The world of nature is full of patterns but, What is a pattern in the Bible? This is the question which we will explore in this post where I will give four examples of a pattern in the Bible.

Bible Notation

First of all, let us get an understanding of Bible notation which I will use in this post. It is a way of referencing the Bible which is a collection of books. As it is, each book in the Bible consists of one or more chapters, and each chapter has numbered sections called verses. For example, the Bible notation “Revelation 1:3” refers to the book of Revelation, the first chapter, and the 3^rd verse. Also, “Revelation 2:4-7” means the book of Revelation, the second chapter, and the 4th verse through to the 7^th verse.

Our Bible Verses of Focus

Our Bible verses of focus in this post are: “What is written in the [the Bible]? how readest thou?” Luke 10:26. “Search the scriptures” (John 5:39) for “have not I [God] written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, that I [God] might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?” Proverbs 22:20, 21.

Example 1: The Pattern of the Book of Revelation and Heaven

Let us begin our first example of a pattern in the book of Revelation in the Bible by summarising Revelation.

A Summary of the Book of Revelation

The book of Revelation has 22 chapters and one way in which they can be summarised is as follows:

• Chapters 1 to 3—The seven churches.
• Chapters 4 to 8—The seven seals.
• Chapters 8 to 11—The seven trumpets.
• Chapters 12 to 14—The great controversy theme which describes the conflict between God and Satan. (Not sure who God and Satan are? Continue reading and I will explain.)
• Chapters 15 and 16—The seven last plagues.
• Chapters 17 to 19—The fall of spiritual Babylon.
• Chapter 20—The 1,000 years (the millennium).
• Chapters 21 and 22—Happily ever after.

Here then is a bird’s eye view of the book of Revelation which is the first step to finding a pattern in the Bible.

Who is God?

As we seek to find a pattern in the Bible, let us be clear about a few things. Now, I have mentioned God earlier in this post, but who or what exactly is God? “God” (Genesis 1:1) and “the Godhead” (Acts 17:29) are interchangeable names in the Bible for a divine Family which is made up of three members living in loving, joyful, peaceful harmony. How do we know this?

The answer is that God describes Himself in the Bible by saying that He is “God, that cannot lie” (Titus 1:2) and “God is love.” 1 John 4:8. In other words, each of the three members of the Godhead has a character of love that is identical to the character of the others, and, in fact, this love is the only definition of true love in the universe.

Note that there are not three Gods! Why? Because the members of the Godhead never contradict each other at any time, that is, we can say that they speak with one voice. There has never been nor ever will be any disagreement or contention among them. Therefore, we can say, “there is one God.” Mark 12:32.

Further, each Person in the Godhead, the divine Family, is “without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life.” Hebrews 7:3.

So, what are the names of these three Persons in the Godhead? Their names are “the Father” (Matthew 11:27), “the Son” (Psalm 2:12) also called Christ (Matthew 1:1), and “the Holy Spirit” (Psalm 51:11).

OK, with this understanding of who God is, a related question is, Who is Jesus? The name Jesus was given to Christ when He was born as a baby boy on earth over 2,000 years ago.

So, it is important to see God in the Bible, for God is to be found in almost every pattern in the Bible.

Who is Satan?

Likewise, as we seek to find a pattern in the Bible, we must have an understanding of who Satan is. Satan is the name of an angel whom God originally named “Lucifer.” Isaiah 14:12. Satan rebelled against God in heaven and caused some of the other angels to also rebel against God.

Since God’s ways are the ways of perfect love, Satan and his angels’ rebellion was evil and wrongdoing, that is, it was sin. And because Satan and his “evil angels” (Psalm 78:49) refused to stop sinning, God cast them all out of heaven pending God’s Judgment Day.

So, we will find as we study a pattern in the Bible that often Satan is a part of the pattern.

Evil and the Human Race

Now the concept of evil is to be found in many a pattern in the Bible, especially regarding evil in human beings.

As it happened, God created the first human pair, a man named Adam and a woman named Eve, as holy, which is to say, sinless, human beings.

However, both Adam and Eve yielded to Satan’s temptation to sin and so they sinned by joining Satan’s rebellion against God.

Therefore, the character of both Adam and Eve changed from one of perfect love to selfishness. And all the descendants of Adam and Eve, that is, the entire human race, have inherited Adam and Eve’s disposition to sin and so they too have sinned.

But God says, “The wages of sin is [eternal] death [which is to be annihilated by God]; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23.

So, God has provided a way whereby every human being can be transformed by God into having a sinless character and, hence, they can escape annihilation by God.

These two concepts then, evil and salvation, form part of many a pattern in the Bible.

Another Way to Summarise the Book of Revelation

Here is another way to summarise the book of Revelation as we seek to find a pattern in Revelation.

• Chapters 1 to 3—On a whole, Jesus’ message to the seven churches is “Repent.” Yes, there was one church which Jesus did not call upon to repent, where repentance is to have deep remorse and sorrow for one’s own sins. But, overall, the message to the seven churches is a call to repentance.
• Chapters 4 to 8—The message of the seven seals is the progression of evil on earth.
• Chapters 8 to 11—The theme of the seven trumpets is war for, in ancient times, trumpets were used to sound an alarm of impending war.
• Chapters 12 to 14—The great controversy theme in these chapters is really about the Three Angels’ Messages, which is God’s last warning messages to the world before the coming Judgment Day.
• Chapters 15 to 19—The punishment of the wicked by God.
• Chapter 20—Satan is cast out into a desolate place.
• Chapters 21 and 22—Evil has been eliminated from the universe and everyone lives happily ever after.

This summary gives us a basis to find a pattern in Revelation regarding heaven.

The Pattern Regarding Heaven in the Book of Revelation

We find the pattern regarding heaven in the book of Revelation by looking at the parallel of what happens on earth with what happened in heaven.

For the Bible has a divine design in which there are many hidden messages from God to the human race. These can only be found by those who diligently read, study, meditate upon, and search the Bible.

Revelation Chapters 1 to 3 and Heaven

We have seen that Jesus’ message to the seven churches was a call to repentance. We can, therefore, ask, Was there a message in heaven from God to the angels who followed Satan to repent? Yes!

If we consider the message to the first church, Ephesus, in Revelation, we see that they started out with perfect love but they lost their first love and, therefore, fell into sin. Similarly, Lucifer and his angels started out with a character of perfect love but these angels lost their first love and fell into sin. This is the first part of our pattern.

Revelation Chapters 4 to 8 and Heaven

The seven seals describe a progression of evil on earth. We can, therefore, ask, Was there a progression of evil in heaven? Yes! God gave Satan and his angels a period of probation during which they were to repent, but these angels did not repent and so there was a progression of evil in heaven as they went from one sin to another sin. This is the second part of our pattern.

Revelation Chapters 8 to 11 and Heaven

The theme of the seven trumpets is war on earth. So, was there war in heaven? Yes! “And there was war in heaven: Michael [Christ] and his angels fought against the dragon [Satan]; and the dragon [Satan] fought and his angels, and prevailed not.” Revelation 12:7, 8. This is the third part of our pattern.

Revelation Chapters 12 to 14 and Heaven

Chapters 12 to 14 revolve around the great controversy theme with its Three Angels’ Messages, the final messages of mercy from God to the world.

These messages in brief are (1) “Fear [Reverence] God, and give glory to him…and worship him” (Revelation 14:7), (2) “[Spiritual] Babylon is fallen” (Revelation 14:8), (3) “If any man worship the beast and his image…The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God.” Revelation 14:9, 10.

We can, therefore, ask, Was there a final message of mercy from God to Satan and his angels? Yes! God must have said to these angels to (1) Fear (Reverence) God and worship Him, (2) Satan is fallen into sin and is in total rebellion against God, (3) If any of the angels worship Satan, God’s fierce anger will be poured out upon them. This is the fourth part of our pattern.

Revelation Chapters 15 to 20 and Heaven

Chapters 15 to 20 revolve around the destruction of all the wicked. That is, the wicked among humanity along with Satan and his angels are all cast into the lake of fire and brimstone to be burnt to ashes and, so, cease to exist.

We can, therefore, ask, What is the parallel of these events on earth with events in heaven? Now the events in heaven and on earth may not be exactly the same, but the principles are the same. For God is saying to us, As it will be on earth, so it was in heaven.

Thus, Satan and his evil angels were cast out of heaven into an abyss, that is to say, a bottomless pit, awaiting the last phase of God’s judgment when they will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone. This is the fifth part of our pattern.

Revelation Chapters 21 and 22 and Heaven

Chapters 21 and 22 point to the time when the righteous among humanity will live happily ever after with God.

What is the parallel with heaven? When Satan was cast out of heaven all evil and discord ceased, heaven returned to a state of peace, and the angels live happily ever after with God. This is the sixth and last part of our pattern.

Summary of the Pattern Regarding Heaven in the Book of Revelation

We have seen that by dividing Revelation into its main parts, we were able to see a parallel, a pattern, between its prophecies of what would happen on earth and the conflict between God and Satan in heaven.

In other words, by taking a big picture view of the book of Revelation, we have found a pattern of hidden truths from God that a surface reading of the Bible would not uncover.

Example 2: The Pattern of the Bible and the Feast Days

In our second example of a pattern in the Bible, we take a look at how the feast days in the Bible can help us to see a pattern in the Bible.

For, the fact that God commanded these feast days to be observed by ancient Israel, is a clue that it has significance, that is, that it is a pattern regarding some of the truths of the Bible.

The Feast Days

Now, there are seven feast days in the Bible, each of which is a prophecy, that is, a foreshadowing of something to happen in the future. These feasts are:

1. Passover—A prophecy of the death of Christ.
2. The Feast of Unleavened Bread—A prophecy of the burial of Christ.
3. The Feast of First Fruits—A prophecy of the resurrection of Christ, that is, the raising of Christ from the dead to live again.
4. Pentecost—A prophecy of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon Christ’s disciples.
5. The Feast of Trumpets—A prophecy of the coming Judgment Day.
6. Day of Atonement—A prophecy of the Judgment to occur before Christ comes to the earth a second time.
7. The Feast of Tabernacles—A prophecy of the celebration by the righteous who are saved from annihilation by God to live forever with God.

The first three feasts—Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits—all occurred together at the beginning of the ancient Jewish year. Fifty days later came Pentecost.

Near the end of the Jewish year, came the Feast of Trumpets, the Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. Thus, we have the cycle or pattern of the ancient Jewish year.

So, by looking through the lens of the Feast days, we seek to find a pattern in the Bible.

Christ’s Mission on Earth

When Christ began His public ministry on earth, He said, “The [Holy] Spirit of the Lord [God] is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18, 19.

Here Jesus Christ announces that His mission on earth is, among other things, “to preach the acceptable year of the Lord [God].” Luke 4:19. What is this acceptable year of the Lord God? It is the pattern of future events on earth based on the seven feast days of the ancient Jewish year.

How can we know this from the Bible? This is what I will now explain.

The Pattern Regarding the Feast Days

As it is, the Bible consists of 66 books of which the first 39 books are known as the Old Testament and the remaining 27 books are known as the New Testament. To find our pattern in the Bible using the feast days, we need look no further than the New Testament.

In other words, let us consider a hidden truth of the New Testament of the Bible.

The first four books of the New Testament are Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and these books are collectively known as the Gospels. They speak of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ and thus they parallel the first three feast days—Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits. This is the first part of our New Testament pattern.

The next book after the Gospels is the book of Acts which speaks of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Christ’s disciples on the day of Pentecost occurring just after Christ has ascended to heaven.

On that day, three thousand persons were converted to Christ and were baptized (immersed into water and raised out of the water again in a public ceremony of consecration to God). Thus, the Christian church, which Christ had established, grew exponentially.

Also, the next 21 books of the New Testament, from Romans to Jude, have to do with how the early Christian church grew and prospered being founded on the word of God, the Bible, and prayer. So, the books of Acts to Jude make up the second part of our New Testament pattern.

The next and final book in the New Testament is the book of Revelation. Here we find that Chapters 1 to 11 of the book of Revelation parallel the Feast of Trumpets, which was a warning that the Day of Atonement was coming soon.

That is, the seven churches, the seven seals, and the seven trumpets in the first half of Revelation, from Chapters 1 to 11, are given to prepare us for the coming of God’s Judgment Day. This is the third part of our New Testament pattern.

Revelation 11:19 to Revelation Chapter 20 are all focused on the Day of Atonement, specifically, on the Three Angels’ Messages which warn that God’s judgment, the end time Day of Atonement, has started.

At the close of this end time judgment by God, just like the ancient Day of Atonement, all the wicked are cut off, symbolising the close of human probation and the subsequent outpouring of the seven last plagues on earth.

Then too, on this end time Day of Atonement, Satan is cast out into a desolate place symbolising the state of the earth after all the wicked die and all the righteous are taken to heaven. This is the fourth part of our New Testament pattern.

Lastly, Revelation Chapters 21 and 22 have to do with the Feast of Tabernacles, in that the dwelling place, the tabernacle, of God is with humanity on earth. This is the fifth and last part of our New Testament pattern.

Thus, by looking at the New Testament through the lens of the Feast Days we have found a pattern in it. That is, the order of the books of the New Testament form a pattern of the acceptable year of the Lord, which Jesus Christ preached when He was on earth. This symbolic acceptable year of the Lord God then begins with the death of Christ and ends with humanity living happily ever after with God.

Example 3: The Pattern of the Bible and the Sanctuary

Our next example of a pattern in the Bible comes from looking at the New Testament through the lens of the sanctuary.

The earthly sanctuary was a tent divided into two rooms called the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place and the tent was surrounded by an Outer Court. It had six items of furniture:

1. Altar of Sacrifice in the Outer Court
2. Laver in the Outer Court
3. Seven-Branched Candlestick in the Holy Place
4. Table of Shewbread in the Holy Place
5. Altar of Incense in the Holy Place
6. Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place

Now the first four books of the New Testament—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—speak about the sacrificial death of Christ for the sins of the world. This parallels the Altar of Sacrifice, which represents the death of Christ. This is the first part of our New Testament pattern.

The next 22 books in the New Testament are the book of Acts all the way to the book of Jude. These books speak of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, that is, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, on the early church on the day of Pentecost and the growth of the church through following the pure truths of God. This parallels the Laver which symbolises baptism. This is the second part of our New Testament pattern.

The next and last book of the New Testament is the book of Revelation. Its opening vision to the seven churches in Revelation Chapters 1 to 3, shows Jesus Christs standing among seven golden candlesticks. Each candlestick represents a church.

That is, we have now moved from the Outer Court to the Holy Place where the seven-branched candlestick was located. This is the third part of our New Testament pattern.

Next in the New Testament comes Revelation Chapters 4 to 8 which speak of the seven seals. These seals have to do with the progression of evil on earth through the corruption and hiding of the word of God, the Bible, by Satan’s human agents.

Since, bread in the Bible is a symbol of the word of God, the seven seals then point to the Table of Shewbread in the Holy Place of the sanctuary. This is the fourth part of our New Testament pattern.

After this, in the book of Revelation Chapters 8 to 11, we have the seven trumpets. These trumpets open with a vision of Christ, in the form of an angel, standing at the Altar of Incense in the Holy Place.

There Revelation says that the prayers of the saints (the righteous) of all ages rise with the smoke of the incense to God. So, the seven trumpets in Revelation point to the Altar of Incense for the seven trumpets were God’s answers to the prayers of the saints of all ages. Thus, the trumpets point to wars waged on earth by God against the enemies of His people, who are the saints. This is the fifth part of our New Testament pattern.

Lastly, in the book of Revelation, from Chapters 11 to 22 (starting with Revelation 11:19), we find things unfolding with regard to God’s throne. For Revelation 11:19 tells us that the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary where we see the Ark of the Covenant is opened.

The Most Holy Place is associated with God’s throne for, in the time of ancient Israel, God met with and spoke to Israel’s leader, Moses, from above the Ark of the Covenant.

Thus, to be in the Most Holy Place was to be in the actual presence of God Himself, just as Revelation Chapters 21 and 22 describes the righteous among humanity dwelling happily forever in the presence of God. This is the sixth and last part of our New Testament pattern.

Again, by taking a big picture of the New Testament, through the lens of the sanctuary we were able to find a pattern in the Bible. This pattern, like all other patterns in the Bible, is hidden from view in a surface reading of the Bible.

Note that God’s throne is represented by the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy Place, where are the two angels (cherubims) who stand in God’s presence. My interpretation also leads us to find in the sanctuary the pattern of salvation as we move from the Outer Court to the Holy Place and, finally, to God’s presence in the Most Holy Place.

Example 4: The Pattern of the Books of 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 Kings, and Heaven

At this point, we will take a bird’s eye view of the consecutive books of 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel, and 1 Kings, in order to find a pattern contained in them.

Note that our pattern must match the order of events in these books as the order of the books and the events of the Bible are fixed by God’s divine design to teach God’s truths to humanity.

Ancient Israel had a just ruler, Samuel, the prophet of God, just as the universe had a just ruler, the Father. This is the first part of our pattern.

Ancient Israel rejected God as their King and chose a man named Saul, who was handsome and head and shoulders taller than them all, to be their king. Similarly, some of the angels in heaven reject God and choose Lucifer (Satan) to be king over them. This is the second part of our pattern.

God chose a man named David, a man with a heart of love like God’s own heart, to be king over ancient Israel. Similarly, God chooses (anoints) Christ, who is a member of the Godhead and, hence, has a character of perfect love, to be King over the angels. This is the third part of our pattern.

 King David said to the man who claimed to have killed king Saul in battle, “How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD’S anointed [Saul]?” 2 Samuel 1:14.

Likewise, God confronts Satan in heaven, who at first secretly rebelled against God and Christ, saying, “How wast thou [Satan] not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the LORD’S anointed [Christ]?” 2 Samuel 1:14. This is the fourth part of our pattern.

King David’s son Absalom, and David’s counsellor, Ahithophel, conspire against David to kill him and seize his throne. Likewise, Lucifer (Satan) forms a conspiracy with some of the angels to kill God and seize His throne. This is the fifth part of our pattern.

There went “with Absalom went two hundred men out of Jerusalem, that were called; and they went in their simplicity, and they knew not any thing [about Absalom’s conspiracy].” 2 Samuel 15:11.

Likewise, some of the angels who went after Lucifer in his rebellion went in their simplicity, in that, they were unaware of Lucifer’s real objective. This is the sixth part of our pattern.

There is war between David’s army and Absalom’s army, just as there is war in heaven between Christ and His angels and Lucifer (Satan) and His angels. This is the seventh part of our pattern.

Absalom is defeated and dies on a tree hanging between heaven and earth, just as Christ died on the cross, a t-shaped wooden structure to which Christ was nailed by His hands and feet.

In other words, Satan is defeated in the war with Christ, for Christ never sinned, and Satan is doomed to fall into the very same destruction he sought to bring upon Christ. This is the eighth part of our pattern.

David weeps over the death of Absalom just as God weeps over the death of Satan, who was once the beloved of God. This is the ninth part of our pattern.

David is installed as undisputed king over all Israel after defeating Absalom, just as Christ is established as the undisputed Ruler of the angels after defeating Satan. This is the tenth part of our pattern.

King David’s son, Solomon, has a reign of peace just as Christ, the Son of God, rules forever over the angels in peace. This is the eleventh part of our pattern.

This then is our pattern concerning things in heaven drawn from the books of 1 Samuel, 2 Samuel and 1 Kings taken in order.

What a Pattern in the Bible is Not

Now, a pattern in the Bible is not a symbol or a type in the Bible. For a symbol is where one thing in the Bible represents something else in reality, and a type in the Bible is a prophecy foreshadowing future events.

We can see though that patterns, symbols, and types in the Bible are the means by which God hides many of His truths in the Bible in plain sight.

Conclusion

So far, in this post, I have described four patterns in the Bible by taking a bird’s eye view of the Bible.

This is in accordance with our Bible verses of focus in this post: “What is written in the [the Bible]? how readest thou?” Luke 10:26. “Search the scriptures” (John 5:39) for “have not I [God] written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, that I [God] might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee?” Proverbs 22:20, 21.

So, patterns in the Bible are important because they teach us truths that are otherwise hidden from view in a surface reading of the Bible.

Make sure then that you are in a spiritual journey with God so that God can enable you to spiritually discern patterns in the Bible.

For God says, “Study to shew [show] thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing [interpreting] the word of truth [the Bible].” 2 Timothy 2:15. Thus, your salvation depends upon your being able to see, understand, and most of all, practice all the truths of the Bible.

The Bible Teaches Us How to Obtain Eternal Life from God

“In the beginning was the Word [Christ], and the Word [Christ] was with God, and the Word [Christ] was God.” John 1:1. “And the Word [Christ] was made flesh [was born as a baby boy named Jesus], and dwelt among us [human beings], (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father).” John 1:14. Thus, Christ, whose “name is called The Word of God” (Revelation 19:13) is the One who gave the whole Bible to humanity, from the Bible’s beginning to its end. Further, “God is love.” (1 John 4:8), which is to say, Christ is love.

And every one of you as a human being are to “lay apart [put away] all filthiness and superfluity [abundance] of naughtiness [of wickedness], and receive with meekness the engrafted [the implanted] word [from God, which is the Bible and], which is able to save your souls [from annihilation by God as the penalty for sin].” James 1:21. For the word of God, the Bible, being implanted in us means that “the love of God is shed abroad [is poured] in our hearts by the Holy Ghost [the Holy Spirit] which is given unto us.” Romans 5:5. So then, “love is of God; and every one [every human being] that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God.” 1 John 4:7. This is known as “justification” (Romans 4:25) which is accomplished by our repentance, that is, our deep sorrow for our sins and the gift of faith from God, which when exercised to believe God’s promise of forgiveness of sins and cleansing from sin brings us the gift of love from God. Note that everyone receives the gift of faith from God but without repentance people have a superficial faith and not saving (correct) faith that takes proper hold of God’s truth by the working of the Holy Spirit.

Immediately upon our justification, God tests our character to see if we will successfully resist all temptation to sin. Our success depends on our exercising faith in Christ’s keeping power through the Holy Spirit and, hence, we become sanctified (made holy) and thus receive eternal life from God.

And this is life eternal [everlasting life], that they [as human beings] might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent [to the earth as a Deliverer from sin].” John 17:3. Thus, when the whole Bible makes our character a character of perfect love, it means that we know God and, hence, we will receive eternal life from God.

How This Blog Teaches Bible Study

My blog posts take one or more Bible verses and unpack what is often the hidden meaning in them, to help you to gain in your understanding of the Bible, and to receive insights into how to study it. For God says, “Study [the Bible] to shew [show] thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing [interpreting] the word of truth [the Bible].” 2 Timothy 2:15. There are new blog posts every two weeks on a Monday at 12:01 a.m. in timezone UTC-5 (GMT-5).

Further Reading

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