Chapter Four/Jesus Comes With Encouragement

Symbolic Number in Revelation

Number                Symbolic Meaning

2                          Signifies solidly confirming a matter. (Revelation 11:3, 4; 
                             compare Deuteronomy 17:6) 

3                         Denotes emphasis.  Also indicates intensity.  (Revelation 4:8;    
                            8:13; 16:13, 19) 

4                       Signifies universalness or foursquareness in symmetry 
                         (Revelation 4:6; 7:1, 2; 9:14; 20:8; 21:16) 

6                      Signifies imperfection, something not normal, monstrous.  
                         (Revelation 13:18; compare 2 Samuel 21:20.)

7                       Signifies divinely determined completeness, as to Jehovah's 
                          purposes or to Satan's. (Revelation 1:4, 12, 16; 10:3, 4; 12:3)

10                      Signifies allness or completeness in a physical way, as to things 
                           on earth.  (Revelation 2:10; 12:2; 13:1; 17:3, 12, 16) 

12                       Signifies a divinely constituted organization either in the heavens
                            or on the earth.  (Revelation 7:5-8; 12:1;21:12, 16; 22:2)

24                      Signifies Jehovah's abundant  (doubled) organizational 
                           arrangement.  (Revelation 4:4) 

Some numbers mentioned in Revelation are to be understood as literal. Often, the context helps to determine this.  (See Revelation 7:4, 9; 11:2, 3; 12:6, 14; 17:3, 9-11; 20:3-5) 

"The Alpha and the Omega"

Now, wonder of wonders!  The Sovereign Lord Jehovah himself speaks.  How appropriate this is as a preface to the visions that are about to unfold, since he is our Grand Instructor and the ultimate Source of  Revelation!  (Isaiah 30:20) "I am the Alpha and the Omega, . . . the One who is and who was and who is coming, the Almighty."  (Revelation 1:8)  This is the first of three times in Revelation that Jehovah himself speaks from heaven. (See also Revelation 21:5-8; 22:12-15) First-century Christians would quickly have recognized alpha and omega as the first and last letters in the Greek alphabet.  Jehovah's calling himself by those two letters stresses that before him, there was no almighty God, and there will be none after him.  He will bring to a successful conclusion , for all eternity, the issue of Godship. He will be forever vindicated  and the one and only almighty God, Supreme Sovereign over all of his creation.-Compare Isaiah 46:10; 55:10, 11. 

Confident that Jehovah will direct the outcome of matters, John tells his fellow slaves:  "I John, your brother and sharer with you in the tribulation and kingdom and endurance in company with Jesus, came to be in the isle that is called Patmos for speaking about God and bearing witness to Jesus."  (Revelation 1:9) A prisoner on Patmos for the sake of the good news, enduring tribulations with his brothers, hoping firmly  to have a share in the coming Kingdom, the aged John now sees the first of the visions of Revelation. No doubt he was encouraged greatly by these visions, just as the John class is stimulated today at seeing their fulfillment.  We do not know  how John forwarded the scroll of Revelation to the congregations since he was in confinement at the time.  (Revelation 1:11; 22:18, 19) Jehovah's angels must have cooperated in getting this done, just as they so often protected faithful witnesses of Jehovah who serve under bans and restrictions today, so that these have been able to get timely spiritual food to their truth-hungry  brothers.  -Psalm 34:6, 7. 

How deeply John must have appreciated his privilege of being used by Jehovah as His channel of  communication to the congregations!  Similarly, the John class today treasures greatly its privilege of providing the household of God with spiritual "food a the proper time."  (Matthew 24:45)  May you be one of those strengthened by this spiritual provision so as to attain to the glorious goal of everlasting life! -Proverbs 3:13-18; John 17:3.  

Next time: Chapter Four/Jesus Comes With Encouragement - Obtaining Spiritual Food in Difficult Times

From the book of Revelation