What Are the Seven Signs in Revelation?

　　There are a lot of sevens in Revelation. So when it comes to the seven signs of Revelation, we can point to one thing in particular. There are seven trumpets, thunders, seals, seven lampstands—you get the idea.

　　That said, we can explore each of these sevens and the meaning behind each. In today’s article, we’ll explore the seven signs in Revelation and how we can watch for them in the Last Days.

Where Do the Seven Signs Appear in Revelation?

　　Seven Churches (Revelation 1-2)

　　Our first seven is the seven churches that John writes letters to in Revelation. We can assume these were actual churches that existed in 90 AD. However, they could be symbolic churches representing various ages of church history. Scholars differ when it comes to this.

　　You can read about the seven churches here. Something to be noted is certain churches fare better than others. Some keep the faith well. Some receive a stern talking-to from John.

　　Seven Stars (Revelation 1)

　　These also represent the seven churches we meet in Revelation. God tells this clearly to John when he says, “The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches” (Revelation 1:20). The same passage tells us that the seven lampstands represent different churches.

　　Seven Horns (Revelation 5)

　　There’s a wild beast that has seven horns and seven eyes. It’s the Lamb. This beast represents Jesus, who can break the seals of judgment and usher in the Last of Days. The times that had been predicted since the Old Testament. We must remember that the number seven is God’s number, while the number six is Satan’s number. Hence, the devil’s number in Revelation is 666. The devil is never complete. He’s dependent on the wholeness of a God whose number is seven.

　　Seven Seals (Revelation 6)

　　John sees a vision in heaven in Revelation where the Lamb breaks open seven seals. With each of these seals opening, there comes a judgment. For instance, in the first seal, a man on a white horse will deceive many and wage war, especially against the saints. There are a host of judgments in the seven signs of Revelation.

　　Seven Trumpets (Revelation 8)

　　Angels receive trumpets in Revelation. We may know this instrument better as a shofar, an instrument foretelling battle and doom.

　　When each of the angels blows into the trumpet, a judgment follows. For instance, when the first trumpet blows, a mixture of hail and fire falls to the earth. Many of the plagues in Revelation are reminiscent of God’s judgment on Egypt. Matthew 24 makes it clear that the judgment in the end days will out-match anything that came before it.

　　Seven Thunders (Revelation 10)

　　These judgments should scare us the most. John doesn’t even write down what happens. All we know is that seven more judgments, in the form of thunders, occur in Revelation.

　　Even when John begins writing this down, a voice in heaven stops him. It shows that we can’t know everything about the end times and probably shouldn’t try to dissect everything about it.

　　Seven Bowls (Revelation 16)

　　Another seven judgments are issued in the latter portion of the end times, before the 1,000 years. Angels pour out God’s wrath on the earth in these verses. It’s important to note that God’s judgment is often depicted this way. That’s why Jesus asks God to remove the cup from him in the Garden of Gethsemane. It’s also important to note these are the last of the seven judgments we see in Revelation.

　　The first bowl, for instance, pours out terrible sores on the worshippers of the beast. Once again, we see a parallel to the Egyptian plagues in Exodus. Baal worshippers during the time of the Israelite kings also received sores. Throughout the Bible, people associate skin diseases with divine judgment. No wonder Job’s friends thought he’d committed a heinous sin when he received terrible sores (Job 2).

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　　Some scholars refer to the collection of these seven things as the seven signs. Others may be specifically referring to what happens when the seven seals are opened. Either way, we know there are seven of them, which raises a new question.

Why Are There Seven Signs?

　　In the Bible, the number seven usually represents completeness. Remember that the Lord created the world in seven days—God made the world in completeness and goodness.

　　Jesus also speaks seven statements on the cross before he dies. Seven shows the complete nature of the death of Christ—how he had taken on all humanity’s sins, past and future.

　　Even in Jesus’ ministry, he often spoke in sevens. Consider his metaphors on how we can relate to God. Bread of life, light? Yep, all are part of the seven.

　　So when it comes to Revelation, it makes sense why we would see so many sevens. Satan broke the world. The sevens (of the churches, of God’s horns, of the judgments) call a complete end to his reign of terror, ushering in the new heaven and the new earth.

　　Seven stands as an antithesis to Satan’s six. Satan can never be complete, and no matter what he can offer to us, it will never be as good as the goodness of God.

What Can We Learn from the Seven Signs?

　　First, we can see the need for completeness. Satan will always offer us counterfeits. Jesus spoke about many false messiahs coming in his name. Even though we’ve been offered many sixes, we need to cling to the sevens. We are made for God. We are made to worship him and be with him. Through seeing all the sevens in the Bible, we can see God’s plan being worked throughout all time.

　　Second, we can see the completeness of God’s judgment. Revelation can be a scary read. If there isn’t a pretribulation rapture (which many Christians believe is not), we will experience some of those things during the tough period. I don’t know about you, but fire and hail don’t sound all that pleasant. With that said, we have a patient and merciful God. And we have a very messy history and a broken world. For things to be made right, judgment has to be issued. We know who wins in the end.

　　Finally, we can see God’s work in every age. Something is comforting in the seven churches mentioned at the beginning of Revelation. God continues to move no matter how good or bad they were—looking at you, Laodicea. The church has both a beautiful and messy history. Some periods of church history make us proud. Some we would rather ignore. Nevertheless, God has not ceased to work. He can use anyone and anything, even the bad.

　　We can find encouragement in the sevens throughout the Bible because it points us to a greater picture. A God who moved through the Israelites in the Old Testament. A God who continues to move through the church today. A God who will move through the greater body of Christ in the ages to come.