The chapters of this manuscript align with the chapters in the book of Revelation. Chapter one in the book of Revelation is chapter one in this book and so on. The body of this work is laid out in four parts:
It is important to know that the book of Revelation has much symbolism in it and most is used to identify someone or something. Please note that numbers are a language of their own and need to be addressed in that way, to get the correct interpretation. Some numbers do reflect a quantity and some can reflect both identification and a quantity.
"Symbols Unveiled" is laid out so as to make it readable for both the causal reader and those who want a deeper understanding. For the student who wants an in depth study, he is advised to consult the glossary of terms found in the back. The book of Revelation is a book to be understood! God's word is to His church and the church needs to understand what God has planned. I asked the Holy Spirit to give me understanding in the book of Revelation so that the enemy would not be able to deceive me. Over the last ten years, the Lord has given understanding and permission to share this insight with the church. Please understand that the book of Revelation is like the rest of scripture and has many facets to it. Therefore my hope for us all is that we will better see and understand the mind of God as we seek Him, and as He chooses to reveal His word to us.
Revelation is written like the book of Daniel. It delivers an overview of God's plan and then in later chapters, explains such in greater detail. It is also written to the spiritual man and not the natural, for it is spiritually appraised as is all of the word of God. May you find many blessings in "Symbols Unveiled". His desire for all of the saints is that they would not be ignorant so as to give the enemy an opportunity.
CHAPTER 1 Chapter one will establish God's purpose for the book of Revelation along with where His heart lies, that is with His church whom He conformed to the image of His Son Jesus, who is identified by many symbols in this and subsequent chapters. 2&3 Chapters two and three are God's personal evaluation of the seven churches, who are symbolic of all churches through out this the last dispensation. He identifies their strong points and their weaknesses. Their weaknesses in general are idolatry, fornication, following false teachers, and lusting after worldly possessions. 4 Jesus as God Almighty. 5 Jesus as the Lamb. 6 The scroll is opened with seals one though six being broken [the front side]. This chapter is an overview of spiritual forces on the earth since Adam's fall and to the end of the age [Christ's return]. God reveals the hiding place of the saints, and divorces the fallen angels. 7 God seals His church against the power of Satan. 8 The 7th Seal opened, back side the of book - Sounding of 4 of the 7 trumpets. Chapter eight will reveal Babylon and some of the plagues of this great harlot along with God's wrath on the earth, the fallen angels, and men, through natural in addition to spiritual means; to get mankind to repent from their sin and turn to Jesus. 9 5th and 6th trumpets - 1st woe revealed. God deals with those who believe the false doctrines of Israel. 10 The mystery of God is finished. 11 God measures the church; 2 witnesses - 2nd woe - 7th trumpet revealed. The Spirit and the Word are given through Jesus' ministry, death and resurrection. The 2nd woe to unbelieving church, Israel revealed. Jesus makes the world His kingdom - dead raised - world judged. 12 The Holy Spirit given to the church - Satan thrown out of Heaven - The 7th trumpet revealed. 13 The Trinity of evil is revealed: 1) Satan, the dragon, the head. 2) The Beast of the sea, the Antichrist spirit of Satan. 3) The beast of the earth, Antichrist's [false]church of the earth. 14 The Lamb on Mount Zion with His church. Jesus is ready to act against Satan's power on the earth. 15 The saints before the throne. The seven plagues given to the seven angels in which the wrath of God is finished. 16 This is God's plan of judgment for the men [kings] of the earth, and the sea. Chapter sixteen is a deeper revelation of chapter fourteen, verses six through ten. 17 Chapters seventeen and eighteen reveal Babylon as the image of the beast, with the demeanor and purpose of the kings of the earth. 18 The revelation of Babylon's judgment and that she is all that is sinful. 19 The marriage of the Lamb. The judgment of the beast, false prophet and the kings of the earth. 20 Satan bound - Marriage of the Lamb. Satan, his angels, and all the unsaved are put into the lake of fire. Chapter twenty is a further explanation of things in chapter eleven, verse eighteen, and chapter nineteen. 21 The new heaven and earth - The new Jerusalem. 22 The final testimony and more details of the new Jerusalem.
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1-2 And I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come." And I looked, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him; and he went out conquering, and to conquer.
The first seal is unsealed, one being the number of God, revealing His plan to send His Son to redeem man. "To break" means, "to show or reveal to the church," which is the purpose of the book of Revelation [Rev 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must shortly take place; and He sent and communicated {it} by His angel to His bond-servant John]. One of the four cherubim spoke with the voice of God [authority]. The word "come" means "appear," and the first four spirits are seen and recognized by the church, so they are not a revelation but a confirmation of something already known. The reason the four creatures are used here is because they are symbolic of redeemed creation [number four].
John saw a Spirit worthy to patrol the earth [Zech 1:10 And the man who was standing among the myrtle trees answered and said, "These are those whom the LORD has sent to patrol the earth"]. The first is the Spirit of prophecy, Faithful and True, who is Jesus ["two" the number of Jesus] [Rev 19:10-11 For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." And I saw heaven opened; and behold, a white horse, and He who sat upon it is called Faithful and True; and in righteousness He judges and wages war]. His purpose is to produce deliverance, or bring forth the eternal blessedness which will be given as a prize to the genuine servants of God and Christ, that is the crown which is the reward of the righteous, i.e., eternal life. The Holy Spirit went out to bring forth those who are Christians, those who held fast their faith even unto death against the power of their foes, and temptations, and persecutions [Rev 12:11 "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death].
bow = to produce, bear, be born, bring forth, be delivered
broke = unsealed
come = appear
conquer = used of Christians who hold fast their faith even unto death against the power of their foes, and temptations, and persecutions
crown = metaphorically, the eternal blessedness which will be given as a prize to the genuine servants of God and Christ: the crown which is the reward of righteousness, i.e., eternal life
four living creatures = symbolic of redeemed creation
horse = spirits to patrol the earth
thunder = voice of God
white = worthy, purified by the blood of Jesus
white horse = Spirit of prophecy; Faithfulness, Truth, Jesus the Righteous
3-4 And when He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, "Come." And another, a red horse, went out; and to him who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that {men} should slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.
When Jesus unsealed the second seal ["two" the number of Jesus], He revealed Satan, the false Christ. The second creature, who represents redeemed creation, said, "appear," and the spirit which takes peace from the earth, the spirit of Antichrist [red is the color of fire, blood, the dragon, and Satan who ends up in the lake of fire] was granted by God to remove the state of national tranquillity and to instigate the rages and havoc of war, i.e., spiritual war ensues [Eph 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual {forces} of wickedness in the heavenly places. Luke 12:51 "Do you suppose that I came to grant peace on earth? I tell you, no, but rather division].
The word "men" was added in the English translation in exchange of "one another." "One another" is a better translation because although men are involved in this war, it is a spiritual war between God and Satan. To mortally wound, and to struggle with the opposition now refers to spiritual life and death. Yet, Satan is also responsible for all the blood of the saints, [for physical death because of sin and spiritual death because of Satan's will]. The battle of the saints is to die to Satan's will, the lust of the flesh, and be re-born into Christ's image, so that their spirit will become holy. As we will see in chapter eight, there is a spirit of bitterness that comes forth into the men of the world, those who belong to Satan, and they will hate and kill one another physically, but this is just part of the manifestation of the spiritual warfare going-on upon the earth [Rev 18:24 "And in her [Babylon] was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth"].
come = appear
granted = by God
men = one another, reciprocally [not men, but man in a spiritual battle between God and Satan]
peace = a state of national tranquillity exemption from the rage and havoc of war
red = color of fire, blood, and the dragon [Satan] who will end up in the lake of fire
red horse = takes peace from the earth [the spirit of Antichrist]
slay = mortally wounded
sword = war [to struggle with the opposition]; quarrel, dispute
5-6 And when He broke the third seal, I heard the third living creature saying, "Come." And I looked, and behold, a black horse; and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. And I heard as it were a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, "A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not harm the oil and the wine."
When Jesus unsealed the third seal ["three" the number of the Holy Spirit and His function as the Judge], the third creature, who represents redeemed creation, said "appear," and the spirit of judgment and justice appeared [Prov 16:11 A just balance and scales belong to the LORD; all the weights of the bag are His concern. Isa 40:12 Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand, and marked off the heavens by the span, and calculated the dust of the earth by the measure, and weighed the mountains in a balance, and the hills in a pair of scales?].
The voice in the center [Jesus] of the four creatures is measuring the peoples of the world; the church [wheat], those of iniquity [barley] who belong to another [slaves of sin] because of their iniquity. The oil and the wine refer to the redeemed. One of wheat and three of barley equals four, the number of creation.
The wheat was a sin offering, a soothing aroma in the Old Testament; and in the New Testament it symbolizes that which belongs to the Lord [Matt 3:12 "And His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor; and He will gather His wheat into the barn, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire"]. Barley, symbolic of iniquity and fear, was the food of slaves [slaves of sin]. It was a grain held in low esteem [Num 5:15 the man shall then bring his wife to the priest, and shall bring {as} an offering for her one-tenth of an ephah of barley meal; he shall not pour oil on it, nor put frankincense on it, for it is a grain offering of jealousy, a grain offering of memorial, a reminder of iniquity].
Jesus spoke of the denarius as indicating something that belongs to another [Luke 20:24-25 "Show Me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?" And they said, "Caesar's." And He said to them, "Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's"]. And the Spirit of judgment does not act unjustly against the saints sealed in the Holy Spirit, for there is no judgment for them [Jn 3:18-19 "He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. "And this is the judgment, that the light is come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light; for their deeds were evil]. This judgment is upon the men of the earth and is ongoing. For those sealed in the Holy Spirit, who are revealed in the next chapter, there is no judgment. For those not sealed, they are judged already because they did not repent and come to Christ and make Him Lord.
barley = reminder of iniquity, fear
black horse = spirit of judgment, justice; God does the judging
denarius = something that belongs to another
harm = act unjustly
oil = symbolic of the Holy Spirit
quart = dry measure
wheat = symbolic of the church
wine = vine, sealed saints
7-8 And when He broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, "Come." And I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death; and Hades was following with him. And authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.
When Jesus unsealed the fourth seal [the number four is symbolic of creation and what creation's destination is], the fourth creature, who represents redeemed creation, said "appear," and the spirit of death and Hades appeared, symbolized by a yellow-pale color [color of brimstone, God's wrath]. And those of Hades, the place of lost souls conformed to his example, i.e., became dead [spiritually dead].
The power to subdue or destroy was given to, Death and Hades, according to the four kinds of doom for mankind [Jer 15:2-3 "And it shall be that when they say to you, 'Where should we go?' then you are to tell them, 'Thus says the LORD: "Those destined for death, to death; And those destined for the sword, to the sword; And those destined for famine, to famine; And those destined for captivity, to captivity."' "And I shall appoint over them four kinds of doom, "declares the LORD: "the sword to slay, the dogs to drag off, and the birds of the sky and the beasts of the earth to devour and destroy]. This is a preparation for the destruction of men by the wild beasts of the earth, who are the Antichrist's church, including his false prophets and teachers, who will be revealed in later chapters. This false church is killed by spiritual warfare and they go to the place of the lost souls because they are a scarcity of harvest, i.e., unfruitful spirits. Of the four dooms listed above only three apply to the unsaved, death [spiritual, separation from God], sword [by the Word of God], famine [unfruitful]. The other belongs to the saints, they go to captivity [Eph 4:8 Therefore it says, "When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, and He gave gifts to men"].
In the last set of verses we saw God sorting mankind according to whether they were wheat or barley. In this set we see the judgment of the unsaved [barley], and in the next set we will see the resting place of the saints [wheat]. TIMING: These Spiritual forces have been active and will continue until Jesus returns. Christian's should be aware of them.
ashen = yellowish - pale
authority = the power over one to subdue, drive out, destroy
beasts of the earth = Antichrist's church; false prophets, teachers, kings of the earth
famine = scarcity of harvest
fourth = four, four kinds of doom for mankind
Hades = holding place of departed lost souls
kill = to deprive of spiritual life and procure eternal misery in hell
name death = proper name
pestilence = to die
sword = word of God
wild beast = preparing destruction for men
9-11 And when He broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God, and because of the testimony which they had maintained; and they cried out with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt Thou refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" And there was given to each of them a white robe; and they were told that they should rest for a little while longer, until {the number of} their fellow servants and their brethren who were to be killed even as they had been, should be completed also.
At the unsealing of the fifth seal [five being the number of atonement, the results of which are revealed here], the altar of incense which stood in the sanctuary of the Holy Place appeared. And the souls, freed from the body, which were put to death by violence, because of the doctrine of salvation through Christ, were standing underneath the altar [Rv 7:9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands. Rev 12:11 "And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even to death]. And they asked God, "When will the inhabitants of the world, [those who "co-habit," which means "hearts and minds set on earthly things"], be brought to judgment, to exact from them the penalty for our death?" [Rev 18:24 "And in her [Babylon] was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth"].
And each was given by God a covering [Rev 3:5 `He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels]. And they were told to stay calm and wait with patient expectation until the number of their comrades, those who acknowledge the same Lord, Jesus, and obey His commands and are exalted to the same heavenly place, is made complete [Matt 27:51-52 And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook; and the rocks were split, and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised]. This is the resting-place for all the departed saints until the marriage of the Lamb.
TIMING: Ongoing untill the marriage of the Lamb.
altar = the altar of incense which stood in the sanctuary or the Holy Place
blood = to exact of any one the penalty for another's death
brethren = Christians, as those who are exalted to the same heavenly place
completed = until the number of their comrades also shall have been made complete
dwell on the earth = co-habit, implies heart and mind set on earthly things
fellow servants = one who with others acknowledges the same Lord, Jesus, and obeys his commands
judging = the inhabitants of the world, i.e., worldly forces
rest = used of calm and patient expectation
slain = to put to death by violence
souls = souls freed from the body
word = the doctrine concerning the attainment through Christ of salvation in the kingdom of God
12-13 And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth {made} of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.
Verses twelve and thirteen are better understood by looking at Rv 12:7-9: "And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him."
When the sixth secret is revealed [six, the number of imperfection], the imperfection of fallen angels and fallen men is dealt with. Earthquake is seen here as a change of, or a casting down of authority from heaven. In verses fourteen through seventeen it symbolizes the bringing down of earthly kingdoms. The righteousness [sun] they had, they lost [black]. Grief was included and it was shed by violence through the One who expiates sin [Isa 50:3 "I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering"]. The angels who sinned [hypocrite's], were thrust down to earth as opposed to heaven [actually into the sea, Satan's dwelling place], through violence, the war in heaven, because they were worthless fruit [Rv 12:3-4 And another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems. And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven, and threw them to the earth]. God divorces His fallen angels.
TIMING: Has happened already.
black = judgment
blood = to shed by violence
cast = of a tree casting its fruit, violently shaken by the wind
earth = the earth as opposed to the heavens
earthquake = change of authority
fell = to fall (either from or upon), to be thrust down
fig tree = the tree of the hypocrite
great earthquake = used of men, to be thrown into a tremor, to quake for fear
moon = to expiate sin
sackcloth = a sign of grief
shaken = move, quake, shake
stars = angels
sun = symbolic of righteousness
sun blackened = righteousness lost
unripe figs = worthless fruit
14-17 And the sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb; for the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand?"
All those who had lifted themselves up and are coveters were removed from their rightful place in heaven as one being divorced. And all men who are against Christ, those who worship the beast, including men from every station in life, will conceal themselves in their rock [like Jesus, our rock], their safe place of hiding from the wrath of God [Isa 2:10 Enter the rock and hide in the dust from the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty. Luke 23:30 "Then they will begin to say to the mountains, `Fall on us,' and to the hills, `Cover us']. Their stronghold is the "god of fortress" spoken about in Daniel eleven, verse thirty-eight, which are the worldly kings and kingdoms, along with earthly riches and falsehood. They said to them, "Keep us from the sight of the One who is enraged, that is, Jesus the Lamb who judges righteously for Their [the Godhead] day of wrath has come and who is able to escape in safety?" [John 3:36 "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." Rom 1:18-19 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them]. The wrath of God will be revealed in later chapters.
TIMING: Verse fourteen has happened, fifteen through sixteen is still going on, and seventeen is yet to come.
caves = place of hiding
commanders = any military commander
fall on us and hide = from the sight of
hid = to hide, to conceal, to be hidden
hidden = to conceal (that it may not become known)
Him who sits on the throne = Jesus
great day = the last day of this present age
great men = used of the associates or courtiers of a king
island = coveter
kings of the earth = those who are against Christ, i.e., those who worship the beast
mountain = as lifting itself; kings or kingdoms
mountains = worldly kings and kingdoms
moved = to move from a place, to remove
place = the place someone has a right to
presence = from the one enraged
rich = wealthy, abounding in material resources
rock = symbolic of Christ [that which they trusted in]
rocks = rock, safety, stronghold; "god of fortress"
scroll = a sheet on which something has been written, a bill of divorcement
sky = heaven
slave = a slave, a bondman, a man of servile condition
split = to separate, to sever
stand = escape in safety
strong = those who wield great influence among men by their rank, authority, riches, etc.
wrath of the Lamb = attributed to Christ as Messianic judge
This material is Copyright © 1996 by Jack M. Russell
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