Jan 5, 2011                         Religion                     WWW.FORTMILLTIMES.COM        FORT MILL TIMES
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“Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each day” --  Lamentations 3:22-24

JW Farquhar: The Numbers of Faith

By  Jason Chisari
Jec2001@live.com

 FORT MILL TOWNSHIP—Accomplished businessman, musician and writer JW Farquhar has studied the word of the Bible his entire life. However, the numerology of its pages has spurred an entirely new, and unexpected purpose in his life, one which he would like to share with the world.

“The verbal message of the Bible is always up for interpretation, hence the different denominations which study it,” Farquhar said. “However, the numbers within the Bible are the only true interpretation, I believe, and cannot be argued with.”

Farquhar never envisioned the path his later years would lead him down. In fact, before his fascination with “Bible Mathematics” segued into a new career direction, Farquhar found success embracing the nascent computer technology wave of the late 1960’s.

I studied electrical engineering at Drexal University for three years, but never finished because my career in the field was taking off,” Farquhar said. “I had college graduates already working under me, so a temporary break from school eventually became a permanent one.”

The years progressed, and Farquhar was designing automated design systems for companies across America, eventually transitioning into banking software.

Yet, a desire to express himself artistically was bubbling beneath the surface, and it took a painful chapter of his life to jumpstart his creativity.

I recorded my first album “The Formal Female” in the early’70’s, which was an emotional outlet for me as I was going through a painful divorce,” Farquhar said. “It took six months to create, time which I spent holed up in my Philadelphia apartment with minimal distractions.”

“The Formal Female”, a Lo-Fi fusion of various musical genres, with album artwork created by Farquhar himself, has developed somewhat of a cult following over the years. Aided by the internet’s curious ability to uncouth nearly forgotten people and projects, articles on “The Formal Female” can be found simply by typing the title into any search engine. And most reviews close with a simple question: “Where is JW Farquhar now?”

The answer: Fort Mill, where he has resided for over 20 years.

“I moved to South Carolina when I sold a program to First Union Bank, which was then based out of Atlanta,” Farquhar said. I subsequently spent most of the ‘80’s and ‘90’s continuing my program design business ventures.

But the urge to explore his artistic side didn’t diminish, and Farquhar released his second album “AgentX in

1997. Another self-produced album described by Farquhar as “space music,” it contains elements of reggae, jazz and rock with a science fiction slant to the proceedings. And, riding on this creative renaissance, Farquhar combined another passion with his technological knowledge to produce his first website, www.golfholes,com.

“I established golfholes in 1999, and it is my primary source of income these days,” said Farquhar, who is an active member of the Carolina Golf Writers Association, a five handicap and winner of numerous regional tournaments.

“It is a database of golf courses  from San Diego to the Carolinas, with all photos taken by yours truly.”

Had Farquhar rested on his laurels, his career and life would still be best described as eclectic. However in 2000, while teaching Sunday School at the Philadelphia United Methodist Church on Hwy 160, he noticed an intriguing pattern in the Bible, one that would later become an obsession as he ventured deeper into its’ possible meaning.

“Teaching scripture, I had to become an intimate student of the Bible, and that’s when I began seeing the numbers,” Farquhar revealed. And from these numbers, which make themselves known right at the beginning of Genesis, I began attempting to understand what exactly they meant.”

When prompted to explain himself further, Farquhar once again cited the opening lines of Genesis as an example of the recurring numerology.

“If you count up the evening, morning and day, and apply it to the day of man’s creation, which was the sixth day, you get the number 666, which is the mark that I believe we were all born with,” Farquhar said.

“The number of God, who rested on the seventh day, is 777, another number which occurs throughout the Bible. For example, Lamech, as told in scripture lived to be 777 years old….but who honestly believes that? To put it simply, we weren’t meant to, we were meant to see the meaning of the numbers.”

The numbers, as well as others, form the basis of Farquhar’s first book “The RC666 Bible Code.” His next book, “The Genesis I Window”,  was a more organized revision of the concepts explored in the first.

But both projects weren’t penned with profits in mind. Rather, they were an attempt to validate the idea of which Farquhar was becoming increasingly convinced—That comprehension of the numerical logic within the Bible unlocked its true meaning.

I wrote my novels, quite frankly, to prove to myself that I wasn’t a kook!” Farquhar laughed. The numbers are there, they are profound, and they teach what isn’t taught in more traditional secular environments.”

                                                                           DAVID LOSEE / FORT MILL TIMES
Musician and writer JW Farquhar has studied the word of the Bible his entire life.

Farquhar also understands the controversy surrounding any idea that might cause one to look at the Bible in a different unconventional manner.

“My aim isn’t for readers to disavow any previous understanding of the Bible, “Farquhar stressed.” rather, I’d like them to use my teachings in conjunction with what they already believe. I want to bring Christianity and its various denominations together to unite them.”

As for the skeptics and scientists who scoff at the perceived tall tales of the Bible? Farquhar has a message for them, too:

“The atomic structure of carbon dust is six electrons, six neutrons and six protons, and as you may know, humans are carbon based creatures, “Farquhar said.” Nitrogen happens to be comprised of seven electrons, seven

neutrons, and seven protons. The Earth’s atmosphere (or Heavens) is made up of 77.7% nitrogen.”

Around the completion of his third novel, The Creation of Man”, Farquhar once again embraced his technological roots, creating the websites www.mark7publishing.com and www.revelationofgenesis.org. His books, albums and teachings are readily available to or read on these sites. He has also extended his message to the YouTube realm.

“I learn more and more with each passing day, and I am constantly trying to refine my message,: Farquhar said. “I embrace criticism and praise in equal amounts, because all of it benefits me as a writer and practitioner of Bible Mathematics.”