Animals, Colors, Metals, Numbers and Signs in Scripture.

Seven - Completion

Sending of the Dove

It may seem a little strange to speak of Noah sending a dove out of the ark three times when writing about the association between the number seven and the subject of completions.  However, Noah waited seven days between the first sending of the dove and the second sending of the dove.  He again waited seven days between the second sending of the dove and the third sending of the dove.

God had sent the judgmental waters upon the earth and destroyed all in whose nostrils was the breath of life except for those that were in the ark with Noah.  After the judgmental waters had been on the earth a long time, the occupants began to look for evidence that the judgment of God would soon be over.  First Noah sent a raven out of the ark which returned not again.  Then Noah sent a dove out of the ark, which returned to him having found no rest for the soles of her feet.  Noah waited seven days and sent the dove again who returned with an olive leaf plucked off.  Noah waited another seven days and sent the dove a third time and she returned not again unto the ark.

The dove is used to represent the church in three ages of time.  The first age was the age of the law.  Under the law, there was no rest, but a continual testimony of coming judgment for sin.  However, to fulfill this age and to usher in the New Covenant age, the Lord Jesus Christ came to fulfill the law to a jot and a tittle.  This he did and then presented himself a sacrifice unto God to redeem his people from their sins.  Christ fulfilled or completed the law.  There was nothing left to fulfill in the law.  Christ had completely fulfilled it.  He also ushered in the New Testament Church.  The church bears witness that the judgment is past, just as the dove had an olive leaf plucked off. 

Just as the dove went forth a third time from the ark, so the New Testament church waits for the day when Christ shall come again and we shall be translated into the glory world.  At God's appointed time, the New Testament age will come to a completion and we and all the elect will be raised up and our vile bodies will be fashioned like the glorious body of Christ and we shall return this way no more, but we shall be forever with our Redeemer.  

Completely Pure Preserved Word of God

Ps. 12:6 "The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. 7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever."

One of the great promises God has made to his people is that he will preserve his words in a pure form for ever.  If there is just one word in the scriptures that is not inspired and preserved of God, then this promise has failed.  God, however, cannot fail.  He promised to preserve his words in a pure form for ever.  Either he does it or he doesn't. 

That his words would be preserved in a pure form is evident by the statement, "as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times."  The "purified seven times" teaches that his word is preserved completely pure.  If one word is added or one word left out, or one thought changed then the words are not preserved pure. 

 God did not leave it to the abilities of man to preserve his words, but he providentially intervenes to assure that they are preserved in a pure form. 

In the English language, the King James bible has been around for nearly 400 years and with the exception of some initial publishing errors has been around without change.  All other English translations have multitudes of changes from the original translation into English.  It does not take a genius to figure out where the promised pure preserved word of God is located in the English language.