Revelation, an apocalypse, is one of the most misunderstood books of the Bible. In this book, John describes heavenly wisdom he received from an angel. Readers often have a difficult time understanding this book because John depicts the supernatural world through many strange events and symbols, and scholars debate the legitimacy and context of John’s vision. Upon further reading of the text, it appears that stories in Revelation should be taken literally and that the events are predicting the future but also occasionally referencing John’s present age.
Readers should understand Revelation as literal events, but these events are not necessarily described literally. For starters, John describes his vision so vividly, that it seems almost impossible that he would be able to concoct such events. He uses figurative …show more content…
John often uses this symbolism because he is describing occasions unfathomable to any human being. After all, he was “carried… away in the spirit” and witnessed the supernatural world (Revelation 17:3). For example, John attempts to describe the “beast rising out of the sea” through animal characteristics. He declares it “was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth” (13:2). John’s symbolism may seem obscure because he was originally writing to an audience in the first century. For example, he uses the analogy of “the harvest of the earth” to symbolize the judgement because the people of the ancient world would have been familiar
Readers should understand Revelation as literal events, but these events are not necessarily described literally. For starters, John describes his vision so vividly, that it seems almost impossible that he would be able to concoct such events. He uses figurative …show more content…
John often uses this symbolism because he is describing occasions unfathomable to any human being. After all, he was “carried… away in the spirit” and witnessed the supernatural world (Revelation 17:3). For example, John attempts to describe the “beast rising out of the sea” through animal characteristics. He declares it “was like a leopard, its feet were like a bear’s and its mouth was like a lion’s mouth” (13:2). John’s symbolism may seem obscure because he was originally writing to an audience in the first century. For example, he uses the analogy of “the harvest of the earth” to symbolize the judgement because the people of the ancient world would have been familiar