How to Interpret Dreams and Visions Perry Stone

BIBLICAL SYMBOLISM Some of the most common forms of symbolism found in Scripture are animals that are used to identify nations or individuals. You may wonder why Scripture uses the animal kingdom as symbolism so frequently. I believe the simple answer is that God used what the people of ancient history were most familiar with. The same could be said of Christ’s outdoor teaching ministry. When Christ spoke of a man sowing seed in a field, the wheat and tares, and the thorns, His Galilean audience was completely familiar with the objects He used in His famous illustrated messages. The biblical symbolism of objects and animals is similar to the symbolism of numbers, metals, and colors in that the first mention of the object or thing usually sets the pattern for the cryptic, mystical, or symbolical understanding of that particular object or thing. The first created creature that became prominent in the Bible was the serpent, which was “more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made” (Gen. 3:1). Notice that the Bible does not use a term like “reptile” or “slithering thing” but places the serpent with the “beast of the field.” Today when we think of a beast in a field, we picture a large ox, a bull, a cow, or other large animal that roams in the field. However, the serpent was more than a skinny snake. He was subtle or crafty and was also able to communicate in some manner with Adam and Eve. Because a serpent initiated the first deception, the fallen angel, Lucifer, called the devil and Satan, became a