God rolls a series of 7's: this joint's about to close

The Word for today:
Revelation 11:15-19

mark this:  Revelation 11:15
Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever."



What’s with all the sevens?--

7 churches,
7 letters,
7 lampstands,
7 stars,
7 seals,
7 angels,
7 trumpets,
7 crowns,
7 plagues,
7 bowls,
7 hills,
7 kings,
etc.--

If you suspect that the series of sevens is saying something, you are right.

Seven is a sort of biblical shorthand; throughout scripture, ‘seven’ indicates completion, or complete-ness. So the series of sevens reminds us throughout Revelation that God is wrapping things up.  Another well-known instance of seven used in this way can be found in Genesis 2:1-3:
Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.

***

When I did not follow Jesus, I chased after this life almost as hard as I'm now chasing after the life to come. Many, many nights found me perched on a bar stool until (depending on that county's closing time) 2, or 3, or 4 o'clock.

Then, no matter where I was, the lights would flicker--off, then on; off, then on; off, then on--like a kind of semaphore code that we bleary-eyed drunks could understand, signaling that the tavern would soon be closing its doors.  Outside, a new day was overtaking the old one.

The number seven, repetitively blinking its way throughout Revelation, serves to proclaim the same sort of message:  This sad old joint is about to close.

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