Is the Book of Revelation taken to be metaphoric mostly because it's crazy? Are there other reasons?

Answer 1

My beloved squirrel, look at its author. He was tortured and sent to exile on the island of Patmos for the rest of his life in a prison camp. We've heard the stories of what prison camps and ptsd can do to a person. Do you really wonder where this fantastic tale of the doom of the world, giant bugs with the face of a man, mane of a lion, and tail of a scorpion coming up out of the ground, etc.. comes from?
Consider the source and take it that way.. it isn't even metaphoric.

Answer 2

A simple outline for the Book of Revelation is found in Revelation 1:19. In the first chapter, the risen and exalted Christ is speaking to John. Christ tells John to "Write therefore the things which you have seen, and the things which are, and the things which shall take place after these things." The things John had already seen are recorded in chapter 1. The "things which are" (that were present in John's day) are recorded in chapters 2-3 (the letters to the Churches). The "things which shall take place" (future things) are recorded in chapters 4-22.

Generally speaking, chapters 4 through 18 of the Book of Revelation deal with God's judgments on the people on the earth. These judgments are NOT for the church (1 Thessalonians 5:2, 9). The church has been removed from the earth in an event called the Rapture. The Rapture is described in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-52. This is a time of Jacob's trouble; trouble for Israel (Jeremiah 30:7; Daniel 9:12; 12:1). It is also a time when God is judging the world for their rebellion against Him.

Chapter 19 describes Christ's return with the Church, the Bride of Christ. He defeats the Beast, the False Prophet and casts them into the Lake of Fire. In Chapter 20, Christ has Satan bound and cast in the Abyss. Then Christ sets up His kingdom on earth that will last 1,000 years. At the end of the 1,000 years, Satan is released and he leads a rebellion against God. He is quickly put down and also cast into the Lake of Fire. Then the final judgment, the judgment for all Unbelievers, where they too are cast into the Lake of Fire.

Chapters 21 and 22 describe what is referred to as the eternal state. This is where God tells us eternity with Him will be like. The Book of Revelation is understandable! God would not have given it to us if its meaning was entirely a mystery. The key to understanding the Book of Revelation is to interpret it as literally as possible. The Book of Revelation says what it means

Answer 3

Think of it like this: Read about what happens to the chuches as they drift further away from God - it's a progression. The 'signs and wonders' that the end times people see in Revelation could be metaphoric of the bad things that happen to people/chuches/cultures as they drift away from the Rock of Ages. Oh, I'm also agnostic. But I've always felt that there was a double meaning to it.

Answer 4

It came very,very close to being excluded from the canon. The two primary concerns were that it referred to Nero's persecution and therefore represented a prophecy already fulfilled; the other was that it is so wildly metaphorical you could read almost anything into it,and it would probably become the source of a wide range of crazy beliefs,which heaven knows it has,the most obvious example being fundamentalism. Those people are just obsessed with it. Historically,it is the source of almost all true fanaticism in Protestantism.

Answer 5

Revelation is symbolic; the beast in Rev. 17 is the USA; the kings in that chapter represent empires. The five empires(kings) are Egyptian, Assyria, Babylonia, Medo-Persia, and Greek. The one that is; Roman; the empire that existed when John wrote Revelation. Need I go on?

Answer 6

Study of this subject will show you that what was written....was intended for a contemporary audience during a time of unpresidented subjugation and persecution. It was written with metaphor...written in "code"....so if any of the writing were intercepted by Roman authorities, they would not know what John was talking about.

Only the last few parts of the 22 Chapters refer to future events. John also wrote of historical events prior to his time and of current events, as it referred to his time, and then some future events. Most of Revelation was for his generation. Only some of it is still to happen.

Answer 7

Bàd Şquirrel, Bàd i see you'v been eating to many nuts again

Answer 8

Take another look we are living through it now!! Wars,floods,tornados,fire! GOD BLESS!!

Answer 9

No,literally.
U don't have to believe it,for it to be so.
It is.