{"id":56447,"date":"2022-12-01T09:10:56","date_gmt":"2022-12-01T15:10:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=56447"},"modified":"2022-12-01T09:13:23","modified_gmt":"2022-12-01T15:13:23","slug":"symbolism-in-revelation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/symbolism-in-revelation\/","title":{"rendered":"Symbolism in Revelation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t

by Hugh DeLong<\/p>\n

As you are reading through Revelation, one of the things that should be abundantly evident is that the book is not about literal events. We see dragons with tails able to knock a third of the stars of heaven onto the earth (and yet the earth not only survives but is only partially destroyed). We see dragons and beasts, some with 7 heads. We see Jesus but he is a lamb with its throat cut riding on a white horse. We observe a bottomless pit and behold, it is ‘in the earth’. We know <\/b>that a bottomless pit would just open up “in China” and those thrown into it would just come out the other end.<\/p>\n

In chapter one John beheld Jesus holding seven stars in his right hand and standing in the middle of seven lampstands. We are then specifically told that the lampstands are <\/b>the churches and the stars are <\/b>the angels of the churches. What John saw <\/b>were lampstands and stars; What they signified <\/b>(stood for, meant, are) were angels and churches. What you see <\/b>in Revelation is not <\/b>simply to be understood literally but one must understand what is signified.<\/p>\n

Thus, John wrote concerning the things in this book that God “signified it by his angel unto his servant John<\/em>” (Revelation 1:1). The verb here (Greek: semaino<\/em>) appears six times in the New Testament and is translated as ‘signify’ all six times in the KJV. Strong’s defined it as “to give a sign, to signify, indicate. 2 to make known”. The noun form of the Greek is translated as “sign” 50 times, “miracle” 23 times, “wonder” three times, and “token” once. This then was the word used for the miracles that Jesus did — they were signs<\/strong>. They signified something about Jesus. They pointed to a truth about Jesus (that he was the Son of God – John 20:30-31). In Revelation, many of the things we see in these visions are signs that point to something. They are not literal.<\/p>\n

\"\"People seem to understand this — until <\/b>they want to make something literal. People see ‘harps’ and ‘clouds’ and take them as literal materialistic things. They see ‘times’ (1000 years, 3 1\/2 years, etc.) and want to make them literal years. They see dragons with stingers in their tails that hurt only ungodly people and want to make them ICB missile launchers (how is that <\/b>taking things literally?).<\/p>\n

The biggest problem for me is that with all this selective literalism, they make the book totally non-understandable to John and the Christians who were being persecuted in the first century. What would a war over oil in the Middle East mean to a suffering church in Ephesus? What would the destruction of a Chinese army mean to the Christians in Smyrna (who had never even heard of a place called China)?<\/p>\n

When the various beasts are understood to signify the instruments that Satan was using to bring persecution to the church of the first century, they would be comforted and strengthened in their faith to know that the church would be victorious in this struggle. Though our<\/strong>\u00a0enemies may be different now, the principle of our victory by remaining faithful to Jesus yet is applicable.<\/p>\n

John began this book: “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy, and heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near<\/em>” (Revelation 1:3).<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Hugh DeLong As you are reading through Revelation, one of the things that should be abundantly evident is that the book is not about literal events. We see dragons with tails able to knock a third of the stars of heaven onto the earth (and yet the earth not only survives but is only…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[211,102,210],"class_list":["post-56447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-figurative-language","tag-revelation","tag-symbolism"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":33333,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-dont-believe-apollyon-is-satan\/","url_meta":{"origin":56447,"position":0},"title":"I don’t believe Apollyon is Satan","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 15, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: In regards to Is Satan female? you said one of his names was Apollyon and cited Revelation 9:11. But read Revelation 9:1-11 and 20:1-2.\u00a0Apollyon binds Satan. Answer: \"They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in the Greek he\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":9897,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/who-are-the-two-witnesses-in-revelation\/","url_meta":{"origin":56447,"position":1},"title":"Who are the two witnesses in Revelation?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 24, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: In the book of Revelation, whom do you say the two witnesses are? I feel that they are Elijah and Enoch since neither of them died a physical death before being taken to heaven. Some are saying it is Moses; but I was of the opinion that mortal man\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":65303,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-revelation-of-jesus-christ\/","url_meta":{"origin":56447,"position":2},"title":"The Revelation of Jesus Christ","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"January 2, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton \"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants--things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John\" (Revelation 1:1 NKJV). Since this book is the Revelation of Jesus Christ, it seems clear\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18437,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-satan-be-bound-if-he-is-walking-about-like-a-roaring-lion\/","url_meta":{"origin":56447,"position":3},"title":"How can Satan be bound if he is walking about like a roaring lion?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 17, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Would you please assist me with a question about Revelation 20? I understand that Christ is now reigning and that when death is conquered at his second coming his reign will end. I know his reign is not a literal thousand years. But my question is: How is Satan\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":27201,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-can-you-teach-that-revelation-has-already-happened\/","url_meta":{"origin":56447,"position":4},"title":"How can you teach that Revelation has already happened?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 12, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I read\u00a0your article against Jack Van Impe. I am so amazed that you can teach that Revelation has already happened. Are you unable to read? John starts right out being told these visions are of what was, is, and is to come! But what I really want to know\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7929,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-do-people-call-satan-a-fallen-angel\/","url_meta":{"origin":56447,"position":5},"title":"Why do people call Satan a fallen angel?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 30, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Where in the Bible does the idea come that Satan is a fallen angel? It cannot be Isaiah 14:12 or Ezekiel 28:13-15; these refer to the kings of Babylon and Tyre. Doesn't the dragon in Revelation refer to the future? 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