I don't
interpret all of the Bible literally. Neither do you.
You don't believe
that Jesus is literally a door or a lamb or a lion.
When we discuss
eschatology we are given two options:
The
time texts are literal (this generation, soon, quickly, at hand etc...)
OR
The moon turning to blood and things like that are literal
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Obviously, the moon
turning to blood is not literal.
For those who don't agree, let me
remind you that the
Old Testament uses that type of language symbolically.
So we have Biblical precident for interpreting those passages non-literally.
Genesis 37:9 And
he dreamed yet another dream, and told it his brethren, and said,
Behold, I have dreamed a dream more; and, behold, the sun and
the moon and the eleven stars made
obeisance to me.
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We even have Biblical
precident for interpreting
"heaven and earth" sybolically:
De 28:23 And
thy heaven that is over thy head
shall be brass, and the earth that
is under thee shall be iron.
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"Thousand" is
usually not literal
Ps 50:10 For
every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand
hills.
If "thousand" is
literal, then God doesn't own the cattle on hill 1,001.
Ps 84:10 For
a day in thy courts is better than a thousand.
If
thousand is literal then a day in his courts is not better than
1,002.
Ps 90:4 For
a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is
past, and as a watch in the night.
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The
guys on TV say that the "mark of the Beast" is literal.
They say that
in the near future the government will stick micro-chips in everybody's
head. But the Bible talks about marks in the Old Testament. They
didn't have micro-chips back then. Revelation talks more about the
mark on believers than the mark of the Beast. Will God stick a micro-chip
in your head?
Rev 9:4 And
it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of
the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only
those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads.
Rev 14:1 And
I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and
with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his
Father's name written in their foreheads.
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Terms
like soon, near, at hand, and quicky are literal!
Ps 106:13 They
soon forgat his works; they waited not for his counsel
Does
soon mean 2,000 years?
Proverbs
14:17 He that is soon angry dealeth foolishly:
and a man of wicked devices is hated.
Mattew 26:18 And
he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The
Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at
thy house with my disciples.
Mattew 5:25 Agree
with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with
him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge,
and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into
prison.
1Co 4:19 But
I will come to you shortly, if the Lord will, and will know,
not the speech of them which are puffed up, but the power.
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The
book of Revelation does not interpret the book of Revelation
literally
Rev 1:20 The
mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand,
and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels
of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou
sawest are the seven churches.
Rev 17:7 And
the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel?
I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the
beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads
and ten horns. 8 The beast that thou sawest was, and
is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit,
and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth
shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book
of life from the foundation of the world, when they
behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
9 And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven
heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth.
Rev 17:12 And
the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which
have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power
as kings one hour with the beast.
Rev
17:15 And
he
saith
unto
me,
The
waters
which
thou
sawest,
where
the
whore
sitteth,
are
peoples,
and
multitudes,
and
nations,
and
tongues.
Rev
17:18 And
the
woman
which
thou
sawest
is
that
great
city,
which
reigneth
over
the
kings
of
the
earth.Rev
19:7
Let
us
be
glad
and
rejoice,
and
give
honour
to
him:
for
the
marriage
of
the
Lamb
is
come,
and
his
wife
hath
made
herself
ready.
8
And
to
her
was
granted that
she
should
be
arrayed
in
fine
linen,
clean
and
white:
for
the
fine
linen
is
the
righteousness
of
saints.
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