Well I guess I have to clear this up. I am not a numbers fanatic. But to say that God does not use certain numbers as having certain significance would also be dishonest. Where I got the Damascus equals 444 was from E.W. Bullinger who wrote the book numbers in scripture quite a while ago. It is found here.

 

http://philologos.org/__eb-nis/four.htm

 

GEMATRIA

This is too large a subject to enter on here, but it is most significant that we get the number four in its concentrated form in connection with [please see link] DAMASCUS, which is the oldest city in the world. The number of its name is 444:

ITS SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE

FOUR

We have seen that three signifies Divine perfection, with special reference to the Trinity: The Father, one in sovereignty; the Son, the second person, in incarnation and salvation, delivering from every enemy; the Holy Spirit, the third person, realising in us and to us Divine things.

Now the number four is made up of three and one (3+1=4), and it denotes, therefore, and marks that which follows the revelation of God in the Trinity, namely, His creative works. He is known by the things that are seen. Hence the written revelation commences with the words, "In-the-beginning God CREATED." Creation is therefore the next thing—the fourth thing, and the number four always has reference to all that is created. It is emphatically the number of Creation; of man in his relation to the world as created; while six is the number of man in his opposition to and independence of God. It is the number of things that have a beginning, of things that are made, of material things, and matter itself. It is the number of material completeness. Hence it is the world number, and especially the "city" number.

The fourth day saw the material creation finished (for on the fifth and sixth days it was only the furnishing and peopling of the earth with living creatures). The sun, moon, and stars completed the work, and they were to give light upon the earth which had been created, and to rule over the day and over the night (Gen 1:14-19).

Four is the number of the great elements—earth, air, fire, and water.

Four are the regions of the earth—north, south, east, and west.

Four are the divisions of the day—morning, noon, evening, and midnight. Or in our Lord's words, when He speaks of His coming at evening, midnight, cock-crowing, or in the morning (Mark 13:35). We are never to put off His coming in our minds beyond tomorrow morning.

Four are the seasons of the year—spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

 

So therefore, Damascus, the worlds oldest continual city, has not ceased to be a city since its conception, has a completion date. That is in Isaiah 17, It will be destroyed.

I find Bullinger's book fascinating and it undeniably shows certain numerical patterns in scripture.

I do not get carried away with these number things other than it appeared to me that God was placing an exclamation mark re Damascus. In other words, watch Damascus and watch Isaiah 17.

I do not put much stock in computor generated bible codes, their success rate is misearable. However I did enjoy Rabbi Rambsels book on biblical equal distance spacing that is done manualy. For example the word Torah is written forwards and backwards in the first 5 books of the bible by a space of 50 between each letter. Just another proof of devine writting that God threw in. There are many other cool examples. I do not see it though as an ability to predict anything.

God bless

frank