Maths is not a favourite subject of mine, so I find it ironic that God would speak to me so frequently through biblical numeracy. In recent weeks it has been through the number THREE in particular, as well as the number TWENTY and EIGHT which are the Gregorian and Jewish decades we are in. I have shared much of this already since the start of the Jewish New Year of 5783 in my prophetic community and through preaching assignments. I hope by sharing it again today it will be a source of confirmation and encouragement for you too, as we step into 2023 full of anticipation for what the Lord is doing in and through His beloved bride.
As I have reviewed the words I have released since the turn of the decade, I can see that what God began to reset with His bride at the turn of the decade is continually being built upon, almost like we are moving toward a CRESCENDO. So I believe this word is just an extension of what the Lord has been revealing since 2020.
Scripture tells us that "we know in part and we prophesy in part" (1 Corinthians 13:9), so these words are only my 'part' of the prophecy for the Bride of Christ to ruminate over and to test and weigh up as is required of all prophecy (1 Thessalonians 5:19). I also released a COLLECTION OF DREAMS recently which I believe can be read in conjunction with this prophetic word as they are relevant for where I believe God is taking the Church in the coming season. You can click here to read more.
EIGHTY
So to begin with, I want to make reference to the number 80 as we are in the Jewish decade of the 80s which is the Hebrew number for PEY, meaning MOUTH. As we move through this decade, what we SPEAK is of great importance. There is AUTHORITY God has given His Church to DECREE and DECLARE according to heaven's standards and we are going to need to use that authority more in times to come (Matthew 18:18).
This year I have seen many HEALED from a spiritual tongue-tiredness, fear of public speaking (fear of man), and a sense of being muzzled or silenced. I truly believe God is RESTORING AND LOOSENING the tongue in this season.
The Lord has also been identifying 1 Peter 2:9 to me in recent months where we see IDENTITY, INTIMACY, AND DESTINY all linked. These THREE areas speak into our true AUTHORITY as co-heirs to the kingdom of heaven (Romans 8:17) and remind us of our ROYAL POSITION AS ONES WHO HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO SPEAK:
"You are God's chosen treasure – priests who are kings, a spiritual ‘nation’ set apart as God’s devoted ones [IDENTITY]. He called you out of darkness to EXPERIENCE His marvellous light, and now He claims you as His very own [INTIMACY]. He did this so that you would BROADCAST His glorious wonders throughout the world [DESTINY]” – 1 Peter 2:9 TPT
IDENTITY IN HIM gives us the authority to speak (Ezekiel 37, Matthew 18:18, Proverbs 18:21, Matthew 21:18-22, 1 John 4:1)
INTIMACY WITH HIM means knowing what the Father would have us speak (John 12:49)
DESTINY GIVEN BY HIM enables us to speak of His glorious wonders throughout the world (1 Peter 2:9)
This is part of our heritage as children of God who are called by His name (Isaiah 43:1).
THREE: GIMMEL
Number THREE is quickly becoming a favourite bible number for me. It encompasses much of what the Lord has been revealing to me for His bride for this coming year of 5783 / 2023 and it has multiple significant meanings. THREE is the word GIMMEL in Hebrew numbering. It is also the THIRD letter in the Hebrew alphabet. The first letter ALEPH represents the FATHER. The second letter BET represents the SON, and GIMMEL the third letter represents the HOLY SPIRIT.
GIMMEL: HOLY SPIRIT
As I wrote in my 2022 PROPHETIC WORD, and again in my COLLECTION OF DREAMS, I genuinely believe this is the era where the Holy Spirit is inviting the Church into a greater measure of INTIMACY with HIM. He is urging us to seek His Wisdom as a matter of importance, and out of that closeness, I believe we will enjoy a greater outpouring of His weighted glory and power. We can also expect Holy Spirit's presence to “personally go with us” (Exodus 33:14) helping us navigate new, and unfamiliar terrain as we get to work building His Church.
A word that has been of significant importance to the Church since the turn of the decade has come from Isaiah 43:18-19(a):
"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?...
I believe this word has challenged the Church to consider what is important for the season we are in. God has been bringing forth a SHAKING and a PURIFICATION to His bride (Hebrews 12:18-29). IDOLATRY and ADULATION, a CIRCUMCISION of the heart, the things of 'EGYPT' that are not conducive to the 'PROMISED LAND' – God has been dealing with all these things over the past three years.
I have had numerous dreams this year where I have seen trees uprooted which have exposed their roots. And in a dream earlier this week I saw a third of a house turned upside down by a downpour of heavy rain. These dreams I believe represent an UPROOTING / EXPOSING that is taking place – God has been flipping the Church upside down (right side up) because we are 'receiving the rights to an unshakable Kingdom (Hebrews 12:28 TPT) that comes with 'greater glory than the former' (Haggai 2:9), and which is designed to bring us into a greater measure of 'maturity in our sonship' (Hebrews 5:12-14).
And so, whilst our focus has been on part (a) of this Isaiah 43:18-19 passage where we have been LETTING GO OF THE FORMER and coming to terms with the new thing that God is doing, I believe we are now moving into a FULFILMENT / COMPLETION season where part (b) is now also coming into fruition and Holy Spirit is:
"...Making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland" - Isaiah 43:19(b)
I liken this building season akin to what is scribed in Haggai 2. Like the Israelites who faced much OPPOSITION AND DISCOURAGEMENT when trying to rebuild the Temple (Ezra 4:24), we too have gone through something similar since the turn of the decade. And just as the Israelites COMPARED their new building prototype to THE FORMER SPLENDOUR AND GLORY of Solomon’s temple and therefore gave up on building God's house because they couldn't compete with the former, many may feel it is easier to cease building God’s kingdom today as we grapple with the NEW THING God is doing.
But our great Encourager is urging His beloved to keep building. He is saying with TRIPPLE EMPHASIS:
BE STRONG, BE STRONG, BE STRONG!
GET TO WORK.
I AM WITH YOU.
THE FUTURE GLORY WILL BE GREATER THAN ITS PAST GLORY.
(paraphrase from Haggai 2).
GIMMEL: JUSTIFIED REPAYMENT / HARVEST / RIPE
On December 10th I had a dream where the words from Joel 2:25 were written on a dinner plate before me:
“I will REPAY you for the years the locusts have eaten”.
I truly believe where many have sowed well these past few years, you will begin to see a great HARVEST RIPEN in this coming season.
Mid-December I also dreamt of a Lavender Farmer bringing in the Harvest. You can read that word here. This word identifies THREE postures that the word LAVENDER biblically means, and which points again to a greater level of INTIMACY we are invited into with the Lord of the Harvest. They are PURITY, DEVOTION, and LOVE.
Both these harvest/recompense dreams remind me of the story where Aaron's staff (synonymous with his authority) GIMMELLED. This means the dead piece of wood – Aaron's staff – came to life, sprouting blossoms and yielding RIPE almond fruit (Numbers 17:8). I believe many ministries, hopes, dreams, and unfulfilled prophecies will also begin to RIPEN / GIMMEL through HOLY SPIRIT (also GIMMEL) in coming months. I am believing for a RIPE HARVEST to come!
GIMMEL: WEAN / MATURITY
I also wrote a post on Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year of 5783) where I parallelled my daughter’s COMING OF AGE 16th birthday to a newfound MATURITY I believe the Church will also come into this year. To read more, click here.
GIMMEL is also a word that is pictorially shown as a camel which is synonymous with WEANING and NOUISHING / SUSTAINING (as in MATURITY). I truly believe 2023 will see the Church WEANED from the former, and begin to COME OF AGE.
COMPLETION / FULFILMENT / WHAT COMES NEXT
The number TWENTY symbolizes in biblical numeracy a period of WAITING (Genesis 31:41). Many can probably testify that since 2020 it has felt like we have been in a type of waiting season. But as we come to the conclusion of a three-year cycle that began in 5780 / 2020, the number THREE (GIMMEL) biblically suggests that something good will COME NEXT. For example, you can read King David’s Ziklag story in 1 Samuel 30 where he returns after THREE days to find his village is raided and wives and children were taken. What COMES NEXT is a RESTORATION OF THAT WHICH WAS STOLEN.
In the story of Esther (Esther 4-5) Queen Esther calls for a THREE-day prayer and fasting that gave her the WISDOM and STRENGTH to approach the king and sway him in favor of REDEEMING her people from annihilation.
We also read a story in 1 Kings 17:21-22 of the miraculous healing of a child when Elijah stretched himself THREE times over the dead body and the child's life returned and REVIVED.
Peter denied he knew Jesus THREE times. Upon Jesus' RESURRECTION Jesus REVERSED that denial by asking him THREE times "do you love me" followed by giving Peter an assignment to "feed My flock" (JOHN 21:15-16).
And then there was the death of both Lazarus and Jesus. What came after THREE days and nights was a RESURRECTION OF LIFE which in Jesus’ case also brought a pathway for the RECONCILIATION and RESTORATION of all of humanity back to the Father.
And so I believe 2023 is going to see many come out of WAITING. Begin early this year to pray and fast for WHAT COMES NEXT to be a time of :
RESTORATION, WISDOM, STRENGTH, REDEMPTION, HEALING, MIRACULOUS, RECONCILIATION, REVIVAL, REVERSAL, AND RESURRECTION OF LIFE.
CONCLUSION
Finally, THREE is represented through the HARMONIOUS UNION of the God family – THREE IN ONE. Likewise, the bride is called into harmony with one another. We are Christ's body, and each of us is part of it and must take care of each other. If one member is honored, we are all honored, if another suffers, we all suffer. And so we are called to live in UNITY as one body of believers, made up of many different parts (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).
And so in conclusion I pray that the perfect HARMONY of the TRIUNE GOD be yours in abundance this year, and may:
"the grace of the LORD JESUS CHRIST, and the LOVE OF GOD, and the FELLOWSHIP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, be with you all [in 2023]" – 2 Corinthians 13:14.
♡ Nicole