Symbol Decoder

Prophetic Symbols of Daniel & Revelation

"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."

Luke 8:10, King James Version (KJV) excerpt; read the parable

Jesus explains the seed as the word of God in the parable above. That teaches us to attend to his explanation; it does not supply a fixed code for every biblical image. Daniel and Revelation sometimes interpret their own symbols. Where readers go further, the entries distinguish the text from the proposed identification. Historicist readings trace the visions through successive periods of history.

The Roman sequence has early Christian precedent in Irenaeus, Against Heresies 5.26. The United States Catholic bishops’ notes on Daniel 7 give the competing Greek and Antiochus reading. Neither source settles every later papal or chronological claim. Compare the full argument in Two Beasts and the 1,260 study.

The bishops’ notes on Revelation 11 discuss the witnesses; John Paul II's March 14, 2001 audience relates the woman of Revelation 12 to God's people and Mary. These are identified readings to examine alongside the passages. Keep attention on God, faithful witness and care for others. A symbol chart cannot determine a person's standing before God.

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