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).

CANYOUREADTHISEASILY

Just thought I would post what it would have been like to read the New Testament in Greek or Latin before the early middle ages. That is, from Christianities birth to the fall of the Western half of the Roman Empire. It was written in all capital letters, no punctuation and no spacing. The following is the entire first chapter of the gospel of Mark in English but as it would have appeared in the other Latin (the language that had come to dominate Christendom), that is, without the rules of writing that were later developed. As you will see the way the book is written leaves a lot of room for confusion, which is exactly what happened in early latin-speaking Europe. As true Latin, the prefered language of the (official) Roman Empire, evolved into a number of geographical dialects (like French and Spanish) a different (and highly erroneous) versions of the translated Latin texts began circulating, with any number of mistakes contained therein. It got to the point where the text was difficult to trust and sometimes even impossible understand. A powerful family, the Carolingians (family of Charlemagne - Charles the Great, crowned Emperor of the New Holy Roman Empire), transformed the written text of the Bible and the way we write even today. They set a series of reforms, standards for copying. Lower-case letters were differentiated from upper-case letters and upper-case letters were only used at the begining of sentences or for proper names. Words were spaced apart and sentences were separated with punctuation (much like the way my text appears right now). They also made the proper translation language the old Roman form of Latin, rather then the myriad newer Latin-based languages that had cropped up among the populace (thought of as impure degraded forms of Latin, like we view slang today). This had a profound effect on the preservation and reliability of scripture itself. It was also necessary to begin correcting the damage that already been done by very poor translating and copying. So they gathered as many copies as they could and extracted the original text from these, as best as they could.

Anyway, here it is, enjoy:


THEBEGINNINGOFTHEGOODNEWSOFJESUSCHRISTTHESONOFGOD
ASITISWRITTENINTHEPROPHETISAIAHSEEIAMSENDINGMYMESSE
NGERAHEADOFYOUWHOWILLPREPAREYOURWAYTHEVOICEOFO
NECRYINGOUTINTHEWILDERNESSPREPARETHEWAYOFTHELORD
MAKEHISPATHSSTRAIGHTJOHNTHEBAPTIZERAPPEAREDINTHEW
ILDERNESSPROCLAIMINGABAPTISMOFREPENTANCEFORTHEFOR
GIVENESSOFSINSANDPEOPLEFROMTHEWHOLEJUDEANCOUNTRY
SIDEANDALLTHEPEOPLEOFJERUSALEMWEREGOINGOUTTOHIMA
NDWEREBAPTIZEDBYHIMINTHERIVERJORDANCONFESSINGTHIE
RSINSNOWJOHNWASCLOTHEDWITHCAMELSHAIRWITHALEATHE
RBELTAROUNDHISWAISTANDHEATELOCUSTSANDHONEYHEPRO
CLAIMEDTHEONEWHOISMOREPOWERFULTHANIISCOMINGAFTER
MEIAMNOTWORTHYTOSTOOPDOWNANDUNTIETHETHONGOFHISS
ANDALSIHAVEBAPTIZEDYOUWITHWATERBUTHEWILLBAPTIZEYO
UWITHTHEHOLYSPIRITINTHOSEDAYSJESUSCAMEFROMNAZARET
HOFGALILEEANDWASBAPTIZEDBYJOHNINTHEJORDANANDJUSTA
SHEWASCOMINGUPOUTOFTHEWATERHESAWTHEHEAVENSTORN
APARTANDTHESPIRITDESCENDINGLIKEADOVEONHIMANDAVOI
CECAMEFROMHEAVENSAYINGYOUAREMYSONTHEBELOVEDWI
THYOUIAMWELLPLEASEDANDTHESPIRITIMMEDIATELYDROVE
HIMOUTINTOTHEWILDERNESSHEWASINTHEWILDERNESSFORF
ORTYDAYSTEMPTEDBYSATANANDHEWASWITHTHEWILDBEAS
TSANDTHEANGELSWAITEDONHIMNOWAFTERJOHNWASARRES
TEDJESUSCAMETOGALILEEPROCLAIMINGTHEGOODNEWSOFG
ODANDSAYINGTHETIMEISFULFILLEDANDTHEKINGDOMOFGOD
HASCOMENEARREPENTANDBELIEVEINTHEGOODNEWSASJESUS
PASSEDALONGTHESEAOFGALILEEHESAWSIMONANDHISBROTH
ERANDREWCASTINGANETINTOTHELAKEFORTHEYWEREFISHER
MENANDJESUSSAIDTOTHEMFOLLOWMEANDIWILLMAKEYOUFI
SHFORPEOPLEANDIMMEDIATELYTHEYLEFTTHIERNETSANDFOL
LOWEDHIMASHEWENTALITTLEFARTHERHESAWJAMESSONOFZE
BEDEEANDHISBROTHERJOHNWHOWEREINTHEIRBOATMENDING
THENETSIMMEDIATELYHECALLEDTHEMANDTHEYLEFTTHEIRFA
THERZEBEDEEINTHEBOATWITHTHEHIREDMENANDFOLLOWEDH
IMTHEYWENTTOCAPERNAUMANDWHENTHESABBATHCAMEHEE
NTEREDTHESYNAGOGUEANDTAUGHTTHEYWEREASTOUNDEDA
THISTEACHINGFORHETAUGHTTHEMASONEHAVINGAUTHORITY
ANDNOTASTHESCRIBESJUSTTHENTHEREWASINTHEIRSYNAGOG
UEAMANWITHANUNCLEANSPIRITANDHECRIEDOUTWHATHAVE
YOUTODOWITHUSJESUSOFNAZARETHHAVEYOUCOMETODESTR
OYUSIKNOWWHOYOUARETHEHOLYONEOFGODBUTJESUSREBU
KEDHIMSAYINGBESILENTANDCOMEOUTOFHIMANDTHEUNCLE
ANSPIRITTHROWINGHIMINTOCONVULSIONSANDCRYINGWITH
ALOUDVOICECAMEOUTOFHIMTHEYWEREALLAMAZEDANDKE
PTONASKINGONEANOTHERWHATISTHISANEWTEACHINGWITH
AUTHORITYHECOMMANDSEVENTHEUNCLEANSPIRITSANDTHE
YOBEYHIMATONCEHISFAMEBEGANTOSPREADTHROUGHOUTT
HESURROUNDINGREGIONOFGALILEEASSOONASTHEYLEFTTHE
SYNAGOGUETHEYENTEREDTHEHOUSEOFSIMONANDANDREW
WITHJAMESANDJOHNNOWSIMONSMOTHERINLAWWASINBED
WITHAFEVERANDTHEYTOLDHIMABOUTHERATONCEHECAME
ANDTOOKHERBYTHEHANDANDLIFTEDHERUPTHENTHEFEVER
LEFTHERANDSHEBEGANTOSERVETHEMTHATEVENINGATSUN
SETTHEYBROUGHTTOHIMALLWHOWERESICKORPOSSESSEDW
ITHDEMONSANDTHEWHOLECITYWASGATHEREDAROUNDTHE
DOORANDHECUREDMANYWHOWERESICKWITHVARIOUSDISE
ASESANDCASTOUTMANYDEMONSANDHEWOULDNOTPERMIT
THEDEMONSTOSPEAKBECAUSETHEYKNEWHIMINTHEMORNI
NGWHILEITWASSTILLVERYDARKHEGOTUPANDWENTOUTTO
ADESERTEDPLACEANDTHEREHEPRAYEDANDSIMONANDHIS
COMPANIONSHUNTEDFORHIMWHENTHEYFOUNDHIMTHEYSA
IDTOHIMEVERYONEISSEARCHINGFORYOUHEANSWEREDLETU
SGOONTOTHENEIGHBORINGTOWNSSOTHATIMAYPROCLAIMT
HEMESSAGETHEREALSOFORTHATISWHATICAMEOUTTODOAN
DHEWENTTHROUGHOUTGALILEEPROCLAIMINGTHEMESSAGE
INTHEIRSYNAGOGUESANDCASTINGOUTDEMONSALEPERCAM
ETOHIMBEGGINGHIMANDKNEELINGHESAIDTOHIMIFYOUCHO
OSEYOUCANMAKEMECLEANMOVEDWITHPITYJESUSSTRETCH
EDOUTHISHANDAMDTOUCHEDHIMANDSAIDTOHIMIDOCHOOS
EBEMADECLEANIMMEDIATELYTHELEPROCYLEFTHIMANDHE
WASMADECLEANAFTERSTERNLYWARNINGHIMHESENTHIMA
WAYATONCESAYINGTOHIMSEETHATYOUSAYNOTHINGTOAN
YONEBUTGOSHOWYOURSELFTOTHEPRIESTANDOFFERFORYO
URCLEANSINGWHATMOSESCOMMANDEDASATESTIMONYTOT
HEMBUTHEWENTOUTANDBEGANTOPROCLAIMITFREELYAND
TOSPREADTHEWORDSOTHATJESUSCOULDNOLONGERGOINTO
TOWNOPENLYBUTSTAYEDOUTINTHECOUNTRYANDPEOPLECA
METOHIMFROMEVERYQUARTER

 Try copying that by hand for days on end and you will get a first-hand education on the kinds of mistakes that had developed in the texts.