Meaning of The Signs
Overview
This post is essentially part two of what we discussed earlier this month in regard to eschatology and the signs. If you haven’t read our most recent post, I would encourage you to give it a look before you go on with this one because most of this read will refer back to what we discussed earlier. We know that from a thorough look at Revelation, some of the biggest signs we find in the middle of the book are the series of 7’s, the two witnesses, and the 3 beasts. Now we scratched the surface a little on what each of these signs represent, but today will dive into each one and discuss in more depth what the real meaning behind each of these signs is. As Biola University says, “Eschatology needs—and will take us to—all of the Bible. It is something that concerns far more than one’s reading of a couple of chapters in the Gospels and Revelation. To think about eschatology as some confusing and disputed topics tacked on to the end of one’s theological curriculum is naively reductionistic.” By no means do I believe that there should be no differing opinions about these signs when all is said and done, but one thing we should all agree on is that just because something may seem confusing, doesn’t mean we should avoid it. As we tackle these signs and events, let's do so with an open mind, eager to learn as much about the end times as we can.
Series of 7’s
To start, let’s look at the series of 7’s. This series consists of the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls. In Revelation 5, we can see that this scroll is presumably a key to the end times and holds the answers as to what we are to expect when Christ’s second coming is approaching. This is where the seals come into play. As seen right at the beginning of chapter 5, we notice that only Christ can open the seven seals and reveal its content. Then in Revelation 6, we see what the seals reveal. This is why this chapter begins in verse 1 with “Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard one of the four living creatures sayings with a voice of thunder, “Come!” With each of these seals, a horseman comes forth that represents what seems to be an act of judgment from God. The horsemen in this chapter represent conquering, war, famine, death, martyrs, and terror in that order. With the seventh seal starting the next series of seven, the trumpets. The trumpets in this next section represent hail & blood, a burning mountain that destroyed a third of all life in the sea, a falling star that made a third of all rivers and spring water bitter, a third of the sun, moon, and all stars destroyed, smoke from an abyss that brought forth locusts, two hundred million armies, and Christ’s reign in that order. The bowls of wrath that come next take place in chapter 16. These bowls represent painful sores, blood into the sea, blood into the rivers, heat to kill from the sun, darkness, and pain on the beasts, the river Euphrates dried up, and lightning, and earthquakes. These are the series of 7’s and what they all entail. As you can imagine, the great debate about these events is whether or not they are symbolic or literal and also whether or not they take place during the millennium or before the millennium. If these events are to happen before the millennium, then each of these events and plagues would signify to us that the return of Christ is coming soon. If these are to happen during the millennium, then we would expect to have no signs given until the millennium starts. Again, this series isn’t to tell you which view of the end you are to take, but rather what to take into consideration when studying these events.
Two Witnesses & Three Beasts
When it comes to the two witnesses, it is important to realize that these two come onto the scene between the 6th and 7th trumpet. This means that while the series of 7’s is still being conducted, the two witnesses will begin their mission. Revelation 11:6 tells us a lot about the mission they seek to fulfill. It says, “These have the power to shut up the sky, so that rain will not fall during the days of their prophesying; and they have power over the waters to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with every plague, as often as they desire.” These two witnesses have an identity that is unknown to us right off the bat. There has been much speculation about who these two witnesses may be. Some have guessed previous biblical characters like Moses and Elijah, others have guessed Elijah and Enoch since they are the only two to have never experienced death, and still others believe they are just two random people that God selects. Whichever view you may take here, the important thing to realize here is that these two are on a mission to show signs and wonders in order to lead others to Christ while God’s judgment is being poured out on earth in the series of 7’s. Talk about grace and mercy! Even in the midst of judging the world, God has made it clear that He is still merciful and gracious.
Also being introduced during the series of 7’s, are the 3 beasts. These beasts as discussed in our last post represent Satan, the Antichrist, and Babylon. We can see the first two explained in greater detail in Revelation 13:2 “And the beast that I saw was like a leopard, and his feet were like those of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. And the dragon gave him his power and his throne, and great authority.” If this beast is given its power by the dragon, then we can clearly see that the dragon is the king of all evil, Satan himself. Furthermore, we can conclude that the only one he would give all his power to would be the one who would lead as many people away from God as possible, the Antichrist. Revelation 13:14 tells us more about the beast of the earth that represents Babylon. It states, “And he deceives those who live on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who live on the earth to make an image to the beast who *had the wound of the sword and has come to life.” This beast’s goal is to lead others away to worship the first beast, the Antichrist. But it also states that its goal is to lead the lost to make an image of the beast as if to treat him like an idol. This type of behavior is seen all throughout Babylon in Scripture. It is clear that if you read Revelation, there are many more signs and events that take place that would take much more than two blog posts to discuss. However, with what we have reviewed these past few days, I hope and pray that you have been led to study these scriptures even more so to see what these other signs and events may be and to see what else our Lord has made available to you to decipher the last days.
Sources
[1] Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. https://www.blueletterbible.org/
[2] Why eschatology matters. (2020, May 18). The Good Book Blog - Biola University Blogs. https://www.biola.edu/blogs/good-book-blog/2020/why-eschatology-matters
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