Semantic Analysis

Semantic Analysis — Revelation (English → Cantonese)

Methodology

This analysis covers the entire book of Revelation (Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰωάννου), chapter 1 through chapter 22, in the original Koine Greek. Part 1 treats the core passage, Revelation 21:1–8, verse by verse. Part 2 treats every chapter of the book, first to last, documenting every load-bearing theological term newly introduced in that chapter. Where a chapter introduces no new load-bearing vocabulary beyond terms already treated, this is stated explicitly and the chapter is still listed for full-book coverage.

Every term already established in the baseline Romans translation_memory.json is reused exactly and is marked [BASELINE] below. New terms specific to Revelation’s apocalyptic-symbolic vocabulary are analyzed fresh, with attention to collision risk against Hong Kong/Guangdong/Macau folk-religious practice (Wong Tai Sin, Man Mo Temple, Guanyin devotion, ancestor veneration, 問米 spirit-mediumship, feng shui/almanac culture, fortune-telling) — the same risk class the baseline Romans package documents — plus new collision points specific to Revelation’s apocalyptic genre (dragon symbolism, the folk “register of life and death,” Buddhist hell cosmology, Chinese Four Symbols cosmology, numerology).

Field key for each term: Original (Greek) — Transliteration — Literal meaning — Semantic range — English variants — Contextual theological meaning — Cantonese rendering (Jyutping) — Risk tier — Risk note.

PART 1 — Core Passage: Revelation 21:1–8 (Verse by Verse)

Revelation 21:1

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.”

new — Gr. καινός (kainos) — Lit. “new (in kind/quality),” not merely “new” in time (νέος) — Semantic range: qualitatively new, renewed, previously non-existent in this form — English variants: “new,” “renewed” — Contextual meaning: God’s re-creation of the cosmos, not a patched-up old cosmos but a qualitatively transformed one, fulfilling the eschatological hope already implicit in Romans 8:19-23’s “creation set free” — Cantonese: 新 (san1) — Risk: Critical — must not be softened toward a merely spiritual/otherworldly renewal; ties directly to the doctrine of the New Heaven and New Earth.
heaven / earth — Gr. οὐρανός (ouranos) / γῆ (gē) — Lit. “sky/heaven” / “land, earth, ground” — Semantic range: the visible sky and the physical earth, together the totality of creation — English variants: “heaven,” “sky” / “earth,” “land” — Contextual meaning: the entire created order, both realms, being remade together — Cantonese: 天 (tin1) / 地 (dei6) — Risk: Medium — must be read together as the whole created order, not “heaven” as a disembodied afterlife destination versus “earth” as discarded.
sea — Gr. θάλασσα (thalassa) — Lit. “sea” — Semantic range: literal sea; throughout Revelation also a symbol of chaos, the abyss, and the origin of the beast (13:1) — English variants: “sea,” “ocean” — Contextual meaning: “the sea was no more” signals the final removal of chaos, threat, and separation from God’s ordered new creation — Cantonese: 海 (hoi2) — Risk: Medium — clarify as symbolic-and-literal removal of chaos/threat, not a claim that geography vanishes; connects to the “Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation” doctrine.

Revelation 21:2

“And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

holy city — Gr. πόλις ἁγία (polis hagia) — Lit. “city, set-apart/holy” — reuses [BASELINE] 聖潔 (sing3 git3, holy) root — Semantic range: a city consecrated to God, morally pure and set apart — English variants: “holy city,” “the Holy City” — Contextual meaning: the consummated dwelling-place of God’s people, not a folk-religious sacred site — Cantonese: 聖城 (sing3 sing4) — Risk: High — must not be assimilated to any locally sacred site/temple precinct (already flagged for 教會/church in baseline); this is the eschatological, unique city of God.
new Jerusalem — Gr. Ἰερουσαλὴμ καινή (Ierousalēm kainē) — Lit. “Jerusalem, new” — Semantic range: proper name for the eschatological city of God, drawing on OT Jerusalem/Zion imagery — English variants: “new Jerusalem,” “New Jerusalem” — Contextual meaning: the culmination of covenant history; descends from heaven to earth (not humanity ascending away from earth) — Cantonese: 新耶路撒冷 (san1 je4 lou6 saat3 laang6) — Risk: High — must retain the downward direction (God’s dwelling comes to renewed earth), preserving Revelation’s earth-affirming eschatology against any escapist misreading.
coming down — Gr. καταβαίνουσαν (katabainousan, ptc. of καταβαίνω) — Lit. “coming down, descending” — Semantic range: physical downward movement — English variants: “coming down,” “descending” — Contextual meaning: reinforces the earth-ward direction of final salvation — Cantonese: 從天而降 (cung4 tin1 ji4 gong3) — Risk: Medium.
bride — Gr. νύμφη (nymphē) — Lit. “bride, young wife” — Semantic range: a woman prepared for or newly entered into marriage — English variants: “bride” — Contextual meaning: central image for the doctrine of the Church as Bride of Christ; the corporate, redeemed people of God presented to Christ in consummated covenant union — Cantonese: 新婦 (san1 fu5) — Risk: Critical — must not be reduced to a romantic metaphor detached from covenant theology, nor confused with Chinese betrothal/dowry customs (聘金, 嫁妝); this names the whole people of God, purified through Christ’s own righteousness (cf. 19:8).
adorned — Gr. κεκοσμημένην (kekosmēmenēn, ptc. of κοσμέω) — Lit. “having been adorned, made beautiful/ordered” — Semantic range: to decorate, to put in proper order — English variants: “adorned,” “beautifully dressed” — Contextual meaning: the Bride’s readiness and beauty are given by God, not self-achieved — Cantonese: 打扮好 (daa2 baan6 hou2) — Risk: Medium — must not suggest self-earned merit; the Bride’s adornment (cf. 19:8, “fine linen… the righteous deeds of the saints”) is granted, echoing grace-not-merit already established in the baseline (contra Wong Tai Sin’s transactional exchange).

Revelation 21:3

“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God.’”

throne — Gr. θρόνος (thronos) — Lit. “throne, seat of authority” — Semantic range: the seat of royal/divine authority — English variants: “throne” — Contextual meaning: God’s sovereign rule now consummated and located visibly among his people — Cantonese: 寶座 (bou2 zo6) — Risk: High — distinguish from the earthly imperial “dragon throne” (龍椅) image; given Hong Kong’s political sensitivities (already flagged in the baseline for 神嘅國/kingdom of God), the throne must be framed as God’s cosmic, not a this-worldly political, sovereignty.
dwell / tabernacle — Gr. σκηνώσει (skēnōsei, fut. of σκηνόω) — Lit. “will tent/tabernacle” — Semantic range: to pitch a tent, to dwell, echoing the OT tabernacle and John 1:14’s “the Word became flesh and dwelt (ἐσκήνωσεν) among us” — English variants: “will dwell,” “will tabernacle” — Contextual meaning: permanent, unmediated divine presence, the climax of the Immanuel promise — Cantonese: 同佢哋同住 (tung4 keoi5 dei6 tung4 zyu6) — Risk: Critical — must never be rendered with a term suggesting a temporary manifestation (avoid any 化身/顯靈-adjacent framing, already forbidden for [BASELINE] 道成肉身/incarnation); this is permanent covenantal presence, not a deity’s episodic appearance at a shrine.
his people — Gr. λαός αὐτοῦ (laos autou) — Lit. “his people” — Semantic range: a covenant people belonging to God — English variants: “his people” — Contextual meaning: fulfillment of the covenant formula “I will be their God and they will be my people” — Cantonese: 佢嘅子民 (keoi5 ge3 zi2 man4) — Risk: Medium.

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.”

death — Gr. θάνατος (thanatos), personified elsewhere in Revelation (6:8; 20:13-14) — reuses concept adjacent to [BASELINE] 復活 (resurrection, Critical) as its reversal — Semantic range: physical death, and in Revelation a personified defeated enemy — English variants: “death” — Contextual meaning: death’s final abolition, not merely postponement — Cantonese: 死亡 (sei2 mong4) — Risk: Critical — must be presented as a defeated enemy finally destroyed (cf. 20:14, death cast into the lake of fire), not a deity to be appeased (avoid any echo of folk underworld-official figures such as 無常/黑白無常 associated with Hong Kong City God temple culture).
mourning / crying / pain — Gr. πένθος (penthos) / κραυγή (kraugē) / πόνος (ponos) — Lit. “grief” / “outcry” / “toil, pain” — Semantic range: grief, lament, and suffering in all its forms — English variants: “mourning,” “crying,” “pain,” “sorrow” — Contextual meaning: total, final removal of all suffering, not a temporary comfort — Cantonese: 哀傷 (oi1 soeng1) / 哭喊 (huk1 haam3) / 痛苦 (tung3 fu2) — Risk: Medium — ensure “no more” (唔再有) conveys permanence, resisting any reading as a mere temporary reprieve like a fortunate turn in one’s 運程 (yearly fortune cycle, already flagged under providence in the baseline).
the former things — Gr. τὰ πρῶτα (ta prōta) — Lit. “the first things” — Semantic range: the old created order marked by sin, death, and suffering — English variants: “the former things,” “the old order” — Contextual meaning: decisively passed away, not cyclically recurring — Cantonese: 舊嘅事 (gau6 ge3 si6) — Risk: Medium.

Revelation 21:5

“And he who was seated on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’”

making all things new — Gr. καινὰ ποιῶ πάντα (kaina poiō panta) — reuses new (καινός, see 21:1) — Contextual meaning: God himself as the active agent of cosmic renewal — Cantonese: 我將萬物都更新 (ngo5 zoeng1 maan6 mat6 dou1 gang1 san1) — Risk: Critical — same tier as 21:1’s “new”; core anchor for the New Heaven and New Earth doctrine.
trustworthy and true — Gr. πιστοὶ καὶ ἀληθινοί (pistoi kai alēthinoi) — Lit. “faithful and true” — reuses [BASELINE] 信心 (faith) root for πιστός — Semantic range: reliable, dependable, corresponding to reality — English variants: “trustworthy and true,” “faithful and true” — Contextual meaning: a divine self-authentication formula also applied to Christ himself (Rev 3:14; 19:11) — Cantonese: 忠信同真實 (zung1 seon3 tung4 zan1 sat6) — Risk: High — must not be flattened to generic “honest”; this is a divine-guarantee formula tied to Christ’s own titles elsewhere in the book.

Revelation 21:6

“And he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.’”

It is done — Gr. γέγονεν (gegonen, perf. of γίνομαι) — Lit. “it has happened/come to pass” — Semantic range: a completed, accomplished action — English variants: “It is done,” “It has happened” — Contextual meaning: echoes 16:17’s judgment declaration, here transposed into a declaration of the completed new creation — Cantonese: 成咗 (sing4 zo2) — Risk: Medium.
Alpha and Omega, beginning and end — Gr. τὸ Ἄλφα καὶ τὸ Ὦ, ἡ ἀρχὴ καὶ τὸ τέλος (to Alpha kai to Ō, hē archē kai to telos) — Lit. “the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end” (first/last letters of the Greek alphabet) — Semantic range: total sovereignty over the entirety of time and history — English variants: “Alpha and Omega,” “First and Last,” “Beginning and End” — Contextual meaning: a divine self-designation (1:8) also claimed by Christ (22:13) — direct assertion of Christ’s full deity — Cantonese: 阿拉法同俄梅嘎，首先嘅同末後嘅 (aa3 laai1 faat3 tung4 ngo4 mui4 gaa3, sau2 sin1 ge3 tung4 mut6 hau6 ge3) — Risk: Critical — must preserve the parallel between God’s and Christ’s identical self-designation without diluting or explaining it away; foundational to the Sovereignty of God over History and Deity of Christ doctrines.
water of life — Gr. τὸ ὕδωρ τῆς ζωῆς (to hydōr tēs zōēs) — Lit. “the water of the life” — Semantic range: life-giving water, drawing on OT living-water imagery (cf. John 4, 7) — English variants: “water of life,” “living water” — Contextual meaning: eternal life given freely — Cantonese: 生命水 (sang1 ming6 seoi2) — Risk: High — must be distinguished from the Daoist alchemical immortality elixir (仙丹/長生不老藥, sought through cultivation or quest in Chinese legend and popular media); this is a free gift received by faith, not an achievement of spiritual cultivation.
without payment — Gr. δωρεάν (dōrean) — Lit. “as a free gift, gratis” — reuses [BASELINE] 恩典 (grace, Critical) logic — Semantic range: given without cost or exchange — English variants: “freely,” “without cost,” “without payment” — Contextual meaning: directly reinforces the grace-not-merit doctrine already anchored in the baseline Romans package — Cantonese: 免費 (min5 fai3) / 唔使錢 (m4 sai2 cin2) — Risk: Critical — must sharply contrast with the transactional vow-and-offering exchange modeled by Wong Tai Sin’s “whatever you ask, you shall receive,” per the baseline’s grace entry.

Revelation 21:7

“The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God, and he will be my son.”

conquers / overcomes — Gr. ὁ νικῶν (ho nikōn, ptc. of νικάω) — Lit. “the one conquering/overcoming” — Semantic range: to prevail, to win victory, used throughout the seven letters (chs. 2–3) and climactically here and in 12:11 — English variants: “conquers,” “overcomes,” “is victorious” — Contextual meaning: perseverance in faithful witness under persecution, victory appropriated by faith in Christ’s own victory, not self-achieved heroism — Cantonese: 得勝 (dak1 sing3) — Risk: High — must be tied to Christ’s victory (cf. 5:5, 12:11, “by the blood of the Lamb”), not read as a martial-arts-style self-achieved triumph or a merit-earning feat.
heritage / inherit — Gr. κληρονομήσει (klēronomēsei, fut. of κληρονομέω) — Lit. “will inherit” — Semantic range: to receive as an heir, a legal/familial inheritance right — English variants: “will inherit,” “will have as a heritage” — Contextual meaning: full inheritance-rights language, resonant with the baseline’s adoption doctrine — Cantonese: 承受 (sing4 sau6) — Risk: High — connects to [BASELINE] adoption doctrine (兒子嘅名分); the overcomer’s inheritance is a full filial right, not a lesser or provisional status.
son — Gr. υἱός (huios) — Lit. “son” — Semantic range: here of believers’ filial status before God, distinct from the unique title υἱὸς θεοῦ (“Son of God”) reserved for Christ — English variants: “son,” “child” — Contextual meaning: believers granted full filial standing before God, the fulfillment of the adoption already secured in this life (cf. baseline Romans 8:15) — Cantonese: 兒子 (ji4 zi2) — Risk: High — must be kept distinct from [BASELINE] 神嘅兒子 (Son of God, Critical, reserved exclusively for Christ’s unique eternal Sonship); here it names believers’ derived, adoptive sonship, consistent with baseline’s 兒子嘅名分 (adoption) doctrine.

Revelation 21:8

“But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

cowardly — Gr. δειλοῖς (deilois, dat. pl. of δειλός) — Lit. “cowardly, timid” — Semantic range: those who fail to persevere in faith under fear or pressure — English variants: “cowardly,” “fearful,” “faithless in the face of pressure” — Contextual meaning: the opposite of the overcomer (v.7); directly ties to the doctrine of Perseverance and Faithful Witness under Persecution — Cantonese: 膽怯嘅人 (daam2 hip3 ge3 jan4) — Risk: High — must be understood as failure to persevere under persecution/fear, not a general character flaw disconnected from the book’s persecution setting.
faithless — Gr. ἀπίστοις (apistois, dat. pl. of ἄπιστος) — Lit. “without faith, unbelieving” — reuses [BASELINE] 信心 (faith) root, negated — Semantic range: those who do not trust/believe in Christ — English variants: “unbelieving,” “faithless” — Contextual meaning: final exclusion of unbelief from the new creation — Cantonese: 唔信嘅人 (m4 seon3 ge3 jan4) — Risk: High.
sorcerers — Gr. φαρμακοῖς (pharmakois, dat. pl. of φαρμακός) — Lit. “sorcerers, poisoners” (root of English “pharmacy”; associated with drug-assisted divination/magic) — Semantic range: practitioners of occult/magical manipulation of spiritual power — English variants: “sorcerers,” “those who practice magic arts” — Contextual meaning: occult practice excluded from the new creation — Cantonese: 行邪術嘅人 (hang4 ce4 seot6 ge3 jan4) — Risk: Critical — direct collision with widely practiced Hong Kong folk-religious/divinatory customs: fortune-telling (算命), feng shui consultation (睇風水), spirit-medium consultation (問米), and temple fortune-sticks (求籤) — already flagged at several points in the baseline (faith, calling, providence, intercession). Requires careful, non-alarmist pastoral framing, since many believers’ extended families practice these customs.
idolaters — Gr. εἰδωλολάτραις (eidōlolatrais, dat. pl. of εἰδωλολάτρης) — Lit. “idol-worshippers” — reuses [BASELINE] 敬拜/proskyneō-adjacent worship vocabulary in reverse — Semantic range: those who worship images/idols instead of God — English variants: “idolaters,” “idol worshippers” — Contextual meaning: exclusion of divided worship from the consummated kingdom — Cantonese: 拜偶像嘅人 (baai3 ngau5 zoeng6 ge3 jan4) — Risk: Critical — names worship (拜) offered to images (偶像), directly touching Hong Kong temple worship (Wong Tai Sin, Man Mo Temple, Guanyin devotion) and household veneration of deity statues/ancestral tablets; must be taught with pastoral sensitivity given many believers’ extended family members practice this, without softening the text’s exclusion.
lake of fire … second death — Gr. τῇ λίμνῃ τῇ καιομένῃ πυρὶ καὶ θείῳ, ὅ ἐστιν ὁ θάνατος ὁ δεύτερος (tē limnē tē kaiomenē pyri kai theiō, ho estin ho thanatos ho deuteros) — Lit. “the lake burning with fire and sulfur, which is the second death” — Semantic range: final, eternal, unrepeatable judgment — English variants: “lake of fire,” “second death” — Contextual meaning: the definitive, once-for-all destiny of the unrepentant, directly anchoring the doctrine of the Judgment of the Wicked — Cantonese: 火湖 (fo2 wu4) / 第二次死 (dai6 ji6 ci3 sei2) — Risk: Critical — must be distinguished from the multi-layered, often temporary/purgatorial Buddhist hell cosmology (十八層地獄) popularly depicted in Hong Kong temple art and folk media, through which souls may eventually pass toward purification or rebirth. The lake of fire/second death is final and non-cyclical — a one-time definitive verdict, never a stage of purification en route to reincarnation (cf. baseline’s forbidden 投胎轉世 for resurrection).

PART 2 — Whole-Book Chapter-by-Chapter Study (Revelation 1–22)

Chapter 1

revelation / apocalypse — Gr. ἀποκάλυψις (apokalypsis) — Lit. “an uncovering, unveiling” — Semantic range: disclosure of what was previously hidden — English variants: “revelation,” “apocalypse” — Contextual meaning: God’s unveiling of end-time realities through Christ, title of the whole book — Cantonese: 啟示 (kai2 si6) — Risk: Medium — standard term (啟示錄), but must be distinguished from generic human “insight” or “discovery.”
testimony / witness — Gr. μαρτυρία (martyria) / μάρτυς (martys) — Lit. “testimony” / “witness” — Semantic range: legal or personal testimony; in Revelation frequently costly, sometimes unto death — English variants: “testimony,” “witness,” “martyr” (later derived sense) — Contextual meaning: John’s testimony (1:2, 1:9) and, throughout the book, the church’s costly witness under persecution — Cantonese: 見證 (gin3 zing3) / 見證人 (gin3 zing3 jan4) — Risk: High — must not collapse into a casual “personal testimony” as in HK church testimony-sharing culture; here it carries the weight of costly, sometimes fatal, faithful proclamation, anchoring the Perseverance and Faithful Witness doctrine.
Almighty — Gr. παντοκράτωρ (pantokratōr) — Lit. “ruler of all” — reuses [BASELINE] 神嘅大能 (power of God) root — Semantic range: total, unqualified sovereign power — English variants: “Almighty,” “the All-Powerful One” — Contextual meaning: God’s unique, total sovereignty over history — Cantonese: 全能者 (cyun4 nang4 ze2) — Risk: High — must not be diluted to “a supreme deity among many,” as with the Jade Emperor (玉皇大帝) figure atop the Chinese folk pantheon; παντοκράτωρ names the one true God’s exclusive, total rule.
Alpha and Omega — see Rev 21:6 above — Cantonese: 阿拉法同俄梅嘎 — Risk: Critical — first occurrence (1:8); establishes the title that Christ himself claims in 22:13.
Son of Man — Gr. υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου (huios anthrōpou) — Lit. “son of man” — Semantic range: a Danielic/messianic self-designation (Daniel 7:13) denoting divinely-invested authority in human form — English variants: “Son of Man,” “one like a son of man” — Contextual meaning: Christ’s authoritative, glorified, judging presence — Cantonese: 人子 (jan4 zi2) — Risk: High — must be kept distinct from [BASELINE] 神嘅兒子 (Son of God); this is a separate messianic title (from Daniel), not a lesser or merely human designation.
kingdom and priests — Gr. βασιλείαν, ἱερεῖς (basileian, hiereis) — Lit. “kingdom,” “priests” — reuses [BASELINE] 神嘅國 pattern; new term for corporate identity 國度 (gwok3 dou6) and 祭司 (zai3 si1, priests) — Semantic range: corporate royal-priestly identity of believers — Contextual meaning: believers constituted as a kingdom and as priests to God through Christ’s blood — Risk: Medium — 祭司 must be distinguished from ritual-specialist castes such as Daoist priests (道士) or Buddhist monks (和尚) who mediate between people and deities/ancestors; believers’ priesthood is direct access through Christ, without human ritual intermediation.
key of Death and Hades — Gr. τὰς κλεῖς τοῦ θανάτου καὶ τοῦ ᾅδου (tas kleis tou thanatou kai tou hadou) — Lit. “the keys of death and of Hades” — Semantic range: absolute authority/control over death and the realm of the dead — English variants: “keys of Death and Hades” — Contextual meaning: Christ’s sovereign authority over death itself, secured by his resurrection (1:18) — Cantonese: 死亡同陰間嘅鑰匙 (sei2 mong4 tung4 jam1 gaan1 ge3 jiu6 si4) — Risk: Critical — 陰間 (Hades/the realm of the dead) is the standard Chinese/Cantonese folk term for the underworld inhabited by ancestral and wandering spirits, central to ancestor veneration and the Ghost Festival (盂蘭節); here it must be clarified as a temporary realm under Christ’s own sovereign authority, awaiting resurrection/judgment — not a parallel spirit-world requiring ritual maintenance by living descendants.
sword (from the mouth) — Gr. ῥομφαία (rhomphaia) — Lit. “a large sword” — Semantic range: symbolic of authoritative, judging speech (also 2:12, 2:16, 19:15) — English variants: “sharp two-edged sword” — Contextual meaning: the power of Christ’s spoken word to judge — Cantonese: 劍 (gim3) — Risk: Medium — must be read symbolically (Christ’s judging word), not literally, and not through wuxia-heroic sword imagery.
Lord’s Day — Gr. κυριακὴ ἡμέρα (kyriakē hēmera) — reuses [BASELINE] 主 (Lord) root — Cantonese: 主日 (zyu2 jat6) — Risk: Low — standard church term.
Also present, reused [BASELINE] exactly: 神 (God), 耶穌 (Jesus), 基督 (Christ), 主 (Lord), 恩典 (grace), 平安 (peace), 教會 (church), 復活 (resurrection, “firstborn from the dead” — Cantonese 從死人中首先復活嘅, risk High), 榮耀 (glory), 阿們 (Amen).

Chapters 2–3 (Letters to the Seven Churches)

These two chapters share a common vocabulary set and are treated together; each letter adds a few distinct images.

overcome / conquer — Gr. ὁ νικῶν (see also 21:7) — introduced here as the refrain closing every letter — Cantonese: 得勝 — Risk: High (see full entry under 21:7).
tree of life — Gr. τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς (to xylon tēs zōēs) — Lit. “the tree of the life” — Semantic range: access to eternal life in God’s presence (Gen 2–3 background; recurs in ch. 22) — English variants: “tree of life” — Contextual meaning: reward for the overcomer, restoration of Edenic access to God — Cantonese: 生命樹 (sang1 ming6 syu6) — Risk: High — distinguish from the Daoist immortality-fruit mythology (蟠桃/仙桃, the Queen Mother of the West’s peach orchard, well known through Journey to the West and popular film/TV); biblical tree of life is God’s gift of restored fellowship and eternal life, not a magical fruit granting personal immortality through cultivation or theft.
crown of life — Gr. στέφανος τῆς ζωῆς (stephanos tēs zōēs) — Lit. “the crown/wreath of the life” — Semantic range: a victor’s wreath, here spiritualized as eternal life itself — English variants: “crown of life” — Contextual meaning: reward for faithful endurance unto death (2:10) — Cantonese: 生命嘅冠冕 (sang1 ming6 ge3 gun3 min5) — Risk: Medium — distinguish from an earthly royal/imperial crown; this is vindication for perseverance, not political honor.
second death — first occurrence 2:11 — see full entry under 21:8 — Risk: Critical.
synagogue of Satan — Gr. συναγωγὴ τοῦ Σατανᾶ (synagōgē tou Satana) — Cantonese: 撒但嘅會堂 (saat3 daan6 ge3 wui6 tong4) — Risk: High — a polemical designation within a specific first-century Jewish-Christian dispute; must not be generalized into a blanket anti-Jewish reading (connects to the baseline’s caution around Israel/Jew-Gentile terminology).
hidden manna — Gr. τὸ μάννα τὸ κεκρυμμένον — Cantonese: 隱藏嘅嗎哪 (jan2 cong4 ge3 maa5 naa5) — Risk: Low-Medium — OT background image (Exodus manna) requiring a brief gloss for an audience assumed to have low OT narrative literacy.
white stone — Gr. ψῆφος λευκή (psēphos leukē) — Cantonese: 白石 (baak6 sek6) — Risk: Low — clarify as a symbol of secure personal acceptance from Christ, not a luck-charm (avoiding association with jade/stone amulets in local custom).
morning star — Gr. ὁ ἀστὴρ ὁ πρωϊνός (ho astēr ho prōinos) — Cantonese: 晨星 (san4 sing1) — Risk: High — a Christological self-designation (also 22:16); must not be read through the lens of astrological portents (占星), a common Hong Kong pop-culture practice.
book of life — Gr. τὸ βιβλίον τῆς ζωῆς — first occurrence 3:5 — see full entry below (Chapter 20) — Risk: Critical.
the Amen — Gr. ὁ Ἀμήν (ho Amēn), title of Christ (3:14) — reuses [BASELINE] 阿們 transliteration — Cantonese: 阿們 — Risk: High — used here as a personal title for Christ, not only the liturgical closing word; must retain that this names Christ himself as the one who guarantees the truth of God’s promises.
lukewarm / gold refined by fire — Gr. χλιαρός (chliaros) / χρυσίον πεπυρωμένον ἐκ πυρός — Cantonese: 溫溫吞吞 (wan1 wan1 tan1 tan1) / 用火煉淨嘅金 (jung6 fo2 lin6 zeng6 ge3 gam1) — Risk: Medium — vivid Laodicean-church imagery, low collision risk beyond ensuring clear communication of spiritual complacency and Christ’s discipline.
discipline / rebuke — Gr. ἐλέγχω / παιδεύω — Cantonese: 責備 (zaak3 bei6) / 管教 (gun2 gaau3) — Risk: Low-Medium — standard church vocabulary, God’s fatherly correction, connects to [BASELINE] 父 (Father) doctrine.

Chapter 4

throne — Gr. θρόνος — see full entry under 21:3 — Risk: High.
living creatures — Gr. τὰ ζῷα (ta zōa) — Lit. “the living beings/creatures” — Semantic range: heavenly worshipping beings drawn from Ezekiel’s vision (Ezek 1, 10) — English variants: “living creatures,” “living beings” — Contextual meaning: representative creaturely worship of God at the throne — Cantonese: 活物 (wut6 mat6), “四活物” (sei3 wut6 mat6) — Risk: High — potential visual/conceptual echo with the Chinese cosmological “Four Symbols” (四象: 青龍白虎朱雀玄武 — Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, Black Tortoise), associated with feng shui and the four cardinal directions; must be clarified as heavenly worshippers representing all creation’s praise, unrelated to Chinese directional-guardian cosmology.
elders — Gr. πρεσβύτεροι (presbyteroi) — Lit. “elders” — Semantic range: the 24 elders around the throne, likely representing the redeemed people of God (OT and NT) — English variants: “elders” — Contextual meaning: representative worship-leadership in heaven — Cantonese: 長老 (zoeng2 lou5) — Risk: Medium — distinguish from clan/village elder councils (鄉紳/父老) prominent in Pearl River Delta lineage culture; these are heavenly representatives of God’s redeemed people, not an earthly clan governance body.
holy, holy, holy — Gr. ἅγιος ἅγιος ἅγιος — reuses [BASELINE] 聖潔 (holy) root — Cantonese: 聖哉、聖哉、聖哉 (sing3 zoi1, sing3 zoi1, sing3 zoi1) — Risk: High (per baseline holy entry).
worthy — Gr. ἄξιος (axios) — Lit. “worthy, deserving” — Semantic range: fitting merit or right to receive honor — English variants: “worthy” — Contextual meaning: exclusive divine worthiness to receive worship — Cantonese: 配 (pui3) / 配得 (pui3 dak1) — Risk: Medium.
worship — Gr. προσκυνέω (proskyneō) — Lit. “to bow down, prostrate oneself in homage” — Semantic range: physical and spiritual homage, ranging from mere social respect to full religious devotion, depending on the object — English variants: “worship,” “bow down to,” “do homage to” — Contextual meaning: the central verb of Revelation, contrasting worship of God/the Lamb (exclusive, right) with worship of the beast/dragon/idols (forbidden, catastrophic) — Cantonese: 敬拜 (ging3 baai3) — Risk: Critical — must be sharply distinguished from generic Hong Kong temple-worship practice (拜神, 拜佛, 拜祖先: burning incense, bowing, offerings at Wong Tai Sin, Man Mo Temple, household ancestor altars, or Guanyin devotion); 敬拜 in the Christian sense is exclusive homage due to God and the Lamb alone.

Chapter 5

Lamb — Gr. ἀρνίον (arnion) — Lit. “little lamb” (a diminutive form distinctive to Revelation, used ~28 times, as opposed to the more common ἀμνός) — Semantic range: a young sacrificial lamb; in Revelation, the central title for the crucified-and-risen Christ, simultaneously slain and triumphant — English variants: “the Lamb,” “Lamb of God” — Contextual meaning: Christ’s sacrificial death and cosmic victory held together as one image — Cantonese: 羔羊 (gou1 joeng4) — Risk: Critical — the central Christological/soteriological title of the whole book; must never be diluted to a generic livestock reference, must retain definite reference (“the Lamb”) as a divine title standing alongside 主/基督/神嘅兒子, and must be kept distinct from any zodiac-animal association (生肖, Year of the Goat 未年) despite the shared character 羊.
scroll / book — Gr. βιβλίον (biblion) — Lit. “small book, scroll” — Semantic range: a written document, here the sealed scroll of God’s redemptive purposes — English variants: “scroll,” “book” — Contextual meaning: God’s sovereign plan for history, opened only by the worthy Lamb — Cantonese: 書卷 (syu1 gyun2) — Risk: Medium — distinct from 生命冊 (book of life, below); this is the scroll of history’s unfolding, not the register of the redeemed.
seal(s) — Gr. σφραγίς (sphragis, noun) / σφραγίζω (sphragizō, verb) — Lit. “a seal, signet” / “to seal” — Semantic range: a mark of ownership, authentication, or security — English variants: “seal,” “to seal” — Contextual meaning: seals secure the scroll’s contents until God’s appointed time; later (ch. 7) seals mark God’s own people — Cantonese: 印/封印 (jan3/fung1 jan3) noun; 蓋印 (goi3 jan3) verb — Risk: High — must be distinguished from feng shui/temple protective talismans (平安符, already flagged under [BASELINE] peace) — God’s seal marks ownership/security by grace, not a purchasable magical charm.
Lion of the tribe of Judah / Root of David — Gr. ὁ λέων ὁ ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς Ἰούδα, ἡ ῥίζα Δαυίδ — Semantic range: messianic titles from Genesis 49:9-10 and Isaiah 11:1,10 — English variants: “Lion of Judah,” “Root of David” — Contextual meaning: Christ’s messianic kingship and Davidic identity, reusing [BASELINE] 大衛 (David) — Cantonese: 獅子 (si1 zi2) / 大衛嘅根 (daai6 wai6 ge3 gan1) — Risk: High — “Root” (not merely “descendant”) affirms Christ’s pre-existence/deity even as he fulfills the Davidic line; retain a term distinct from [BASELINE] 大衛嘅後裔 (seed of David) to preserve this nuance. 獅子 must also be distinguished from generic lion-dance/guardian-lion imagery common at Hong Kong building entrances and festivals (舞獅, 石獅).
redeemed / purchased — Gr. ἠγόρασας (ēgorasas, aor. of ἀγοράζω) — Lit. “you purchased, bought” — Semantic range: to buy at a price, redemption by payment — English variants: “purchased,” “redeemed,” “ransomed” — Contextual meaning: a one-time, complete, costly purchase by Christ’s blood, for people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation — Cantonese: 用血買贖咗 (jung6 hyut3 maai5 suk6 zo2) — Risk: High — must not collapse into a temple vow-fulfillment framework (already forbidden 還神還願 for [BASELINE] justification), nor a mere commercial transaction devoid of costly sacrifice.
every tribe, tongue, people, nation — Gr. πᾶσαν φυλὴν καὶ γλῶσσαν καὶ λαὸν καὶ ἔθνος — Cantonese: 各支派、各方言、各民族、各邦國 (gok3 zi1 paai3, gok3 fong1 jin4, gok3 man4 zuk6, gok3 bong1 gwok3) — Risk: High — the baseline’s Universal Scope of the Gospel/Unity of Jews and Gentiles doctrines apply directly; must retain full unqualified universality without privileging any ethnic/linguistic group, resisting any clan/local-hierarchy framing.
new song — Gr. ᾆσμα καινόν (asma kainon) — Cantonese: 新歌 (san1 go1) — Risk: Low-Medium.
incense (prayers of saints) — Gr. θυμίαμα (thymiama), αἵ εἰσιν αἱ προσευχαὶ τῶν ἁγίων — reuses [BASELINE] 聖徒 (saints) — Cantonese: 香 (hoeng1) — Risk: High — must be distinguished sharply from incense-burning ritual practice at Hong Kong temples (燒香拜神/拜祖先) where the smoke itself is believed to carry petitions and requires specific ritual technique; here incense is purely symbolic imagery for prayers already heard by God through Christ, requiring no ritual mediation.

Chapter 6

four horsemen — Gr. ἵππος (hippos, horse) with colors λευκός, πυρρός, μέλας, χλωρός — Cantonese: 馬 (maa5), colors standard — Risk: Low, contextual judgment symbolism.
wrath (of the Lamb) — Gr. ὀργή (orgē) — Lit. “anger, wrath” — Semantic range: God’s/Christ’s righteous judicial response to sin — English variants: “wrath,” “anger” — Contextual meaning: first appearance of divine wrath directed by the Lamb himself, uniting his sacrificial and judging roles — Cantonese: 忿怒 (fan5 nou6) — Risk: High — must be distinguished from impersonal karmic retribution (報應, already flagged under [BASELINE] sin) or a capricious deity’s anger appeased by offerings; this is God’s personal, righteous, judicial response, satisfied only through Christ.
souls under the altar — Gr. αἱ ψυχαί (psychai) … ὑποκάτω τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου — Lit. “the souls … under the altar” — Semantic range: the departed righteous, here martyrs at rest awaiting vindication — English variants: “souls,” “the souls of those slain” — Contextual meaning: martyrs’ souls consciously awaiting God’s justice, connects to the Judgment/Vindication of the Saints doctrine — Cantonese: 靈魂 (ling4 wan4) — Risk: Medium — distinguish from folk “wandering/hungry ghosts” (孤魂野鬼, central to Ghost Festival practice) needing appeasement; these are righteous martyrs at rest under God’s care, not restless spirits requiring ritual placation.
altar — Gr. θυσιαστήριον (thysiastērion) — Cantonese: 祭壇 (zai3 taan4) — Risk: Medium-High — distinguish from ongoing temple/ancestral altars (神枱, 祖先神位) found in HK homes and temples; this altar symbolizes the once-for-all efficacy of Christ’s sacrifice, not continuing propitiatory ritual.

Chapter 7

144,000 / sealed — Gr. ἐσφραγισμένους (esphragismenous, ptc. of σφραγίζω) — see seal entry (Ch. 5) — Cantonese: 蓋咗印嘅 (goi3 zo2 jan3 ge3) — Risk: High — a symbolic-apocalyptic number (Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation doctrine); teaching materials should present it as representing the complete, secure people of God, not a literal census figure.
great multitude — Gr. ὄχλος πολύς (ochlos polys) — Cantonese: 一大群人 (jat1 daai6 kwan4 jan4) — Risk: Low — universal-scope imagery, “from every nation, tribe, people, and tongue” (reuse Ch. 5 formula).
robes washed white in the blood of the Lamb — Gr. ἔπλυναν τὰς στολὰς αὐτῶν … ἐν τῷ αἵματι τοῦ ἀρνίου (eplynan tas stolas autōn en tō haimati tou arniou) — Semantic range: purification achieved through Christ’s sacrificial blood, a striking paradox (white made white BY blood) — English variants: “washed their robes white in the blood of the Lamb” — Contextual meaning: the martyrs’ and saints’ purity is entirely Christ’s atoning work, not self-achieved endurance — Cantonese: 用羔羊嘅血洗白咗嘅袍 (jung6 gou1 joeng4 ge3 hyut3 sai2 baak6 zo2 ge3 pou4) — Risk: High — must retain the sacrificial-atonement paradox rather than softening to a generic purity-garment image.
springs of living water / wipe away tears — Gr. πηγαὶ ὑδάτων ζωῆς / ἐξαλείψει … πᾶν δάκρυον — see full 21:4/21:6 entries — Risk: Medium-High, previewing the core passage’s imagery.
tribulation — Gr. θλῖψις (thlipsis) — Lit. “pressure, affliction” — Semantic range: distress, persecution, hardship — English variants: “tribulation,” “great tribulation,” “affliction” — Contextual meaning: suffering endured for Christ’s sake within God’s sovereign purposes, met with hope of vindication — Cantonese: 患難 (waan6 naan6) — Risk: High — must be distinguished from fate-determined suffering (命中注定嘅苦難); this is suffering for Christ’s sake, not impersonal destiny.

Chapter 8

seven trumpets — Gr. σάλπιγξ (salpinx) — Cantonese: 號筒 (hou6 tung2) — Risk: Low.
incense mixed with the prayers of the saints (before the throne) — reuses Chapter 5 term — Risk: High (see above).
No further new load-bearing terms beyond seal/trumpet/incense/wrath vocabulary already treated; imagery of hail, fire, blood, and the star “Wormwood” (Gr. Ἄψινθος, apsinthos — Cantonese 苦艾 fu2 ngaai6, Risk Low) functions as vivid judgment description rather than requiring new doctrinal terminology.

Chapter 9

abyss / bottomless pit — Gr. ἄβυσσος (abyssos) — Lit. “bottomless, unfathomable” — Semantic range: a subterranean prison for demonic beings — English variants: “abyss,” “bottomless pit” — Contextual meaning: temporary confinement for evil spirits and, later, Satan (ch. 20), pending final judgment — Cantonese: 無底坑 (mou4 dai2 haang1) / 深淵 (sam1 jyun1) — Risk: High — distinguish from the multi-layered Buddhist hell realms (十八層地獄) or the folk yin-world (陰間) through which the deceased are popularly believed to pass; the abyss is a temporary place of confinement for demonic beings, not a purgatorial realm for human souls cycling toward release.
Abaddon / Apollyon — Gr. Ἀβαδδών / Ἀπολλύων — Cantonese: 亞巴頓 (aa3 baa1 deon6) / 亞波倫 (aa3 bo1 leon4) — Risk: Low-Medium — proper names meaning “Destroyer,” requiring a brief gloss.
repentance — Gr. μετανοέω (metanoeō) — Lit. “to change one’s mind, turn around” — Semantic range: a genuine change of heart and direction, not superficial regret — English variants: “repent,” “turn,” “change one’s mind” — Contextual meaning: even amid catastrophic judgment, repentance remains the door of escape God offers (9:20-21) — Cantonese: 悔改 (fui3 goi2) — Risk: Medium — distinguish from superficial regret or ritual confession practices at temples; genuine turning of heart toward God, not a ritual act.

Chapter 10

little scroll — Gr. βιβλαρίδιον (biblaridion) — Cantonese: 細卷 (sai3 gyun2) — Risk: Low.
mystery of God — Gr. μυστήριον τοῦ θεοῦ (mystērion tou theou) — Lit. “mystery, hidden secret” — Semantic range: God’s previously hidden redemptive plan, now disclosed — English variants: “mystery,” “hidden purpose” — Contextual meaning: the completion of God’s redemptive plan announced at the seventh trumpet — Cantonese: 奧祕 (ou3 bei3) — Risk: Medium — distinguish from esoteric occult “secrets” (術數, 秘術) associated with fortune-telling/Daoist esoteric practice; God’s mystery is his gracious, disclosed redemptive plan, not privileged occult knowledge.

Chapter 11

two witnesses — Gr. οἱ δύο μάρτυρες (hoi dyo martyres) — reuses witness root from Chapter 1 — Cantonese: 兩個見證人 (loeng5 go3 gin3 zing3 jan4) — Risk: High — representative prophetic witness under persecution, unto death and vindicated by resurrection (11:11-12), paralleling Christ’s own pattern; reinforces the Perseverance and Faithful Witness doctrine.
prophesy — Gr. προφητεύω (prophēteuō) — reuses [BASELINE] 預言 (prophecy) — Cantonese: 講預言 (gong2 jyu6 jin4) — Risk: Medium (per baseline).
ark of the covenant — Gr. ἡ κιβωτὸς τῆς διαθήκης — reuses [BASELINE] 約 (covenant, High) — Cantonese: 約櫃 (joek3 gwai6) — Risk: High.
the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ — Gr. ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ κόσμου … τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ — reuses [BASELINE] 神嘅國 pattern, 主, 基督 — Cantonese: 世上嘅國成為我哋主同佢基督嘅國 — Risk: Critical — anchors the Return and Reign of Christ doctrine; given Hong Kong’s sovereignty-sensitive political climate, must be taught as a purely doctrinal, exclusive claim about Christ’s cosmic reign at his return, never framed as endorsing or opposing any specific earthly political authority.

Chapter 12

woman — Gr. γυνή (gynē) — Lit. “woman” — Semantic range: a symbolic figure, likely representing the faithful covenant community (Israel and/or the church) — English variants: “the woman” — Contextual meaning: the persecuted people of God from whom the Messiah comes — Cantonese: 婦人 (fu5 jan4) — Risk: Medium — must not be over-literalized nor imported into a Marian-veneration framework (this Protestant-oriented package, consistent with the baseline’s 天主/上帝 note, presents her as a corporate/symbolic figure, not primarily an individual to be venerated).
dragon — Gr. δράκων (drakōn) — Lit. “dragon, serpent-monster” — Semantic range: in Revelation, explicitly identified as “the ancient serpent… Satan” (12:9), Christ’s and the church’s ultimate cosmic enemy — English variants: “dragon,” “serpent” — Contextual meaning: the defeated, doomed arch-enemy of God — Cantonese: 龍 (lung4) — Risk: CRITICAL — the single most severe cultural collision in the entire book. 龍 is the preeminent auspicious symbol in Chinese/Cantonese culture: imperial authority, the Chinese self-designation “descendants of the dragon” (龍的傳人), dragon dance and dragon boat festival traditions, uniformly positive/celebratory associations. Revelation identifies this figure as wholly evil, deceptive, and doomed to defeat. Teaching materials MUST make this contrast explicit and repeated at every occurrence; the doctrinal note must clarify this is not a verdict on Chinese cultural dragon symbolism generally but the biblical text’s own identification of a specific cosmic enemy — preventing readers from either feeling their cultural identity attacked or softening the text’s clear moral verdict out of cultural deference.
ancient serpent / Satan / devil — Gr. ὁ ὄφις ὁ ἀρχαῖος, ὁ Σατανᾶς, ὁ διάβολος — Semantic range: identical referent, three descriptive titles — English variants: “the ancient serpent,” “Satan,” “the devil” — Contextual meaning: identification with the Genesis 3 tempter — Cantonese: 古蛇 (gu2 se4) / 撒但 (saat3 daan6) / 魔鬼 (mo1 gwai2) — Risk: High — 魔鬼/撒但 must be distinguished sharply from generic 鬼 (ghost), the broad folk category covering ancestral spirits and wandering/hungry ghosts (already flagged under [BASELINE] holy_spirit re: 問米 mediumship); these titles name one specific, personal, defeated arch-enemy, categorically different from the folk spirit-world’s many entities.
accuser — Gr. ὁ κατήγορος (ho katēgoros) — Cantonese: 控告者 (hung3 gou3 ze2) — Risk: Medium.
overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony — reuses [BASELINE]-adjacent 得勝, 羔羊, 見證 — Risk: Critical (combination of Critical-tier terms); the pattern of victory for the whole book.

Chapter 13

beast (from the sea / from the earth) — Gr. θηρίον (thērion) — Lit. “wild beast, animal” — Semantic range: a monstrous, empowered figure(s) opposing God, given authority by the dragon — English variants: “the beast” — Contextual meaning: an end-time anti-Christian world power/figure demanding worship and persecuting the saints — Cantonese: 獸 (sau3) — Risk: Critical — must not carry any positive/neutral “wild animal” connotation nor be trivialized as generic monster-fiction; names a specific figure opposing God’s kingdom, doomed to the lake of fire, and this figure’s demand for worship (13:4, 13:8) is the book’s central test of allegiance.
mark of the beast — Gr. χάραγμα (charagma) — Lit. “an engraving, stamp, brand” — Semantic range: a mark of ownership/allegiance — English variants: “mark,” “mark of the beast” — Contextual meaning: direct antithetical counterpart to God’s seal (Ch. 5, 7) — Cantonese: 獸嘅印記 (sau3 ge3 jan3 gei3) — Risk: Critical — must be distinguished from feng shui talismans, temple amulets (符), or lucky charms (護身符), which HK readers might otherwise associate with a protective “mark”; this mark signifies allegiance to the beast and exclusion from God’s people.
number of the beast, 666 — Gr. ὁ ἀριθμὸς τοῦ θηρίου, χξϛ — Cantonese: 獸嘅數目：六百六十六 (sau3 ge3 sou3 muk6: luk6 baak3 luk6 sap6 luk6) — Risk: Medium-High — given Cantonese/Chinese numerology culture where 6 is normally viewed as an auspicious “smooth” number (六六大順, and commercially sought after in phone numbers/addresses), this constitutes a notable inversion that teaching materials must flag explicitly: the number’s ordinary “lucky” cultural connotation is irrelevant to, and overturned by, its biblical symbolic meaning as a number of imperfection falling short of God’s completeness.

Chapter 14

eternal gospel — Gr. εὐαγγέλιον αἰώνιον — reuses [BASELINE] 福音 (Medium) — Cantonese: 永遠嘅福音 (wing5 jyun5 ge3 fuk1 jam1) — Risk: Medium.
firstfruits — Gr. ἀπαρχή (aparchē) — Cantonese: 初熟嘅果子 (co1 suk6 ge3 gwo2 zi2) — Risk: Low-Medium — OT agricultural image needing a brief gloss.
“Babylon is fallen” — first appearance of the Babylon motif, fully treated Chapters 17–18 — Risk: Medium-High (see below).
patience of the saints — reuses [BASELINE] 聖徒, Chapter 7 忍耐-adjacent perseverance vocabulary — Gr. ἡ ὑπομονή τῶν ἁγίων — Cantonese: 聖徒嘅忍耐 (sing3 tou4 ge3 jan2 loi6) — Risk: High — must be distinguished from stoic self-cultivation/face-saving endurance (a common Cantonese idiom-cluster around 忍); biblical endurance is hope-fueled perseverance rooted in Christ’s certain return.
harvest / sickle / winepress of the wrath of God — Gr. θερισμός, δρέπανον, ληνὸς τοῦ θυμοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ — Cantonese: 收割 (sau1 got3) / 鎌刀 (lim4 dou1) / 神嘅忿怒嘅酒醡 (san4 ge3 fan5 nou6 ge3 zau2 zaa3) — Risk: Medium — vivid agricultural judgment imagery; primary translation task is clear rendering of the metaphor, connecting to the 忿怒 (wrath) entry above (High risk).

Chapter 15

seven bowls / plagues — Gr. φιάλη (phialē, bowl) / πληγή (plēgē, plague) — Lit. “bowl” / “blow, wound, plague” — Semantic range: vessels of judgment; a decisive divine affliction — English variants: “bowl,” “plague” — Contextual meaning: final series of climactic judgments completing God’s wrath — Cantonese: 碗 (wun2) / 災難 (zoi1 naan6) — Risk: Medium-High — 災難 must be distinguished from karmic retribution (報應, already flagged under [BASELINE] sin) and from feng shui-related disaster-omen thinking; these are specific, sovereign, purposeful divine judgments, not impersonal fate.
song of Moses and of the Lamb — reuses [BASELINE] 羔羊-adjacent, new term tabernacle of testimony — Gr. ἡ σκηνὴ τοῦ μαρτυρίου — Cantonese: 見證嘅帳幕 (gin3 zing3 ge3 zoeng3 mok6) — Risk: Medium — ties to the witness/testimony term family (Ch. 1, 11); OT tabernacle background requires a brief gloss.

Chapter 16

Armageddon — Gr. Ἁρμαγεδών (Harmagedōn) — Cantonese: 哈米吉多頓 (haa1 mai5 gat1 do1 deon6) — Risk: Low-Medium — proper/symbolic place name; note under the Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation doctrine that this functions as a symbolic staging-ground for God’s final victory rather than requiring identification with a literal modern battlefield.
“righteous are your judgments” — Gr. δίκαιαι … αἱ κρίσεις σου — reuses [BASELINE] 義 (righteousness) root — Cantonese: 你嘅審判係公義嘅 (nei5 ge3 sam2 pun3 hai6 gung1 ji6 ge3) — Risk: High — must retain 義’s forensic/right-standing sense here applied to God’s own judicial verdicts, distinct from the Confucian loyalty-and-honor idiom (義氣) the baseline already flags for 義 in justification contexts.
“It is done” — Gr. γέγονεν — see 21:6 — Risk: Medium, first climactic use here (16:17).

Chapter 17

great prostitute / harlot — Gr. ἡ πόρνη ἡ μεγάλη (hē pornē hē megalē) — Lit. “the great prostitute” — Semantic range: OT prophetic imagery for covenant-unfaithfulness/idolatry (cf. Hosea, Ezekiel) applied to a corrupt world-system — English variants: “the great prostitute,” “the great harlot” — Contextual meaning: symbolic-apocalyptic figure for an idolatrous, persecuting world power — Cantonese: 大淫婦 (daai6 jam4 fu5) — Risk: High — sensitive imagery requiring pastoral care; must not be read as commentary on any real ethnic group, city, or individual but as a symbolic figure for a corrupting system opposed to God, contrasted sharply with the faithful Bride (Ch. 19, 21).
Babylon the great — Gr. Βαβυλὼν ἡ μεγάλη — Cantonese: 大巴比倫 (daai6 baa1 bei2 leon4) — Risk: Medium-High — symbolic name (likely coded reference to Rome in the original context) for the world-system opposed to God; must be taught per the Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation doctrine, not as a literal end-times prediction about the ancient or modern city of Babylon/Iraq.
called, chosen, and faithful — Gr. κλητοὶ καὶ ἐκλεκτοὶ καὶ πιστοί (klētoi kai eklektoi kai pistoi) — reuses [BASELINE] 蒙召嘅 (called, High) and 揀選 (election, High) exactly — Cantonese: 蒙召嘅、被揀選嘅、忠心嘅 (mung4 siu6 ge3, bei6 gaan2 syun2 ge3, zung1 sam1 ge3) — Risk: High — direct reuse of the baseline’s Divine Calling and Effectual Calling doctrine vocabulary, now applied to those who remain loyal to the Lamb amid Babylon’s seduction.

Chapter 18

merchants — Gr. ἔμποροι (emporoi) — Cantonese: 商人 (soeng1 jan4) — Risk: Low, but requires a sensitivity note given Hong Kong’s own strong commercial identity — the critique targets idolatrous commerce entangled with the beast’s system, not commerce as such.
millstone — Gr. μύλος (mylos) — Cantonese: 磨石 (mo6 sek6) — Risk: Low, vivid judgment image (“thrown down with violence,” 18:21).
Reuses Chapter 17’s Babylon/harlot vocabulary; no further new doctrinal terms beyond commercial/mourning imagery.

Chapter 19

Hallelujah — Gr. Ἁλληλουϊά — reuses [BASELINE] transliteration 哈利路亞 (haa1 lei6 lou6 aa3) exactly — Risk: Low.
marriage supper of the Lamb — Gr. ὁ γάμος τοῦ ἀρνίου (ho gamos tou arniou) — Lit. “the marriage/wedding of the Lamb” — Semantic range: the climactic consummation of Christ and his redeemed people, a public, cosmic wedding celebration — English variants: “marriage of the Lamb,” “wedding supper of the Lamb” — Contextual meaning: fulfillment of the Bride-of-Christ doctrine, the church’s ultimate hope — Cantonese: 羔羊嘅婚宴 (gou1 joeng4 ge3 fan1 jin2) — Risk: Critical — combines the Critical-tier 羔羊 (Lamb) and 新婦 (Bride) doctrines; the climactic consummation of redemptive history, not a private mystical experience but the public celebration of Christ and his redeemed people together.
faithful and true — Gr. πιστὸς καὶ ἀληθινός — see 21:5 entry, here as a title for the returning Christ himself (19:11) — Cantonese: 忠信同真實 — Risk: Medium.
Word of God — Gr. ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ (ho logos tou theou), title of the rider on the white horse (19:13) — reuses the 道 root already established in [BASELINE] 道成肉身 (incarnation, “the Word became flesh”) — Cantonese: 神嘅道 (san4 ge3 dou6) — Risk: CRITICAL — must be rendered consistently with the Johannine Logos-Christology already taught via the baseline’s incarnation entry; never rendered generically as 神嘅話 in this specific Christological-title context, lest it lose the title’s personal, divine weight (神嘅話 remains acceptable for the ordinary sense of “God’s message” elsewhere, e.g. 1:2, 6:9, 20:4).
King of kings and Lord of lords — Gr. βασιλεὺς βασιλέων καὶ κύριος κυρίων (basileus basileōn kai kyrios kyriōn) — reuses [BASELINE] 主 (Lord, Critical) — Cantonese: 萬王之王，萬主之主 (maan6 wong4 zi1 wong4, maan6 zyu2 zi1 zyu2) — Risk: Critical — given Hong Kong’s political sensitivities around sovereignty/loyalty language (already flagged in the baseline for Lordship of Christ and Kingdom passages), this title must be taught as a purely doctrinal, exclusive claim about Christ’s cosmic authority at his return — never framed as endorsing or opposing any specific earthly political authority or regime.

Chapter 20

thousand years (millennium) — Gr. χίλια ἔτη (chilia etē) — Lit. “a thousand years” — Semantic range: a specific, numerically stated period, the subject of substantial interpretive debate (premillennial, amillennial, postmillennial readings) — English variants: “a thousand years,” “the millennium” — Contextual meaning: the period of Christ’s reign associated with Satan’s binding — Cantonese: 一千年 (jat1 cin1 nin4) — Risk: High — a doctrinally and interpretively contested term (Symbolic and Apocalyptic Interpretation doctrine applies directly); translation should render literally without embedding any single interpretive scheme into the Cantonese wording, leaving interpretive framing to teaching notes.
first resurrection — Gr. ἡ ἀνάστασις ἡ πρώτη — reuses [BASELINE] 復活 (resurrection, Critical) — Cantonese: 頭一次復活 (tau4 jat1 ci3 fuk6 wut6) — Risk: High, connects to the millennium interpretive question above.
Gog and Magog — Gr. ὁ Γὼγ καὶ ὁ Μαγώγ — Cantonese: 歌革同瑪各 (go1 gaak3 tung4 maa5 gok3) — Risk: Low — OT-derived symbolic names for end-time hostile nations, needs a brief gloss.
great white throne — Gr. θρόνος λευκὸς μέγας — reuses throne (Ch. 4/21:3) — Cantonese: 白色嘅大寶座 (baak6 sik1 ge3 daai6 bou2 zo6) — Risk: High — the final judgment scene, anchoring the Judgment of the Wicked doctrine.
book of life — Gr. τὸ βιβλίον τῆς ζωῆς (to biblion tēs zōēs) — Lit. “the book/scroll of the life” — Semantic range: God’s record of those belonging to him — English variants: “book of life,” “Lamb’s book of life” — Contextual meaning: final judgment is determined by inclusion in this book, itself grounded in the Lamb’s redemptive work (13:8; 21:27) — Cantonese: 生命冊 (sang1 ming6 caak3) — Risk: CRITICAL — direct collision with the folk-religious “register of life and death” (生死簿), a ledger popularly believed to be kept by underworld officials (判官, 閻羅王) recording each person’s allotted lifespan and deeds, alterable through bribery, ritual offerings, or accumulated merit, well known via City God temple culture and popular media. The book of life is God’s sovereign, gracious record of those who belong to him through faith in the Lamb — unlike the folk register, it cannot be bribed, ritually altered, or earned by accumulated merit (功過); entry is by grace through the Lamb’s blood, not by a magistrate’s bureaucratic accounting.
judged according to their works — reuses baseline caution around merit/works framing; Gr. κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν — Cantonese: 按住佢哋嘅行為 (on3 zyu6 keoi5 dei6 ge3 hang4 wai4) — Risk: High — must be carefully distinguished from a karma/merit (功德, already forbidden for [BASELINE] grace) framework; this is final divine judgment of those outside Christ, not a description of how believers attain salvation (which remains by grace through faith per Romans).
Death and Hades — reuses Chapter 1’s 死亡/陰間 (High/Critical) — here “gave up their dead” and are finally “thrown into the lake of fire” (20:13-14) — Death and Hades personified as defeated enemies, not deities — Risk: Critical (same as Ch. 1 entry).

Chapter 21 (verses 9–27; verses 1–8 treated in Part 1 above)

new Jerusalem, further description — gates, foundations, measurements — Gr. πύλαι (pylai, gates), θεμέλιοι (themelioi, foundations) — Cantonese: 城門 (sing4 mun4) / 根基 (gan1 gei1) — Risk: Medium — twelve gates named for the twelve tribes and twelve foundations named for the twelve apostles reuse [BASELINE] 以色列 and 使徒 concepts, signaling continuity between the Old and New Covenant peoples of God — connects to Unity of Jews and Gentiles doctrine.
no temple — Gr. ναὸν οὐκ εἶδον ἐν αὐτῇ (naon ouk eidon en autē) — Cantonese: 見唔到聖殿 (gin3 m4 dou2 sing3 din6) — Risk: High — must be clear this is not a rejection of worship but its fulfillment/transcendence: God’s and the Lamb’s own presence is the city’s temple (21:22), distinct from any local temple culture (廟, already flagged under [BASELINE] church).
glory of God as its light — reuses [BASELINE] 榮耀 (glory) — Cantonese: 神嘅榮耀 — Risk: Medium.
nothing unclean shall ever enter it — Gr. οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθῃ εἰς αὐτὴν πᾶν κοινόν — Cantonese: 凡不潔嘅都唔可以入去 — Risk: High — reuses [BASELINE] 聖潔 (holy) framework; moral, not ritual, purity is meant.

Chapter 22

river of the water of life — Gr. ποταμὸς ὕδατος ζωῆς — reuses Ch. 21’s 生命水 — Cantonese: 生命水嘅河 (sang1 ming6 seoi2 ge3 ho4) — Risk: High (see 21:6 entry).
tree of life — reuses Chapters 2/21 — Cantonese: 生命樹 — Risk: High (see Ch. 2–3 entry).
no more curse — Gr. πᾶν κατάρα οὐκ ἔσται ἔτι (pan katara ouk estai eti) — Cantonese: 咒詛 (zau3 zou3) — Risk: Medium — distinguish from feng shui/folk curse-removal practices (解咒, 化解) common in Hong Kong folk custom; this is the final removal of the Genesis 3 curse over creation itself, accomplished by God, not warded off through ritual.
they will see his face — Gr. τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὄψονται (to prosōpon autou opsontai) — Cantonese: 佢哋將見到佢嘅面 (keoi5 dei6 zoeng1 gin3 dou2 keoi5 ge3 min6) — Risk: Medium-High — significant given the OT background (no one may see God’s face and live, Exodus 33:20), now reversed in the new creation; needs a background gloss for low-OT-literacy readers, and must not be flattened to a merely figurative “experience God’s presence” without the visual/relational climax intended.
“I am coming soon” — Gr. ταχύ (tachy) — Lit. “quickly, soon” — Semantic range: eschatological imminence — English variants: “soon,” “quickly,” “shortly” — Contextual meaning: Christ’s certain, imminent return, ties directly to the Assurance of God’s Final Victory doctrine — Cantonese: 快啲 (faai3 di1) — Risk: Medium — must be handled with care given nearly two thousand years having passed, consistent with God’s sovereign timing over history, without diluting urgency or resorting to date-setting speculation (a recurring issue among some Chinese/Cantonese apocalyptic new religious movements).
blessed — Gr. μακάριος (makarios) — reuses [BASELINE] 福 root (already flagged under gospel for its Hong Kong commercial-prosperity-culture collision, e.g. 恭喜發財) — Cantonese: 有福嘅 (jau5 fuk1 ge3) — Risk: Medium — must clarify this is eschatological covenant favor/joy, not fortune/luck in the popular commercial sense.
“Come, Lord Jesus” — Gr. Ἔρχου, κύριε Ἰησοῦ (Erchou, kyrie Iēsou; cf. Aramaic marana tha) — reuses [BASELINE] 主 (Lord, Critical) and 耶穌 (Jesus, Critical) — Cantonese: 主耶穌啊，你來 (zyu2 je4 sou1 aa3, nei5 loi4) — Risk: CRITICAL — parallels the Romans 10:9 “Jesus is Lord” salvation confession, whose consistent, verbatim rendering the baseline already flags as critical; this is the church’s climactic prayer of hope, affirming Christ’s Lordship and eager anticipation of his return — must be rendered with the same unqualified confidence and without political-loyalty overtones, consistent with the baseline’s handling of the Lordship of Christ doctrine.
the grace of the Lord Jesus be with all — reuses [BASELINE] 恩典 (grace, Critical) exactly, closing benediction of the whole book.
Vice list (repeated from 21:8, cf. 22:15): dogs, sorcerers, sexually immoral, murderers, idolaters, everyone who loves and practices falsehood — all terms already treated under the Core Passage (21:8) above.

End of Part 2. All 22 chapters of Revelation have been surveyed. See 08_core_glossary.md for the consolidated glossary table citing every term above by chapter, risk tier, and doctrine.

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