Christians get into fierce debates about the way that Revelation should be interpreted. Some argue that it should all be taken literally. Others claim it should is spiritual. Neither of these approaches works. Some passages cannot be taken literally. For example, Jesus does not have a literal sword coming out of his mouth (Rev 19:15). On the other hand, other passages must be taken literally. Rather than applying a strict rule, we should allow Revelation to speak for itself.
Some passages must be interpreted spiritually, but the spiritual entity represents something real. For example, the Beast is not a literal beast, but it does represent a real political empire that will exist on earth.
John recorded his vision using highly pictorial language that can be confusing, if we are too analytical. A childlike approach is more helpful. Children are familiar with stories about monsters, beasts and dragons. They might not understand all the detail, but they gain a strong impression of the winners and losers. Christians should take the same approach to Revelation. We should concentrate on understanding the overall scheme of events and avoid getting bogged down by the details.
Revelation does not describe the future in the way that history describes the past. It gives a general impression of the flow of history, but the details are often obscure. Many of these details will not be understood until they are fulfilled in the future. We do not need to know everything, so we can be content with a general outline.
Return to Keywords.
