL unknown).

"Besides the Message of Fatima given by Our Lady to the general public in the series of apparitions from May 13th to October 13th, She confided on July 13th, 1917, a Secret which was to be given later to all the faithful by Sister Lucy and the Church authorities." (Online Source: Fatima Network: The Third Secret Revealed; URL unknown.)

Seems the "Blessed Virgin Mary" likes the number 13 for some reason.

3. "It was on May 8, 1972 while praying at the Chapel of the Apparitions at Fatima that the Mother of God impressed upon Father Gobbi her desire that he start the Marian Movement of Priests. Reassured by an unmistakable sign that it was God's will, and with the approval of his spiritual director, he and two other priests launched the Movement on October 13, 1972. It was exactly 55 years since the stupendous miracle of the sun at Fatima had underlined the importance and urgency of the message Our Lady has been commissioned to bring to earth." (Online Source: The Marian Movement of Priests; URL unknown)

4. "Superstition about the number 13 still exists. The number is omitted in the numbering of hospital rooms and the floors of tall buildings. Among the famous, President Franklin Roosevelt was said to avoid leaving on trips on the 13th of the month.  Even Roosevelt's death, on April 12, 1945, seems to signal his haste to depart his life before the 13th...Studies show that millions of dollars are lost each Friday the 13th because of absenteeism and changes in travel plans..." (http://www2.ari.net/rjohnson/articles/FEAR.MUP.html)

5.  "On August 12, 1930, Queen Elizabeth' sister, Princess Margaret, was born in Scotland, but officials there did not immediately record her birth because the next registration number was 13. They waited three days for the birth of a commoner so that Margaret could be assigned the number 14."  (http://www2.ari.net/rjohnson/articles/FEAR.MUP.html)

6. "According to one statistician, due to the mathematics of the calendar, the 13th of the month is more likely to fall on a Friday than on any other day of the week." (http://www.auschron.com/mrpants/religion.html)

7. "French Lick Springs, Indiana once passed a law requiring all black cats to wear bells on Friday the 13th." (http://www.auschron.com/mrpants/religion.html)

8. "According to Norse mythology, there were 12 gods present when Loki stormed the banquet at Valhalla hall and murdered the much beloved Balderso there were 13 present." (http://www.auschron.com/mrpants/religion.html)

Misc. Events and Symbolism Associated with the Number 13

1. January 13, 1998 -- Iraq blocks a U.N. team led by an American from continuing its weapons inspections, calling the inspector a spy and saying the team has too many British and American members. (Rebellion)

2. March 13, 1997 -- When Hale-Bopp came closest to earth in March of 1997, the members of Heaven's Gate cult thought that a spaceship of extraterrestrials was behind the comet. Their beliefs prompted them to perform a mass suicide. However, a few days before on March 13, there was a "major" UFO event over the city of Phoenix, Arizona. Perhaps this event played a role in that suicide, for the 'phoenix' symbolically speaking represents a rebirth or resurrection. (http://prophetic.simplenet.com/1999.htm)

3. October 13, 1998 - Art Bell, host of a radio talk show called "Coast to Coast" shocked his listeners when he announced he was quitting. In cryptic language, he gave no clear explanation for that decision. This date is significant to some, because "it is the date of the dissolution of the Knights Templar."  (http://prophetic.simplenet.com/1999.htm)

4. "Indian belief - 13 skulls will return to the land of their origin and rule the world ('Crystal Skulls' THE HISTORY CHANNEL, Jan, 1999.)"  (http://watch.pair.com/government2.html)

5. Nero, a type of antiChrist, died on October 13 after ruling for 13 years. (Harrison, p. 273-274).

6. Alexander the Great ruled for 13 years. He bought his horse Bucephalas for 13 gold coins. Even the gematria of the horse's name is equal to 1079 (13 X 83). Alexander worshipped and even elevated his mother Olympias (637 or 13 x 49) to the status of goddess. (Harrison, pp. 265-266)

7. The first person to die as the result of a car accident was a 67-year-old man (add the digits in 67) who was struck while leaving a streetcar in New York City on September 13, 1899. (http://www2.ari.net/rjohnson/articles/FEAR.MUP.html)

For an interesting study on the date of Nisan 13, please see Bob Schlenker's article: The Sign for the Church - Part II at The Open Scroll Website.