Keys to Understanding Symbols in Bible Prophecy

Keys to Understanding Symbols in Bible Prophecy


Symbols in the Bible can be a tricky business. There has been much confusion in recent years over the meaning of certain Bible symbols. As a result of this confusion many have misinterpreted scripture, and specifically Bible prophecy, and made it say something that it does not.


Why Symbols?

In Luke 8:10 Jesus said, "Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.' The purpose of concealing the meaning of portions of scripture was threefold. First, it is to help us understand complex concepts within the Bible easier through the means of parallelism and comparison of scripture.

Second, as much as God wants as many as possible to come to Him and be saved, at the same time He clothed some of the more complex truths with symbols so that only those who are genuinely searching for truth may discover their meaning. God does not wish to reveal all the mysteries and secrets of His holy kingdom to 'Joe Schmoe' who has no regard for the Creator and who does desire to walk in the light. This is why many times He does not spell things out for us word by word. But to a student in the school of Christ, who has shown his devotion and who is hungering for truth by diligently studying the Word, God reveals the meaning of these symbols and rewards His children with a fountain of truth.

Third, many prophecies were given while the prophets were either in captivity, or exile in a hostile foreign land. For example, some prophecies spoke strongly against the Roman Empire and predicted its fall while the people of God were still under the Roman yoke. If these messages plainly stated 'Roman Empire' within them, the government would have most likely considered them as treason, destroyed the scrolls and writings, and killed those through whom the messages were given. Therefore, God cloaked the prophecies in symbols in order to protect the messages.


When is a symbol... symbolic?

It is vital to understand that symbols in prophecy do not always have a symbolic meaning to them. Even though a 'head' may symbolically represent a major power or government, not every time we see the word 'head' in the Bible will we translate it as it having a symbolical meaning. Most of the time the word 'head' will have a purely literal meaning. In other instances, such as in Matthew 16:18, a word may be purely symbolic without any literal meaning to it whatsoever. Jesus uses the word 'rock' to signify Himself without referring to any literal item. At other times however, a word may be both literal and symbolic, meaning it will be a literal object or person but with a deeper symbolic significance and meaning behind it at the same time.

I know... it can be a brain twister. But the key in getting this right is in always looking at the context of the passage of scripture that you are studying. Compare scripture with scripture and Bible symbols will eventually become as clear as crystal. Below are some of the most common symbols found in the Bible.



Animals and their Parts:

Horse: Strength and power in battle. (Job 39:19, Psalms 147:10, Proverbs 21:31)

Dragon: Satan or his agency. (Isaiah 27:1;30:6, Psalm 74:13-14; Rev. 12:7-9; Ezekiel 29:3; Jeremiah 51:34)

Beast: Kingdom/government/political power. (Daniel 7:17, 23)

Lamb: Jesus/sacrifice. (John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7)

Lion: Jesus/powerful king. i.e. Babylon. (Rev. 5:4-9, Jer. 50:43-44, Dan. 7:4,17,23)

Bear: Destructive Power/Medo-Persia. (Proverbs 28:15, 2 Kings 2:23-24, Daniel 7:5)

Leopard: Greece. (Daniel 7:6)

Serpent: Satan. (Revelation 12:9; 20:2)

Tongue: Language/speech. (Exodus 4:10)

Wolf: Disguised enemy that hunts in a time of darkness. (Matthew 7:15)

Dove: Holy Spirit. (Mark 1:10)

Ram: Medo-Persia. (Daniel 8:20)

Goat: Greece. (Daniel 8:21)

Horn: King or kingdom. (Daniel 7:24; 8:5, 21, 22; Zechariah 1:18, 19; Revelation 17:12)

Wings: Speed/protection/deliverance. (Deuteronomy 28:49, Matthew 23:37)



Colors:

White: Purity/righteousness. (Revelation 12:9; 20:2)

Blue: Law/obedience. (Numbers 15:38-39)

Purple: Royalty. (Mark 15:17, Judges 8:26)

Scarlet: Sin/corruption. (Nahum 2:3; Revelation 17:1-4)

Red: Martyrdom/shedding of blood/corruption/sin. (Revelation 6:4, Isaiah 1:18)



Metals, Elements, and Natural Objects:

Gold: Pure character/precious and rare. (Isaiah 13:12)

Silver: Pure words & understanding. (Proverbs 2:4, 3:13-14, 10:20, 25:11, Psalms 12:6)

Brass, Tin, Iron, Lead, and Silver Dross: Impure character. (Ezekiel 22:20-21)

Water: Holy Spirit/everlasting life. (John 7:39, 4:14, Rev. 22:17, Eph. 5:26)

Waters: Populated area/people, nations. (Revelation 17:15)

Fire: Holy Spirit. (Luke 3:16, Acts 2:3)

Tree: Cross/people. (Deut. 21:22-23, Psalm 92:12, 37:35)

Seed: Descendants/heirs/Jesus. (Romans 9:8, Galatians 3:16)

Fruit: Works/actions. (Galatians 5:22)

Fig Tree: A nation that should bear fruit. (Luke 13:6-9)

Vineyard: Church that should bear fruit. (Luke 20:9-16)

Field: World. (Matthew 13:38, John 4:35)

Harvest: End of World. (Matthew 13:39)

Reapers: Angels. (Matthew 13:39)

Thorns / Thorny Ground: Cares of this life. (Mark 4:18-19)

Stars: Angels/messengers. (Revelation 1:16, 20; 12:4, 7-9; Job 38:7)

Jordan: Death. (Romans 6:4, Deuteronomy 4:22)

Mountains: Political or religio-political powers or lands. (Isaiah 2:2, 3; Jeremiah 17:3; 31:23; 51:24, 25; Ezekiel 17:22, 23; Daniel 2:35, 44, 45)

Rock: Jesus/truth. (1 Corinthians 10:4; Isaiah 8:13, 14; Romans 9:33; Matthew 7:24)

Sun: Jesus/the gospel. (Psalm 84:11; Malachi 4:2; Matthew 17:2; John 8:12; 9:5)

Winds: Strife/commotion/"winds of war". (Jeremiah 25:31-33; 49:36, 37; 4:11-13; Zechariah 7:14)



Miscellaneous Objects:

Lamp: Word of God. (Psalm 119:105)

Oil: Holy Spirit. (Zechariah 4:2-6; Revelation 4:5)

Sword: Word of God/civil power. (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12, Romans 13:3-4, Daniel 11:33)

Bread: Word of God. (John 6:35, 51, 52, 63)

Wine: Blood/covenant/doctrines. (Luke 5:37)

Honey: Happy life. (Ezekiel 20:6, Deuteronomy 8:8-9)

Clothing: Character. (Isaiah 64:6, Isaiah 59:6)

Crown: A Glorious ruler or rulership. (Proverbs 16:31, Isaiah 28:5, Isaiah 62:3)

Ring: Authority. (Genesis 41:42-43, Esther 3:10-11)

Angel: Messenger. (Daniel 8:16; 9:21; Luke 1:19, 26; Hebrews 1:14)

Babylon: Apostasy/confusion/rebellion/spiritual decay. (Gen. 10:8-10; 11:6-9; Rev. 18:2, 3; 17:1-5)

Mark: Sign or seal of approval or disapproval. (Ezekiel 9:4; Romans 4:11; Revelation 13:17; 14:9-11; 7:2, 3)

Seal: Sign or mark of approval or disapproval. (Romans 4:11; Revelation 7:2, 3)

White Robes: Victory/righteousness. (Revelation 19:8; 3:5; 7:14)

Jar / Vessel: Person. (Jermiah 18:1-4, 2 Corinthians 4:7)

Time: 360 Days. (Daniel 4:16, 23, 25, 32; 7:25; Daniel 11:13)

Times: 720 Days. (Daniel 7:25, Revelation 12:6,14, 13:5)

Day: Literal year. (Ezekiel 4:6; Numbers 14:34)

Trumpet: Loud warning of God's approach/alarm of war. (Exodus 19:16-17, Joshua 6:4-5, Jeremiah 4:5)



Actions, Activities, and Physical States:

Healing: Salvation. (Luke 5:23-24)

Leprosy / Sickness: Sin. (Luke 5:23-24)

Famine: Death of truth. (Amos 8:11)



People and Body Parts:

Pure Woman: True church. (Jeremiah 6:2; 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:23-27)

Corrupt Woman: Apostate church. (Ezekiel 16:15-58; 23:2-21; Hosea 2:5; 3:1; Rev. 14:4)

Thief: Suddenness of Jesus' coming. (1 Thessalonians 5:2-4; 2 Peter 3:10)

Horsemen/Chariots: War/strife. (Revelation 9:9, Hagai 2:22, Ezekiel 39:20)

Hand: Deeds/works/actions. (Ecclesiastes 9:10, Isaiah 59:6)

Forehead: Mind/Intellect. (Deuteronomy 6:6-8, Romans 7:25; Ezekiel 3:8, 9)

Feet: Your walk/direction. (Genesis 19:2, Psalm 119:105)

Eyes: Spiritual discernment. (Matthew 13:10-17, 1 John 2:11)

Skin: Christ's righteousness. (Exodus 12:5, 1 Peter 1:19, Isaiah 1:4-6)

Harlot: Apostate church/religion. (Isaiah 1:21-27; Jeremiah 3:1-3; 6-9)

Heads: Major powers/rulers/governments. (Revelation 17:3, 9, 10)