In reading Revelation, one easily becomes puzzled. John states from the beginning that he is writing about a vision. A vision is a lot like a dream, sometimes a vision is a dream. Daniel mentions that he had a dream. He interpreted Nebuchanezzar's dream, saying that God had spoken to Nebuchanezzar. In Job, Scripture states that God talks to men in dreams. Why does God talk to men in dreams and visions? Why does God talk in riddles? I don't know.
So, my point is, yes, dreamland is hazy and unclear. Visionland is too. But this doesn't mean that a whole book of the Bible can just be dismissed as a figure of speech. It can be regarded as a figure of speech when that is the only possible explanation...."the four winds," locusts with women's hair, breastplates of iron, men's faces, scorpion's tails.
Then there are expressions and "types". A sacrificial lamb is a type of Christ. The Passover in Exodus exemplifies our rescue from the second death by the Blood of Christ. All kinds of types, especially physical representing spiritual.
However, I find myself frustrated to no end to run into dead ends reading commentaries, learned commentaries, verbose, lengthy, by legendary Christian leaders past and present, and find every question about Revelation answered with "the entire book of Revelation is figurative!" Then the rest is the commentator's own imagination. I HAVE AN IMAGINATION TOO!
I've mentioned before that in the not too distant past, Revelation 9, when an angel opens the Abyss, was interpreted, by the Protestants at least, to be referring to the invasion of Europe by Muslims. This was considered to be standard accepted Protestant thought. Catholics thought the locusts of the Abyss were the Protestants, and the angel that opened the door of the Abyss was Martin Luther.
I've read commentaries high and low on the Two Witnesses of Revelation 11. Count them: TWO (2). Many commentaries I've come across don't think there even are Two Witnesses in Revelation 11. "No, no, no. There are a few witnesses. The witnesses are the Church... the influence of the Church, which is on the wane!" they explain.
The Two Witnesses of the Bible have power, awesome power given to them by God. They have power to stop the sky from raining anywhere on earth for three and a half years. They can devour their enemies with fire out of the their mouths. They can turn water into blood. They can smite the earth with plagues. Oh, yes! This sounds like the Church!!
Commentators speculate that when "the beast that ascended out of the bottomless pit" kills the 'alleged' Two Witnesses, this must be all spiritualized. One, "the beast" means the personification of evil, or maybe Satan. Two, kill doesn't mean kill. It means stuff like: excommunicate, ostracize, embarrass, shun, banish. Wait. Even if "the beast" is the personification of evil, or Satan, how is he in charge of excommunication? The saints of the church are said to be so socially humiliated, they are practically non-existentant, hence "killed."
Even the three and a half days that the Two Witnesses lie dead in the street is challenged. Three and a half days???? No, no, no. Read that years. OK, fine, their dead bodies lie in the street three and a half years. "NO!!!!!! The Church's influence is not felt for three and a half years."
Well, then, what about the 1260 days that the Two Witnesses prophesy? "Oh, that just strengthen's the argument that this witness thing bespeaks the Church! 1260 days is 1260 years, simply meaning 'a long time,' like maybe the period of time the Church has been around."
Yeah yeah yeah. It wouldn't be so bad if one or two kooks said this. This has been standard thought by theologians for hundreds of years!! Using all kinds of Greek and Latin and Hebrew to do it!
Helene is here to set them straight!! I too have puzzled over "the Two Witnesses," "the beast that ascended out of the bottomless pit," "the 1260 days," "dead bodies in the street three and a half days," etc.
Next: The Two Witnesses of Revelation 11
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