Not All Things in Visions are Real
—Signs and Symbols
The Revelation of Christ (Revelation 1-5) >Seven Scenes in Heaven >Excursus on things real and not real.
Visions in the Bible were not made up by man. Those who recorded visions really did see them. Not all the objects seen in the visions are real, but the things they signify are very real.
1 REAL VISIONS.
John who recorded visions really did see them.
John did not sit down and write fiction, composing imaginary visions based on books he had read and other influences upon him . Rather, he wrote exactly what was shown to him in visions produced by God (Revelation 1:1-3).
John's brief foreword to his book is clear: The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God, and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, to all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near (Revelation 1:1-3 NKJV).
If we accept those words of John, then we will look at the visions as revelations from the mind of God. You cannot get more reality and substance than that.
So we have made it clear that the visions were real; they came from God; John really saw them; he didn't make them up. Now we can talk about what is not real in visions.
2 UNREAL SYMBOLS
Not all objects seen in visions are real.
Not everything seen in a vision exists, or will exist, in heaven or on earth. However what John sees in a vision is a sign or representation of something that does exist. For example John saw four living creatures in heaven, and he describes what he saw...
"6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night..." (Revelation 4:6-8 NKJV).
These creatures1 represent, in turn, the kingship, priesthood, humanity, and divinity of Christ. Those things are absolutely real. But the creatures themselves are symbols that exist inside the vision. It is not they, but what they symbolise, that exists outside the vision.
1Note:— SERAPHIM. Some say these creatures are Seraphim because Ezekiel saw similar creatures and called them that (Ezekiel 1:4-21,10:1-20). Even if the creatures John saw are seraphim, these particular seraphs exist only in the vision as a sign or portrayal of something real outside of the vision.
Symbols of Christ
The creatures symbolise real attributes of Christ. The first, like a lion, represents his kingship. The second, like a calf, portrays his priesthood and sacrifice. The third, like a man, stands for his human nature. The fourth, like a flying eagle, symbolises his divine nature.
Later the creatures are joined by a Lamb. It appears to have been slain but is alive again. It has seven horns and seven eyes (Revelation 5:6). This is a sign2 of Jesus Christ who is absolutely real, but the Lamb that John saw exists only as a symbol inside the vision.
2Note:— SIGNS. We may hear it said that the Book of Revelation is "figurative language" but this is not accurate. John describes literally what he saw. However, many of the things he saw are figures —meaning signs or symbols. John describes these figures in plain language. They are not real but they represent things that are.
Now we have covered the main point of this lesson, that not all things in visions are real, but they are wonderful symbols signifying real things in heaven and earth. We will finish the lesson with some more examples of this.
3 REAL THINGS SIGNIFIED
The things the visions represent are absolutely real.
- The seven lampstands and the seven stars. The lampstands and stars that John saw are symbols. They signify the real seven churches of Asia and their real angels (Revelation 1:20).
- The golden altar. The altar on which incense was offered up, symbolises the real grace of God in the real sacrifice of his Son. The incense and prayers signify the real prayers offered by those saved by grace (Revelation 5:8, 6:9, 8:3).
- Deadly locusts. Horrifying killer locusts are let escape from a smoking bottomless abyss. They are not real, but in the vision signify the terrible harm that the devil does in the real world —even bound by God’s restrictions (Revelation 9:1-11).
- The thousand year reign of Christ on earth. John knew that he and his fellow Christians were already reigning with Christ (Revelation 1:6). The thousand year reign in the vision is not real, but signifies the actual reign and kingdom of Christ from his resurrection and ascension until his second coming on Judgment day when the kingdom will remain eternal in heaven. (Revelation 20:4).
- The battle of Armageddon. This battle is not a real event, but rather a figure or symbol of the real battle even now going on between good and evil, Christ and the devil (Revelation 19:19-21, Ephesians 6:10-12).