Meaning of Numbers: Number 444
According to the book "The Appointed Times of Jesus the Messiah," there exists an interesting relationship between the Scriptural meaning of the number 444 and Christ's earthly ministry.
As our Biblical timeline of Jesus' life shows, his ministry began on September 11 in 26 A.D. the same day the devil began his forty days of temptation. This date will prove important for constructing 444. This day fell on a Wednesday, the 4th day of the week.
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September 11 was not only the Day of Atonement in 26, it was the start of the Jubilee year (Luke 4:16 - 21, see also Isaiah 61:1 - 2). In Jesus' first recorded public address in Nazareth, he links his ministry and message to this special period of liberty and freedom which occurred every 50th year and was announced on Atonement (Leviticus 25).
September 11 in 26 A.D. is thus an incredibly rare and momentous day in human history! The four-fold major events that took place, or began, on this day are the Day of Atonement, the start of the Jubilee Year, the start of Jesus' ministry, and the beginning of the devil's efforts to derail God's plan to save humans.
Jesus' public ministry ended on a Wednesday, on the same 4th day of the week it started. It ceased in 30 A.D. when he was crucified and died on April 5 (the day portion of Passover) as our perfect sacrifice for sin.
The Day of Atonement in 26 A.D. corresponds on the Hebrew calculated calendar (used to determine God's annual Feast Days) to Tishri 10 in the Hebrew year 3787. Jesus' death in 30 A.D. corresponds to Nisan 14 in Hebrew year 3790. This means his entire ministry lasted 44 months (Hebrew years 3787 and 3789 had 13 months in them) and 4 days for 444! If we add in the fact that the Lord's earthly ministry both began and completed on a Wednesday, the fourth day of the week. we get 4444 or even 44444!
Appearances of Number Four Hundred Forty Four
Strong's Concordance is a classic tool that has aided Bible study for many years. Hebrew listing number 444 is the word alach. It is found in only three Scriptural places. Its Psalm 53 reference is part of a well-known rebuke against atheists and all those who refuse to acknowledge God exists.
The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good.
God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy (alach); there is none that doeth good, no, not one (Psalm 53:1 - 3, KJV).
Man and the Number 444
Listing 444 in Strong's Greek listing is the word anthropos. It is found 560 times in the King James and is the generic word the New Testament writers used to reference humans (Matthew 4:4, 19, 5:13, etc.). It is sometimes found at the beginning of modern words like anthropology, which is the study of humans, or anthropomorphic, attributing human attributes to non-human things or entities.
The Devil's Greatest Temptation!
Satan the devil's words are only, surprisingly, recorded 4 times in the Bible. His first three distinct conversations are found in Genesis 3:1 - 5, Job 1:7 - 12 and 2:2 - 6. His fourth and final set of words are found in Matthew 4 with a parallel account in Luke 4 (444). His greatest temptation hurled at Jesus Christ was the following.
After that, the devil took Him (Jesus) to an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, and said to Him, "All these things will I give You, if You will fall down and worship me (like God)." (Matthew 4:8 - 9, HBFV).
And the devil said to Him (Jesus), "I will give You all this authority, and the glory of them all; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I desire. Therefore, if You will worship me in my presence, all things shall be Yours." (Luke 4:5 - 7, HBFV).
More Info on Biblical Meaning of 444
Ezekiel's surreal "wheel within a wheel" vision introduces us to four spiritual creatures who each have four faces and four wings for 444.
Also out of its midst came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. And each had four faces, and each had four wings (Ezekiel 1:5 - 6, HBFV).
444 is the product of 2 x 2 (2 squared) x 3 x 37. All three numbers, 2, 3 and 37, are primes.
There are no Biblical original language words (Hebrew / Greek) that occur 444 times.
The English word "women" appears 44 times in 44 King James New Testament verses (4444). Its first use is in Matthew 11:11 where Jesus states that among those "born of women" no greater prophet has risen as John the Baptist.
According to the book "Number in Scripture" by Bullinger, the Hebrew Gematria of the word "Damascus" is 444 (section on three). The name of the city appears 60 times in the King James Bible. Damascus, the capital of modern Syria, is considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited places on earth. Evidence of a significant population living in the area dates to at least the second millennium B.C.
Chapter 4 of 2Kings has 44 verses (444) as well as chapter 4 of Luke.
We also see the pattern of 444 in one other set of dates related to Jesus' ministry. It is possible that Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist (Matthew 3:13 - 16, Mark 1:9) only four days before Atonement in 26 A.D. and the start of his ministry.
On Saturday, April 1 in 30 A.D., four days before the Lord's death, God the Father audibly confirms that Christ has been selected to glorify His name and be the perfect lamb to be sacrificed for all sin (see John 12:28 - 32). This is in harmony with the Old Testament, as Israel was commanded to select a lamb "without blemish" four days before it would be sacrificed on Passover (Exodus 12:1 - 3).
The pattern of the number 444 is manifested as there are 44 months and 4 days between Jesus' baptism and the day God the Father gave his final confirmation that Christ was the One chosen to die on Passover to make our salvation possible!