Several numbers seem to be symbolically signicant in the Bible.
The number 12 is echoed in several places, and there were 12 Disciples.
The number 12 appears in the Book of Revelation in the Christian Bible in several ways, including:
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12 stars
In Revelation 12:1, a woman in heaven is depicted with a crown of 12 stars on her head.
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12 angels
In Revelation 21:12, there are 12 angels at 12 gates, each of which has the name of one of the 12 apostles inscribed.
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12 gatesIn Revelation 21:12, there are 12 gates, each with the name of one of the 12 apostles inscribed.
The number 3 is especially important, as in the Trinity: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.
In Mesopotamia the Number 7 was Important.
The Number Seven
“The number seven was extremely important in ancient Mesopotamian cosmology.[41][42] In Sumerian religion, the most powerful and important deities in the pantheon were sometimes called the ‘seven gods who decree’: Wikipedia
Although Christainity can be linked to Ur, as the early home of Abraham, the people who lived around Ur were largely polytheistic. In the book of Joshua, we are told that Abraham’s father, who was named Terah, worshiped idols.
2 And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods. Joshua 24:2
God told Abraham to leave Ur and his family there:
12 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: Genesis 12: 1-2.
Abraham, whose initial name was Abram, left Ur, and at first, he lived in Harran. Ultimately, he settled in Canaan.
Although he left the paganism at Ur, he never removed himself from polytheism. Everywhere he traveled, there were people who worshipped idols. In fact, polytheism was the nimesis throughout the early part of church history.
Although we might like to say that polytheism had no influence on the Israelites–even on the early church–that is not true.
“I am part of all that I have met.” Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Ulysses
Don’t be surprised to discover that elements of Christianity echo that of the Ancient Greeks and the other polytheists around them.
In fact, many of the Christian holidays were purposely celebrated at the same time as pagan holidays had been worshipped for centuries before them. We don’t know why that is true. Some scholars say that this was initiated to make Christianity more appealing to the pagans. I think that the reason is more complex than that.
“He who judges the first century by the nineteenth will fall into countless errors. He who thinks that the Christianity of the fourth century was identical with that of the New-Testament period, will go widely astray. He who does not look carefully into the history of religions before the time of Christ, and into the pagan influences which surrounded infant Christianity, cannot understand its subsequent history.” Lewis, Abram Herbert. Paganism Surviving in Christianity, pg. vi.
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