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to heaven and has been lifted up even to the skies. The LORD has brought about our vindication;
come, let us declare in Zion the work of the LORD our God.”

A final example, more exist in Revelation, will be Revelation 21:4 and Isaiah 25:8, 65:19.

Revelation 21:4
“He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be
mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Isaiah 25:8
“He will swallow up death forever; the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces, and the
reproach of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.”

Isaiah 65:19
“I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of
weeping and the cry of distress.”

As you can see, without the Old Testament, the meaning of these passages can be understood in
general, but the richness of the culture and history of Israel seeking her Messiah would be missing. The
symbolism of Babylon of old being crushed as evidence that God will crush the Babylon of the Jewish
world in John’s time, and the ultimate Babylon of the antichrist would be missed. The proof of future
victory over Great Babylon was the victory of God over last Babylon and the one present (Rome) during
the letters writing. There is never a problem in scripture with a prophecy having multiple fulfillments.
The smaller one showcases the truth of its ultimate fulfillment. Isaiah refers to a woman in the
courtroom and says this child shall be called God with us and will be a sign. Matthew then picks up that
language and applies it to Christ, stating that ultimately the prophecy is fulfilled in Christ, God with us.
The prophecy was literally fulfilled as it was stated and then ultimately fulfilled by Christ. Revelation
then takes it a step further, saying that God will physically dwell among His people in the future kingdom
and eternal state. Looking for quotations and citations of the OT will significantly enhance your
understanding of aspects of Revelation. As Ranko Stefanskovic says in his commentary on Revelation,

“The prophecies of Revelation are especially built on the greatest and key events from sacred
history: the creation, the flood, the exodus, God’s covenant with David and the exile to Babylon.
These events are intended to build the readers faith on the grounds that God’s acts of salvation
in the future will be very much like God’s acts of salvation in the past.” 221

Possible Old Testament thematic echoes in Revelation:

It is also possible that there are what I will refer to as thematic echoes. Similar terminology is used by
others, such as Beale and Paulien. 222 An “echo” is a conceptual reference that is not a quote, citation, or
an allusion to a specific word. In current thought, an example of a potential echo would be the temple
motif. In this motif, the temple structure is seen throughout Scripture. There is an outer court, an inner

221 Ranko Stefanovic, Revelation of Jesus Christ: Commentary on the Book of Revelation (Berrien Springs: Andrews
University Press, 2002), 19.
222 de Waal, K. (2013). Principles and criteria for the use of the Old Testament in the book of Revelation. Journal of
Asia Adventist Seminary, 16(1), 69-85.
https://research.avondale.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1130&context=theo_papers

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