Reading Revelation in Context: John's Apocalypse and Second Temple Judaism

by Zondervan,

Indeed, seven plagues are not explicitly mentioned anywhere else in the Old or New Testament outside of Leviticus (26:18, 21, 24, 28 = God will punish Israel “seven times over”) and Revelation (15:1, 6, 8; 21:9 = “the seven angels with the seven plagues”).3 Richard Bauckham offers an especially intriguing study on the relationship of John’s septets to Leviticus 26. He notes that there are in fact four septets of plagues in Revelation, not just three. In addition to the three septets of seals, trumpets, and bowls, one should also include the septet of thunders (10:3–7), which is found in between the trumpets and bowls. In the case of the thunders, although John is not permitted to write down what he witnesses, it is described as a series of seven plagues.4 Bauckham convincingly argues that the significance of the plagues’ pattern is that it depicts a perfect judgment enumerated as four sets of seven—as in Leviticus 26 where God four times promises to punish Israel “seven times over” (26:18, 21, 24, 28).5 What, then, are the potential theological implications of such numerical connections with Leviticus 26?