# Patterns present in the Bible

For whatever reason, these [symbolic patterns](symbols.md) represent themselves across the entire [Bible](bible.md). This is only a sampling of likely *hundreds* of patterns.

This may or may not represent truth, but it *certainly* demonstrates consistency, especially when we consider that the Bible's books are spread across *thousands* of years.

While many of them may simply connect to [human universals](humanity-universals.md), many others are absolutely alien to almost any other [mythological pattern](stories-myths.md).

These patterns, very likely, were God's work in binding the entire [Bible](bible.md) together as a canon. It's reasonable to assume that any debates about non-canon or pseudo-canon books (e.g., Tobit) are caused by whether the people who canonize the Bible are observing particular patterns or not.

Absolutely *everything* in the Bible is centered on [God](god.md) in some way:

- In the Hebrew Scriptures, it's the God of Israel.
- In the New Testament, it's Jesus, who is represented as [God coming to earth and dying](jesus-gospel.md).

## Physical Representations

There are several numbers that represent themselves constantly throughout the Bible for certain uses:

- 1: unity, primacy, beginnings, and God's singular nature
- 2: duality, partnership, and balance
- 3: divine completeness, unity, resurrection, new beginnings
- 4: stability, foundation, order
- 5: grace, mercy, God's favor
- 6: imperfection, humanity
- 7: completeness, perfection, divine intervention
- 8: redemption, rebirth, resurrection
- 40: trial, hardship
- 1000: many, a multitude

Certain colors seem to represent constantly as well:

- Red: sacrifice
- White: purity

The East always seems to represent the direction where God and righteousness are.

Salt symbolizes an established [covenant](god-contracts.md) or sacrifice.

Both water and a tree represent life and are always implied to have an indefinite nature (either eternal life or eternal damnation).

The Old Testament has a continual "cosmic mountain" theme where the gods go to meet (the "high places"), and the New Testament makes the individual believer that cosmic mountain.

## Themes

There is a *constant* theme of exile present throughout everything, from fallen angels to fallen people.

- The exile theme is also closely followed by promises (and execution) of redemption, either by miracle or by [justice](morality-justice.md).

The last are often elevated to become the first.

There's a lot of waiting, which comes through God's timing more than anyone else's.

The future's ultimate reconciliation always points toward the [Day of the Lord](jesus-returns.md), as well as a convergence of [heaven and earth](https://theologos.site/millennium/).

## Repetitions

Within every domain, God seems to have a 3-step pattern:

1. Calling out
2. Electing
3. Separating

Further, the relationship between God and man seems to have the same pattern:

1. God offers an opportunity to the called, who [consent](people-contracts.md) to it without [bargaining](people-5_conflicts.md).
2. Of those called, the faithless are cast away from the faithful.
3. The faithful face abnormal resistance and opposition from more powerful forces around them.
4. At the last moment, the faithful are redeemed through a strange divine coincidence.

God's commands come with both blessings and curses associated with them (e.g., [Exodus 20](https://biblehub.com/exodus/20.htm), [Deuteronomy 27](https://biblehub.com/deuteronomy/27.htm))

Whenever someone receives God's blessing, others will want to join them (even when they're not part of that blessing or are following God).

All things great and small rise, have their glory, then fall.

- Babylon is shown as a growing empire, through Daniel's life, and its prophesied end.
- Jonah and Nahum show the rise and fall of Nineveh.