Global Population: 7,777,777,777… What is God Saying?
By Troy Anderson
Amid the worst pandemic in modern history and on the day the International Monetary Fund warned that the global economy is likely to “experience its worst recession since the Great Depression,” the global population hit 7,777,777,777, according to the World Population Clock, prompting people to ask if God is sending a message to humanity.
The eye-popping number (seven symbolizes completeness, perfection, and wholeness – both negative and positive – in the Bible and, interestingly enough, the book of Revelation is built around the number seven) came as a growing number of Bible prophecy experts say the world is experiencing an acceleration in signs of the end times.
“In the midst of world-shaking events, God still reminds us about His presence in the midst of darkness by giving us assurance in the form of His perfect number seven,” says retired U.S. Army Chaplain (Col.) David J. Giammona, an author and speaker and expert on the end times. “Only, He repeats it numerous times to ensure we get it.”
The 7,777,777,777th child was born on Wednesday, according to the World Population Clock, as recent polls show many ministers and much of the general public believe the coronavirus crisis and other world events are indications that the end times predicted by Jesus Christ and the prophets thousands of years ago are now upon us.
A poll released last week by Lifeway Research found nearly nine in 10 pastors see at least some current events matching those Jesus said would occur shortly before he returns to Earth.
Meanwhile, an earlier poll by McLaughlin & Associates found 44 percent of Americans say they believe the coronavirus outbreak and resulting economic meltdown is a “wake-up call for us to turn back to faith in God” and/or “signs of coming judgment.”
“We certainly live in a crazy time,” Josh Peck, founder of the Daily Renegade, wrote in an article accompanying a YouTube video titled, “Prophecy & RAPTURE? Population Now 7,777,777,777 (Sevens in History).” “The whole world is reeling from the … coronavirus, everyone is on lockdown, and it seems like civilization has ground to a halt.
“Many have speculated if we are, in fact, living in prophetic times as our current situation is a first in human history. While all this is happening, the population of the world just reached the incredible number of ten sevens lined up in a row: 7,777,777,777. Is it a coincidence that we hit this prophetic number at this specific time? Probably, but … what if?”
Meanwhile, Geoffrey Grider, editor in chief of the blog Now the End Begins, wrote that the population milestone could be a “great time for the pre-tribulation rapture of the church to take place.”
While Jesus Christ told his disciples in Matthew 24:36 that no one knows the “day or hour” of His return to Earth – “not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” – He did urge us to watch, wait and be ready for His return.
“You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him,” Jesus said in Luke 12:40.
The ‘Blessed’ Sevens
While there is no prophecy in the Bible about the global population hitting 7,777,777,777, the book of Revelation is filled with sevens – signifying both the blessings and judgments of God.
For instance, there are seven “blesseds” in Revelation, including:
· “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.” (Revelation 1:3)
· “Then I heard a voice from heaven say, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.’” (Revelation 14:13)
· “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.” (Revelation 16:15)
· “Then the angel said to me, ‘Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ And he added, ‘These are the true words of God.’” (Revelation 19:9)
· “Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:6)
· “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.” (Revelation 22:7)
· “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.” (Revelation 22:14)
A close reading of Revelation, a biblical book written by the Apostle John that depicts the culmination of prophecies begun in the Old Testament and continued in the New Testament, reveals the entire book is built around the number seven.
For instance, there are:
· Seven letters to the seven churches (Revelation 1-3)
· Seven trumpet and seven seal judgments (Revelation 4-11)
· Seven bowl judgments (Revelation 15, 16)
· Seven lampstands (Revelation 1:12,20)
· Seven stars (Revelation 1:16,20)
· Seven spirits (Revelation 1:4)
· Seven angels (Revelation 1:20)
· Seven thunders (Revelation 10:3-4)
· A lamb with seven horns and seven eyes (Revelation 5:6)
· A red dragon with seven heads and seven crowns (Revelation 12:1)
· A leopard-like beast with seven heads (Revelation 13:1)
· A scarlet-colored beast with seven heads (Revelation 17:3,7)
· Seven hills (Revelation 17:9)
· Seven kings (Revelation 17:10)
And this is only the book of Revelation. The Bible, which includes more than 700 references to the number seven, opens in Genesis with seven days of creation and climaxes with a book based on sevens that tells the story of the ultimate destiny of humanity, the world and even the universe.
God’s Favorite Number
It seems seven is a favorite number of God. After all, there are seven days in a week, seven colors in the rainbow, and seven notes in Western music.
The number seven is one of the most significant numbers in the Bible. After creating the world God rested on the seventh day and all human civilizations have since adopted the seven-day week.
Seven symbolizes the unity of the four corners of Earth with the Holy Trinity. The Bible tells us that Israel captured the city of Jericho after marching around it seven times, Job had seven sons, Solomon took seven years to build the temple, and the Great Flood occurred seven days after Noah went into the ark. In the story of Joseph in Egypt there were seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine.
Even more enigmatic, Christ spoke seven words from the cross.
So, is the world population reaching 7,777,777,777 just a coincidence at a time when many experts believe biblical prophecies are moving into fulfillment stage, or is God, the Master Mathematician whose creation boils down to mind-boggling mathematical equations, telling us something?
However, one answers that question, the number seven certainly has a rich history “going back to the beginning of time.”
“While … I am not trying to initiate a new way to interpret Bible prophecy (nowhere in Scripture are we told to take note of the number of the human population as a way to determine where we are on the prophetic timeline), the convergence of events occurring during times of sevens is interesting, though admittedly probably coincidental,” Peck wrote.
“There were many, many events occurring during these times of sevens (that) … didn’t seem to coincide with anything of importance. On the other hand, the current population number has inspired at least one publication to wonder if this could be signifying a soon-to-come pretribulation rapture. As for myself, I tend to stay out of rapture debates as they tend to easily become contentious (I’m more of a ‘pray for pre, prepare for post’ kind of guy). However, as I’m sure you will be able to relate, all of this does have me wondering…what if?”
Troy Anderson is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Prophecy Investigators, Senior Editor of GODSPEED Magazine, a Pulitzer Prize-nominated investigative journalist, #1 bestselling FaithWords/Hachette co-author of The Babylon Code and Trumpocalypse, former executive editor of Charisma magazine and Charisma Media, reporter at the Los Angeles Daily News, and a regular guest on numerous television and radio shows. He writes for Reuters, Newsmax, Townhall, and other media outlets. Stay tuned for his upcoming Chosen book co-written with U.S. Army Chaplain (Col.) David Giammona – The Military Guide to Armageddon: Battle-Tested Strategies to Prepare Your Life and Soul for the End Times. Discover more at his author website TroyAnderson.us, Prophecy Investigators, Troy Anderson Literary Services and GODSPEED Magazine. He lives with his family in Irvine, California.
