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Symbolic Glossary for The Book of Revelation

10 days: possibly ten Roman rulers or a lengthy period of time but not forever.

24 elders: interpreted as representing the twelve tribes of Israel and the 12 Apostles; that is both historic Judaism and the new Christianity.

1260 Days: based on standard 30 day month of Hebrews (Romans too?), equals 42 months or 3 ½ years.

Angels of the Seven Churches: various interpretations include a) human messengers, b) public readers in each congregation, c) guardian angel to the congregation or church (people, churches and nations have guardian angels per Daniel), d) heavenly counterparts to earthly churches, or e) pastor or overseer of the churches.

Ark of the Covenant: symbolized the immediate presence of God. The ark was housed in the least seen part of Jewish Tabernacle, the Most Holy Place (Holy of Holies), which was seen only once a year by the High Priest who entered to offer a blood sacrifice on behalf of the people. Based on Exodus 26:30-34 and Leviticus 16:2, anyone else who entered the Holy of Holies was sentenced to death.

Armageddon: Mount Megiddo, in the Hebrew tongue (see Revelation 16:16) or (symbolically) the last great battle at the end of times between the forces of good and evil.

Alpha and Omega: Jesus Christ.

Babylon: variously interpreted as secular world, secular culture, Rome, and anti-God. The latter interpretation comes from the defeat God’s people (the Jews) experienced at the hands of “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon” (see 2 Kings 24-25). Many Israelites were taken into captivity and Jerusalem fell. Babylonians were eventually conquered by the Persians in 539 B.C.E. and subsequently the city of Babylon was destroyed when the Greeks conquered the Persians in 330 B.C.E. Babylon did not exist as a city during the time when John wrote the Book of Revelation. Historic Babylon was built about 50 miles south of modern-day Baghdad (Saddam Hussein started rebuilding Babylon on its original foundations in 1979). Babylon is described as a woman (whore) in Revelation 17:4 and the city (similar description) is offered in 18:16.

Balaam: Balak taught to put stumbling blocks before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.  (Numbers 31:16)

Blood Dripped Robe: May symbolize involvement in warfare or the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.

Book of Life: Doesn’t make sense in the original meaning of the list of the redeemed – two possible alternatives in this context:

• Not list of redeemed, but list which contains names of all people living at a given time – removal signifies physical death, but not damnation.
• Could be a hypothetical – no one will ever have their name removed in actuality.

Bride and Groom: Biblical analogy of Christ as the bridegroom and the church (both men and women) as the bride. References throughout the Bible to virginity and marriage deal more with spiritual purity than sexuality.

Bronze Feet: Alludes to bearers of God’s throne, and angel in Daniel 10:6 and Ezekiel 1:7.

Crown of Life: From the Greek word stephanos; related to joy and victory, not a royal crown (Greek work: diadema). See Revelation 2:10.

Crown of Twelve Stars: interpreted as Israel and the twelve tribes of Israel.

Crowns: interpreted as high position or rank.

Door: The: Jesus Christ.

Eagle Wings: interpreted by some to represent the United States of America.

Eating: alludes to total consumption for nutrition and taste. Eating means to fully digest.

Emperor Worship: The imperial cult or ruler cult deified Caesar and subsequent emperors after their death. Later emperors (Nero Domitian) demanded god-like worship during their lifetimes.

Faithful Witness: Symbolism representing Jesus Christ.

Fine Linen: Interpreted as the righteous acts of the Saints.

Firstborn from the Dead: Jesus Christ.

First Fruit: the early crop, the very best.

Four Living Creatures (in Heaven): Cherubim. Appeared as a lion, an ox, an eagle and a man; each with wings and covered with eyes. Ezekiel saw four similar creatures (Ezekiel 1:4-18) except each creature had four faces. Ezekiel identifies the creatures (chapter 10) as cherubim, a special class of angels (carved into the lid of the Ark of the Covenant).

Frogs: evil spirits.

Furlong: See Stadium.

Gates of Hades: Realm of the dead.

Gog and Magog: Gog is the leader and Magog a group of followers or from the land of Gog, per Ezekiel 38, who attack a peaceful, unsuspecting city.

Grapes: symbolizing overripe.

Hallelujah: From Hebrew (Hallelu Yah) meaning praise Jehovah. The term is only used in the Book of Revelation  chapter 19, verses 1, 3, 4, and 6.

Harvest: judgment.

Horns: interpreted as power.

Imperial Cult: See Emperor Worship.

Jezebel: In the Old Testament (2 Kings 9:22; 1 Kings 16:31-33), Ahab’s Phoenician queen in days of Elijah. She led the Israelites into idol worship and pagan practices (immorality). She caused Israel to worship the mother goddess Ashtaroth "Queen of Heaven." See Jeremiah 44:17, 18, 25. In Revelation, a code word for a current leader in the church of Thyatira?

Keys: Whoever holds keys in a household holds a position of great authority. Also symbolizes access to places or knowledge denied to others.

Kings of the East: Rulers and nations coming out of East of Jerusalem.

Lampshade: Menorah or 7 branched lamp stand. Represents true Judaism. Or Church in that location – Jesus is warning people that church could be taken away from them.

Male Child: Jesus

Michael: means “Who is like God?” One of only two angels named in the Bible. The other is Gabriel.

Multiple Heads: interpreted as wisdom.

Nicolaitanes (Nicolaitans): linked to Balaamites who supported pagan practices (idolatry—eating meat sacrificed to idols) and sexual immorality. Fornication in the King James Version was not just sexual immorality but also denotes idolatry. The primary danger at the end of the first century C.E. was the imperial cult or ruler cult (worship and deification of the current and past emperors).

Olive Oil: common fuel used for lamps. The oil was created when olive trees were beaten to yield their fruit and then crushed under a heavy stone wheel. The fuel that was used to keep the lamp shades in God’s temple lit.

Olive Trees: See Olive Oil.

Paradise of God: Persian word meaning “pleasure perk”. Word first applied to the Garden of Eden.

Prophecy: Speaking God’s message, not always predicting future.

Rapture: Not mentioned by name in Revelation. Many interpret I Thessalonians 4:15-17 as speaking of the Rapture (“we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air”). Another reference often cited is I Corinthians 15:51-53, part of which reads:

“I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. Yet another reference cited (from the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:36-42) includes: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only….so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” From the Latin word rapturo meaning “caught up.”

Red: Bloodshed

Red Dragon: interpreted as the Devil or Satan.

Robe & Girdle: Alludes to role of high priest.

Ruler Cult: See Emperor Worship.

Ruler of the Kings of the Earth: Jesus Christ.

Satan: the accuser (in Hebrew).

Seal: locked, secure and tamper-proof. A sign of ownership or approval.

Second Death: The Final judgment by God.

Seven: Completeness or perfection. Examples include days it took God to create the world, and the statements of Jesus from the cross.

Sodom and Egypt: Jerusalem.

Son of Man: Old Testament based title for the Messiah. Referred to in Daniel 7:13-14 and Revelation 1:13. The verses in Daniel read:

“I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” And from Revelation 1:13: “And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son of man….”

Stadium: equals a furlong, which is 606 feet. 1600 stadia equal 180 miles.

Stars: Angels, per ancient Jewish texts. Also nations are ruled by stars (angels) and angels are under God’s dominion. When the Red Dragon sweeps 1/3rd of the stars from heaven, interpreted as 1/3rd of angels in heaven or given power over nature in the end of times.

Ten days: see 10 days.

Thief: coming secretly or without notice or invitation. See I Thessalonians 5:2 and 5:4, and Revelation 3:3 and 16:15).

Throne of the Beast: the Earth.

Time, Times and Half a Time: Time is sometimes interpreted as a year, so a time (1 year), times (two years) and half a time (½ year) is sometimes interpreted as 3 ½ years. See 1260 days.

Tree of Life: eternal life. Those who eat of the fruit, never die.

Tribulation: a period of great trouble and persecution (Revelation 2:9-10, 2:22, 7:14). The latter reference (7:14) is to a “great tribulation.”

Trumpets: initiates or announces big events.

Two-Edged Sword of Christ: since the church in Pergamos was in the Roman capital, the persecution that claimed the life of Antipas, the martyr likely was carried out by the Roman authority.  This may account for Christ identifying himself with this sword – a reminder that the Sword of Christ was more powerful than that of Rome.

Two Witnesses: Possibly Moses (power to turn water to blood) and Elijah (power to shut up the sky—no rain).

White garments: signifying from Christ that "they are worthy"

White Hair: signifies age (Daniel 7:9).

White Horse: Victory; rode by victor in triumphal parades during Roman Empire era.

White stone: three possible interpretations:

• token of vindication or acquittal – judge would give black stone to charged criminal for conviction and white stone for acquittal.
• token given to contestants in Greek games as they contemplated their race, to be traded in later for their actual awards
• (More prevalent view)  Stone with your own name means a "pass for admission" to certain functions, eg. Feasts in idol temples.  Christ means this as a pass into heaven.

Woman: the one about to give birth is interpreted variously as Israel, Virgin Mary or the Church. See Crown of Twelve Stars. The promiscuous woman (See also Babylon) is interpreted as Rome, Babylon, anti-God, the secular world and the secular culture. Also sometimes interpreted (by Protestants) as a religious system or ritualistic church with robes and icons.

Wormwood: a plant which produces bitter-flavored oil. Symbolizes bitterness.