Making Numbers Count Revelation 1 Take a look at Revelation 1:4. “John to the seven churches which are in Asia….” Now look at Revelation 1:20. “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.” What one word did you hear over and over again in those verses? It was the number seven. I want to talk about the symbolism of numbers in the Book of Revelation. This Book is filled with all sorts of signs, and symbols, and analogies, and hyperbole, and figures of speech. Look at verse 1. “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John.” He signified it. The first four letters in the word signified are s-i-g-n. This Book is full of signs. Before we get to the symbolism of numbers, let me talk to you about some of the other symbols. John describes Jesus as a Lamb, but he also describes Him as a Lion. Later on we’ll see some of the creatures around the throne. One of them has the face of an ox, one has the face of a lion, another has the face of an eagle, and another has the face of a man. We’ll also see a beast that comes up out of the sea. This is the antichrist…a horrible, wicked beast. We’ll see another beast come up out of the land…the false prophet. Sometimes John speaks like a zoologist and uses animals as symbols. At other times he’ll speak like an astronomer. In the first chapter we see Jesus holding seven stars in His right hand. Obviously, this is symbolism. In another place we’ll see the great, red dragon (Satan) sweeping a third of the stars from the heavens with his tail. Again, this is symbolism. Today we talk about rock stars and movie stars, so we still use this word symbolically. We’ll also find signs in the sun and the moon in the Book of Revelation. Sometimes John will speak as an artist. We’ll see people in white robes, we’ll see people riding on white horses, we’ll see the Bride of Christ in a white wedding gown, and we’ll see Jesus sitting on a great white throne. White is the symbol of purity. Sometimes John puts the color green on his canvas. Around the throne of Heaven there is a rainbow. It’s not like any other rainbow: it’s an emerald rainbow. Green is the symbol of life. We’ll see four horsemen who are on horses of different colors. The black horse speaks of famine, the gray horse speaks of death, the red horse speaks of war, etc. We’ll see a woman dressed in purple, which is a sign of richness and royalty. At other times, John will speak as a geographer. We’ll see a woman sitting upon seven mountains, which speaks of Rome. We’ll see a heaving, restless sea, which speaks of peoples and nations and languages. We’ll see a crystal river coming from the throne of God, which speaks of the blessings of God. But now let’s see how John speaks as a mathematician. In Revelation 1:4 he speaks of seven churches and seven spirits. The number 7 is key in the Book of Revelation. There are seven churches, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven vials or bowls of judgment, seven new things, seven persons, etc. So, do we interpret the Book of Revelation literally or symbolically? The answer is yes. For example, Satan is described as a great, red dragon. That’s a symbol. Satan is not literally a dragon and he doesn’t literally sweep a third of the stars from Heaven. But when you find out what the symbol is, you believe it literally. Earlier I said that we’d see a woman sitting on seven hills. Either that’s symbolism, or this is some kind of woman! Symbolism doesn’t discount the truth of this Book. Just find out what the symbol stands for and literally believe it. Today, we’re going to think primarily about the symbolism of numbers, and we’re going to make numbers count. First, I want you to think of the scientific matter of numbers. Numbers are a matter of science. The God who wrote the Bible also wrote the book of nature. Sometimes you’ll hear people talking about the laws of nature. There is no such thing as the laws of nature. There are only the laws of God that nature obeys. God is a God of order and design. Numerical laws have come from the mind of God. He’s the One who put the science of numbers in the universe. I never enjoyed studying the valence charts in chemistry. Nor did I enjoy memorizing the numbers for all the elements or the number of atoms. But God put numbers in all of matter. There’s also a mathematical arrangement in everything that is biological. Each cell in your body has a certain number of chromosomes. There are forty six in a man. God loves numbers. As a matter of fact, He has a Book in the Bible called Numbers. And all of this mathematical precision has come from the mind of God. Aristotle said that numbers are the principle of all things. So there is the scientific matter of numbers. But there is also the symbolic meaning of numbers. To the Jewish writers of the Bible, numbers had different meaning than they do to us sometimes today. The study of biblical numerology is one of the greatest affirmations of the inspiration of the Bible. One is the number of unity; therefore it is the number of the nature of God. Deuteronomy 6:4 says, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord.” Zechariah 14:9 says, “And the Lord shall be King over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and His name one.” Ephesians 4:4-6 says, “There is one body, and one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” There is only one God and His name is Jehovah. Two is the number of witness. In John 8:17 Jesus said, “It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.” The Old Testament taught that no one could bring an accusation without a witness to confirm. We have two testaments to bear witness to our Lord: the Old Testament and the New Testament. Jesus is the second Person in the Trinity. The second Person in the Trinity is the Witness. Revelation 1:5 says, “And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness.” There were two angels at the tomb because they were to bear witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. There were also two angels at the ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ to bear witness to His ascension. Later on in the Book of Revelation we’ll see two persons who have extraordinary power and who’ll come and witness during the great tribulation. That’s in Revelation 11:3. When Jesus sent His disciples out to share the Gospel, how did He send them out? He sent them out two by two because two is the number of witness. Three is the divine number. It speaks of God in His Triunity. He’s not only the one true God, but He’s three in One. In Revelation 1:8 Jesus says, “I am Alpha and Omega (the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet), the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is (that’s one), and which was (that’s two), and which is to come (that’s three), the Almighty.” Everywhere you look there is the three-ness of the Lord. The Great Commission is in Matthew 28:19. Jesus said, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.” When Isaiah saw the Lord upon the throne in Isaiah 6:3, he saw those angels worshipping the Lord. One cried unto another and said, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts.” Holy is the Father, holy is the Son, and holy is the Spirit. Three is the simplest compound unity. The simplest compound figure is an equal sided triangle. Man, made in the image of God, is triune. We are body, soul and spirit. I Thessalonians 5:23 says, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. Everything God has made is a reflection of His triune nature. Everything is either time or space or matter. Time is triune because it’s made up of past, present and future. Space is triune because it’s height, width and depth. Matter is triune because it’s energy, motion and phenomenon. Three is the divine number. Four is the earth number and deals with creation. We speak of the four corners of the earth. Isaiah 11:12 says, “And he shall set up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” Ezekiel 7:2 says, “Also, thou son of man, thus saith the Lord God unto the land of Israel; An end, the end is come upon the four corners of the land.” Revelation 7:1 says, “And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.” It is obvious that the number four is associated with the earth. The four living creatures around the throne which we mentioned earlier represent all of creation around the throne. There have only been four world empires in all of history. There are four seasons in the year. If you take four and multiply it by ten, you get forty. This also deals with the earth. Forty is the number of testing and trial. In the days of Noah it rained forty days and forty nights. Moses was up on Mount Sinai for forty days and forty nights. Jonah said, “Forty days and forty nights and Nineveh will be destroyed.” How long was Jesus tempted and tested in the wilderness? He was tempted forty days and forty nights. Four is the earth number. The dry land of earth was created on the fourth day. And it is on the earth where we have our testing and trials. Five and Ten are basically the same. They speak of completeness. You have five fingers and five toes and five senses. Five and five equals ten and those numbers are essentially the same. God gave us ten commandments, which are the whole duty of man. When the antichrist takes over, he will have full power. In Revelation 13:1 John begins to describe this beast which comes from the sea and says that he has ten horns. A horn is the emblem of power. It says that he has ten horns and ten crowns and upon his head was the name of blasphemy. When God judged Egypt He sent ten plagues. We’ll read in Revelation 2:10 that the church will be fully persecuted and that they will have persecution for ten days. It’s not a literal ten days, but it represents complete tribulation. Six is the number of man. Revelation 13:8 says, “And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Man was created on the sixth day. The number of man is 6. The number of the antichrist is 666. The number of God is 3. So here is a man (6) trying to take on the number of God (6 three times). He’s pretending to be God and will sit in the temple demanding to be worshipped as God. Seven is the perfect number. Three is the divine number and four is the earth number. So what we see here is earth crowned with heaven. God is working out His will on Earth. And God has written seven in everything. There are seven days in a week. There are seven notes in a musical scale. When Joshua was to come against Jericho, how many times did God tell him to march around the city? He told him to march around seven times. How many parables of the kingdom do you find in Matthew 13? There are seven parables. You will also find multiples of seven. Jesus sent out seventy to preach the perfect Gospel. There are seventy weeks of years in the Book of Daniel, which we studied recently. There are seventy years in the human life span. Psalm 90:10 says, “The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow, etc.” But not only does God multiply these numbers, sometimes He divides them. When you cut seven in half it speaks of violence and danger. How long did Elijah shut up the heavens? It was 3 ½ years. The antichrist is going to make a covenant with Israel for seven years, but after 3 ½ years he will break that covenant. In Daniel 7:25 it says, “And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.” That’s 3 ½ years. You find a confirmation of this in Revelation 13:5 which says, “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.” That’s 3 ½ years. In our verses today you’ll find a discussion of lamp stands. This speaks of a menorah, which has a central shaft. Out of this one shaft grows three branches on one side and three branches on the other side. The one central shaft speaks of God and the six branches speak of man. But Jesus and us together represents the light of the world. That’s why the churches are symbolized by lamp stands. The church is to be a great lamp stand with Christ at the center and all of us giving light fed by the oil of the Holy Spirit. Eight is the number of new beginning or new birth. I mentioned earlier that there are 7 notes in a musical scale, but the eighth note begins a new scale or new octave. The eighth day is the first day of a new week. We worship on the eighth day. Sunday is not the weekend; it’s the Lord’s Day. We’re not closing the week out; we’re starting a new week in the house of God. A male child was circumcised on the eighth day. There are biological and spiritual reasons for that. Colossians 2:11 says, “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.” This circumcision is a symbol of the new birth we have in Christ. How many people were saved off the ark after the Flood? I Peter 3:20 tells us that there were eight souls saved by water. So when God wants a new beginning, He starts with eight. When a leper was cleansed of leprosy and was getting a new start, he was pronounced clean on the eight day. When did Jesus rise from the dead? He was in the tomb for 3 days, but He arose from the dead on the eighth day…which was the Lord’s Day. That’s why we worship on Sunday. Jesus appeared to His disciples on the eighth day a week later. John 20:26 says, “And after eight days again His disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said Peace be unto you.” In Bible times, letters had numerical significance. Let me spell the name of Jesus in Greek for you. Iota, which has the value of ten. Eta has the value of eight. Sigma has a value of 200. Omicron has a value of 70. Upsilon has a value of 400. And Sigma again has the value of 200. Add it all up and it totals 888. Jesus is the One who says, “I make all things new.” Twelve is God’s governmental number. Three is the divine number and four is the earth number. Three times four equals twelve. That represents God ruling and reigning on the earth. There were 12 apostles and 12 patriarchs. There are 12 thrones in glory. In Matthew 19:28 it says, “And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” When we get to Revelation chapter four, we’ll see a worship scene in Heaven. All the redeemed are going to be there and the number 12 tells us that. Revelation 4:4 says, “And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold.” Why 24? There were 12 patriarchs in the Old Testament and 12 apostles in the New Testament. So this is the redeemed of all the ages sitting around the throne. I’m going to be there, and I hope you are, too. There is the scientific significance of numbers because God is the God of all nature and has built numbers into everything. But there is also the symbolic meaning of numbers and the spiritual message of numbers. If all you do is get a bunch of numbers in your head this morning, you won’t be blessed. So let me tell you this: 1 tells me there is one God. He is Jehovah. 2 tells me that God wants to speak to us. Jesus is the true and faithful Witness. He’s given us the Old and New Testaments and is speaking to us today. 3 tells me that this one God is triune. He’s Father, Son and Spirit. God gave His Son to bleed and die for you on the cross and He gave His blessed Holy Spirit to bear witness to that. 4 tells me that this is my Father’s world. God wants peace on earth and has a plan where the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord Jesus Christ. I can hardly wait. Jesus told us to pray, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” But I also know that earth is a place of testing. You and I are undergoing tests, but we’re only here for a short while. 5 tells me that what God does He does well. He who has begun a good work in you will perform it. God is in complete control of this world. 6 tells me that I’m a sinner. I’m not perfect and God demands perfection. I can’t provide it because Romans 3:23 says, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” 7 tells me that God has provided perfection. That perfection is in Jesus. He’s the One who’s coming and who has already come. With His perfect sacrifice on the cross, He provided me with the perfection I need. 8 tells me I can have a brand new start. 8 tells me that God is the God of new beginnings. He’s the God who makes all things new. 12 tells me that one of these days I’m going to go in through one of those 12 gates to see Jesus ruling and reigning in glory. Folks, the Bible is an incredible Book! God has given us a wonderful message in the Book of Revelation. Do you know Jesus today? Have you repented of your sins and received Him as your personal Savior and Lord? If you were to die today, would you go straight to Heaven? You can if you will surrender your all to Him today.
Posted on: Sun, 25 Aug 2013 18:28:44 +0000