1.	DARK CITY – The Dark City represents this fallen world, where pain, fear, lies, and all sin precede Death (the only satisfaction of the Debt, which we all owe).  Also referred to as Babylon (v. 29).2.	DARK RULER – The Ruler of the Dark City is Satan (the Devil); also known as the Great Accuser (see vv. 2, 15-16, 21-22).3.	LEAH – Leah is a Hebrew name meaning ‘weary’; it is also a simplified rendering of Douleía, which is Greek for ‘bondage’.  Leah represents the collective group of the yet to be Redeemed of the earth, chosen by God, still living in darkness (prior to Salvation).4.	CRUEL MEN – The Cruel Men of the city represent various sins (i.e., Pride, Lust, Hatred, Greed, Rebellion, Murder, Lies, etc.), which successfully hold continual control over the slaves, while they themselves in turn answer directly to the Dark Ruler.  It is they who brutalize and put the Son to death (see vv. 5, 6, 19, 22).5.	OTHER SLAVES – The other slaves, also referred to as Leah’s sisters (who refused the Son’s Proposal – see v. 5), collectively represent those people/groups who will eventually die in slavery to their sins.  This is due to their ultimate, life-long refusal of His offer of Perfect love and freedom (Salvation).6.	TATTERED, THREADBARE DRESS – Leah’s prostitute’s clothing, which is seductive, yet filthy; insufficient to keep her warm, it represents her sinful living as a slave in the Dark City (see vv. 3, 31).7.	THE SON – The Son is Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  Also known as [the] Man, The Lamb, The Bridegroom, The Redeemer, etc.; He is the only Way to salvation.8.	CITY OF LIGHT – Heaven, where the Son is preparing His and Zoe’s new, eternal home together (see v. 31).  Also referred to as her Home (see vv. 18, 30).  See also reference to our palace (v. 27).9.	THE MASTER – God the Father, the Creator; Almighty God.10.	 NEW NAME – Reference to Revelation 2:17, which states in part “...And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one understands except the one who receives it.”  When Leah accepted The Son’s proposal, she was given a new name and identity (see v. 26).  Every believer in Jesus Christ is given a new identity as a child of God when they first believe; additionally, each will be granted a new name by our Redeemer, to be revealed after the shadow of this life has passed (see The Proposal section). 11.	 THE DEBT – The debt we all owe for our sin can only be paid in full by death; either by the death of Jesus as our substitute (freely offered to us, accessed through faith in Him alone) or by our own spiritual death, which is eternal separation from God following this life.  Faith in Jesus Christ (the Son of God) is the only Way to eternal life (see John 14:6, Romans 10:9-13, 1 Timothy 2:5, Hebrews 11:6, etc.).  12.	 PUNISHMENT/EVERLASTING FLAME – Eternal separation from God in Hell (specifically the Lake of Fire) following this life.  Heaven and Hell are both real places (see The Proposal section), and they are both eternal (see vv. 15-16).13.	 THE PROPOSAL* – The offer of Salvation (God’s exclusive plan of deliverance for our sin-debt), found in the Name of Jesus Christ and His sacrificial Death, Burial, and Resurrection, by grace through faith alone (not by good works or anything else we can do to earn God’s favor), available to all people during this life.  *See The Proposal section.14.	 SHEOL – Hebrew word for ‘the grave’ or ‘abode of the dead’, which signifies physical death (the end of this life – see v. 21).15.	 TREE – The Tree represents the Cross upon which The Son (Jesus) was crucified (see vv. 11, 23).16.	 REDEMPTION – Redemption refers to what Jesus accomplished in us when He died in our place, paying the full price of our sin debt.  Through His death, we were offered Life.  Having sold ourselves into slavery to the Devil through sin, He redeemed us by buying back our freedom, which cost Him His life.  Since our Debt can only be paid in full by death, His death on the Tree (the Cross) serves as the substitute for our own death.  When we accept His payment for our sin debt, we are redeemed and join the collective body of His Bride, also known as ‘the Church’ (the united group of true Jesus-followers throughout the world).  We no longer own ourselves/follow self, but rather belong to Him.17.	 ZOE – Zoe is a name meaning ‘life’ or ‘alive’, from the Greek word Zoi, which here represents the collective group of the Redeemed, chosen by God throughout the world, after receiving His Salvation; see also The Bride (The Wife) of The Son (The Lamb); this is Leah’s new name (see No. 9 above), her new identity, following her acceptance of the Son’s Proposal (Salvation) and His full payment of her Debt.  She has been made fully alive at last through the death and resurrection of The Son.  From Leah (‘weary’/‘bondage’) to Zoe (‘life’), her new identity is further distinguished from her former identity in v. 26 (‘weary slave of hopeless fear’ and ‘…Your debt is paid in full’).18.	 THE WORD – The Son’s message of freedom to the slaves, which will set them free if they accept it (see vv. 28-29).  This message of God’s freedom is found in the Bible (also referred to as the Word of God).19.	 THE PROMISE – There are many promises made by God to His Bride, the Church.  Among the most prominent are: His Spirit indwells us when we are redeemed; He will never leave us or forsake us; and we will go to live with Him forever in Heaven following this life.20.	 WEDDING GOWN – The Wedding Gown (White Linen) represents “the good deeds of God’s holy people” (see Revelation 19:8).   Zoe’s new Wedding Gown represents her righteousness (her life of obedience to the Son following her redemption).  This is in contrast to the old, threadbare, tattered clothing she wore as a prostitute, which represented her sinful living (see vv. 31, 33).21.	 THE WEDDING FEAST – The great celebration of Zoe’s marriage to the Son, which represents the Church’s spiritual union with Jesus (the Lamb and His Bride), will take place in Heaven (here referenced as the City of Light) following this life (See Revelation 19:6-9).22.	 SPOTLESS LAMB OF ABRAHAM – (see v. 33) Reference to Genesis 22:7-14, immediately after God told Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac to the LORD on a mountain in the land of Moriah.  When Isaac noticed there wasn’t a lamb for the sacrifice, he asked his father about it.  Abraham replied, “God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son” (see Genesis 22:8).  When the moment of truth came, Abraham demonstrated his willingness to obey God.  As he raised the knife to sacrifice his only son, an angel sent from God stopped him at the very last moment.  Immediately Abraham saw a ram (not a lamb) caught by its horns in the thicket, which he sacrificed instead of his son Isaac.  “So Abraham called the name of that place, ‘The LORD will provide’; as it is said to this day, ‘On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.’” (22:14).  This was all part of God's plan to demonstrate how He would one day allow His perfect Son, Jesus Christ, to be sacrificed in our place.  Meanwhile, the lamb mentioned by Abraham was not sacrificed that day.  Approximately 2,000 years later, however, God fulfilled the words of Abraham when His perfect (spiritually flawless, sinless) Son, Jesus Christ (also known as the Lamb of God) became the final, perfect sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.  Incidentally, this took place at nearly the exact same geographical location (just outside the current city of Jerusalem in the ancient land of Moriah).  Therefore, instead of Abraham’s own son, Isaac, as the sacrifice, it was Abraham’s descendent (41 generations after him – see Matthew 1:1-17), Jesus Christ, the spotless Lamb of God, Who became the Perfect Sacrifice for the sins of mankind.  While some may dismiss the lamb/ram wording as semantics, the Creator of the universe is nevertheless a God of minute details.  

When Jesus became the perfect sacrificial Lamb, God showed the ultimate depth of His love for us...for this time He did not spare His only Son’s life as He had done for Isaac when He tested Abraham. 
ALLEGORICAL REFERENCES
