The “Book of Sevens” gives us a synonym for the Book of Revelation. Revelation uses seven fifty four times usually in heptads or groups of seven: seven churches, spirits, stars, lampstands, angels, seals, trumpets, bowls, thunders, kings, seven headed dragon, seven headed beast, the Lamb has seven horns and seven eyes. John lists seven beatitudes. The rest of scripture also uses seven symbolically for perfection, completeness and universality. Barclay says that seven and three mean perfection, “They tended to arrange their material in groups of seven and three; and three groups of seven would stand in the mind of an apocalyptic writer for completeness and for perfection.”[1]
Here are some biblical and popular examples of the use of seven. Wisdom has built her house with “seven pillars” (Proverbs 9:1). Seven deacons were chosen by the apostles to serve as ministers (Acts 6:3). Jesus gives us seven beatitudes in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-9). He told seven parables in Matthew 13. Scripture reports seven sons of Jesse (1 Samuel 16:10) and seven sons of Sceva (Acts 19:14), and seven branched lampstand (Zechariah 4:2). Job had seven sons (Job 42:13). God command Job’s friends to sacrifice seven bullocks and seven rams (Job 42:8). Jacob served Laban seven years for Rachel and Leah each (Genesis 29:14-27). God left a remnant of seven thousand ministers who did not kneel to Baal (1 Kings 19:18; Romans 11:4). Israel will need seven months to bury the dead in its war against Gog (Ezekiel 39:12) and seven years to burn their weapons (Ezekiel 39:9). Balaam built seven alters and offered seven sacrifices (Numbers 23:1, 13, 29). The Sabbath is the seventh day of the week (Exodus 16:30). God rested on the seventh day of creation (Genesis 2:1). A sevenfold fiercer punishment was promised to Israel for their sin (Leviticus 26: 21). Seventy sons of Ahab were killed (2 Kings 10:7). Judah was in captivity for seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11). Nebuchadnezzar was cast out into the fields to live like an animal for seven years (Daniel 4:32). Anna the prophet was married for seven years (Luke 2:36).
Jesus taught to forgive seventy times seven (Matthew 18:22) and commissioned seventy disciples (Luke 10:1). Seven spirits will return to the host after the first one is cast out (Matthew 12:45). Israel marched around Jericho seven times for seven days with seven priests blowing seven horns (Joshua 6:1-5). Daniel predicts seven years of tribulation in his seventieth week prophecy (Daniel 9:27). One stone with seven facets are the eyes of the LORD that range over the whole earth (Zachariah 3:9; 4:10). Seventy elders of Israel went up Mount Sinai with Moses (Exodus 24:9). The disobedient children of Israel will approach their enemies in one direction and flee before them in seven (Deuteronomy 28:25). Pharaoh dreamed of seven fat cows and seven skinny cows interpreted by Joseph as seven prosperous years and seven lean (Genesis 41:1-57). The disobedient will receive a sevenfold judgment (Leviticus 26:18). Japheth had seven sons (Genesis 10:2). Seventy Israelites migrated to Egypt (Genesis 46:27). Christ spoke seven words from the cross.
Pagan religion believed in seven planets, seven days of the week, seven phases of the Moon, lasting seven days. The Canaanites struggled with seven year cycles between Baal and Mot to determine fertility or drought. Dante wrote of seven levels of heaven, purgatory and hell. Some believe in seven dispensations and seven years of tribulation others believe in seven sacraments. The apocryphal Gospel of Peter says the tomb of Christ was sealed with seven seals. According to Jewish lore there are seven holy angels (Tobit 12:15). People used to believe that the world was six thousand years old and that the next 1000 years after AD 2000 would be a global Sabbath rest. Gamblers believe in lucky seven and three sevens. Some accept seven deadly sins. Others see seven church ages in chapters two and three of Revelation. A broken mirror brings seven years of bad luck. Some accept the myth of a seven year itch. A famous TV series in the 1990’s was called 7th Heaven. We refer to the seven seas. History records seven sages of ancient Greece. A Roman will was sealed with seven seals. Seventy elders translated the Septuagint from Hebrew to Greek.
[1] Barclay, The Revelation of John vol.2, 154.