than merely count units. The most evident of these is seven—the number of completeness or perfection (compare Deut. 28:7, 25; Ps. 12:6; 119:164; Prov. 9:1; 24:16). In Revelation, there are seven churches, seven seals, seven trumpets, seven bowls, seven thunders, seven beatitudes, etc. Fractions like one-third and multiples of twelve (24, 144,000) are used in ways that transcend their value as mathematical units. Also, it seems unwise to press for literal interpretations of time periods in many cases.