I Was Born for This & So Were You

God is into numbers. He mentions them a lot in the Bible. It shows the preciseness of his nature. Nothing is out of order. I'm a numbers guy, too, but not in the mathematical, nerdy accountant way. I see them as a mechanism that God uses to speak to us. Numbers show us how he is working in our lives and ordering our steps.

The number 7 has always been significant to me. I was born in 1977. I married Jenny on October 7. Our first child, Elena Kay, was born on December 7. It's a God number.

In the Bible, seven, sevenfold and seventh are used 860 times. FYI, 8+6+0=14 … and that is two sevens. 🙂 It's a number of completion, perfection and wholeness. Seven is like our Creator's signature saying "I started this and I'm going to finish it." He leaves nothing undone, even if we can't see it yet. He sees the end from the beginning.

When I turned 40 in 2017, I was confronted with more significant numbers and sevens in my life. It related to my trip to Israel that year and you can read about that here: Israel 2017 and here 40 Years.

April 5, 2020, was my 43rd birthday. I woke up with the intention of spending time listening to God. The first thing that popped into my mind was, "You were born for this." Right afterwards I saw a picture of God as though is was rubbing his hands together in anticipatory delight. It was like he was saying, "You ain't seen nothing, yet!"

While I was writing and praying, I was reminded that a few years ago I learned that I was born during Passover. I wondered what the date was on the Jewish calendar. The investigation began. Turns out I was born on Nisan 17, 5737 which was the third day of Passover. Look at that … sevens.

As I researched this date, some sources claimed it is the second most mentioned date in the Bible and potentially the day that Jesus' raised from the dead. I wasn't able to completely verify those claims but it makes some sense. Nisan 17 is the third day of Passover and Jesus, our perfect sacrificial Lamb, rose on the third day. More on this later.

Mom and Dad called to wish me a Happy Birthday, and I brought up the "resurrection day" nugget I had just found out. Mom reminded me that her father, my Grandpa Dewayne Martin, was born on April 6, 1917. The day I wrote this was the 103rd anniversary of his birth. (10-3=7 … bit of a stretch but still) Immediately I looked up his birthday in relation to Passover. Turns out, he was born the day before Passover.

Now, the wheels really start turning as I remembered Mom telling me that he was always very interested in End-Times prophecy. She had mentioned this because my prophetic journey started out the same way -- being very interested in Jesus coming back, who's the anti-christ and eschatology in general. My spiritual, prophetic mentor (from afar) John Paul Jackson said an interest in eschatological prophecy can be a sign that you have some level of a prophetic call. It is sort of a jumping off point into the prophetic world.

I started to see a message forming from the dates and numbers associated with my family. My Grandfather was a picture of his generation as it relates to the prophetic. During his lifetime prophecy was mostly limited to when Jesus would return. In much of the church there was no outlet for hearing God. Mainline churches did not really believe that there were such things as "prophets."

His birth was symbolic of this … the day before Passover. His generation was not experiencing all of fulfilled Passover. Jesus paid the price so that we could have full access to the Father. It has been available since the cross but we have not always walked in that reality, though.

Fifty-nine years and three hundred and sixty-four days later, I was born the day before my Grandpa's birthday. This birth was on the third day of Passover, though. My generation is prophetically living in His resurrection power as never before.

During my lifetime we have seen an explosion of prophetic ministry throughout the earth. Not just that but the church is alive and well filling the Earth with God's glory more than ever. I believe my life is one small message representing that shift. The price Jesus paid for us to be free to commune with the Father was always enough. Each day, each generation comes closer to the pure and spotless bride Jesus is coming back for.

Near Generation

I never got a chance to know my Grandpa Dewayne. He passed away January 8, 1978, 9 months and 3 days after I was born. Numbers again … all significant. The all have to do with new beginnings. January is the start of a new year. The number eight symbolizes new beginnings. Nine months (gestation time for a human baby) after I was born my Grandfather passes on representing a "Passover" from one generation to another. We can even throw the 3 days in there that symbolize resurrection life on the third day.

What I have not mentioned is that I was born on the same day of my Uncle Leon Martin. Leon is Grandpa Dewayne's second son born on April 5, 1943. (I will remind you that all of this came to my attention on my 43rd birthday. Also, 4+3=7 if you didn't know.) He would have been 77 this year. Unfortunately, I never really knew Leon, either.

He was alive during my lifetime, but sadly he suffered with paranoid schizophrenia and I rarely saw him. You may be aware of the symptoms of someone suffering from this disorder. One of the common symptoms is hearing voices. Not to disregard the actual health issues that my uncle faced, but I have a strong feeling that he carried a significant prophetic gift.

Once again, in his generation there was not an outlet for the prophetic to be developed, trained and walked out. His ability to hear things beyond the natural realm could have been hijacked by the enemy therefore leading him down the wrong path.

Uncle Leon passed away on September 2, 1991. I was 14 years old. Two sevens.

Some might say, "Do you think God was orchestrating his death so it would line up with random numbers?" No, my Father is the God of abundant life. He has a way of orchestrating our lives with such great mastery that even in death he is bringing life.

Now Generation

June 30, 2017 I reached out to Emmett Romine on LinkedIn and asked if he could chat on the phone. I had seen that Emmett was also in the marketing industry and thought we could share some ideas. On July 2, he responded back and we scheduled a time to talk.

Emmett is my cousin and Leon's youngest son. When I messaged Emmett on June 30 it had probably been over 20 years since the last time I had seen him. I'm not sure if we had ever talked. During my journey of discovery on April 5, I learned that Emmett's birthday is July 1, 1970 or 7/1/70. Nice sevens you got there. During 2017, I unknowingly messaged my cousin the day before his 47th birthday.

I was discussing this with Mom on one of my multiple calls with her and she told me that Emmett's older brother Bryon was born on July, 27, 1967. Really … 7/27/67.

My thoughts on Leon's sons and the sevens. It is possible that both sons have a gift related to hearing God. Emmett being a marketing professional makes me think so. He helps people and businesses communicate effectively which I identify with, too.

(Side note on the Martin family: Leon was a second son. Emmett is a second son. I am a second son.)

Also, God is bringing wholeness to what was broken in previous generations. God is redeeming what has been lost. The reason why it was lost is not as important as the reality that is being found. Jesus is jealous for us to claim everything he made available to us through the cross.

Dewayne means "black or dark" and Leon means "lion." In the context of this conversation, my grandfather's name hints that his generation which was born in World War I and grew up in World War II was dark. That is to say seeing was more difficult. It was a dark time spiritually speaking.

Leon's generation was meant to reign as kings. It was his birthright to usher in more of God's kingdom. The one who goes about as a roaring lion interrupted and cut short his destiny. In some ways the same can be said for his generation. But God sees Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. His plan spans generations and will not be cut off.

The surname Martin derives from Mars the god of War. My family heritage is to be warriors for the King of kings. My name Mark has the same etymology. It could be said that I have a double assignment or anointing to fight for the inheritance of my family and my generation. I'm warring so that the generations will see and hear everything we are meant to experience from our Father in heaven.

Next Generation

In my family, Dewayne Martin and his son Leon left this earth before their time. They died too young. I believe they had unfulfilled destiny of communicating God's love and purpose for his children. The following generations are standing on their shoulders despite what may look like failure to some. Now we can carry the mantle that once was on their shoulders and pass it on to the next in better condition than ever before.

In summary, the numbers, dates, names they all underline the fact that God's plan is moving forward. My family is just one sentence in an epic story that has been unfolding for thousands of years. The Author who has had the end in mind from the start is weaving a narrative that is unlike any known to man.

Unfathomably, this masterful Biographer has chosen to write parts for all us. If we simply take the time to read what He is writing on our hearts, each one of us will be astonished by the intricacies he has woven into our stories. Know this with absolute certainty: you were born for this.