Symbols of Revelation: A Biblical Guide

By Sam Bowman

After decades of study and with the help of the Holy Spirit, I came to the firm conclusion that Revelation is a book filled with symbols that require interpretation. When these symbols are interpreted using the Bible, the meaning of Revelation brings peace and encouragement to Christians of every generation.

The first chapter of Symbols of Revelation examines how history has shaped our understanding of Revelation. The following chapters answer the questions most commonly asked about this mysterious book. For example, "Who are the 144,000?." "Who are the two witnesses?" "Who is the beast?" And "What is the millennium?" These are some of the most misunderstood and argued about subjects found in the book of Revelation. By comparing the symbols with scripture found elsewhere in the Bible, surprising and comforting answers emerge.

There is no doubt that the book of Revelation is a challenge to understand. I have written this guide to help you to meet that challenge. To get the most from the guide, treat it as a Bible study. Invite the Holy Spirit to teach you. Open your Bible. Look up the scriptures as you examine the symbols. As you study, you will discover that the Bible itself interprets the symbols found in this intriguing book.

Once you understand the meaning of the symbols, the message of the book will become clear to you. As John the Apostle promised, you will be blessed.

"Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy" (Revelation 1:3).

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sam Bowman
• Release date: Apr 10, 2021
• ISBN: 9781005829346

Sam Bowman

Author and former pastor Sam Bowman accepted Christ as Lord in 1973. Almost immediately he became profoundly intrigued by the book of Revelation. After years of devoted study of this controversial book, he has arrived at some surprising and encouraging conclusions.Retired from his vocation as a clinical lab scientist, Sam enjoys spending time with his wife Susan, also a minister, author and the founder of The Pool Ministries. He is an avid birder and native habitat gardener.Sam passionately continues to study the word of God, the Holy Bible. He is available to teach the symbols of revelation in person and via online classes. You may contact Sam at [e-mail]

Book preview

Symbols of Revelation

A Guide

Sam Bowman

Symbols of Revelation

Copyright © Sam Bowman 2021

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the expressed written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Cover design, Susan Bowman

Text design, Heather Baker

Cover photo by Joshua Earle

E-book formatting, gopublished.com

www.thepoolministries.org

Acknowledgements

Much gratitude to Heather Baker, thoughtful reader, copy editor and good friend. Thank you for your support and hard work.

Thank you and much love to my wife Susan who patiently helped me iron out the wrinkles in this guide to Revelation.

Table of Contents

Prologue

1. Introduction to The Book of Revelation

2. Symbolism and Visions

3. Symbolism and Numbers

4. Seals, Trumpets, Bowls

5. The 144,000

6. Who are the Two Witnesses?

7. The Two Women

8. Satan Exposed

9. Is there a Millennium?

10. The New Jerusalem

To Conclude

Bibliography

About the Author

Prologue

There is no doubt that the book of Revelation is a challenge to understand. I have written this guide to help you to meet that challenge. To get the most from the guide, treat it as a Bible study. Invite the Holy Spirit to teach you. Open your Bible. Look up the scriptures as you examine the symbols found in Revelation. As you study, you will discover that the Bible itself interprets the symbols found in this mysterious book.

Once you understand the meaning of the symbols, the message of the book will become clear to you. As John the Apostle promised, you will be blessed.

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy … (Revelation 1:3).

1. Introduction to The Book of Revelation

I. How God Taught Me to Understand Revelation

In 1979, I moved my family from the big city of Minneapolis to a small town in Alabama to be closer to my wife’s family. I was fairly young in the Lord, having been born again a mere six years before when I was 22 years old. I spent those formative years as a devoted member of Jesus People Church. Jesus People Church started during a revival called the Jesus Movement. The Jesus Movement swept through the disaffected youth of that day: the hippies, druggies, war protesters, draft dodgers and college dropouts. Multitudes of young people came to the Lord.

So great was our excitement that it felt like the return of the Lord was imminent. My pastors and visiting evangelists often warned us to be ready because the end was near. I remember terrified people responding to altar calls because the speaker had convinced them that this might be their last chance before the rapture. Often services started with a speaker wondering if Jesus would return before the service ended. Emotion was running high because, in the excitement of the revival, the presence of the Holy Spirit was tangible.

End times and the Book of Revelation were hot topics among my born-again brothers and sisters. We all agreed that there would soon be a rapture of the church and a tribulation. But none of us were sure how that would unfold. Some of us believed the church would be taken to heaven before the seven-year tribulation. Others believed the church would be raptured in the middle or at the end of the tribulation. We would argue about it, pointing to scriptures that supported our particular opinion, but in a friendly way. No one became upset.

So, it was with that in mind that I stood in Alabama at my new pastor’s door, prepared to prove with scripture that my opinion about when the rapture would occur was the right one. A few weeks prior he had loaned me a teaching series by a friend of his who was an evangelist. The teaching series was on the Book of Revelation. The evangelist taught that only the first five chapters of the book, and maybe the last two, applied to the church. The reason he felt it unnecessary to discuss the other 15 chapters of Revelation was because he firmly and passionately believed that the church would be raptured before the tribulation. So, in his opinion, those chapters weren’t written for the church.

I, on the other hand, believed that the church would be raptured after three and a half years of the seven-year tribulation had passed. I based my opinion on Revelation 11:2-3; 12:6 & 13:5 and Daniel 7:25 & 12:7. These verses mention 42 months and 1,260 days, both equivalent to 3 ½ years, and time, times and half a time, which I decided was 3 ½ years.

The evangelist was a Pre-Tribber. I was what is called a Mid-Tribber. People who believed the rapture would occur after the tribulation is over were called Post-Tribbers.

Since my new pastor had invited his friend to teach at his church, I was confident that he agreed with him, making him a Pre-Tribber, too.

Looking forward to a lively discussion, I knocked on the door. My pastor welcomed me with a smile, cautioning me to be quiet since his pregnant wife was napping on the sofa. We tiptoed down the hallway into a