Revelation, Lesson 2: Numbers and Symbols

The Poetic Structure and Numbers of Revelation

Poetic Forms that Convey Meaning

Because the book of Revelation is largely written using Hebraic poetic forms, we can’t fully understand Revelation unless we recognize and understand those poetic forms.  Since thinking in such poetic forms is not part of our North-American cultural literacy, we have to gain some understanding of these poetic forms before we can begin to understand the book of Revelation properly.  And so we have this second lesson to help prepare us before we begin reading the text of Revelation itself.

At least a third of Scripture is comprised of poetry or has underlying poetic thought forms.  Even the New Testament and Apocrypha, although written in Greek, has poetry based on Hebrew structure.  This is even true for the New Testament books that St. Luke, a Gentle, has written.

There are two reasons why almost all biblical poetry is based on Hebraic, poetic forms.

1. Most of the poetry in the New Testament is taken from the Old Testament.

2. Although the New Testament is written in Greek, the authors still thought in terms of Hebraic poetry.  After all, the authors were Jewish, or were Gentiles whom the Old Testament had greatly influenced.

Hebrew poetic style revolves around parallelism.  This means a line of poetry stands in some relationship to one, two, or three other lines.

 

Synonymous: Denoted by A-A.  This means that a second line repeats the thought of first, but using different words.

A: Prepare the way for the Lord;

A: make His paths straight. (Mt 3:3)

 

Antithetical: Denoted by A-B.  This means that the second line says the opposite of the first.

A: We played the flute for you,

   B: but you did not dance;

A: we sang a dirge,

   B: but you did not weep. (Lk 7:32)

Constructive: Denoted by A-B or A-B-C.  This poetic form builds on, and further develops, the idea first mentioned in the first line.

A: Awake, O sleeper,

   B: rise up from the dead,

      C: and the Messiah will shine on you! (Eph 5:14)

 

Stairlike: Denoted by A-B-C-D, etc.  This form continues to add to what was earlier mentioned.  It is similar to the constructive form, but does not build on the first thought like the constructive poetic form does.

The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because

   A: he anointed me

      B: to proclaim the Gospel to the poor.

   A: He sent me

      B: to proclaim freedom for the prisoners,

         C: recovery of sight to the blind,

            D: to set the oppressed free,

               E: and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. (Lk 4:18-19)

The above example has a stairlike form within a synonymous structure.

 

Chiastic: Denoted by A-B-B-A, A-B-C-C-B-A, etc.  This form presents the same idea in the first and last lines, and the lines in between (A = A, B = B, C =C, etc).

A: For this people’s heart has become calloused,

   B: their ears are hard of hearing,

      C: and they have shut their eyes.  Otherwise,

      C: they might see with their eyes,

   B: hear with their ears,

A: and understand with their hearts … (Mt 13:15)

The above example is not only a chiasm, but also has an antithetical poetic form.

 

The Use of Kai in Revelation

Kai is the Greek word for “and,” although it can also be translated as “but, even, both, also, yet, indeed.”  Revelation repeatedly uses kai, so the reader or hearer can recognize the poetic forms within the book.  Unfortunately, our English translations usually omit most of the “ands” because we consider them unnecessary.  In English, “ands” do not serve a same poetic function.

Because the kais are missing from virtually every translation of Revelation, for our study we will use a translation that keeps every kai in the original text intact.  This will help us recognize the different poetic forms and so understand Revelation in a fuller way.

 

The Symbolical Meaning of Number Groups

Revelation is especially dense in using numerical repetition to convey meaning, where we find the same subject material or thoughts repeatedly mentioned.  When this happens, it is not only the words that convey meanings but also the number of times that thought is repeated.  The reader or hearer is to “catch” the number of repetitions and from that take in what that repetition of sequences mean.  This use of repetition is also part of the transfer of meaning.

What John is doing in Revelation is nothing new.  We also see such number groupings throughout Scripture.  What is new is the extent of number groupings and biblical poetry, where in Revelation, these poetic and symbolic ways of conveying information reach a crescendo.  John is not only stretching us to be faithful and proper readers of Revelation, he was also doing so to its first hearers and readers.

So, can someone study Revelation without looking at its poetry and numerical word patterns?  Yes.  But a better question is this: “Should someone study Revelation without trying to understand its poetry and numerical patterns?”  The answer to that is, “No.”

Revelation 1:1 starts out by saying that it is a book that came to John by way of symbols, which Jesus “sent and signified.”  So to understand Revelation, we must understand its symbology, as the first verse of Revelation tells us.

2-part structures: Scripture has more two-part phrases than any other pattern in the Bible.  Because it is so plentiful, it is hard to establish and fix a meaning conveyed specifically in a two-part pattern.  Because of this difficulty, we will not spend time focusing on this pattern.

3-part structures: When it comes of numerical patterns, the primary symbol for God is three.  Even when the Persons of God are not explicitly mentioned, the entire Scriptures are replete with three-part patterns that refer to God.  Yet, just to use some very specific examples, we can find God in His differing Persons mentioned 40 times!  These are:

• Genesis 1:1-3, 48:15-16;
• 2 Samuel 22:2-3;
• 2 Chronicles 24:20,
• Psalm 33:5-7;
• Isaiah 42:1, 48:16, 61:1;
• Hosea 3:5;
• Matthew 3:16-17, 12:28, 28:19;
• Mark 12:36;
• Luke 1:35, 3:22, 10:21;
• John 3:5, 3:34, 14:16, 14:26, 15:26;
• Acts 2:33, 7:55, 10:38;
• Romans 15:16, 15:30;
• 1 Corinthians 12:3;
• 2 Corinthians 13:14;
• Galatians 4:6;
• Ephesians 2:18, 4:4-6;
• Hebrews 2:3-4, 9:14;
• 1 Peter 1:2, 3:18, 4:14;
• 1 John 4:2;
• Revelation 1:4-5, 2:7, 19:10.

• Example: East, North, South, West (not necessarily in that order): Genesis 28:14; Numbers 35:5; 1 Kings 7:25; 1 Chronicles 9:24; 2 Chronicles 4:4; 2 Chronicles 4:4; Psalm, 107:3; Ezekiel 48:10, 16, 17; Zechariah 14:4; Luke 13:29; Revelation 21:13.

• All creation: Exodus 20:11; Deuteronomy 10:14; Psalm 96:11, 135:6, 146:6; Haggai 2:6; Acts 4:24, 14:15; Colossians 1:16; Revelation 5:13, 12:12, 14:7.

5-part structures: Refers to the entirety of human emotions or human experiences, including the five senses.

• Joel 1:10: The field is ruined, the land mourns, for the grain is ruined, the new wine dries up, fresh oil fails.
• 1 Corinthians 4:11: Even to this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and homeless.
• Revelation 2:19: I know your works, and your love and faith and service and perseverance.

6-part structures: References creation.  A six-part pattern does not refer to a created object or creature (that is 4).  Instead, six symbolizes the process behind such creating.  That means six is also about work, whether good or evil.  For example, the Devil’s authorship of sin imitates God’s creation of the world to undo and destroy God’s good work.  And so, when we see a list of six in Revelation 9:20, it shows through its numerical pattern people being enslaved by sin.

• “Repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils and idols of gold, and silver and brass and stone and of wood.”

In 1 Timothy 6:11, we see a pattern of six, but with God behind these works:

• “follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.”

7-part structures: Four refers to man (God’s capstone of creation) and three for God.  When four and three meet, we have seven and judgment.  God’s judgment may be a blessing or it may be a curse, but the judgment will accomplish God’s will.  We see this in the beginning when three (God) met man (4) and we see God’s judgment on His new creation (Genesis 1:28):

• And God blesses them and God said to them, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

• In John 16:16-19, we see Jesus use a pattern of seven to point forward to His judgment by His term, “A little while,” which He repeats seven times.

Revelation, more than any other book, is about divine judgment.  The number seven occurs in Revelation more than any other number.  Pointing to God’s judgment on “great Babylon,” we read in Revelation 18:2-3:

• “Fallen, fallen is great Babylon, and is become the habitation of devils, and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean bird, and a prison of every unclean and hated beast.  For all the nations have drunk the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth were made rich by the power of her luxuries.”

10-part structures: This is the biblical symbol for totality, completion, or the full scope of something.  The most obvious example in the Bible are the ten plagues of Egypt and the Ten Commandments.

In Revelation 2:2-3, Jesus uses a 10-part pattern to speak to the Church of Ephesus.  This was so they would know that Jesus understood, in its totality, how they were contending for the faith.  This was to inform His following chastisement of them (Nevertheless I have this against you …):

• “I know your works, and your labor, and your patience, and how you cannot bear evil men: and you have tried them who say they are apostles, and are not, and have found them liars: And have borne, and have patience, and for My name’s sake have labored.”

12-Part structures: Twelve is the number for the Church.  We find 12 tribes ofIsrael and 12 disciples/Apostles.

Numbers Greater than 12:  The Bible’s use of symbolic numbers greater than 12 is a combination of 2 or more symbolic numbers.  Numbers such as 40, 100, 666, 1,000, 144,000 are multiples of numbers from 2 through 12.  We also must remember that a number could be the Hebrew number for a person or place (example 666 = Nero).

• 144,000 = 12 x 12 (OT Church x NT Church) x 10 x 10 x 10 (complete action of the Trinity).  This would man that 144,000 symbolizes all the saints, believers–past, present, and future.

Homework

Before we delve into reading the book of Revelation, we still need to become familiar with apocalyptic images, symbols, and use of numbers.  So, we continue reading from the Old Testament.

•  Daniel 2:31-44

In Daniel, we find the language used is even closer to Revelation then we found in the language of Ezekiel.  It this section, we will read about Nebuchadnezzar’s dream and Daniel’s understanding of his dream and applying them to real kingdoms of this world.  Also note that four kingdoms are mentioned!

• Daniel 7:1-27

Now, we read about Daniel’s dream of the four great beasts that come out of the sea.  Note its applications to four kingdoms or empires.  Also note the significance given to the horns of the beasts, and the final reference to judgment and the kingdom of the saints.  All of this is echoed in Revelation.

• Daniel 8:3-26

Horns again assume much significance, representing actual rulers.  We also see a saint asking how long the sanctuary will be trodden underfoot and a reply stating that it will only be for a fixed time.  Again, for kingdoms are referred to following that ofGreece(Alexander the Great).

•  Daniel 12

In our last passage from Daniel, we find it mentioning Michael theArchangelsupporting God’s children in a time of much trouble.  This passage mentions names in a book introducing a resurrection passage.  Also note that the prophecy is sealed until the end time, and that there is a final blessing on those who wait.

 

Zechariah will not complete our Old Testament knowledge.  But it will give us background to understand the imagery in Revelation in a fuller way.  Note that the three readings from Zechariah are not in order because the first two readings both tie into Revelation 6.

• Zechariah 1:8-17
• Zechariah 6:1-8
• Zechariah 4

 

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