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Today in biblical studies there are two main approaches to the interpretation of this image. Some understand the elders as representatives of the entirety of the Church—Old Testament and New Testament. Others insist that these elders represent only Old Testament humanity.

The first interpreters rely on the fact that the Apocalypse speaks of both the twelve tribes of Israel and the twelve apostles (for example, Rev. 21 :12–14), and thus the number 24 can be understood as twelve times two interpretation of St. Andrew of Caesarea - the author of the classical interpretation of the Apocalypse for the Byzantine tradition (VI-VII centuries)).

Representatives of the second group insist that the 24 elders symbolize Old Testament humanity, being images of the authors of the sacred books of Israel, of which, according to one of the Jewish traditions, there were just 24. This interpretation is presented by the author of the oldest fully extant interpretation of the Apocalypse Quiz Petavisky (died at the beginning of the 4th century). In addition, some commentators see in the image of 24 elders 24 series of priests and temple musicians established by King David (1 Chronicles 24 , 25 ), and, accordingly, 24 elders symbolize Israel in its liturgical presence before God in anticipation of the coming of the Messiah.

And in the middle of the throne and around the throne are four animals full of eyes in front and behind. And the first animal was like a lion, and the second animal was like a calf, and the third animal had a face like a man, and the fourth animal was like a flying eagle. And each of the four animals had six wings around, and inside they were full of eyes; and neither by day nor by night have they rest, crying: holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, is, and is to come (Rev. 4 :6–8).

These four animals are commonly understood as the highest angelic orders. At the same time, their description combines the features of the cherubim from the book of the prophet Ezekiel (chapters 1 and 10) and the seraphim from the book of the prophet Isaiah (chapter 6). From the cherubim they have four faces and many eyes, from the seraphim they have six wings, and also that they proclaim to God “holy, holy, holy. ” The symbolism of the number "four" (four directions of the world) in combination with faces representing four different living beings may indicate the fullness of the created world, uniting in worship of its Creator.

And I saw in the right hand of the One sitting on the throne a book written inside and out, sealed with seven seals (Rev 5 :1)

known. The expression "the secret behind seven seals" has firmly entered the everyday language, and even those who have never read the Revelation of John the Theologian know it. The Lamb-Christ, being the only one in the whole world who is worthy and able to do this, takes the book from the hand of the One sitting on the throne, that is, God the Father, and removes the seals from it. The reception of the book of the Lamb causes rejoicing throughout the universe.

In the course of almost two thousand years of interpretation of the Apocalypse, various interpretations of this image have been proposed. Two main ones can be considered: the book is understood either as an image of the Divine plan for the world, or as Holy Scripture. Both interpretations go back to ancient church tradition.

The understanding of the sealed book in the sense of the Bible is presented, in particular, by Quiz of Petavius. The essence of this interpretation lies in the fact that Christ is the only One who can remove the seals from Divine Scripture, that is, reveal its true meaning, while without turning to Him the meaning of the sacred books remains hidden and unknown. Understanding the book as God's plan for the world emphasizes that without the sacrificial ministry of Christ, this plan cannot be realized. In the interpretation of Andrew of Caesarea, both of these views are combined. According to him, “the book means the wise memory of God, in which everything is written, as the divine David says about this (this), but one can also understand the depth of Divine destinies”, and also “under the book one can also understand the prophecies that Christ spoke about, that they were partly fulfilled in the gospel (Lk 24 :44), but will be completely fulfilled in the last days. ”

And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and the four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb, as it were slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth (Rev. 5 :6)

The Lamb is the main image of Christ Himself in the Apocalypse (other images of Christ: similar to the Son of man (ch. 1 and 14) and the Rider on a white horse (ch. 19)), permeating the entire book, starting with the fifth chapter. The general meaning of this image is completely obvious and does not cause disputes: it refers to the sacrificial ministry of the Savior, about His death, which atoned for the sins of the whole world (see Rev. 5 :9).

Related to this is the repeated emphasis on the meaning of the blood shed by the Lamb (Rev. 5 :9; 7 :14; 12 :11). Different opinions are expressed only about what are the origins of the very image of the Lamb. In addition to the general understanding of the “lamb” in the sense of a sacrificial animal to be slaughtered, they point to the Paschal lamb from the book of Exodus (ch. 12), whose blood, being applied to the doorposts, saved the Jews from death during the tenth Egyptian plague (in the Gospel of John the paschal lamb is directly compared with the crucified Christ - Jn 19 :36), as well as the comparison with the lamb of the Servant-Servant of the Lord (an image unambiguously attributed in the Christian tradition to Jesus) from the book of the prophet Isaiah (Is 53 :7) with the lamb.

I looked, and behold, a white horse, and on it was a rider who had a bow, and a crown was given to him; and he went out as victorious, and to overcome (Rev. 6 :2). And another horse came out, a red one; and it was given to him that sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another; and a great sword was given to him (Rev. 6 :4). I looked, and behold, a black horse, and on it a rider, having a measure in his hand ( Rev 6 :5). And I looked, and behold, a pale horse, and on it was a rider whose name was "death"; and hell followed him; and power was given to him over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword, and with famine, and with pestilence, and with the beasts of the earth (Rev. 6 :8).

Following the removal by the Lamb of the first four seals from the sealed book, four horsemen appear in front of us in succession: on a white, fiery-red, raven, that is, black, and a “pale” horse. The last three obviously have negative symbolism, pointing to disasters such as war, famine and pestilence. Interestingly, in the original Greek text, the color of the fourth horse is said to be "green". As a rule, such a color is understood metaphorically, as an indication of the unhealthy complexion of a terminally ill person. Hence the traditional translation "pale".

As for the first horseman, the understanding of this image is much more complicated. The white color of the horse and the characterization of the one sitting on it as "victorious" indicates that this rider is the bearer of salvation. It can be Christ Himself or an image of the grace-filled power of the Church saving a person. This was the dominant interpretation in the patristic era: the first horseman was understood either as an image of Christ Himself (Irenaeus of Lyon), or as an image of a triumphant gospel sermon (Andrew of Caesarea).

However, most modern biblical scholars interpret the image of the four horsemen as a negative, evil force. At the same time, some scholars suggest that the first rider symbolizes the Antichrist, and the white color of his horse and the victorious appearance of the rider can be interpreted as an indication of the Antichrist's disguise as Christ.

And I will give to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, being clothed in sackcloth (Rev 11 :3).

The interpretation of the image of two witnesses among modern biblical scholars is very different from how they were understood by ancient authors. Most of the early Christian interpreters associated the plot of the two witnesses with the final segment of the history of mankind. At the same time, the two witnesses were understood as two specific righteous men of the Old Testament antiquity, who appeared for the final testimony of Christ before the world.

St. Andrew of Caesarea saw in the image of two witnesses an indication of two Old Testament righteous men - Enoch and the prophet Elijah. In modern biblical studies, a different perception dominates, in which the story of two witnesses is conceived as a symbolic image of the entire history of the Church - from the era of the apostles to the end of the world.

And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun; under her feet is the moon, and on her head is a crown of twelve stars. She had in her womb, and cried out from the pains and pangs of birth (Rev 12 :1-2).

From antiquity to the present day, the woman clothed with the sun has been interpreted as an image of the Church. This understanding has deep biblical roots. In the prophetic books of the Old Testament, the relationship between the God of Israel and His people was presented as a marriage, hence the numerous images of Israel as a wife. This tradition continues in the New Testament writings, with the only difference being that Christ appears as the Bridegroom or Husband (Mt 9 :14–15; 25 :1–13; John 3 :29; Eph 5 :22–33; 2 Cor 11 :2; Rev 19 :7–9; 21 :2, 9).

Differences between the ancient and modern understanding of the symbol of the wife clothed in the sun relate to the interpretation of the image of her son. If for Hieromartyr Methodius of Olympus and St. Andrew of Caesarea the son is a generalized image of a Christian born with grace by the Church, then for most modern biblical scholars he symbolizes Christ incarnated in the bosom of the Old Testament people of God.

And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. His tail carried away a third of the stars from the sky and cast them to the earth (Rev 12 :3-4).

The interpretation of this image is already given in the Apocalypse itself. According to the text, this is the ancient serpent, called the devil and Satan (Rev. 12 :9). It is important that he acts as a primordial enemy of the Church, mobilizing his henchmen from among humanity, represented in the form of two beasts, to fight against her.

And I stood on the sand of the sea, and saw a beast coming out of the sea with seven heads and ten horns: on the horns he had ten diadems, and on his heads were blasphemous names (Rev. 13 :1).

And I saw another beast coming out of the earth; he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon (Rev 13 :11).

In the 13th chapter of the Apocalypse, two beasts are presented: one coming out of the sea, the other out of the earth. Their activities are described in detail, so the understanding of these images in the most general sense does not cause controversy. The two beasts are representatives of humanity, receiving their powers from the dragon-Satan and serving him. All their activities are aimed at theomachism.

The first beast is the embodiment of pride, blasphemy and violence. The second performs various kinds of miracles and signs; its main task is to seduce people. And, according to the text, the second beast successfully copes with this task, so people, shocked by its miracles, bowed to the first beast. Characteristically, in the further narrative of the Apocalypse, the beast that came out of the earth is called a false prophet (Rev. 16 :13; 19 :20; 20 :10).

This pair of images is interpreted in two ways, due to their extreme complexity and ambiguity. So, for example, in two animals they see both images of specific carriers of evil, and images of god-fighting states or social institutions. Some interpreters saw in the image of the first beast a symbol of the Roman Empire, which subjected Christians to persecution, and in the image of the second - a symbol of the institution of the priesthood of the imperial cult.

And one of the seven angels who had seven bowls came and, speaking to me, said to me: Come, I will show you the judgment of the great harlot sitting on the waters many; the kings of the earth committed fornication with her, and the inhabitants of the earth became drunk with the wine of her fornication. And led me in the spirit into the wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of names of blasphemy, with seven heads and ten horns (Rev 17 :1–3).

And one of the seven angels came to me, who had seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues, and said to me: Come, I will show you a wife, the bride of the Lamb. And he lifted me up in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, holy Jerusalem, which descended from heaven from God (Rev 21 :9–10).

These two undoubtedly grandiose images are opposed to each other. New Jerusalem is a symbol of the perfect unity of Christians with God in the next century, when nothing sinful and evil can break this unity. The description of the city is dominated by the symbolism of the number 12 ( He has a large and high wall, has twelve gates and twelve angels on them; the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel (Rev 21 :12) are written on the gates, traditionally associated with the image of the Church (12 tribes of Israel, 12 apostles).

On the contrary, Babylon is an image of the God-fighting unity of people in sin, an image, if you like, of the “anti-Church”. It is no coincidence that the harlot is shown sitting on a crimson beast, in which one can recognize the beast that came out of the sea, although some interpreters saw in him the dragon-devil himself. This satanic union of sinners is shown as a life focused on the satisfaction of their sinful passions. In addition, the image of the great harlot of Babylon demonstrates the seductive power of evil.