Revelation Decoded - Daniel’s Beasts, and the Apocalypse Deciphered (Part 2)

The Book of Revelation

The Book of Revelation was written in 64 AD by the Apostle John. It was clearly addressed to the seven churches in Asia, but was nonetheless relevant to all Christians of that time. The Book of Revelation is still relevant today, as it is iterative, applying to more than one time. It is foremost a book about the final end time, but firstly, a book about end times. The writing contains three iterations of similar events which either implies a total of three iterations of Revelation, or, since ‘three’ is historically a number of strength, may simply imply that there are to be multiple iterations before the final end.

The third verse of the first chapter is enough to indicate that the Book of Revelation was meant to be at least partly understood by the Christians at the time of writing: “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” As well, the tenth verse of the twenty-second chapter, “And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.”

The manner in which the Apostle John shows the prophecy to be iterative, is by repeating certain sections three times. There are three sections speaking of forty-two months of persecution, and there are three sections speaking of seven plagues of God’s judgment. The Seven Seals, Seven Trumpets, and Seven Vials are all symbolic descriptions of the same events – this will be explained later, but as a simple example, notice that the sixth seal and the sixth trumpet both speak of four angels, the sixth seal and sixth vial both speak of the east, and the sixth trumpet and the sixth vial both speak of the Euphrates.

[Side note: A simple Biblical example of ‘three’ indicating strength is seen with Peter’s denial of knowing Christ three times, and then following the Resurrection, Christ asking Peter three times if he loves him, and then telling him to feed his sheep.]

The Book of Revelation is plainly written in symbolic language, and verses such as 1:20, 15:1, 17:9-12, and 17:15, are examples that indicate the imagery is not to be taken literally.

Three reasons for the Book of Revelation being written in symbolism:

1. So that the prophecy could apply to more than one era, and to more than one instance

2. In order to be able to harken back to previous symbolism or events

3. In order to avoid Roman censorship

To have a clear understanding of the Book of Revelation, it is helpful to first break down the symbolism of some of the main characters, and themes.

Satan, in Revelation, represents Roman persecution, for example, in verses 2:10, 2:13, 12:4, and 12:17.

The beast in the Book of Revelation is clearly based off of the beasts in the Book of Daniel, with the fourth beast in the Book of Daniel representing the Roman Empire. The beast of Revelation is the fourth beast of the Book of Daniel, combined with the description of the other beasts. (Rome, in a sense, was built on the previous three empires, and the Book of Daniel states that the fourth beast subdued the other beasts.) Instead of using Daniel’s description of the ten horns, the Apostle John uses seven heads to represent the current Caesars, and uses the ten horns to represent later rulers of Rome. The Apostle John says that the seven heads represent seven kings: “And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space.”

The first ‘king’ was Julius Caesar, the sixth and the current one of that time was Nero, and the seventh that “must continue a short space”, meaning that he would not last long, was Galba, who lasted seven months, and seven days.

In current times, although Julius Caesar is not considered to have been a proper emperor, back then he would have been considered to be the first ruler of the Roman Empire.

The reason for the current head (Nero) being wounded, was because of the fire of Rome. “And I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.” Many people at the time thought that Rome would fall, but instead it was rebuilt – hence a deadly wound that was healed. The beast’s “war with the saints” represents Nero’s persecution of Christians. The three iterations of the forty-two months primarily refer to Nero’s persecution of Christians after the fire of Rome, and will be extrapolated on in due course.

The beast with horns of a lamb and the voice of a dragon, also called the “false prophet”, represents leaders of the Church who told Christians to openly renounce their faith to avoid persecution. “Lamb” is a symbol of Christianity, and “Horns” are a symbol of authority. “False prophet” is a term often used in the Old Testament when speaking of corrupt spiritual leaders of Israel, and similarly found in Second Corinthians, chapter eleven, verses thirteen through fifteen, when speaking of false apostles. The false prophet of the Book of Revelation does not represent any one person, but rather any person who intentionally leads Christians astray and complies with the will of the beast (see also 1 John 1:18-19). The reason for the beast like a lamb having the voice of the dragon (Satan), partly relates to the threat of persecution being the inciting force for doing the will of the beast. The false prophet, as it is connected to the Church, can also be shown another way: In the Old Testament, the “Sea” is often used to represent gentile nations, whereas in contrast, the “Earth” is used to represent the faithful of Israel. Notice here that the beast with seven heads rises out of the sea, but the beast with two horns like a lamb comes out of the earth.

The passage describing the beast with horns like a lamb pertains also to the mark of the beast, as the beast with horns like a lamb causes people to receive the mark. 666 represents a trinity of man, since 6 is the Biblical number of man. 666 is a summation of baseness – man trying to replace God. Receiving the mark represents wilfully complying with evil. In the textual context for that time, it meant renouncing Christ and sacrificing to Roman gods on behalf of Nero, as per Nero’s order at that time. The reason for receiving the mark in the right hand or the forehead, is similar to the inverse scenario of the binding of the Shemah, with the hand or wrist representing ‘actions’, and the forehead representing the ‘mind’. The mark can further be revealed as being symbolic for a spiritual mark because in contrast, the following passage speaks of Christ standing on mount Sion with a hundred and forty-four thousand who have God’s name written in their foreheads – again, this obviously does not indicate having symbols literally branded into their skin.

The harlot that sits on the beast is symbolic of the Roman Empire in decline. The imagery of a harlot is used in the Old Testament to refer to a nation that is in spiritual decline, and often prior to it being conquered by another nation (for example, in Isaiah chapters 1 and 23, Ezekiel 16, and Jeremiah chapters 3 and 5). The use of the imagery of a harlot in Revelation is for that very same reason, as it speaks of the debauchery and collapse of pagan Rome in the third century. The harlot is also described with the word “Mystery”, and ‘mystery’ in the Bible is a word used to describe something that has not previously been revealed (see 1 Corinthians 15:51); hence, further showing that the Apostle John is speaking about a future event, and not a current one. As well, the ten kings within that passage are said to be “future kings that have not ruled yet”, also showing the “harlot” to refer to the events of the third century, and not those of the first century.

Another way to show that the harlot is the same character as the beast of Rome is with verse fifteen of chapter seventeen, which says, “And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” This description is also seen in verse seven of chapter thirteen, with regard to the beast, “...over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.” The harlot is said to be the “great city”, and elsewhere, the ‘great city’ is shown to represent the Roman Empire. The ten horns of the beast that hate the whore are the emperors during the crisis of the third century, as adding co-rulers together, there were only ten rulers during that time, Maximinus to Quintillus. ‘Ten’ is also a number of fullness, as with the ten plagues on Egypt, and the Ten Commandments.

The three iterations of the seven plagues refer to events of the third century, during which, among other things, Goths, Germanic, and other barbarians invaded; the plague of Cyprian arose; whole cities were demolished by earthquakes (during the reign of Gordian III); and the rise of the Persian Empire (the Sassanian Dynasty) forced Rome to make the Euphrates their new frontier. The plagues are said to be poured out on Babylon (Revelation 18:4), thereby connecting them to the “harlot”, which therefore shows that these are plagues that happened during Rome’s decline. For further continuity, both the seven trumpets and seven vials are referred to as “plagues” (Revelation 9:18, 9:20, 15:1, and 15:8). Also, the seventh trumpet is said to bring in the end of the prophecy (Revelation 10:7), and the seven vials are said to be the last plagues (Revelation 15:1), thereby showing that they are speaking of the same event.

Following the Crisis of the Third Century, the beast of seven heads is echoed again starting with Aurelian, and ending with Constantius I. Aurelian was similar to Julius Caesar in that he reestablished Rome as a result of military victories. Because they co-ruled, the reigns of Carus, Carinus, and Numerian would be counted together as the fifth head, and so the sixth head was therefore, Diocletian. Diocletian’s persecution of Christians was even more extreme than Nero’s persecution, and the greatest of any of the Roman persecutions of Christians. Constantius’s rule only lasted a year, which was a short rule compared to his predecessor, and so again, this fits with, “he must continue a short space.”

This echoing of the beast is why in verse seven of chapter eleven, it says, “...the beast that ascendeth out of the abyss”; ‘abyss’ being a word used to describe when something is locked out of time, that is, unable to affect the physical world. For example, if fascism was crushed in an area, but then reappeared much later in a similar vein, one could say that it ‘arose from the abyss’. In other words, it was like ‘dead’ (trapped outside the world), but came back into the world.

Other than in the Book of Revelation, the Greek word for ‘abyss’ is only used twice in the New Testament. One is in the Book of Luke, chapter eight, verse thirty-one, in which the demons Christ had cast out of a possessed man beg Christ not to command them into the abyss. If one reasons that demons’ spiritual abode is already hell, then it would not make sense that the demons would ask Christ not to command them into a place they already were. The demons were allowed by Christ to enter a herd of swine, hence, allowed to be active in the world. Based on the Book of Luke, chapter eleven, verses twenty-four to twenty-six, it would appear that the Biblical idea of a demon leaving someone does not mean that they cannot reenter the world, but rather, that for the time being, they have no way to affect it from the inside. The “abyss” represents the idea of not being present in the activities of the world.

Although “abyss” is used once in the Book of Romans (10:7) to vaguely describe a place after death, it is not used to describe hell, or heaven, nor is it the typical word used for the dead (‘nekros’); rather, it is used to describe a place of separation and/or inaccessibility. Also, two verses later when actually speaking of Christ being raised from the dead, ‘abyss’ is not mentioned, but only the phrase “ek nekrōn” is used, which roughly means, ‘out from the dead’.

The aspect of the beast of seven heads not being in existence for a while is also seen in chapter seventeen, verse eight: “The beast that thou sawest was, and is not, and shall ascend out of the abyss, and go into perdition...” This verse is within the context of the Apostle John’s vision of the harlot sitting on the beast, so although during the writing of this prophecy the beast of seven heads was present, in the context of the seven plagues, it would not have been. The beast “was” (meaning the time from Julius to Galba), “is not” (meaning the downfall of Rome – the Crisis of the Third Century), “shall ascend” (meaning starting from the time of Aurelian), and “go into perdition” (meaning the end of pagan Rome).

The first and second resurrection refer to times of revival for the Church after the end of persecutions. The first resurrection is in regards to the revival of the Church after the death of Nero, and the second resurrection speaks to the Christianization of the Roman Empire, starting with the reign of Constantine. (At that time, the prophecy could additionally also have been viewed as referring to the martyrs’ new life in heaven. Keep in mind that this is the fulfillment only of the first iteration, and at the final (third) iteration that is yet to come, the resurrection will be more than symbolic.)

[Sidenote: This is not to say that Constantine was responsible for the Christianization of the Empire, rather, only that it began during his rule.]

This is why Satan is bound for a thousand years in the abyss, as after Nero’s death there were long periods in which the Church flourished. A thousand years is not meant to be taken literally since elsewhere in the Bible a thousand years is simply used to represent a long time (2 Peter 3:8, Ecclesiastes 6:6).

Satan being released for a short season before being cast into the lake of fire, is symbolic of the persecution under Diocletian before Rome’s Christianization under Constantine.

Seven Plagues – The Crisis of the Third Century

The three iterations of seven plagues, like the three iterations of the forty-two months, were written separately for the sake of showing the iterative aspect. However, it is valuable to show a side by side comparison of them in order to have a more complete perspective. That will be done here:

First Plague

First seal – Revelation 6:1-2

“And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard, as it were the noise of thunder, one of the four beasts saying, Come and see. And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.”

First trumpet – Revelation 8:7

“The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.”

First vial – Revelation 16:2

“And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noisome and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image.”

The first trumpet and first vial are symbolism for God’s wrath. The first trumpet contains symbolism very similar to Old Testament symbolism for God’s judgment on a nation.

The first seal, however, has a white horse, and though it shows the beginning of judgment (“went forth conquering”), it lacks the destructive symbolism of the other two. ‘White’ has historically been a color for peace, so this horse represents the beginning before the collapse of Rome into the Crisis of the Third Century, as the reign of Alexander Severus was a time of peace for Christians in the Roman Empire. Alexander Severus was extremely tolerant of Christians, going so far as to study Christian doctrines. His death, however, led to the Crisis of the Third Century.

Second Plague

Second seal – Revelation 6:3-4

“And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.”

Second trumpet – Revelation 8:8-9

“And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.”

Second vial – Revelation 16:3

“And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea.”

The second seal shows the turmoil that both started with, and continued through the Crisis of the Third Century; the killing of one another, and a constant struggle for the throne. Assassinations, usurpers, and warring within the Empire was rampant; 238 AD, for example, is known as the ‘Year of the Six Emperors’.

The second trumpet is very similar to symbolism found in the Book of Jeremiah, in which Babylon is called a “destroying mountain”, and which God says he will make “a burnt mountain”.

The second vial again shows God’s wrath on the pagan nation, showing that it would affect the entire Empire.

Third Plague

Third seal – Revelation 6:5-6

“And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine.”

Third trumpet – Revelation 8:10-11

“And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.”

Third vial – Revelation 16:4-7

“And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard another out of the altar say, Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments.”

The third seal is a reference to scarcity: Shortly before his death, Philip the Arab faced having to debase the anoninianus (the coin which replaced the denarius within the third century) due to rioting in Egypt which caused wheat supplies to be heavily disrupted.

The third trumpet refers to the death of Phillip the Arab. A “star” in the Bible is symbolic of a leader and/or leadership (Daniel 12:3, 2 Peter 1:19, Isaiah 14:12, Mark 13:25), and is often used in regards to a good leader, but the imagery of a star falling was also used for the imminent destruction of the king of Babylon. Philip the Arab would have been seen as a ‘star’ for two reasons: 1. His reign was relativity stable, unlike most during that time, 2. He was kind to Christians, to the point that late third and early fourth century records would state that he was the first Christian emperor. ‘Stars falling’ has to do with the death of people (Daniel 8:10, Revelation 12:4). Philip the Arab’s death led to Decius taking the throne, and one of Decius’s first actions was to make an edict ordering that everyone in the empire had to sacrifice to the Roman gods, and sacrifice on behalf of him, and they were required to have proof of having done so in the form of a certificate signed and witnessed by a Roman magistrate. (This is another example of the ‘mark of the beast’; not the physical certificate, but the action itself. As an aside, Decius’s persecution would lay the groundwork for the persecution under Diocletian.) “Wormwood” is used throughout the Old Testament as a metaphor for the repugnance and bitterness of sin, and so the waters turning to wormwood represented the mass idolatry of that time.

The third vial is symbolism for punishment. Notice that afterwards, it mentions the persecution of saints and prophets which is in reference to the Decian persecution.

Fourth Plague

Fourth seal – Revelation 6:7-8

“And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”

Fourth trumpet – Revelation 8:12-13

“And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!”

Fourth vial – Revelation 16:8-9

“And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blasphemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues: and they repented not to give him glory.”

The symbolism here is typical of Old Testament symbolism for God’s wrath, but also of New Testament symbolism. Both the fourth trumpet and fourth vial speak of the sun being affected. In reality, the sun affects all people (“...He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good...” Matthew 5:45) so this is symbolism for something that would affect both pagan Romans and Christians alike, most likely the Plague of Cyprian which ravaged and caused death all across the Roman Empire. The plague was even blamed on the Christians, which fits with “blasphemed the name of God”.

Fifth Plague

Fifth seal – Revelation 6:9-11

“And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled.”

Fifth trumpet – Revelation 9:1-12

“And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.”

Fifth vial – Revelation 16:10-11

“And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, And blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds.”

The fifth seal speaks of those slain during the Decian persecution.

The fifth trumpet refers to an incursion by Shapur I and the Sassanian Empire, likely being one of his shorter and somewhat more unsuccessful invasions during 250 or 251 AD, as it has the timeline of five months. The passage opens with the Apostle John beholding a star that “had fallen” – the Greek word used here for ‘fall’ is not the same as what was used in the third trumpet, but has to do with a star that has already fallen, rather than one that is falling. The Greek word thus shows that the fifth trumpet is speaking of the same ‘star’ as the “star” of the third trumpet, not the fall of a new one. Philip the Arab had made a peace deal with Shapur I, and even though he broke it afterwards, it was not until after Philip the Arab had died that Shapur I ventured into Roman territory; hence, why it is the “fallen star” who releases the “locusts”. The reason the army of ‘locusts’ come out of the abyss or “bottomless pit” is because the Sassanian Empire was the reappearing of the Persian Empire. That reemergence also explains why the Apostle John would use direct quotes from the Book of Joel while describing the locust creatures, as the Persian Empire was an empire of the Old Testament. (“Locusts”, in the book of Joel, were used to describe the army of a nation which God was going to send against the children of Israel if they did not repent.) The symbolism of locusts is very fitting, as Shapur was more interested in pillaging than maintaining the land, hence like locusts leaving devastation in their wake. The mention of not hurting those who have the seal of God refers to the fact that Shapur was extremely tolerant of Christians and Jews. The part about ‘not killing’ but only ‘tormenting’, is because unlike Shapur’s later invasions, with this incursion and earlier ones, he was driven back, thus not killing in the sense of overcoming the Empire (creating a ‘death’ to Rome), but rather stinging like a scorpion.

The fifth vial references the same event as above. The “kingdom was full of darkness” harkens back to the plague of locusts in Egypt in the Book of Exodus, as it is said of them, “For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened;”. The “seat of the beast” is mentioned because it directly affected Rome’s power and reach.

Sixth Plague

Sixth seal – Revelation 6:12-17, 7:1-3

"And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?

And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.”

Sixth trumpet – Revelation 9:13-21

“And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.”

Sixth vial – Revelation 16:12-16

“And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.”

The first part of the sixth seal is comparable to imagery throughout the Old Testament for God’s anger and judgment, and one such example is found in the first few verses of Isaiah 34 (verses 1-5). The mention of ‘east’ is notable since much of the first part of this plague regards Shapur’s victories over the Roman Empire, and the Persian Empire was from the east.

The sixth trumpet uses imagery similar to the fifth trumpet, but these warriors are to slay men, not simply torment them, and rather than just having the teeth of lions, they have the heads of lions – not merely going to war, but to victory.

The mention of the Euphrates in the sixth trumpet, and especially in that of the sixth vial, is an allusion to the Book of Jeremiah, chapter fifty, where God is speaking against Babylon, with verse thirty-eight stating, “A drought is upon her waters; and they shall be dried up: for it is the land of graven images, and they are mad upon their idols.” While this verse is symbolism for removing that which is vital to a nation, that is, its water (and in the case of Babylon, the Euphrates and Tigris), this is also what literally led to the downfall of Babylon as the waters of the Euphrates were so low that Persian troops were able to walk through it and take Babylon by night. (Herodotus attributes the receding of the Euphrates to a canal built by the Babylonians to divert water.) Based on the verse in Jeremiah 50 and what historically happened to Babylon, the symbolism in the Book of Revelation is for another nation to conquer Rome. Shapur, as well as taking many Romans captive including the Emperor Valerian, forced the Roman Empire’s territory back so much, that the Euphrates became the new frontier.

The sixth vial ends with the dragon, beast, and false prophet gathering their troops for battle, because it is between the sixth plague and end of the seventh that the beast of seven heads reemerges.

Seventh Plague

Seventh seal – Revelation 8:1-5

“And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.”

Seventh trumpet – Revelation 11:15-19

“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.”

Seventh vial – Revelation 16:17-21

“And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.”

The symbolism of lightning, thunder, voices, earthquake, and hail is present in all three – the seventh seal, the seventh trumpet, and the seventh vial – representing the final destruction of the pagan Roman Empire.

The seventh seal starts with silence in heaven, which represents a period of inaction by God during which the beast rules for a time (when Rome got back on its feet in the late third century), and Satan (persecution) is loosed.

The seventh trumpet is preceded by a passage about persecution and of the beast rising again out of the abyss, and making war against, and killing Church leadership.

The seventh vial is preceded by the end of the sixth vial which speaks about preparations for the battle of the great day of God Almighty. The Seventh vial speaks of the “great city” being divided into three, and that is exactly what happened to the Roman Empire. Toward the end of the Crisis of the Third Century, the Roman Empire was split into the Gallic Empire, the Palmyrene Empire, and the Roman Empire proper.

The Book of Revelation in textual order:

The Book of Revelation opens with the Apostle John speaking of the Revelation of Jesus Christ being given to him. It then imparts messages from Christ, including reprimands and encouragement to the seven churches of Asia, and the passages are all quite straightforward.

Since the number ‘seven’ is prevalent throughout the Book of Revelation, it helps to have an understanding as to its symbolic meaning.

The meaning of ‘seven’ is best seen in the seven days of creation. The seventh day was the day of rest; it was the day of completion. In Judaism, the six days of work are all viewed as working toward the Sabbath (the fulfillment of the week). Seven is said to be a heavenly number for that very reason since heaven is the final rest, that is, the fulfillment of life. Seven is also the number of Godly completion which is why there are mentions in the Bible of the “seven Spirits of God”, and the “seven eyes of God”.

However, with regard to the seven churches of Asia, the number seven is used quite literally. Certain numbers within certain contexts are used symbolically in the Book of Revelation, whereas others are to be taken literally, and some, although meant to be taken literally, have an implied symbolic significance.

Chapter Four

Chapter four opens with the Apostle John being shown a vision of heaven.

The twenty-four elders that are mentioned refer to the Twelve Tribes of Israel, along with the Twelve Apostles. A further confirmation of this is found in chapter twenty-one where both the Twelve Tribes and Twelve Apostles are integral to the description of the “holy Jerusalem”.

The sea of glass may be referring to a multitude of people from all nations, with the “glass like unto crystal”, implying purity.

The four beasts round about the throne are very akin to the description of the angels in the Book of Ezekiel, and also to the description of angels in the Book of Isaiah, chapter six. (These angels are essentially God’s ministers for causing things to happen on earth. The four different faces will be explained shortly with respect to their appearance alongside the four horsemen of the first four seals.)

Chapter Five

Chapter five speaks about the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, and the Root of David, described as a Lamb that had been slain, being the only one worthy to open the seven seals of the book. This is a description of Jesus Christ as he is of the line of Judah, the King, and the perfect atoning sacrifice for the sins of the world (John 1:29, and 1 Peter 1:19).

Seals are used in the Bible to describe divine prophecies, since seals are secure. Generally, when a prophesy is said to be “sealed”, it means that the prophecy will happen at a distant future time, and regards something that has not yet been fully revealed. Opening seals is symbolic of revealing, and/or causing future events.

Chapter Six

The meaning of the seven seals was already covered, but of note are the four horsemen of the first four seals. They are similar to the horsemen in the Book of Zechariah, of which it is stated, “four spirits of the heavens, which go forth from standing before the Lord of all the earth.” The Book of Zechariah opens with those faithful to God asking how long it will be until He avenges the evil deeds done against those who dwell on earth. The Book of Zechariah pertains to the rebuilding of Jerusalem, which is therefore comparable to the last chapter of Revelation which focuses on the symbolic New Jerusalem.

The four first plagues and the four horsemen are announced by the four angels (beasts about the throne) seen in the previous chapter. The four faces of the angels correspond to the main ways in which events of the world can be affected without the need for divine acts that supersede the natural. Namely, strength, struggle, mortality or death, and events initiated elsewhere, including events of nature. The first face, that of a lion, symbolizes ‘might’, especially in terms of a kingdom. The second face, that of a calf, correlates with struggle, as a calf is a beast of the field and a beast of servitude. The third face, that of a man, refers to mortality, as in Psalm 103:15-16, Psalm 9:20, Psalm 144:3-4, and Daniel 7:4. The fourth face, that of an eagle, has to do with acts from on high – for example, an event of nature, or God sending another nation to invade as punishment. (‘Eagles’ wings’ in the Bible are sometimes used as symbolism for ‘protection’. Eagles are also used as a symbol of elevation and strength because of the heights at which they fly and build their nests. In addition, they are also often used as symbolism for sending judgment because of their ability to swoop down upon their prey.) To put this in perspective, the angel with the face of a lion announces the white horse (the time of peace), which refers to the strength of Rome just prior to its descent; the angel with the face of a calf announces the red horse in reference to the time that the Roman Empire was thrown into turmoil and made lowly; the angel with the face of a man announces the black horse in reference to the loss of temporary stability, brought about by the death of Phillip the Arab which also led to other calamities during that century; and finally, the angel with the face of an eagle announces the pale horse, referring to the Plague of Cyprian.

Chapter Seven

Between the sixth and seventh seal there is a passage about numbering the ones who were faithful, and speaks of the ones in white robes as having come out of great tribulation – again, showing the persecution of martyrs. The number of the sealed is one hundred and forty-four thousand. The number twelve is symbolic of the followers of God, as with the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and the Twelve Apostles. In this section, twelve thousand are sealed from each of the tribes of Israel, creating the total of one hundred and forty-four thousand – in a sense, a reinforcement of the number twelve by multiplying it. The number is not inferring a limited total of those saved, but simply a number representing the saved. Later in the Book of Revelation this same number is used in direct reference to the Church, so the use of Twelve Tribes in this instance is not speaking literally of the Jews, but is simply a symbol for the followers of God.

Chapters Eight, Nine, and Eleven Verses 15 through 19

Following the seventh seal, are the seven trumpets, which were already covered.

[Sidenote: A correlation not mentioned previously about the seven trumpets, are the parallels between them and Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Rosh Hashanah is also known as the ‘Feast of Trumpets’ because of the blowing of the shofar, and it leads up to Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. Within those High Holy Days there are ten days, for repentance. According to tradition, the names of the righteous are written into the Book of Life on Rosh Hashanah, and on Yom Kippur, their verdict is ‘sealed’.]

Chapters Ten and Eleven

Between the sixth and seventh trumpet are two additional sections. The first one has to do with an angel, and seven thunders that utter something that the Apostle John was told not to write. The Apostle John is then given a book from that angel, and the book tasted sweet, but made his stomach bitter. (The reason for the book being sweet is because it is the word of God, but it makes his stomach bitter because of its saddening content – symbolism which is also present in the Book of Ezekiel.) After eating the book, the Apostle John prophesies persecution.

There are three sections of forty-two months of persecution, and they mostly describe the then current persecution under Nero. However, this iteration is placed between the sixth and seventh trumpet because similar to the beast of seven heads that rises again, so does a time of great persecution before the end.

Chapter eleven opens with the Apostle John being told to measure the temple of God. The same symbolism is seen in chapter two of the Book of Zechariah, regarding the rebuilding of Jerusalem after Babylonian captivity. The aspect of measuring can be used in three main ways – to measure as in the plans for building, to measure for expansion, and to measure in order to show the splendour of something completed. The measuring of the temple in this passage has often been thought to mean that the Church will be expanded. However, even with that being the case, the next verse goes on to say that the Gentiles will tread the holy city (Church/New Jerusalem) underfoot for forty-two months – in reference to persecution at the hands of unbelievers.

Explanation of Forty-Two Months:

The reason for ‘forty-two months’ is because within the context of the persecution under Nero, that was the amount of time left before the death of Nero. In verse five of chapter thirteen, regarding the beast with the wound that had been healed, it says, “...and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.” The Apostle John also writes it as “one thousand two hundred and sixty days”, as well as, “time, and times, and half a time”. A ‘time’ would be a year, with ‘times’ being two years, and ‘half a time’, as half a year, equalling three and a half years. Counting from Nero’s death of June 9, 68 AD backwards, forty-two months results with December of 64 AD, and counting 1,260 days arrives at exactly December 27. This means the Book of Revelation was written by the Apostle John in December of 64 AD. This would be shortly after the July fire of 64 AD, and after and/or during the rebuilding of Rome, and also during large persecutions of Christians by Nero. This can be further confirmed by the fact that the Epistles of Peter are thought to have been written around 64 AD, and they bring up related topics to those mentioned in the Book of Revelation. The Apostle Peter even signs the First Epistle as from “The church that is at Babylon...”, meaning Rome.

The passage goes on to speak about “two witnesses” and uses an allusion to the Book of Zechariah chapter four, to describe them. The two olive branches in Zechariah 4:14 are explained to represent the two anointed ones that stand by the Lord – referring to the office of the high priest, and the office of kingship; at that point, the High Priest Joshua, and Zerubbabel. (“Anointed” can simply be used for ‘ordained’ or ‘chosen’, but the high priest and the king were also anointed with anointing oil.)

In this passage of the Book of Revelation, the “two witnesses”/“olive trees” represent Church leadership, and in the context of persecution under Nero, they represent the Church leaders of that time – the Apostle Peter, and the Apostle Paul.

Verse five speaks of fire coming out of their mouth. ‘Fire’, in regards to people, often has a connection to authority in the Bible; for example, those given the tongues of flame of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, Elijah on Mount Carmel proving that the God of Israel was the true God, and even the burning bush in the Book of Exodus.

Verse six also shows that they were endowed with the authority of God.

Verse seven speaks of their deaths at the hands of the beast, speaking of the persecution of Church leaders, namely Peter, and Paul, who were both killed in Rome prior to 68 AD. Within the context of the persecution under Diocletian, this would simply refer to the leadership of the time.

Verse eight speaks of their dead bodies lying “in the street of the great city, which is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified”. The “great city” is used elsewhere in the Book of Revelation to refer to Rome. The mention of Sodom and Egypt has to do with places of wickedness that God rescued people from, and ultimately brought his judgment upon. The mention of Christ having died in ‘Rome’ (“great city”) is to be viewed symbolically, since crucifixion was a Roman penalty, and Christ was sentenced to death by Roman authority. The Gospels and the Book of Hebrew clearly state that Christ was crucified outside of Jerusalem, further showing that this verse is not to be taken in reference to a literal plot of land, but rather in reference to a certain power.

The “dead bodies shall lie in the street” refers to the demise that the persecutions had brought on the Church. Verse nine speaks of their bodies lying for three days and a half. ‘Three’, as mentioned earlier, is a number of strength. In the Old Testament, there were resurrections performed by prophets; however, it was a Jewish belief that after three days, only God could raise someone from the dead. This is why, when in the Book of John, Christ raised Lazarus from the dead, the Pharisees were so upset, because it had been over four days – Christ was demonstrating himself to be God. The use of ‘over three days’ in this passage shows that the Church was truly crushed, and could not by human power ever recover. However, verse eleven goes on to say that after three days and a half, the Spirit of life from God entered them, and they arose – this is speaking of the Church recovering and flourishing after the end of persecution.

Verse thirteen is within the context of the sixth and seventh trumpet, and describes part of the city falling, men being slain, and an earthquake. ‘Earthquakes’ are symbolic of ‘foundations being shaken’ and a new power arising, often in regards to God’s judgment, and His rule being established. In this verse, an earthquake would mean the change of the Roman Empire from a pagan empire into a Christian empire.

The next few verses are pretty straightforward, and the following section begins with chapter twelve.

The way in which to tell the separation of sections, and/or prophecies regarding another subject, is to note that the Apostle John often begins with phrases such as, “And there appeared”, “And I looked”, “And I saw heaven opened”, or a change of place, as for instance, “And I stood upon...”

Chapter Twelve

This section is the second of the three sections regarding the forty-two months of persecution. It opens with a description of the Virgin Mary. It is evident from verses five and seventeen, that this ‘woman’ spoken of is the Virgin Mary. The Virgin Mary is known as the ‘Mother of the Church’, and has often been used to represent the Church as a whole, hence the imagery of the Virgin Mary here.

[Sidenote: There is a compelling theory which demonstrates part of this passage as being a description of stars around the constellation Virgo, which, if accurate, would also indicate the passage in regard to the Virgin Mary. Whether or not the Apostle John was alluding to that, does not change the meaning of the passage, however.]

In verse one, “clothed with sun”, would be akin to, ‘honoured by God’. The “moon under her feet” shows a consummation or climax of events, since the moon was appointed by God in the Old Testament as a sign for measuring seasons, days, years, and holy days. A crown of twelve stars applies to the fullness of both the twelve tribes, and the twelve apostles; essentially, the followers and faithful of God.

Verse two describes the Virgin Mary with the Christ child.

Verse three describes Satan, as later in this chapter the red dragon with seven heads and ten horns is explained to be imagery for Satan.

Verse four states that the dragon casts down stars – ‘stars’, as explained earlier, represents leaders, and casting them down means to cause their death (see Daniel 8:10, and 12:3). The verse goes on to say that the dragon stood before the woman so as to devour the child – speaking of Satan’s designs to destroy God’s redemption, with the following verse obviously indicating that Satan could not destroy Christ.

Verse six refers to the Church as a whole, being protected, so that it could not be wiped out by Satan.

Verse seven to nine speak of Satan being cast out of heaven by Michael and other angels – the angel Michael is the defender of the righteous, as seen in the Book of Daniel, chapter twelve. Satan being cast out of heaven means that his plans will ultimately be naught, and not eternal, as heaven is symbolic of eternity and eternal authority. The contrast of heaven and earth and Satan being cast to earth means that his plans will succeed, but only temporarily. Satan could not change the will of God, and though he would wish to destroy the Church, he will only be allowed to prevail for a time.

Verses ten and eleven speak of God’s salvation conquering over Satan, and victory despite death, because of the sacrifice of Christ.

The next verses speak of Satan persecuting the Church, but being unable to fully destroy it, as the woman is protected.

Verse fifteen speaks of Satan spewing forth water like a river, so that he might cause the Church to be carried away by it. This is likely in reference to Satan trying to alter the beliefs of the Church, for as a torrent of water (in this instance one like a river), can change topography, so Satan would try to lead the Church astray, and create a new and false religion. (The Flood in the Book of Genesis washed away the previous world, making everything new.) However, verse sixteen states that the flood/river is swallowed up, thus protecting the woman, that is, the Church.

Verse seventeen speaks of Satan being enraged against the Church, and therefore causing persecution of its members.

[Sidenote: In relation to Satan trying to lead the Church astray, see Galatians 1:6-9.]

Chapter Thirteen

This next passage is the third section of the three sections of forty-two months of persecution. It opens with the Apostle John standing by the sea, and seeing a beast emerge out of the sea. The beast, like Satan in the previous part, is described to have seven heads and ten horns. As explained earlier, the ‘sea’, when used in contrast to the ‘earth’, is symbolic of gentile nations, or a nation; in this instance, the Roman Empire. The ‘name of blasphemy’ simply refers to Caesars claiming to be gods, and trying to usurp the position of God Almighty.

The next verse describes the beast by combining the images of the beasts in the Book of Daniel, and states that Satan, the dragon, gives the beast its power and position of authority. The Roman Empire attacking Christians was seen as the embodiment of Satan.

Verse three speaks of the head wounded to death, referring to the destruction of Rome by the fire of July 64 AD, and its unexpected recovery for those who had believed the fire marked the end of Rome.

The next verses speak of the worship of Rome and the amount of time Nero was ordained to still live (forty-two months), as well as Nero’s blasphemy against God, and his persecution of Christians.

Verse eight mentions “the book of life of the Lamb”. The ‘book of life’ in the Bible is used to represent those who are saved, and not being written into the book of life means the opposite, that is, eternal death, or separation from God.

Verse ten simply states that those who do evil will get their just reward, and in contrast, then mentions those who are patient and faithful to God.

[Sidenote: In certain instances within the Bible, those doing the will of Satan are then called, “Satan”. This is prominent in the Book of Revelation, with Roman persecution being symbolized by Satan, but it is also seen when Christ called the Apostle Peter, “Satan” (Matthew 16:20-23), and also similarly in the case of Judas Iscariot (John 6:70, and Luke 22:3).]

Verses eleven and twelve speak about the false prophet beast – previously explained as having to do with Church leaders leading Christians astray under the pressure of persecution (essentially, revoking one’s faith for the sake of worldly security and ease). The ‘earth’, as explained earlier, shows that this beast is from among the Church.

Verse thirteen states that the beast has the power to bring down fire – a similar theme to that of verse five in chapter eleven, further showing the ‘beast with horns like a lamb’ to be associated with Church authority.

Verses fourteen and fifteen are about the deception and power this beast utilizes in leading others astray. “Image of the beast” in verse fifteen would be akin to worshipping an idol, and in this instance obeying Roman edicts above the word of Christ. The consequence of death for not worshipping the beast had to do with the Roman penalty if one did not sacrifice to Roman gods on behalf of Nero.

Verse sixteen is about the ‘mark’, which has to do with showing allegiance to the beast. As explained previously, a mark is symbolic of a spiritual act, and in this case, the act of wilfully participating in, or sometimes even ignoring evil; essentially, complying with that which is morally wrong. The next verse stresses the name of the beast because a name is the outward symbol of a thing, hence having the name is symbolic of fealty.

Verse eighteen brings up “the number of the beast”, which is “the number of a man”. Biblically, ‘six’ is the number of a man, but because of man’s sin, it is also the number of baseness. This connotation is evident with man being created on the sixth day, and the baseness aspect is prominently shown with the uses of six regarding Philistine warriors in the Old Testament. Three sixes is a trinity of man – essentially, man trying to take the place of God. This, however, is not the first time the number ‘666’ appears in the Bible. The number of gold talents that Solomon received as tribute from other nations was 666. This may seem strange as Solomon is not typically remembered as a corrupt ruler; however, at that point he had fallen into corruption, which included turning from God and honouring the idols of his wives. In that era, the Trinity would not have been typically associated with God, but the number three was seen as the sum of strength.

As a sidenote, the beast imagery is also very fitting with the mark of the beast, as “666”, when written in Hebrew, is three of the letter vav. One vav simply looks like a letter, but three of them together look like a claw mark:

[Sidenote on the Trinity: Although the Trinity is a Christian doctrine, Aristotle almost discovered it some four hundred years earlier. In book twelve, part nine, of his Metaphysics, Aristotle states that the thought of God (that is, God’s own thought) must be the thought of Himself, which would also be God. Had Aristotle gone further with his reasoning, he would have realized that God’s love must also be of the greatest good, and therefore a love of Himself, which that love would also be God.

In Judaism, although the unity of God is held in utmost importance, God’s speech which proceeds from Him (though it is not separate from Him), and His intellect (wisdom) are sometimes spoken of as though they are separate entities. This is essentially the same as the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, except that in the Christian doctrine, the separate ‘Persons’ (the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), is shown clearly. To make this more straightforward, the Father is the existence of God, the Holy Spirit is His knowledge of Himself, that is, His intellect, and the Son is His love of Himself, as God is the greatest good, and therefore the end aim (complete desire) of love. The Son is also His love of His creation, and therefore the Person which is made manifest to His creation (the Christ). The existence, intellect, and love/will of any being is inseparable, which is why God is three persons, though One Being (the Trinity) “...name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Matthew 28:19]

Chapter Fourteen

This chapter opens with the Apostle John seeing Christ (the Lamb) standing on mount Sion with one hundred and forty-four thousand faithful who have God’s name written on their foreheads – depicting those who are saved. Congruent imagery exists in Hebrews 12:22-23, and regarding the name written on their foreheads, very similar symbolism of a mark on the forehead can be found in the Book of Ezekiel, chapter 9, verses 4 to 6. The number ‘one hundred and forty-four thousand’ was previously noted in chapter seven, with the sealing of the righteous.

Verses two through five speak about those who are saved, that is, the Church.

Verses six and seven speak of the spreading of the gospel and proclaim the coming of the plagues, that is, the ‘hour of judgment’. The symbolism of an ‘hour’ in relation to the plagues will be seen later with the ten kings of the Crisis of the Third Century.

Verse eight announces the moral and civil downfall of Rome, and calls it ‘Babylon’, a name later established to mean Rome. (Babylon was a place of captivity for the Jews and it fell because of its corruption, so in those times, Babylon was seen as the spiritual opposite of Jerusalem – a symbol of iniquity against God.)

Verses nine through eleven speak of God’s wrath against evildoers.

Verses twelve and thirteen give encouragement to the Church to be patient through suffering.

Verse fourteen to the end of the chapter speaks of God and his judgment of the wicked, and compares it to grapes of the vine being gathered and crushed.

Chapter Fifteen

This section opens with the Apostle John seeing the coming of the angels of the seven plagues. The chapter goes on to speak of those saved (sea of glass) praising God, and again, the arrival of the angels of the seven plagues.

Chapter Sixteen

This chapter of Revelation focuses on the seven vials which were previously explained.

Chapter Seventeen

This next chapter opens with one of the angels of the seven plagues speaking to the Apostle John about the whore or harlot, which is Rome. As explained earlier, ‘harlot’ is used symbolically in the Bible to depict a nation in decline.

The ‘many waters’ of verse one refer to the nations under Rome, that is, the totality of the Roman Empire. It states that the kings of the earth have committed fornication with the harlot, and that the inhabitants of the earth have become drunk with the wine of her fornication. A ‘cup’ in the Bible is sometimes used for ‘allotment’ or ‘a portion given’, or ‘something that one partakes in’, so for the inhabitants of the earth to be drunk from the harlot’s immorality, is to say that although they were not the primary origin of the immorality of Rome, they had yet shared in it.

The harlot is described as sitting on the beast of seven heads and ten horns, but in addition to the previous descriptions of the beast, the beast here is said to be scarlet colored. The harlot is also described as being clothed in purple and scarlet. ‘Red’ can have several meanings, but here the particular use of ‘scarlet’ is for ‘sin’, and also for worldly power. (‘Red’, as a symbol for power is actually based on its connection to blood, for two main reasons; foremost, because blood is the life, that is, the power, so to speak, of an animal (Leviticus 17:11 and 17:14); two, because it can represent having power over others through the ability to cause blood to run forth, that is, through killing.)

‘Red’, as it is connected to ‘blood’ in the Bible is often a sign of appeasement for sin, such as in regard to Christ – for example in Hebrews 9 – but it can also be used for sin itself. There is the colloquial phrase of ‘blood on your hands’, which can be found in Isaiah chapter one, verse fifteen: “And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.” And verse eighteen: “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” This can also be likened to Cain killing Abel: “And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand”.

Here the harlot is shown as a worldly power, but also one that is guilty of sin. It has the same connection to spilling blood as seen in verse six where the Apostle John “saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and the blood of the martyrs of Jesus”.

In verse five the harlot is given the title ‘Babylon’, thereby further connecting the two symbols.

Verse seven states that the angel will explain the mystery of the harlot, and the beast that carries her. ‘Mystery’, as explained earlier, stands for something not yet revealed.

In verse eight, the angel states that the beast “was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the abyss”. While the Apostle John was writing the Book of Revelation, the beast of seven heads was still present, but the angel is speaking within the context of the vision of the harlot when Rome is in decline (which would occur during the third century). Within that context, the beast ‘was’ because it had existed; ‘is not’, because during the harlot and ten kings it did not exist as the ‘beast of seven heads’, but only as the beast carrying the harlot; and finally, ‘shall ascend’ because following the first six plagues, the strength of Rome reappeared under seven subsequent reigns of emperors. The verse then says that it would go into perdition, because after that, it was the end; in a sense, the judgment of the pagan Roman Empire.

Verse nine is similar to a riddle that would have made it clear to the Christians of the time, that which was being spoken of. It says, “The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth”. The harlot sat on the beast, which makes the beast to be ‘seven mountains’, and Rome was known as the ‘City of Seven Hills’. (The topography was so strongly connected to Rome, that when Constantinople, the ‘New Rome’, was built, it was built on seven hills.)

Verse ten explains it even more clearly, since it explains the present seven heads in that current time. The Apostle John wrote the Book of Revelation during the reign of Nero, who was the sixth Caesar, hence “five are fallen, and one is”. The verse goes on to speak of the seventh king, and stated that when he would come, he would not last long. Galba, the seventh Caesar, only lasted seven months and seven days, and the following two Caesars, Otho and Vitellius, also only lasted for a short time, three months and one day, and eight months and one day, respectively. One could almost count them as part of the seventh head, not only because of their short reigns, but also because their reigns marked the end of an era. Following them, Vespasian was the start of a new dynasty. In addition, since Galba, Otho, and Vitellius were not of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, Otho and Vitellius tried to legitimize their rules by imitating Nero, which almost made them symbolic continuations, and not Caesars by their own authority or prowess.

Verse eleven speaks of the beast “that was, and is not” – again, meaning the current beast of seven heads, and not the beast of the vision of the harlot. The verse says that even the beast is the eighth and is of the seven – this does not mean that one of the seven heads is also an eighth head, but rather that the eighth Caesar is also of the same ‘beast of the seven heads’. This is an important note, not because of Otho, the eighth Caesar, but because of Vespasian, the symbolic eighth Caesar. ‘Eight’ in the Bible is symbolic of a new beginning, the most simple example being that the eighth day is a new week. As well, the covenant God made with Abraham was sealed on the eighth day, which also served to symbolize a new beginning. Vespasian was the first of the Flavian Dynasty. He not only conquered Jerusalem, an event which would have been seen by many as the “abomination of desolation” spoken of by Christ in Matthew 24:15, but probably most significantly, was prophesied as the ‘horn that was unlike the other horns’ in the Book of Daniel. All these factors would have made him seem very much a new type of beast; however, this passage clarifies that it is still the same beast, and that the eighth is of the same beast as that of the seven heads.

Verse twelve explains that the ten horns are ten future rulers that will receive power as kings for one hour with the beast, and ‘one hour’ is seen earlier in the Book of Revelation, chapter fourteen, verse seven, in reference to God’s judgment. (For context, verse eight of chapter fourteen speaks of the fall and fornication of the great city, ‘Babylon’.) The ten horns and ten kings represent the ten emperors of Rome during the Crisis of the Third Century.

Verse thirteen states that the ten kings all have one purpose, and will give their power and strength to the beast – showing that these ten kings are all of the same kingdom, that is, of Rome.

Verse fourteen says that the ten kings will make war with the Lamb, meaning the Christ (“...the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29), but that the Lamb would overcome them, for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings. This is speaking of the Roman persecution that tried to destroy the Church, but was unable to.

Verse fifteen explains that the waters where the harlot sits, represents people, multitudes, nations, and languages.

Verse sixteen then says that the ten kings would hate the harlot, and would make her desolate, naked, and eat her flesh, and burn her with fire – speaking to the corruption of many of the emperors of the third century, and the harm they caused the Roman Empire.

Verse seventeen states that God’s will would be fulfilled through these kings. This has to do with the plagues of God’s judgment, because although the downfall of pagan Rome was ordained by God, many of the events that led to the downfall were caused by the actions of men.

Verse eighteen reveals that the harlot is the great city which has rule over the kings of the world – again, showing the harlot to be Rome.

Chapter Eighteen

This next section opens with an angel declaring that Babylon has fallen, and has become a place of great moral depravity. In verse four, another voice from heaven calls for people to leave Babylon so that they would not be partakers of her sin, and would not fall under her plagues – meaning a call to repentance, so as to avoid being numbered among the corrupt, for both the temporal and eternal judgment.

The passage goes on to speak of God being aware of Babylon’s, that is, Rome’s corruption, and that He would punish it.

Verse six says that she would be given twofold according to her works – meaning that Rome would face greater disaster than the harm it had itself already created.

Verse seven states that she would not turn from her corruption, so therefore she must face sorrow and torment.

Verse eight states because of all her sin, the plagues would come, for mighty is the Lord God who judges her.

Verse nine states that the kings of the world would weep and mourn when they see her destruction. The passage then goes on to speak of how the worldly treasures and wealth that kings and merchants lusted over would be no more – speaking to the prosperity of the Roman Empire in decline.

Verse twenty exhorts heaven, the apostles, and prophets to rejoice, for God has avenged them.

Verse twenty-one speaks of an angel casting a stone like a millstone into the sea, declaring that Babylon would be thrown down, and found no more.

Verses twenty-two and twenty-three speak of there being no more activity of any sort in Babylon, and that by its sorceries were all the nations deceived.

Chapter Nineteen

This following section speaks to the rejoicing in heaven over the judgment of Babylon, the harlot, and the vengeance of the blood of God’s servants.

Verses seven through nine speak of the marriage of the Lamb and the Church. This symbolism is also found elsewhere in the Bible regarding Christ’s relationship with the Church. See John 3:29, Matthew 22, Matthew 25, Ephesians 5:25, John 17:22-23, and Mark 2:19. In the historical context, this referred to the Christianization of the Roman Empire.

Next Section, Chapter Nineteen, Verse Eleven

(Most sections of the Book of Revelation are divided by chapters; however, this next one is not. As noted earlier, when the Apostle John presented a new subject, the passage often opened with a new vision, or even a new location.)

This section opens with the Apostle John beholding a white horse in heaven, with Christ sitting on the white horse. The same verse also makes known that the rider of the white horse judges and makes war.

Verse twelve states that on his head were many crowns, and that he had a name written that only he knew. ‘Crowns’, as seen in chapter twelve, verse three, are symbolic of ‘kingship’. The name that only he knew likely points to a future act that is not yet revealed. As in earlier passages, having a name written had to do with something that was happening – for example, ‘name of blasphemy’, or something that was known to take place, for example, ‘names written in the book of life’.

Verse thirteen describes that he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood, and that his name is called The Word of God. The vesture dipped in blood is akin to the earlier symbol of a ‘Lamb that had been slain’ – the imagery referring to Christ’s sacrifice of his own blood. ‘The Word of God’ is the name for Christ found in the Gospel of John, chapter one, and rendered in Greek as the ‘Logos’.

[Sidenote: Although the vesture dipped in blood may seem similar to the imagery in the Book of Isaiah, chapter sixty-three, of spilled blood from taking vengeance, it would not make sense within this context, as the description here is of Christ, and not of his righteous anger. It is, as well, imagery of preparing for battle, and not of being in battle, or returning from it. Additionally, in light of the fact that ‘vengeance, or righteous anger’ would then only be a repetition of the earlier statement of ‘judges and makes war’, it again would not make sense to view it in the same light as the imagery in the Book of Isaiah.]

The passage goes on to speak of Christ’s followers, and his power.

Verses seventeen and eighteen have an angel calling to the birds, telling them to gather together to prey on the kings and leaders of the world. Normally, birds of prey would arrive after a battle to feast on the remnants, but here they are being gathered ahead of time, symbolic of the battle being already decided.

Verse nineteen speaks of the beast, and the kings of the world, and their armies gathering together to make war on Christ.

Verse twenty speaks of the beast and the false prophet being thrown into the lake of fire, that is, eternal death and punishment.

Verse twenty-one speaks of the remnant of the armies being slain, and birds being filled with their flesh.

This whole section pertains to the first century and relates to Nero dying, and as will be seen in the following section, persecution ending. The beast being thrown into the lake of fire is symbolic of Nero and the false prophet (false Church leaders) dying, and being judged by God, and their sphere of influence disappearing. Christ being victorious refers to the Church not being wiped out, but rather reviving.

Chapter Twenty

The following chapter opens with the Apostle John seeing an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the abyss, and a great chain in his hand. ‘Key’ in the Bible is a symbol of ‘entrusted authority’, for example, in Isaiah 22:22 and Matthew 16:19.

Verse two says that the angel bound Satan for a thousand years – speaking of persecution ending for a time. As shown earlier, one thousand years is simply symbolic of a long time (2 Peter 3:8, Ecclesiastes 6:6).

Verse three states that Satan is cast into the abyss and will not be released until after a thousand years, after which he will be released for a short season – symbolic of persecution not being able to happen for a time, and being ‘loosed for a season’ symbolic of later persecutions, mostly in regards to the persecution under Diocletian.

Verse four speaks of those martyred and those who would not receive the mark of the beast, as reigning with Christ for those thousand years – speaking of the Church reviving and gaining influence throughout the Empire.

Verse five speaks of the rest of the dead not living again until after the thousand years, with that being the first resurrection. The rest of the dead not reigning, is because although there was a revival of the Church and a spreading of the Gospel, it was still hampered by the pagan Roman Empire. The ‘first resurrection’ is symbolic of the Church coming back to life – a revival of something which had just been crushed. (Keeping in mind that this is only what it means for the first iteration of Revelation, and that the last iteration will have deeper implications.)

Verse six states that blessed are those of the first resurrection, and that the second death has no power over them. It goes on to say that they would be priests of God, and of Christ, and that they would reign with him a thousand years. The second death refers to eternal death, that is, hell, and since they are saved, hell has no control over them. ‘Priests’ has to do with the leadership roles in the Church, being an example to those around them, and serving God by being His stewards on earth (also seen in 1:6 and 5:10).

Verse seven states that when the thousand years are fulfilled, Satan would be released. Satan being released after that time speaks especially of the persecution under Diocletian, even though there were other persecutions beforehand. The Diocletian persecution happened shortly before the fall of pagan Rome, and it was the largest persecution of Christians in the history of the Empire.

Verse eight states that Satan will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, and to gather his forces from all places in the world – this is probably at least partially referring to Diocletian’s creation of the Tetrarchy, which allowed for greater control over the Empire, and helped to secure a number of military victories. The Crisis of the Third Century was largely ended via military victories, which would explain the mention of Gog and Magog, as ‘Gog of Magog’ was a foreign enemy of Israel, spoken of in the Book of Ezekiel, and hence symbolizing a gathering of foreign powers.

Verse nine states that Satan’s forces surrounded the saints and the Church, but that fire came down out of heaven, and destroyed them – speaking of the persecution as an attempt to end the Church, but the attempt failing and the Empire then being Christianized during the time of Constantine.

Verse ten relates that the Devil was thrown into the lake of fire where the beast and the false prophet are, and that they would be tormented there for ages – symbolic of the spiritual and pagan Roman Empire being completely demolished.

Verse eleven speaks of God sitting on a white throne and that the earth and heaven fled away from his face, and that there was no place for them to go. This verse speaks to the Christian empire that arose, both physically and spiritually. ‘Earth and heaven’ essentially mean that everything was completely overturned, and that there was no place that the previous pagan forces could rule – similar to the symbolism in Daniel 2:34-35, 44-45.

Verse twelve speaks of the dead being judged by the book of life, according to their acts.

Verses thirteen through fifteen then speak of the judgment of the dead – again, correlating to the final end of the pagan Roman Empire.

Chapter Twenty-One

The next passage opens with the Apostle John seeing a new heaven and a new earth, as the first heaven and earth had passed away, and there was no more sea. The new heaven and the new earth refer to the new world, the new era that came with the Christianization of the Empire. ‘No more sea’ meant that it was no longer a predominantly pagan world, especially when it came to the rule of the world.

Verse two tells about the Apostle John seeing the Church coming down from heaven, prepared as a bride for Christ – speaking of the Church reviving, and in a sense, taking over the world, though not by force. The rest of the passage is much the same, with imagery of the Church reviving, and the Christianization of the world which started in the fourth century.

The following passage, beginning at verse nine, opens with an angel of the seven plagues showing the Apostle John the Church, the wife of the Lamb. The passage uses the symbolism of a city, “the holy Jerusalem”. (In the Old Testament, for example in Ezekiel 16, ‘Jerusalem’, as a symbol for the Jewish people, was compared to a woman who was the bride of God. The symbolism of New Jerusalem, or the heavenly Jerusalem, refers to the Church, and can also be seen in Hebrews 12:22.)

Verse twelve speaks of the Twelve Tribes as twelve gates to the wall of the city, and verse fourteen speaks of the Twelve Apostles as twelve foundations to the wall of the city.

Verse seventeen states that the wall measured one hundred and forty-four cubits – the same number that was used earlier as the number of the Church.

Verses nineteen and twenty describe the twelve foundations, that is, the Twelve Apostles, as precious stones – this is very akin to the breastplate of Aaron which had twelve stones, each representing one of the tribes of Israel. This imagery is significant, as Christ, with the inception of the New Covenant, took over the role of the High Priest (Hebrews 2:17, 4:14-15, 8:1-2).

Verse twenty-two states that there is no temple, for the Lord God Almighty, and the Lamb, are the temple – this is because the temple was a place for God to dwell in (tabernacle), but with God and Christ present, there is no need for a building.

Verses one and seventeen of chapter twenty-two speak of “water of life”, symbolizing salvation through Christ. See also John 7:37-39 and John 4:10-14.

The rest of these passages contain more imagery of the Church, and of Heaven, which applied to the growth of the Church starting in the fourth century. The complete glory and fulfillment of this prophecy is again only seen symbolically in its first iteration.

The following post will look at the second iteration of Revelation.

“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.”