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SYMBOLS AND NUMEROLOGY

John Nicholls

IN THE VERY first chapter of Genesis we are introduced to symbol in Scripture. [A useful discussion of symbols and their use in Scripture is given in The Revelation of Jesus Christ, G. & R. Walker, Bible Student Press, 27 Wayside Linley, Alsager, Stoke-on-Trent ST7 2QE, UK. See also The Law of Moses, Robert Roberts, available from The Christadelphian.] Verse 14 says: "And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years". Of course the word ‘signs’ can also convey the sense of forthcoming events, but there is no doubt that the lights in the heavens are used symbolically in Scripture. In fact we find that creation, in all of its varied forms, is used in this very way in God’s Word.

The natural creation provides a mirror of God’s spiritual creation, His great work of redemption centred in Christ. The Apostle Paul seems to enumerate this general principle when expounding the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15. He says in verse 46: "Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual".

It is proposed in this article to consider briefly how the heavens and the earth, the animals and the plants made in the creation, are used as symbols as God unfolds His purpose in His Word, and also briefly to consider the significance of numbers in Scripture.

Heavens and earth

When Moses gave Israel his song of witness in Deuteronomy 32 he addressed all the congregation, both the princes of the tribes and the people, as heavens and earth: "Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth" (v. 1). The Israelitish heavens and earth are again addressed in the opening vision of Isaiah: "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the LORD hath spoken, I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against Me" (1:2; cf. v. 10). Both kings and people, princes and commoners, had defied the God of Israel.

Scripture uses the symbol in connection with Gentile nations, and Edom in particular. Isaiah 34:2-5 says: "the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations... And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved... My sword shall be bathed in heaven... it shall come down upon Idumea...".

Our Lord Jesus Christ in his Olivet Prophecy uses this symbolic language to describe events set to take place after the destruction of A.D. 70. Luke 21:25,26 says: "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken". The Lord does not specify whether Jewish or Gentile heavens are referred to. It is probable that the prophecy relates to both. The ideas, however, are clear: the ruling powers are shaken, the common people assert themselves, and distress and perplexity result.

The animal creation

The animal creation is also used to great effect to provide symbols of nations and empires. Acts 10 and 11, which relate Peter’s vision of the unclean animals, show that these animals represent the Gentiles collectively (11:9,18). The clean animals therefore represent Israel collectively.

In Daniel 8 God gives Daniel a vision of a ram and a he-goat, which, he is told, symbolise the Medo-Persian and Greek Empires respectively (vv. 20,21). The he-goat knocks the ram to the ground and stamps on it, thus graphically portraying the success of Alexander the Great in his military conquest of Persia in 333 B.C.

Daniel 7 describes four grotesque beasts, identified generally as "four kings [kingdoms], which shall arise out of the earth" (v. 17). In the Apocalypse these various phases of the Roman Empire in their evil manifestations are symbolised by grotesque animals, such as a seven-headed and ten-horned beast (13:1; cf. Dan. 7:7,19), with characteristics of ferocious animals like the leopard, bear, lion and dragon. In contrast, the Lord Jesus Christ is symbolised by a lamb, harmless and undefiled (Rev. 5:6, etc.).

Animals are also used to symbolise spiritual characteristics. We have referred to Christ being represented as a lamb rather than as a powerful and fierce ruler. Christ’s flock is portrayed as sheep (Jno. 10:14-16; Heb. 13:20), with the less amenable goat representing those not acceptable to Christ (Mt. 25:33). The wolf represents a false teacher who does not spare the flock, but scatters it and rends it in pieces (Acts 20:29). Christ exhorts us to be like the ox, who accepts the yoke and walks in harmony with the older, more experienced ox (Christ), so that the burden becomes light and easier to carry (Mt. 11:28-30). The dove is undefiled and harmless (Song 6:9), but the serpent is full of guile and his bite can be fatal. The faces of the cherubim in Ezekiel show the lion (kingship), the man (humanity), the ox (service) and the eagle (spiritual perception, farsightedness) as the characteristics of the redeemed in the Kingdom.

Plants

Just as animals are used as symbols of nations and peoples, so are plants. Thus Isaiah 40 says: "All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: the grass withereth, and the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass" (vv. 6,7).

In contrast to the ephemeral nature of grass, trees in Scripture represent the great kingdoms and empires, or men of good enduring spiritual qualities. Psalm 1 speaks of a man who meditates in the law of God as being "like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper" (v. 3). This man "walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful" (v. 1).

In John 15 Christ spoke of himself as the true vine and his disciples as the branches. His disciples need to abide in him, just as the branches draw life-giving sap from the main trunk of a tree and are sustained by it. Branches that produce no fruit are cast forth and burned.

In Daniel’s prophecy, Nebuchnezzar saw a vision of his empire as a great tree providing food and protection for beasts of the fields and birds (4:11,12,20-22). Israel is symbolised as a fig tree (Jer. 24) and an olive tree (Rom. 11:24).

Numbers

Numbers in Scripture also have a spiritual significance. In Daniel 8:13 Daniel describes how he hears two angels discussing the vision of the treading down of the sanctuary, with one asking how long that period would last. The angel who replied is called in the AV margin "the wonderful numberer". That angel is probably in charge of the time periods in the Bible, which are fully in God’s control.

Quite apart from the time periods concerned with God’s purpose, there is a mathematical precision in the natural creation which, on the basis of the principle of 1 Corinthians 15:46 (see above), we would expect to see also in the Scriptures as the foundation of the spiritual creation. A recent short series of articles in The Testimony gives some splendid examples. [D. Green, "The Number Seven in Scripture: The Divine Watermark", The Testimony, Aug.–Oct. 1996. These articles conclude with an extensive bibliography relating to the symbolic use of number in Scripture.] The number seven speaks of perfection and completion to which we hope to attain in the Kingdom rest in the seventh millennium.

Five is thought to be the number of grace and mercy. The Kingdom of God, the fifth great empire in Scripture, is founded on the grace of God in Christ. Israel came out of Egypt by five in a rank (Ex. 13:18, mg.), but the mercy of God delivered them. David chose five smooth stones to meet Goliath, more than a match for the giant due to the grace and mercy of God Who directed the stones.

Four, three, two and one are all significant numbers too. Perhaps readers would like to develop their own ideas from the Scriptures on these. Twelve is also significant. Some suggestions are offered in the table below. Colours are also significant; see the suggestions in the table.

"Lexicons and concordances and all the panoply of academic analysis of Scripture are relatively unimportant compared with that more essential item of equipment—a mind convinced of the divine truth of everything in the Bible, a mind alert to observe, as valuable, the smallest and most inconsequential detail in the text" (H. A. Whittaker).