Ring Two (2-3 X 21) The Woven Rings of Revelation

This is one study within the larger body of work introduced here: The Woven Rings of Revelation: Intro

This presentation showcases the second woven ring of the book of Revelation, counting from the outside in.

This woven ring opens with seven messages that are addressed to the seven churches, of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea, respectively. The 2nd chapter is all about the first three of the seven and the 3rd chapter is all about the last four, so we consider the 2nd and 3rd chapters as a single unit in seven parts. This pairs with the second unit from the end, the entire 21st chapter.

Through the visual organization and interactive features of this presentation, it first highlights the structural relationships within the opening text of the ring, and separately, of the closing. The access provided to the Author's guidance is invaluable! There is further benefit on offer for those who are able to recognize the parallels that exist when comparing the opening with the closing texts of this woven ring. I've listed some of them down below the interactive presentation. Don't miss the final gem when you get to the bottom of this page!

Generated with the Chiasmatron 2000

A selection of parallels found when comparing chapters 2-3 and 21 - plus an embedded code?

2:17 "I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it."
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21:14 "And the wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb."

"Overcomes"
2:7,11,17,26, 3:5,12,21
COMPARE
21:7 "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son."

3:5 "I will not erase his name from the book of life, "
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21:27 "only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life."

Early one morning, I found myself meditating on the reference to the tabernacle in 21:3 and the potential for a numerical encoding of its design. Here's the story behind it and what I found.

This woven ring contains that single reference to the tabernacle of God, but it's not insignificant. The announcement is made by a loud voice from the throne because it's a dramatic reality in that moment. This reference invites us to reflect upon the earlier tabernacle that was referred to as the tent of meeting in Exodus 29.

The Tabernacle in the Wilderness, which featured the Ark of the Covenant, should be seen as a prophetic model that provided a witness to what is announced in Revelation 21:3.

I withheld this earlier so I could introduce it in this context. The subjects of dwelling places and places of abiding or not abiding are evident as threads that bind this woven ring together.

For one example, in the opening (ch 2-3), the messages to the angels of the seven churches are given to seven cities by name. Churches consist of the body of Christ, people in whom the Lord dwells by His spirit, and the cities named are where they dwell. In the closing, chapter 21 is largely occupied with describing the city called New Jerusalem! The following comparison makes this connection plain.

3:12 "the city of My God, the new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God,"
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21:2 "the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,"
21:10 "the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, "

There's more references to places of dwelling and abiding in 3:10,12 "to test those who dwell on the earth... He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he will not go out from it anymore." And, in 21:8: "their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone." And, in 21:27: "nothing unclean, and no one who practices abomination and lying, shall ever come into it, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life." And from 2:13: "I know where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is ... where Satan dwells." The matters of dwelling and places of abiding are featured on both sides of this woven ring equation.

Lastly, before giving our attention to the cryptic encoding that pertains to the tabernacle, there is a reference to a counterpart to the true tabernacle.

In contrast to the one true God tabernacling with His people, the synagogue of Satan is a body of frauds who are not His people.

Clearly, the featuring of the tabernacle of God is of significant importance in this woven ring! Let's explore that a little further.

An embedded encoding relative to the tabernacle of God?

A numerical encoding of the tabernacle's design would involve geometry and the constant called Pi. It has the value of 3.14159 and so on, or approximately 22/7. Pi is a factor in the formula for the circumference and also for the area of a circle. Given that the "equation" of this second woven ring has the number 7 embedded on one side by reason of the seven-fold message to the churches, I wondered if there might be a 22 embedded somehow that might signal Pi. This would call out a circular design. If you find yourself scratching your head, wondering what the tabernacle's design has to do with a circle, so let me offer a brief explanation.

What we recognize today as the traditional model of the tabernacle in the wilderness pictures a rectangular tent. However, it must have been a domed tent that more closely resembled a yurt. The construction featured two rings of fabric around the circumference, with a bracing structure that was covered by a dome of skins. I learned about this in 2018 while my attention was focused on understanding the design of several things that were important in the record of Israel's crossing of the Jordan (Joshua 3-4) into the promised land.

The tabernacle featured two concentric ribbon-like rings of fabric, 4 cubits high. The inner ring was composed of 10 "curtains" or panels of linen. The outer ring was composed of 11 panels of wool. By choosing to connect the panels in a nontraditional way, Andrew Hoy was led to calculate the dimension of the outer woolen ring to be 314 cubits in length, evoking Pi and suggesting the circular design. (Some links to resources for your study are provided below.)

When I read Revelation 21:3's declaration that "the tabernacle of God is among men" and reflect upon the mobile tabernacle in the wilderness, I understand that one bears a testimony about the other as a prophetic model. The 314 cubit length of the woven ring is a clue that The Designer embedded in His construction. The knowledge of the circular aspect wasn't lost to history, technically speaking. It was concealed - and not because it wasn't important but because it is! How important it is I can't really say, because I don't think it's been revealed yet. However, I feel like it's worth sharing what I'm finding to be interesting.

When I found myself meditating on the reference to the tabernacle in 21:3 and the potential for a numerical encoding of its design, I considered Andrew Hoy's insight into the Pi-signaling dimension identifying the circumference of the tabernacle. Given that this second outer woven ring of the book of Revelation has the number seven embedded (seven-fold message) on one side of the "equation," I wondered whether a twenty-two might also be found, calling out the approximation of Pi. Such an embedded code would resonate with both the tabernacle in the wilderness and the coming one it foreshadowed - and probably suggest something more profound. Here's some of my thoughts.

When I looked for the number twenty-two, I noted the following facts. The side of the equation that is Chapter 21 manifests first in a four-fold structure, a 2+2 chiasm, labeled according to convention as, A) B) B') A'). If we account these in a certain way, we can identify 15 units. The A) portion consists of two different kinds of structure, where the first exhibits a higher level than the five. If we identify the 3+3 chiasm spanning 21:1-4 as 3 discrete ring structures, and identify the units spanning 21:5-11a as 5 discrete ring structures, they sum to 8. Following this same approach, B) produces 3 rings, B') produces 2, and A') produces 2. Adding them up, we have 8+3+2+2= 15. This particular woven ring is then in two parts that can be described as 7 structural units (of chapters 2 and 3) that are paired to or equated with the 15 (of chapter 21). Together, there are 22 units. If you consider this "not entirely arbitrarily contrived" and carefully considered mathematical expression as a possible evocation of the ratio of 22/7, this is where this little exercise gets interesting! This is the approximation of Pi that evokes the geometrical form of a circle! This rather technical consideration is based on a precise analysis of specific portions of the linguistic structure of the Bible. Some will dismiss the validity of the work with extreme skepticism. Others, who are able and willing to invest the time and effort required, will probably agree that there's something to all this!

Whether or not you find the above consideration compelling, you should find this matter of the woven rings interesting. This study involves what I have chosen to call the woven rings of Revelation, which describes the structure of its design. Within the structurally paired texts of this second woven ring, the tabernacle of God is highlighted, and our focus of attention has been on its woven rings. The inner ring was woven of linen and the outer "Pi-signaling" ring was woven of wool. Right. Hmmmm.

Resources:

See Project 314, Tabernacle Research & Restoration (Andrew Hoy) and Observations on the design of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness - for Pi Day. For additional insight, see the following:

• Exodus 26:1 - 27:18 - Building the Tabernacle and the Court - An Interactive Presentation of Thematic Symmetry (Chiasm / Parallelism)
• Joshua 3:1 - 5:1 - An Interactive Presentation of Thematic Symmetry (Chiasm / Parallelism)
• post #15
• post #16
• post #17
• post #18

For more explanation, see: About These Thematic Patterns

For more examples, see: Interactive Content