Calm Before The Storm or Silence Before The Thunder  Part 2

 

Notwithstanding, God’s thundering voice unveils and brings to pass excellent things. For instance, "In the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when He shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished." Revelation 10:7. It is at the sounding of this mighty angel—Christ who is clothed with His cloud of many members—that causes the seven thunders to utter their voices from within their secret places. When the pealing thunder echoes through the heavens and sweeps over the earth, God's mystery will be finished and manifested openly to be seen by all men. Such a wonder is presently hidden from the world and the church system at large, but not from those to whom the heavens have opened and love is the essence of their lives. "That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the *full assurance of **understanding, to the ***acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In Whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Colossians 2:2-3. Therefore, since we are in Him, wherein the mystery of God, the finished work, resides, we should know somewhat of its treasures. It is after we have known silence, and have been imbued with this pristine laurel that the voice of the seven thunders can be uttered. Silence is a precursor to His voice, and without the sound of His voice, we are without a word to thunder.

 

*full assurance: plerophoria, entire confidence. From plerophoreo, to carry out fully (in evidence), i.e. completely assure (or convince), entirely accomplish. (Strong's)

 

**understanding: sunesis, a mental putting together, i.e. intelligence. (Strong's)

 

***acknowledgment: epignosis, full discernment (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance)

 

Once the sound of His voice streaks through His cloud, the mystery of God that is already finished in Christ*  will be manifested. Although unknown to others, being hidden since the dawn of the ages, its destiny is to be known by the elect, and it will be known as it is brought into the earth. It will not remain in the ethereal vapors of heaven forever. And we note that the finished product, the manifestation of the mystery of God, is after the Mighty Angel who is clothed with the cloud speaks, and the seven thunders and the seventh angel begin to utter their voices. Revelation 10:1-7.

 

   *“...In   Him were created ALL things — those in the HEAVENS, and those on the EARTH...ALL things have been created through Him and for   (eis, into) Him” Colossians  1:16, (The Emphatic Diaglott).

 

Seven   is very significant in the economy of God. It is the most frequently used number in the Bible. The Hebrew word for  seven is **sheba', which comes from   shaba', meaning, "to be complete... to seven oneself, i.e. swear (as if by repeating a declaration seven times)" (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance). Seven speaks of fullness, completion, perfection. Nothing can be added to or taken from it without it becoming superfluous or lacking while marring its perfection. The Hebrew word for sabboth is shabath and is derived from shaba', and means, to cease, desist, REST, and from this comes Shabbath, or SABBATH a DAY OF REST. Therefore, seven/sheba'/shabbath speaks of a completed work wherein rest is found.

 

**sheba': a prime cardinal number; seven (as the sacred full one); also (adv.) seven times...by extension an indefinite number (Strong's #7651)

 

It is Seven that stamps  spiritual perfection and completion to the things it is connected. With time it tells of the sabbath, and marks off the week of seven days. Seven completes the colors of the spectrum and the rainbow. Seven also satisfies in music the notes of the scale, with the eighth merely being a repetition of the first.

 

It is said that the every cell of the human body is replaced every seven years, yet each replacement is inferior to the one it replaces. This inferiority process, of course, is due to Adam's genetic code of death in all creation. Regardless of how many vitamins we take, the aging process marches ever onward; for down to the smallest atom, they are all embraced by the same genetic code.

 

 We find   shaba'   in Genesis 21:31, "Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they sware (shaba) both of them." This oath of Abraham to Abimelech was based upon the seven ewe lambs which were set aside (vrs. 28-30). This points to the idea of satisfaction and fullness in the oath. It was the  security, satisfaction, and fullness of the obligation, or completeness of the bond, which caused the same word to be used for both the number seven and an oath; and so it is written, "...an oath for confirmation is an end of all strife. " Hebrews 6:16.

 

   Seven,   as pertaining to fullness, can also be seen in the scriptures in conjunction with sin: An unclean spirit, upon finding the backslider empty, swept and garnished, brought back seven spirits worse than himself, and they entered him (Mat 12:45). Mary Magdalene had seven spirits cast out of her (Luke 8:2). Knowing the significance of this number, and that it was commonly used in the ancient Greek and Hebrew to express fullness, we can see that it was not speaking specifically of seven spirits in either of these two cases. With the backslider, Jesus was merely using an analogy to show the fullness of sin that would come upon Israel. The seven spirits cast out of Mary, the harlot, indicated the ultimate depth to which she had fallen, and in the midst of that unfathomable depth she was forgiven, delivered, and lifted into life by Jesus. Using her as a type of the Church, it would be speaking of her destiny in the fullness of sin, but eventually delivered. Whether referring to good or evil, holy or unholy, pure or profane, the number seven in scripture carries the thought of fullness, completion, totality, satisfaction, etc.