Hidden in John 7 are a couple of parables. One is a parable of the 7 year tribulation and another is a parable of God's 7000 year plan. I'm sure that there are others that I do not see but I will focus on the hidden nature of God's 7000 year plan that is shown in John 7.
Joh 7:2 Now the feast of the Jews, the feast of tabernacles, was at hand.
The feast of tabernacles is a 7 day feast (Lev 23:42). Here hidden is the telling of the God's 7000 year plan for mankind.
2Pe 3:8 But forget not this one thing, beloved, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
Joh 7:3 His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may behold thy works which thou doest.
Joh 7:4 For no man doeth anything in secret, and himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou doest these things, manifest thyself to the world.
Joh 7:5 For even his brethren did not believe on him.
Joh 7:6 Jesus therefore saith unto them, My time is not yet come; but your time is always ready.
Joh 7:7 The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that its works are evil.
Joh 7:8 Go ye up unto the feast: I go not up unto this feast; because my time is not yet fulfilled.
Joh 7:9 And having said these things unto them, he abode still in Galilee.
Joh 7:10 But when his brethren were gone up unto the feast, then went he also up, not publicly, but as it were in secret.
*This is an extremely insightful verse. In this verse, John is saying that after Jesus' brethren went up to the seven day feast, He also went up although secretly. We find out in verse 14 that Jesus comes out publicly during the 'midst' or middle of the feast. So Jesus was there for most if not all the 7 day feast but He was concealed.
Seen as a bigger picture, God has a seven thousand year plan (feast) for mankind layed out in the bible. Jesus shows up in the flesh in the New Testament between years 3000-4000 (although probably closer to year 4000). Nevertheless, Jesus appears in the midst of God's 7000 year feast.
And it follows that Jesus is also at the feast in the Old Testament but he is hidden or secret. And while most bible believing folks could spot Him in a few areas of the OT, I believe that He is practically everywhere. But God has gone to great lengths to conceal Him, but He appears in type, shadows , parables and other forms also. Some examples that I've seen recently are Proverbs 9, Genesis 26 and Genesis 29.
Joh 7:11 The Jews therefore sought him at the feast, and said, Where is he?
Joh 7:12 And there was much murmuring among the multitudes concerning him: some said, He is a good man; others said, Not so, but he leadeth the multitude astray.
Joh 7:13 Yet no man spake openly of him for fear of the Jews.
Joh 7:14 But when it was now the midst of the feast Jesus went up into the temple, and taught.
Here we see Jesus appearing in the midst of God's 7000 year plan. This represents the first coming of Christ.
Joh 7:15 The Jews therefore marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?
Joh 7:16 Jesus therefore answered them and said, My teaching is not mine, but his that sent me.
Joh 7:17 If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from myself.
Joh 7:18 He that speaketh from himself seeketh his own glory: but he that seeketh the glory of him that sent him, the same is true, and no unrighteousness is in him.
Joh 7:19 Did not Moses give you the law, and yet none of you doeth the law? Why seek ye to kill me?
Joh 7:20 The multitude answered, Thou hast a demon: who seeketh to kill thee?
Joh 7:21 Jesus answered and said unto them, I did one work, and ye all marvel because thereof.
Joh 7:22 Moses hath given you circumcision (not that it is of Moses, but of the fathers); and on the sabbath ye circumcise a man.
Joh 7:23 If a man receiveth circumcision on the sabbath, that the law of Moses may not be broken; are ye wroth with me, because I made a man every whit whole on the sabbath?
Joh 7:24 Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
Joh 7:25 Some therefore of them of Jerusalem said, Is not this he whom they seek to kill?
Joh 7:26 And lo, he speaketh openly, and they say nothing unto him. Can it be that the rulers indeed know that this is the Christ?
Joh 7:27 Howbeit we know this man whence he is: but when the Christ cometh, no one knoweth whence he is.
Joh 7:28 Jesus therefore cried in the temple, teaching and saying, Ye both know me, and know whence I am; and I am not come of myself, but he that sent me is true, whom ye know not.
Joh 7:29 I know him; because I am from him, and he sent me.
Joh 7:30 They sought therefore to take him: and no man laid his hand on him, because his hour was not yet come.
Joh 7:31 But of the multitude many believed on him; and they said, When the Christ shall come, will he do more signs than those which this man hath done?
Joh 7:32 The Pharisees heard the multitude murmuring these things concerning him; and the chief priests and the Pharisees sent officers to take him.
Joh 7:33 Jesus therefore said, Yet a little while am I with you, and I go unto him that sent me.
Joh 7:34 Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, ye cannot come.
Jesus prophesies his death and that He is be going unto his Father. He says this during the 'midst' of the feast. Which represents His first coming.
Joh 7:35 The Jews therefore said among themselves, Whither will this man go that we shall not find him? will he go unto the Dispersion among the Greeks, and teach the Greeks?
The Jews then prophesy without even realizing it. They ask 'wll he go unto....the Greeks (or Gentiles) and teach the Greeks?'. And of course this is exactly what Jesus did (after His death) through the Spirit via His disciples.
Joh 7:36 What is this word that he said, Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me; and where I am, ye cannot come?
Jesus does not appear again until the seventh day of the feast which occurs in the next verse.
Joh 7:37 Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.
Here the last day of the feast, Jesus 'stood'. This represents his Second Coming.
Joh 7:38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, from within him shall flow rivers of living water.
Notice that Jesus makes a point of saying 'he that believeth on me, AS THE SCRIPTURE HATH SAID' indicating that His goal was to point back to the Word. I think one of His points in saying this is that by the time of his Second Coming, the "Jesus" which is taught in church will be MUCH different than the Jesus of scripture. And many will be led astray or deceived. Yes they will know of Jesus, but just not the one of the Word. This is occuring today.
Joh 7:39 But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believed on him were to receive: for the Spirit was not yet given; because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Joh 7:40 Some of the multitude therefore, when they heard these words, said, This is of a truth the prophet.
Joh 7:41 Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, What, doth the Christ come out of Galilee?
Joh 7:42 Hath not the scripture said that the Christ cometh of the seed of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?
Joh 7:43 So there arose a division in the multitude because of him.
Joh 7:44 And some of them would have taken him; but no man laid hands on him.
Joh 7:45 The officers therefore came to the chief priests and Pharisees; and they said unto them, Why did ye not bring him?
Joh 7:46 The officers answered, Never man so spake.
Joh 7:47 The Pharisees therefore answered them, Are ye also led astray?
Joh 7:48 Hath any of the rulers believed on him, or of the Pharisees?
Joh 7:49 But this multitude that knoweth not the law are accursed.
Joh 7:50 Nicodemus saith unto them (he that came to him before, being one of them),
Joh 7:51 Doth our law judge a man, except it first hear from himself and know what he doeth?
Joh 7:52 They answered and said unto him, Art thou also of Galilee? Search, and see that out of Galilee ariseth no prophet.
Jesus was from Galilee, but unknown to them was that He was born in Bethlehem.
Hos 4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee...
I wonder if this is a picture of the multitude in the 'valley of decision' from Joel 3:14. Some believe, some do not. Those that 'dwell on the earth' versus those that 'dwell in the heavens'.
Sadly, most of the religious leaders won't believe in Him during His second coming any more that the Jewish religious leaders did during His first coming.
Joh 7:53 [And they went every man unto his own house:
Joh 8:1 but Jesus went unto the mount of Olives.
And just in case you weren't sure, it mentions this throw away verse..."but Jesus went unto the mount of Olives". Or is it? Does it refer to anything related to Jesus' Second Coming?
What about this verse?
Zec 14:4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east; and the mount of Olives shall be cleft in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
This occurs during "a day of the Lord" (Zec 14:1) when the Lord shall " go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle." (Zec 14:3)
Which occurs during the Second Coming...