49 — A time, times and half a time
— J. Chr. de Vries
He read about the time and times and the beast.
The number of the beast is a number of a man. In all of John’s descriptions in his Revelation, the numbers are crystal clear. Usually it is about the numbers four, six, seven, ten, twelve, twenty-four or any other multiple of twelve, and thousands. The numbers seven and twelve are the most popular.
Let’s line up the numbers from Revelation, following the text closely. A number that recurs later in the text in the same context is not indicated again, it is only the first mention. These concepts recur several times in the text. This is especially true for the number seven, which are often related to each other. The thousands that come from the number twelve are listed there.
Some concepts, such as “the second death”, are given the full text because they are intriguing, while the more self-explanatory numerical designations are given the most compact description (e.g. “two olive trees”).
Two
1.
2.
3.
4.
11:3
11:4
11:10
20:6
And I will give power to My two witnesses
two olive trees, two candlesticks
two Prophets
Blessed and holy is he who participates in the first resurrection; over this the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and Christ, and they shall reign with Him as kings a thousand years.
Three
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
6:6
8:13
9:18
16:13
16:19
21:13
three sizes of barley
three Angels (Trumpets)
by these three the third of the people were killed, namely, by fire, and by smoke, and by the brimstone
three unclean spirits
the big city is torn into three parts
three Ports
Four
1.
2.
3.
4:6
7:1
9:13
four animals: lion, calf, man, (flying) eagle
four angels stand at the four corners
four horns of the golden altars
Five
1.
2.
9:5
17:10
five months
The Five have fallen (Five of the Seven Kings)
Six
1.
2.
4:8
13:18
six wings (the four animals)
his number is six hundred and sixty-six
Seven
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
1:4
1:9-20
4:5
5:1
5:6
8:2
10:3
11:13
12:3
15:1
the seven churches in Asia and the seven spirits.
seven good candlesticks and stars who are angels.
seven fiery lamps
seven seals
a Lamb standing as slain, having seven horns and seven eyes
seven trumpets (of the seven angels)
seven thunders
the names of seven thousand people
a great red dragon, having seven heads, and ten horns, and on his heads seven royal hats
the seven last plagues
Ten
1.
2.
3.
11:13
12:3
14:20
the names of seven thousand people
a great red dragon, having seven heads, and ten horns, and on his heads seven royal hats
one thousand six hundred furlongs
Twaalf [or multiple]
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
4:4
7:4
7:5-8
11:3
12:1
12:6
14:1
21:12
21:14
21:16
21:17
21:21
22:3
twenty-four thrones and elders
the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand
twelve thousand sealed
And I will give power to My two witnesses, and they shall prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed with sackcloth. [1260 = 3.5 x 360 = a time, times and half a time]
on her head a crown of twelve stars
And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared for her by God, that they might feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.
the Lamb stood on Mount Zion, and with him one hundred and forty-four thousand, having his Father’s name written on their foreheads.
twelve gates, and in the gates twelve angels, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve families of the sons of Israel
the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb
twelve thousand furlongs
one hundred and forty-four cubits
twelve gates were twelve pearls
twelve fruits
Thousand [or multiple]
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
5:11
6:15
9:16
11:13
19:18
20:2 ff.
ten thousand times ten thousands, and a thousand times thousands
the rulers of a thousand
end the number of the armies of cavalry was twice ten thousands of ten thousands, and I heard their number.
Seven thousand names of people were killed in the earthquake
That you may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of rulers over a thousand, and the flesh of the strong, and the flesh of horses and those who sit upon them, and the flesh of all freemen and servants, and small and great.
and he seized the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and satanas, and bound him for a thousand years;
With all that precision, how can the next phrase be explained, where the text speaks of the opening of the seventh seal [8:1]: And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour. That word about, he could stare at it for hours.
— From: Bikou Bikou – ‘49‘, Den Haag, December 31, 2018
See also:
