Biblical Symbols – understanding The Revelation of Jesus Christ

Read Time:6 Minute, 18 Second

Actions
Anointing	Divine equipment from the Holy Spirit for power
Banqueting	Feasting, festival time
Being awake	Alertness, watchfulness
Being baptized	Burial of the old life, Union with Christ in death and Resurrections
Bathing	Cleansing, purification
Breathing	Impartation of life
Circumcision	Cutting away the flesh life, entering into covenant with God
Clapping	Excitement, victory
Dancing	Joy, exuberance
Fornicating	Idolatry
Lifting hands	Taking oath, praise, surrender
Marrying	Union, two being made one
Running	Zeal in the race of life
Sitting	Finished work
Sleeping	Rest, refreshment, spiritual indifference
Standing	Uprightness, standing one’s ground, faith
Sweating	Human works and activity
Walking	Progress, advance, forward movement

Animals
Animal skins	Sacrificial death
Dove	Clean, ritually pure; the Holy Spirit Sign God gives after drowning everybody
Goat	Antithesis of sheep; often demonic or Gentile leader
Goat skin or hair	Prophets
Horn	Judge, Rule, Power, protection, strength
Horse	Strength, War, freedom
White horse	Victory
Lion	Ruler
Ox	Strength
Ram	Leader
Raven	Representative of unclean birds (sometimes a term for demons)
Sheep	God’s people
Snake/serpent/dragon	Satan/sin

Colors
Amber	The Glory of God
Black	Sin, death, and famine.
Blue	The sky, Heaven, Jesus, Holy Spirit
Brown	A dark, blackish color referred only to sheep
Crimson	Blood atonement and sacrifice
Gray	Used only to describe the hair of the elderly, wisdom
Green	Growth, life
Purple	Kingship and royalty.
Red	Blood, life; it also suggests bloodshed in the carnage of war.
Scarlet	Blood atonement and sacrifice.
White	Purity, righteousness, joy, light
Yellow	The greenish cast of gold

Diseases/Defects
Blemish	Sin, impurity
Blemish in eye	Area of sin in life, inability to see into ones own life
Blind	No (spiritual) vision
Broken testicles	Barrenness Inability to reproduce/lead others to Christ
Crooked back	Inability to comply with God’s commandments
Dwarf	Spiritual baby, never maturing
Flat nose	Lack of discernment
Broken foot	Hurt/offense received from another
Broken hand	Inability to grasp spiritual truths
Lame	Fell into sin, with inability to get out on own
Pie quebrada	Leprosy
Scabbed	Oversensitive
Scurvy	Wrong spiritual diet
Superfluous limb	Lack of spiritual balance (concentrating on one area of teaching and ignoring others)

Food
Bread	Body
Bread (unleavened)	Man without sin
Flour/meal/bread/grain	Fellowship with God or with other men
Flour (fine)	Refined, unity of Christ and saints
Leaven	Sin or pride (puffs up to appear more than it really is)
Manna	Divine provision, divine health
Oil	The Holy Spirit & His anointing
Wine (or cup)	Either joy and gladness or singing, blood

Materials
Blood	Life
Bronze/brass	Suffering
Clay	Ritually corruptible, weakened, man-made, world’s system
Gold	Deity; highest quality; heavenly perfection
Iron	Judgment
Onyx stone	The church
Precious stones (in variety)	Diversity of mankind
Rock	Place of safety, military advantage
Silver	Redemption Representative of blood, redemption or its price
Spices	Worship
Stone	Something always ritually pure
Uncut stone	The way God made it, unhampered by human effort
Wood	Man, corruptible flesh
Acacia wood	Incorruptible man, Jesus (this wood doesn’t decay)

Numbers
1	Unity; primacy; sufficiency; beginning
2	Fellowship, Union with Christ, witness
3	Trinity, Godhead, solidity; divine perfection
4	Earth (4 corners of earth), creation; material things
5	Grace; favor; healing; supernatural strengthening; forgiveness
6	Man, man’s world; man’s works; human weakness (short of perfection
7	Spiritual perfection; God’s choice vs. man’s, completeness
8	New beginning; first of a new series; superabundance; resurrection
9	End; conclusion of a matter
10	Completion, divine order, responsibility on earth
11	Human failure, addition to (subversive of and undoing) the divine order, confusion, judgment
12	Earthly government (12 tribes, 12 disciples)
13	Rebellion; apostasy; corruption; disintegration; adversaries

Multiples or combinations of these numbers can represent combinations of these different themes. For example,
5’s	Nearly all dimensions and articles of the tabernacle come in multiples of 5
15 (3 x 5)	Acts wrought by divine grace
17 (7 + 10)	Perfection of spiritual order
19 (9 + 10)	Perfection of divine order re: judgment
20 (21 – 1)	Expectancy; waiting for fulfillment
21 (7 x 3)	Completion re: spiritual perfection
22 (11 x 2)	Intensified disorganization or disintegration
24 (12 x 2)	Higher or heavenly government and worship
30 (3 x 10)	Perfection of divine order; the right moment
40 (5 x 8)	Generation, probation; trial; discipline; or enlarged dominion, extended rule (4 x 10)
42 (6 x 7)	Man’s attempt at spiritual perfection
50 (5 x 10)	Jubilee, perfect deliverance; (7 x 7 + 1) = continued deliverance following the perfect consummation of time
70 (7 x 10)	Spiritual order carried out with spiritual power
120 (3 x 40)	Divinely appointed period of probation
666	Man pretending to be God; concentrated human pride

Objects – Man Made
Altar	Place of sacrifice, meeting with God, change, giving to God
Anchor	Security of the believer
Apparel	Man’s need of covering
Ark	Fullness of Godhead; salvation
Armor	Divine equipment for warfare
Arrow	Suffering and conviction
Axe	Instrument of judgment
Balances	Scarcity; man being weighed, judgement
Banner	Standard lifted high, covering, worship
Barns	Man’s storehouse for the future
Basket	Divine provision for man’s need
Beam	Rafter, impurity, sin
Bed	Place for rest
Bell	Sweet sound of the voice
Breastplate	Faith and love, protection, righteousness, covering the heart
Bricks and slime	Tower of Babel material, man’s attempts
Chain	Binding of Satan, darkness, bondage
Chair	Throne or judgment
Chariots	Transportation, speed, warfare
Cistern	Man’s hewn-out well of water, saving of provision
City	Stability, permanency, security, habitation
Cloak	Protection from the weather, person’s authority
Closet	Secret place of prayer
Cord, Scarlet	Thread of atonement
Cup	Fullness of joy, judgment, work
Cymbal	Instrument of joy
Door	Authority, entrance into something, Jesus is our door into life
Eye Salve	Anointing of the Holy Spirit, healing for eyes
Fortress/Tower	Protection, safety
Furnace	Trial, affliction, pressure, burning away of bondage
Garment	Covering
Gates	The seat of judgment and decision-making in a city, authority
Hammer	Word of God
Harps	Prophetic spirit; instrument of praise, worship
Helmet	Protection for the mind or thoughts
House	The church
Incense	Acceptable prayer
Lamp	Word of God, Spirit of God, Spirit of man, goodness of God shown to the world
Line	Measurement, boundary mark
Linen (fine)	Righteousness that the saints receive from Jesus, Jesus’ holiness, righteousness, and sinless humanity
Loaves (3)	Fullness of Godhead as bread
Nail	Christ or antichrist, payment
Net	Gospel power to catch men
Ointment	Anointing, charisma of the Holy Spirit
Pillar	Stability, security, support
Plumbline	Divine standard
Rod or scepter	Ruler, protection, judgement, authority
Sackcloth (burlap) and ashes	Deep mourning
Sieve	Divine sifting
Sickle (sharp	Reaping instrument – Word of God
Soap	Cleaning for sin
Staff	Shepherd’s protection and guidance
Stone, head, corner	Building aligned from and crowned by Christ
Sword	War or judicial authority
Sword (2 edged)	Word of God by the Spirit
Table	Feasting
Tent	Transitory nature of life; sojourning; a mobile place of worship
Throne	Sovereignty of God
Tower	Place of security; watchfulness
Trumpet	Voice of prophetic utterance, awakening, signal of God’s movement
Well	Eternal life, salvation
Wheel	Speedy, divine transportation
Window	Illumination

Objects–Natural
Almond tree	New year
Clouds	God’s presence; mystery; multitudes of saints
Fig tree	Israel’s religious life
Fire	Judgment, God’s presence (especially in a torch), cleansing and purification
Light	Revelation, truth
Living Water	Running water; ritual purification, Holy Spirit
Mountains	Government
Olive tree	Israel’s spiritual life, anointing
Sea	Gentile nations; the restlessness of human efforts; prison of some demons
Vine	Israel’s national life
Water	Word of God
Wind	Spirit, breath

People/Positions
Cherubim	Angelic “guardians” of God’s throne or position
(At one’s) Right hand	Position of highest privilege
Shepherd	Leader, protector

Human Body & Sexuality
Tent	Human Body