“ And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.” — Revelation 4:5
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Read the Bible for any length of time, and the number 7 will pop out at you… 463 times across 391 verses, and we have picked one of those for this weeks text.
7 days of Creation ( the day “off”… COUNTS!! ) has been immortalized in the modern work week. The 7 colors of the rainbow ( Noah saw it first ) have been appropriated by many logos and movements ( Apple to Pride ).
There are many many 7s in the book of Revelation …. it is literally structured around them ( check our Photos section for a graphical overview of the book that shows it, but please remember that —our pov— on what the chapters predict is different from the mainstream interpretation in the graphic).
And there are 7 notes per octave as a general rule in musical systems. There can be less or more, but humans seem to agree on two things…
1. We ( our ears/brain ) perceive sounds of frequencies that are integer multiples eg ( 2x, 4x, 3x, 7x ….. not 2.2x, or 4.3x ) as being —-similar—-. As we increase the frequency ( or pitch ) of a sound from x to 2x, when we reach 2x, it feels like we are starting again, just higher. This is the Octave concept.
2. We ( our ears/brain ) hear differences between two notes ( or intervals ) in the same way. In our journey from x to 2x up the octave, there are 6 ( or 12 … based on how you divide the octave ) stopping points that have very definite relationships to the root frequency or fundamental.
That is what a piano keyboard visually represents. A concert instrument will have 11-12 octaves (88 or 96 keys ) which are subdivided into the common stopping points …. the repeating pattern of black and white keys we are all familiar with.
From these beginnings we have pentatonic ( 5 note ) scales, major, minor, augmented, wholetone, diminished scales, modes, extended chords, alternate inversions, jazz, rock, blues, folk….
Isn’t it marvelous??
7 colors of light, 7 colors of sound and so much beauty from their shades and interplay!!!
There is something deeper here than just a science or music theory lesson!
We are getting to know the LORD a little more from all these numerological clues being dropped all over the Word, and embedded in the very fabric of space-time and our perception.
We have 10 fingers and toes, and so our natural system of counting moves in 10s ( feels the most natural ). There is something that is INTRINSIC to who the LORD IS, that is similarly bound up with the number 7.
Look at this…
“And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.” - Rev 5:6
… and compare it with our text this week. In the text, we see 7 lamps before the THRONE, and here, the LAMB has 7 horns AND 7 eyes which are… drum roll please…. the seven Spirits of God again!
We can begin to see how the 3 Persons of the Trinity share a seven fold characteristic!!!
Heaven might work on a base 7 as opposed to base 10 ,mathematical system !!! ?
The Spirit is sevenfold as we have shown here, and as spoken by the prophet Isaiah…
“And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;”… - Isaiah 11:2
Count them, (1) Spirit of the Lord (2) wisdom (3) understanding (4) counsel (5) might, (6) knowledge (7) fear of the Lord.
That is a COMPLETE PACKAGE for the perfect Man …. wouldn’t that be wonderful if that was what people saw in Christians … instead of hate, bigotry, prejudice and hypocrisy!!!
From implicit beginnings in Genesis ( 7 days of creation ) , 7s in the Bible underpin and embrace everything to do with God and Man.
Physically — Our perceptions of light and sound are broadly grouped into 7 colors and 7 notes.
Spiritually — We are shown concepts ( the Isaiah text ) - that structure our SPIRITUAL man, and also reveal the Holy Spirit to Us.
Chronologically— Humanity’s days and the endgame are marked by 7 Ages ( see Daniel, & our Plan of God post ), with a further breakdown of the Last days into 7 seals, trumpets (!) , and bowls in the book of Revelation.
Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends… even though our God is one who hides Himself, He is ever present at all times for those that seek to know Him, and know to seek Him … in science, the arts, history, geology, math, or …. music!!!
We are made in His image… think about that, as you piece these clues together!!!
Hallelujah!!!