May - June 2006 POR 1 POR 3 POR 4 POR 5 POR 6 POR 7 POR 8
POR 2 Reading and Understanding Symbolism
Lesson 2
Lately I have had a renewed interest in trying to understand the Book of Revelation. Understanding Revelation is a lot like solving a Cryptoquote puzzle, which is like breaking a code. To solve a Cryptoquote, first you must understand that every symbol stands for a letter in the alphabet. Once you match each symbol with a letter, you can read and understand the message. Let’s do a Cryptoquote puzzle to show how they work. Each symbol below represents a letter:
~ # ? @ : * ! ? $ & = $ ; ; # % @ ^ : @ }#
& ? # ^ $ & ? # % ? $ < ~ # < & @ P # * @ ;
Y < & ? $ & ! # < ? @ Y : * ~ # F $ : : # *
F ? R : * % # ; A ^ Q A *
The letter E is represented by a #
The letter T is represented by a &
With these two clues, see if you can figure out the puzzle. Hint: It may be easier to do the puzzle if you print a copy of the puzzle and sit at a table to work it with a pencil.
Looking at the puzzle above we see a lot of familiar symbols. But in order to do this puzzle you will have to forget what each symbol means to you. For instance $ means “money”, @ means “at”, & means “and”. In this puzzle these symbols stand for a letter of our alphabet. If you try to solve this puzzle thinking that $ means money, you will never solve the puzzle.
It is the same with the Book of Revelation......Almost. In our puzzle every letter is represented by a symbol. In Revelation, a lot of “symbols” are used, but a lot of normal language is used too. That is part of what makes Revelation so confusing. How do you know which is which????
But before you give up in bewilderment consider the fact that all of the Bible is written that way, part symbol/part real. Revelation just has a lot more “symbols” than any other NT Book. You do not always consider the symbols in the other books of the NT confusing because you have always read and understood the symbols and that is because they are either explained or you just understood them from the context. Sometimes though, we may find that even the symbols in other parts of the NT are confusing. A lot of religious division has sprung up in part from the misunderstanding of symbols.
First let us take a look at some of the more familiar symbols.
In the questions below please fill in the blank with the symbol that goes there and then explain what the symbol means. Remember if it can not be taken literal then it is a symbol:
1. Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the _______ of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” (Matt.16:5-6) (Hint: Concerning this symbol if you read the context it will tell you exactly what this symbol is. If you read carefully in Revelation, a lot of the symbols are explained the same way either in Revelation or elsewhere in the Bible)
2. Give meaning of symbol:
Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the ______ from heaven, but My Father gives you the true ______ from heaven. For the ______ of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:32-33)
3. Give meaning of symbol:
4. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in ______ _____, but inwardly they are _____ ________ . (Matt.7:15)
5. Give meaning of symbol:
6. Even so, every good _____ bears _____ _____ , but a bad ____ bears _____ ______. (Matt.7:17)
7. Give meaning of symbol:
8. Then they said to Him, “Lord, give us this _______ always.”(John 6:34)
9. Give meaning of symbol:
10. And why do you look at the ______ in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the ______ in your own eye? (Matt. 7:3)
11. Give meaning of symbol:
12. And the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that _______ ; and it fell. And great was its fall.” (Matt.7:27)
13. Give meaning of symbol:
14. Go your way; behold, I send you out as _____ among _____ . (Luke 10:3)
15. Give meaning of symbol:
16. The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The _______ of God who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29)
17. Give meaning of symbol:
18. But whoever drinks of the ______ that I shall give him will never thirst. But the ______ that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of ________ springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14)
19. Give meaning of symbol:
20. I am the ______ . If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. (John 10:9)
21. Give meaning of symbol:
22.
“You
are the ______ of the earth; but if the ______
loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing
but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. (Matt. 5:13)
23. Give meaning of symbol:
24. “You are the _______ of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. (Matt.5:14)
25. Give meaning of symbol:
Now Let’s Consider Some Less Familiar Symbols:
26. “The ______ of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your ____ is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness! (Matt. 6:22-23)
27. Give meaning of symbol:
28. But He answered and said, “It is not good to take the ________ ______ and throw it to the ______ ______.” (Matthew 15:26)
29. Give meaning of symbol:
30. “Do not give what is holy to the _____ ; nor cast your _____ before ______ , lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces. (Matt. 7:6)
31. Give meaning of symbol:
32. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou _____ wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? (Acts 23:3) (Note: This is taken from the KJV)
33. Give meaning of symbol:
34. And He said to them, “Go, tell that ____, ‘Behold, I cast out 35. demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.’ (Luke 13:32)
36. Give meaning of symbol:
37. ...“Follow Me, and let the _____ bury their own dead.” (Matt.8:22)
38. Give meaning of symbol:
39. Then He said to His disciples, “The _______ truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. (Matt.9:37)
40. Give meaning of symbol:
41. I did not come to bring peace but a _____ . (Matt.10
42. Give meaning of symbol:
43. Take My _______ upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My ________ is light.” (Matt. 11:29-30)
44. Give meaning of symbol:
In Psalms we find a lot of symbols. Let’s take a look at a few:
45. Arise, O LORD; Save me, O my God! For You have struck all my enemies on the cheekbone; You have broken the _____ of the ungodly. (Psalm 3:7)
46. Give meaning of symbol:
47. For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; Their inward part is destruction;Their ______ is an open _____ ; They flatter with their tongue. (Psalm 5:9)
48. Give meaning of symbol:
49. The nations have sunk down in the ____ which they made; In the net which they hid, their own foot is caught.(Psalm 9:15)
50. Give meaning of symbol:
51. The LORD is my _____ and my _________ and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My _______ and the _____ of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies. (Psalm 18:2-3)
52. Give meaning of symbol:
In the Book of Revelation the meaning of some symbols are revealed. Find in Revelation the meaning of the following symbols:
53. The seven stars (Rev.1:20)
54. The seven golden lampstands (Rev.1:20)
55. The seven lamps of fire (Rev.4:5)
56. Seven horns and seven eyes (Rev.5:6)
57. Golden bowls full of incense (Rev.5:8)
58. The great dragon (Rev.12:9)
59. Fine Linen (Rev.19:8)
In our next lesson we will study some symbolisms found in the New Testament that are identified as being symbolic. If we gain an understanding of these symbolisms they will help us in our quest to better understand the Revelation.