Chapter 13 – The Language of Symbols

God often had his prophets write down his messages and prophecies using hyperbole, symbolism, and cosmic imagery. Many times they used a literary technique called “apocalyptic language,” which portrayed ancient empire conflicts in dramatic cosmic language.

In order to understand the book of Revelation, one must realize that the author, John, utilized this Old Testament prophet style of writing to convey the dangerous message of the destruction of Jerusalem in the book of Revelation. Cloaking the message with both apocalyptic language and symbolism may very well have been ordained by God in order to get it out safely to warn believers of the soon to come destruction. God “signified,” or used signs and symbols, to convey the message of Revelation to John, who wrote it down. This is noted in the very first verse of the book:

Revelation 1:1 (BLB) The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants what things it behooves to take place in quickness. And He signified it through having sent His angel to His servant, John

When Stars Dissolve

Old Testament prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel, Amos, Joel, and others used spectacular end-of-world cosmic imagery to describe the destruction of a nation, empire, or kingdom (Isaiah 13:10,13; 34:3-5,9-10; Ezekiel 32:7-8; Amos 5:18-22; 8:9; Joel 2:1-5,10). Just one of the many examples of the use of cosmic imagery is found in Isaiah chapter 34, when the prophet wrote about the destruction of Edom that came to pass in the sixth century BCE.

Isaiah 34:3-5 (BSB) Their slain will be left unburied, and the stench of their corpses will rise; the mountains will flow with their blood. All the stars of heaven will be dissolved. The skies will be rolled up like a scroll, and all their stars will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like foliage from the fig tree. When My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens, then it will come down upon Edom, upon the people I have devoted to destruction.

The above language should be understood metaphorically and represents the dramatic experience of a nation being destroyed. Although the “stars of heaven” were not literally “dissolved” when Edom was destroyed (Malachi 1:1-5) and the “skies” were not literally “rolled up like a scroll,” from Edom’s perspective, it was “lights out.”¹ The metaphorical nature of the passage becomes even more apparent in the verses that follow, where the land is described as burning pitch yet simultaneously a habitat for desert animals:

Isaiah 34:9-11,14 (WEB) Its streams will be turned into pitch, its dust into sulfur, And its land will become burning pitch. 10 It won’t be quenched night or day. Its smoke will go up forever. From generation to generation, it will lie waste. No one will pass through it forever and ever. 11 But the pelican and the porcupine will possess it. The owl and the raven will dwell in it…

14 The wild animals of the desert will meet with the wolves, and the wild goat will cry to his fellow. Yes, the night creature shall settle there, and shall find herself a place of rest.

Old Testament prophet Ezekiel wrote in a similar fashion, describing the conquering of Egypt by Babylon in 568 BC.

Ezekiel 32:1-2,7-8 (WEB) “Yahweh’s word came to me, saying, ‘Son of man, take up a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt, and tell him…

7 When I extinguish you, I will cover the heavens and make its stars dark. I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon won’t give its light. I will make all the bright lights of the sky dark over you, and set darkness on your land,” says the Lord Yahweh.

Another example of apocalyptic language can be found when Isaiah describes the complete destruction of Babylon in 539 BC. by the king of the Medes, Cyrus the Great.

Isaiah 13:1,10,13,17,19 (WEB) The burden of Babylon…

10 For the stars of the sky and its constellations will not give their light. The sun will be darkened in its going out, and the moon will not cause its light to shine.…

13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken out of its place in Yahweh of Armies’ wrath, and in the day of his fierce anger…

17 Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them…

19 Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldeans’ pride, will be like when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. 20 It will never be inhabited, neither will it be lived in from generation to generation.

In like manner, John, who was familiar with the writings of the prophets, signified the message using apocalyptic end-of-the-world cosmic imagery to describe the destruction of Jerusalem in the book of Revelation.

Revelation 6:13-14 (WEB) The stars of the sky fell to the earth, like a fig tree dropping its unripe figs when it is shaken by a great wind. 14 The sky was removed like a scroll when it is rolled up. Every mountain and island was moved out of its place.

Revelation was written using the same literary style as the Old Testament prophets and must be interpreted accordingly.

The Symbols of Revelation

In keeping with Revelation’s literary style, the beasts, witnesses, and a prostitute contained in its pages symbolized beastly or unfaithful kingdoms, individuals, and themes with which first century Christians would have been familiar.

In the vision, the angel told John to interpret the seven heads of the sea beast as “seven kings” and “seven hills.” This is a clear indication that “the beast” was a symbol for evil kings and kingdoms and not a literal creature.

Revelation 17:9-10 (WEB) Here is the mind that has wisdom. The seven heads [of the sea beast] are seven mountains on which the woman sits. 10 They are seven kings. Five have fallen, the one is, the other has not yet come. When he comes, he must continue a little while.

Identifying the Characters

Revelation was written to first century Christians concerning events that were about to take place. The reader must put themselves into the shoes of Revelation’s audience to interpret the symbols from their perspective. Fortunately, the events and characters of the first century were so spectacular that it is hard to deny they were the fulfillment of Revelation’s prophecies. However, there are different theories as to the exact interpretation of the symbols involved in this period of history.

Avid Bible researchers actively debate the identities of the symbols of Revelation, bringing evidence to support their views. Discussions on this topic continue through end times blogs, Facebook groups, and books with different interpretations of the symbology. The land beast is one hotly debated topic (see “Chapter 17 – The Land Beast”). While Daniel Morais believes that the identity of both the land and sea beast are connected to first century Rome, Kurt M. Simmon² and David Chilton³ make a strong case that the land beast was a first century Jewish entity. Adam Maarschalk argues both the land and sea beast were Jewish entities.⁴ While alternate theories may prove true and bring a satisfying explanation to Revelation’s mysteries, the most compelling and comprehensive view is based on Daniel Morais’ work and will be presented here.

The Bible helps the reader interpret symbols by giving many clues about the characters; in fact, sometimes it even identifies them. The dragon is the best example of this:

Revelation 12:9 (WEB) The great dragon was thrown down, the old serpent, he who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

John clearly identified the dragon as Satan. With the Bible helping to interpret these symbols, the following chapters will identify the characters below:

1. The prostitute was the great city where the Lord was crucified, or Jerusalem (Revelation 11:8; 17:18).

2. The sea beast was an archetype of the general conquerors of God’s people whom saints should avoid (Revelation 17:8).

3. In the first century, Rome and its Caesars were the seven heads (Revelation 17:9-10).

4. The eighth king of the sea beast was Titus, who later became the eighth Caesar (Revelation 17:11).

5. The two witnesses likely represented the spirits or manner of two prominent prophets sharing the body of Jesus ben Ananus (Revelation 11:8 [BLB]).

6. Apollyon, leader of the locust armies, was represented by the eighth Caesar Titus (Revelation 9:1-2; 11:7; 17:8; 17:11).

7. The ten horns of the sea beast (Revelation 13:1) were ten Jewish generals (Revelation 17:12).

8. The two horns of the land beast were Vespasian and Titus, who both resurrected out of the severed head of the sea beast, or Nero (Revelation 13:11).Vespasian was also the False Prophet (Revelation 16:13; 19:20; 20:10) and false Messiah, the lamb that spoke like a dragon (Revelation 13:11).

The following research is based primarily on some of the thorough and intriguing work of Daniel Morais at https://revelationrevolution.org and contributions from other perceptive researchers.

Footnotes