Strength in Numbers?

333 This one is quite disturbing to me. A few years ago, when Ethan was just a wee tot, I was doing a side job for a woman named Robin. I used to work for her full time, but had since gotten a new job, and helped her out sometimes. We met at the house we were going to measure, and got to work. Somehow we got on the subject of the number 333. She said she had been seeing it a lot lately and it gave her a weird feeling, like something bad was going to happen. I explained to her that I had also been seeing that number frequently the past few weeks.

Now, I know what you are thinking..once your mind sees something, it will pick it out constantly. Like, when you buy a new car and you hadn't seen it on the road until you bought it.

This was different though..I would see it in random places like on the pole that holds up a billboard you notice everyday, but go by too fast to see it....and then one day you happen to be stuck in traffic right in front of it, and look over and there they are..the numbers 333 in big black font.

Well, after meeting with Robin, I didn't see, or think about it much. A couple weeks ago, I started seeing it again. By the way..the billboard post numbers are different now. I still didn't think much of it. I told Seth, and he told me not to get into such things...that it was like inviting evil spirits in thru numerology. Of course I listened to him, but I still wanted to see what it was all about. I went on-line, and found a couple websites talking about Paganism, and the power of 3, numerology, astronomy..I could go on.

I had solved the mystery, so I thought. I was going to watch a movie while Ethan was napping on Sunday afternoon. I went to On Demand, and flipped thru the titles..I wanted to watch 'The 4th Kind'. I watched the preview (if you haven't..just the preview will freak you out!). There was a flash of a woman waking up and looking at the clock. It said 3:33. The basic premise of the movie is about people who are having encounters, and being taken by aliens. They use some actual footage of documented cases. After seeing the preview, it appeared that all those people had been possessed.

This is the really interesting part.

I decided to look in my bible. I was flipping around and came to a "Memorable Verses" page. There was only one listed with the numbers: Jeremiah 33:3 "Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." This passage sums up the chapter by basically saying when you are in need of comforting, call on our Lord, and he will help you through it. In my mind, when I see those numbers, it is a feeling of uncomfortable-ness, and God is telling me to call on him, and not to worry.

Are alien abductions and aliens in general just another ploy by the devil to make us interested so we will get sucked in and eventually allow ourselves to be open to the idea...of him? You be the judge..I have made up my mind, and by the way..I didn't watch the movie.

316 This number had appeared to me for the few weeks leading up to us going to church. After reading all of that stuff about the other number, I decided to also look at this one. I went back to the "Memorable Verses". This time I was pleasantly surprised:

Exodus 3:16 "Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, The Lord, the God of your fathers - the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt". 3:17 "And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into a land flowing with milk and honey."

Luke 3:16 "John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and with fire."

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."

1Corinthians 3:16 "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?"

All of this is leading to one thing in my mind: God is telling me that he has a plan, and it is unfolding. The 316 verses tell of my life before, leading up to, during, and the future of, my journey with Him. The 333 number is a warning, and one that I am now taking seriously, about staying away from things that might lead to the wrong path. My interest in scary movies has just dropped to zero. My interest in listening to sermons, and Christian radio has jumped to 10. Not to mention that you just feel better when you surround yourself with God.