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The Spiritual Significance of Numbers – The Number Seven

Completion Especially of Judgment

[Study Aired January 25, 2026]

Seven days are required to complete the weekly cycle.

If the number six signifies an unpurified and incomplete creature, then the number seven signifies a creature which is being purified by the fiery Word of God and is being completed by entering into the same rest Christ has entered. That explains why we are told in Genesis 2 the Lord will end the work He is making on “the seventh day.”

Gen 2:2  And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

Genesis 2:2 informs us that it takes “the seventh day [for God to] end His work…” The physical realm is just a temporary, yet essential predecessor to the spiritual realm. Here are two verses which make this Truth clear to us:

1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.

2Co 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

The holy spirit confirms this doctrine in the book of Hebrews:

Heb 4:1  Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

What does “enter into His rest” mean? Does it mean to keep and observe the seventh day sabbath? That was certainly all it meant under the law of Moses. What does “the seventh day” signify under ‘the law of Christ’ (Gal 6:2)? Does refraining from labor for 24 hours on the seventh day of the week complete and purify a man? Of course not! Refraining from labor on the sabbath does not change any man’s heart. This is the spiritual meaning of “entering into His rest”:

Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Keeping an outward sabbath, or any “day, month, time or year” (Gal 4:9-10), is “mine own righteousness, which is of the law [of Moses]” (Php 3:9). ‘Ceasing from our own works’, our own “righteousness which is according to the law” is “the righteousness which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” (Php 3:9).

Gal 4:9  But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?  [What are these “weak and beggarly elements” which keep us from “being known of God? Here they are:]
Gal 4:10  Ye observe days, and months, and times, and years.
Gal 4:11  I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain.

The “labor” of entering into the Lord’s rest is a matter of “ceasing from our own works” and “laboring” to do the works of Christ. Our works are very much connected to our reward.

Rev 14:13  And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.

Works do not save us, but Christ repeatedly made it clear that our works are connected to our reward.

Mat 5:11  Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Mat 5:12  Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.

When we perform good works in secret, seeking no recognition from men, the Lord promises to reward us openly:

Mat 6:1  Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
Mat 6:2  Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Mat 6:3  But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
Mat 6:4  That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

A spirit which does what it does simply to please God is that spirit which is “entering into the Lord’s rest” because such a spirit realizes the truth of these words:

Php 2:12  Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
Php 2:13  For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Our ‘work’, our ‘fear and [our] trembling”… what we ‘will to do’, and what we ‘do’ are all “Christ working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure.”

It is of utmost importance that we understand that the verbs of Genesis 1:27 are in the qal stem signifying the incomplete nature of what the Lord is in the process of doing to complete His creation and create a “new man.”

Here again is that verse:

Gen 1:27  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

All three times the verb ‘created’ appears in this verse it is in the qal stem. This is what we are told of this ‘qal stem’:

“The Qal stem in Biblical Hebrew is not inherently past, present, or future.  Instead, it expresses aspect—specifically, whether an action is complete (perfect) or incomplete (imperfect)—rather than tense.

“The Qal Perfect form indicates a completed action and is typically translated as past tense (e.g., “he created”), but can also refer to present or future completion depending on context. 

“The Qal Imperfect form indicates an incomplete or ongoing action and is often translated as future tense (e.g., “he will write”), but can also express present habitual actions, future intentions, or modal meanings (e.g., “should,” “can”) based on context.

“Thus, the Qal stem’s meaning depends on aspect and context, not a fixed time frame.” (End Quote)

I then inquired if Biblical Hebrew has past, present and future tenses, and this was the answer I was given:

“Biblical Hebrew does not have past, present, and future tenses in the same way that English does. Instead, it operates on an aspect-based system, distinguishing between completed actions (Perfect) and incomplete or ongoing actions (Imperfect), rather than strict chronological time.

“Perfect (Qatal): Typically translated as past tense, but can also express present or future actions when the event is certain or prophetic (known as the prophetic perfect). For example, a future event described as already completed from God’s perspective.

“Imperfect (Yiqtol): Often translated as future tense, but can also indicate present habitual actions, ongoing actions, or modal expressions (e.g., possibility, obligation).

“Participles: Used to express present continuous or habitual actions (e.g., “writing,” “killing”), functioning similarly to the English present tense.

“This aspectual system means that temporal meaning is derived from context, not from the verb form alone.  As such, the same verb form can be translated as past, present, or future depending on the situation. This is why scholars emphasize that Biblical Hebrew verbs are better understood in terms of action completion rather than fixed time markers.

“Bottom line: While Biblical Hebrew can be translated using past, present, and future tenses, it does not grammatically encode time in the same way. Its core system is based on aspect—whether an action is completed or not—making it fundamentally different from Indo-European languages like English.” (End Quote)

Knowing what we have just read, and knowing that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1Co 15:50), and knowing that “we were called in Christ before the world began” (2Ti 1:9, Tit 1:2), we now know beyond any doubt that the first man Adam was never intended to be the completion of the Lord’s creation:

1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

2Ti 1:9  Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

Tit 1:2  In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;

If indeed “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God”, and if indeed “our calling… was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began”, then it does not take a rocket scientist to understand that “the first man Adam” the vessel of clay which was “marred in the Potter’s hand” (Jer 18:4) was never intended to be the finished product as Babylon teaches the first man Adam was. Indeed, the present incomplete status of mankind is exactly what we are told was the purpose of God for this present evil age all along:

Ecc 3:18  I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.
Ecc 3:19  For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.
Ecc 3:20  All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

Jer 18:4  And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it [qal stem, ‘is making it’] again another vessel [“the new man”], as seemed good to the potter to make it.

1Co 15:44  It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.
1Co 15:45  And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
1Co 15:46  Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
1Co 15:47  The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.
1Co 15:48  As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.
1Co 15:49  And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.
1Co 15:50  Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.
1Co 15:51  Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
1Co 15:52  In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
1Co 15:53  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
1Co 15:54  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.
1Co 15:55  O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?

2Co 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Eph 4:24  And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Both verbs in Ephesians 4:24, ‘put on’ and ‘is created’ are in the aorist tense which functions in the same way as the Hebrew ‘qal stem’ which we just discussed.

The only thing that was ever intended to be in the image of God was ‘the new man which is in Christ’:

Col 3:9  Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man [‘the first Adam’] with his deeds;
Col 3:10  And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

Death and the grave are associated with the corruptible, incomplete vessel of clay which is “marred in the hand of the Potter” and which the Potter is in the process of “making it again as it seemed good to the Potter to make it.” When He is finished with making mankind in the form He has intended to make it “from the beginning of the world” it will require that all men of all time must enter into His rest. The way we enter into His rest is by ceasing from our own works on “the seventh day”, as the apostle Paul reveals in the book of Hebrews:

Heb 4:4 For he spake in a certain place of the seventh [day] on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
Heb 4:5 And in this [place] again, If they shall enter into my rest.
Heb 4:6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief:
Heb 4:7  Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Heb 4:8  For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day.
Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest [“from (our) own works”, (Heb 4:10)] to the people of God.
Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that [spiritual] rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

2) The completion of the first Adam

Lamech’s generation is the completion of mankind before the flood. Lamech was Noah’s father. Lamech’s generation, in type, completed the rule of rebellious mankind. This fact is signified by Lamech’s age, 777. Three sevens signify the process of judging incomplete mankind.

(3) The completion of the rulership of incomplete mankind and the judgment of incomplete mankind in the flood is signified by Lamech’s age at the time of his death:

Gen 5:28 And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:
Gen 5:29 And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.
Gen 5:30 And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:
Gen 5:31 And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.

The seventh from Adam was used by God to prophesy of the completion of the rule of the first Adam:

Jud 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,

3) The judgment of all of mankind

The judgment of Jericho typifies the judgment of all mankind. Here is how that judgment was announced.

Jos 6:4 And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams’ horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

Jos 6:6 And Joshua the son of Nun called the priests, and said unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let seven priests bear seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD.

Jos 6:8 And it came to pass, when Joshua had spoken unto the people, that the seven priests bearing the seven trumpets of rams’ horns passed on before the LORD, and blew with the trumpets: and the ark of the covenant of the LORD followed them.

Jos 6:13 And seven priests bearing seven trumpets of rams’ horns before the ark of the LORD went on continually, and blew with the trumpets: and the armed men went before them; but the rereward came after the ark of the LORD, the priests going on, and blowing with the trumpets.

Seven priests with seven trumpets? Does this sound familiar? These same “seven trumpets” are mentioned in the New Testament:

Heb 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.

Rev 8:2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.

Rev 8:6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

Who are these angels?

Rev 19:10 And I fell at his [the angels] feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See [thou do it] not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Rev 22:8 And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
Rev 22:9 Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

Rev 1:3 Blessed [is] he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.

Rev 1:6 And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him [be] glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

Rev 5:10 And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.

The above verses are written to those who ‘have eyes to see and to read, and are given ears to hear (they that hear the words of this prophecy)’ what God is saying to them.

It is crucial to understand that the Greek word translated as ‘keep’ in Revelation 1:3 is G5083, ‘tereo’, and this is what it means:

G5083

τηρέω
tēreō
tay-reh’-o

From τηρός teros (a watch; perhaps akin to G2334); to guard (from loss or injury, properly by keeping the eye upon; and thus differing from G5442, which is properly to prevent escaping; and from G2892, which implies a fortress or full military lines of apparatus), that is, to note (a prophecy; figuratively to fulfil a command); by implication to detain (in custody; figuratively to maintain); by extension to withhold (for personal ends; figuratively to keep unmarried): – hold fast, keep (-er), (ob-, pre-, re) serve, watch.

Total KJV occurrences: 75

4) Complete Corruption of Mankind

The adversary is tasked with the complete corruption of the Lord’s creatures, and that corruption is described as seven times “more wicked than” he was to begin with:

Mat 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
Mat 12:44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth [it] empty, swept, and garnished.
Mat 12:45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

The beast which signifies all of mankind is described in type as having “seven heads”:

Rev 13:1 And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.

Here is why  this “beast… [has]seven heads”:

Rev 12:3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.

The ‘father’ of the beast with seven heads is this ‘great red dragon’ the devil:

Good or evil, the principle by which we understand the invisible realm is the same:

Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

5) Complete Judgment of God’s Elect and of the Church Requires Three Sevens

Rev 1:4 John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

Heb 11:30 By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.

Rev 1:20 The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

What is the message to the church through the seven angels? That message is given in three stages, signifying the fact that the whole book of Revelation is revealing the process of our judgment. The first stage is:

1) Seven seals

Rev 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
Rev 5:2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
Rev 5:3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
Rev 5:4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
Rev 5:5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

Seven seals reveals this book is completely sealed away from the understanding of the natural man. The second stage of our judgment is the seventh seal which consists of:

2) seven trumpets:

Rev 8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
Rev 8:2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
Rev 8:3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer [it] with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
Rev 8:4 And the smoke of the incense, [which came] with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand.
Rev 8:5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast [it] into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
Rev 8:6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.

The seventh trumpet is:

3) Seven angels with seven vials to be fulfilled in the lives of all who are given to stand on the sea of glass:

Rev 15:1 And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvellous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God.

Rev 15:6 And the seven angels came out of the temple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles.

Who is it who opens the eyes and ears of God’s elect?

Rev 21:9 And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife.

It is “one of the angels which had the seven last plagues which shows us our judgment. Here is who that angel signifies:

Rev 19:10  And I fell at his feet to worship him [“The angel which showed me these things”, (Rev 22:8-9)]. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.

Rev 22:8  And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.
Rev 22:9  Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

These ‘seven angels’ are each of us as we give to each other “that which every joint supplies” (Eph 4:15-16) and as we ‘fill up in our bodies that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ for His body’s sake, which is the church’ (Col 1:24).

“The testimony of Jesus Christ which is the spirit of prophecy is how we nurture and feed each other, and that spiritual nourishment is signified by the number seven:

6)  Complete Nourishment is signified by the number seven:

Bread is a type of God’s Word:

Mat 15:34 And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.
Mat 15:36 And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude [This is the channel of God’s Truth].

7) God’s Truth is complete, and it is inexhaustible:

Mat 15:37 And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.

Mar 8:20 And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.

8) Our Forgiveness Must Be Complete or the Lord will judge us as we judge others:

Mat 18:21 Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Mat 18:22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. [Complete and total forgiveness knowing that even the offences are “of the Lord”, (Pro 16:1, 16:4)]
Mat 18:23 Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
Mat 18:24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
Mat 18:25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
Mat 18:26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Mat 18:27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
Mat 18:28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took [ him] by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
Mat 18:29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Mat 18:30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
Mat 18:31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
Mat 18:32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
Mat 18:33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
Mat 18:34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
Mat 18:35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. [“Forgive… seventy times seven”, vs 22]

“The sum of Thy Word” adds “if he repent”, as both of these servants did at first:

Luk 17:3  Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.
Luk 17:4  And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.

We must never let anyone lead us to believe that God’s grace and His forgiveness comes without repentance and “fruit meet for repentance”. It most assuredly does not.

Mat 3:8  Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: