Volume 15 Number 5
May/June 1999
Iyar/Sivan 5759

A Physicist Looks at the Bible Code

by Randall Ingermanson, Ph.D.
 

Because I’ve written a book on the Bible code, people often ask me questions about the subject. Is it true that three Israeli scientists have found a code in Genesis that proves God wrote the Bible? Is it true that a Messianic rabbi has found codes that prove Yeshua is the Mashiach? Is it true that the Bible code predicts earthquake, economic collapse, and nuclear holocaust in the coming decade? And what about the claims that space aliens wrote the Bible? Is the Bible code for real, or isn’t it?
These are good questions and I answer all of them in my forthcoming book, “Who Wrote the Bible Code?” My publisher is WaterBrook Press, a Christian subsidiary of Random House.
The Bible code has caused a lot of heated arguments. Those who favor it argue that the code proves God wrote the Bible. This saves them the effort of confronting modern critical scholarship. Those who oppose the Bible code argue that too many people are playing “Bible Ouija board,” trying to predict the future using shaky methods. While I can see the point of both sides, neither of these lines of argument is scientific. Both sides are basing their logic on what they want to be true. A good scientist doesn’t do that. A scientist simply tries to find out what is true, without deciding the outcome in advance.

As a physicist, I decided to apply the tools of modern science to the Bible code. Of course, you need to know more than science to tackle this problem. I also read Hebrew and I write software for a living. Also, I’ve studied every book on the Bible code. Most importantly, when I began my book, I had an idea for a new method of looking at the problem that could prove once and for all whether the codes were real or bogus. Instead of deciding in advance what I was going to prove, I wrote a computer program that would make the decision for me.
Let me point out that people have taken several different approaches to the Bible code. Michael Drosnin, author of the bestseller “The Bible Code,” believes that space aliens created the codes to help us predict the future. Drosnin claims to have predicted the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin and the impact of comet Shoemaker-Levy on Jupiter. He has found codes dealing with everything from AIDS to Auschwitz to atomic bombs. I’ve read his book carefully and I agree with every other scientist who’s looked at his work. Drosnin’s Hebrew is rusty; his predictions are bogus; his work has no scientific value at all.

Yacov Rambsel is a Messianic Jewish rabbi who claims to have found “Yeshua codes” in every messianic prophecy in the Hebrew Bible. I’ve read Rambsel’s books and studied his claims in some detail. The rabbi is a pious man, but he hasn’t got a clue about statistical significance. You could find similar “Yeshua codes” in any Hebrew book, or any English book for that matter. I’m sorry to have to say this, but Yacov Rambsel’s work proves nothing at all.
But what about those three Israeli scientists? What about the codebreaker from the National Security Agency who verified their work? These men claim to have found evidence that God encoded information in Genesis about dozens of rabbis who lived and died hundreds of years after the Bible was written. They published their evidence in the August 1994 issue of a scientific journal, Statistical Science.

This article has attracted a lot of scientific interest. A few mathematicians have been persuaded, but most aren’t convinced by this evidence. A number of good mathematicians have invested many hours trying to prove or disprove the work. Currently, both sides are claiming victory.
In my book, I investigate the matter from a totally new angle, and I believe I’ve solved the mystery once and for all. If you ask me in person, I’ll tell you the answer. However, my publisher has asked me not to reveal it in print until we release the book this coming August, so I can’t tell you in this article.

Until then, if you want to know more about the Bible code, check out my Web site at www.rsingermanson.com. There, you’ll find a number of book reviews, links to Amazon.com, and articles on the Bible code. I also have pointers to several excellent Bible code Web sites. In a couple of months, I’ll post the first few chapters of my book. Then when the book comes out, I’ll add free software to my site that you can run on your own computer to verify my work.
Some people have suggested that all the recent interest in the Bible code has been good; it’s got people talking about the Bible. Others have complained that the Bible code has created the wrong sort of interest in the Bible, the headline-seeking sensationalistic nonsense that is miles away from God. Both sides are right. The wild claims have created a lot of unhealthy interest in the Bible. I think we can take that interest and channel it in a healthier direction. Whether you believe in the Bible code or not, I hope you’ll agree that the clearly stated message of the Bible holds far more value than any secret code ever could. As Yeshua himself taught his disciples, the power of the Scriptures is found in applying the simple truth of the Word in our life: “Therefore, every one who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock” [Matthew 7:24].

Editors note: Dr. Randall Ingermanson attends Kehilat Ariel. Be watching for his important book coming out soon.