Most of us growing up in Christian families or in a Christian environment will have come across the repeated occurrence of the numbers seven, twelve and forty. Who can forget Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream, the seven fat cows and the seven emaciated cows arising out from the Nile. How Joseph’s description of these cows, coming out of the Nile in single file, matched the dream of Pharaoh so exactly that Joseph the Prisoner, became Joseph the Prince, all in one day. Or how Joshua’s men walked around Jericho for six days, and on the seventh day seven times. Or the reluctant Gentile, Naaman, who washed in the dirty Jordan seven times to receive miraculous healing.
In addition the book of Leviticus overflows with sevens. God is clearly not writing history this way without telling us something along the way. God seems to be layering hidden clues behind each life story. He is hiding a hidden theme or storyline behind many of the biblical events. For example, is it just coincidence that the first three kings of Israel, Saul, David and Solomon, each reigned exactly forty years? Not one abdicated, each one was king till his death. Is it a statistical possibility that three kings live a long life, each until their fortieth year of their rulership, and then die? Has such an extraordinary thing, three equally long 40 year reigns by three consecutive kings  even remotely been equaled in secular history?

Patterns, parables and pictures

For those who have read the Bible, it will be clear that God uses patterns, parables and pictures to represent important truths or to illustrate future events. These patterns illuminate God’s mysterious ways and help us understand God’s intentions for humankind and also for us personally. When the awesome extent of His plans grips our hearts, it gives us occasion to worship Him.You will be able to recognize many patterns in scripture. A few of them are:

1. Abraham’s intended offering of his beloved only son on Mount Moriah is a prophetic pattern of the sacrifice of God’s only beloved son Jesus on the cross on Golgotha.
2. As  Israel  looked toward the bronze snake on a pole to be healed from poison, so we look to Jesus crucified for salvation, to be healed from the poison of sin – John 3:14} And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
3. The Passover lamb is a prophetic picture of the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ.
4. The Passover lamb’s blood smeared on the doorposts of the Jewish home to protect those inside is a prophetic pattern of the protection from eternal death for those cleansed from sin by the blood of the Lamb, the blood of Jesus Christ.
5. The transfiguration on the mount was a prophetic picture of the glorification of Jesus. Rev 5:12b Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.
6. The Passover meal is a prophetic picture of our union with Christ, as we ‘eat His flesh and drink His blood’, a picture of our eternal connection to Jesus. Matt 26:26} And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. {26:27} And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; {26:28} For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
7. The Holy place and the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle is a picture of the throne room of God. (discussion below)
8. The perfect cube of the Holy of Holies in Solomon’s temple reflects the perfect cube of the New Jerusalem. (discussion below)

Patterns are thus intended as follows:
1) To demonstrate that God has a plan which he wants to communicate to us.
2) To demonstrate that he does not wish to “spoon-feed” this plan to us, but that He will clarify it to those who wish to seek Him and wish to know Him better.(as opposed to those who simply want to increase their knowledge so that they can be “puffed-up” about how clever they are, e.g. the Pharisees)
3) Pictures are an effective way to relate heavenly concepts to our limited earthly experiences.
4) To demonstrate God’s infinite knowledge and power to plan and cause events to occur, events which to us may seem quite random.
The vast number of and deeply layered meanings are explored in this and the next post: ‘God’s 7000 year plan’. Much on this may be found on the internet.

As an introduction to these patterns, consider the remarkable pattern of thirds:

Pattern of thirds

The pattern of thirds is a recognizable pattern in scripture. A third of angels fall, a whole series of thirds (10 different events) occur in Revelation. For example, in Revelation 8 a third of the sea turns to blood, a third of sea creatures die, a third of rivers are contaminated, a third of all trees are destroyed and a third of the sun, moon and stars are ‘smitten’. Later on ‘the great city’ – Babylon, is divided in three parts.

Moses’s life partitioned in thirds.

Consider the life of Moses. It is neatly divided into three parts of exactly forty years. Forty in the palace, forty as a shepherd, and forty as leader. He dies exactly 120 years old. Is this a deliberate pattern or a coincidence, or did God plan it this way for no reason? If we conclude that it is deliberate, may we say that his life in Egypt represents the corrupt first phase of human history, the second the shepherding of Israel, and the third the ‘Exodus’ from our slavery to sin and corruption through the work of Christ on the cross?

Three kings of Israel continue a pattern

Next consider the three kings of united Israel; Saul, David and Solomon, who reigned prior to the 12 tribes being divided up. (Israel split into the 10-tribe Israel and the 2 tribes of Judah and Benjamin).  Each King was hand-picked by God. Each king reigned exactly forty years. It is statistically most improbable, if not impossible, that Saul, David and Solomon each reigned exactly 40 years and then died. (Acts 13:21, 1 Kings 2:11; 1 Kings 11:42).  They did not abdicate, retire or hand over their kingdoms, they reigned till their time was up. If we conclude that their remarkable lives are a deliberate prophetic pattern, then we may say that:

• Saul represents the corrupt first phase of human history,
• David represents God’s shepherding of Israel, and
• Solomon the enlightenment of the gentile age, and the tragic ‘falling away’ at the end.

The number forty is 4 (the number of earth) times 10 (the number of perfection), thus can be seen as 4×10 = God’s perfect plan for earth/creation. The three reigns of forty years  seems to be a deliberate pattern, planned by God to act as a prophetic message.

Jesus’s  genealogy divided into thirds

Matt 1:17} So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

Matthew 1:17 is a remarkable partitioning into three groups of thirds. The genealogy of Jesus is numerically divided into three groups. Why would Matthew divide the genealogy into three neat, equally sized groups? At the same time, note how this grouping also reflects the partitioning of the history of Israel into its three major phases.  The grouping remarkably reflects Israel’s history from Abraham to Jesus, with David and the exile as the major markers of each new phase. Accepting that nothing in God’s Word is accidental or coincidental, what may the significance of this partitioning be? Clearly God is highlighting a pattern with the three groups of fourteen. The first group ends with David at the peak of Israel’s history, the second has Babylon at the lowest point and the third group ends with the most significant point in all of history, the life, death and resurrection of our savior Jesus Christ.

Its easy to get distracted from the verse 17 pattern by focusing on the number fourteen, or the supposed inconsistencies in the genealogy, however, the fact remains that verse 17 can stand on its own as a very remarkable piece of information. We should not be distracted by the fact that Joseph was only the husband of Mary, that God was Jesus’s real Father, or that it seems that the third group of fourteen relies on counting Jesus twice, once before and once after His resurrection. The intent of verse 17 seems, firstly. to clearly display that God is in control of history, that He directs seemingly random events to play out in accordance with his grand design. Secondly, like music or poetry, these events seem to play out conforming to a rhythm, as an exquisitely arranged work of art and wonder. If God’s design is perfect, would it surprise us that He also orchestrates events to form exquisitely interesting and amazing rhythms?

Could the above pattern, the outright division of Israel’s history in three parts, perhaps also be another clue to understand God’s grand design for the world’s history? That all of worldly history is also divided in three parts?

Patterns of three pointing to the millennium of rest and sustenance.

In Judges 3,5 and 8 there is a repeat of three equal periods of forty years. These are three ‘forties’ relating to a time of rest for the land:

• The land had rest for forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died. Judges 3:11
• And the land had rest for forty years. Judges 5:31
• And the country was in quietness for forty years in the days of Gideon. Judges 8:28

Three remarkable repeated occurrences in the book of Judges, in this case of forty years of rest. May this perhaps be considered to point towards three 2000 year periods in history, after which the restoration, the millennium, occurs?

Consider also the three accounts of God’s miraculous sustenance, provided in the wilderness (desert), for forty days and forty nights:

• Moses was on mount Sinai without food for 40 days and 40 nights (Ex 24:18, 34:28)
• Elijah was at Horeb without food for 40 days and 40 nights (1 Kings 19:8)
• Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights after being baptized, before starting His ministry. (Matt 4:2)

Again three groups of forty, something extraordinary to take note of. There are no other accounts of fasting for such an extended time elsewhere. Medically speaking, in exposed conditions, such an attempt will fail. It is impossible for humans to still be able to function after such deprivation. These three events are thus  a clear demonstration of God’s supernatural sustenance. Whilst Moses, Elijah and Jesus were in God’s presence, their material needs vanished. They were powered by God’s spirit, not their stomachs. In God’s presence their physical needs vanished.

Once again, with the specific mention of forty days, is God perhaps drawing our attention to a pattern?  Perhaps it is intended like bait, to invite us to have a further look. If we remind ourselves that nothing in the word is to be glossed over, how would we then go about considering whether these three forty day events have any relevance? (refer to the end of the post for the possible significance of 40)

The temple as one third and two thirds.

2 Chron 3:3 Now these are the things wherein Solomon was instructed for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after the first measure was threescore (i .e. sixty) cubits, and the breadth twenty cubits. 

2 Chron 3:8 And he made the most holy house, the length whereof was according to the breadth of the house, twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof twenty  cubits

The tabernacle, and Solomon’s temple, was divided into two distinct portions. The Holy place occupies 40×20 cubits in area, while the Most Holy occupies 20 x 20 cubits, one is two-thirds of the total area and the other one third. Is this geometry possibly a prophetic representation of God’s 6000 year plan for mankind? Two-thirds of history (4000 years) precedes Jesus, and one third (2000 years) follows it. The first two thirds are accessed by priests, while the remaining one third is accessed by the high priest only, sprinkling the atoning blood on the ‘mercy seat’ of the ark once a year. Two-thirds are allocated for priests serving God, the one third is accessed by the high priest only. The atonement by the high priest represents Jesus, our high priest, who sacrificed himself for us, and sprinkled his blood in the temple in heaven. (Heb 9:11-12, 24-26)

Heb 9:11-12 But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.

9:24-26 For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest enters into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world has he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

The most holy place is thus a beautiful representation of the blessed condition of believers over the last 2000 years, having received purification and cleansing from sin by the blood of Jesus.

The temple in heaven

For those not familiar with scriptures confirming that there is a temple in heaven, consider that the book of Revelation has twelve references to the temple in heaven, for example:

Rev 11:19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.  (Also see Rev 3:12, 7:15, 11:1&2, 14:15 & 17, 15:5&18, 16:1&17)

Note also from Hebrews 8 & 9 that the earthly temple (tabernacle) was patterned after the temple in heaven, and the earthly temple serves only as an example of the heavenly temple:

Heb 8:5: Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

Heb 9:23-24: It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:

Is this not amazing? Jesus was crucified, died, went down to hell in our place, but then He also went up to heaven to sprinkle His blood on the ark and temple furniture, exactly like the high priests had done annually since Sinai. This has now been done once for all, and His blood will remain there in the temple in heaven until ‘earth and heaven have fled away’ (Rev 20:11) at the end of the Millennium, when they will be replaced by the New Jerusalem where there is no temple:

Rev 21:22: And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.

There is no need for a temple in the New Jerusalem, as the harvest has fully come in and will be with God forevermore.  After the white throne judgement (Rev 20:11) sin and the possibility of it will have passed away forever, just as ‘the first heaven and the first earth were passed away’ (Rev 21:1).

20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.

21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. :

Doesn’t this boggle the mind? The purpose of the earthly temple is to point towards the heavenly temple, and the purpose of the heavenly temple is to constantly display, at the throne of God, His plan of rescue for mankind until it is completed! The plan of salvation is before Him day and night. God Himself constantly has our salvation and of all those around us on His mind and displayed in front of Him. He works day and night to draw every man unto Himself, wonderfully interlinking our lives and events around us, so that perhaps one further soul might believe and be saved!  His Son has done all the work, salvation for all is available! It has been earned for us by His Son, and is given as a gift, to all who believe and call upon His Name to be saved.

However, time is limited. The first earth and heaven, including the temple, will pass away. God is looking for those who will see and believe. He will continue to be working with mankind during the Millennium. But after that the current things will pass away. They will be replaced by the New Jerusalem where “ the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it.”

The dimensions of the Most Holy place:

In addition to the patterns of forty discussed earlier, we may perhaps consider the height, breadth and length of the most holy place. They are 20 cubits each. Are these three dimensions, 3 x 20 cubits, perhaps also indicative of the three 2000 year periods of history allocated to man? (also see 2 Chron 3:8)

1 Kings 6:20 “And the oracle in the forepart was twenty cubits in length, and twenty cubits in breadth, and twenty cubits in the height thereof: and he overlaid it with pure gold“.

Thus we note the Holy of Holies in the temple in Jerusalem was constructed as a perfect cube. This was true for:
• Solomon’s temple. (1Kng.6:20).
• The millennial temple  (Ezek.41:4)
• The New Jerusalem  (Rev.21:16)

The entire New Jerusalem is a picture which draws us in to sample God’s incomprehensible abilities. A city hundreds of kilometers high, wide and long, wherein all of saved humanity will be accommodated and dwell in the presence of God for all eternity. (Rev.21:3) As a structural engineer, having worked on a structure 250m high, I realize that even a couple of kilometers high is totally beyond mankind’s reach. Let alone a structure over a thousand kilometers high. God’s abilities are stupendous and awesome, there is no one like Him.

The purification of Israel

The refining and purification of Israel prior to the millennium is prophesied to occur in portions of one-third and two thirds.   Ezekiel 5 and  Zach 13:8,9 clearly indicate such patterns of judgement:

And it shall come to pass in all the land,” Says the Lord, “ That two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, But one third shall be left in it: I will bring the one third through the fire, Will refine them as silver is refined, And test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, And I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’ ” (Zechariah 13:8, 9 NKJV)

If three is Gods number of completeness and perfection, then does it make sense that his plan for humanity, to allow man to rule by his own devices, is also divided in three stages?

Does this point towards the 6000 year history of humanity, as per biblical chronology, perhaps also being partitioned in thirds? It seems that way.  Two thousand years from Adam’s fall to Abraham, 2000 years for His chosen people (Israel) up to Jesus’s atonement and 2000 years for the Gentiles? Note that the 2000 year application to the pattern of thirds is a theory only. There is no direct evidence anywhere in the bible that God has decided to work in 2000-year time slots. This is merely an exploration of a possibility, based on the premise that Father God has a schedule by which events unfold, according to patterns which He has previously revealed. You can then decide whether such an exploration has any merit

In a similar way God’s has indicated in scripture that there is a pattern of sevens, as may be seen in post 3.2, paints a prophetic picture of God’s great mystery, His Ephesians 1:10 plan for this earth. God plans to put all things in heaven and earth under the rulership of Christ. A plan that will work out exactly as God intended, at the exact planned time, bringing Him praise, honour and glory. For a glorious 1000 years Jesus Christ will rule this restored planet as its King (Revelation 20:1-7). After approximately 6000 years of sinful man’s rule on earth, starting on the first day of the seventh millennium, Jesus becomes the King of kings, the global ruler of this earth.

From Adam’s fall to Israel’s formation was approximately 2000 years (i.e. to the Gen 46:2-5 covenant with Jacob, re-named Israel), the next timeslot was the 2000 year period from Israel’s formation to Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. This concludes the ‘old’ covenant, 4000 years since Adam’s fall. It may similarly be anticipated that the final timeslot completing the 6000 years allocated for mankind’s self-rule will also be 2000 years. Christ returns to establish His kingdom. This initiates the final millennium, when Jesus comes as king, accompanied by the resurrected saints, at Armageddon(Rev 19). He establishes the sabbath millennium according to God’s plan, a thousand years of rest for this abused earth.

At the end of this final millennium, the third millennium A.D., the history of mankind on this earth is concluded.

The remarkable story of Jonah.

Jesus specifically mentions Jonah and the repentance of the pagan city of Nineveh in his teaching. (Matt 12:40) He draws the parallel: “As Jonah was 3 days and 3 nights in the whale’s belly, so shall the Son of Man be 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth.”

What other parallels can we draw? Consider the following:
• Type = Jonah’s body was in the belly of a great fish for three days and three nights (Jonah 1:17), plus Jonah finished preaching on the third day of journey through Nineveh (Jonah 3:3) .
Parallel = Jesus’ body was in the grave and He was resurrected the third day. (Matthew 12:40).
• Type = Jonah preached repentance to Nineveh (Jonah 3:1-4).
Parallel = Jesus called sinners to repentance (Luke 5:31).
• Type = Jonah finished preaching on the third day of journey through Nineveh (Jonah 3:3).
Parallel = The Church is called to spread God’s Word until His return (Acts 1:7-11)
• Type = Jonah warned there would be 40 days to repent (Jonah 3)
Parallel = There seem to be 40 Jubilees (50 year periods) allocated, or about 2,000 years for sinners to make a decision for Christ during the “time of the Gentiles.”
• Type = There were 120,000 people in Nineveh (Jonah 4:11).
Parallel = There seem to be 120 Jubilees, or 6,000 years, allocated to God’s plan for mankind, before Christ’s thousand-year millennial reign on Earth. (A Jubilee representing 50 years as in Leviticus.- also see post 3.2 for further detail)

Is the remarkable story of Jonah, and the remarkable repentance of an entire city after 3 days of ‘repent’ preaching, not perhaps a micro-picture of God’s plan for this earth? Whey else would the numbers of three, forty and a 120,000 be so purposefully used in this story?

Patterns of ‘foreshadowing’, or Multiple fulfillment

Examples of Multiple fulfillment:

•  In Daniel 11 the demonically possessed king Antiochus Epiphanes is pictured as a representation of the future antichrist, who also will defile the temple and cause sacrifices to cease. Daniel 11’s prophecy will have a final fulfillment during the tribulation. The first establishes a limited ‘foretaste’ or precursor to the later full expression of evil.
• Jesus refers to John the Baptist as the ‘Elijah’ who was prophesied to return, at the same time he refers to a third ‘Elijah’ who is to come during the tribulation. The Old Testament prophecy regarding a future Elijah will have a final fulfillment during the tribulation. The first establishes a limited ‘foretaste’ or precursor to the later full expression of the ”preaching to repentance” to be expected from the final Elijah.
• The Joel 2:28-32 prophecy regarding the day of the Lord;  Peters Acts 3-4 speech after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, quoting Joel 2:28-32, is the Firstfruits fulfillment of the final fulfillment on the ‘Day of the Lord’: 28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit. 30 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come. 32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.
• The ‘time of Gentiles’ and the warning to flee Jerusalem immediately: The first fulfillment, the ‘firstfruits’ occurs in  70 AD, when an window of opportunity arises to flee Jerusalem before the return of the Titus’ armies. The final fulfillment occurs, as per post 3.3,  in last 3.5 years when believers have to flee in all haste (see post 7.3) before Jerusalem is ‘trampled by Gentiles’.
• The Churches of Revelation are also prophecies with multiple fulfillment: See blog posts 6.1 to 6.7. The seven churches may also be a prophetic indication of the types of deception that will face churches in each generation.

The web has many further examples of multiple fulfillment, which you may wish to explore. Also refer to post 7.0 for a more detailed discussion.

The above is a very small sample of many, many more examples that may be discovered. The layers of meaning buried in Scripture are vast. In the next blog we investigate a special case. There seems to be special significance attached to the abundance of sevens found in scripture. We investigate this in the next blog:” 3.2 -God’s 7000 year plan.”