THE NUMBER SEVEN IN THE HOLY BIBLE
This is a chapter from the book,
When man began to analyze and combine numbers, he developed other interesting symbols. He took the perfect world number FOUR and added to it the perfect divine number, THREE, and got SEVEN, the most sacred number to the Hebrews. It was earth crowned with heaven -- the four-square earth plus the divine COMPLETENESS OF GOD. So we have SEVEN expressing COMPLETENESS through union of earth with heaven. This number is used more than all other numbers in the Word of God, save the number ONE.
In the Book of Revelation the number SEVEN is used throughout. There are SEVEN churches, SEVEN Spirits, SEVEN stars, SEVEN seals, SEVEN trumpets, SEVEN vials, SEVEN personages, SEVEN dooms, and SEVEN new things. SEVEN symbolizes Spiritual Perfection. All of life revolves around this number. SEVEN is used over 700 times in the Bible. It is used 54 times in the Book of Revelation.
The whole Word of God is founded upon the number SEVEN. It stands for the SEVENTH day of the Creation Week, and speaks of the Millennial Rest day. It denotes COMPLETENESS or PERFECTION.
In Leviticus 23:15-16, the number SEVEN and the Sabbath, which was the SEVENTH day, is connected with the word COMPLETE. The word COMPLETE follows after the words “SEVEN SABBATH” (Seventh day). The day following the SEVENTH sabbath there was something NEW that took place.
The word FINISHED is also connected with the number SEVEN. In Revelation 10:7 we read,
“In the days of the voice of the SEVENTH angel, when he shall begin to sound the mystery of God should be FINISHED.”
“It is DONE” is another expression found in connection with the number Seven.
“And the SEVENTH angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne saying, It is DONE.” (Revelation 16:17)
The word CREATED is used SEVEN times in connection with God’s creative work. (Genesis 1:1; Genesis 1:21; 1:27 (three times); 2:3; and 2:4). God created all things in the beginning and then took six days of restoring His creation and then rested on the SEVENTH day. (Genesis 2:1-3). He appointed SEVEN days for the week, and most, if not all advanced nations reckon time in that way: SEVEN days to the week. Few ever stop to think of why there are SEVEN days in a week. Do atheists and infidels give God and the Bible credit for it?
There are SEVEN notes in the musical scale. All other pitches are only variations of these. When the musician uses the eighth note he goes back to “do” and starts over. Man named the notes but God fixed the sounds, even as God fixed the days of the week, and man named them.
Noah took the clean beasts into the ark by SEVENS (Genesis 7:2) SEVEN days after Noah went into the ark the flood came. (Genesis 7:-10) Peter tells about the long-suffering of God waiting in the days of Noah. (I Peter 3:21) Those SEVEN days COMPLETED God’s time of waiting.
Before Aaron and his sons entered their priestly work they were consecrated SEVEN days. (Leviticus 8:31-36) Here is a picture of a life COMPLETELY or WHOLLY consecrated or dedicated to the Lord for service.
On the day of atonement the high priest sprinkled the blood upon the mercy seat SEVEN times. (Leviticus 16:14) This is a picture of the COMPLETENESS of the redemptive work of Christ.
“By his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us." (Hebrews 9:12)
When Christ offered Himself that FINISHED the sacrificial offerings. They were ended. No longer must we place sacrifices upon an altar.
When Israel took the city of Jericho God told them to march around the city SEVEN times. Thus, on the SEVENTH day, when they marched around the city SEVEN times, they COMPLETED their marching. (Joshua 6:1-16)
There were SEVEN FEAST days of our Lord. (Passover, Unleavened, First-fruits, Pentecost, Atonement, Trumpets and Tabernacle). (Leviticus 23:1-44)
There were SEVEN branches on the CANDLESTICK in the Holy Place in the Tabernacle and this pictures the COMPLETE light of God for the souls of man.
Solomon was SEVEN years in building the Temple and kept the Feast for SEVEN days. Job had SEVEN sons. When his friends came to visit him they sat SEVEN days and SEVEN nights in silence, and afterward they were required to offer a Burnt Offering of SEVEN bullocks and SEVEN rams. Naaaman washed SEVEN times in the Jordan. The Saviour spoke SEVEN words from the Cross. SEVEN men of honest report were chosen to administer the alms of the church in Acts 6:1-7. There were SEVEN years of plenty and SEVEN years of famine in Egypt during the days of Joseph.
SEVEN times in the Book of Revelation blessing of the Lord are promised to His people. These are called the “BEATITUDES” of Revelation. These are found in Chapters 1:3; 14:13; 16:15; 19:9; 20:6; 22:7, 14.
There are SEVEN Dispensations -- Innocence, Conscience, Government, Patriarchal, Law, Grace, and Milleniah (sic) Age.
SEVEN times the Book of Life is mentioned in the Bible. The Book of Revelation is a Book of SEVENS. We have SEVEN churches, SEVEN seals, SEVEN Trumpets, SEVEN Personages, SEVEN vails (sic), SEVEN dooms, SEVEN new things. SEVEN SEVENS make up this Book . It is the COMPLETENESS of all things.
Jesus said to “forgive SEVENTY times SEVEN“ In other words, He is saying, “Keep on forgiving until you are complete.” Even the duration of Israel’s great punishments was based upon this law of SEVENS. Their captivity in Babylon was for SEVENTY years, ten periods of SEVENS. (Jeremiah 25:11-12; Daniel l9:2)
Life operates in a cycle of SEVENS. Changes take place in the body every SEVEN years. There are SEVEN bones in the neck, SEVEN bones in the face, SEVEN bones in the ankle, and SEVEN holes in the head. Most births are multiple of SEVENS. The hen sits three weeks (21 days); the pigeon two weeks (14 days); after having laid eggs for two weeks. Of 129 species of Mammalia (sic) the majority have a period from conception to birth of an exact number of weeks, a multiple of SEVEN.
Human physiology is constructed on a law of SEVENS. Children are born to mothers in a certain number of weeks usually 280 days, a multiple of SEVENS. Fevers and intermittent attacks of gout, ague, and similar complaints have a period of operation of SEVEN, FOURTEEN or TWENTY-ONE days knows as critical days.
All departments of nature are marked all over with mathematics. In this realm practically everything is in SEVENS. Notice next time the shape of frost when it crystallizes on the window. Notice the small snow flakes. It is wonderful how God formed everything in a pattern of SEVENS.
It would be well for the reader to always remember the SEVEN means COMPLETENESS or SPIRITUAL PERFECTION. Whenever you come to a SEVEN in the Word of God read the meaning and the message is plain.
SEVEN is found 735 times in the Bible. SEVENFOLD is mentioned 6 times and SEVENTH is found 119 times.
The SEVENTH time Noah’s name occurs is where it is said,
“Noah was a just man, and PERFECT in his generations.” (Genesis 6:9)
In the second chapter of Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream of a great image whose head was of gold, arms and breasts of silver, his belly and things of brass, legs of iron, and feet of iron and clay. (Daniel 2:31-33) Daniel told him that he was the head of gold (vs 37-38) In the next chapter Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold to be worshipped. At that time he called together SEVEN kinds of officials to the dedication of the image: (1) princes, (2) governors, (3) captains, (4) judges, (5) treasurers (6) counselors, (7) sheriffs. The penalty for refusing to worship that image was death by being cast into the burning fiery furnace. THREE Hebrew children refused to worship the image and were cast into that furnace of death, and brought forth alive, thus picturing the resurrection, signified by the number THREE That furnace was heated SEVEN times hotter than it had ever been. Here is a COMPLETE DELIVERANCE FOR GOD’S PEOPLE from the power of death. (Daniel 3:1-27) When those THREE Hebrew children came out of that furnace of fire, or death, there was not a trace of fire upon their bodies or their clothing. When Christ brings His people out of death there will not be a trace of death left on them. The will be COMPLETELY delivered from its power.
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