Dear friends:

Author and friend Bonnie Gaunt, who is not on line, has communicated to me in the mail another interesting discovery.

It involves the parable of the "hidden treasure" in Matthew 13. Bonnie says, "I looked up the Scripture in Matthew about the treasure hidden in the field. It appears to be talking about the bride, the church. Jesus purchased the whole world, and buried in that world was His bride who became His by right of purchase. It is interesting that this word 'treasure' in the Hebrew text is (cannot replicate the Hebrew here, but it is shown in Strong's Concordance as 'mickenah,' # 4543)."

Amazingly, Bonnie says that the gematria for this Hebrew word for 'treasure' BOTH ADDS to 576 and MULTIPLIES to 576 (with zeros after it) She says, "When a word both adds and multiplies to the same number I sit up and take notice. It usually has hidden meaning."

She adds this most fascinating and relavant insight: "The Hebrew word is taken from a root word meaning 'to gather together' or 'to collect into one place.' Actually, the Greek word (kanac, # 3664) also has somewhat the same meaning, it having the thought of collecting things of value into one storehouse. I wondered if it could have reference to the same thing as another parable which speaks of gathering the wheat into the barn. If so, then the number 576 could be of significance as the year in which this gathering would take place."

(Reminder: We are currently in Jewish year 5760 and will be until September 30, 2000.)

Bonnie's insights immediately brought to mind 2 Thessalonians 2:1: "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our GATHERING TOGETHER unto him..."

Jim