The four living creatures are throne guardians. Their description is very similar to the Persian throne guardians of a winged lion with the face of a man. Throne guardians protect and limit access to royalty or deity. The seraphim and cherubim are throne guardians. This is why the two cherubim flank the Ark of the Covenant and a cherub closed the access to the garden of Eden where Adam and Eve were no longer permitted to meet with YHWH. The four living creatures of Ezekiel are also throne guardians.
Avoiding the Book of Revelation? – Some have not. There are more than 2500 hymns referencing passages from the Book of Revelation. There are over 500 hymns referencing chapter five.
Because the Book of Revelation uses symbols the Bible student must understand the symbols used elsewhere in the Bible before making sense of the last book of the Bible. However, those who claim to understand the book literally must place the symbols in the future since such things as the literal symbols have never occurred or will never occur. For this current generation of futurist and for each succeeding generation of futurist, the Book of Revelation will always be about to happen. Historically, this has been the case for the futurist for the past 1,700 years of failed predictions.
The Book of Revelation proposes to be about events that are soon to take place or that the time is near. This should be understood that the events were to occur shortly after the date when the epistle was sent to the seven churches rather than refer to events after 1,950 years. The Book of Revelation proports to be a prophecy of things about to happen soon after its recording. Accordingly, the preterist understanding sees the events around the A.D. destruction of Jerusalem and the temple as the actual events described symbolically in the Book of Revelation. It is important to recognize that a preterist understanding requires the composition of the Book of Revelation to be before A.D. 70 if the book is prophetic as reported in chapter 1:3. On the other hand, if the Bible student takes the position that it was composed after A.D. 70 using symbols (apocalyptic language) meant to describe the recent historical past, the epistle is a recording of history and the spiritual world using symbols.
It is important to keep in mind that the epistle labeled the Book of Revelation was sent to seven churches during the first century who are told in chapter 1:3, " Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near." The interpretation of the symbols in this epistle must make sense and be relevant to these seven congregations if the reading is to be a blessing to them. The reading of the epistle would not have been a blessing to them if the events described were about things in the twenty-first century 1,900 years after they died.
The Book of Revelation and the entire New Testament was not written to modern Christians but for modern Christians.
The beast of Revelation 13 uses the same symbols as the four beasts from Daniel 7. In Daniel these beasts represent four nations or political powers. The Bible student should assume that the beast out of the sea in Revelation 13:1-10 also is symbolic of nations/kingdoms/ political powers of the gentile world. The sea is symbolic for the gentiles as "land " is symbolic for Israel.
Starting in Revelation 13:11 the beast out of the “earth” does not ascend from the Planet Earth. The idea of Planet Earth did not exist in the ancient world. The translation in both the Old and New Testaments using the English word “earth” is unfortunate. The Greek and Hebrew words mean “land.” If the English word “earth” is used it should be noted that it refers to the soil and rocks of the land. The term “the earth” should be understood in most cases to mean Israel. The beast rising from the land represents the ancient Jews in rebellion and in Revelation 16:13, 19:20, & 10:10 as the false prophet. In Revelation 17 the beast/false prophet is symbolized as the prostitute/harlot/whore/Babylon the Great.
The beast upon which the prostitute/harlot/whore/Babylon the Great rides in Revelation 17:7-8 is the beast of the sea, a political power. The beast of the sea is symbolic for the political power and the beast of the land symbolic of religious powers. Both beasts are opposed to Christ. Nero as 666 or 616 seems to be the manifestation of the political power during the time the Book of Revelation was recorded.
References to marks on the forehead of the 144,000 (Revelation 7:3) and hand go back to Deuteronomy 11:18 (Tefillin) and Ezekiel 9. These references to being marked are to preserve the people of the Lord. The use in Revelation 13 is the imitation by the beast to rob God of some for who Christ died. Marking of the forehead and hand are symbolic references for thinking and doing or the ownership of one’s mind and one’s actions.
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How so?Astronomy was a thing.It might make sense for the apostles though since the werent so educated or their students
Welcome to the forum, @an-old-scribe. I appreciate your explanation, as it puts a lot into perspective. My personal understanding has shifted to the partial preterist view. Thanks for sharing.
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What is Wrong with Planet Earth?
In a recent poll (2020) of adults 18 years of age and older, this question was presented: Does the Earth orbit the Sun or does the Sun orbit the Earth? Nineteen percent chose the Sun orbits the Earth. If you are in agreement with this nineteen percent, you need to read no farther. Go do something else. For everyone else, would you compose a sentence using the word earth?
Pause . . . Have you composed a sentence?
If the sentence you composed uses the word “earth” to mean Earth as a proper name of a planet, you have provided an illustration of why the English word “earth” should not be used in English translations of the Bible. The request was to compose a sentence using “earth” meaning “terraferma” in Italian rather than “Earth,” which is a proper noun for a planet.
First, about the English language. The English language did not exist when the Bible was recorded. There are not any English words in the Bible.
The meaning of the English words changes and evolves over time. Earth is one of those words whose usage has changed. At the time of the early English translations of the Bible in the 15th and 16th centuries, the awareness of the Earth as a planet was restricted to a very few elites in astronomy and these feared for their lives if they suggested such a thing. Earth as a planet did not come into the consciousness of the public until the late 19th century.
Before then, the common use of the English word “earth” always meant soil, dirt, ground, and land. Today, for the educated, modern westerner, this meaning of the English word “earth” is commonly reserved for the specialized description about the fertility and suitable condition of the soil for planting. Good earth is about rich soil and this meaning of the word “earth” is usually used in the context of the subject about soil. But contrary to this notion, in the English Bible the word “earth” is never used where the subject is fertile soil.
These early English versions translated a word from both the Hebrew and Greek that refers most often to the territory occupied by Israel or other nations using the English word “earth.” Wycliffe (1394), Tyndale (1531), Coverdale (1535), Matthew (1537), Great (1539), Geneva (1560), Bishops’ (1568), 1599 Geneva Bible, Douay-Rheims Bible Version (1609), and the King James Version (1611).
After the King James Version over two centuries passed before additional English versions were in general circulation - the first being the English Revised Version (1885). These nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first century translators continue to follow these earliest English translations for translating many words into English – the English word “earth” being one such word. To some extent this was because the nineteenth century translators did not understand a primary meaning of the word “earth” to reference the Planet Earth. The proper noun “Earth” never appears in any English translation, yet, it is probable for modern Bible students the word is most often understood as a proper noun for this planet rather than a description of the “terraferma” upon which humans stand.
Almost every time the student reads in the English Bible the word “earth,” if the reader understands “earth” refers to the world, that is a misunderstanding of the meaning of the words of the original language biblical texts. The English word “earth” should rarely be used to translate the Hebrew word הארץ (eartz) or the Greek word γῆ (gē).
15 March 2021 an old scribe
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The preterist understanding of the Book of Revelation is extremely helpful in understanding Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21; 17:20-37. However, the interpretations of full Preterism seems to require convoluted interpretations for some passages. Thus, there is the partial preterist. The question that follows is how the Bible student understands the “partial” interpretation. It seems partial preterist have chosen from the futurist, historicist, and idealist perspectives concerning a second coming of the Lord Jesus.
Also, it seems that all the passages using 1260 days, 42 months, three- and one-half years, and time times and half a time are referencing the time when the holy city is given to be trampled by the gentiles (Luke 21:24; Revelation 11:2). When this time ends, the mystery of God is finished (Romans 11:25; Revelation 10:7). These passages seem to be the little scroll and John is told "“You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.” (Revelation 10:11). This prophecy is apparently different from the other parts of the Book of Revelation because it is specifically said it is about " many peoples, nations, languages and kings.” The Bible student might assume this prophecy is being compared to the prophecy in the other sections of the Book of Revelation. So, the contrasts are to many people rather than the Jews; about many nations rather than Israel; many languages rather than the language of the Jews; and many kings rather than the rulers of the Jews. This prophecy is fulfilled during the time when the holy city is trampled by the gentiles which extended into the future long after A.D. 70 which is until the mystery of God is finished.
16 March 2021 an old scribe
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Have you read my answer above?You think the ancients werent aware of planet earth?Well reminding you astronomy was a thing then so youre wrong .They were pretty much aware of its existance.Howver i made the argument that since the apostles were simple fishermen and farmers they probably didnt(and their students maybe)
Full or hyper-preterism I’m not so sure about (I will confess that as understatement 
). Here’s a piece on the latter: hyper-preterism.
[Argh. 404 error. Found an archived copy:
A Brief Theological Analysis of Hyper-Preterism]
Hyper preterists really has to answer though ,If Christ returend where is the promise of a joined earth-heaven?
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Yeah, I think he addresses that at least partially in the second-to-last paragraph. And I love this:
Clement of Rome lived through A.D. 70 and had no idea he was resurrected! He continued to look for a physical resurrection (Clement 50:3)
Spiritual ressurection he speaks of?Sounds gnostic to me.?Does he need someone to lecture him about why we are burying the bodies and not cremate them lol.Jokes aside it isnt only spiritual resurrection.The bible itsself speaks of a glorified body no?
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I’m not sure where or whom you’re referring to, but he says this in the article:
Sixth, there are numerous other theological and exegetical problems with a spiritual-only resurrection.
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Υeah just read it now.I read on;ly the first paragraph before and i though he was making an argument and didnt bother reading further.Sorry
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It appears that an old scribe is unfamiliar with Eratosthenes of Cyrene and his attempt to measure the circumference of what he believed to be a spherical γαῖᾰ. I note that Genesis 1:10 says:
- God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. (NASB 95)
- וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים לַיַּבָּשָׁה֙ אֶ֔רֶץ וּלְמִקְוֵ֥ה הַמַּ֖יִם קָרָ֣א יַמִּ֑ים וַיַּ֥רְא אֱלֹהִ֖ים כִּי־טֹֽוב׃
- καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ὁ θεὸς τὴν ξηρὰν γῆν καὶ τὰ συστήματα τῶν ὑδάτων ἐκάλεσεν θαλάσσας καὶ εἶδεν ὁ θεὸς ὅτι καλόν (Septuaginta)
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