Apocalypse Explained # 257
257. Since in this prophetical book numbers are often mentioned, and no one can know the spiritual sense of the things contained therein unless it is known what the particular numbers signify (for all numbers in the Word, like all names, signify spiritual things), and since the number "seven" is often mentioned among others, I will here show that "seven" signifies all persons and all things, likewise fullness and totality; for that which signifies all persons and all things signifies also fullness and totality, for fullness and totality are predicated of the magnitude of a thing, and all persons and all things are predicated of multitude. That "seven" has such a signification can be seen from the following passages. In Ezekiel:
They that dwell in the cities of Israel shall set fire to and burn the arms, and the shield, and the buckler, with the bow and with the arrows, and the hand-staff, and the spear; and they shall make a fire with them seven years. And they shall bury Gog and all his multitude, and they shall cleanse the earth seven months (Ezekiel 39:9, 11-12).
Here the desolation of all things in the church is treated of: "those that dwell in the cities of Israel" signify all goods of truth; "to set fire" signifies to consume by evils. "The arms, the shield, the buckler, the bow, the arrows, the hand-staff, the spear," are all things pertaining to doctrine; "to make a fire with them seven years" means to consume them all and fully by evils. "Gog" signifies those who are in external worship and in no internal worship; "to bury them and cleanse the earth" means to destroy all such, and completely purge the church of them.
[2] In Jeremiah:
The widows shall be multiplied more than the sand of the seas, and I will bring to them upon the mother of the youths the waster at noonday. She that hath borne seven shall languish, she shall breathe out her soul (Jeremiah 15:8-9).
"The widows," that shall be multiplied, signify those who are in good and who long for truths, and in a contrary sense, as here, those who are in evil and desire falsities; "the mother of the youths" signifies the church; "the waster at noonday" signifies the vastation of that church, however much it may be in truths from the Word; "she that hath borne seven shall languish, she shall breathe out her soul," signifies that the church, to which all truths were given because the Word was given to it, is to perish; for "she that hath borne seven" signifies to whom all truths were given. This was particularly said of the Jews.
[3] Likewise in the first book of Samuel:
They that were hungry have ceased; the barren hath borne seven, and she that hath many children hath failed (1 Samuel 2:5).
"They that were hungry," who have ceased, are those who long for the truths and goods of the church; "the barren bearing seven" signifies those who are outside of the church, and are ignorant of truths, because they have not the Word, thus the Gentiles, to whom all things will be given; "she that hath many children failing" signifies those who have, from whom will be taken away. In David:
Render unto our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom (Psalms 79:12).
And in Moses:
That the Jews should be punished seven times for their sins (Leviticus 26:18, 21, 24, 28);
"seven times" here signifying fully.
[4] In Luke:
If thy brother sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times in the day turn again to thee, saying, I repent, thou shalt forgive him (Luke 17:4).
"To forgive seven times, if he should turn again seven times," means to forgive as often as he turns, thus every time. But lest it should be understood to mean seven times, the Lord explained his meaning to Peter, who supposed seven times to be meant, in Matthew:
Peter said, Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Until seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times, but until seventy times seven (Matthew 18:21-22).
"Seventy times seven" means always, without counting.
In David:
Seven times a day do I praise thee for the judgments of righteousness (Psalms 119:164).
"Seven times a day" means always, or at all times.
[5] In the same:
The sayings of Jehovah are pure sayings, as silver refined in a crucible purified seven times (Psalms 12:6).
"Silver" signifies truth from the Divine; "purified seven times" means wholly and fully pure.
[6] in Isaiah:
The light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days (Isaiah 30:26).
"The light of the sun" signifies Divine truth from Divine good; that "this light shall be sevenfold, as the light of seven days," signifies that Divine truth in heaven shall be without any falsity, thus altogether and fully pure.
[7] In Matthew:
The unclean spirit shall take seven other spirits more evil than himself, and shall dwell there (Matthew 12:45; Luke 11:26).
Here profanation is treated of, and "the seven unclean spirits" with which the unclean spirit would return, signify all the falsities of evil, thus a complete destruction of good and truth.
[8] The "seven times" that were to pass over the king of Babylon have a like meaning, in Daniel:
His heart shall be changed from man, and a beast's heart shall be given unto him, while seven times shall pass over him (Daniel 4:16, 25, 32).
"The king of Babylon" signifies those who profane the goods and truths of the Word; that "his heart should be changed from man, and a beast's heart be given him," means that nothing spiritual, which is the truly human, should remain, but instead there should be the diabolical; "the seven times which were to pass over him" signify profanation, which is the complete destruction of truth and good.
[9] Because "seven" and "seven times" signified all things and fullness, the following commands were given:
Seven days the hands [of Aaron and his sons] should be filled (Exodus 29:35).
Seven days [the altar] should be sanctified (Exodus 29:37).
Seven days Aaron should be clothed with the garments when he was to be initiated (Exodus 29:30).
For seven days Aaron and his sons were not to go out of the tabernacle when they were to initiated into the priesthood (Leviticus 8:33, 34).
Seven times was the altar to be sprinkled for expiation upon its horns (Leviticus 16:18, 19).
Seven times was the altar to be sanctified with oil (Leviticus 8:11).
Seven times was the blood to be sprinkled towards the veil (Leviticus 4:16, 17).
Seven times was the blood to be sprinkled with the fingers eastward, when Aaron went towards the mercy-seat (Leviticus 16:12-15).
Seven times was the water of separation to be sprinkled towards the tent (Numbers 19:4).
Seven times the blood was to be sprinkled in the cleansing of leprosy (Leviticus 14:7, 8, 27, 38, 51).
The lampstand was to have seven lamps (Exodus 25:32, 37; 37:18-25).
For seven days were the feasts to be kept (Exodus 34:18, Leviticus 23:4-9, 39-44; Deuteronomy 16:3, 4, 8).
For the seven days of the feast there was to be a burnt-offering of seven bullocks, and seven rams daily (Ezekiel 45:23).
Balaam built seven altars, and sacrificed seven oxen and seven rams (Numbers 23:1-7, 15-18, 29, 30).
They numbered seven weeks of years, seven times seven years, and then they were to cause the trumpet of the jubilee to be sounded in the seventh month (Leviticus 25:8, 9).
From the signification of the number "seven" it can be seen what is signified:
By the seven days of creation (Genesis 1);
Also by the fact that four thousand men were satisfied by seven loaves and that seven basketful remained (Matthew 15:34-38; Mark 8:5-9).
From this then it is evident what is signified in Revelation:
By the seven churches (Revelation 1:4, 11);
By the seven golden lampstands, in the midst of which was the Son of man (Revelation 1:13);
By the seven stars in His right hand (Revelation 1:16, 20);
By the seven spirits of God (Revelation 3:1);
By the seven lamps of fire before the throne (Revelation 4:5);
By the book sealed with seven seals (Revelation 5:1);
By the seven angels to whom were given seven trumpets (Revelation 8:2);
By the seven thunders which uttered their voices (Revelation 10:3, 4);
By the seven angels having the seven last plagues (Revelation 16:1, 6);
And by the seven vials full of the seven last plagues (Revelation 16:1; 21:9);
and elsewhere in the Word, where "seven" is mentioned.
1 Samuel 2
1
Hannah prayed, and said: "My heart exults in Yahweh! My horn is exalted in Yahweh. My mouth is enlarged over my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.
2
There is no one as holy as Yahweh, For there is no one besides you, nor is there any rock like our God.
3
"Talk no more so exceeding proudly. Don't let arrogance come out of your mouth, For Yahweh is a God of knowledge. By him actions are weighed.
4
"The bows of the mighty men are broken. Those who stumbled are armed with strength.
5
Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread. Those who were hungry have ceased [to hunger]. Yes, the barren has borne seven. She who has many children languishes.
6
"Yahweh kills, and makes alive. He brings down to Sheol, and brings up.
7
Yahweh makes poor, and makes rich. He brings low, he also lifts up.
8
He raises up the poor out of the dust. He lifts up the needy from the dunghill, To make them sit with princes, and inherit the throne of glory. For the pillars of the earth are Yahweh's. He has set the world on them.
9
He will keep the feet of his holy ones, but the wicked shall be put to silence in darkness; for no man shall prevail by strength.
10
Those who strive with Yahweh shall be broken to pieces. He will thunder against them in the sky. "Yahweh will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed."
11
Elkanah went to Ramah to his house. The child did minister to Yahweh before Eli the priest.
12
Now the sons of Eli were base men; they didn't know Yahweh.
13
The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest's servant came, while the flesh was boiling, with a fork of three teeth in his hand;
14
and he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fork brought up the priest took therewith. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.
15
Yes, before they burnt the fat, the priest's servant came, and said to the man who sacrificed, "Give meat to roast for the priest; for he will not accept boiled meat from you, but raw."
16
If the man said to him, "Let the fat be burned first, and then take as much as your soul desires;" then he would say, "No, but you shall give it to me now; and if not, I will take it by force."
17
The sin of the young men was very great before Yahweh; for the men despised the offering of Yahweh.
18
But Samuel ministered before Yahweh, being a child, clothed with a linen ephod.
19
Moreover his mother made him a little robe, and brought it to him from year to year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice.
20
Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, "Yahweh give you seed of this woman for the petition which was asked of Yahweh." They went to their own home.
21
Yahweh visited Hannah, and she conceived, and bore three sons and two daughters. The child Samuel grew before Yahweh.
22
Now Eli was very old; and he heard all that his sons did to all Israel, and how that they lay with the women who served at the door of the Tent of Meeting.
23
He said to them, "Why do you do such things? for I hear of your evil dealings from all this people.
24
No, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: you make Yahweh's people disobey.
25
If one man sin against another, God shall judge him; but if a man sin against Yahweh, who shall entreat for him?" Notwithstanding, they didn't listen to the voice of their father, because Yahweh was minded to kill them.
26
The child Samuel grew on, and increased in favor both with Yahweh, and also with men.
27
A man of God came to Eli, and said to him, "Thus says Yahweh, 'Did I reveal myself to the house of your father, when they were in Egypt [in bondage] to Pharaoh's house?
28
Did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? Did I give to the house of your father all the offerings of the children of Israel made by fire?
29
Why do you kick at my sacrifice and at my offering, which I have commanded in [my] habitation, and honor your sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the best of all the offerings of Israel my people?'
30
"Therefore Yahweh, the God of Israel, says, 'I said indeed that your house, and the house of your father, should walk before me forever.' But now Yahweh says, 'Be it far from me; for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
31
Behold, the days come, that I will cut off your arm, and the arm of your father's house, that there shall not be an old man in your house.
32
You shall see the affliction of [my] habitation, in all the wealth which [God] shall give Israel; and there shall not be an old man in your house forever.
33
The man of yours, [whom] I shall not cut off from my altar, [shall be] to consume your eyes, and to grieve your heart; and all the increase of your house shall die in the flower of their age.
34
"'This shall be the sign to you, that shall come on your two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall both die.
35
I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in my heart and in my mind. I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before my anointed forever.
36
It shall happen, that everyone who is left in your house shall come and bow down to him for a piece of silver and a loaf of bread, and shall say, "Please put me into one of the priests' offices, that I may eat a morsel of bread."'"
