Revelation 2:1-5 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: ‘The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. (2) “‘I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested [...]
Answers about Revelation
There are 5 references to the twenty four elders – Rev 4:4; 4:10; 5:8-10; 11:16; 19:4. Looking at Rev 5:8-10 NKJV: (8) Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the [...]
When Revelation 21:23 says that the glory of God will illuminate the New Jerusalem it is probably speaking figuratively, in the same way that God is said to be “its temple” in the previous verse. These verses are talking about a change in the order of things. Whereas previously worship was organised around temples, and [...]
Here Revelation alludes to the prophecies of Isaiah, where God says “I create new heavens and a new earth” (Is 65.17) and “the new heavens and the new earth which I will make shall remain before me” (Is 66:22). It is possible that in these chapters Isaiah is speaking figuratively of a spiritual renewal. In [...]
The only way to tell the difference between literal and figurative is context. For example, when we find something in a historical book, like the book of Kings, then it is likely to be literal. When we find something in a poetic book, like Psalms, then it is likely to be figurative. However, even then [...]
Daniel uses animals such as a lion, bear, leopard, dragon, goat and ram to refer to nations that controlled large parts of the area around the Middle East. The lion (Dan 7:4) symbolised the Babylonians, the bear (Dan 7:5) symbolised the Medo-Persian empire, the leopard (Dan 7:6) symbolised the Greek empire, and so on. In [...]
And I heard the number of the sealed, 144,000, sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: 12,000 from the tribe of Judah were sealed, 12,000 from the tribe of Reuben, 12,000 from the tribe of Gad, 12,000 from the tribe of Asher, 12,000 from the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000 from the tribe of [...]
We know that Revelation uses symbols because it is a prophecy (Rev. 1:3) following on from Daniel’s prophecies in Dan. 2, 7 and 8. In Dan. 2, 7 and 8 prophecies are given that use symbols — Dan. 2: a statue of gold, silver, bronze, iron and clay (which is crushed by a rock); Dan. [...]
And I looked, and behold, a white horse! And its rider had a bow, and a crown was given to him, and he came out conquering, and to conquer. (Rev 6:2) The four horses in Revelation 6 represent four threats: conquest, bloodshed, famine and death. The riders do not seem to represent any specific people. [...]
The 144,000 mentioned in Revelation 14:1-5 Then I looked, and behold, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. (2) And I heard a voice from heaven like the roar of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder. The [...]
