External Comparisons Continued...

The book of Revelation appears to borrow heavily from the Old Testament. Below are some easily identifiable similarities that are not likely to be coincidences.

Obvious similarities with book of Daniel
1. the great image: Dan 2 and 3, Rev 13
2?. 666: dimensions of the image: Dan 3:1, Rev 13
3. the four beasts: Dan 7, Rev 13
4. Throne, resurrection, judgment: Dan 7:9-14, Rev 20
5. crowning/coming of son of man: Dan 7:13-14, Rev 5 and 19
6. mouth speaking boastful/blaspemous words: Dan 7, Rev 13
7. casting stars to the earth: Dan 8:10, Rev 12:4
8. self-exaltation above God: Dan 8:11, Rev 13
9. overcoming the holy-people: Dan 8:24, Rev 13:7
10. man with fire eyes, bronze feet, voice of a multitude: Dan 10, Rev 1 and 10
11. seal up the book: Dan 12:4, Do not seal up the book: Rev 22:10
12. swearing of still time left: Dan 12:7, swearing there is no more time: Rev 10:5-6

Obvious similarities between book of Jeremiah and book of Revelation = None that are obvious

Obvious similarities with book of Ezekiel
1. four living creatures: Eze 1, Rev 4
2. eating the scroll: Eze 2:9-3:3, Rev 10
3. destruction of 1/3: Eze 5, Rev 8:7-12
4?. 666: Eze 8:1 (the day before judgment: sixth year, sixth month, fifth day with a progression to the sixth day), Rev 13:18 (the day of judgment)
5. the righteous protected (by a mark): Eze 9:3-4, Rev 9:1-4
6. the whore: Eze 16, Rev 17, 18
7. judgment on the armies of the nations: Eze 38:18-39
8. invitation for birds to feast on flesh: Eze 39:17-20, Rev 19:17-18
9. measuring the New Temple: Eze 40-44, Rev 11
10. river of life/tree of life: Eze 47, Rev 22:1-2
11. gates named for the 12 tribes of Israel: Eze 48:30-33, Rev 21:12-13

Obvious similarities with book of Zechariah
1. four horses of destruction: Zech 1, Rev 6
2. horns of the nations: Zech 1, Rev 13
3. witnesses, lampstands and olive trees: Zech 4, Rev 11
4. flying scroll: Zech 5
5. horses of destruction: Zech 6, Rev 6
6. destruction of 2/3, refining 1/3: Zech 13:8-9, Rev 8:7-12
7. gathering of the nations to battle: Zech 14, Rev 16:12-14 and 19:19
8. darkness on the day of the Lord: Zech 14, Rev 8:12
9. river of life: Zech 14, Rev 22:12-13


These are easy to identify in just a surface reading of the texts. It is also obvious that they don't retain exactly the same interpretations from the Old Testament to the book of Revelation. I think sorting these out in terms of what symbolism is retained and what is changed is a much deeper and larger issue. One example of this would be the meanings of the four beasts (lion, bear, leapard, and terrible beast with ten horns). The book of Daniel has them as four seperate beasts, the book of Revelation as one single beast. The character traits remain similar and the general interpretation is as though they were 'nations', but they have been integrated into one by John on Patmos. And they have also taken a form similar to that of Satan Himself (the seven headed dragon). Not exactly the same interpretation as that intended by Daniel, similar but not the same. You could say these nations have been subsumed into the single nation of Rome, and that would be correct, but is that all that is being said here? Remember that the beast looks almost identical to the dragon (a seven headed creature itself, sporting ten horns). Is the heavenly version of Satan merely the Roman Empire (given to changes of time)? Not likely! The beast may very well represent the Roman Empire but its form is much more sinister, much longer lasting than a human Empire which rose and fell in some 1500 years (including the life of the Eastern Roman Empire).