The number twenty-five is a Square Number (5x5) and the sum of the first single-digit odd numbers (1+3+5+7+9). It is the atomic number of manganese and the number of years in a silver wedding anniversary. In baseball, the number twenty-five is generally reserved for the teams best “slugger”, i.e. the person most likely to hit the ball the hardest. 
 
In the USA, twenty-five is the minimum age to serve in the US House of Representatives. There are also twenty-five cents in a quarter dollar. In Great Britain, the slang term “pony” refers to £25. In Ireland, there is a card game known as Twenty-Five. The national game of India “Pachisi” means twenty-five in Hindi.
 
In Islam, there are twenty-five prophets mentioned in the Qur’an but where does the number appear in the Bible? It is believed that the number twenty-five symbolises grace upon grace due to it being composed of the numbers twenty (redemption) and five (grace). Five (grace) multiplied by five (grace) equals twenty-five (grace upon grace).  
 
The number twenty-five plays a significant role in Ezekiel’s Temple Vision. “In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth of the month, in the fourteenth year after the fall of the city—on that very day the hand of the Lord was on me and he took me there.” (Ezekiel 40:1, NIV) During this vision, the measurements of the prophetic temple are revealed, five of which are twenty-five cubits long.

• Ezekiel 40:13 (NIV): Then he measured the gateway from the top of the rear wall of one alcove to the top of the opposite one; the distance was twenty-five cubits from one parapet opening to the opposite one.
• Ezekiel 40:21 (NIV): Its alcoves—three on each side—its projecting walls and its portico had the same measurements as those of the first gateway. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.
• Ezekiel 40:25 (NIV): The gateway and its portico had narrow openings all around, like the openings of the others. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide.
• Ezekiel 40:29-30 (NIV): Its alcoves, its projecting walls and its portico had the same measurements as the others. The gateway and its portico had openings all around. It was fifty cubits long and twenty-five cubits wide. (The porticoes of the gateways around the inner court were twenty-five cubits wide and five cubits deep.)

 
These are not the only mentions of twenty-five in the Book of Ezekiel.

• Ezekiel 8:16 (NIV): He then brought me into the inner court of the house of the Lord, and there at the entrance to the temple, between the portico and the altar, were about twenty-five men. With their backs toward the temple of the Lord and their faces toward the east, they were bowing down to the sun in the east.
• Ezekiel 11:1 (NIV): Then the Spirit lifted me up and brought me to the gate of the house of the Lord that faces east. There at the entrance of the gate were twenty-five men, and I saw among them Jaazaniah son of Azzur and Pelatiah son of Benaiah, leaders of the people.
• Ezekiel 45:12 (NIV): The shekel is to consist of twenty gerahs. Twenty shekels plus twenty-five shekels plus fifteen shekels equal one mina.

 
It is thought there are about thirty mentions of the word twenty-five in the Bible. Let’s have a look at a few examples:

• Numbers 8:24 (NIV): This applies to the Levites: Men twenty-five years old or more shall come to take part in the work at the tent of meeting
• 1 Kings 22:41-42 (GNT): In the fourth year of the reign of King Ahab of Israel, Jehoshaphat son of Asa became king of Judah at the age of thirty-five, and he ruled in Jerusalem for twenty-five years. 
• 2 Kings 14:2 (NIV): He [Amaziah] was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Jehoaddan; she was from Jerusalem.
• 2 Kings 15:33 (NIV): He [Jotham] was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem sixteen years. His mother’s name was Jerusha daughter of Zadok.
• 2 Kings 18:2 (NIV): He [Hezekiah] was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem twenty-nine years. His mother’s name was Abijahdaughter of Zechariah.
• 2 Chronicles 36:5 (NIV): Jehoiakim was twenty-five years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eleven years. He did evil in the eyes of the Lord his God.
• John 6:19 (YLT): having pushed onwards, therefore, about twenty-five or thirty furlongs, they behold Jesus walking on the sea, and coming nigh to the boat, and they were afraid.

 
Although the number is not mentioned directly, there are twenty-five thrones mentioned in Revelation 4:4 (NIV):  Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. Twenty-Four plus one equals twenty-five. 
 
During my research, I found information about the number twenty-five that does not appear in the Bible but is believed to be true by some groups of Christians. Ann-Catherine Emmerich, for example, had a vision that revealed that the Three Magi travelled for twenty-five days to reach Bethlehem, which was a distance of 672 leagues (approximately 2016 miles). Another vision revealed to Emmerich the twenty-five paths converging to the Tower of Babel and the twenty-five tribes that took part in the building work.
 
Ann-Catherine Emmerich’s visions have also revealed that Luke wrote his Gospel twenty-five years after the Ascension of Jesus, and the apostle John was twenty-five when he was called to be a disciple, as was Judas Iscariot. 
 
The apocryphal Gospel of Barnabas mentions twenty-five miracles of Jesus Christ. The gospel, however, generally contradicts the New Testament and has strong parallels with the Islamic faith; therefore, we do not give Barnabas a lot of attention.
 
The book of Acts contains material from twenty-five books of the Old Testament. The book of 2 Kings is made up of twenty-five chapters. Philemon and Jude, however, only contain twenty-five verses. Finally, to end this article, the Holy Spirit is quoted twenty-five times throughout the four Gospels. 

We were delighted to welcome Max Bawhorn, who is the Street Pastor Coordinator for Redbridge, and his delightful family to Gants Hill on Sunday. Max spoke to us about the inspiration the story of the Good Samaritan has had on his life. In the reading, the expected help did not transpire but came from an unexpected source. The Samaritan acted because there was a need and so, Street Pastors also do what they do because there is a need. 

Around the year 2003, Brixton was a place of stabbings and robbery. Fifteen women and three men made it their goal to walk the streets, talk to the people they met and show them how much God cared. They listened to the needs of those who were in trouble and pointed them to sources of help. 

Street Pastors make a difference in Redbridge. There are two teams: a team of three who cover Ilford, and another group of three who cover South Woodford. All the difficulties they come across stem from the individuals' difficulties, whether that be emotional, the loss of a job or challenging family situation. The Street Pastors listen to their stories, remind them that God cares and refer them to the appropriate places to get help. The Street Pastors work in the area they live, therefore, cannot run away and ignore these situations. It is a case of doing something to help solve the problems. 

Max challenged us to think about what we could do to change these situations and help make a difference. The target is to train fifty new Street Pastors and if anyone was interested in signing up, they can contact Max. Alternatively, you can be a prayer partner and pray for the pastors when they walk the streets, or you can give financially to help cover the costs of the training.

The reading of the day was Luke 9:51-62 where people gave excuses for not wanting to follow Christ. So, we must think about the excuses we use for not supporting the Street Pastors who are doing such a worthwhile job in the streets of Redbridge. 

Max left behind some interesting literature including information about the training of a Street Pastor, which takes eight days. He extended the invitation to observe a Street Pastor in action so that you can see what the role involves. There is also an opportunity to sponsor the training of a Street Pastor through a £10 monthly donation. If anyone is interested, please get in touch with Max.
Email address: redbridge@streetpastors.org.uk
Contact number: 07541936912

The number twenty-three is the ninth prime number and the atomic number of the chemical element Vanadium, a rare, soft, grey metal. A human cell has twenty-three pairs of chromosomes and the earth’s axis is tilted at an approximately 23° angle. The soft drink Dr Pepper apparently contains twenty-three different flavourings – who knew there were so many?
 
In Islam, Muslims believe the entire Qur’an was revealed to the prophet Muhammad over a period of twenty-three years. They also believe that the first five verses of the Qur’an were received on the 23rd night of the 9th Islamic month.
 
In the Bible, one of the most quoted passages is the “Shepherd Psalm”, or Psalm 23. 
The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right pathsfor his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. (Psalm 23:1-4, NIV)
 
It takes a great deal of searching for the number twenty-three in scripture and there appears to be no meaning attached. Here is what I have managed to find:

• Judges 10:1-2 (NIV): After the time of Abimelek, a man of Issachar named Tola son of Puah, the son of Dodo, rose to save Israel. He lived in Shamir, in the hill country of Ephraim. He ledIsrael twenty-three years; then he died, and was buried in Shamir.
• 2 Kings 23:31 (NIV): Jehoahaz was twenty-three years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. 
• 2 Kings 12:6 (NIV): But by the twenty-third year of King Joash the priests still had not repaired the temple.
• 2 Kings 13:1 (NIV): In the twenty-third year of Joash son of Ahaziah king of Judah, Jehoahaz son of Jehu became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned seventeen years.
• 1 Chronicles 2:22 (NIV): Segub was the father of Jair, who controlled twenty-three towns in Gilead.
• Jeremiah 25:3 (NIV): For twenty-three years—from the thirteenth year of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah until this very day—the word of the Lord has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened.

 
Out of interest, I have looked up chapters 23, verse 23 in the books of the Bible to see if there are any words of wisdom hidden in them. Here are a few of them:

• Exodus 23:23 (NIV): My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.
• Jeremiah 23:23 (NIV): “Am I only a God nearby,” declares the Lord, “and not a God far away?”
• Deuteronomy 23:23 (NIV): Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth.
• Proverbs 23:23 (NIV): Buy the truth and do not sell it—wisdom, instruction and insight as well.
• Matthew 23:23 (NIV): Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
• Luke 23:23 (NIV): But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed.

 
How many children did Adam and Eve have? We know from Genesis 5 that they had more than the three named sons:  After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. (Genesis 5:4) The first-century historian Josephus wrote in his works (The Works of Josephus) that Adam had a total of fifty-six children, twenty-three of whom were girls.  
 
Finally, did you know that Jezebel is mentioned twenty-three times in the Bible? She is the evilest woman mentioned in scripture and yet she gets more mentions than the holier characters, for instance, Mary, the mother of Jesus!