The definition of “symbolism” is “the practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events or relationships.”
In my opinion, those who interpret scripture, especially prophetic scriptures emphasizing symbolism are off track. There is no denying that scripture uses symbolism or symbolic language occasionally but usually it defines it within the context. Ex. Rev.17:3 - “So he carried me away in the Spirit into the wilderness. And I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast which was full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.”
Symbolism explained: Rev. 17:9 - “…The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.”
Rev. 17:12 - “The ten horns which you saw are ten kings…”
Rev. 17:18 - “.”And the woman whom you saw is that great city which reigns over the kings of the earth.
God used symbolism to cloak future prophetic events from the world, for a time, but to still be proof He knows all to those who finally come to the knowledge of said factual utterances. Most of what you say has a sense of truth, but you miss a wee bit. Above, God does indeed give some info, but the onfo He gives is more symbolism.
KEY, the wat to read Revelation is to understand God uses the Old Testament (OT) as a codebook for His book of Revelation codes & symbolisms. What must first be done is to get a grasp of the old OT, or you can't solve the codes.
Numbers (I will just do the most relevant numbers)
6 stands for Man
7 = Divine Completion
8 = New Beginnings
10 = Completion
12 = Fullnesss
These numbers are key to understanding the Book of Revelation (BoR), without understanding this no one can ever interpret the BoR properly.
So, the 7 Heads (of the Beast Monster) are 7 Mountains and we know mountains are shown as Powers that Arise, its not to be interpreted as 7 Hills in once city, its 7 Nations that arise in the Mediterranean Sea Region that hold power over Israel. So, lets reduce it to a general meaning. God divinely places 7 Beast Powers over Israel, 6 have come and gone, but the 7th Divinely Completes God will. In other words the Anti-Christ/Beast Man will help God bring Israel to repentance, Isaiah 10:4-5 says the Assyrian is God's instrument of Wrath !!
The 10 horns (powers in the bible) are 10 kings, but alas 10 means Completion, as in the 10 Virgin Brides represent Complete Christendom in full. In Rev. 2:10 Smyrna was face 10 days of tribulation, which means they face tribulation fir the Complete Church Age. These Kings are a collective of powers that arise from the Old Roman Fourth Beasts (Rev. 7:7-8) Head. They are not 10, God was never giving Satan a true number to plan ahead on for 2000 years !! Those 10 (Completion) represents the Compete E.U. when it was 8 nations in 1957 via the Council of Rome, and when it expanded at every turn, whether it was 13, or 18 or 27 et al. That way God can never be proven wrong by naysayers.
In Rev. 17:18 that Great City is Harlotry, not Babylon, nor Rome. Babylon = False Governance, the Harlot represents False Religion. In Rev. 17:7 notice the Harlot RIDES the [Gov.] Beast? She is always comingled with these Beast Governments until the very last one, where the 10 kill her off, but why? Because the last Beast says he alone is god, he thus will demand all religions be destroyed, save Beast Worship, which means he will wipe out Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, the Remnant Church that comes to Christ after the pre trib. rapture.
The 144,000 are the Jews Fleeing Judea, nit 144,000 super preaching Jews. Whenever we see perfect numbers its a code. When God saved unto Himself 7000 men, we can see 7 (Divine Completion) x 10, x 10 x 10 (Completion) is God saying ALL Israel who repents as is Divine Completion x Completion, God was never giving Satan these true numbers 2000-2500 years ago, that is why in Zech. 13:8-9 He said 1/3, He was never giving Satan a heads up on these true numbers. So, how does 144,000 compute? Well, lets see, 12 = Fulness and 10 = Completion so 12 x 12 x 10 x 10 x 10 = 144,000 or ALL Israel who repents !! Its not even hard to see it, once we see it. So, they are all Male Virgins right? Just like the Bride of Christ are represented with 10 Female Virgins, whilst I am a male and not a virgin, I am a virgin in Christ who made me a ne man, and I am a part of the Bride of Christ. Since Israel were God's bride long ago, they are shown as Male Virgins, the first and made new in Christs blood.
Only now can we understand the 144,000 are fleeing Just before God's Wrath falls in Rev. 8 via the coming 7 Trumps. The Seals are not Judgments, the seal up God's Wrath like 7 locks, if you take 6 locks off a closet door, you still can not open it up unto the 7th lock (or seal) is taken off. This is why the 7th Seal is over in Rev. 8 starts God's Wrath, the 144,000 are those who repent and flee Judea, it will be 5 million Jews because the 1/3 number = 5 Million Jews (Jews are ALL Israel who live in Judea hence "Jews"). Now we know why we get the 30 minutes of silence. It grieved God when He flooded the earth, there is no joy in what these Angels are about to do, its a somber event that has to come to pass, billions of humans will die. But justice has to prevail. John saw all this, which is why the little book was sweet like honey in the mouth, (Justice means eternity with God is near) but very bitter in the stomach (meaning John new billions of humans would die, he saw it all, then was ordered to write it as given unto him by God in symbolism and codes.
