Symbolism in the Bible

[unbound]

I started a thread similar to this, and didnt get any response. Id like to know what some of you believe about description of heavenly things in the Bible. Id like to start with the sea of glass. What is it? I have my own opinion, but will wait for a few posts before giving it...And also the four beasts with wings. And what about the woman in Rev. who is persecuted by satan? Who would like to start?

 

[Shekinahs]

Well first off it would be nice if you gave scriptures of the sybmols you've mentioned. It would make it easier to look them up and read what your talking about

I think the Bible is full of symbols and through these symbols deeper Biblical meanings can be found. Much like the ancient writings of ealier civilizations modern day scientists are still trying to break the code of their symbols. I think this will be an exciting and really great thread and Bible study . I LOVE symbolism.

Post the scriptures and I'll give my take on the symbols you are talking about.

My favorite symbolism in the Bible is Revelations 7:1

After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree.

I love that scripture.

To me the four corners are North, South, East and West. I also think the four corners represent the four elements of earth, air, fire and water. Now what still baffles me is "four winds". Wind is wind at my present state of knowledge. So how we have four types interest me. There seems to be a wind for land, one for sea and one for vegetation. What's the fourth one though

The imagery of four angels so powerful to hold back the wind from the four corners on the entire earth is just pure awe . Makes me wonder when the wind gets still all of a sudden if the angles are holding back the wind. Wind is an interesting theme in the Bible. Hmmmm.

 

[Serapha]

I started a thread similar to this, and didnt get any response. Id like to know what some of you believe about description of heavenly things in the Bible. Id like to start with the sea of glass. What is it? I have my own opinion, but will wait for a few posts before giving it...And also the four beasts with wings. And what about the woman in Rev. who is persecuted by satan? Who would like to start?

Hi there!




1. The sea of glass...

Re 4:6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.

Re 15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. compared to


Exd 24:10And they saw the God of Israel: and [there was] under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in [his] clearness.
It appears that the sea of glass is a part of the foundation of the throne of God.


2. And also the four beasts with wings.


Re 4:8 And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.compare to

Isa 6:2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3. And what about the woman in Rev. who is persecuted by satan?


Re 12:1-6

1 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.
4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.
6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

particularly verse 1... compare to...

Ge 37:9 And he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said, Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to me.The passage is about the descendents of Abraham, the Jewish nation bringing forth the Messiah... and in verse 6, a prophecy yet to come, that there will be a place where the Jewish nation is "safe", prepared by God... for 1,260 days... half the tribulation.


I hope this helps in your understanding...

~serapha~

 

[Shekinahs]

Hi there!




1. The sea of glass...

Re 4:6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.

Re 15:2 And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. compared to


Exd 24:10And they saw the God of Israel: and [there was] under his feet as it were a paved work of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in [his] clearness.
It appears that the sea of glass is a part of the foundation of the throne of God.

Thanks for posting Hmm, I'll have to meditate on these scriptures before I can contribute my take on them.

 

[unbound]

I am saying that alot of times in the bible where the word "sea" is mentioned, it referrs to creation itself. Which consists of the cosmos and its related heavens. Which also becomes the "lake of fire". And the four spirits; aka four beasts and aka four winds, are what keeps everything stretched, or holds apart the canvass in which all matter occupies.

Revelation 4

6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind.


Ezekiel 1

22 And the likeness of the firmament upon the heads of the living creature was as the colour of the terrible crystal, stretched forth over their heads above.

The sea of glass /terrible crystal IS creation. It says it is BEFORE the throne. Follow me so far? Now compare with this:

Psalm 110:1
The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

Isaiah 66:1
Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?

Matthew 5:35
Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King.

Luke 20:43
Till I make thine enemies thy footstool.
Now lets see about those enemies.....

Revelation 15:2
And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God.

Revelation 19:20
And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Revelation 20:14
And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death

Revelation 20:15
And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Revelation 21:8
But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

So far so good? Ok we agree satan was cast down to earth, right? Well, actually its a "heaven" that is part of this world. We all know he works in a spiritual plane, right?

Ill post this, before the comp crashes....

 

[unbound]

Ok here comes some more.....2 Peter 3:10
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

2 Peter 3:12
Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

Kinda sounds like the "lake of fire" doesnt it?

Isaiah 34:4
And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree.

Any guesses who the "host of heaven " are? Our enemy, of course.....

Revelation 6:14
And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

Mark 13
1As he was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher! What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!"
2"Do you see all these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."

If you see what Im getting at, Ill add more versus later, and we will see that satan is in what will become "hell" as we speak, the spiritual realm of this world, will become "hell" as it is self destructing. as for the material world, it looks like the very foundations of "matter" will be shaken at the foundations when the four beasts turn loose of it, and we will have a "meltdown"..

 

[Serapha]

Hi there...


don't forget to explain the "sea" meaning the seas of people while you are explaining away that "sea" is "creation itself".


~serapha~

 

[unbound]

So to sum it up, we have four spirits, which are the keys to the workings of the creation, we have the "sea" which is creation. We have satan, which has been cast down into the sea. We have the sea being destroyed. So it looks like, where satan is now, will also turn into "hell". So satan is going no where.

 

[unbound]

Hi there...


don't forget to explain the "sea" meaning the seas of people while you are explaining away that "sea" is "creation itself".


~serapha~

Of couse it also contains people. But does not God know of every particle of matter or every breath of spirit? These too, are contained therein. I believe we also have different "layers" of heaven...But only ONE will be left. The rest will pass away.

 

[unbound]

Well first off it would be nice if you gave scriptures of the sybmols you've mentioned. It would make it easier to look them up and read what your talking about

I think the Bible is full of symbols and through these symbols deeper Biblical meanings can be found. Much like the ancient writings of ealier civilizations modern day scientists are still trying to break the code of their symbols. I think this will be an exciting and really great thread and Bible study . I LOVE symbolism.

Post the scriptures and I'll give my take on the symbols you are talking about.

My favorite symbolism in the Bible is Revelations 7:1 I love that scripture.

To me the four corners are North, South, East and West. I also think the four corners represent the four elements of earth, air, fire and water. Now what still baffles me is "four winds". Wind is wind at my present state of knowledge. So how we have four types interest me. There seems to be a wind for land, one for sea and one for vegetation. What's the fourth one though

The imagery of four angels so powerful to hold back the wind from the four corners on the entire earth is just pure awe . Makes me wonder when the wind gets still all of a sudden if the angles are holding back the wind. Wind is an interesting theme in the Bible. Hmmmm.

Id like to say something here. I believe the "four winds" are in control of the common denominators of matter, they are also in control of time, which is, of course, relative to us. I suppose a good way of getting my understanding across to you, would be to say material is like a giant hologram,made up of reflections from different angles.

 

[unbound]

Here is good thing to think about: where is the tree of life? Does it still exist, and if so, is it really a tree? What gaurds the tree of life?

 

[parousia70]

Jesus Christ is the tree of life.

 

[Shekinahs]

Here is good thing to think about_: where is the tree of life? Does it still exist, and if so, is it really a tree? What gaurds the tree of life?

Good question. I do not think it's an actual tree but the tree is the metaphor. Esoteric knowledge I do not yet understand I think one has to understand the Kabbala in order to understand the Tree of Life in it's true context. It's a mystical symbol that I'm sure of.

 

[Hoonbaba]

I started a thread similar to this, and didnt get any response. Id like to know what some of you believe about description of heavenly things in the Bible. Id like to start with the sea of glass. What is it? I have my own opinion, but will wait for a few posts before giving it...And also the four beasts with wings. And what about the woman in Rev. who is persecuted by satan? Who would like to start?

I think Serapha is right on with the the 4 creatures with the wings. The biblical references are right on (or so I believe).

As for the woman in Rev 12, check out the 3 main characters of that chapter:

a child who would rule the nations (Jesus, Rev 12:5)
a woman who gives birth to that child (Mary, Rev 12:1)
the serpent (devil/dragon, Rev 12:9)

Compare that with the following:

And I will put enmity
between you [the serpent] and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel." (Gen 3:15)

I also believe that the woman of Rev 12 is also a reference to the Church. Obviously I'm speaking from a Catholic perspective. You can find out more about this interpretation here.

-Jason

 

[Hoonbaba]

Here is good thing to think about_: where is the tree of life? Does it still exist, and if so, is it really a tree? What gaurds the tree of life?

Unless I'm reading it incorrectly, there appears to be two trees of life (?)

Otherwise it wouldn't say "On each side of the river stood the tree of life" (Rev 22:2)

Weird...

-Jason

 

[unbound]

Jesus Christ is the tree of life.

I used tothink this, but it doesnt quite go with the fact that there are cheribum gaurding the tree of life.

Now the tree is in the midst of the rivers which proceed out of the throne of God. Are these rivers actually water? And we also know that this river which proceeds out of the throne of God also splits into four different rivers. I believe they have something to do with the 4 angels which are holding on to the firmament(the sea). Lets look at scripture.

Genesis1: 6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

So here we have a heaven being created. We read a little farther and see that the earth is created upon this.

Genesis1:
9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good

I believe this is adressing the creation of all matter. And here we come to the river and the four heads: Genesis2:
8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.

Now let us also look in revelation as to the river which proceeds from the throne.
Revelation 22
1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him

What is interesting to note is the names of the rivers.
Genesis1:11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates

We also find something special about the river euphrates:Revelation 9:14
Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates.

One of my points being with all this is to show how the garden of eden does not exist in the same way we would expect. Things were different then, and the spirit of God walked directly with man, who possibly had a different level of consciousness than he does have now.

I know some of these ideas seem strange. But if we read the Bible with the intent to understand, we run into a delimma trying to fit in spiritual explanations into carnal knowledge. I believe the bible does this so we can understand better with our limited minds....

 

[unbound]

Good question. I do not think it's an actual tree but the tree is the metaphor. Esoteric knowledge I do not yet understand I think one has to understand the Kabbala in order to understand the Tree of Life in it's true context. It's a mystical symbol that I'm sure of.

I would agree with this, but not sure about the Kabbala.

 

[unbound]

I think Serapha is right on with the the 4 creatures with the wings. The biblical references are right on (or so I believe).

As for the woman in Rev 12, check out the 3 main characters of that chapter:

a child who would rule the nations (Jesus, Rev 12:5)
a woman who gives birth to that child (Mary, Rev 12:1)
the serpent (devil/dragon, Rev 12:9)

Compare that with the following:

And I will put enmity
between you [the serpent] and the woman,
and between your offspring and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel." (Gen 3:15)

I also believe that the woman of Rev 12 is also a reference to the Church. Obviously I'm speaking from a Catholic perspective. You can find out more about this interpretation here.

-Jason

Yes, it is the Bride of Christ.

 

[unbound]

delete

 

[unbound]

Unless I'm reading it incorrectly, there appears to be two trees of life (?)

Otherwise it wouldn't say "On each side of the river stood the tree of life" (Rev 22:2)

Weird...

-Jason

Yes, it implies something other than a tree.

In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

It also is referenced to being a fountain
Revelation 7:17
For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Hey, wasnt Ponce De Leon searching for the fountain of youth?