Is the Book of Revelation Literal?

Should the book of Revelation be interpreted as a literal or metaphorical event?

#StandtoReason #Apologetics #Christianity

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[HarpazoReady]

Minute 1:22 “there are no dragons falling from the sky.”
Revelation 12 describes a dragon (v. 3) and the things it does and how the dragon fought the angels in Heaven (v.7) and how it did not prevail over the angels (v.8) and THEN the dragon was cast out of Heaven (v.9) WHO IS this dragon?? Verse 9 says it represents Satan, “that old serpent called the devil, who deceives the whole world: he was cast out into earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
So yes, there was a dragon that fell from the sky.
The Bible interprets itself. We have to be careful not to add to scripture what it doesn’t say. Spiritualizing verses, for example, is believing whoever wrote these verses did not say exactly what they mean.
When you don’t take the Bible literal and instead, spiritualize the verses, then the interpretation is limited only by the imagination of the reader.
When you don’t take the Bible literal, it can mean whatever the reader perceives it to mean and often defined by outside authorities like what’s popular.
Yes, Take the Bible literal until it tells you not to. Just like when Jesus said in Matthew 13:13, for example, that he’s speaking in Parables. Ok, we know not to take those passages literally. Or in Revelation 12 mentioning a dragon being cast out of Heaven. It tells us who the dragon represents. No guess work on our part. Just keep reading. The Word tells us it was Satan being cast out. The dragon represents Satan/Devil✅
Where is the line drawn on spiritualism for the Word? Is Jesus just a metaphor? Maybe his death wasn’t literal either. Maybe that just represents the sacrifices we should make to get into Heaven. (It’s not. Jesus literally died and literally rose)

Spiritualizing the Bible and reading INTO verses what it doesn’t say is dangerous and ultimately pulls people away from Christ in the end because nothing is concrete.
Revelation was written in 95AD. Chapters 5-22 are future and have not happened yet. Just like Revelation 6:8 says 1/4 of the earth dies. That’s 2 Billion people. Then an additional 1/3 die in Revelation 9:15. Those total 4 Billion. Four billion people didn’t die in 70AD. These are Tribulation period events that have not happened. One third of the planets trees have not burned- Revelation 8:7.

By spiritualizing the verses, we won’t recognize the signs of the last days and know the season for Christ’s return is very near (1 Thessalonians 5:1-9). And that’s exactly what Satan wants. An ignorant populace. Jesus is coming sooner than we think and most still believe it’s 500 years away. It’s not.
Look up. Our redemption is drawing near🎺

[totopaglaz]

If its symbolic so what happened to the river Euphrates? It dries up like the prophesy in the revelation

[deezynar]

Most of the symbolic language used in the book is explained in the book.  The biggest challenge isn't had in understanding the symbolism, it's determining the correct chronology.  Jesus gives us the chronology in the Olivet discourse.

[MB-qrxv]

The Bride of Christ is the Church, NOT the New Jerusalem. Revelation 22:6 says, "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5 There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

6 The angel said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true." Notice the angel did NOT say, "These words are Hebraic, Apocalyptic language." While there clearly are metaphors throughout the Bible not everything is a metaphor. AND, a metaphor has to have a metaphorical significance. For instance, Jesus is called the "Bread of Life" because just like bread gives us nutritional sustenance, Jesus gives us spiritual sustenance.

This would be carrying the metaphor too far if you said, "Jesus is the bread of life, He is eight inches long, four inches wide, six inches high, and He is made of wheat, olive oil and sesame seeds. AND He weighs five pounds.

Here is the description of God's Holy City: "And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. 11 It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. 13 There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. 14 The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

15 The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. 16 The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12, 000 stadia (roughly 1500 miles) in length, and as wide and high as it is long. 17 The angel measured the wall using human measurement, and it was 144 cubits thick. 18 The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. 19 The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth ruby, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth turquoise, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. 21 The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of gold, as pure as transparent glass.

22 I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. 23 The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. 24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. 25 On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. 26 The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. 27 Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

Does this sound like a metaphor for the Church? Or does it sound like God's Holy City and His Throne coming down from Heaven to be God's home with His church?

By the way, it says, "The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it." Doesn't make any sense to say, the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into the Bride of Christ the church.

[gozcu]

- If something is not literal, the Bible always explains it instantly. We see this many times. But like the dragon, it doesn't make sense to say that the bowl of wrath isn't literal. Not everything needs to be physically understood. God is above nature. Of course we will see supernatural things. This idea gradually leads people to believe that God is an idea and not a real person. This is another reason why people cannot see miracles. Denying Power of Lord.

[dorkydicken]

Nope it's an allegory, metaphorical.

The literal event is the revelation of Christ within us.

Just like the mark of the Beast is in us and it's both spiritual and physical, even as buying things, we buy them in a sinful nature and in a good nature.

The four horseman are the four aspects of nature that we go through everyday.

[dbviju]

there are so very many explanations of this book

[brittanyplantagenet]

How do you KNOW this?! Did YOU write it?!?😊

[DoctorTopper]

You look different from before.  Maybe its contact lenses.  Anyways, thank you very much.

[glitchnyrmatrix]

Sure, all of the, what you would call allegory describing coming of the Messiah turned out to be literal 100%.
But you're saying God is going to throw us a curveball for the Rapture and the second coming.
John and the prophets described as best they could what God showed them. How could Ezekiel 38 describe a nuclear explosion when nobody ever seen one?
If eschatological prophecy is allegory then how can you trust anything in the Bible.
You have to allegorize the things you don't understand to fit them into your Doctrine. You are simply wrong.

[Rydonittelo]

Short
It is in a sence but it uses a lot of symbolism used to describe the end of the world ✝️

[hfrt]

First of all it's not called Revelations!!!ughh why can't people just take that s off