Revelation Is Both Symbolic And Literal

This Revelation Timeline Decoded Bible study shows how Revelation uses symbols to explain the literal fulfillment.

Some people say that the Apocalyptic message is only symbolic and not literal.

They are saying that there is no literal historical fulfillment of the prophecies.

Some people say that the book of Revelation is literal.

They are saying that the locust in the 5th Trumpet will be actual locust.

To use that as an example, the symbol of locust is defined in the Old Testament as Arabs.

Judges 7:12 defines that locust represent the Arabians. “Now the Midianites and Amalekites, all the people of the East, were lying in the valley as numerous as locusts; and their camels were without number, as the sand by the seashore in multitude.”

So the 5th Trumpet is pointing to the rise of Islam and the great Muslim armies, which were used to attack part of the Roman Empire, as part of their judgment.

Here is a summary of the fulfillment of the fifth Trumpet, so that you can see the symbolism and the literal fulfillment:

The 5th Trumpet represents the Lord using the Arabian (Mohammedan) army against the Western Roman Empire from 612-762 A.D., which is 150 years (5 months = 150 days). They wore turbans (crowns of gold); they had beards (faces of men); they had long hair like women; they wore chain-mail (breast-plates of iron); and they were fierce (teeth of lions). The falling star was Mohammed, the smoke out of Satan’s bottomless pit of lies is the Koran.

Revelation is a war manual, and John had to hide the message from the Romans who were in power at the time.

He could not say that the Arabs would come and attack the Roman Empire and prevail, as that would have invited more persecution.

The 6th Bowl refers to the symbolic drying up of the Euphrates River.

The literal interpretation focuses on the actual Euphrates River being dried up, but it symbolically points back to the domain of the the Turks, who became the great Ottoman Empire. Their drying up literally was fulfilled as they lost control of all of the lands they had conquered and were only left with the country of Turkey.

The 6th Trumpet represents the Lord releasing the Turks to cross over the Euphrates River to conquer 1/3rd of the Roman Empire for 391 years (prepared for the hour and day and month and year, 1 + 30 + 360 = 391) from 1062-1453 A.D., which ended when they used large cannons (out of their mouths came fire, smoke, and brimstone) to knock down the thick protective walls of Constantinople.

The 6th Bowl was poured out to dry up the Ottoman Empire, the people (river) of the Euphrates who had been released during the 6th Trumpet. During the 18th and 19th centuries, they lost control of the territories that they had occupied, such as Syria, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait; the kings of the East. They lost control of Palestine to General Allenby of Great Britain in 1917 A.D.

So the book of Revelation is both symbolic and literal. If one has not studied the Old Testament, they probably don’t understand the definition of the symbols, which means that they cannot understand the literal fulfillment.

I think that it is our Father’s way of testing us to see if we read His whole Word.

Revelation truly is a blessing to those who read it and understand it, as it proves that the Elohim of the Scriptures is the One True Elohim; who foretold all of these events thousands of years ago, and have been fulfilled historically in precise detail. Praise Yah!

Next Revelation Timeline Decoded Study: History Unveils Prophecy