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7 is Significant to God
by Gregory John Monroe Many times I've heard preachers preach about the number 7. Though they were of differing denominations, they all agreed that when cited in the Bible, the number is of divine importance. Oftentimes, to illustrate the number's significance, the preachers mention the first time the number is used. That, of course, is in Genesis 1, which describes the creation week. God created for 6 days, and then rests on the 7th day. There is unanimity among the preachers that God blessed and sanctified the 7th day as a completion of His work (Genesis 2: 1-3). From that, they conclude that the number 7 is symbolic of God's "completion" or "finishing" handiwork. Sometimes, in furthering that point, the story of Naaman is mentioned too. Naaman was commanded to bathe 7 times in the river Jordan to achieve complete cleansing of his leprosy. Wanting to cement within the minds of their listeners the relationship of the number 7 to divinity, many other uses of the number are often pointed out by the preachers. For instance, the 7 lamps on the sanctuary's lampstand (Exodus 25: 37); 7 pairs of each clean animal to go on the ark (Genesis 7: 2); the command for sacrificial animals to be at least 7 days-old (Exodus 22: 30); and the 7's called for in order for Joshua and his people to be victors over Jericho (7 daily marches, 7 marches on the 7th day, and 7 priests blowing 7 trumpets. Joshua 6: 3, 4). Other instances they often refer to are the 7's associated with the book of Revelation: 7 letters to 7 churches (1: 4); 7 golden lampstands (1: 12); 7 seals (5: 1); 7 angels with 7 trumpets (8: 2); 7 bowls of wrath (16: 1); etc. In all these cases wherein 7's are used (there are over seven hundred others; not including numbers where multiples of 7's are used), the emphasis preached is that the number 7 is of holy significance to God; that it is viewed and assigned by God as a perfect completion or finishing. Yet, after making this case for the number 7 with their lips; in their hearts, the preachers forget or ignore what they've just said. Mindlessly, they turn right around and say that the 7th day Sabbath is of no consequence for Christians. In their minds, infused with man-made tradition, the 1st day of the week takes precedence over the 7th day as the Sabbath. They claim that the 7th day was instituted and set apart solely for the physical nation of Israel. Never mind that Israel didn't exist at the Sabbath's institution. By ignoring that and the fact that Jesus said the Sabbath was made for mankind (Mark 2: 27), they unintentionally defeat their own case, correctly made, for the heavenly significance of the number 7. Following their logic, God rightly applies the divine number 7 to all else that's ordained perfect in His eyes, but has made a misstep when applying it to the 7th day Sabbath as the day to keep holy. Many will be shocked by Gregory's book, The Three Angels' Message. It ID's Antichrist and the "mark of the beast," and the role both are playing today in the end-time issue of worship. The book's biblical & historical proof can't be denied. Get more info now at http://www.tinyurl.com/6pk3pyq Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |