She draws inspiration for her writing from everyday life.7 ( seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Terroaĭolores Smyth is a nationally published faith and parenting writer. These show the intricate handiwork of God's plan and the wonderful ways it unfolds throughout history.įind inspiration with 15 Bible Verses Every Christian Should Know By Heart HERE for you to download or share with loved ones! When we analyze the Bible, we can find a host of numbers that have deeper meanings and threads throughout the passages. In that regard, while it’s reasonable to draw inferences in studying Scripture, we must be mindful that just as the heavens are higher than the Earth, so are the Lord’s ways higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts ( Isaiah 55:9). However, we must balance this conclusion with the fact that not every mention of the number seven in Scripture has a divine implication attached. The Bible’s extensive use of the number seven, in connection with such concepts as completion, exoneration, and the fulfillment of promises, suggests that God ascribes a sacred nature to the number. Why it's Important to Understand the Number 7 in the Bible The fulfillment of this divine promise is ushered in by groups of seven: seven seals, seven trumpets sounded by seven angels, and seven bowls of God’s promised wrath carried by seven angels ( Revelation 6, 8, 11, 16). In the letters, Christ assures each church community that if its members repent and live according to Jesus’s instructions, each community will receive its promised reward.įurther, Revelation often invokes the number seven in its discussion of God’s promise to save those whose names are written in the Book of Life and condemn those whose names aren’t ( Revelation 20:15 21:1, 27). In particular, we read of seven letters addressed to seven churches ( Revelation 2-3). ![]() ![]() Seven is also associated with promises in the Book of Revelation. After Joshua followed the Lord’s commands exactly, the walls of Jericho fell, just as the Lord had promised ( Joshua 6:1-20). There, God promised Joshua that He’d bring down the fortified walls of Jericho if Joshua and his army marched around the city once for six days and seven times on the seventh day with seven priests blowing seven trumpets. The Book of Joshua gives us another example of seven’s correlation with promises. Deuteronomy tells us that on every seventh year, the Israelites were to cancel all the debts they had made with each other and free their slaves ( Deuteronomy 15:1-2, 12). The meaning of the number seven in the Bible is also linked to exoneration and healing. Likewise, when the prophet Isaiah described the coming Messiah, he listed seven qualities that the Savior would embody ( Isaiah 11:1-2). ![]() In addition, King David referenced the number seven in describing the perfect nature of God’s words when he wrote that the Lord’s words are flawless, “like gold refined seven times” ( Psalm 12:6). The bread of life ( John 6:35) The light of the world ( John 8:12) The gate to salvation ( John 10:9) The good shepherd ( John 10:11) The resurrection and the life ( John 11:25-26) The way, the truth, and the life ( John 14:6) and The vine ( John 15:5). Jesus again spoke in a grouping of seven when He used seven metaphors to describe Himself as the path to salvation, the perfect reward for a good and faithful servant.
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