THE NUMBER SEVEN IN REVELATION

"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.  Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks:  the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.  And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate" (Dan. 9:24-27).

The Prophet Daniel wrote that according to the LORD's timetable, He would finish His work on Israel in "seventy weeks" from the time Israel was commanded to rebuild Jerusalem (Dan. 9:24-25).  The prophecy was not referring to literal weeks, but actually was talking about "seventy sevens."  There are two ways we know that He was speaking of seventy periods of seven years:  1) 7 weeks + 62 weeks = 483 years (the exact length of time from the command until Israel's Messiah was crucified; and 2) the last "seven" will be seven years, which will be divided into two halves of 1260 days (Rev. 11:3; 12:6), or 42 months (Rev. 11:2; 13:5), or "a time, times, and half a time" (Dan. 7:25; 12:7; Rev. 12:14).

That, of course, begs the question:  If the 483 years ended the year Jesus was crucified, and the last seven years are yet future, what takes place between the 483rd year, and the 484th year?   The answer is:  The Church Age!  The Church "was born" on the Day of Pentecost ten days after Christ's Ascension (Acts 2:1-47).  When the Lord returns to gather His Church (Jn. 14:1-6; 1 Cor. 15:50-54; 1 Th. 4:13-18), the Church Age will be over, and the "last week" known as "Daniel's Seventieth Week" (Dan. 9:27) will begin.  That seven-year period is also known as "The Tribulation" (Mt. 24:3-29); and "The Time of Jacob's Trouble" (Jer. 30:7).  The Book of Revelation discusses, in detail, the events of Israel's "trouble" (Rev. 6 - 19).  The Church is only mentioned in chapters two and three, which is prior to the Tribulation.  Revelation 4:1 speaks of  the Apostle John being called up into heaven; John ascension is clearly symbolizing the Rapture of the Church!   Thank God!

[Note:  I find it very interesting that the Greek word for seven, ἑπτά (hepta), occurs 87 times in 63 verses in the New Testament; 54 of those occur in 31 verses in the Book of Revelation!]

 

SEVEN TO THE BELIEVER, MEANS IT IS TIME TO REST!