How do you know what to take literally and figuratively in the Bible?

Question

There are some things that I don't really understand.
Which parts of the Bible would you take figuratively and literally?

For example, the harlot riding the ten horned beast, why is that taken figuratively and the whole "burning" of hell is taken literally. I'm not sure what exactly it was about, but it was along the lines of weed or something burning and people took that as a literal term that people would burn. Obviously, there are other examples that I'm sure you could think of that are literal and figurative, so could you tell them to me and explain them?

What are your views?
I would greatly appreciate other perspectives! I'm really trying to grasp this concept.
Thanks a bunch!
:)

Answer 1

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peace

Answer 2

Good question. First of all ignore people who tell you everthing is fake. The "figuritve" you are referring to is simply symbolic language. Just like a key on a map tells you that a little picture of an airplane is really a location of an airport, not a little airplane. You have to understand what they mean. Other places in the bible provide the keys. A lot of people have dedicated their lives to understanding what they mean, and the answers are very clear and make so much more sense. If you read daniel, it explains alot about the visions he saw. An angel actually comes to him and explains the vison that was very confusing to him. He saw beasts coming from the ocean but didn't know what they were. For instance he had to interpret the kings dreams of the lion, the bear, the leopard and then the terrible beast. An angel explains later on that those actually represent kingdoms of the earth. The ocean that they came form represented multitudes or people. And the lion was babylon, the nation in power at the time. The next was explained to be medo-persia, the nation that conqured babylon, it even talks about the nation after that, Greece. It describes that the multiheaded leopard represented a leader(Alexander the Great) who died and the other heads were the subsequent leaders(his generals).These verses are located in Daniel 7 and 8. The terrible beast is rome, all of these nations were described hundreds and thousands of years before they were even major powers! God gives prophecy to his people to give them confidence in his word and that he is Lord of all. But the language is confusing to those who read it on the surface. For whatever his reason is, maybe because that kind of information could be damaging if bad people understood it's meaning. Or because God has never tried to prove his existence to people. But the info is there. If you want to know more about the topic here is a website.http://www.danielrevelation.com/site/index.php?cat=dr this will do a better job than me. Research other sites as well. Good luck.

Answer 3

Finally someone here with an intelligent question. The ten horned beast is a symbol of a multiple nation comprised of different languages,if you read on the speaker explains the meanings,,,and yes their is a literal hell. God is a God of symbolism,types and shadows,Jesus for an example had illustrations of 10 virgins with oil and 10 without. The ones with were ,the ones with the HOly spirit,the others were just good people without the Holy spirit. Jesus clearly explains the meanings if you take the time and read on. But the bible is very complex and very intricate,but it`s simple if you stay in the word. If you don`t read it nor ask God for help it will be very difficult. But alot of the bible is common sense,if you slow down and try it will become clear.

Answer 4

I think its a case of looking at the style of literature and how scripture refers to scripture... sometimes you can tell by the way other parts of scripture view it

in the cases you gave ..both from a highly symbollic book...Revelation... it's a very good question

a harlot riding a beast begs being figuative... as you dont really see harlots riding wild animals... the horns represent nations as pollywog mentioned... additionally it reminds us of similar wild beasts which represented kingdoms from Daniel

the lake of fire is an eternal state as is the people inside the New Jerusalem... so being a real place is fitting... the fire could be symbollic but a symbol is usually represents something like it even more intense.. additionally Jesus spoke of the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels and the lost... so it would make sense to see what Jesus said on the subject and harmonize the two

Answer 5

There is an easy motto to remember.

"If the literal sense makes sense, seek no other sense lest you come up with nonsense."

If taking a passage literally sounds absurd, it was probably never intended to be taken literally. How do you read the newspaper? You can tell when an author is using a figure of speech and when he means something literally. If I said I just ran up my phone bill, you know I dont mean that I literally ran up the bill with my feet, its a figure of speech called an idiom. Do some research on common Jewish idioms of Jesus' day. Also get a good book on Bible interpretation, such as Getting the Message by Daniel M. Doriani, for starters.

BTW, there are respected Christian theologians who do not believe hell is a place of literal fire but would say it is a place of literal torment.

Answer 6

It depends on the way it was written. Much of the prophecy is written figuratively. Other parts of the Bible, like Genesis and Joshua, are written as historical narrative. You have to read the verses around it and make determinations based on what's written. Typically entire books stick to the same style of writing. Psalms, for instance, are mainly poetry, although a few are prophetic. Matthew, however, is historical narrative again.

Remember, interpret Scripture with Scripture, to help prevent you from taking man's ideas and putting them on God's Word.

Answer 7

The Bible is made up of historic previous, poetry, prophecy and parables. Poetry with its flowing analogies is the main in all probability to be taken figuratively. yet historic previous and prophecy ought to be understood greater actually. The parables could be the two, yet context in many circumstances qualifies their literal or figurative interpretation.

Answer 8

I take the rotation of the sun literally. A general in ancient Israel ordered the sun to stand still whilst his battle raged and he was winning.
This means the sun revolves around the Earth.

Also there were giants that lived eight hundred years at least, and Noah went down to Antarctica to get penquins for his ship, and walruses too.

Yep, you got to take all that literally. I'm a saint and I'm holy so I assure you I know what I'm talking about.

Answer 9

I'd say this about that: Read the works of the Apostolic Fathers on the Inspiration of Holy Scripture. All of them.

Then, when you are ALL done - remember this:

"Take Literally" - just these two things:

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

And...

John 6:53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.

54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.


As for everything else in the Bible, after those two truths, it doesn't really matter all that much. ;-)

Answer 10

The only possible way to know this is by listening to the one Church Christ founded as the recipient, protector, and interpreter of His Holy Word. The Church which the Bible refers to as "the pillar and foundation of truth". The Church to which Christ said, "he who hears you hears Me", and "whatsoever you bind upon earth is bound in heaven". The Church with a 2,000 year history of continuous, unchanging doctrinal truth, compared to the ongoing fragmentation of manmade religion into thousands of conflicting denominations in a few hundred years, primarily over disagreements concerning their various futile attempts at biblical interpretation. Which seems more in accord with the stated will of God, "that they all may be ONE, even as you Father and I are ONE"?

Answer 11

It pretty much goes like this:

If the Christian reading it agrees with the statement, they take it literally.

If the Christian reading it doesn't agree/understand/or feels uncomfortable with the statement, its figurative.