Prophecy - The End Times

[Ohio]

Originally Posted by Zezima

As you read prophecy such as revelation 13, how do you determine what is metaphorical and what isn’t?

For example, Revelation and Daniel both speak of a number of “beasts.” Some commentators say these are empires, and some say they are certain individuals. They both have their points, and their views. I try to discern which is more faithful to the scripture, and in many cases both are correct. In other words, the “beasts” refer to both the leader and his empire, often determined by the context.

When reading these books, we need to be like detectives. We must gather the verses and study. Often, I come up with a “hunch,” an understanding of the facts, much like a detective gathers known evidence and tries to solve a “crime,” developing a theory of what has happened. Perhaps the “hunch” comes from pieces of others’ writings. Then I go back and try to fit all the verses into my interpretation of events. If that fails, try another. Does this make sense?

In this way, we are handling the scripture like a “craftsman,” rightly dividing the word of God. I learned this method years ago from Dr. Philip Comfort, and it has always served me well.