What is the biblical significance of the number seven/7?

SEVEN. Spiritual completeness, generally in good but occasionally in evil. It is the compound of three and four, and the highest single indivisible number. Seven days in a week, every seventh day was a day of rest, every seventh year was a year of rest for the land, and every seven times seven years brought the jubilee. Creation was complete on the seventh day, God's rest being the result. There were seven lamps to the golden candlestick. Num. 8:2; cf. Zech. 4:2. The blood was sprinkled before the Lord seven times. Lev. 4:6, 17; Lev. 8:11. The Christian is exhorted to keep the feast of seven days after the passover, which makes it a perpetual feast for him. 1 Cor. 5:7-8. John speaks of seven Spirits before the throne of God. Rev. 1:4. There are seven abominations in man's heart. Prov. 26:25. The first beast has seven heads and ten horns. Rev. 13:1. In the Revelation 'seven' occurs frequently; the symbol is found therein more than seven times seven. Forgiveness is to be 'seventy times seven.' Matt. 18:22.

Number 7. This number completes the series. It is so familiar, not only in Scripture, but in nature itself, that few words need be said upon it. It is composed of 4 + 3, the number of the creature combined with that of the Creator. God and His creation gives the thought of that beyond which we cannot go in that direction. There is nothing more. Thus we find that seven is constantly used throughout Scripture as the number of completeness; seven days in the week; seven years; and the constant repetition of this numeral with unvarying meaning, though with many applications, shows that completeness is the thought. But we pause nere to return to our immediate theme.

is the symbol of perfection; the sense, however, being sometimes evil, though prevailingly good. It is in Scripture, where divided, in general 4 + 3, numbers which speak evidently of the creature as manifesting the Creator, which, being attained, is for the creature its perfection, and for God His rest.

It often seems merely to indicate a complete view or accomplishment, as the parables of Matt. xiii. give a complete view of the kingdom of heaven: the first four, the external world-aspect; the last three, the divine mind. The seven addresses to the churches give in like manner the complete inspired Church-history. The seven seals secure the book completely. In the seven vials is "filled up the wrath of God." The seven more wicked spirits which the unclean spirit associates with himself (Matt. xii. 45) is an example of the bad sense; and the seven heads of the beast in Revelation.

Seven is well known as the number of perfection, and so of rest. But it may be applied to evil, and simply show "completeness" of any kind.

Thus God's work is accomplished, as in the six days every thing was made at first, and the number 7 speaks, therefore, of full accomplishment and rest. The series is complete, and it is plain that there can be no line of truth beyond or outside of it. How beautiful and conclusive a proof of what instruction God has designed for us in the numerical series itself!

Number 7 is the number of completeness, and on that day God rested from all His work. In this case only we read of His blessing the day, as well as sanctifying it. It is set apart from all the others as having a far superior significance, "because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made." Creating is bringing into existence from nothing, but making is modeling something from what had already been created. God's literal rest on that day is significant of something much more important.

Last of the series, we have the number 7, whose significance has been already noted. The division of 7 almost always is into 4 and 3, as also we have seen. The number of divine manifestation is added to the world-number, — God is made known in connection with the work of His hands: then He rests. Seven is thus the number of perfect divine accomplishment.

The seventh day marked the completion and perfection of God's creatorial work. "The seven Spirits which are before His throne" (Rev. 1:4) denote the perfection of the activities of God, the Holy Spirit. Seven was the number of the branches of the Golden Candlestick. Seven was the number of the items that went to furnish the Tabernacle: The Ark The Mercy Seat The Shewbread Table The Golden Candlestick The Brazen Altar The Brazen Laver The Golden Altar of Incense

Seven is itself a symbolic number and is so used in the Revelation as conveying the idea of completeness. In John's visions there were seven candlesticks, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven vials, seven thunders, etc. "Seven spirits of God" is a phrase that expresses the idea of a complete cycle of divine activities, just as the seven trumpets express the idea of a complete cycle of divine judgments.

Let us test these things by some examples. Seven times God pronounces His work at the beginning good and on the seventh day He rests, and sanctifies it. Here is evidently the foundation of its meaning in Scripture. From this first week Israel derived her weeks of days and years, and weeks of weeks of years, or jubilee periods. The trumpet of the jubilee sounded in the seventh month of the year, upon the day of atonement. In Revelation, seven seals secure completely the book taken by the Lamb seven candlesticks present the Church as the light of the world in the night of the Lord's absence seven lamps of fire burning before the throne picture the "seven spirits of God" — the various energy of the one Spirit of God. Later, in the seven vials poured out upon the earth is "filled up the wrath of God."