Prophecy Decoder: Revelation & Daniel

Prophecy Decoder: Revelation & Daniel

Basic information regarding symbols, simple observations, concepts, and descriptions are presented here to aid Bible study and to gain a deeper understanding of prophetic interpretation. This is mostly a reference tool.

Symbols in Revelation clearly explained by Revelation itself:

• A loud voice is equated to the sound of a trumpet (1:10; 4:1)

• “seven stars” = “the angels of the seven churches” (1:20)

• “seven lampstands” = “seven churches” (1:20)

• “seven lamps of fire burning before the throne” = “the seven Spirits of God” (4:5)

• “golden bowls full of incense” = “the prayers of the saints” (5:8)

• “two witnesses” = “the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth” (11:4)

• “the dragon” = “the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan” (12:9; 20:2)

• “His tabernacle” = “those who dwell in heaven” (13:6)

• “heads” / “mountains” = “kings” (17:9-10)

• “horns” = “kings” (17:12)

• “waters” = “peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues” (17:15)

• Harlot woman / Babylon = “the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth” (17:18)

• “fine linen,” bright and clean = “the righteous acts of the saints” (19:7; 7:13-14)

• “the lake of fire” = “the second death” (20:15; 21:8).

Hints for the dragon, the harlot, and the beast:

• The dragon is the devil, Satan. He is not the beast, but he is the spirit behind the beast.

• The beast that comes out of the sea is the same beast that comes out of the abyss.

• The beast is the eighth beast in history, and it is the final beast.

• The beast is an empire/confederation/coalition type of kingdom.

• It was dead but came back to life, meaning it was a previous empire.

• The beast that comes out of the earth is the false prophet.

• The harlot woman is not the same woman as Israel.

• The harlot has on her head “Babylon the great,” which means that is who she is or has become.

• The harlot rides the sea beast, and so the harlot is not the beast.

• Since the harlot is not the beast, the beast is not Babylon.

• The harlot lives within Babylon and has symbolically become Babylon.

• The harlot represents the citizens who have become acquainted with the beast system.

• The beast and the harlot together make up Babylon, but it is primarily the woman.

• The beast still lives after it kills the woman.

• The mark of the beast symbolically identifies those who belong to the devil because they worship the devil and his beast system.

Hints for the seals, trumpets, bowls, and Armageddon:

• There are seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls.

• The seven seals are not the wrath of God—they are the tribulation—the wrath of man and the devil. The tribulation seals are also the birth pangs of the earth.

• The seals are on a book. The seals are opened to open the book. What is in the book activates the next chapters in history. This means that Jesus is authorizing the end-time events to take place.

• All the bowls are contained within the seventh trumpet.

• The last battle, Armageddon, happens after all of this, and after the Millennial reign of Christ, where the devil who had been bound for a thousand years is then released for a short time to gather together all the enemies of Christ for the last battle.

Keys from Daniel:

• Iron, bronze, clay = different levels of strength or weakness: Dan 2:31-45

• Purple and gold = royalty, authority, and favor: Dan 5:7, 16, 29

• Beasts coming up from the sea = kings/kingdoms rising up: Dan 7:3, 17

• Arise from the earth = come into power and authority: Dan 7:17

• Beasts described as lion/eagle, bear, leopard/4 wings/4 heads, 10-horn beast: Dan 7:4-8

• Description of the Ancient of Days: Dan 7:9-10

• Beasts = kings & kingdoms: Dan 7:17, 23

• Horns being broken off/pulled out = kingdoms removed: Dan 7:7-8, 11-12, 20; 8:22

• Horn defeated so that the saints take possession of the kingdom: Dan 7:21-22, 27

• Ten horns on the head of the beast = ten kings will arise from that one kingdom: Dan 7:24

• A ram with two horns = the kings of Media and Persia: Dan 8:3, 20

• Male goat with one horn = the kingdom of Greece: Dan 8:5, 21

• The one horn of the goat = the first king of Greece: Dan 8:21

• Four winds of heaven = directions of the earth, across the earth: Dan 8:8-9

• Host of heaven/ stars falling to the earth: Dan 8:10

• Horns rising up = kingdoms that will arise from that nation: Dan 8:22

• A vision of a man dressed in linen: Dan 10:4-6

• The prince of the kingdom of Persia & Greece: Dan 10:13, 20

• The Visions are about Daniel’s people: Dan 9:24; 10:14; 11:14; 12:1

• Notes: horns grow and stick out of the head = individual people receiving power and authority. A head must come first before a horn because the horn grows on top of and out of the head. Therefore, a head may be a ruler along with his kingdom, and it is whatever ruler rules that kingdom at the time, while a horn is a co-ruler or a ruler or kingdom that comes afterwards in relation to that same kingdom. A very long horn reaching up to heaven represents power and pride.

• If Greece is the fourth empire/kingdom/beast, the empire falls/the horn breaks, and then four horns/kingdoms arise in its place, then those four kingdoms are probably the last four beast empires: Dan 8:22; Rev 17:11. Or maybe they are the four kings here: Dan 11:2

Have all the prophecies of Daniel been fulfilled? What do you think?

Descriptions of the Little Horn from Daniel:

• It will grow exceedingly great towards the south, east, and the Beautiful Land (8:9)

• It will grow up into the heavens and cause some of the host and stars to fall to the earth (8:10)

• It will trample them down (8:10; 11:31)

• It will magnify itself to be equal to the Commander of the host (8:11; 11:36-39)

• It will remove the regular sacrifice from Him (8:11; 11:31)

• The place of His sanctuary will be thrown down (8:11; 11:31)

• Because of transgression, (1) the host will be given over to the horn, (2) along with the regular sacrifice, (3) and it will fling truth to the ground, (4) perform its will, (5) and prosper (8:12).

• The transgression will cause horror because it allows both the holy place and the host to be trampled (8:13; 11:31)

• For how long will that happen? “For 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored” (8:14)

• This vision “pertains to the time of the end” (8:17), of “what will occur at the final period of the indignation, for it pertains to the appointed time of the end” (8:19).

• Four kingdoms will arise after Greece (Dan 8:21-22)

• Vision interpretation (Daniel 8:21-26; 9:1-2; 24-27)

• “What will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future” (Dan 10:14 for Dan 11)

• More explanation about the time of the end (Dan 12)