The final sign in the series, as we might expect, brings us to the glorious conclusion of Christ’s work as the great Mediator between God and men. The eighth sign expresses in symbol the grand ingathering of the perfected ones at the commencement of the Millenium, and goes even beyond this to the end of the Kingdom Age when a perfected creation will provide a fit dwelling place for the glory of God upon the earth.
The closing words of the 20th chapter (verse 31) appear to conclude the Gospel of John. We must, therefore, understand the 21st chapter as a sort of epilogue to summarize the grand message of the book, and to provide us with a symbolic picture of that which the future will yet reveal.
The scene of the last sign is Galilee, or the Sea of Tiberias. Two Gospel writers record the instructions of Christ that the disciples should go there (Matthew 28:10; Mark 16:7), but it is John who records the eye-witness account of what occurred on that occasion. John begins the narrative by telling us, “He Manifested himself on this wise” (verse 1, R.V.). It is significant that the same word should be used in relation to the last sign as was used for the first, where we read at the beginning of the series: “This beginning of signs did Jesus in Cana of Galilee and Manifested Forth His Glory.” The word in both cases is “phaneroo”, meaning “to make visible, to manifest, or to make known.” It is quite remarkable that this key word should be associated with both the first and the last signs, thus neatly drawing together the entire series. What did the Lord Jesus really manifest? The Gospel of John reveals Him as the manifestation of the Father’s character, implanted in flesh. That which He truly manifested is revealed (John 17:6) in His prayer to the Father: “I have manifested thy Name.” That is to say, “I have brought it into the light and caused it to shine in itself, and to illuminate others by the very power of its meaning and manifestation.” In John 17:11 He pleads the cause of His household further: “Holy Father, keep them (the disciples) in the Name of thee” (Diag. lit. Gk.).
The angel who “proclaimed the Name of Yahweh” to Moses was a type of that which would later be revealed to men. For the Lord Jesus proclaimed, “Yahweh, Yahweh Ail, merciful and gracious, longsuffering and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty: visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the children’s children unto the third and to the fourth generation” (Exodus 34:6,7).
It is abundantly declared in this series of eight signs to Israel that Christ’s power and glory was in extreme contrast to the spiritual poverty of the nation. Thus the series showed Israel the steps to salvation upon which they would have to walk if they were to have hope of redemption. His purpose was also revealed in another Gospel book: “A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel (Luke 2:32).
John is the Gospel book of salvation, and among the prophets it would have no greater counterpart than Isaiah. It is interesting to compare certain words as they occur in the writings of the three major prophets. The words “save,” “saved,” “salvation” occur no less than forty-seven times in the prophecy of Isaiah, but only twenty times in Jeremiah, and seven times in Ezekiel. Yahweh is declared to be Israel’s “Savior” no less than eight times in the prophecy of Isaiah, but only once in Jeremiah, and not at all in Ezekiel. This beautifully establishes the book of Isaiah as the equivalent of the Gospel of John.
The message of eight signs had earlier been proclaimed by Isaiah, and this can perhaps best be summarized from chapter 51, verses 1 to 16. It is a prophecy addressed to “Ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek Yahweh (verse 1); “my people . . . my nation” (verse 4); “ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law” (verse 7). The nation was urged to “look unto Abraham” (verse 2). Only Abraham’s true children would do this, and of this category were the humble Galilean fishermen (cp. Acts 3:13). Abraham was called “alone” from the Gentiles, but Yahweh “increased” him, and the glorious increase was Christ and the children of the kingdom. Abraham was indeed a “rock”, and all those who inherit the kingdom will have been “hewn” from him. In verse 6 the nation was warned that the “heavens” shall vanish away like “smoke.” Christ’s saving power could not help them while the Jews clung to this Mosaic “heaven.”
The key words of verse 5 are powerful indeed: “My Righteousness is near; my Salvation is gone forth, and mine ARMS shall judge the people.” The Lord Jesus Christ was all of these things. He was the righteousness of Yahweh, the salvation of Yahweh, and the arms of Yahweh. Note again those favored ones to whom this prophecy is directed: “Ye that Follow After righteousness” (verse 1). This is a reference to those who, feeling the need for salvation, seek Yahweh in order to be covered by His mercy. Such were the disciples who heeded the eight signs of the Lord Jesus. Christ promised the reward to “Ye which have Followed me” (Matthew 19:28). Thus Isaiah wrote of the Glory of Yahweh Manifested for the purpose of Salvation, in the same way as did John many generations later.
Verse 2 of John 21 records that “seven” of the close disciples were with Christ for the unfolding of this final sign. Seven, being the perfect number, therefore symbolizes the spiritually perfected Israel, who will reign and dwell with Christ in the age to come. These seven also provide a symbol for “all the saints” in their dedication to a life of labor in the service of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Peter is the obvious leader. “I go a fishing” (verse 3) is his statement, leaving the others to follow if they will. “I will make you fishers of men” had been a promise of Christ to the disciples; and Peter became the leader of the “fishers.” Peter’s first great confession (Matthew 16:16-19) had gained him this distinction. It was firstly on the day of Pentecost, and secondly to the man Cornelius that the fishing began! It was at the beginning of Christ’s ministry (Matthew 4:19) that He had made this promise concerning their future labors, and at the end of Christ’s ministry it is again signified, but this time by sign. The apostles labored courageously in this work during their period of probation, and now their work is done, and they sleep, awaiting the coming of their Lord. In the meantime, as their followers (but not “successors”) in is our task to continue with the fishing, that a great “haul” might result eventually to the glory of Yahweh, the Creator (Jude 3; cp. 2nd Timothy 4:2).
The early efforts of the disciples proved fruitless. “That night they caught nothing” (John 21:3). There was a reason for this. They were fishing without divine help, and therefore their efforts were entirely of the flesh. It is impossible to bring forth fruit to the glory of Yahweh, either by personal character building or by gaining converts to the Truth, without the blessing and favor of Yahweh. Dawn broke, and they sighted a man at the water’s edge. They had labored through the night without results, and now they looked upon Him as He called them “children” (verse 5). The word is “paidion,” and is an affectionate term of endearment, signifying a young or little child. It is difficult to understand why the margin contains the alternative, “sirs.”
The Lord then sought an answer to a question: “Have ye any meat?” This is similar to a remark uttered earlier, when the fourth sign was being enacted. On that occasion He had suggested concerning the hungry multitude that the disciples “give them to eat” (Mark 6:37). They had the bread of life, the Lord Jesus Christ, which they could have given to the spiritually starving multitude. And in John 21 the question is repeated. It is important to realize that the faithful disciples were continually learning from these experiences, even if they did not appreciate them immediately. They cast their nets according to His instructions, and were not able to draw it “for the multitude of fishes.” Once again they were shown that with His power they were able to accomplish mighty works. This multitude is symbolic for those who should hear the Truth and eventually be drawn forth from the “sea of nations” to be numbered among the redeemed.
This takes us forward in time to the final perfection of the creation, for all the fishes which they landed were “great,” in contrast to the haul of fishes prophesied in the Master’s parable (Matthew 13:47-49) in which some fish were good but others bad, and the bad were cast away. The word “great” means just this, and an excellent illustration of its true meaning is given in Hebrews 10:21, although not shown in the A.V. “And having a GREAT high priest over the house of God” (R.V.) Thus, by Christ’s command, they obey a divine call to take up a divine work, and the result is staggering. Only the “good” will remain when the thousand years of Christ’s kingdom comes to the final climax. Upon arrival at the water’s edge, the disciples found that the Lord had prepared a meal. They became His guests. Peter was commanded to bring of the fish that they had caught (verses 10,11). Thus, with the combination of the Lord’s miraculous power and the labor of the disciples, their resources were combined, and the result was fellowship with one another.
The act of eating together is often used in the Scriptures as a symbol for sweet fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. “I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God” (Luke 22:16).
“And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me; That ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom . . . (Luke 22:29,30). “Blessed are those servants whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching: verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them” (Luke 12:37). Ezekiel in his glorious prophecies concerning the temple of the Kingdom Age, makes mention of the Eastern section of the temple, and states that “it is for the prince: the prince, he shall sit in it To Eat Bread before Yahweh . . . ” (Ezekiel 44:3). Yahweh calls us, as He called the nation of Israel, to fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ. For the true Israel this shall be accomplished through resurrection, and for the nation of Israel it will mean a national and spiritual raising up after two thousand years of death (Ezekiel 37:12-14; Jeremiah 31:10; Isaiah 27:12).
The word “dine” in John 21:12 is “aristao”, signifying the morning meal. This is contrasted with the evening meal, or supper (1st Corinthians 11:20). This will be the “morning without clouds,” of which David wrote so expressively near the end of his own life: “There shall be a ruler over mankind, a just one, ruling in the righteous precepts of Elohim. And as brightness of morning he shall rise, the sun of an unclouded dawn, shining forth after rain upon tender grass out of the earth” (2nd Samuel 23:3,4, Brother Thomas’ translation). Moffatt claims that these verses 1-7 form the conclusion to the second book of Samuel and do not correctly belong where they are placed in the A.V.
The “morning” is significant, because it is the time of the sun’s rising! Morning, on one occasion, was a most awe-inspiring day for the Israelites of old; for, having been taken out of Egypt, they were told that in the morning, then shall ye see the glory of Yahweh . . . And it came to pass, as Aaron spake unto the whole congregation of the children of Israel, that they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of Yahweh appeared in the cloud” (Exodus 16:7,10). Thus they shall see the glory and brightness of Yahweh, in a cloud of witnesses, when the Sun of Righteousness has risen upon them (Malachi 4:2). Every chosen one will be gathered; and like the great haul of fish in the disciples’ net, none will be lost (Amos 9:9). This will be the ingathering of Abraham’s seed: ” . . . Tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: so shall thy seed be” (Genesis 15:5); ” . . A great multitude, which no man could number (Revelation 7:9).
There remains the question of the number of fish which the disciples brought to land: one hundred and fifty-three (John 21:11)). Such an odd number appears quite pointless, and at first glance certainly does not fit in with any understanding we have of Bible numbers and their significance. However, the number of these fishes provides possibly the greatest highlight of all eight signs, for its meaning is profound indeed, and demonstrates the principle that nothing in Scripture can be taken lightly or treated with disrespect.
If a triangle is drawn of equal sides, and the number 51 placed against each side of the triangle, the numbers will be shown to total 153. Now look carefully at the number 51. Again we discover that it is a number which can only be divided by 3. Thus another triangle with three equal sides would give us the number 17 on the three sides of the triangle. The remarkable association of ideas does not end here, for if we take all numbers from 1 to 17 and add them, the total is 153. “Three” is the number of the Covenant, as we have seen in the first sign. “Three” speaks of the making of a Covenant through Sacrifice and Resurrection. The number “three” is further involved in God’s plan of salvation, in that Three covenants were nude between God and man: the Edenic, the Abrahamic, and the Davidic. There were also Three patriarchs of Israel, who received the covenants of promise: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
The number 17 in itself is not without significance. Seven is the number of perfection, often with particular emphasis upon the One Eternal Spirit. Ten is the number denoting fullness; thus seven plus ten signifies SPIRITUAL Perfection. The number 7 is also closely related to 17, in that 17 is the Seventh prime number: 1,3,5,7,11,13,17 (a prime number cannot be divided). The numerical value of the name “Simon” is 118; and the numerical value of “Jona” is 35. These two names thus total 153—and it was Simon Jona (Peter) who became the leader of the fishermen whose task it was to commence the mighty work of gathering in the seed of Abraham, for the glory of the kingdom to come. It is on this note that we conclude our study of the eight signs of the Lord Jesus Christ, given to the nation of Israel and to us through the Apostle John.
One final question may present itself: Why were eight signs given? Surely, it seems, seven would have been the more perfect number. The answer to this question, as with the others which we have considered in this study series, is profound indeed. Seven may well be the perfect number, but eight is the number which speaks to us of Cutting off the Flesh. This was first revealed in symbol in Yahweh’s covenant with Abraham, which specified that “he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man in your generation” (Genesis 17:12). Thus the token of the covenant pointed forward to the time when All Flesh shall be Cut off. This will take place on the “eighth day.” In the purpose of God, there are to be six thousand year days of Adamic life; the seventh is to usher in the one thousand year “Rest” or Sabbath of Christ’s reign. Then, ultimately, at the end of this seventh day will come the eighth, the time for finally cutting off all flesh, and the formation of a perfected, immortalized creation. As the number seven denotes a complete time cycle, eight therefore indicates A New Beginning. It was on the eighth day that Christ rose from the dead, and it will be on the eighth day that Yahweh’s creation will attain to perfect union with Him. Thus, eight signs take us through eight stages in the development of Yahweh’s purpose through the Lord Jesus Christ. We are taken from an initial introduction to His work, through to the final ingathering at the end of the Millenium, when His work will be finished. “Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, until he hath put all enemies under his feet . . . That God may be all in all” (1st Corinthians 15: 24,25;28).
The Aims of this Signs to Israel: To show that only Messiah can unite them with God through the covenants of promise, and raise them to eternal life in the Kingdom of God.
The Aim of this Sign to us:: To show that Christ will bless us and increase our labors, both now and in the future age.
By linking together the meanings of the signs to Israel, it will be seen that they contain the full Gospel Message.
By similarly joining the meanings as they apply personally to us, we are able to see a gradation of all our labors in the Truth, from the very beginning of our service until the establishment of the kingdom.
May Yahweh richly Bless us, that we might receive his word, as revealed in signs through his righteous son, thereby bringing forth much fruit to the glory of His Name.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One