Numbers are not only positive, but there are also negative numbers. For instance, since the grace of God is symbolically seen in the number five, how does sinful man use God’s grace in a negative way? First, man removes himself from the knowledge and understanding of God’s grace by wearing a helmet of brass upon his head, thus refusing to even allow the knowledge of God’s grace from entering into his thoughts, the gospel of grace rejected.
● And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: (Ephesians 6:17)
● For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, (Titus 2:11)
● Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace [that should come] unto you: (1st Peter 1:10)
Next, we have armed with a coat of mail, . . . unrepentant man aggressively drapes himself in his own form of grace, his own gospel of grace. But the weight of man’s imagination of acquiring grace is a heavy burden and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. Instead of the single digit of the number 5, man adds and adds and adds some more to his burden of his own imaginative salvation. And of course, we see the word shekels because money somehow always comes into play in man’s concept of grace and salvation. That is negative grace, the negative number five.
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