Symbols for Revelation, Tim Davis
Below are the symbols I used to draw chapters 4 to 22 of Revelation.
A sample:
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Revelation 8:8-9:
The second angel sounded, and something
like a great mountain burning with fire
was thrown into the sea; and a third of
the sea became blood, and a third of the
creatures which were in the sea and had
life, died; and a third of the ships were destroyed.
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Most of the symbols derive from the symbols I use
to mark the text itself. I try to be consistent across books.
For example, I used the same symbol for "woe" in Isaiah and
Revelation, and likewise "deeds" in Titus and Revelation.
I will post the symbols I use for marking up text on another
web page (to appear).
Color themes
As you can probably tell from the scans, I don't use colored pencils. I
started with pencil, but found that they don't produce as vibrant a color as a
felt-tip pen. Some felt-tip pens can bleed through paper very easily, which is
not good. All but one of my colors come from a set of 12 felt-tip pens
(PaperMate Flair).
The one color I still like to use in pencil, however, is brown. It
looks more muddled and murkier than a brown felt-tip pen.
I try to use colors along a theme.
For example:
- purple: holy, royal, judgement, wine
- yellow: the glory of God.
I use this for every
symbol for God when marking the text. The symbols for God (the Father)
and the Holy Spirit below are the same I use for text, but for Jesus,
I color the whole word in yellow and then place a red cross on top of it.
In the drawings, I also use this for other things, like gold, or lightning.
However, in the text I reserve yellow only for God. This makes references
to God really stand out in the text, which is very important.
- red: blood, wrath, fire
- orange: glory, angels, gold, joy
- blue: power, Jerusalem, the church
- light blue: saints, sanctified, pure, water, heaven, ice, rain
- light green: time markers
- green: earth, trees, grass, wealth, prophecy, woe
- black: basic symbols, smoke, darkness
- brown pencil: sin, blasphemy, idolatry, wicked. I don't use this color
for anything else. It looks like mud, filth, or worse, which is very
appropriate. It really jumps out on the page when the text deals with lots
of wickedness. I sometimes use it to mark up or modify another symbol.
Thus, for evil worship of the beast / Satan, I draw the symbol for worship
but then cover it with brown mud. Likewise, the throne of Satan is all
brown. Evil deeds are drawn as a brown capital "W", to contrast with
righteous deeds (a vibrant purple "W").
Symbols for God
- God, the Father
- The Lamb (as shepherd)
- The Lamb
- one like a son of man, with sickle
- Holy Spirit
Other Symbols
- 12 foundations
- abyss: see Hades
- all (this is the symbol used in mathematics)
- altar (with four horns)
- altar
- angel (great)
- angel (pointing)
- angel (with seal)
- angel (with sword)
- angel
- angel (Satan's, fallen in battle)
- angel (of the abyss)
- angry bird
- ark of the covenant
- Babylon
- Babylon (fallen)
- battle, war
- beast (head as if slain)
- beast (no details given, Rev 11)
- beast (scarlet, of Revelation 17)
- beast (wild)
- blasphemy, sin
- blood (of prophet)
- blood (of saint)
- blood
- book (little)
- book (with righteous deeds)
- book (with wicked deeds)
- book of life (Lamb's)
- book of life
- book with 7 seals
- bow
- bowl (empty)
- bowl (poured out)
- bowl (with great wrath)
- no bride or bridegroom
- camp
- cargo
- chain (great)
- child with iron rod. It seems likely that this refers to
Jesus, but this is of course an interpretation, not a direct observation.
It could be placed in the category above, for God.
- church
- city (fallen)
- coming (quickly)
- coming
- creator
- crown (with 12 stars)
- crown
- crown (wicked)
- cup (with wickedness)
- death
- no death
- deeds (evil)
- deeds (righteous)
- demon; see also angel (Satan's)
- destruction
- dragon head
- eagle
- earthquake (great)
- earthquake
- equal, is
- evil spirit like a frog
- false prophet (speaks like a dragon, so he has a dragon's mouth)
- famine
- fire, smoke, incense
- fish (dead)
- fish
- gate of pearl
- golden bowl with incense (1)
- golden bowl with incense
- golden measuring rod
- grapes of wrath
- grass
- grass (burning, with tree)
- Hades, the abyss
- hail
- hail (100 pounds each)
- hail and fire mixed with blood
- harp
- no harp
- harvest of the earth
- heaven, cloud
- holy
- horn
- horse
- horse (breathing fire) and rider with red breastplate
- idolatry (if it looks like cow droppings ... that's the whole idea)
- image of the beast
- Jerusalem, or Israel
- Jerusalem (New)
- John heard
- John, the apostle
- John, with measuring rod
- joy, rejoice
- judgement
- judgement (comes)
- key
- king
- lamp
- no lamp
- land, earth
- lightning
- living creature
- living creature (small version)
- locust from the pit
- moon
- moon (third darkened)
- moon (turned to blood)
- mountain (burning)
- mountains (moving)
- movement, transfer, assignment, give
- myriad
- number (unspecified)
- people (with palm branches, washed by the blood of the Lamb)
- people speaking
- people
- person (abominable)
- person (cowardly)
- person (does right)
- person (does wrong)
- person (dog)
- person (drunk with adultery)
- person (holy)
- person (idolater)
- person (immoral)
- person (liar)
- person (mark of beast on forehead, drinking wrath of God)
- person (mark of the beast on forehead, buying)
- person (mark of the beast on hand, worshipping)
- person (murderer)
- person (murderer, given blood to drink)
- person (name of God and Jesus on forehead, worshipping)
- person (sealed)
- person (sorcerer)
- person (unbelieving)
- person (vile)
- person (who loves and practices falsehood)
- person (with evil deeds)
- person (with plague, and mark of the beast)
- person (with testimony of Jesus)
- persons (in heaven)
- persons (on earth)
- plague (receives, comes)
- plague
- prophet (dead)
- prophet, prophecy
- prophet
- prophets (many)
- purchase (with blood)
- purchase, wealth, reward
- purchase at no cost
- question
- no mystery, no question
- no rain
- rainbow
- root of David
- saint (captive)
- saint (dead)
- saint (killed by sword)
- saint (with book of Revelation)
- scale
- seal (broken)
- ship
- ship (sinking)
- shout, great voice
- shout, speak loudly
- sign (great)
- sign
- sin
- smoke and fire
- song, music
- no singing
- speak (worship)
- star
- star (fallen to earth)
- stars (fallen to earth)
- stars (third darkened)
- stars falling
- sun (darkened by smoke)
- sun (darkened)
- sun (rising)
- sun (third darkened)
- sword
- tabernacle
- tears, crying
- no tears
- the unrighteous dead
- thousand
- throne (of Satan).jpg
- throne
- time (is to come, continues to be)
- time, day, hour
- tree of life
- tree
- trees (burning)
- trumpet (not sounding)
- trumpet (sounding)
- no trumpeter
- water (bitter)
- water (river)
- water (dried-up river)
- water (turned to blood)
- water (turned to blood) 2
- water, sea
- wind
- woe (great)
- woe
- wrath (great)
- wrath